introvertleave it all behind – allan jamisen
The verdict
“allan jamisen crafts a gorgeous, washed-out dream pop meditation on the impossibility of outrunning yourself”
'leave it all behind' opens with a familiar pull, the fantasy of walking out and starting over, somewhere new, someone else. allan jamisen builds the track around layers of shoegazey guitar wash and a vocal that floats just above, reflective rather than urgent. the song knows the truth underneath its own dream: you can drive as far as you want, but you're still in the car. that tension gives it weight without dragging it down. musically, i love the hazy production, a kinda of escapist vibe that's beautifully melodic. it's a gorgeous, thoughtful piece of alt rock, and it lands with real emotional pull.
allan jamisen is a phoenix-based composer and painter whose path through music has been anything but linear. from singing in an la band alongside future rolling stones collaborator danny saber, to recording in copenhagen with mega records' claes cornelius during the ace of base era, to working with veteran engineer john x volaitis back stateside, he's gathered a lifetime of influences and collaborators. lee hazelwood, burt bacharach, the velvet underground, leonard cohen, they're all in there somewhere. this one should do really well, we love it.
thank u for making this allan jamisen 🌅
in a world full of sheerans, be more macklemore – mark garvey
The verdict
“mark garvey turns the sheeran/macklemore debate into a brilliantly furious garage rock statement that's irresistible and urgent”
'in a world full of sheerans, be more macklemore' does exactly what the title promises: it picks a side, loudly. built entirely in adobe premiere pro, which is absurd and kind of perfect, the track rips through grunge-edged guitars and a vocal that sounds like it was recorded mid-argument with the state of things. the song lands somewhere between a manifesto and a call-out, tackling the question of whether artists should stay neutral or actually say something. garvey's answer is clear: say something. there's a video too, featuring hertfordshire's greatest dancer in a shell-suit and an ed sheeran mask, making a glorious mess of himself. it's scrappy, political and refuses to be polite about any of it. i love it.
mark garvey is a st albans, england based artist who does everything himself, in a shed, with video editing software that was never meant for making music. he's been slotted into the grunge revival drawer and tagged alternative rock, but the songs move between furious system-takedowns and existential bits over overpriced oat milk lattes. each release comes with videos and artwork that expand the whole thing outward, and he's built a following doing it entirely his own way. more please, mr garvey.
thank u for making this mark garvey 🎭
dark moon – max norton
The verdict
“max norton conjures the dust and myth of the american west into a brilliantly compelling slice of alt-rock”
'dark moon' opens with a pull that feels like driving through open desert at dusk, all contemplative weight and forward motion at once. norton built this one entirely in his muscle shoals home studio, playing every instrument himself, and that hands-on intensity shows in the way the track moves. there's western mythology woven through the lyrics, vast landscapes and something mysterious underneath, but the rhythm keeps it danceable rather than distant. drums anchor the whole thing, which makes sense for someone who spent a decade behind a kit professionally. it's introspective indie without ever losing its feet, polished but still catching that live-room spark. a compelling highlight this month.
max norton is a muscle shoals based multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer who writes, records and plays everything on his own releases. he grew up in tampa, worked his way through nashville and london as a professional drummer, and now calls the shoals home. his influences run from levon helm and jeff buckley through otis redding, courtney barnett, and 60s garage psych, and that range comes through in how comfortably 'dark moon' sits between rootsy texture and alt-rock drive. it's a confident, distinctive sound, and we're excited to hear where it goes next.
thank u for making this max norton 🌙
hangnail – losem
The verdict
“losem delivers a brilliantly raw slice of emo rock with 'hangnail', a cathartic meditation on self-sabotage”
'hangnail' doesn't ease you in. it opens with a distorted weight that pins you there, all tension and confession at once. kels taylor wrote this one about being your own worst enemy, the loop of hindering your own progress, and the arrangement matches that restlessness perfectly. producer matt bolton took what started as bare-bones demos and built them into something that hits much harder, layering guitar and drums until the whole thing feels like it might split open. it's face-melting, cathartic single that earns every, noisy second.
losem is the project of nashville songwriter kels taylor, who stepped away from classical music and folk rock roots to find something rawer. the shift paid off. working with producer matt bolton, who's been central to shaping the losem sound, taylor has built a project that pulls from hayley williams' confessional writing, indigo de souza's arrangements and mannequin pussy's intensity. 'hangnail' dropped this october as a statement of intent, and it lands. we're very keen to hear what comes next.
thank u for making this losem 🔥