This iteration of my Monthly Favourites series comes a little later than usual (due to personal matters), but as I always say – better late than never! As the 31st version of this review series, you should know what to expect by now, but I’ll give you a quick rundown if you’re new to these pages. Here, you’ll find a selection of the best bands and artists around at the moment, with a full playlist at the bottom to listen to afterwards.
Let’s get started!
Review by Jane Howkins
Photo of Blueprint Tokyo
Blueprint Tokyo – Mission Control
We’ve featured Blueprint Tokyo a few times now – Mission Control is the first single to be released from their upcoming album in 2025. It’s an emotional rock and roll tune with an emotional sound, due to the passionate vocals that carry through the track. The vocals are a little muffled in the mix, but they’re still prominent enough to be effective, with the track also featuring some lovely harmonies on the chorus. The guitarwork is top notch too, playing some gorgeous dreamy melodies in the background of the piece. I can’t wait to hear the album!
Social media: Website, Facebook, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Instagram
Wolves feat. Kat Meoz – Empire
Empire is a collaborative effort between Kat Meoz and Wolves, combining their collective talents in a fascinating way. The track is catchy yet also has a hard edge to it, mixing the two different musical styles in an awesome way. The guitar licks are groovy, bouncing along in fine style with the bass, drums and synths, as Kat sings over the top gloriously. Her vocals are sultry and strong, simply oozing attitude throughout this awesome track. It’s undeniable catchy too – just try listening to Empire without it getting stuck in your head!
Social media: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Instagram, Songkick, TikTok
Wandour – Away
Now for something different – Away is a track created by leftfield electronic music producer Wandour, mixing a few different electronic styles together. The track starts out slowly, before the huge synths kick in, throbbing along in the forefront of the track with the bass and percussion. Multiple vocal layers float around in a dreamy fashion, but the main focal point remains on the immense synthlines on offer here, pulsating away in a cool way. Away is probably more suited for listeners into their more experimental EDM, but that’s certainly not a bad thing for me!
Social media: Linktree, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Instagram
For You Brother – Nice Money
For You Brother started out as a project designed to transcend mainstream mediocrity, and from the sound of Nice Money, it’s fair to say the band have done it! It’s a rap-rock song, combining the two genres in a cool way, with more than a hint of metal also present. However, this isn’t the cheesy rap-rock of the early 2000s – instead, it’s a funky tune that will make you want to dance along straight away, seeing For You Brother really make the style their own. The rapping has a wonderful flow, and the guitar licks have a real sense of cool about them, which I loved!
Social media: Website, Twitter, Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube, TikTok
James M Larocque – Mr. Mann
It’s always good to end on a positive note, and Mr. Mann is exactly that! Created by James M Larocque, the track has something of a retro pop sound, making for a nice surprise! The main instrumentation comes from an optimistic sounding piano melody, fitting round the rhythm section perfectly. The vocals are really unique sounding too, with multiple vocal lines layering across each other to make a piece of music that sounds like nothing else on earth! Just try it and see what you think – I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!
Social media: Website, Facebook, Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube
Monthly Favourites – playlist by York Calling | Spotify