New York-based, Korean-American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Margaret Sohn (they/she) is the creative mastermind behind the solo recording project Miss Grit. And with Miss Grit, Sohn has developed reputation for being a bold experimentalist and architect of sculptural texture. Defly moving between analog and digital instrumentation, the New York-based artist creates an immersive comms of sound with futuristic frameworks for their deeply probing and introspective lyricism and sound. Sohn's full-length debut, 2023's Follow The Cyborg saw the New York-based artist building a fluid future beyond gender and genre binaries, where a non-human machine goes in pursuit of liberation. The album received praise from i-D Magazine and saw the Miss Grit creative mastermind profiled by Rolling Stone as an "Artist You Need To Know," featured in DJ Magazine's "Get To Know" named as an "Artist to Watch" by BrooklynVegan, and named "Breaking" artist by FLOOD Magazine. And adding to a rapidly growing profile, they performed for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's "#LateShowMeMusic" series. "Tourist Mind" is the first bit of original material from Sohn's Miss Grit project since the release of their critically applauded debut. Sonically, "Tourist Mind" sonically channels the likes of Goldfrapp and Portishead as a dreamily cinematic string arrangement is paired with oscillating synth bleeps, stomping and propulsive industrial techno-like beats. The production serves as a lush, dream pop-meets-trip hop-meets-techno bed for Sohn's defiant delivery. Throughout their career, Sohn often themself intrigued by other people's inner worlds. Thematically, "Tourist Mind" sees Sohn meditating on the idea of self-erasure while embracing the power and intimacy of self-reliance and solitude. “It’s about how curiosity for other people’s thoughts can slowly disorient you and make it harder to return to yourself," the Miss Grit mastermind says.

Windsor, ON-based quartet Talking Violet — Jillian Goyeau (vocals, guitar), Jayden Turnbull (guitar, vocals), Jeremie Brosseau (drums) and Dylan Iannicello (bass) — have quickly developed and established a sound that sees the Canadian outfit seamlessly blending elements of shoegaze, grunge and dream pop into what they’ve dubbed “dreamo.” Thematically, their work touches upon how we wrestle with the grief of personal change — especially in personal experiences.  Earlier this year, I wrote about their Justin Meli-produced, Will Yip-mastered “In Your Mind," a track that seemed to channel The Sundays and Tallies while capturing a very specific sense of loving someone through pain and uncertainty and not quite knowing what to do - or if there was anything you could do. Their latest sgbnle "Destroy" continues a run of material that channels 120 Minutes-era MTV alt-rock while being anchored in earnestness and deeply lived in personal experience. Unlike its immediate predecessor, "Destroy" thematically and lyrically turns inward, offering a subtly uneasy sense of closure and acceptance. Although that relationship or chapter in your life has ended, their ghost lingers in your life -- some longer than others. “Destroy is about closing a chapter in my life where I experienced a lot of change which I talked a lot about throughout our Everything At Once record,” the band's Jillian Goyeau says. "Before moving on I kinda needed to say goodbye, so that’s what Destroy does. It’s me finally accepting that people can both love you and hurt you at the same time and vice versa. You can love someone even when they aren’t meant to be in your life anymore.” The Canadian band's latest single continues the emotional thread of their latest album Everything At Once, drawing from the grief and heartache of interpersonal change. " “These tracks draw on a lot of grief of change, most specifically, the grief of relationship changes in our lives,” Goyeau explains. “I was going through changes that I now see as necessary but were incredibly painful at the time. It made me realize how much I had depended on my relationships with others for my identity. I had to slowly relearn who I was—and spent the next few years healing my people-pleasing baseline. It’s still something I work on every day.” Directed by Gavin Michael Booth the gorgeously shot video for "Destroy" features the members of the band smashing things to pieces -- in a way that's rousingly cathartic.

JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates the 75th anniversary of the birth of Tom Petty.

JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates Snoop Dogg's 54th birthday.

