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Beyond heartbreak, "It Was All A Lie," the latest single from Leanna Oki, charts the disorienting lack of direction in its aftermath. Opening to a folk-tinged intrumental incorporating synth and acoustic guitar, Oki sets the stage in the direct wake of a breakup. Interestingly, the song breaks into something more stylistically similar to R&B in the chorus. It's a testament to her skill as a songwriter that the two styles are married seamlessly without losing any of the emotional impact. She able to capture complex and nuanced emotion without overcomplicating or muddling the songwriting. The constricting nature of grief in heartbreak locks horns with the paralyzing freedom Oki's left with. "I don't know which way to go," captures the directness of Oki's lyricism, which is elevated by her emotive and impressive vocals and production. Beyond the sadness of being left behind ("It was all a lie, / 'Cause you said goodbye), she flounders in the loss of direction. Like many, Oki's built herself around this relationship and the trajectory it's built into her life. Left shaken by it's unforeseen end, she expresses her disorientation more than simply grief. "I let myself fall / So where do I go from here? / I'm drowning dear." She's winding herself into knots only to unravel again and again. Asian-Canadian singer-songwriter, Leanna Oki, has been writing and recording her own hand-written tracks for over seven years. Her style blends elements from pop, R&B, and electronic music alongside her emotive lyrics and vocals. As a multi-instrumentalist, Oki retains creative control over her music's creation. The artist began releasing her music in 2020. "It Was All A Lie" arrives as her second single of the year. Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW Leanna:

"Waste My Revenge" wields pop-rock like a power drill, piercing precise and lethal holes through the standard breakup-song concept. Every instrument, including vocalist David Welcsh's singing, is amped up to anthemic levels. The result is a stadium-ready blast of nostalgia and catharsis with enough depth to remain potent on repeat listens. And trust me: you'll have "Waste My Revenge" on repeat. The complexity of the songwriting, employing clever countermelody and pacing, never undermines the song's immediacy. The band pack a deeply felt and undeniably danceable blitz. "I won't pretend I knew the end was coming," Welcsh remarks in the chorus. This small admission captures the song's subtle subversions. It demonstrates the band's talent as both expressionists and raw storytellers. It plays like a letter to an ex that we aren't meant to be reading, but we're able to piece enough details together to understand the depths of their relationship. "Waste My Revenge" is a triumph in the aftermath of having the wind knocked out of you. Even weaving such an intricate web of nuanced emotions and exposition, The Thing With Feathers never let the catchy hooks and melodies falter in priority. Dance first, cry later. The Nashville-based band, The Thing With Feathers, bring an eclectic mix of alt-rock, indie pop, and dance to their wide-ranging sound. Lead vocalist, David Welcsh, began forming the band in 2016, though it wasn't until the fall of 2018 that his vision was fully realized along with the current lineup. The band released their debut EP, "Sundays in the South" earlier this year. "Waste My Revenge" is the second single and titular track to their upcoming sophomore EP. Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW The Thing With Feathers:

On her sparkling, latest single, singer-songwriter Daisy Gill invites an intoxicating drama and character into her clear-eyed songwriting. The dizzying chorus is outfitted in glitzy keys and slick synths, practically tasting of expensive champagne. Reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, the jazz-influenced pop single is full of charisma and style. There's clear restraint in the production: the percussion only rolling in thunderously when it's given centerstage during the verses, the keys and synths distinct but harmonious, and her vocals always at the forefront to imbue "New York State of Mind" with its persona. The technical qualities of "New York State of Mind" are impeccable. It's evident Gill has honed her craft, paying skillful attention to pacing and construction. However, it's the visceral feeling that stands out. In the chorus, the descending chords over her velvety vocals call to mind a lavish staircase or gaudy casino. "I'll take you for a ride with my New York state of mind," she smirks through the heady mix. She is the eye of the storm, effortlessly cool as she sends you spiraling. Daisy Gill is a Liverpool-based singer-songwriter. Self-taught in guitar and performing gigs from a young age, her experience is evident in each track. Not beholden to the narrow constraints of genre, Gill brings together an eclectic variety of sounds and styles. Her shift towards pop music still draws from retro/jazz. "New York State of Mind" arrives as her second single of 2022, following the also remarkable "Telephone." Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW Daisy Gill:

It's easy to say that there's no sense fretting over that which you can't change. On her latest single "Rest of my life," however, Holly Wild uses reflection and remorse as measures of perspective. Her considerations of a failed relationship in London highlight her growth and maturity, rather than tear herself down. The production is sturdy, piano chords and light synths breeze by like soft strokes of a paint brush. Drawing on folk-pop songwriting, Wild demonstrates her ability to merge confessional lyrics with catchy hooks. "Rest of My Life" anchors the buoyant folk-pop production in reflective confessionals. "I feel like I left this car wreck over in London / I'm sorry for what I did." The lyrical specificity is amplified by her emotive vocals, giving the song an intimacy to nurture. "You could've been the rest of my life, the rest of my life, the rest of my life," she repeats, as though tasting how the words feel in her mouth. "Want you to know I'll never forget." If there's any indication that Wild has made peace with her reflections, it's the warmth of the production. It acts as a sturdy backbone, never shifting from its temperate pace. She's given newfound perspective on the more turbulent times of her life through stability. Pop singer/songwriter Holly Wild draws upon her vibrant life experience. Moving countries, achieving her bachelors degree at the Australian Institute of Music, marrying and starting a family all serve as the rich precursor to her career as an artist. This lends her music an empathetic and expansive worldview, painting them in the most vivid and organic colors. Wild has released singles for several years, building towards her debut album, which is set for late 2022. "Rest of My Life" opens the record, which is titled "Wild." Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW Holly Wild:

Dutch band, JASONWATERFALLS have always been masters of constructing stadium-sized rock anthems. Their latest offering, "Anything You Want," ahead of their upcoming EP continues this trend with a pop twist. The production is larger than life: chugging synths, smooth bass, and boxy drums all lift up the immaculately mixed vocals. Reminiscent of late-2000s emo, "Anything You Want" dials everything up to its breaking point and lets it hover there. Fusing it with modern pop sensibilities, the song works because its never beholden to its own rules. Even the lyrics of "Anything You Want" bring out the larger-than-life feel. "As we go down in flames, one thing that keeps me sane is / Ain't giving, won't give you anything you want from me." Tying these broader feelings to specific, personal confessions keeps the songwriting grounded and introspective. "I think that I feel best with no one else around," he remarks. That the lyrical layers feel well-blended is a testament to the band's writing strength. Even from the solitude of a bedroom, "Anything You Want" makes you feel like you're packed into a crowd at a concert. For a rock song, that's exactly what you want. JASONWATERFALLS are a 4-piece Dutch alternative rock band. Their sound merges dark electropop with energetic metal. In 2020, they released the EP "Pillars," which resulted in their nomination to the 2021 Edison Pop Awards. With their growth in popularity, the band has been headlining shows in Netherlands and supporting world-renowned artists, such as Panic! at the Disco, Machine Gun Kelly, Highly Suspect, etc. "ANYTHING YOU WANT" arrives as the second single ahead of their upcoming EP entitled "The Great Masquerade." The 6-track record features a post-apocalyptic theme. Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW JASONWATERFALLS:

What does dishonesty feel like from the recipient's perspective? Often, rage and confusion coats contemporary representations of this experience in a blunt force. On their fantastic single, "Hayley," Whales-based band THELIXX fashion 80's synthpop into an evocative and eerie chronicle of calloused confrontation. The chorus opens up the song to a wider palette of influences. The streaks of guitars paint a vaguely new wave hue into the chorus. Never cooling down, these dreamier flavors feel like letting a blanket of fog roll into a blitzing party. Some pop songs are constructed like a shotgun shell, blasting through quickly and overwhelmingly. "Hayley," however, is a perfectly strung bow with an arrow aimed directly between the eyes. Its most striking and gripping in its intricacy and specificity. The relative brevity, clocking in just over two minutes, allows THELIXX to wind a tight and concise narrative with catchy songwriting that begs for repeat listens. Interestingly, the prechorus shifts ever-so-slightly between the first and second verse. The first presents the cheating partner as aloof and not present, but the narrator adopts this attitude himself by the second. This is fantastically subtle and impactful songwriting, using the pop format to create expansive experiences beyond what words can say. Where a listener might assume the lyrics purely refer to the infidelity of the titular partner, the immaculately-filmed music video twists its meaning to something more ominous. As frontman Curt declares, "Caught you red-handed," the love interest creeps onto the screen with a knife. Sometimes, dishonesty in a relationship can feel as cutting as a knife. "Hayley" is just the first of three singles the band co-wrote with Grammy-nominated songwriter Daniel Evans. The song begins a new era for THELIXX, following poppier sounds and hook-driven writing. Based in Whales, THELIXX are an indie-pop trio formed when they were fifteen. Aside from "Hayley," the band has released three other singles, beginning in 2021. The next twelve months is set to make THELIXX a band to watch closely. Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW THELIXX:

The lightest touches can pack the heaviest punches. Nowhere is this more applicable than to the latest single of New Zealand singer-songwriter, Connor Mac. His latest single "See Through" seeks new heights with his most la. The sound is rooted in the torchy, folk of prior singles—such as Hippie; but on "See Through," instruments are layered to cascade over Mac's smooth voice in a way that feels new. The lushly produced ballad finds its greatest strength in wide open spaces. Every instrument, from the gorgeous strings to the gentle acoustic guitar, feels aired out to maximum effect. At times, Mac's voice becomes the solid ground to cling to as the restless instrumentation whirls around. "See Through" is like a snow globe, whirling with urgency, but anchored in devotion. Mac's previous singles reckoned with relationships that seemed to bury themselves alive. He fixated on exploring people's capacity to damage one another. "See Through" brings a similar sense of crisis, but instead asserts that - just as they have the power to cause pain - people also have the power to help each other heal. "I know that sometimes, deep in your mind, / you are six inches tall." Mac acknowledges in the chorus, his voice bursts with desperation. The woman he's addressing is recognized for her feelings, context, and validity. "I hope you'll remember," Mac sings, dipping into his husky, lower register.Just as she hasn't forgotten how she's been ignored, his most urgent plea is to remember how she is loved. Connor Mac is a 24-year-old singer-songwriter based in Switzerland. Though originally from New Zealand, he lives in Switzerland and tours Europe. "See Through" is Mac's third single of 2022. He has confirmed that these tracks are leading up to an EP. Describing his sound as "smooth pop with soulful overtones," Mac embraces a wide ranging sound that feels sensitively rooted. Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW Connor Mac:

Anna Bea's songs typically engaged with the perceptions that are placed on her. "People keep telling me a girl like you shouldn't be by herself at night," she vented on "People Keep Telling Me." Thus, even when she addressed someone specific, such as in "Cold," the real conflict was between herself and the version of herself that is projected onto her. On her catchy, latest single, "Another World," Bea writes from a new perspective. The versatile singer/songwriter goes disco, voice soaring over groovy bass and glittering synths. At times, the sound blurs into a dreamier haze, as though the gravity was turned out in a roller rink. The dizzying coaster of "Another World" is less of a hill and more of a flurry of corkscrews. Bea writes from a collective perspective, exploring the desire to live in the past. This choice — speaking from a "we" — melts away the feeling of loneliness that permeates much of her other work. Before, the dissonance between herself and perceptions of her created a feeling of isolation, living in the void between social and personal realities. Now, Bea taps into a collective experience of looking "to a place locked in the past." That the disco sound is reminiscent of a past era adds to the effect. "Are we close but far away? / Can we reach back to those days?" She asks. It's never clear what we all seek in the past—even to ourselves—but Bea finds truth in the indescribable longing for something missing from the present. Anna Bea is a London-based singer/songwriter. She began releasing music during the lockdown of 2020, along with her debut EP "Wheels of Change." Check out her website for Bea's explanation of previous songs, as well as videos and other press material. Her genre-bending, pop sound is well matched with industry veteran producers and mixers. "Another World" teases towards another EP, slated for release in January. Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW Anna Bea:

There are two fundamental relationships we have with songs: what they tell us and what they make us feel. As an art form preoccupied with representing feelings and experience, music has the power to articulate what might feel too abstract for words. The breathtaking latest single from Ilona Mahieu, "Ribcage," is as volcanic as it is incisive, documenting the experience of an eating disorder. The song sizzles like a lit fuze in the first half, sparse rock instrumentation melting away at the confrontational lyrics. At the song's climax, every instrument erupts into a wave of distortion and chaos. The production is immaculate, balancing these two juxtaposed sections to strengthen the whole of the song. It's awe-striking. Rather than attempting a summative articulation of disordered eating, the UK-based indie rock band narrow the focus to the role eating disorders play in one's life. "Have you come to join me once again / at the table," lead vocalist Pointeau questions over the tense bassline. Even as the song's still simmering towards its climax, the verses hold tremendous impact in their engagement with deeper issues belying the eating disorder. "Carry me through the grief for them," and Pointeau's silvery voice leaps to plead, "Keep me stable." It's not that "Ribcage" is so emotionally gripping because it's tremendously vulnerable; the unforgettable single resonates because it authentically represents an experience with specificity and perspective. It's a song featuring conflicting forces: stability and dependency, anger and grief, stadium-sized and small. After the stormy climax, Pointeau's voice shakes in the hazy quiet of the song's closer. "Watch where you break your bread," she warns. "Ribcage" smolders like a signed contract with the devil. UK indie rock outfit, Ilona Mahieu is an eclectic band never confined to the boundaries of sound or genre. Punch-packing, dreamy, and rich—the production always swings big with a clear-eyed vision. Mahieu began releasing in 2019, with "Maslow." This was followed in the subsequent two years with three, exquisite singles. "Ribcage" arrives as the first single of 2022, and follows up the previous four tracks with another banger. The band takes pride in the versatility of their sound and the poeticism of their lyrics. Notably, the music video for "Ribcage" is a stunning, visual companion to the fantastic track. Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW Ilona Mahieu:

In times of coping, our subconscious can become an enemy—betraying our health to linger in the past. On the excellent collaboration between producer Miles Away and vocalist Danni Carra, this concept is explored through transporting listeners to an ethereal realm that feels shadowed by mortal anxieties and ennui. "Back To Sleep" is a purple nightlight in a bedroom: otherworldly until the dark shadows casted along the walls look like demons. The production breaks away from its malaise in the chorus, adding elements of trip-hop and dance-pop to the dreamy mix. There's a magical and weightless feeling to this shift in energy, descending scales of what sounds like a toy xylophone giving it the feeling of falling but never landing on the ground. Lyrically exploring the experience of being trapped in a feeling, the production compliments Carra's gorgeous voice by ensnaring us in its dreamy and captivating world. Like a lotus flower in Greek Mythology, the real killer of "Back to Sleep" is just how enticing it is. "When the sky turns upside down / I'll fade into you, like I always do," Carra confesses in the pre-chorus. It's the most tangible conclusion she can excavate from her dizzying spell, recognizing how stability impacts our ability to be present and self-assured. "Wake up, repeat it / can't change but I keep on / blaming myself," she lilts as the chorus sparks alive. Here, the crux of the song is seared into its DNA. To be aware of the problem is the first step, but what comes after when you are both the victim and the perpetrator, the forest and the fire? "Back to Sleep" is a life raft in the vast ocean of your own mind—it can feel like a savior until it looks more like a symptom. Miles Away is a producer based in Vancouver, Canada, and the moniker of Devin Belanger. His electronic production is flexible and lush, perfectly stretching to compliment the long list of collaborators he's worked with. In 2020, Belanger was nominated for "Electronic & Dance Artist of the Year in the Western Canadian Music Awards. "Back to Sleep" is the sixth single the producer has released in 2022, alongside several collaborations and solo releases. Belanger began releasing in 2017, and has since released a slew of impeccable remixes, original songs, and more. Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW Miles Away:

What has made 7000apart such an exciting pop-duo to follow is their ability to capture cinematic landscapes from mere snapshots of life. Hope becomes a flowing river, doubts are shouted over mountaintops, and, on their magnificent latest single, lingering feelings of discontent are fashioned into a cataclysmic event. "Stand Together" is a gentle call for mutual support in the face of catastrophe. In contrast to the apocalyptic imagery of the lyrics, the sound is softer and sweeter. It's a breathtaking track: anchored in the velvety plucking of an acoustic guitar and sparsely populated with the subtle production embellishments that elevate it. Even as drums rally a force behind Eiding's gorgeous voice in the second chorus, the power is tender rather than bullish. When you're in love, quiet mercy is as impactful as a tidal wave. "The sky is falling tonight," Eiding croons throughout the sublime track. It's the type of line that a less considerate artist might pair with overblown melodrama, but 7000apart show a masterful restraint. Countless songs have engaged with these moments when the world comes crashing down, but 7000apart capture a nuance and honesty through tenderness and intimacy. It's a fresh and mature take on catastrophe that sets the duo on the vanguard of confessional pop. "Loneliness is calling / and I don't want to watch my world go up in flames," Eiding confesses. Despite the insurmountable foe they face, 7000apart never sound defeated. It's a complex foe they face, but the circumstances aren't bleak — they have themselves and each other. Amelie Eiding and Jon Kresin met when Eiding left her hometown in Sweden to attend high school in Wisconsin. Their love story is one from a fairy tale, but they've focused artistically on the humble realities of mental health and their growth together. Eiding moved back to Sweden for three years, seeing the couple facing the 7000 kilometers between them, before they reunited and married in 2016. Since their 2019 debut album, the duo has released nine fantastic singles. Side A of their sophomore record, Feel Your Feelings, is set to release on December 6th. Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW 7000apart:

On his latest single, "I'll Wait," Gary Mictian documents the moments in time when a partner becomes the one that got away. Over immaculately produced dancepop, the London-based singer/songwriter stretches lifetimes inside its swift pace. Even as the track races into a blitz of drum'n'blass, "I'll Wait" keeps its focal point heart-racingly intimate as melancholy whirls around in a vortex of motion blur. The booming synthetic bass and modulated vocal layering give the song distinctly modern sensibilities, though the emphasis on sticky melody places it in league with y2k pop classics. Equally suited for a neon-infused rave as it is for a contemplative, late-night drive, "I'll Wait" is transcendent music for transcendent emotion. "It scares me," Mictian admits as the drum'n'bass fire off. It's so direct and earnestly delivered that it renders the energetic dancebeat in distinct shades of blue. This is the magic behind "I'll Wait." All the trademark fixtures of electronic pop music are gloriously weaved into the melodies, but they're softened into disarmingly complex emotional peaks and valleys. The lyrics blend from a monochromatic palette of emotional nuances ("Gave you all I had, and I still couldn't give enough," is developed on with "I can't break free from the thought that I let you down.") For as directionless as he may feel, his artistic vision is extraordinarily clear-eyed. Gary Mictian is an indie-pop singer/songwriter and producer originally from New Zealand. Now based in London, his work primarily fuses electronic pop with cinematic sound, while always pushing beyond the boundaries of genre. Many of his productions feature elements of glitchy production, akin to hyperpop, while also seeking emotional introspection and humanity. "I'll Wait" is just one of four incredible singles Mictian released in 2022. His music makes for a fantastic headphones experience. His ear for melodic songwriting and intricate production make Mictian an artist to be watching out for in 2023! Written By Andy Mockbee FOLLOW ARTIST: