.png)
Choker’s “Uneven” frames heartache as a lopsided tug-of-war. The narrator claws at a closed door, swinging between swagger and desperation, bravado and bruises. Each bar splinters with jealous flashbacks and self-aware pleas, mapping the chaos that erupts when love stops keeping score.
little image turn an everyday phrase into an existential gut-punch. “REAL ESTATE” watches the mind become a cluttered house, then wonders if it can ever feel like home again. The track paces the neighborhood of burnout, identity limbo, and the quiet hope that something might finally glow instead of ache.
Yumi Zouma turns distance into drama on “Cowboy Without a Clue,” ping-ponging between outer-space fantasies and dusty arena imagery. The narrator’s heart drifts five billion miles out, yet keeps ricocheting back to one stubborn connection. It’s a postcard from deep loneliness that still smells like saddle leather and rocket fuel.
On “into the black hole,” Labrinth stares straight into oblivion and welcomes the pull. The song unfolds like a celestial confession, equal parts surrender and seduction. Voices echo through the void, stripping faith, blame, even a name, until only raw feeling remains.
Joyce Manor maps a whole lifetime of missed chances onto a dingy neighborhood dive. In just a handful of lines, the narrator toggles between beer-stained nostalgia and the blunt ache of loss. Every detail feels ordinary, yet the ordinary suddenly feels sacred once the person they miss is gone.
corook turns a Saturday-morning cartoon reference into a mirror held up to modern complacency. “Scooby” ricochets between self-roast and social critique, asking why comfort buys and viral dances feel easier than fixing anything. The song’s playful hook hides a gut-punch realization: the enemy we’re yelling at online might be our own reflection.
Labrinth turns the spotlight inward on “IMPLOSION,” a pressure-cooker monologue about running from the times while being devoured by them. Skittering chants collide with raw confession, charting a tightrope between swagger and self-destruction. The result is a dizzying look at fame’s centrifuge, where survival often feels like an act of cosmic defiance.
Jordan Ward turns a simple smoke session into a low-lit love language. “SMOKIN POTNA” drifts through airports, ash trays, and late-night phone calls to show how intimacy can hinge on a single ritual. The blunt becomes a private password—no sparks without the other. It’s sticky, fragrant devotion.
On “Young Millionaire,” fakemink ricochets between chest-puff bravado and late-night self-doubt. The track feels like a neon carousel: flexes spin beside Truman-Show paranoia and quick flashes of vulnerability. Beneath the punchlines sits a young narrator clock-watching their own rise, half-thrilled, half-terrified. It’s a victory lap that already questions the finish line.
Ritt Momney sketches a restless young mind stuck on the loading screen of adulthood. “GUNNA” loops promises of change and self-improvement, only to circle back to the same hesitant refrain. The song is both confession and critique: a portrait of ambition trapped in its own waiting room.
Springsteen walks Nicollet Avenue like a modern troubadour, cataloging rubber bullets, broken glass, and stubborn hope. The track reads as a street-corner eulogy for Alex Pretti and Renée Good, but it’s also a rallying cry against federally sanctioned brutality. Every harmonica wail feels like cold air in the lungs, a reminder that remembrance and resistance share the same breath.
SOFIA ISELLA rips a page from scripture and sets it on fire. “Numbers 31:17-18” turns an ancient verse into a searing indictment of sanctioned violence, patriarchy and selective faith. The track’s caustic chants and bitter lullabies expose how holy language can cloak brutality.
Sia turns the futility of self-sacrifice into a windswept spectacle. The song drags a doomed relationship through dust and broken knuckles until the singer finally unclenches her fists. Beneath the billowing metaphor lies a calm revelation: surrender can feel like freedom, not failure.
Martinez warps a toxic relationship into a porcelain-doll nightmare, where the speaker swaps autonomy for survival. Each stanza chips at the glossy veneer until the final crash, exposing bruises that finally breathe. It’s equal parts macabre fairytale and blunt diary entry, reminding listeners how control can masquerade as care.
