Latest Posts

Lex Leosis – “innerthoughts”

January 9, 2026

Sometimes the banality of everyday life kicks off your sense of existential threats. What macro factors lead me to my everyday day-to-day? Toronto artist Lex Leosis explores this state of mind in her latest track, “innerthoughts.” Leosis’s emotional delivery is matched with somber piano and drained trumpet, as she ties lines like “I don’t like what I used to,” and “can’t decide if my life is mine” to late stage capitalism, business-influenced dopamine rushes, and a terrifying new normal that we’re just forced to power through. “ICE kidnaps people in broad day, and we still have to clock in on Monday?”Leosis reminds you that other peoplr are seeing and dealing with this shit too. Wgether it can be a call to action or just a collective journal entry is yet to be determined. “innerthoughts” kicks off Leosis’s 2025 EP love adjacent.  Give it a listen below:

Jezuz Martinez – “December to Remember”

January 9, 2026

Florida rap duo Jezuz Martinez (Jezuz Borgia and Mike Martinez) form a perfect union with their partnership. Jezuz’s lyrics flow into deep dark crevasses of conspiracy and abstractness, whereas Martinez’s rock steady flows ground the duo’s output. “December to Remember” is an emblematic representation of their output. Its dusty production would would find a home among the East Coast crate diggers of the 90s, and both emcees show off flows that would make midwestern Rhymesayers proud. Martinez took the lead on production here, and his strummy sample find feels just a little bit downhome, a nice nod to their Florida roots. Each rapper’s flow is super distinct, with Borgia’s capacious ideas parred down by Martinez’s pragmatic flows. Take a listen below and see which side of the yin and yang you vibe with more.

O.G. Soul + Honey-B-Sweet – “Can’t Tell Me None!”

January 8, 2026

Hip hop producer O.G. Soul has a talent for building beats that blend seamlessly in with his collaborators. His latest chameleon effort, “Can’t Tell Me None!” is a percussion and piano-forward beat to pair with featured lyricist Honey-B-Sweet. Soul’s banging keys and crispy symbols match the coldness of Sweet’s streetwise lyrics. She offers a bit of venom to counter her saccharine moniker, discussing her narcotics involvement with an appropriate snarl. “Can’t Tell Me None!’s” production is rounded out with an eerie female vocal sample, adding a bit more texture to a surgical instrumental. Give it a listen on Spotify and check out both Soul and Sweet’s output while you’re there.

DV8 – “Ice Cream Float”

December 26, 2025

Jacksonville-based rapper DV8 brings a veteran mindset to his hip hop output. His latest track, “Ice Cream Float” are the wise words of an artist who sees a woman who he adores and admires with her “brains, beauty, and character.” In his reflections, DV8 also acknowledges his faults and how they can drive her away. His sage musings find the balance between his love for her and the steps he takes to keep her close. “Ice Cream Float” is anchored by soulful love song sample, elevating the temperature of the track. “RIP Randy Savage, Fuck Hulk Hogan” is a great little line for us wrestling heads over at BuffaBLOG HQ, too. Give the track a listen below, check out DV8 on Spotify, and give this track a spin on our Best of Hip Hop 2025 playlist.

Modyst + Saï T – “Gaslight”

December 26, 2025

Oakland emcee Modyst links up with crunchy hip hop producer Saï T to discuss a cycle of abuse with their latest track “Gaslight.” Saï T’s beat is a light and airy loop that gets grounded with crispy drums and Modyst’s stark vocal delivery. He tells a tale of a gaslighting partner who’s fiery contradictions eventually spread to him. When you look closely at the smoke, you see both sides are fanning the flames now. “You made a choice to be so wicked…it’s a gaslighting competition.” “Gaslight” kicks off Modyst’s 2025 EP Isolation. If you’re into storytelling in your hip hop, give this project a listen. Check out more from Modyst and T on Spotify. You’ll also find this track on our Best of 2025 rap playlist – save it before we refresh it for the new year.

big heck – “ALTAR 444”

December 19, 2025

big heck hits us with a big closing song with the capstone track on their latest EP, The Earth! The Heavens! The Sapient Stars!. It’s called “ALTAR 444” and its a lovely and noisy shoegaze-r with a core in art pop, pairing sludged-out guitars with bizarre, synth-y elements and impassioned vocals. There’s even a hint of Deftones energy here, with the whisper-moaned vocals that drip with intensity.   “ALTAR 444” is on both Bandcamp and Spotify.   The Earth! The Heavens! The Sapient Stars! by Big Heck

The Mad Mile – “Wendy Houses”

December 19, 2025

London-based duo The Mad Mile have an impressive pedigree – its two members, Adam Pickering and Matthew Goodbody, have worked together previously in seminal math rock act General Admin. The duo split off to explore new sounds, and the result is captured in latest single, “Wendy Houses.” Dark, angular, and gaze-y, “Wendy Houses” dabbles in post-punk atmospherics with dark vocals, stabby guitar work, and even some distorted keyboards. It’s cool and moody, and that pretty much checks all of our boxes… Not to mention, you can really hear the camaraderie these two have built having worked together for years.   “Wendy Houses” can be previewed via YouTube below, or, found on Spotify.    

