featuring @SkyzooTheWriter @apollobrown @semiratruth @forestband__ @djleeburridge @kidbookie @missjillscott @nicolealexismusic @silvversurfer7
Surf7 annihilates instrumentals with his stream-of-consciousness punchlines, delivering quotable bars at breakneck speed. The Philadelphia native continues to rise in the scene, sharing “SURGERY,” his new single and music video. Produced by multi-Platinum sound architect Buddah Bless This Beat, “SURGERY” mixes seasick percussion with atmospheric synth strings, adding an air of noir-ish tension to Surf’s fast-paced flexes. The young artist displays his lyrical prowess on the song’s hook, as he weaves between Buddah’s 808s with the utmost confidence: “I take the top off the two-seater, it had surgery/This b*tch is lyin’ through her teeth, she say she hasn’t heard of me,” he spits.
“SURGERY” is the latest step on the road to Surf’s debut mixtape, following recent singles like the soulful Get In Mode,” and his smash hit “GOOSE COAT.” One of the top viral rap hits of the summer, the song inspired a fast-spreading push-up trend, leading to more than 1 million TikTok creations and 5 million cross-platform streams. the song got another boost earlier this summer, when Philly’s own Meek Mill gave his stamp of approval and hopped on the remix (over 2 million total plays and 1.1 million YouTube views to date). A brand new addition to the scene, Surf7 continued to prove himself indispensable with singles like the ruminative “7AM in NY,” and the fiery “FRM DA JETZ.” Earlier this summer, Surf treated his fans to a new 2-pack, “Model S Music” / “Part 1,” released exclusively on SoundCloud before seeing wide release.
Recently featured in XXL’s The Break, Surf7 has become a frequent guest during tour stops from his peers: over the summer, he joined Loe Shimmy on stage during the Philadelphia stop of his tour, as the two artists ripped push-ups and performed “GOOSE COAT” in front of an energetic hometown crowd. More recently, Surf recently hopped onstage during shows by Babyface Ray, Babyfxce E, and others. Last week, Surf7 was a special guest on DDG’s Hit-A-Thon, making an impression with his energetic and verbose bars.
With his debut mixtape on the way, Surf7 looks to solidify his spot as one of the hottest young rappers on the East Coast. Stay tuned for more.
Waxwork Records in collaboration with This Is Meru and Orion Pictures presents Son Lux’s original soundtrack for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, the mystifying new Mahershala Ali-starring film arriving in select theaters today, September 25th, with a nationwide release on October 9th. The Academy Award-nominated composers of A24’s Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once are already turning heads with their latest score, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to near-universal critical acclaim, with most reviewers singling out the music by name.
Son Lux is Rafiq Bhatia, Ian Chang, and Ryan Lott. Son Lux strives to question assumptions about how music is made and construct their own from a molecular level, cultivating a musical language rooted in curiosity and balancing opposites.
For Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, Son Lux extended their ethos of experimentation and reinvention to imagine a soundworld as bewilderingly reverent as the story it scores. Yearning vocals, pummeling electronic beats, and mystical, digitally-stretched sonics communicate the desperation of parenthood, the kinship between grief and love, and the reflection of divinity itself as a prismatic spectrum, inhabiting both quiet beneficence and majestic, visceral power.
These qualities burst at the seams throughout the album, which can he heard here.
“Our director, Bassam Tariq, inspired us with his interest in sounds that feel like they’re struggling to communicate,” recalls Rafiq Bhatia. “This resonates with something I’ve encountered in Islam: the poetics of yearning and yet ultimately falling short of being able to fully communicate the unknowable.”
With his gigantic personality and unwavering dedication to the grind, Big Moochie Grape is a trap legend in the making. The Paper Route Empire rapper reaches a new career milestone, connecting with legendary producer Zaytoven for Grapetoven, a hard-hitting collaborative album. Spanning 11 tracks, the album finds Moochie in rare form, stacking outlandish flexes with power and finesse, cementing himself as a larger-than-life Memphis icon. Moochie’s booming delivery is the perfect complement to Zaytoven’s soulful signature sound, with swirling church organs and ear-teasing keyboard arpeggios dancing around Moochie’s bars like the diamonds around his neck.