No Kings 2: 10/18/25: The meeting point for No Kings 2.0 was Father Duffy Square in Midtown Manhattan. So, I got off a Downtown-bound R train at the 47th Street and 7th Avenue end of the 49th Street N, R, W at a little after 10:00am. An hour before the march was supposed to start and the crowd was so massive, that it began to spill into Broadway and into 46th Street. No one knew exactly where the front of the march was but I took pictures of protesters. I ran into some fellow photogs and traded jokes. I found out that the front of the march was around 43rd Street. (Actually, it was 42nd Street.) I walked with the first wave of the march down to its conclusion at 14th and 7th Avenue. Broadway is fairly flat and at points narrow, so initially, it was difficult to get a sense of how many people were out there. But this one felt very different: There were protestors with signs on both sides of Broadway for several blocks of the route. At roughly 38th Street, there was a brass band bringing that funk. There are always curious onlookers for these things — but I saw folks taking photos and videos from their apartments and terraces. It was chaotic, defiant, joyful — and importantly peaceful. Luckily, I had a few friends who were also out in the streets so in an attempt to catch up with them, I walked back up from 14th to 36th street. I saw a dizzying wave after wave of people — men, women, nonbinary, families with young children, people with dogs, folks in costumes. Whatever the early estimates are, it felt like 5-6 times that. One more time y’all: Protest, dissent and hating Nazis and fascists are as an American as apple pie. Each and every one of you has a voice and talents. Step up and speak out how in ways that are natural to you. History and future generations will watch and judge us.And as always, I’m deeply proud of being part of a free and independent press, of being out there with you at this moment and documenting for future generations. Power to the people, cause the people have the power. y’all. #nokings #nodictators #protestisamerican #dissentisamerican #midtownmanhattannyc

No Kings 2: 10/18/25: The meeting point for No Kings 2.0 was Father Duffy Square in Midtown Manhattan. So, I got off a Downtown-bound R train at the 47th Street and 7th Avenue end of the 49th Street N, R, W at a little after 10:00am. An hour before the march was supposed to start and the crowd was so massive, that it began to spill into Broadway and into 46th Street. No one knew exactly where the front of the march was but I took pictures of protesters. I ran into some fellow photogs and traded jokes. I found out that the front of the march was around 43rd Street. (Actually, it was 42nd Street.) I walked with the first wave of the march down to its conclusion at 14th and 7th Avenue. Broadway is fairly flat and at points narrow, so initially, it was difficult to get a sense of how many people were out there. But this one felt very different: There were protestors with signs on both sides of Broadway for several blocks of the route. At roughly 38th Street, there was a brass band bringing that funk. There are always curious onlookers for these things — but I saw folks taking photos and videos from their apartments and terraces. It was chaotic, defiant, joyful — and importantly peaceful. Luckily, I had a few friends who were also out in the streets so in an attempt to catch up with them, I walked back up from 14th to 36th street. I saw a dizzying wave after wave of people — men, women, nonbinary, families with young children, people with dogs, folks in costumes. Whatever the early estimates are, it felt like 5-6 times that. One more time y’all: Protest, dissent and hating Nazis and fascists are as an American as apple pie. Each and every one of you has a voice and talents. Step up and speak out how in ways that are natural to you. History and future generations will watch and judge us.And as always, I’m deeply proud of being part of a free and independent press, of being out there with you at this moment and documenting for future generations. Power to the people, cause the people have the power. y’all. #nokings #nodictators #protestisamerican #dissentisamerican #midtownmanhattannyc

