The early sketches forEvery Video Without Your Face, Every Sound Without Your Name began when Lucy Liyou was a 19-year-old college student, grappling with the desire for her parents’ unconditional love as a closeted transgender young adult. At the time, she struggled to finish the songs, feeling she lacked the skills as a songwriter and producer. Revisiting the material over a half-decade later with the necessary skills to complete them, Liyou was gratified to find that many of the ideas from that era still resonated, albeit through a new and unexpected lens. “Most of these songs were originally about my parents,” Liyou explains. “They were about wanting to be loved and accepted by my parents as a closeted transgender young adult. I tried recording some of these songs with their original lyrics but felt a dissonance. I don’t feel this wish to be accepted by my parents anymore. I have already accepted their love as pretty conditional. I don’t feel the need to tread that territory again for a while.”
The work took on new meaning in light of a more immediate experience: Liyou’s romantic relationship of two years reaching a conscious conclusion. By weaving together the emotional threads of these two experiences, the album captures the parallels between the love she sought from her parents and the love she wishes to preserve with a partner.“It’s strange because the desire I had for my parents to want me seems to have found a new space in the desire I have right now for my partner to stay with me,” Liyou reflects. “So I started to rework these songs, preserving some of the recordings, lyrics, and arrangements of my past self, while supplementing them with new meanings and sounds.”
Through this process, Liyou discovered an unexpected overlap between these two loves, which she had previously considered distinct. “I don’t think this album is any more complicated than that. It’s not a breakup album. It’s just me doing my best to document what I’m feeling at this time. I named the record ‘Every Video Without Your Face, Every Sound Without Your Name’ to remind myself that the more amorphous moments I’ve shared with you are the ones most important to me. Because they make me work harder to remember us as who we were together. And because that work means there is still love for me to mine. To keep.” The album serves as an ode to the amorphous, ephemeral moments shared with someone significant. It’s an affirmation that there is still love to be found and cherished—love that can endure, even in its absence.
After sitting in the weight of reflection, contemplation, and healing, Reason ended 2024 getting back to doing what he does best–being a creative. One of the industry’s most compelling young voices, renowned for his gift for narrative and storytelling prowess, closed out the year releasing a handful of singles and two-packs (including “I Thought You Loved Me” ft Cozz & Buddy, and “Stuck” ft Oswin Benjamin—(Reason and Cozz will also be releasing a joint project sooner than you think).
Those singles set the stage for what will be a very active 2025 for the former TDE signee, culminating with the recent announcement of a new project, I Love You Again, and the release of the project’s first single “Not What You Think” which features Dreamville’s own Bas.
Today, Reason is back with a new visual for “Not What You Think,” and also the release of a new single, “Hol’ That,” which features Ransom and Coyote. “Hol’ That” is now available at all DSP’s and you can watch the video for “Not What You Think” below.
With I Love You Again, Reason makes his highly anticipated return, embarks on creating his own path, and proves that his star is as bright as ever.
The wait is over for MY APOLOGIES TO THE CHEF, the highly anticipated debut album from rising punk act Winona Fighter. Fans can stream / purchase the new album – out now via Rise Records – here, and watch the brand new music video “TALK” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5rDa_L6Ow0
“It’s crazy that our debut LP ‘My Apologies To The Chef’ is officially released. We cannot even put into words how excited and proud we are,” shares front woman and multi-instrumentalist Coco Kinnon. “Our amazing label Rise Records allowed us to take our DIY approach to the recording of the album. The process was a dream scenario. It was just me and Dan and Austin in our home studio from pre-production to sending it off for mastering.”
She continues: “I couldn’t think of a better introduction of the band. 14 hard hitting tracks, straight from a guest bedroom or garage. It’s raw. It’s got grit. It’s got emotion. It’s three punks obsessed with music making tunes for people obsessed with music. It’s our love letter to the punk-rock genre. We hope fans old and new love it as much as we do. To finish this off we’d like to thank our ENTIRE team for believing in us and helping us create something so special. All we ever said when we were grinding with no one on our side was ‘we just need ONE person to believe in us’ and now we have all of you… so thank you for allowing us to create, play, and live our dream.”
Miami-based audio-visual artist, singer, and rapper ROZET has released their anticipated debut HEADEP out now via Young Art Records. HEAD features ROZET’s previously released singles ‘Shadow Wurk,’ ‘Eat’, ‘Thinking A Lot’, and ‘Feelings Aren’t Facts’.
Finding the space where sound, mind, and body converge, HEAD feeds on ROZET’s studies in Psychology, Buddhism and mental health treatment and combines it with their training as a dancer and musician. The 9-track EP is ROZET’s genre-blending attempt to sonically map the brain’s chemical reactions: the rush of adrenaline, a spike in serotonin or a drop in dopamine. Traversing the boundaries of house, synth-pop, jungle, Miami bass and Jersey club, HEAD is riotous and defiant while honing a lyrical complexity and raw attitude that is equally as vulnerable as it is anthemic.