On “Bet,” Pimmie flips the tables on a partner who keeps gambling with their patience. The track drips with sarcasm and self-reclamation, moving from quiet resignation to a cold vow of consequence. Each section tightens the screws, proving that even limitless love has overdraft fees.
Paris Paloma turns the tired compliment “good girl” into a clenched-fist manifesto. The song pivots between pastoral innocence and visceral revolt, tracing how external praise mutates into an inner war with the body. Each line plants a seed of resistance, then waters it with fury until it blooms into self-defense.
Axel Flóvent’s “In the Grass” traces the quiet tug-of-war between flight and intimacy. Over gentle imagery of overgrown roads and frosted towns, the narrator keeps knocking on a vulnerable “glass house” that belongs to someone drowning in their own self-inspection. It’s a song about asking for entrance, not by force but by patience, while the weight of old scars threatens to close every door.
Tyler Ballgame toys with déjà vu and devotion, sketching a romance that feels both brand-new and ancient. The song circles back on itself like a favorite memory you can’t stop replaying, aching for the thrill of discovery even as familiarity clings to every note.
Annabelle Dinda turns a simple truth—everyone wants pardon—into a slippery meditation on identity and accountability. Mudslides, fossils and bedroom notes illuminate the distance between how we appear and what we crave. The track reads like an open notebook tossed into a storm, pages sticking together in equal parts hope and self-doubt.
Labrinth turns a post-party wasteland into a mirror for burnout and self-exposure. “Debris” ricochets between swagger and self-loathing, asking what’s left after you give everyone the show they came for. The wreckage isn’t just confetti on the floor—it’s the narrator’s own scattered sense of self.
Noah Kahan drives through memory-soaked backroads and bridges a friendship already split by silence. The song turns cigarette burns and stained glass into emotional shrapnel, asking whether safety can ever feel ordinary. With each chorus wish, Kahan prays for a peace he never managed to give. It’s a tender autopsy of guilt, distance and the fear of whatever waits beyond the dashboard lights.
Lizzy McAlpine revisits the folk standard with a hushed confession that feels eerily personal. Each verse is a flashbulb memory: regret, warning, resignation. By the end, the narrator circles back to New Orleans not for redemption but for acceptance, mirroring the song’s haunting circularity.
Artists to Watch 2026 list spotlights a wave of essential emerging and rising acts: Dove Ellis, doggone, Lucy Bedroque, and waterbaby each bring their own distinct lane—hooky, left-of-center, and emotionally sharp.
Courtney Barnett links arms with Waxahatchee to sketch a travel-light pledge: move first, sort feelings later. “Site Unseen” drifts between restlessness and slow-burn devotion, balancing fear of commitment with the thrill of a blank map. Over a few plainspoken verses, the duo turns uncertainty into a makeshift vow that feels both fragile and fiercely hopeful.
Bella White drifts through memory like a night tide, searching for the figure who steadies her every spin-out. “Dream Song” strings together small-town scenes, anxious self-talk, and the gentle gravity of someone who still shows up—if only in dreams. The result is a quietly yearning map of where safety once lived and where it might live again.
“Morning Gum” unfurls like a dawn walk after a night of worrying—quietly hopeful, nervously honest. The Paper Kites lace gentle resilience through domestic snapshots, turning everyday dread into a vow of tenderness. It’s a song about surviving the news cycle, the rain, and the crash by standing eye-to-eye with someone who matters. Nothing epic, just the steady pulse of ‘I get by.’
Snail Mail flicks on the dome-light of a parked car and lets the memories spill. “Dead End” is a postcard from a friendship that once felt oxygen-rich and now hangs heavy like a stalled summer storm. Over jangling guitars, the narrator toggles between resolve and raw nostalgia, asking the question that always haunts an unfinished goodbye: can you still meet my eyes?
Vundabar spikes a sugar-rush hook with unsettling imagery, turning “Death Punch” into a carnival ride through identity crisis and self-obliteration. The song’s chanty refrain feels like a dare: smile, shout, and metabolize dread before lunch. Underneath the playful surface, every “hey” wrestles with vanishing time and recycled personas.