No Kings 2: 10/18/25: The meeting point for No Kings 2.0 was Father Duffy Square in Midtown Manhattan. So, I got off a Downtown-bound R train at the 47th Street and 7th Avenue end of the 49th Street N, R, W at a little after 10:00am. An hour before the march was supposed to start and the crowd was so massive, that it began to spill into Broadway and into 46th Street. No one knew exactly where the front of the march was but I took pictures of protesters. I ran into some fellow photogs and traded jokes. I found out that the front of the march was around 43rd Street. (Actually, it was 42nd Street.) I walked with the first wave of the march down to its conclusion at 14th and 7th Avenue. Broadway is fairly flat and at points narrow, so initially, it was difficult to get a sense of how many people were out there. But this one felt very different: There were protestors with signs on both sides of Broadway for several blocks of the route. At roughly 38th Street, there was a brass band bringing that funk. There are always curious onlookers for these things — but I saw folks taking photos and videos from their apartments and terraces. It was chaotic, defiant, joyful — and importantly peaceful. Luckily, I had a few friends who were also out in the streets so in an attempt to catch up with them, I walked back up from 14th to 36th street. I saw a dizzying wave after wave of people — men, women, nonbinary, families with young children, people with dogs, folks in costumes. Whatever the early estimates are, it felt like 5-6 times that. One more time y’all: Protest, dissent and hating Nazis and fascists are as an American as apple pie. Each and every one of you has a voice and talents. Step up and speak out how in ways that are natural to you. History and future generations will watch and judge us.And as always, I’m deeply proud of being part of a free and independent press, of being out there with you at this moment and documenting for future generations. Power to the people, cause the people have the power. y’all. #nokings #nodictators #protestisamerican #dissentisamerican #midtownmanhattannyc

Spanish-based singer/songwriter Carmel proudly boasts having mixed Moroccan, Argentine and Middle Eastern heritage. And her music reflects that heritage, as she blends flamenco, soul and other global sounds with lyrics written and sung in Spanish, English and Hebrew. Her debut EP, Contraste will see her continuing her genre-blending sound and approach through collaborations with musicians and producers from diverse backgrounds, including Spanish flamenco guitarist José De Maria, as well as Latin and global producers. The Spanish-based singer/songwriter's latest single "Mariposa Al Fuego" is a flamenco-tinged pop ballad that according to Carmel is inspired by the image of a butterfly being irresistibly drawn to a flame with the song diving into the pull of destructive relationships and the struggle to break free from dysfunctional patterns. The song's cinematic arrangement serves as a lush bed for the Spanish-based artist's pop ballad belter-like voice. At its core is a message of self-awareness, self-love, resilience and resolve, seemingly rooted in lived-in experience. “We’ve all been that butterfly at some point—drawn to what we know will hurt us .This song is that mirror, but also an invitation to choose ourselves," Carmel says.

Rising Melbourne/Naarm-based trio Folk Bitch Trio -- Gracie Sinclair (she/her), Jeanie Pilkington (she/her) and Heide Peverelle (they/them) -- released their critically applauded full-length debut, Now Would Be A Good Time earlier this year through Jagjaguwar. Now Would Be A Good Time's material sounds warmly familiar, as its built upon the foundation of music the trio have loved throughout their lives -- gnarled Americana, classic rock and piquant and clear-eyed balladry. And yet, the songs are simultaneously modern and youthful with the album's song thematically touching on dissociative daydreams, galling breakups, sexual fantastics, media overload and the petty resentments and humiliations of being in your early 20s in the 2020s. The Aussie trio supported the album with two sold-out London shows and a run of the international festival circuit, with sets at Green Man and All Points East. The album landed at #32 on the UK Official Record Store charts, Top 3 on the Aussie charts and earned 4 ARIA nominations. Building upon a growing profile, the trio's cover of Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire" on Triple J has amassed over 100,000 views. And the trio will be closing out the year with a lengthy international tour, which just started earlier this week. The tour features a November run of North America dates that includes a November 11, 2025 stop at Baby's All Right. (As always, the remaining tour dates are below.) But in the meantime, the acclaimed Aussie trio shared the VEVO live session of Now Would Be A Good Time album track "Foreign Bird." It's a gorgeous song that's earnest and lived-in -- and the trio's harmonies had me stop dead in my tracks.