The new album is home to recent singles like “Big Deposits” ft. Bally Baby, an uber-confident anthem for those who have more money than they can spend, and “Ball Without The Dribble,” a collaboration with Florida’s Trigga500k that proves that Moochie can flex with the best of them. Additional highlights include “Brady Bunch,” Moochie’s third collaboration of the year with red hot North Carolina rapper Fetty P Franklin, and “What Are U,” a ping-ponging back-and-forth with PRE labelmate SNUPE BANDZ. The album reaches a triumphant and emotional climax with “Still Signed to Dolph,” in which Moochie reasserts his loyalty to his late mentor and promises to elevate in his honor. Throughout the tape, Zaytoven brings his A-game, providing the royal trap treatment to Moochie, who joins iconic rappers like Future, Gucci Mane, and Dolph himself as a major collaborator of the ATL-based sound architect.
Along with the album, Moochie and Zaytoven share the video for “She Love Me,” a project highlight. Zay layers imperial synths and jazzy organ atop gently swinging percussion, allowing Moochie to lock into a sing-song cadence about his playalistic ways. In the video, Moochie returns to the trap with a Rolls Royce, his “AB” chain gleaming as he romances some of the baddest women on this side of the Mississippi.
Sheffield-born, London-based artist Samuel Virgo creates music that refuses to sit comfortably within one genre. Drawing from indie, alternative, hip-hop and post-punk influences, he combines thoughtful songwriting with self-produced soundscapes that feel both intimate and expansive. After spending several years releasing music under the name Svirgo19, Virgo returned under his real name to begin a new creative chapter, building a project that feels more personal, honest and reflective of who he is as both an artist and a person. Inspired by artists including Fontaines D.C., Tyler, The Creator, The 1975, Twenty One Pilots, Steve Lacy, Blood Orange and Dean Blunt, he has developed a sound that values individuality over convention, pairing memorable melodies with lyrics that invite listeners to find their own meaning.
His latest single, “Slip Away”, is a melancholic alternative love song that captures the feeling of losing yourself as you move in and out of love. Virgo explains, “I wanted it to feel intimate with the vocals, guitars and understated production. It’s one of the most vulnerable moments on the project overall.” The single follows “ICU”, which introduced his forthcoming EP with a darker look at distorted narratives, hidden truths and the way our perception of the world can be shaped. Entirely written, produced and engineered by Virgo himself, the upcoming project moves through identity, relationships, growing up and personal experience, with each song revealing a different side of his songwriting.
Alternative artist Nicole Alexis (stylized as N/A) has today released her new EP Sympathy Rehab, out now via Hard Working Records. The EP features recent singles “Goodbye” and “Broken”, in addition to two brand new tracks. Stream Sympathy Rehab in full here: https://nicolealexis.ffm.to/
“‘Sympathy Rehab’ feels like the most comfortable I’ve ever been in my own music,” N/A shares. “I stopped worrying as much about what I thought a record was supposed to sound like and started following the things I naturally gravitate toward… live drums, guitars, imperfect performances and lyrics that feel like something I would actually say. There are a lot of different emotions across these four songs, but the thing that connects them for me is how honest they feel.”
Three-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist Jill Scott reunites with legendary Chicago House producer Terry Hunter for the “Right Here Right Now Remix,” an exhilarating reimagining of the standout track from Scott’s acclaimed 2026 album, To Whom This May Concern.
Already built to move, “Right Here Right Now” pulses with freedom, joy and undeniable soul. Hunter turns that energy all the way up, taking the record straight to the dance floor and deep into the unmistakable rhythm and spirit of Chicago House. Expansive yet intimate, euphoric yet soulful, the remix is a celebration of movement, connection and community, honoring the warmth of Scott’s original while giving it a bold new pulse.
The result is expansive, joyful and unapologetically grown; a record designed to take up space. Equal parts celebration and release, the remix is a love letter to the DJs, dancers and dance floors that have long embraced Scott’s music and transformed it into communal experiences around the world.
The original track was produced by O’Mas Keith, with additional direction by The Ring, and written by Jill Scott, O’Mas Keith, Yountie Strickland, Carvin Haggins, Malek Ben-Yisrael, and Lamar Andrews.
Fast rising Country singer-songwriter, Jacob Hackworth today shares new his track “Last Night I Got Lonely” from his forthcoming debut EP, What Took You So Long, (arriving October 23 via MCA/Goat Island Sound). The seven-song project is more than a collection of songs, it’s a chronological account of the breakup that unknowingly set Hackworth on the path to Nashville and ultimately, to his life as an artist. “Last Night I Got Lonely” is the fourth chapter of the project and finds Hackworth (fueled by the kind of impulsive decision-making that only seems like a good idea after a few drinks), acting on his worst instincts and showing up on his ex’s doorstep— falling right back into the familiar patterns he knows he should have left behind. Written by Hackworth, Gabe Foust and Danny Majic and produced by Daniel Ross, the track pairs its reckless storyline with an infectious, modern Country production and smooth, commanding vocals.