On HEAD, each track tells its own chapter in ROZET’s journey from victim to victor. Centered around themes of empowerment and resilience, the EP is about confronting trauma head-on, and acknowledging the negative tendencies ingrained in our habits. HEAD is a thought-provoking and emotionally-charged debut from ROZET that finds balance between conceptual art and poetic storytelling.
| Kronos Quartet and composer, documentarian, 2024 Pulitzer finalist Mary Kouyoumdjian share“Groung [Crane]” from their upcoming collaborative full-length, WITNESS, out March 14, 2025 via Phenotypic Recordings on all digital platforms, CD & vinyl. |
| Phenotypic Recordings will donate its streaming proceeds from this album toKooyrigs and the Lebanese Red Cross and to support the Armenian and Lebanese communities. |
| Kronos Quartet also announce their annualKronos Festival in San Francisco. It will take April 25-27, 2025 at SF JAZZ. With five events over three days and nights, this year’s festival is themed around Terry Riley’s “Good Medicine,” providing the healing music the world needs. The festival will include a performance featuring a Mary Kouyoumdjian work from WITNESS. |
| Kronos Quartet discovered Mary Kouyoumdjian’s talent early in her career, when David Harrington heard an early folk recording of the Armenian song “Groung” and was overwhelmed by the voice of Zabelle Panosian singing this plaintive call for a lost home. Kouyoumdjian is a first generation Armenian-American composer with an expressive passion for justice and advocacy. She worked in tandem with Kronos Quartet’s members, her commitment to activism pushing their established process forward. The record directly confronts the tumult of our times, raising questions about the difficulties and atrocities precipitated by conflict in the Middle East, Caucasus, and United States. |
Kellin Quinn, frontman and vocalist of Sleeping with Sirens, unveiled A Collection of Greetings, the debut album from his solo project Haunted Mouths, via Rise Records. With this, he released a music video with co-collaborator Aaron Marsh (Copeland) for the ethereal track “Meanwhile.” The full album is available to stream now and order on vinyl.
“Meanwhile” is a beautifully produced, intimate track that taps into feelings of melancholy with heavy synths and cavernous drums. The video complements the song’s reflective nature as it invites listeners to immerse themselves in the haunting atmosphere of the music. “Meanwhile is a song about enduring love. ‘True love is your soul’s recognition of its counterpoint in another,’” explains frontman Kellin Quinn.
Reading Julia Cameron’s 1992 self-help book, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, kickstarted a new approach in Kellin’s songwriting. This new record is a romantic love letter, literally and figuratively, and a celebration of life’s rich complexity. It’s a singular experience, with each song demanding a listen to the next. Haunted Mouths wraps an invitingly familiar voice in powerful, dreamlike soundscapes. Brimming with atmosphere and mood, the name pays homage to the cemetery near Kellin Quinn’s childhood home.
“I hope that people will listen to this album while driving at night. I hope they listen to it while hosting dinner with friends. I hope that this album “A Collection of Greetings” haunts you in the best way possible,” adds Kellin.
Rising Rapper from Maryland, DDK, shares new independent project DDKEYS, co-produced by 88-KEYS (best known for JAY-Z, Kanye West, Pusha T, etc.). LISTEN HERE.
DDK is an emerging rapper from Maryland, celebrated for his inspiring journey through adversity and deep passion for music. Since his breakout track “Is It Real” in late2020, he has consistently released new songs each month, gaining a devoted fanbase known as the “DDKULT.” What sets DDK apart is his fearless approach to genre-blending, skillfully merging soulful samples that honor hip-hop’s golden era with contemporary beats, creating a sound that is both nostalgic and fresh.
This release follows his recent single “Martyr,”produced by Noisy, 88-Keys, and Katlightning. DDK performed this track for On The Radar Radio, watch HERE.
Independently released, the project has received support from SoundCloud, Pandora, Apple Music, and TIDAL editorial playlists. Standout tracks from the project are “Misfit,””Dottedi,” and “Grey.” The project also features Katlightning (producer of Sexyy Red’s “Shake Yo Dreads”), alongside contributions from Noizy, Splited, floatin., C$upreme, and SADCG.
His lyrics reflect raw vulnerability, discussing personal battles with bipolar disorder and depression while advocating for mental health awareness. Influenced by icons like KendrickLamar, Lil Wayne, Mac Miller, and Earth, Wind & Fire. DDK crafts music that resonates with listeners and encourages perseverance. Through his art, he inspires dream-chasers to embrace their journeys, forging connections that make him a bridge between generations.
the Dallas-based, ethereal indie project Last Days of Heaven unveiled their debut EP, Out of Body. It’s available to stream now, and CD’s are available to purchase through New Morality Zine.