Rachel Leblanc is a Montréal-based singer/songwriter and creative mastermind behind the critically applauded recording project Vanille, which has seen the French-Canadian artist craft a sound that meshes elements of 60s folk and chanson in a way that brings the listener into a dreamlike world of dense, verdant forests and swooning heartbreak. Her recently released, Christophe Charest-Latif-produced third album Un chant d'amour sees the acclaimed French-Canadian artist marking the beginning of new creative chapter, that sees Leblanc's and a talented cast of musicians, including Jules Encore and Corail's Julien Comptour; Velours Velours' and Corail's Philippe Noël; Carla Chanelle's and Roselle's Christophe Rosset-Balcer; Allô Fantôme's Samuel Gendron; Arielle Soucy; and Velours Velours' Raphaël Pépin-Tanguay crafting a sound that draws from retro soul and the mid 1960s-early 1970s sunshine pop movement. Leblanc's melodies and lyrics are rooted in sentimental overtones. And as a result, the album's material is meant to unfold like a scented letter received from a mysterious valentine. Un chant d'amour's latest single, album title track "Un chant d'amour" is a slow-burning ballad anchored around Leblanc's achingly melancholy delivery, atmospheric Rhodes and a syrupy slow-dance inspired backbeat. And while seemingly channelling 70s AM radio rock, "Un chant d'amour" is the sort of song you'd play when you want to slow-dance at the midnight ball with your long-held crush or your loved one. Directed by Irina Tempea and Elizabeth Landry the accompanying video for "Un chant d'amour" is an swooningly sentimental visual featuring a mixture of dusty found footage and the rising French-Canadian artist in a wedding gown to create a wedding that never really took place.

XO BLAKELY is an American electronic music producer, who specializes in bilingual pop that sees her blending Latin rhythms, upbeat beats and her unique and bold sense of flair. The result is music that channels the euphoria and freedom of the dance floor — glitter, strobe lights, thumping beats and late-night emotion. Her latest single “Normalmente” is a slickly produced, Spanish language club banger that’s one-part Miami club, one-part Ibiza, anchored around hypnotic and propulsive beats, glistening synths and sultry vocals. At its core, “Normalmente” celebrates letting go and giving into the night; of getting on to that dance floor and dancing your troubles and concerns away.

Devantier Rain is rising, Berlin-based Cameroonian-German singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, whose work sees him blurring the lines between R&B, hip-hop and Afrobeat paired with soulful melodies, intricate, jazz-like drums and a cutting-edge production approach. He has quickly become a standout in Berlin's vibrant scene, playing at events like Poetry Meets alongside Tan Brown, bat zoo, Monica Mussungo and Dini Rompos. Beyond music, Devantier Rain is a fashion world staple -- as a model and stylist. Formerly signed to VIVAMODELS, he has collaborated with ADIDAS, Puma and BMW and walked for Kitschy Couture and Afrobodega at Berlin Fashion Week 2024, where he serves as in-house model. Adding to a busy year, last year also saw the release of three striking singles, each brimming with his signature flair, which teased the forthcoming release of his highly-anticipated full-length debut. Last year, the rising Cameroonian-German artist released three striking singles which teased the arrival of his highly-anticipated full-length debut, MELATONIN. MELATONIN'S latest single "CONSERVATIVE INC," a collaboration with kiana is a vibey, swaggering and hooky mix of hip-hop, neo-soul and R&B. Throughout the track Devantier Rain and klana trade confident yet vulnerable, heartfelt verses that dive deep into themes of self-worth, betrayal, heartache and resilience with grizzled, hard-fought experience: Devantier Rain's verses focus on strength forged through being underestimated. klana's verses focus on standing firm without remorse after being wrong. Throughout the song, the pair offer the sort of much-needed lessons the old heads would try to give the young bloods at a gathering -- or the sort of intimate "real life" conversation you'd have with a dear one, late at night as the party winds down.

