Pop-visionary Theodora delivered a jaw-dropping performance for NTS Sessions, showcasing three standout tracks from her deluxe mixtape “MEGA BBL,” including “DO YOU WANNA,” “MASOKO NA MABELE,” and “I WANNA.”
A platform celebrated for spotlighting global voices, as well as pushing the boundaries of music and visual culture, NTS Sessions provided the perfect stage for Theodora’s bold creative universe.
Her performance unfolded like a fully realized live music film: dancers, motorbikes, truck headlights cutting through the dark, and Theodora front-and-center in fierce couture and precision choreography.
This session follows the release of the deluxe edition of “MEGA BBL,” which arrived in the wake of Theodora’s Female Revelation of the Year win at France’s prestigious Les Flammes awards. The expanded project takes her already boundary-breaking sound even further — an electric fusion of hip-hop, Caribbean bouyon, hyperpop, Afrobeat, and drum & bass — and features a dynamic roster of collaborators, including Brazy, Thisizlondon, bb Trikz, and Luidji.
“MEGA BBL” marks a new era for Theodora, signaled by her explosive performance of “DO YOU WANNA” at Les Flammes — a euphoric moment that set social media on fire. In the lead-up, massive teaser billboards appeared across Paris, Kinshasa, London, Lagos, and Barcelona, sparking global fan speculation and anticipation.
Now, with the NTS performance, that momentum becomes undeniable. Theodora is no longer just one to watch — she’s one reshaping the direction of contemporary pop culture.
Stream “MEGA BBL”: https://open.spotify.com/album/5kULRFcbbkP6NHNBpi6T6p
Canadian punk-rock heavyweights Calling All Captains returned November 6 with “Blood For Blood,” the newest preview of their forthcoming EP “The Things That I’ve Lost,” out January 9, 2026 via New Damage Records. The track marks a bold step forward for the Edmonton-based band — darker, heavier, and deeply introspective.
Co-written with Tom Denney (A Day to Remember, Pierce the Veil, Neck Deep), “Blood For Blood” pushes the band’s signature blend of post-hardcore aggression and pop-punk melody into emotionally charged new terrain.
At its core, the song is about confronting the shadow-self — the version of us shaped by fear, anger, and the parts we’d rather ignore.
“This song is an imaginary confrontation between you and the worst version of yourself,” the band explained. “It takes place at the end of your life, as you reconcile with your choices — both good and evil.”
Recorded at The Audio Department in Edmonton with longtime collaborator Quinn Cyrankiewicz (Royal Tusk), and finished by Tim Creviston (mix) and Stuart McKillop (mastering), “Blood For Blood” captures the band at their most urgent and vulnerable.
The upcoming EP “The Things That I’ve Lost” finds the band reflecting on years of personal upheaval, creative endurance, and growth. Frontman Luc Gauthier, alongside Connor Dawkins (guitar/vocals), Brad Bremner (guitar/vocals), and Tim Wilson (drums), turns emotional exhaustion into cathartic release — a hallmark of the band’s identity.
“This is the most personal release we’ve ever put out,” Gauthier said. “These songs came from a place of reflecting on everything we’ve been through, personally and as a band. It’s raw, but it’s real. And I think people will feel that.”
With soaring hooks, serrated guitars, and lyrics that hit with unfiltered honesty, Calling All Captains continue to prove why they remain one of modern punk’s most compelling voices.
Stream “Blood For Blood”: https://callingallcaptainsstream.com/bloodforblood
Rising Belgian artist IDYL stepped into the spotlight with “Illusion,” the first single from her forthcoming EP “Naïve.” Honest and delicately powerful, the track signals the arrival of one of the most compelling new voices in the contemporary French-language pop landscape.
Produced by Simon Le Saint (Stromae, Aya Nakamura), “Illusion” is a gentle yet resonant confrontation with growing up — peeling back the soft-focus glow of childhood to reveal a world marked by uncertainty, isolation, and fragile hope. IDYL’s vocals move with effortless clarity, carrying both the ache of disillusionment and the desire to still believe in something bright.
The song reflects a generation navigating anxiety and longing in equal measure.
“I want to travel through time, to exist like before… but everything’s an illusion, my child,” IDYL sings.
With a sound that sits somewhere between Angèle’s shimmering pop sensibility and the emotional directness of France Gall, IDYL crafts music that feels intimate and universal at once — gentle enough to soothe, yet resonant enough to linger.
“Illusion” offers the first glimpse into “Naïve,” her debut EP due in early 2026, which promises to explore the thresholds between innocence and clarity, vulnerability and strength.
“This song invites us to face our disillusions — yet also to believe in light, empathy, and solidarity as ways to navigate the uncertainties of our time,” IDYL said.
Stream “Illusion”: https://open.spotify.com/track/0gJRmvEAi1o5EX8eIB3Js6?si=a5c0d573e0f8465d&nd=1&dlsi=5e922943b2e74b5a
UK electronic innovator Seb Wildblood will bring his atmospheric, genre-blurring sound across Asia this November, announcing a nine-date tour that spans Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and China. The tour arrives alongside the release of “Carry You Back” featuring ABUNAI — the final single from Wildblood’s forthcoming debut album “Waterworld,” out November 19 via all my thoughts.
