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A New Chapter Begins With Kelly Reynolds’ “Live A Little”
Photo By: Waterberry Works Sometimes school assignments come and go without much thought. Every now and then though, one turns into something bigger. That is exactly what happened for singer-songwriter Kelly Reynolds during her first year at Princeton. In a music appreciation class last fall, the assignment was simple. Write a song. Instead of staring at a blank page for hours, Reynolds grabbed her laptop, stepped outside into the September sunshine, and sat with her roommate

J. Ronnie
Mar 203 min read


The Softest Songs Hurt the Most: Kenzie Cait’s “Could Have Been Crazy”
Picture By: Maya Sassoon She's not like every other pop artist, Kenzie Cait makes you feel like you’re sitting cross-legged on a bedroom floor at midnight, listening to someone finally say the thing they’ve been holding in all day. No distractions. No overthinking. Just honesty, handed to you gently and without apology. Since breaking through with her 2023 EP innocence , Kenzie has built a reputation for turning emotional truth into pop that actually lingers. Originally from
ALT RECESS
Mar 202 min read


Tryg Strand Finds the Balance Between “Love & War” in His Powerful New Single
Long before the upcoming single “Love & War,” Strand’s life was already split between two worlds: the stage and the ice. Growing up in British Columbia’s Columbia Valley, he caught the performance bug early, touring around BC and even Hawaii with a middle school ukulele band called Silver Strings. While most kids were still figuring out their hobbies, Strand was already learning what it felt like to play in front of a crowd. But music wasn’t the only thing pulling at him. Ho

J. Ronnie
Mar 202 min read


Nearly $170K Raised at Jeffrey Steele & Friends Benefit as LeVasseur Family Continues Mission for Youth
Music and community came together once again in Franklin, Tennessee earlier this month as the 19th annual Jeffrey Steele & Friends benefit concert returned to the stage. The long running event brought artists, fans, and supporters together for a cause that continues to make a real difference for young people across Middle Tennessee. Held March 2 at the historic The Franklin Theatre, the evening raised close to $170,000 for programs that support at risk youth. The fundraiser i

J. Ronnie
Mar 203 min read


Natalie Nichole Delivers a Genre-Bending Experience With Mood Swings
Life isn’t just one feeling at a time, and Natalie Nichole clearly understands that better than most. With her newest album Mood Swings , the Texas-born singer-songwriter delivers a project that feels less like a simple collection of songs and more like a full emotional journey. It’s reflective, confident, vulnerable, and energetic all at once, just like the ups and downs the album title hints at. Born in Lubbock and raised in San Antonio, Natalie Nichole has always been surr

J. Ronnie
Mar 203 min read


Mokotow Finds Beauty in Stillness on ''Tales From Lonely Mountain''
Some records arrive with fireworks. Others slip quietly into the room, sit beside you, and stay there long after the music stops. That’s the feeling surrounding Tales From Lonely Mountain , the newest project from Mokotow, an indie alternative artist whose music lives somewhere between ambient meditation and minimalist storytelling. It’s not the kind of album chasing attention. Instead, it invites you to slow down, breathe, and listen closely. Born into a family of musicians

J. Ronnie
Mar 203 min read


Michael It’z Explores Light and Shadow on His Immersive New Album 'Chiaroscuro'
London-based electronic artist Michael It’z leans firmly into the second category with his newest project, Chiaroscuro . Built around the idea of contrast - light against shadow, calm against chaos, the 11-track album feels less like a traditional record and more like a slow-moving landscape of sound. The title itself comes from the classic visual art technique where dramatic lighting is used to highlight the tension between brightness and darkness. Michael It’z takes that co

J. Ronnie
Mar 203 min read


“Year of the Ocean” Shows the Depth of Malsi’s Sound
Sometimes a song comes along that feels less like a traditional track and more like a space you step into. That is the feeling surrounding “Year of the Ocean,” the latest release from rising alternative R&B artist Malsi. The Los Angeles based creative has been quietly building her own lane in music for a while now, and she even has a name for the sound she creates. She calls it electrosoul. It blends smooth R&B textures with touches of jazz, soul, and experimental productio

J. Ronnie
Mar 203 min read


James Deacon Explores Life’s Cycles on “Same Old”
Some artists spend years chasing a sound. Others stumble into it when they stop trying so hard to define it. That feels like the moment James Deacon has landed in with his latest single “Same Old.” Known for moving between genres without hesitation, James has never really stayed in one lane for too long. Pop, alternative, acoustic, whatever fits the moment. It has always been about feeling rather than formula. But with this new release, something clicks a little differently.

J. Ronnie
Mar 193 min read


The Message Behind Valories’ “Hailey”
Some songs feel like a conversation you have been avoiding. The kind where you already know the truth, but hearing it out loud still hits a little harder. That is exactly the lane Valories steps into with her latest release “Hailey.” Coming out of Nashville’s alt pop scene, Valories has been steadily building a name for herself since 2022. What makes her stand out is not just the sound, but the balance she holds. Vulnerable writing on one side, high energy performance on the

J. Ronnie
Mar 182 min read


Isabelle Gitlin Finds Beauty in the Chaos on “Running Circles”
Coming out of Boston, Isabelle is the kind of artist who lives inside the creative process. Writing, recording, layering vocals, building visuals, she is hands on with every part of it. You can hear that attention to detail in her music. Nothing feels rushed while everything feels considered. “Running Circles” leans into something a lot of people deal with but do not always say out loud. That constant comparison, looking at other people’s lives and wondering why things seem e

J. Ronnie
Mar 182 min read


PZU Turns Heartbreak Into Quiet Beauty on return to sender
Some albums demand your full attention. Others sit beside you quietly and let you feel whatever you need to feel. The debut project from Atlanta artist PZU falls into the second category. At just 19 years old, the singer, songwriter, and producer has released return to sender , a 25 minute collection of songs that feels like flipping through a stack of love letters that were never meant to be read out loud. Each track carries the weight of emotions that never quite found thei

J. Ronnie
Mar 143 min read


A Lifeline in Lyric Form: Earth to Eve’s Boldest Statement Yet
Earth to Eve doesn’t write around the wound, she presses on it until it tells the truth. She lives in that in-between space where jazz chords melt into hip-hop drums and pop melodies sneak up on you when you least expect it. She raps, she sings and sometimes she does both in the same breath. And somehow it never feels like a flex it feels necessary, like that’s simply the only way the story could be told. If you hear shades of Mac Miller’s vulnerability, Amy Winehouse’s bruis

J. Ronnie
Mar 112 min read


Abigail Virginia Explores Regret and Reflection on “Maybe I”
Abigail Virginia’s music lives in the quiet spaces, the pause before you say too much, the thought you replay on the drive home, the feeling that never quite leaves. With a voice that feels both powerful and personal, she turns uncertainty into melody, offering songs that sound like reflection rather than resolution. At just 25, the Springville, Alabama native (now planted in Nashville, where heartbreak and songwriting tend to find each other) is quietly building something po

J. Ronnie
Mar 42 min read


Eight Songs, One New Dawn: Emma Cook Releases 'Of the Morning'
There’s a certain kind of album you don’t just listen to, you live inside it for a while. Indie-folk artist Emma Cook releases her new record, Of the Morning , feels less like a collection of songs and more like opening the windows after a long winter. Soft light. Fresh air. A deep breath you didn’t realize you were holding. This is Emma’s first solo album since becoming a full-time musician in 2018, a milestone that feels earned, not rushed. The journey toward Of the Mornin

J. Ronnie
Feb 283 min read


From Dorm Room Producer to Club Catalyst: Meet obee
There’s something about artists who teach themselves that just hits different. Maybe it’s the stubbornness. Maybe it’s the curiosity. Maybe it’s the fact that nobody told them the “right” way to do it, so they built their own, enter obee. Born Owen Barclay and raised in small-town Vermont, obee is the kind of kid who ran out of his second piano lesson at age seven… and then went home and taught himself anyway. No formal training, no rigid structure. Just YouTube videos, muscl

J. Ronnie
Feb 273 min read


The Sound of Self-Reflection: Nailah Carrie’s “Why Do You Stay”
Raised in Yonkers, NY, the alternative pop and R&B singer-songwriter has always treated music like a sanctuary. Long before streaming placements and NYC stages, she was an introverted kid writing songs at eight years old, finding comfort in melodies when the world felt too loud. You can still hear that intimacy in her voice today, it doesn’t perform at you, it pulls you in. Her single “Why Do You Stay” might be the most vulnerable example of that yet. From the first few seco

J. Ronnie
Feb 262 min read


Midnight Country: Carson Beyer Delivers Romance on “Lovin’ You Yet”
Carson Beyer, the Nashville-based artist drops his newest single, “Lovin’ You Yet,” and it feels like stepping into a moment you don’t want to end. Not the loud, neon kind of love. Not the messy, dramatic kind either. This is the soft glow kind. The candlelight. The old-records-spinning kind. The “we should probably go home, but… not yet” kind. Carson describes the track as living “in the space of the midnight air with just some candlelight burning, old records spinning, and

J. Ronnie
Feb 252 min read


Kat Velasco Breaks the Saddle on “Show Pony”, And Finds Herself in the Process
There’s a particular kind of pressure that comes with being the “strong one.” The polished one. The one who smiles through it and keeps the show moving. On “Show Pony,” Nashville’s rising Western-pop artist Kat Velasco pulls back the curtain on that performance, and what it costs. If you haven’t tapped in yet, Kat Velasco is quickly becoming one of the most intriguing new voices coming out of Nashville. Blending dreamy, cinematic storytelling with modern country textures, she

J. Ronnie
Feb 252 min read


Late-Night R&B Has a New Voice: INDVGO Delivers “Not About You”
There’s something about Brooklyn after midnight. The bodegas are half-lit, the sidewalks feel longer than usual, and your thoughts get louder than the traffic ever was. That’s exactly the pocket INDVGO taps into with her new single, “Not About You”. And let’s be honest, if a song is called “Not About You,” it’s absolutely about them. From the first few seconds, we’re pulled into a cinematic haze. A pitched-down vocal drifts underneath minimal, nocturnal production, setting t

J. Ronnie
Feb 242 min read


From Beirut to LA: Kamal Maroon Redefines Pop on “Black x White”
Some songs feel like they were built in a lab while “Black x White” feels like it was built in a diary… then polished in a studio with the lights turned all the way up. Beirut-born, Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer Kamal Maroon is stepping into his most honest era yet - and he’s doing it with glossy 2000s energy and orchestral drama that hits harder than expected. From the first few seconds, you can tell where the inspiration lives. There’s that slick, perc

J. Ronnie
Feb 232 min read


Where Melody Meets Mayhem: Hypnogaja’s Bold New Era
Some bands disappear quietly. Others disappear, evolve in the shadows, and come back sharper. Los Angeles alt-rock shapeshifters Hypnogaja fall squarely into the second category. After more than a decade without a full-length release, they’re returning with My Dreams Have Teeth (out February 13, 2026 via Snafu Records), and it doesn’t sound like a comeback album. It sounds like a band that never stopped building, they just chose the right moment to open the door. From the f

J. Ronnie
Feb 233 min read


The TSSP Interview
“Little Gems” feels like a beautifully curated mix of styles and stories. What was the inspiration behind the album’s title, and how did you go about choosing which ‘gems’ made the final cut? Nolen: I had a handful of songs that I had written during the recording sessions for ‘The New Day at Dawn’ album that weren’t finished or didn’t fit on the album when it was finished. At the time I was working on the metaphysical concept album ‘The Shining Ones’ that was a completely dif

J. Ronnie
Feb 223 min read


Fur Trapper Builds a Gothic Claymation Dream on “Rot for Spite”
There’s something deliciously eerie happening in the world of synth-pop right now, and it’s coming from Fur Trapper , the darkly magnetic alter ego of Lisa Rieffel . Her latest single, “Rot for Spite,” doesn’t just arrive with a music video. It arrives with a whole universe. And not the CGI kind. This one was sculpted. Pressed. Shaped. Lit. Nudged frame by frame. In collaboration with her sister, Carla Rieffel , a lifelong clay artist who’s basically had clay under her finger

J. Ronnie
Feb 202 min read
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