“Cumboy” staggers through a relationship warped by pills, half-memories and busted vows. The narrator tries to sound tender, but their apologies always arrive too late and too wired. Every verse feels like waking up mid-blackout, unsure who started the fire yet still fanning the flames. It’s a grimly comic snapshot of codependency spiraling in slow motion.
Truman Sinclair threads sun-bleached highways and half-lit memories into a stark meditation on intimacy and entropy. “dust to dust” gazes at a relationship always veering between mirage and collision, love and self-destruction. The recurring mantra—dust to dust—keeps circling back like sand in the wind, reminding the narrator that everything they’re clutching will eventually crumble.
ALEXSUCKS turns inner chaos into a punchy plea for numbness on “Autopilot.” The narrator juggles blame, self-harm imagery and a desperate craving for a machine-like calm. Each section spirals further from control, proving that emotional autopilot is as seductive as it is dangerous.
“In Violet” watches a relationship dissolve in slow motion, tinting every memory with bruised color. Searows balances intimate confession and almost-mythic self-mythologizing, asking what’s left when the bloom is gone. Each line feels like a pressed flower—fragile, beautiful, and inevitably fading.
James Blake plants a flag in the soft mud between devotion and detachment. “Death of Love” drifts like a half-remembered dream, watching intimacy erode even as the narrator keeps whispering “here I am.” The result is an unsettling lullaby for relationships on the brink—part farewell, part plea for one last spark.
Alex Turner dials up the stage lights on self-mythology, chance and the weight of first impressions. “Opening Night” feels like a velvet curtain rising over surreal vignettes—slick slogans, mystery boxes and cherry-red dice—while a restless narrator tries to read the room and their own reflection at once.
Joji drapes his voice in echo and open sky, circling a single question of connection. Sparse lyrics leave wide negative space, forcing every syllable to throb with need. The song feels like watching a lone aircraft trace vapor trails at dusk—beautiful, a little doomed, impossible to stop staring at.
Langhorne Slim writes a postcard from the road, turning a brief goodbye into a bright-eyed manifesto. “Dance On Thru” urges the listener to keep the windows unlatched, the heart nimble and daylight welcome. Beneath its breezy charm lies a quiet reckoning with impermanence and the discipline of optimism.
Master Peace and guest vocalist Declan McKenna turn a two-word hook into a raw confession of chronic self-sabotage. Brash, funny and weirdly hopeful, “Fuck It Up” ricochets between restless impulses and the desire to finally wake up. The result feels like a late-night pep talk that can’t decide whether to throw a punch or a hug.
DC The Don drifts through fluorescent heartbreak, chasing a lover whose dishonesty feels sweeter than silence. “Lie2Me” is less a confession than a late-night loop, where the thrill of fabrication papers over anxiety and public glare. The hook hits like a dizzy inhale—both addictive and suffocating—and every repetition circles the same question: how much false light can one swallow before dawn breaks?
Sydney Rose and Tom Odell paint a night out that unravels into a private heartbreak reel. Jittery pep talks, misread glances and the numbing lure of repetition circle like headlights in traffic. “Over” captures how unrequited desire can feel both cinematic and claustrophobic at once.
Cavetown turns the camera on itself, then smashes it. “Cryptid” spirals between nervous self-portraits and a demand for privacy, all over a relentless urge to hit delete. The song is a jump-cut of shame, humor and boundary-setting—equal parts meme and primal scream.
Charlotte Day Wilson dips every word of “Lean” in longing so thick it borders on delirium. The track tracks the slippery line between desire and dependence, where pleasure tastes like withdrawal and affection feels almost narcotic. Trading verses with Saya Gray, Wilson paints intimacy as something you inhale until your head spins.
A$AP Rocky splices street swagger with psychedelic uplift on “AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO).” What starts as bullet-proof bravado melts into a head-rush of unity—bees buzzing, alarms blaring, spirits floating. The track feels like tearing through Manhattan in an all-black coupé then suddenly drifting above the skyline. Beneath the flexes lies a restless search for protection, purpose and something higher than the law.
