The end of the month has come round fast once again – it’s time for another installment of my Monthly Favourites series. This is the fourteenth iteration and it shows no sign of slowing down yet! All the bands and artists found here are underground musicians that are deserving of your time and energy. A full playlist can be found at the end of the review too.
Review by Jane Howkins
Photo by Salads
Salads – butterfly sans
The pop-punk genre has been gaining a lot of traction of late, and Salads are here to capitalise on it. butterfly sans is a little more on the pop side of things, but it still fits the genre well. The vocals use a lot of autotune, but this actually works well with the themes the band are trying to create here. Palm-muted guitar riffs run through the verses, before the chorus explodes with sound. The song has a really anthemic sound, particularly on the chorus.
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Holly Wild – Inside My Head
Australian singer-songwriter Holly Wild is releasing her music for the first time, which is impressive considering how good it is! Inside My Head is a fantastic piece of work, mixing the best moments of pop and rock together into one awesome package. Holly’s vocal soar over the chorus, going down to a slightly lower range on the verses, which shows just how good her vocal range is. The main chord sequence used is brilliantly written, showing great talent from such a young musician. You need to check Holly out before she hits the bigtime!
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Mick J. Clark – This Is Where My Heart Belongs
I shared three songs by Mick J. Clark as part of my holiday songs collective, so it’s interesting to hear a less Christmassy themed song by him. This Is Where My Heart Belongs contains an interesting array of genres, including moments of Latin pop, rock and roll, country and folk. The beat is slightly waltzy, with some gorgeous strings gliding on in the background as Mick croons away in the forefront of the song. It’s very beautiful, seeing some lovely Latin style guitar lines appearing every so often to add more of a world music flavour to the track.
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Rushkeys – Kira
It’s time now for something a little different with Lithuanian electronic artist and producer Rushkeys. Kira is an EDM track with a difference, featuring a slew of amazing synths that start the song off, bubbling away in the background as the tune builds up. The track follows similar musical lines as it progresses, although Rushkeys adds extra elements in the mix, ensuring that it never gets too samey. The track tails off in a satisfying manner towards the end, ebbing away under your skin.
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DAMIEN – Empty
The last time I caught up with DAMIEN was in October of 2022, so it’s great to be able to hear his latest tune, Empty. Opening with some eerie whispered vocals, Empty builds up the tension perfectly on this electronic dark-wave tune. It’s actually pretty upbeat once it gets started, featuring a slew of synth melodies playing alongside the rhythm section. DAMIEN repeats the title of the song over and over again when the chorus hits, before an immense array of synths blast off to bring the tune into the next verse.
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Onbar – CHANCE
There are admittedly quite a lot of artists here that we’ve featured before, but that’s because they’re so good! Onbar is another such artist, coming back into our fold with new release CHANCE. The song opens with a unique sounding guitar melody, before Onbar’s smooth vocal delivery arrives. A beat is added after a while, however the track still remains as a slow r&b song, however it’s wildly different from a lot of the stuff you normally hear on the airwaves. If you like your r&b slightly different from the norm, this is for you.
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Scarlet Mill – Sinking Man
Scarlet Mill is an obscure duo from the Netherlands, creating alternative music that boldly doesn’t fit in. Sinking Man opens with a haunting classical piano melody that has a really evocative quality. Some divergent backing effects appear, before the rhythm section and guitars arrive, with the latter following the main piano melody at times. The vocals harmonise together in the background, however the piano always stays at the forefront of the music, creeping through this eerie track in a gorgeous way.
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Waiting for Brenda – 4th July
As my regular readers will know, I’m a big fan of the Americana/folk genres, and Waiting for Brenda contain those genres in spades! 4th July is a haunting folk song that has all the hallmarks of the genre, as well as a fast, country beat. The violins sound particularly stunning in the background, laid out against the gorgeous electric guitar lines that make up the main instrumentation on this pretty tune. Vocalist Brenda’s voice sounds perfect here, with her lyrics suiting the style of music exceedingly well.
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Sam Lynch – Halcyon Beach
New wave music is often thought of as an 80s thing, but Sam Lynch proves that the genre is not dead yet. Sam mixes a selection of lovely jangly indie guitar melodies with a slightly electronic sound here, although Halcyon Beach is still more of an indie rock tune. The beat is fairly fast, drawing you in straight away and making you want to get up and start dancing immediately! The vocal harmonies are pretty nice too, fitting the main guitar melodies of the piece perfectly.
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Justine Sletten – Dandelion
Justine Sletten is a pop-country artist hailing from rural Saskatchewan, producing a piece of magic in her latest release, Dandelion. It’s a wonderfully uplifting song – just check out that chorus! The tempo is fairly steady, featuring some lovely strummed acoustic guitar melodies that continue throughout the piece, as well as some more electric motifs. Justine has a fantastic voice and it really soars when that captivating chorus chimes in. It’s a perfect song for a summer’s day.
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Julian Petrin – Embrace
Julian Petrin is an electronic music composer based in Germany, a hub for EDM music. Embrace is more of a chillwave track as it’s got quite a slow tempo, seeing a dark bassline seeping away underneath the surface of this amazing tune. The synths are used in an amazing way, creating a cool melody in the background, alongside the bass and drums. The track is extremely evocative, getting inside your head on the first listen. The synths sound truly beautiful, creating lovely soundscapes in the back of this cool track.
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Sis PS – Touch The Sun
I first discovered German singer-songwriter and producer Sis PS at the tail end of last year, so it’s great to hear new music from her in the form of Touch The Sun. The track opens with a pretty piano melody, before the vocals kick in. There’s a lot of emotion contained in the vocals, working well with the understated nature of the piece. The piano is also extremely beautiful to behold, underpinning Sis Ps’ voice perfectly. It builds up into a beautiful crescendo of sorts on the chorus, as a haunting string section kicks in – you have to hear it!
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