Bristol, UK-based rock outfit Dreamwave -- Benjamin Symons (vocals, guitar, synths), Hester Battin (vocals, keys, synths), Grant Cameron Organ (bass), and Alex Andrews (drums, percussion) -- have quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting, up-and-coming bands in the UK psych scene. And with a growing presence across the European Union, the British quartet seem to be gaining momentum. Dreamwave's third EP is slated for release through Stolen Body Records, and the announcement of the forthcoming EP coincides with the unveiling of a new physical passing, which will feature this year's Moon Dogs EP on Side A and the soon-to-be released Drifter EP on Side B. But in the meantime, the forthcoming third EP's first single "Moon Buggy" is a sweaty and tense mosh pit friendly ripper, anchored around punchily delivered hooks and choruses that brings OSees and JOVM mainstays Frankie and the Witch Fingers to mind. The new single originated as an improvised jam session during their live shows, gradually evolving over the course of two years into a fully fleshed out, polished song that found its way into their sets. The EP version was recorded in three takes and accurately showcases the band's bruising live energy. The self-directed and accompanying video for "Moon Buggy" was filmed at Mendips Raceway, a dirt-track in southwest UK. The chaotic and downright fun imagery of battered cars colliding in clouds of dust just feels perfect.

JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates the 99th anniversary of the birth of Chuck Berry.

Acclaimed Aussie JOVM mainstay Tame Impala‘s highly-anticipated fifth album, Deadbeat saw its official release today through Columbia Records.  Deeply inspired by bush doof culture and the Western Australia rave scene,Deadbeat sees Tame Impala mastermind Kevin Parker recasting himself as a sort of future primitive rave act. Conceived in various locations over the last handful of years, the album was largely galvanized between Parker’s hometown of Fremantle and his Inijidup, Western Australia-based studio Wave House during the first half of this year.  Renowned for being a perfectionist, Parker’s fifth Tame Impala album showcases an artist with a leveled-up mastery of songwriting but crafted with a newfound embrace of spontaneity. The result is a collection of remarkably catchy, hook-driven, club-friendly psych pop while being some of Parker’s most direct songwriting of his career to date. Sonically, there are timbres and textures that add new dimension to the material’s overall sound paired with a much richer, more playful vocal range.  Lyrically, the album finds Parker channeling an endless bummer with a self-deprecating fuck-up of a narrator stuck in a hopelessly negative feedback loop, when he should have long had his shit together. We all know this kind of dude — and in some cases, he is us. Thematically, the album suggests raving as self-inquiry, self-medication in lieu of self-care and the kick-on as domestic bliss. Dance and sweat your troubles, stresses and concerns away on the dance floor, y’all. Reality can wait another day or two — hell, fuck it, another three.  Deadbeat features the previously released “End of Summer,” “Loser,” "Dracula," and its latest single, album opener "My Old Ways." Anchored around a looping, twinkling piano figure, "My Old Ways" begins with Parker accompanying himself just on piano for about a minute or so, before the song quickly morphs into a mind-bending, trance-inducing bit of Larry Levan-like house with fluttering and oscillating synths and thumping beats. And at its core is a deeply self-aware, self-referential narrator, who is acutely cognizant that they've slid into a long-held negative pattern while simultaneously forgiving themselves and being self-flagellating for that backslide. While being a serious banger, "My Old Ways" offers what may be one of the more empathetic portrayals of a fuck up that I've heard in some time. I'd argue that most of us could see some of ourselves in the song. Directed by Kristofski, the accompanying video for "My Old Ways" features cinéma vérité footage the director took, following Parker throughout the process of recording the album in studios across the world, including his native Australia.

Los Angeles-based soul and R&B trio The Womack Sisters — BG, Zeimani and Kucha — are proudly carrying on their family’s legendary musical legacy. And if you had been frequenting this site earlier this year, you might recall that I wrote about the sibling trio's "I Just Don’t Want You (To Say Goodbye)." "I Just Don't Want You (To Say Goodbye)" is the B-side to their Daptone Records debut, "If You Want Me"/"I Just Don't Want You (To Say Goodbye)." The sibling trio just shared the A-side, "If You Want Me." Anchored around a percussive piano attack and the sisters call and response vocal, the new single is a hard swinging and strutting bit of old-school-inspired soul that sounds as though it could have been released in Motown's early days.