This project is spearheaded by Texas-based multi-instrumentalist, Juan Vargas, who is stepping into new sonic territory with this introspective, kaleidoscopic EP blending raw, bedroom-recorded intimacy with expansive, emotionally rich soundscapes. It is melancholic, hazy, and pessimistic, diving deep into themes of aging, guilt, and the struggle to let go of the past.
Out of Body spans over a year of meticulous experimentation, with standout tracks like “The Night Comes For You,” reflecting his journey of self-discovery and creative evolution. Drawing influence from Deerhunter, Scott Walker, Sparklehorse, and My Bloody Valentine, the EP captures a vast emotional range, bringing listeners through a cathartic and deeply personal musical experience.
Produced entirely by Juan himself, he also tapped into support from collaborators on this project, including guitarist and video game designer Jasper Byrne, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist Mariah Munn, bassist Steve Jonker, and lastly, guitarist Paul Kolter. The final EP was mixed by Nick Bassett (Whirr, Deafheaven), and it boasts a total of five tracks.
Olivia Belli will be releasing her new EP, Intercosmia Vol. 2, via XXIM/Sony. It is the follow up to the composer’s first Intercosmia Vol. 1 EP, which arrived late last year.
Today, Belli shares her new single “Respiro 6,”which you can check out on various services here.
Belli is based in rural Italy, and her meditative music is shaped by metamorphosis in nature and interactions with the world surrounding her. Earthy and magical, Intercosmia Vol. 2 wears Belli’s trademark introspection on its sleeve. Belli is a classically trained pianist, who studied at a conservatory level. Her emphasis lies in 20th and 21st century works, and her output bears the influence of Ligeti, Stockhausen, and Cage. Though shaped by a knowledge of the avant-garde greats, her inviting material is defined by hope and thoughtfulness.
Intercosmia Vol. 2 is the conclusion of a two part appendix to Belli’s 2024 full-length, Intermundia. Both Intercosmia EPs trace a journey of rediscovery through spirituality. “This search has led me to a greater awareness of what is truly necessary: finding one’s way to rejoin that flow of spiritual unity, that flow of infinite love that continually generates life. Life that changes, mutates, and evolves but does not stop,” Belli muses.
On Intercosmia Vol. 2, Belli aimed to abstract herself from the material world and connect with the primordial breath that unites humans with ecology. This aim becomes especially apparent on the piece “Respiro 6,” which evokes the malleability of water — an element that Belli feels humans should strive to embody, as it makes up half of our bodies. From front to back, Intercosmia Vol. 2 mimics the similarly mystical flow of infinite love.
Centered on serene classical timbres, the four tracks on Intercosmia Vol. 2 straddle tradition and experimentation. What unites these contrasting qualities is Belli’s borderline philosophical touch. “I firmly believe that we are first of all spiritual beings who live a short earthly life and it is essential to look inside ourselves, into our depths without worrying about how we appear but taking care of who we are,” Belli says. “Thus we will reach grace which is the awakening of freedom: without grace, there is no freedom, without freedom there is no love, without love there is no creation, without creation there is no destiny and without destiny, there is no joy.” Like all of Belli’s work, these compositions are highly ruminative and imbue wordlessness with intuitive human emotion.
Celebrated Mexican singer-songwriter Joan Sebastian was revered for his heartfelt balladry and intimate, passionate performances. A decade after his passing, his music continues to touch fans around the world. Today, Craft Latino is thrilled to continue his legacy, and honor the 10th anniversary of Joan Sebastian’s passing, through a special remix collaboration helmed by Latin DJ, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Sinego, who reimagined four of Sebastian’s biggest hits: “Secreto de amor,” “Más allá del sol,” “Sentimental” and “Maracas.” The first-ever dance remixes of these iconic Regional Mexican ballads will be released individually over the next six months, while the Secreto de amor (Las noches) remix EP, which collects all four tracks, will be available on August 1st.
The campaign kicks off today with a fitting track for Valentine’s Day, “Secreto de amor (La noche),” a 124 BPM electronic remix that is romantic and nostalgic, with hypnotic rhythms and a haunting chorus, that keeps the beautiful essence of the original love ballad alive. The original version of the song, which served as the title track of Sebastian’s certified 4x platinum studio album released in 2000 via Discos Musart, became one of the artist’s signature hits—topping Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart and landing at No.3 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, while also earning an ASCAP Award, a Lo Nuestro Award, and a nomination for Hot Latin Track of the Year at the Billboard Latin Music Awards. In the 25 years since its release, “Secreto de amor” has been covered by a handful of stars, including Lucero and Víctor García, while it served as the theme song to the Venezuelan telenovela of the same name. Click here to stream or download “Secreto de amor (La noche)” in standard or hi-res digital.
Email:neill@outloudculture.com
Socials: @neill_frazer