The depths of connection to land, connection lost (and recovered), land itself lost (and so often never recovered); land partitioned, annexed, privatized, made allegedly secure –– Faith Coloccia and Tashi Dorji’s collaborative record And Their Power Was Alive haunts the edges of these concepts and antagonizes the possibility of tidy resolutions around them. It aims to yield in order to achieve its ends; a tumbling passion, higher solutions.
Coloccia and Dorji’s longstanding collaborative relationship and friendship bolsters this massive conceptual weight –– the music is as stirring as it is gorgeous, as exploratory as it is surefooted. And Their Power Was Alive manifests and rises up as a profound iteration of the interrelatedness of the personal and the political, poetically.
The road was desolate with no travelers. Debris, lost listings blowing on the sides of the freeway, caught up in fences. Sleeping in the truck I had a dream: a voice in narration: “And then the land was all used up, and the men upon it were afraid. The tears they shed sank down into the dust and barren soil.”
Coloccia’s plaintive voice, as always, is clear and stirring, intimate, close, and notably here recorded without reverb. She is steady and her lyrics echo dream phrases which visited her during major life shifts: a drive through the arid desert, explaining the concept of private property to the next generation, intergenerational knowledge and caregiving. All of this establishes a melancholia of reflections on land, history, scale. The first words sung on this record are: “Cosmic Horror! I am nothing, I am no-one” and even here, Coloccia is steady. Dorji’s glacial layers of distorted howling guitar create a rise and crest and fall –– symphonies of noise, roaring but distant like fire in the hills, interwoven with piano, organ, and tubular bells.
Ongoing conversations between Coloccia and Dorji throughout and following these shifting times lead to the recording of And Their Power Was Alive, the two trading first demos then eventually final takes which were recorded between Anacortes, Washington’s The Unknown Studio and Dorji’s home studio in Asheville, North Carolina. The resulting recordings shimmer as they wrestle, tremble as they seek. Fans of either artist’s work should take note, especially Coloccia’s work as Mamiffer, as well as kindred spirits like Tiny Vipers, Simon Fisher Turner, One Leg One Eye and Big Brave.
https://faithcoloccia.bandcamp.com/album/and-their-power-was-alive
Russ Rankin, frontman of Good Riddance, releases his latest solo EP, A Season In Hell, out everywhere now via Indecision Records.
BUY A SEASON IN HELL HERE
LISTEN TO A SEASON IN HELL HERE
A Season In Hell marks Rankin’s third solo release, following 2012’s Farewell Catalonia and 2022’s Come Together Fall Apart, and features three new original songs alongside three covers. The EP finds Rankin exploring a full-band sound that bridges his acoustic solo work with the aggressive, melodic punk of Good Riddance, while putting his own spin on songs by The Records, The Avengers, and Leon Rosselson, arranged and popularized by Billy Bragg.
Vancouver, BC rock outfit CHASE THE BEAR share “This Is What You Wanted,” a dark, groovy, and deceptively danceable new single that turns the collapse of a relationship into something built to move to. Pairing mysterious synth tones with a heavy, rhythmic pulse, an instantly memorable chorus, and the raw energy of rock ‘n’ roll played live in a room, the track represents a fresh direction for the six-piece, balancing self-reflective lyrics with an upbeat surface that gradually reveals something much heavier underneath.
Inspired by a past relationship of drummer Connor Brooks and his struggle to hold onto a deep emotional bond as it unravelled, “This Is What You Wanted” captures the moment when uncertainty begins giving way to acceptance. Rather than lingering solely in heartbreak, the song traces the uncomfortable process of recognizing that something has ended and beginning to understand who you are without it.
That transition is embedded directly into the title. Early in the track, the phrase first appears as a question: Is this what you wanted? By the time “This Is What You Wanted” fully asserts itself, doubt has hardened into acknowledgement, subtly charting the emotional distance travelled over the course of the song.
Kid Bookie doesn’t do predictable. For more than a decade, the South East London artist has made a career out of kicking holes through genre boundaries, dragging UK rap-rock-metal-trap and alternative music into the same room and daring them to coexist.
Now, with his most ambitious album yet just around the corner, Bookie returns with “Familiar”, a striking collaboration with iconic UK rapper Lady Leshurr.