Inner Wave’s “IF YOU LIKE” sounds at first like an open-armed invitation, but every promise is shadowed by a raised eyebrow. The narrator flips between urging someone to seize their desires and questioning whether any dream will ever feel real. In that push-pull, the song sketches the anxious space between potential and belief.
hemlocke springs spins a fever-dream narrative where courtship feels more like captivity. The song’s stuttering title mirrors a narrator stuck between fight-or-flight, while razor-sharp lyrics torch racism, age-old power dynamics and hollow declarations of love. Every section sounds like a neon alarm bell: love me, love me not, run.
Charli xcx turns feedback into feeling on “Wall of Sound,” painting desire as an overwhelming roar that swallows logic. The track circles a single obsession: the push-pull between craving and self-preservation. With every attempted retreat, the wall only grows taller, louder, more magnetic. This is the sound of fighting yourself—and losing beautifully.
Mitski turns a mundane panic—misplacing a phone—into a meditation on mental clutter and self-erasure. Repetition, surreal images, and blank-slate metaphors circle the craving to disappear inside a perfectly empty mind. The song asks what gets lost when we’re always searching for the next notification, and whether silence itself might be worth the risk.
Inner Wave break down their new era: a faster, guitar-heavy album built like a road trip, plus a satirical comedy-horror film and lyric-photo book exploring what touring does to your mind in 2025.
Dove Ellis drags a blood-flecked dream across neon pavement in “To The Sandals.” The track swerves between carnage and communion, asking whether survival can still look like dancing. Each fragment feels like a Polaroid—blurred, half-lit, defiantly alive.
Wolf Parade turns romantic devotion into a high-stakes dare. “I’ll Believe in Anything” flashes between claustrophobic city wires and wide-open, nobody-knows-us horizons, asking how far two people will go to keep each other lit. It’s furious, tender, and a little delusional—exactly the point.
Bassvictim maps a sleepless London night onto one cramped Shoreditch address, letting the city’s fluorescent buzz bleed into personal static. Phones light up, windows roll down, and every friendship blurs at the edges of dawn. “27a Pitfield St” reads like a group chat pulled into real life—restless, glitchy, tender, and a little dangerous.
Bassvictim’s “Lil Maria” swivels between tenderness and raw expletives, painting a coming-of-age pep talk delivered in a cracked mirror. The narrator speaks to a younger self—Maria—wiping tears while screaming at the void, insisting the future glimmers even when everything feels garbage-strewn. It’s a punk-hearted lullaby, equal parts protection spell and self-reckoning.
Five friends from different corners of New York City explain how subway mornings, public school years, and decade-long friendship shaped their sound and creative process. From untitled links to studio honesty, they’re building music that’s meant to feel like NYC.
After years of shaping the sound of artists like Lorde, FKA Twigs, and Mk.gee, guitarist and producer Andrew Aged emerges from behind the curtain with his solo debut album Crown
Nilüfer Yanya has spent 2025 in motion. After releasing her Dancing Shoes EP this summer — a four-track companion to last year’s My Method Actor made with longtime collaborator Will Archer — she’s taken the songs on the road, supporting Alex G across North America and joining Lorde on select arena and stadium dates in Europe.
A24’s new record label introduces South London songwriter Mark William Lewis, whose literary-inspired, melancholic sound and intimate, cinematic debut establish him as one of the UK’s most compelling new artists.
From Djo and MJ Lenderman to Hayley Williams, Dijon, and Mk.gee, these are some collaborations that I would go to great lengths to have happen.
The longevity of an artist has always been determined by their willingness to adapt with the culture while evolving in tandem with their ever-changing fan base. Dedicated fans have always been interested in witnessing the journey of an artist, putting their stock in the raw potential and promise of an inspired rising musician, investing their attention and emotional capital in the belief that their favorite artist will become a generational talent.
Singer-songwriter and Paramore frontwoman might’ve just released THE antidepressant anthem of all time.