Rude Films – “Horseshoe”

December 17, 2025

Rude Films occupies the dank mills of Manchester – those dank vibes have permeated the jaunty post-punk of their latest offering, “Horseshoe.” Ultimately guitar-driven in a discordant-but-melodic way, “Horseshoe” is full of shoegazy washiness, angular riffing, and swirling atmospherics. The crew made a purposeful pivot to a more controlled and refined sound with “Horseshoe,” and while we love the unhinged fuzz of their other work, it certainly tickles the eardrums in a lovely new way.   “Horseshoe” is available via Spotify (below).  

A Days Wait x Color Theory – “Empty Promises”

December 17, 2025

A Days Wait and Color Theory teamed up for a blippy bedroom-pop jam called “Empty Promises.” Color Theory jumped in to reimagine one of A Days Wait’s earliest songs, and the result is something super pleasant on the ears – expect easy-going vocals, a driving bassline, and an electronic backbone that feels organic and heartfelt.   “Empty Promises” is available on Spotify and Apple Music.   Color Theory · Empty Promises

Velly Marsh – “Too Late”

December 17, 2025

Sacramento Rapper Velly Marsh doesn’t sound like a lot of his West Coast contemporaries. His latest track, “Too Late” boasts a timeless soul sample for Velly to weave his intricate, introspective rhymes over. This is a track about crossing lines in a relationship – where both parties can be at fault when these lines get blurred. Velly’s performance is particularly strong, as he barely misses a beat across over 2 minutes of straight rhyming. Add this one to your playlists that are lyrically dense, with polished and clean production. Check out more from Velly on Spotify, where you’ll find him on our Rising Rappers 2025 playlist. We’ll be resetting at the end of the year, so save that playlist while you have the chance.

$lugs – “vince staples but he’s rapping over a beat i made after doing shrooms i think i did too much lol”

December 17, 2025

Transport yourself back to the prime days of Soundcloud with San Jose beatmaker $lugs. What a thrill this era was — hopping on your homepage, clicking a few times and all the sudden you’re in a world of mystical cloud beats, sample-standalones, and songs like this one. I long for the days of a rap I’ve heard before over brand new, distinct, and perhaps maybe better than the original production.Thankfully we have $lugs and $lugs has shrooms. &lugs’ reimagining of this Vince Staples track factors in a wave of sounds, synths and samples, providing for a schizo sonic experience, probably influenced by the shrooms. See if it matches your vibe – at the very least it’ll take you back to 2am on an old laptop. If you’re into the persona that is $lugs, might I suggest a deeper dive into their Soundcloud profile. You’re gonna get more of that on[...]

Ayka – “Let Go”

December 16, 2025

Ayka is colloquially known as the moniker of the Norwegian-Turkish musician Ayça Lingaas – her latest, “Let Go,” bridges the gap between Wet Leg’s effervescence and In-Rainbows-era Radiohead’s organic indie drive. Powered by squiggly guitars, bells, super tight drums, and Ayka’s glassy-eyed delivery, there’s something here for all the various indie-heads out there. Here’s a little bit more about the song from Ayka herself:   “The song is about being on the brink of letting something go and imagining the aftermath – but still staying for a little while – just to see how things unfold and maybe a reason to stay arises? ‘It’s not me, it’s you!'”   “Let Go” is available via YouTube (below), or Spotify.    

Fires of Cheektowaga – “Slowburn”

December 16, 2025

We sincerely hope Cheektowaga, NY isn’t on fire – the Walden Galleria Mall is struggling enough already. But we are sincerely captivated with the psyched-out shoegaze coming from Toronto-based act Fires of Cheektowaga. Expect plenty of MBV energy with a hint of The Dandy Warhols – tasty guitar work, wild rhythmic smashes, and enough swirling textures to forego your next acid trip. Simultaneously grungy and beautiful, FoC sure know how to manhandle a guitar.   “Slowburn” is available on Bandcamp (below) or Spotify.   Slowburn – Single Version by Fires of Cheektowaga

West Ferry – Watching the World Run By

December 15, 2025

West Ferry have been not-so-quietly building an oeuvre of passionate, emo-tinged indie punk for 15 years. They’re back with another three-song EP, Watching the World Run By, which finds the band pushing their sound even further, playing around with Midwest emo riffing, folk-tinged punk, and raw emotive passion.   Opening track “Ralph” is as Midwest as it comes – a twinkling guitar riff is the star of the show here, setting the scene for hard-hitting lyrics. Lines like “I’m gonna break every rule so you react / gonna count down every minute till you get back / gonna act like I don’t hear you call my name / gonna clean your plate, gonna keep you SAFE!” are spit out with defiance and a voice-breaking intensity – reminiscent of Conor Oberst’s Bright Eyes, but a bit more aligned with the high-intensity punk of Desaparecidos. Keep your ears peeled around the 2:10[...]

Known Moons – “TIME”

December 13, 2025

Nothing like a build up with drums and guitar that bursts into immediate vocals, which “TIME” delivers in spades – courtesy of Milwaukee-based Known Moons. The guitar transcendence continues with upbeat tones and poppy vocals that would appeal to anyone who has listened to emo in the past 20 years. There’s also a trumpet too, performed by none other than the legendary Steve Lamos of American Football fame, so expect a bit of “Never Meant” flavor too.   You can hear it below via YouTube, as well as Spotify and Apple Music. Known Moons is releasing a split EP with Barely Civil 2/2/26, Barely Known so if you’re diggin’ “TIME” be sure to check that out when it drops. I always find it easiest to keep abreast of bands by following ’em, so I found the band’s linktree so you don’t have to! IG can be found here.