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It can be hard when you realize you’re in a relationship that is fizzling out. You notice the other person pulling away and you don’t know how to fix it. Barrett Crake is a man desperate to revive a dying relationship in his new song, ‘50%’. He notices the growing distance between himself and his partner. This song is his plea to try and be what that other person needs. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to try and save the love that they’ve created. The only thing he asks from his partner is that they try and meet him halfway. In the first seconds of the song, a repeating guitar line is introduced with an echoed voice layered overtop. These elements create a sense of longing that is felt throughout the song. When Crake’s lyrics come in, this longing is accompanied by an urgency that starts to grow. Strong percussive beats accompany the lyrics, driving the tempo, and aiding to the intensity of Crake’s emotions. During the verses, these beats work to create a pace that amplifies Crake’s feelings of longing. When the song crescendos into the chorus, the beats intensify, bringing his urgency to the forefront. The last lyrics of the first verse, “Can’t you see, I’m on my knees, try to meet me, halfway”, set this pace that then explodes as the listener is brought into the chorus. As I was listening, I thought of the verses as a walk to contemplate your thoughts and feelings, and the chorus as an urgent sprint to your partner. Barrett Crake is an electro-pop artist who is the epitome of what a modern artist can be. He has taken advantage of the online digital landscape to create an international set of collaborators. The American artist has created partnerships with producers in cities such as Amsterdam and Berlin, all while being fully independent. Crake’s background in film allows him to create beautiful videos that tell the stories of every track he writes. In 2017, Crake had one of his biggest opportunities in creating a remix of the Corona hit “Rhythm of the Night”. The track currently has over 2.3 million streams on Spotify. Through his music, Crake hopes that people can relate to and find hope in his lyrics. ‘50%’ is out now! Written By Maddy Mahady FOLLOW BARRETT:

For these past few months, I’ve often felt unmotivated to get out of bed. I’m either dreading what today has in store for me or I’m simply a night owl with sleep deprivation. Either way, it’s time to switch up my routine! GRWM with a new energetic bop from DUVALL and Sam Gray! Entitled ‘Good Feeling’, this song is guaranteed to get your brain chemistry back in alignment. “I've been hiding from myself, M.I.A; but when I woke up today, I got a good feeling.” It’s like a revitalizing stroll that gives you a chance to recharge. Give yourself an excuse to take a dance break and unleash those SICK moves of yours! (Unless you’re like me and suck at dancing...no, I take that back. DO IT ANYWAY!) I personally LOVE the dance-pop production for this song. You get Calvin Harris vibes from the percussive beats and radio-quality sound. Swept into the rhythm, you’ll be stunned by catchy lyrics that elicit optimism and help you find hidden gems of pleasure in your toughest times. “Think I’m ready this time, got a new state of mind.” DUVALL and Sam Gray ask you to reframe your thinking so you’ll never back down from a challenge! One of my favorite parts in this song is the striking baritone vocals that Gray blesses us with. He puts his whole soul into this carefree attitude and you're quickly ushered into party central! From their collaboration on ‘Good Feeling,’ DUVALL steps into his newfound creative freedom from his group Disciples, while Sam Gray continues to demonstrate versatility in his music range. The two artist-producers have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to creating hit records. It’s no surprise then that their work is so engaging! They excel at both laying the foundation for great lyrics and nailing the bells and whistles in their evocative melodies. Needless to say, these two insanely talented individuals do NOT disappoint! Written By Kevin Rodriguez FOLLOW DUVALL: FOLLOW SAM:

Dreams are complicated. On one hand, we don’t want to remember the nightmares we have about being chased by a monster or showing up to work in nothing but your underwear. However, we also have good dreams that we don’t want to forget. These could be dreams about our desires, and love is a common theme here. Moreover, dreams are fleeting and often happen in the literal blink of an eye. In his passionate ballad, “No Words,” Rhodes sings about reconnecting to lost love through his dreams as well as the sadness he feels when he is not able to make his dreams a reality. First off, I liked the passion in Rhodes’ voice, especially on the chorus. My favorite lyrics were, “you see the light come crashing through the curtains where we used to sleep on all the empty space you used to show me what this could have been.” Even though all the lyrics in the song work together to convey Rhodes’ feelings to the listener, I think this specific line excellently encapsulates his sadness. He thinks his lost love is just within reach and wakes up to the harsh realization that they could not be more far away. I also liked how minimal the instrumentation was. The piano flowed smoothly with the lyrics. The last song I reviewed was Yana’s “Don’t Want Your Love.” It had the same theme of lost love and used very few instruments. With that, I think this similar style in “No Words” really allowed the story and Rhodes emotions to shine through. Rhodes was raised in Hertfordshire, England and currently lives in London. In 2015, he released his first album, Wishes. It included “Let it All Go,” a duet with fellow English singer, Birdy. This song received over 175 million Spotify streams and jumpstarted Rhodes’ musical career. If you liked “No Words,” you should definitely go give it a listen. The song has the same passion and centers around the rocky road of love. Additionally, the fact that the song has two singers only makes the emotion more powerful! FOLLOW RHODES

The honeymoon phase. Everyone who has been in a relationship before knows what I’m talking about. It is the stage in a romantic relationship where everything is new and exciting. The couple acts so sweet to each other that you could get a cavity from being around them. However, the biggest issue with the honeymoon stage is how short-lived it is. As a relationship progresses, the rose-colored glasses come off, and the two parties see their partner’s true colors. Therefore, the way that a relationship functions after the honeymoon phase can make or break it. Yana’s song, “Don’t Want Your Love,” is a reflective ballad about how she navigated a relationship after the honeymoon phase. Unfortunately, her experience doesn’t end well. Even so, the song itself conveys her emotions to the listener in a captivating and powerful way. The first thing I noticed about the song was Yana’s vocals. The runs in her voice were very satisfying to listen to. I especially liked how they made her voice linger on powerful lyrics such as …”why you’re in my blood.” I also noticed that the instrumentation in the song was very minimal. You only hear a keyboard, a steady drumbeat, and Yana’s harmonies. I thought it was great for the song. A big flashy electric guitar would have overshadowed the story of the lyrics. Lastly, I thought the ending of the song was very interesting. Yana sings, “you might think I want to press rewind. “Maybe I just wish we had more time.” Throughout the whole song, the listener thinks she’s happy to be out of a seemingly unhealthy relationship. In reality, she is regretful about ending the relationship too soon and not fighting for love. This is a situation that a lot of people resonate with. Yana was born in Varna, Bulgaria and later moved to Long Beach California. If you liked “Don’t Want Your Love,” you should check out Yana’s other song, “Like it.” This song has a similar sound, but she sings about being in the honeymoon phase. Early in 2019, Yana began work on her EP, Hindsight. She is lucky to be working with writer and producer, Franco Reid (Halsey's former drummer). “Don’t Want Your Love” was released as a single from this project. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store! Written By Kelli Dixon FOLLOW YANA

