today’s pop picks: a 58-year-old ealing artist turning a late-life love story into tender songwriting, and amanda holley’s seasoning getting a proper cinematic video treatment. two tracks confirmed, with two more picks on the way.
these fine lines – 50mething
50mething turns a late-in-life love story into a genuinely tender slice of songwriting
these fine lines explores finding love later in life, built around a short, memorable riff that genuinely echoes ryuichi sakamoto’s delicate style. the lyrics flowed naturally once the title itself arrived, and that authenticity comes through in every line, romance and second chances handled with real emotional weight rather than cliché. recorded entirely in the best kind of studio – a home one – it pairs personal storytelling with really lovely, and sophisticated electronic production. vocally, it’s brilliant, and the whole thing ends up as a tender, well-crafted listen.
friend of the blog 50mething is an ealing based artist, a former dancer and garden builder who decided at 58 that it was finally time to get into music properly, with a back catalogue of 70 completed tracks waiting to come out. his first release, slowly through the night, was a personal testament to a 2024 cancer diagnosis that’s since progressed well. that’s a genuinely remarkable second act, and we’re glad he’s sharing it.
thank u for making this 50mething 🌹
is it so hard to be good – playknow
playknow turns one recurring question into a genuinely warm, retro-polished plea for kindness
is it so hard to be good grew out of a fictional chronicle songwriter hans petter stormoen wrote about a world where anger and division get more attention than understanding and respect, long before any lyrics existed. the same question kept surfacing while he wrote it, and that became the seed of the song, eventually finished in the fall of 2025. musically it blends modern pop with adult contemporary, synth-pop, new wave and retro-pop, played by professional musicians and built with real production polish. it’s an interesting journey, but it’s musically where this one really pops. a great disco-adjacent, synth-pop pulser that really, really shines.
playknow is a norwegian music project created by songwriter hans petter stormoen, rooted in nu-disco but reaching into adult contemporary, synth-pop, new wave and retro-pop depending on what each song needs. kim rysstad’s voice was written into this one from the start, warm, genuine and full of emotional weight, and without him it probably wouldn’t have been recorded at all, more a pillar of the track than a guest feature. that’s a rare level of intention behind a feature vocalist, and it shows in how naturally the whole thing holds together. it’s a great single.
thank u for making this playknow 💛
no more – amanda holley
amanda holley turns a lifetime of survival into a stunner of a transcendent healing anthem
no more carries a dual meaning, a healing anthem for anyone who’s endured and awakened. we’ve been there, hun. it’s a defiant protest that some things simply have to end. holley wrote it as a kind of premonition, sketching the melody months before real-world unrest caught up with the images she was already seeing in her head. musically, it’s wonderfully produced hip hop / pop, moving between vulnerability and defiance, intimacy and something closer to spiritual. and that chorus? it soars. a genuinely powerful, cathartic listen.
friend of the blog amanda holley is a new york city based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a five-octave range who’s risen from homelessness, poverty and abuse to become a grammy voting member and a first-ballot grammy contender across several of her singles. no more is the latest chapter in her upcoming ep, the holleygraphic, produced with billboard-charting and grammy-nominated collaborators. it’s a strong, purposeful addition to an already impressive run.
thank u for making this amanda holley 🔥
all i know – summerhouse
summerhouse channels relationship chaos into the genuinely thrilling alt-pop ‘all i know’
all i know moves through repeated waves of panic and false clarity. it’s all distorted guitars and airy vocals capturing the confusion of a relationship that should clearly be over. i love the wide production, synths flourishes and drum vibe. it brings brief moments of resolve before euphoric, psychedelic guitars take over and that resolve collapses into another drunken summer relapse. vocalist blackbird adds a huge amount here, alongside the main man in the production seat. it’s a properly tense, well-built listen.
summerhouse is the project of hackney, east london based producer and multi-instrumentalist conall hill, who taught himself production by recording guitars and vocals on an iphone in his basement during the pandemic. all i know is part of a four-song ep dropping september 18th, exploring the excitement and instability of an on-and-off relationship. that diy origin story really comes through in how unpolished and honest this sounds. more please, this is a banger.
thank u for making this summerhouse 🌀
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