DISCOVERING THE NEW MUSIC UNDERGROUND AROUND THE GLOBE
Rock/Review ReeToxA - War Killer
ReeToxA originally emerged as the brainchild of Melbourne’s own Jason McKee, a lifelong songwriter whose musical awakening took place as a teenager against the gritty backdrop of 1990s Frankston, although life quickly got in the way of his creative dreams.
Classical/Review Martin Lloyd Howard - Hidden Andalucia
Martin Lloyd Howard is an English guitarist, originally trained in the classical tradition, who has expanded into folk, blues and rock. His main instrument is a fifty-year-old, hand-built classical guitar, but he is also at home playing electric, steel-strung acoustic and slide guitar. He specialises in original instrumental music featuring both solo and ensemble electric and acoustic guitars, but he also composes and performs covers of contemporary music.
Country/Review Lancaster Rayne - I Don't Wanna Love You
Lancaster Rayne is carving out a distinctive space in the country music landscape from an unlikely home base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a self-contained artist, songwriter, and producer working from a private studio, Rayne operates outside the Nashville machinery, crafting what he calls a "Modern Bakersfield" sound—a compelling fusion of traditional honky-tonk grit and sleek contemporary production.
Pop/Review Cozy Pebble Songs - Songs of Friendship & Kindness (volume 1)
Cozy Pebble Songs is the heartfelt children’s music project of Eran, a single father from Israel who transformed intimate bedtime moments with his 4.5-year-old daughter into a gentle collection of songs for young children and families. What began as improvised bedtime stories, lullabies, and recurring characters created to comfort his daughter before sleep has grown into a purposeful creative project designed to bring calm, reassurance, and emotional warmth to children ages 3–6.
Rock/Review Finlay Birch - Inside Your Mind
Finlay Birch is a Scottish singer-songwriter originally from Inverclyde and now based on the Isle of Mull, where his creative spirit has long felt at home. His music blends alternative folk, indie, and soft rock, shaped by a reflective writing style and a strong sense of place.
Rock/Review Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends - The Sparrow
Emerging from Swedish band Redmoon, the solo project of Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends launched in the summer of 2020 (with the disco pastiche Suck). Three more singles followed in 2021, culminating with the release of the double album "17 Birds at the Summer's Gate."
Pop/Review Joseph Turner & The Dudes of Hazard - Travelin’ Heart
Joseph Turner & The Dudes of Hazard is an indie/alternative project built on songwriting first. Writing from the Dutch delta, Turner’s songs are sometimes soft, sometimes loud, but always direct. He records the core of the music himself, drawing on a background in rock bands while leaving room for pop hooks, country-leaning storytelling, and the occasional touch of noise when it feels right. The Dudes are a rotating group of collaborators, longtime companions, and recent kindred spirits who step in both on record and on stage.
Rock/Review Decadent Heroes - Climax
Decadent Heroes is the instrumental guitar project of Italian musician Luigi Chiappini. Inspired by Joe Satriani, Andy Timmons, and Jeff Beck, the music blends melodic instrumental rock with a strong focus on expressive phrasing, tone, and emotional depth. Centered around the electric guitar as the main storytelling voice, Decadent Heroes moves between atmospheric passages and powerful, guitar-driven moments.
Rock/Review Block - Love Crash
Block has always broken boundaries while setting standards for commercial and critical success, but it’s his willingness to be authentic, intimate, and intelligent in his work—and his life—that has set him apart.
Rock/Review Fish And Scale - Letter from Paulus
Fish And Scale, aka Roland Wälzlein, is a unique German artist who has a growing and dedicated fan base. He is attracting attention all over the world. Growing up in Franconia (a southern part of Germany), as a six-year-old child, he survived a serious heart operation. This life-and-death experience stayed with him all his life. Existentialist questions are reflected throughout his lyrics.
Hip-Hop/Review JC Flow - Through the Ashes
Seattle artist JC Flow is building more than a music catalog. He is building a body of work rooted in resilience, honesty, and transformation. With a sound that blends cinematic hip-hop, emotional storytelling, and raw lyrical depth, JC Flow creates music for people fighting battles they do not always talk about out loud. For JC Flow, becoming an artist was never just about making songs. It was about finding a voice.
EDM/Review Eltus - HUSH HUSH HUSH
ELTUS is a Paris-based electronic music producer carving out a distinctive space in the bass house and EDM landscape with emotionally charged, club-driven productions. Working from a personal studio setup, ELTUS is building a carefully curated musical universe that blends powerful female vocal energy with cinematic atmospheres and unforgettable hooks.
EDM/Review Kat Button - Invisible Struggles
Kat Button is a singer/songwriter/producer/music educator who creates EDM and dance pop focusing on mental health, mental health recovery, and neurodivergency. Every song she makes creates a soundscape to fully immerse the listener in the meaning of the song.
Electronic/Review Arpatle - Stalacs
Arpatle - Stalacs
Rock/Review Frederick James - Under The Clocks
Frederick James is an English songwriter based in Perth, Western Australia, writing raw, emotionally honest songs grounded in ordinary life, difficult years, and the search for something hopeful inside both. Influenced by the melodic songwriting of Noel Gallagher alongside the emotional openness of Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan, his music blends anthemic choruses with reflective indie folk storytelling. After moving to Australia in 2010, Frederick spent years quietly writing before a life-changing period in 2024 reshaped both his life and his relationship with songwriting.
Pop/Review Night Wolf, The Fods - Kickback
Night Wolf is a UK producer, sound designer and engineer with screen credits across Netflix, Channel 4, Sky, MLB and the NFL and catalogue releases on labels including Flipper Music, Deneb Records and Barry Music. Founder of EscaVolt Records and No Paw Audio. The Fods are a transatlantic writing and recording partnership with a rotating cast of long-time co-writers and new collaborators.
Rock/Review Tár - Dancing On The Event Horizon
Hailing from Szczecin, Poland, Tár builds their sound on a foundation of alternative rock and metal, enriched by desert rock, stoner-doom, shoegaze, and grunge. Their self-coined "nostalgic gaze" channels the energy of the ’90s alternative guitar scene into a modern, deeply atmospheric experience.
Hip-Hop/Review Billy Chuck Da Goat - Mirror To Myself
Billy Chuck Da Goat is a Charlotte-based independent artist and creator blending hip-hop, southern soul, cinematic storytelling, and world-building into his growing Goatville universe. Known for emotionally reflective records, striking visuals, and a unique Western-inspired aesthetic, Billy Chuck combines music, characters, comedy, and film-inspired concepts into one evolving creative world. Drawing inspiration from real-life struggles, ambition, self-reflection, and Southern culture, his work balances raw honesty with larger-than-life presentation.
Folk/Review Marty Van Wells - Songs To Sacrifice
Marty Van Wells, a fiercely independent artist from South England, creates music that channels the spirit of legendary songwriters Leonard Cohen and Townes Van Zandt while embracing the haunting atmospheres of Nick Drake and Nick Cave. Working entirely solo, Van Wells has crafted his latest offering with expanded instrumentation, including harmonica, piano, and layered harmonies—all self-performed in his home studio.
Rock/Review Lost in Town - Cold Coffe
Lost in Town is a London-based alternative rock band led by Italian songwriter Federico. Formed by Italian musicians who found their voice by immersing themselves in the UK music scene. The band wasn’t created to follow a trend or fit a scene—it exists because not writing was never an option. Federico draws from real moments of vulnerability, pressure, doubt, and inner tension, without trying to protect himself or soften the truth.