Q: Congratulations on the release of your first EP! How does it feel to finally have it out there for people to hear? I’m sure it’s surreal! ELENA: Honestly it’s actually been crazy! The response I’ve had so far from the release has been really positive which is obviously so reassuring… And yes now that I can talk about it it feels so good, anyone that knows me knows I’m not quite about anything so not being able to talk about a ‘ENOUGH LOVE’ when slowly killing me!! So yeah being able to talk about it now is just the best feeling in the world! Q: Who would you say are your biggest inspirations when it comes to your songwriting? ELENA: It's really hard to pick just 1 artist! I listen to lots of different genres now which I think helps because I’m definitely more open when writing my own music! Someone asked me a similar question the other day and I think I realised that I don’t necessarily Love one artist because of all of their music… Like I enjoy certain songs from artists and I like the artist as brands more so then Liking that particular artist because I love all of the music! But in terms of songs/artists that inspire me when songwriting, inspiration tends to come from finding a song that I vibe with whether it be melodically or through the lyrics or production and basically trying to find ways of incorporating that inspiration into my own music! Q: “Dreaming” is one of our favourite tracks from your new EP! Would you mind sharing what inspired you to write it? ELENA: So the concept of a “Dreaming” came to me one night as cliche as that is, I was sat in front of my mirror taking my makeup off and literally had the hook come into my head! “Dreaming” isn’t about anyone person very much like all of my songs! I feel like the concept of “Dreaming” is quite open and I feel like it’s something that everyone Will have gone through at least once in their life… so the it’s basically about having someone on your mind not in necessarily a good or a bad way but like constantly thinking about someone! If you put it into perspective as a relationship, there can be both negative and positive ways of viewing this song! Like you can constantly be thinking about someone because you like them but they don’t like you back, or when you’re in that honeymoon phase and you’re constantly thinking about them because it’s all cupcakes and rainbows! Or on the other hand you also have that relationship that isn’t working out and is probably gonna end and you can’t escape your feelings for that person even though the relationship isn’t working! Q: I know you studied musical theatre since you were very young which is so cool! What was your favorite role you ever got to play? ELENA: That’s a hard one because there was so many shows I remember doing one show at the associate school I went to where I’ve paid gingey (the gingerbread man)from Shrek! Still to this day there are conversations about me as gingey and I think I was like 12 in the show! Although when I was nine I performed in the Sound of Music tour around London and I do really think that was what pushed me to want to train professionally! Q: What song off your new EP are you most looking forward to performing live one day? ELENA: If I’m being really honest I’m excited to perform any and all of them but if I do you have to pick one then I think it would be between “Dreaming” and “Man enough”! There’s something about the songs that feel really playful to me and I feel like they would be a lot of fun to sing live! Q: Where do you hope to see yourself professionally five years from now? ELENA: I’d like to think in five years I'll have a lot more Music out… maybe a full album! I would definitely like to be touring and performing to people that sing my songs back to me! But I think my plan is to continue writing and to continue to bring out more music and just see where life takes me! Written By Sarah Curry FOLLOW ELENA:

The people who’ve helped us through a key formative period in our lives...our ride-or-dies...what happens if we outgrow them? Sure. They no longer play a main character role, but there’s no dismissing their powerful influence on us. ‘I don’t talk about you’ by Amanda Alexander and VAAAL eloquently puts into words the feeling of permanently being changed by the people you love, even long after the fact. “I can’t forget the way you used to say my name, we’ll never be the same.” They’re like an unforgettable stamp on our hearts. We don’t often consider it, and it’s beautiful when we do. The intro is a subtle, synth-pop melody. You don't think much of it and then BOOM! Alexander lights up the room with an explosive chorus! Her vocals have the strength of a valiant warrior, but the dreaminess of a mythical siren. VAAAL's energetic production only enhances that. “And I know how it ends, I couldn't stay, but I couldn't go; and I hate to say I wish you were lighting up my phone.” Alexander thought she had emptied her mind of this person, but she can’t deny the impact that the relationship had on her. She allows herself to get emotional, and you’ll really feel how deep that energy well goes. You’ll be thinking about your own connections in a totally new way! Swedish artist Amanda Alexander is well-known for her dreamy vocals and 80s-inspired sound. She worked with LA-based producer and writer David (“VAAAL”) to breathe life into ‘I don’t talk about you’. They met in LA several years ago and put this song together piece by piece during Alexander’s trips to the area. VAAAL’s a wiz at pop production, and he’s assisted on numerous musical projects in the entertainment industry. Using his talents and Alexander's powerful melodies, they’ve created the ultimate emotional ballad. These are two artists worth watching out for! Written By Kevin Rodriguez FOLLOW AMANDA: FOLLOW VAAAL:

Often times growing up as a female can be challenging in many ways. One of the most common experiences many of us have is not knowing our value because we’ve been taught to never feel good about ourselves. We aren’t good enough, pretty enough, or thin enough. As we get older, we have to learn our worth and be able to recognize when people aren’t treating us the way we deserve to be treated. “Pick Me Girl” dives into this subject and beautifully shows us that it’s not okay to be complacent with being treated like trash. Beth sings, “Why’d I have to beg to be your world”, to tell us that sometimes we have to walk away from people who aren’t giving us what we deserve. "Pick Me Girl” starts off with soft guitar followed by Beth’s equally soft and smooth vocals. This song keeps a moderate tempo throughout to achieve sounding calm and easy-going. Beth has a very relaxed voice that can be perceived as sounding sad as she sings about self-worth and a little bit of heartbreak. Overall, the song has a very chill vibe– which makes it great to really focus on the lyrics and the meaning of the song. This latest single is perfect to listen to when you’re in your feels about a relationship or when you simply need a reminder that you deserve the absolute best and nothing less! Beth has been releasing music since 2018 and has multiple singles and 1 EP out. Beth brilliantly combines honesty with catchy, relaxed melodies to masterfully create indie pop jams. If you like Julia Michaels and Phoebe Bridgers, you’ll love Beth Duck’s music. Her songs often times reveal the hard truth, which makes her music relatable to all kinds of listeners. Life is difficult to navigate and Beth Duck’s music is what you should listen to when you’re struggling the most. If you liked “Pick Me Girl”, check out another one of her singles, “CHILL” for a similar vibe. We can’t wait for more tunes by Beth! Written By Emily Hancock FOLLOW BETH DUCK:

We all have good days and bad days. On a good day, you find a wrinkled $20 bill in your jean pocket, or your Amazon Prime package may show up early. On a bad day, you oversleep and end up spilling your Grande Starbucks coffee all over those important sales reports. It doesn’t matter what happens on those bad days. Rather, the way you handle those unfortunate situations is more important. Before I listened to Beck Pete’s song “Romantic,” I thought it was going to be a love song about a person. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the song is actually about romanticizing life and taking its obstacles in stride. Even though this song has a calm mood, it still starts off strong with a rich, velvety piano solo. The richness of this solo only intensifies when Pete starts singing with an equally rich and velvety voice. After the third verse, the tempo has a moment where it slows down, imitating a floating feeling. Throughout the song, Pete has addressed many unfortunate circumstances which include a car wreck and a broken heart. This change in tempo is a moment of reflection. It is valuable to reflect on your life during those not-so-perfect days because it can make you more appreciative of all the good times. If you liked “Romantic”, Pete previously recorded a cover of the Sixpence None the Richer song, “Kiss Me.” She takes the upbeat pop tune and makes it her own by transforming it into a slow ballad-like song. Besides her vocals, the only other instrument Pete uses is a ukulele. Therefore, the listener gets the honor of hearing even more richness in her voice. Additionally, if you want to hear a different side of Pete, you should check out another one of her original songs called “Gently Break it.” Pete strays away from the calmness in “Romantic” and reflects on love using a melody with a much more gritter sound. She is a woman of many hats! Written By Kelli Dixon FOLLOW BECK PETE

Incredible vocals. Captivating lyrics. Compelling beat. Estella Dawn’s latest single, “Buzzcut” has it all. “Buzzcut” features lyrics talking about how females typically change their personality to fit in to appeal to a man in a relationship. However, Estella flips the narrative and encourages women to keep their own unique flare and stay true to themselves. This jam gives women all the power with lyrics like “I’ll mold you into what I like.” This uplifting song is perfect to listen to when you need a little self confidence boost! You can’t help but feel like a girl-boss when you hear this tune. Estella aims to impress with her single as she starts off singing incredibly high notes. Her singing is all the more stunning as she explores a wide vocal range throughout the song showing off her natural talent. Her vocals are easily the best part of this song–Estella simply has a phenomenal voice. Moving deeper into the tune comes a fantastic little guitar solo. Who doesn’t love a guitar moment? Combining these elements with the catchy beat from the shaker and drum-set, this song really is a gem in the world of pop. “Buzzcut” is the first single from her upcoming full-length album that is set to be released later this year. Estella has released 17 singles since 2020. This highly anticipated album combines live musical arrangements, relatable lyrics, and incredible vocals. If you like artists like Taylor Swift and SIA, Estella Dawn is definitely someone to check out. Estella is one to remember as her time in the spotlight is coming up fast! Written By Emily Hancock FOLLOW ESTELLA DAWN:

Q: Congratulations on the release of “Don’t Text Me”! What is the story behind this track? The Anahit: The story behind this track is that someone in the past really played with my heart and I was naive and stupid enough to believe this person. I wrote this song as a reply or a letter to him. Q: Why did you decide on “The Anahit” as the name for your band? The Anahit: Anahit is the goddess of wisdom, water and fertility in the Armenian mythology. I chose this name years ago because I have Armenian roots and I thought having a name with a strong meaning would be really amazing for this project. Q: Does one person usually take on the songwriting or is it more collaborative? The Anahit: Yes, usually I am the one writing the lyrics and vocal melody (and sometimes chord progression). The instrumental parts and beat are written together as a band. Q: How do you all handle disagreements amongst the band? I’m sure it could get hard sometimes! The Anahit: Luckily we never get in huge fights, because we are all really careful with our words. If we have a problem or we are against something we like to have calm and respectful conversations and arguments even. We are always nice but also honest to each other and this helps us avoiding big unnecessary fights. Also what I think is amazing, that musically speaking we never really disagree, it feels like we are always on the same page which is an incredible thing. Q: Is there one live performance of yours that sticks out as your favorite? The Anahit: Yes!! We had an arena show supporting a well-known and popular Hungarian rap artist. We had the honour of playing in front of 12.000-15.000 people. It was breathtaking!:) Q: What is one thing you all hope to achieve together musically? The Anahit: We'd like our music to be heard all over the world:) Written By Sarah Curry FOLLOW THE ANAHIT:

“How are you not freaking out?” begins tenderly before suddenly delving into wild and fuller production. Issac sings intimately about reaching a fork in the road and being forced to make decisions in your life. It’s about how most people don’t really know what they’re doing, and “How are you not freaking out?” The world is so large, and you are so small, and all these decisions have the ability to impact your life in irreversible ways, “How are you not freaking out?” The drums pulsate underneath the melody while the guitar riffs start out almost melancholically before lifting to a more grandiose tone, adding drums, synths, and more elements to widen the soundscape. Co-written with Orla Garland, the song’s lyrics are startlingly poetic and broad, allowing the audience to fill in their own fears and worries for interpretation. This song is a release of catharsis, a release of frustration and tension built up in your life. This release helps you center on what’s important, yourself and your wants and needs. Born into a deeply artistic family, Greta Issac learned to appreciate music and the fine arts at a young age. As a musician, she’s interested in exploring vulnerability and the explosion of emotions, to look at how music can highlight and enhance these hidden emotions so others won’t have to feel so alone. “How are you not freaking out” is only one song of many to come where Issac will explore the depths of human emotions with carefully crafted lyrics and powerful soundscapes. Written By Megan Cao FOLLOW GRETA:

Just Be Yourself . This is a phrase we hear from a young age, and it seems easy to do. After all, everyone has unique characteristics that deserve to be shown off! However, as we grow up, we can make the mistake of sacrificing who we are to please people. We should never do this, and it can be a hard lesson to learn. However, in his song, “Not This Time,” Ben Ellis softens the blow by reflecting on his experiences in a defiant and inspirational pop tune. The song starts out with a soft ukulele solo that makes you wish you were laying on a lounge chair on a sandy beach. The melody is interrupted by a bold bass line as Ellis sings, “you wanna tear me down and leave me hanging.” It keeps repeating as he sings other inspirational lyrics such as “I won’t take my advice from someone who’s dead inside.” The loudness is significant because it fits in perfectly with the theme of the song. At first, Ellis stayed quiet in an attempt to please people. The sudden loudness is a signal that he is done sitting on the sidelines and will not let those people’s opinions have a hold on him. The bass line is also an excellent musical representation of a human yelling. We yell to expel negative emotions, and that is exactly what Ellis is doing in this song. Ben Ellis is a Wales native who took up singing at a young age. He is currently studying music in London. During the worldwide pandemic, all the time spent stuck in the house gave him ample time to write music. He wrote music by himself and participated in Zoom songwriting sessions with other artists. “Not This Time” is his first single. Ellis hit the ground running, and I can’t wait to hear what else he has in store! Written By Kelli Dixon FOLLOW BEN ELLIS