With the release of last year's full-length debut, SDPS, Copenhagen-based jazz punks Smag På Dig Selv (SPDS) -- Oliver Lauridsen (tenor sax), Thorbjørn Øllgaard (baritone sax, bass sax, vocals) and Albert Holberg (drums) -- firmly cemented the trio's reputation as one of most boundary pushing groups out on the contemporary Danish scene. With a sound that's an explosive, party starting mixture of acoustic techno, punk energy, jazz and 90s EDM, the Danish trio have begun to make the round of the international festival and touring circuit, playing sets at Roskilde Festival, SXSW, The Great Escape, Eurosonic, Winter Jazzfest NYC and Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage. SPDS's highly-anticipated sophomore album is slated for a March 2026 through Stunt Records. The album's second and latest single, the TMI Tammi-produced "Let's Go!" The track is a mix of sneering, in-your-face punk attitude, ambient electronics, pulsing beats, thunderous Viking drumming and modal-influenced jazz that's mind-bending, mischievously unhinged yet accessible and dance floor friendly. "Let's Go!" was composed last October. The band retreated to Albert Holberg's 200 year-old summer cottage in the idyllic landscapes of North Zealand for a weeklong writing session. Originally, the plan was to create techno, but the autumnal, Bon Iver-like atmosphere shifted the overall mood. Instead, the trio leaned into simply being a band, playing together n silence and letting the music speak. And what would up emerging was a compromise between their initial intentions and a newfound urge to explore the idea of "ambient Viking band" -- brought to life with TMI Carmen's swaggering, maximalist production.

JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates Eminem's 53rd birthday.

Kelly Cappuccio is an Italian electronic music producer, whose classical training as a child helped shaped her melodic sensibility and musical ear. Her discovery of electronic music unreleased a creative epiphany: Cappuccio quickly realized she could craft a sound that flows seamlessly between techno and tech house that bridges nostalgia and innovation. Every track she creates represents an emotional journey frequently drawing from blues foundations paired with irresistibly funky grooves and sleek, contemporary production techniques. The Italian producer's latest single "In My Heart," is a sleek and melodic, deep house banger anchored around glistening synths, a relentless and hypnotic groove and skittering beats that feels simultaneously cinematic and intimate.

Photography from the 25th St. Pat's For All Parade earlier this month.

Rising London-based singer/songwriter Oliver Beardmore has built up a reputation as a highly sought-after opener, playing alongside Gia Ford, Junodream, Late Night Drive Home and Steven Mason. The London-based artist has also played a number of sold-out headlining sets across the UK. And adding to a growing profile, Beardmore has received airplay from BBC Radio 1 and BBC Introducing. The rising British artist's latest single, the Beardmore and Xav Sinden co-produced "Ammonite" is a 120 Minutes-era MTV-like, wistful slow-burn, anchored around Beardmore's yearning falsetto that slowly builds up into a stormy and textured climax played by Brooklyn-based shoegazers Punchlove. Sonically channeling The Bends-era Radiohead, "Ammonite," manages to convey an uneasy push and pull of self-flagellation and blame in a dysfunctional relationship between two equally dysfunctional, hurt people. "The song is about being drawn to people who share the same insecurities or flaws. We project our issues onto each other, but that weight often causes hurt that no one else is really to blame for," Beardmore says. "There’s freedom in no longer searching for your flaws in someone else, and relief in calling off that search. In the end, you can hurt yourself more than anyone else ever could - but there’s something almost hedonistic in giving yourself away to someone who’ll let you."