Mk.gee’s closing set at Lollapalooza 2025 marked a defining moment in his career, spotlighting the rise of his live-first approach and the enduring impact of his collaboration with Dijon. This article breaks down how his unique sound, visionary rollout, and cult-favorite track “DNM” led to one of the most anticipated performances of the festival season.
Glastonbury 2025 reminded the world that music and politics are deeply connected, as artists like Kneecap and Bob Vylan used the festival stage to speak out on issues from Irish oppression to the crisis in Gaza. Even after 55 years, Glastonbury remains a global platform where musicians continue to champion activism, free expression, and social change—proving that music will always be political.
Vancouver’s Ekkstacy unpacks 11 tracks—Bratmobile, Nirvana, Immortal, Patsy Cline—fueling his heavier, faster new album in this candid track-by-track EarCheck.
The album bears Dijon's fingerprints all over it, writing and producing four tracks on the project. But his influence is featured throughout the album. SWAG is Bieber’s take on Dijon's indie-R&B coalesced with his adept pop sensibilities, making for one of Bieber's most complete albums to date.
From Charli XCX and Lorde to Bad Bunny and The All-American Rejects, surprise concerts are one of the most exciting trends in music, but what’s fueling their sudden rise?
Is Lorde's comeback a recession indicator?
Sophie Powers breaks down how her tongue-in-cheek American Idol audition—think Doja Cat’s “Mooo!” energy—wasn’t a throwaway stunt but a springboard for her unapologetically blunt, genre-mashing sound. Her new single “Move With Me” offers a taste of the darker, hook-driven era she’s crafted from hyperpop, pop-punk and punk inspirations.
With their unique approach to music, A Tribe Called Quest redefined alternative hip-hop with jazz-rap, Afrocentrism, and crate-dug sampling, laying the foundation for artists like Tyler, the Creator, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, and Pharrell Williams.
“Geezer” unpacks the bittersweet irony of growing old before your time—both for a factory-line dad and his daughter stuck recycling the same small-town routines. Through candid verses about jam sessions, missed opportunities, and mundane coffee-shop jobs at thirty-seven, Dominic Fike and Kevin Abstract spotlight how parental disappointment can echo into the next generation. This lyric analysis dives into each verse of “Geezer,” revealing its core themes—from family dynamics and unfulfilled potential to the urgent call for self-liberation.
“Incomprehensible” is a poetic exploration of nostalgia, the passage of time, and the beauty of embracing one’s true self. Through vivid imagery—Highway 17, lupine flowers, and “cotton candy rain”—the song navigates road trips, family legacy, and the inevitable process of aging. Ultimately, the repeated plea “let me be” becomes both a declaration of independence and a celebration of authenticity. This lyrics analysis delves into the themes, symbolism, and emotional nuances that make “Incomprehensible” a standout track, offering insights into its meaning, structure, and resonance.
These six rising artists are redefining success with cult fanbases built on intimacy, creativity, and connection, not streams or algorithm hacks.
On her latest single “Hemingway,” girl in red confronts addiction, self-destruction, and the false glamour of the tortured artist persona.
Dive into our in-depth lyric analysis of Lorde’s “Man of the Year,” unpacking themes of ego death, self-rediscovery, and emotional vulnerability. Discover how each verse and chorus reveals Lorde’s journey toward authenticity—and why this track resonates with anyone navigating transformation and longing. Keywords: Lorde Man of the Year lyrics analysis, Lorde song meaning, ego death, self-discovery.
With “Tough Luck,” off her upcoming album “A Matter of Time,” jazz artist Laufey leans into her angry side with a lyrically biting, pop breakup song.
While less politically biting than their last album, "viagr aboys" shows a band still full of grimy post-punk wisdom and absurdity.
These artists deliver unforgettable live performances that go beyond their studio recordings, with raw vocals, kinetic energy, and unpredictable sets that transform how their music into an experience.
From Beyoncé to Playboi Carti, these artists redefined music marketing by dropping albums without warning — proving that sometimes less marketing is more.
Portugal. The Man’s new track, “V.I.S.” reads convincingly as a condemnation of climate change and the emotional toll of inheriting a world on the brink of collapse.
Still Woozy shares how he crafted a playful yet cathartic Coachella setlist, balancing bright festival-ready grooves with deeply personal lyrics. Discover how family, DIY visuals, and newfound fatherhood shape the sunny-meets-serious world of Still Woozy’s music.
The Hellp breaks down the making of "caustic," their raw, unfiltered rise, and how authenticity fuels their alt-electronic influence at Coachella. Discover how blue-collar roots, paradox, and Bay-Area gangster rap shape the fiercely original sound and visuals of The Hellp.
From Julian Casablancas of The Strokes to Anderson .Paak, these side projects by famous musicians highlight their most experimental and underrated work.
In honor of the 20 year anniversary of the release of Gorillaz iconic album Demon Days, here's an in-depth look at how the album continues to shape the music industry and pop culture.
From Rachel Chinouriri to Amaarae, the next wave of pop artists are reshaping the genre with boundary-breaking sounds, soulful storytelling, and fresh perspectives.
On "Forever Howlong," Black Country, New Road overcome a major turning point — and prove their best days are still ahead.
Lorde’s new song “What Was That” explores the emotional aftermath of a breakup — from rose-tinted memories to lingering doubts — and the search for closure.
Our deep-dive lyric breakdown of Gigi Perez’s ‘Twister’ unpacks tornado trauma, witches, and the switch from Oz to God—revealing a raw search for meaning.
Indie riser Wisp talks visual songwriting, why she’s dropping the “shoegaze” tag, and how a Cocteau Twins classic shapes her debut album.
In our exclusive Coachella 2025 interview, Keshi breaks down his Prince obsession, evolving taste, and why album 3 could be his “opus.”
At Coachella 2024 Weekend 2, rising artist d4vd reflected on his viral back-flip moment from Weekend 1, which catapulted him into the spotlight as one of the festival’s breakout performers. In an exclusive interview with Medicine Box, he talked about recording music on his iPhone, staying grounded through faith, and inspiring a new generation of DIY musicians.
Emotional longing or physical frustration — with “Little Demon” together PANGEA give us a garage-punk anthem that covers it all.
Discover the surprising origins of Coachella’s name and how it transformed from a quiet desert town into one of the world’s most iconic music festivals.
Wet Leg’s latest track "catch these fists" boldly challenges traditional gender roles, defends personal boundaries, and critiques toxic masculinity with sharp lyrics and chaotic energy.
From existential quandaries to behind-the-scenes details, The Crux stands as one of 2025’s most introspective and eclectic releases—and a must-listen for anyone intrigued by the multi-faceted evolution of Joe Keery, the artist behind Djo.
We examine Djo’s heartfelt number “Fly,” a track that pairs wandering reflections with the desire for liberation—both from past relationships and self-doubts.
We dissect the multifaceted layers of Djo’s track “Egg,” revealing how its bold metaphors of transformation, self-doubt, and rebirth invite listeners to look inward and question their own sense of identity.
Deep dive into Djo’s mystical “Potion,” exploring how witching-hour symbolism, whimsical metaphors, and the relentless pursuit of love converge into a curious, uplifting track.
We take a deep dive into Djo’s contemplative ballad, “Lonesome is a State of Mind,” examining how its themes of cyclical routines, isolation, and self-realization resonate with listeners on a deeply personal level.
Halfway into the 2020s, trends like the return of country music, the rise of the mad girl aesthetic, genre nostalgia, and “clipability” seem to be key features of the decade’s musical footprint.
Lucy Dacus and Hozier’s duet "Bullseye" from Forever Is a Feeling (2025) is a heartfelt exploration of love, nostalgia, and moving on.
From Billie Eilish to SZA, these albums aren’t just collections of songs — they’re cultural touchstones that have defined the decade’s musical landscape.
d4vd’s “What Are You Waiting For” navigates the delicate threshold between waiting for a sign of mutual affection and risking heartbreak. Through emotive repetition and heartfelt admissions, the track questions how much time and vulnerability one can afford to spend when the future remains unclear.
.gif){kind=small}
a Music Magazine based in Los Angeles, CA.