Taken from Cheaper Than Therapy II, out October 9th via FLG Records, ‘Familiar’ is Bookie at his most exposed – trading some of his trademark aggression for a deeply human exploration of love, loss and the dangerous comfort of becoming too familiar with someone.
The track explores how familiarity can mutate into complacency within relationships, ultimately becoming the catalyst for losing the very thing you thought would always be there. It’s complicated, messy and painfully real, and Lady Leshurr brings a vulnerability to the track that makes their collaboration hit even harder.
For Bookie, this isn’t a random pairing. The two have been connected for more than 15 years, making their long-awaited sonic collision feel less like a feature and more like unfinished business.
“‘Familiar’ is a song about how familiarity and complacency in your desired relations can be the catalyst to loss. Nobody has all the answers in love, and sometimes those answers come from a lot of loss; in life, love, lust and beyond. I started this whole record with Lady Leshurr in mind. I’ve been rocking with her for over 15 years and have only crossed paths musically a small number of times. She came through with her most vulnerable self and delivered exactly what it needed. Her honesty combined with the artistry she exudes. I’m honoured she’s still by my side; I love her.”
Legendary DJ, producer, labelhead, and tastemaker Lee Burridge today unveils his new four-track Faze EP out now via All Day I Dream. Marking his first solo project in five years, Faze features previously released singles ‘Reaching Stars’ and ‘Fading Out’ and captures a rejuvenated period of creativity for one of dance music’s most enduring figures.
Across Faze, Lee distills the sound he has spent years cultivating through All Day I Dream: warm melodies, dreamy vocals, fluid grooves, and an emotional pull designed to unfold gradually on the dancefloor. The four tracks work seamlessly to reflect the patient sense of progression at the heart of both Lee’s sets and the label itself, flowing from the daytime glow of ‘Fading Out’ into the late hours with ‘Before I Lose Control’. In between, the EP ebbs and builds with the natural arc of an All Day I Dream gathering, translating the atmosphere of its open-air dancefloors into a concise four-track journey.
Los Angeles artist Forest is excited to share her new album, Swan Dive via AWAL. Swan Dive arrives as Forest’s most fully realized work to date, expanding the alt-rock foundation of her earlier releases into something sonically larger and more fluid. Across the ten-track record, walls of distorted guitars collide with electronic textures, industrial undercurrents, and moments of startling pop clarity. Her new music is intimate but overwhelming, capable of shifting from whispered confession to emotional freefall in the span of a few measures.
“Swan Dive is my catharsis,” Forest explains. “It’s a real exploration into where I want my sound to go, and I’m so elated that it’s finally put into the world.”
Brooklyn-based, Chicago-born artist Semiratruth releases their new album S!M today on all streaming platforms via Sooper Records. Following a string of critically acclaimed hip-hop projects, the album marks Semiratruth’s first instrumental, electronic-focused record. Written, recorded, produced, and mixed entirely by Semira, it’s the culmination of years spent developing an intimate, otherworldly language through electronic sound. As Bandcamp Daily writes in a recent Album of the Day review: “They’re distilling elements of dance down to its constituent catchphrases, blurring, distorting, and exaggerating them almost beyond recognition.”
While primarily a solo instrumental record, the album features guest appearances from Kambaba Jasper and Radia, as well as a vocal performance from Semira themself on standout “Veruca Salt,” for which a new music video arrives today alongside the release. Semira shares: “‘Veruca Salt’ developed through my desire to be like that bratty girl from Willy Wonka and be brave enough to state the things that I desire and expect them to come to me. I’m a big believer in manifestation and stating what you want is always the first step of it.”
Of the Atlas*Morgan-directed video, Semira adds:”It took two days to shoot – 4 locations from Roosevelt island to the Williamsburg bridge, to the oculus, to lower Manhattan. We were everywhere. Also the stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson let Atlas and I raid her closet which led to the iconic looks mainly styled by once again – Atlas!!!!!”
Skyzoo:
“With this album, the idea is realizing what you want and what you’re willing to put forth for it.
Everything has a tax on it, and when you decide you want something, be it material or figurative or anything significant, when the tax is revealed you have to decide if it’s still worth it.
This album represents making that decision from a place of growth, maturity, 10 years wiser than the last time Apollo and I were around these parts.
The album starts out with the listener and I taking a drive to get that “thing”, and by the end we’re looking in the rear view mirrors, at the end of the drive, reflecting on what it was all worth”
- Email: neill@outloudculture.com
- Socials: @neill.frazer
- @neill.outloud