Los Angeles-based Mexican/Colombian producer, singer/songwriter, rapper and multi-instrumentalist Dani Bojorges-Giraldo (they/them) is the creative mastermind behind the critically applauded recording project St. Panther. Bojorges-Giraldo's previously released work was the soundtrack to the early part of this decade for many folks, but following their departure from the major label network, the Los Angeles-based artist took time to be among their peers, friends and loved ones. Their forthcoming EP, the McClenney and Bojorges-Giraldo co-produced Strange World is slated for a November 7, 2025 release through art label drink sum wtr -- and is their first collection of recorded output since their breakout debut EP, 2020's These Days. The new EP's material is reportedly a defiant, genre-transforming work that features a collection of soulful, modern pop songs that narrate and confront the wider climate of uncertainty and oblivion. Thematically, Strange World is as much about Bojorges-Giraldo' and their world -- their village, their people, themselves -- but also, the very strange world we inhabit right now. Drawing from soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop and alt-pop the EP's material sets out to urge for a sense of purpose, security and love admits seemingly universal apathy and chaos. “I took this long pause to really listen to my village, listen to the needs of my community, and the people around me,” the St. Panther creative mastermind says. "We're all feeling the weight of the world on our shoulders a bit. We want hope for our listeners, we want people to feel heard and that there's someone out there representing this feeling.” Regarding the EP, the Los Angeles-based artist remarks: “It’s been highly impactful–to say the absolute least–to witness the world in the state in today. In so many lyrics and melodies, I’m using this set of songs as a method of putting certain messages into our ether, intentionally shouting certain things from the rooftops that a friend jokingly said ‘for world peace;’ but this music is meant to activate people in some way to meditate about our relationship to each other, which feels like a good use for music right now.” The EP will feature, the previous released EP title track "Strange World," which received a double premiere from KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic and FLOOD Magazine and praise from Ones To Watch, Earmilk, RIFF Magazine and others, as well as the EP's latest single "The Deal." Featuring an old-school Quiet Storm-meets D'Angelo neo-soul-like arrangement featuring jazzy bursts of keys and a supple bass line, "The Deal" is one-part heartfelt confession of love and admiration, one-part admission of being hurtful/neglectful and one-part yearning plea to do better that feels intimately lived-in and experienced. “Now I’m not sure if it’s always right to, but I tend to put music where prolonged silences live," the St. Panther mastermind explains. "I’m not sure why it’s so hard to say what sometimes only music can, but in this case I wish someone had known me better and wanted to write a song like Dido’s ‘White Flag’ shortly afterward, a song that said - if nothing else - my love was true.” The new single is accompanied by a live performance featuring the acclaimed Los Angeles-based artist in studio with a collection of their various long-time collaborators including McClenney.

Prolific Brooklyn-based producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Kinney is the creative mastermind behind Jerk. And with Jerk, Kinney has released five albums and several EPs that has seen him craft a sound that draws from J. Dilla, Madlib, Patrice Rushen, Earth, Wind & Fire, Louis Cole, Knower, and Roller Trio. Never content with just music as a creative output, Kinney is also an avid writer and video essayist. Kinney will be releasing the first part of a two EP narrative cycle, continuing the rollout of as night falls. Slated for a November 14, 2025 release through DeepMatter Records, the two EP cycle reportedly sees Kinney pushing his solo project's sound into new territories, taking listeners on a journey through a single night while exploring the darker side of human nature through a fusion of electronic influences, midnight funk and forward-thinking jazz. Created with long-time friend and collaborator Martine Wade (drums), the EP is the follow-up to last year's Mood Swings, which received airplay from BBC 6 Music's Huey Morgan and Jazz FM's Tony Minvielle. The EP's latest single, the Wyatt Rydleweski (bass) co-written "stealthy, she moves!," is a slinky bit of chilled-out and groovy, 70s jazz-fusion-inspired funk jazz that -- to my ears, at least -- manages to recall JOVM mainstays Mildlife and Confusions-era L'Eclair, but with an earthier, grittier quality. “In our journey through the night, this is the soundtrack to those that must move without trace," Kinney says of the new single.