introvertb!tch please – exzenya
The verdict
“exzenya turns a cheating story into a stunning blues-rock single, all swagger and relief”
'b!tch please' opens the door on a moment most songwriters would play for heartbreak and finds something sharper instead. the arrangement sits in mid-tempo roots rock territory, live-band feel, blues in the chord changes, but the story is what carries it. a woman looks at the one who slept with her husband and doesn't crumble. she clocks the trade: a sugar-daddy fantasy on one side, a roaming man who'll leave the same way he arrived on the other. the line that stays is 'you thought you were taking my life. you set me free.' it's sass over sheen, closure over collapse. a joyful, cutting single that earns its swagger.
exzenya is an independent artist based in the united states, releasing through her own imprint, exzenya productions. her previous single 'drunk texting' leaned into satirical pop and r&b, built around a real story from a chaotic miami trip involving her son. this one shifts lanes into roots rock, and the move suits her. she writes her own lyrics, and it shows in how specific the story gets. that confidence in her own voice is paying off. great track.
thank u for making this exzenya 🔥
letter to the editor – matt tarka
The verdict
“matt tarka takes compelling aim at institutional cowardice with a sharp, literary slice of 90s-indebted rock”
'letter to the editor' opens with a school bell tolled in the song's key, a foreboding touch discovered by chance during sessions at mixtape studios in alexandria, virginia. the track is a direct response to the washington post's editorial board declining to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, and tarka treats that silence as a betrayal worth calling out by name. i love it, and you can feel the anger and frustration, wrapped up in a murmur-era REM indie rock package. it's a pointed, enjoyable single.
matt tarka is a singer-songwriter based in lancaster, pennsylvania, who's been self-releasing music since 2011. his catalogue includes eps like motorcycle breakfast, surely late and vision hazy, built through collaborations with producers ted comerford (x-ambassadors, jukebox the ghost), mitch easter (r.e.m., pavement, suzanne vega) and jarrett nicolay. he'll celebrate this release with a show at the nest in lancaster, and if i wasn't in europe, i'd be there with bells on, because this one's a gem. more please, mr tarka.
thank u for making this matt tarka 📰
the veil – translucent veil
The verdict
“translucent veil channels late 60s psychedelia into a heavy, hypnotic rock single that feels wonderfully timeless”
'the veil' opens with a swirling, heavy riff that immediately places you somewhere between 1969 and 1972. the production leans into that era without apology, all warm tones and a rhythm section that grooves rather than pounds. there's a weight to the arrangement that pulls from hard rock, but the psychedelic edges keep things from ever feeling purely aggressive. lyrically, the track drifts between introspection and something more playful, and importantly, they understand how to make that sound feel alive rather than like museum recreation. a heavy, absorbing single.
translucent veil are a raleigh, north carolina based rock band, built from veterans of other regional acts who've come together around a shared love of late 60s and early 70s psychedelia and hard rock. that experience shows in how confidently they wear their influences, moving between deeply introspective material and more whimsical, socially conscious territory without losing their footing. we love the commitment here, and recommend this one heartily.
thank u for making this translucent veil 🌀
this perfect summer – my glass world
The verdict
“my glass world turn climate collapse into a gorgeous, deceptively bright indie rock single that you'll be singing for weeks”
'this perfect summer' opens with a title that sounds like an invitation and delivers something closer to a warning. the track sits in warm, melodic indie rock territory, with jamie telford's vocals carrying lines about mercury rising, dead birds falling, crops failing and smoke darkening the sky. it's a song about climate disaster dressed in the clothes of a summer anthem, and that tension is the point. the arrangement has a lovely easy pace to hit; and it lands as track seven on the band's forthcoming album 'extraordinary renditions', which just came out recently sets images of everyday happiness against burning forests and dead fish in waterways. not your classic indie banger, and all the better for it. it's a striking, unsettling single.
my glass world are a british duo built around jamie telford and sean read, two musicians with serious pedigrees. telford has written alongside paul weller and the jam, while read's credits run from dexys to the manic street preachers to beth orton. 'extraordinary renditions' will be their eighth album and fifth together, following 'stranded assets' in 2025. the record was put together quickly across sessions in scotland and london, but it all feels cohesive and compelling. a gem, and we'll be digging into more of their stuff.
thank u for making this my glass world 🌡️
neverknows – the misty
The verdict
“the misty blend beach boys harmonies with post-punk shadows on 'neverknows', a hypnotic contradiction”
'neverknows' opens with sixties-summer warmth, all layered vocal harmonies and guitars that shimmer like sunlight on water. but there's something restless underneath, a tension the band calls 'post-surf', and it's a useful term: this is the beach boys if brian wilson had grown up on fontaines d.c. and late arctic monkeys instead of chuck berry. the track balances that brightness against something darker, a post-modern unease that adds to whole package really. connie's vocals sit right in the middle of it, carrying the weight without losing the lift. it's a clever trick, and they pull it off with real confidence. a brilliant, sun-drenched indie, post-punk contradiction.
the misty are a london-based trio with roots scattered across england. connie arrived from abroad in 2021 to turn a solo project into a full band, finding archie on bass from worcester and steve on guitar from york. their debut album, 'poorly planned missions... executed worse', dropped in 2025, and they've since opened for the big pink and the molotovs while building a reputation on the london circuit. a second lp is due in 2027. tldr; it's a banger.
thank u for making this the misty 🌊