“Carry You Back” stands as a defining moment in the Waterworld journey — a warm, dream-laced track built around intimate vocal performance and soft-focus production. Oakland artist ABUNAI, known for the immersive psychedelic soul of his project “Chrysalis,” brings a vaporous emotional tone that pairs seamlessly with Wildblood’s delicate sonic palette.
“[This] was one of the earliest tracks that shaped the album’s sound, and releasing it now as the final single feels full-circle,” Wildblood said. “I’ve been a fan of ABUNAI for a long time, especially his ‘Chrysalis’ album, so getting to collaborate with him really means a lot.”
Where much of Wildblood’s catalog has lived in the club, “Waterworld” leans inward — trading the functional rhythms of the dance floor for layered textures, soft vocals, and a songwriter’s sense of space.
Hailed by DJ Mag as “one of the most prolific figures in the UK’s underground scene,” Wildblood has steadily built a global following through his productions, remixes, and collaborations — as well as his curatorial role with all my thoughts.
Beyond his musical releases, Wildblood’s compositional work spans Paris and London Fashion Week for designers including JW Anderson and Burberry, as well as film scoring for the Neon-produced short “She Said So.”
Stream “Carry You Back”: https://open.spotify.com/track/1U4m9RSNWkWRbt1YYW5ilz?si=1b63e8f9a8cb4497&nd=1&dlsi=308efad3d4a941a9
Manchester electronic trio Scissorgun will return this fall with “Scream If You Wanna Go Faster,” out November 21 via Dimple Discs. Blending urban electronica, fuzz-drenched guitar, dub textures, and experimental soundscapes, the album threads together songs, dances, and impressionistic sonic sketches into something both hypnotic and visceral.
For Factory Records devotees, the LP is essential territory — the vinyl edition features seven tracks, while the digital and CD versions include three additional pieces. Ahead of the album, the group shared the tracks “Gone Rogue” and “Bad As Bingo.”
Formed in 2016, Scissorgun brings together Dave Clarkson (synths, rhythms, tapes, percussion), Alan Hempsall (vocals, treated guitar, samples, loops), and Adrian Ball (visuals, projections). Their work sits firmly in the lineage of Manchester’s boundary-pushing experimental scene — Clarkson and Hempsall having long histories tied to the city’s post-punk and industrial underground.
“We always operate on instinct and improvisation is the key starting point,” Clarkson said. “Some ideas become structured songs, but others remain as first recorded, with the music finding us and not vice versa.
On “Gone Rogue,” a tense electro bassline and urgent percussion meet a vocal sample pulled from conspiracy social media spheres — a commentary on fractured digital realities and the erosion of shared truth, delivered with dancefloor propulsion.
“The whole thing seemed to turn into a polemic against turning your back on humanity in revulsion,” Clarkson said. “We dwell on the impact of the fight for our attention on the individual and the damage done. All the while, the driving beat is pushing us on with heavy cowbells and pulsing bass. We’ll all feel better if we dance.”
“Bad As Bingo” arrives on go-go rhythms, glitching low-end, and surreal spoken-word fragments — equal parts bite, nostalgia, and cathartic release.
“The words flowed automatically as the best ones always do,” Hempsall said. “Broad brush observations of a situation gone bad coupled with a mawkish sentimentality for what’s lost.”
Stream “Gone Rogue” and “Bad As Bingo” on: Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp
Oslo-based alt-pop and electronic artist Torgny Amdam makes a striking return with “Just Cry,” out now via Telemachus Records.
The track — a cinematic blend of electronica, breakbeats, and emotional minimalism — features vocals from Amdam’s 15-year-old daughter, April, introducing a deeply personal dimension to his introspective songwriting. The single serves as the first glimpse into his forthcoming concept album “Air Mail,” arriving February 2026.
With textural production recalling Trent Reznor and Daniel Avery, “Just Cry” unfolds as both intimate confession and widescreen soundscape. Iver Armand (Mall Girl / Tigerstate) contributes guitar, adding to the track’s atmospheric pull.
The collaboration began unexpectedly.
“I overheard my daughter say the following to a friend: ‘I went with Dad to the studio on Career Day and then he made me sing a bunch of cringe stuff into the microphone.’ What can I say? ‘Just Cry’ is the result,” Amdam explained.
“Air Mail” is written and produced entirely by Amdam and explores family history, memory, and the mutability of identity, sung in both English and Norwegian. The album draws from letters Amdam wrote home while living in the U.S. as an exchange student in the 1990s — an archive that became the emotional anchor for the record.
Amdam first came to prominence as frontman of Amulet, before evolving into one of Scandinavia’s most genre-fluid experimental artists. His solo work — including 2019’s “Bathroom Stall Confessional” — has earned acclaim from Clash, Nowness, and Metal Magazine. He has also composed for film, contributing to Thelma (2017) and The Worst Person in the World (2021).
Stream “Just Cry”: https://open.spotify.com/track/7KyYXnpRK6gllXu9IRAuAm?si=87bc395020fe488c&nd=1&dlsi=9d63197bd757446e
Cardiff-based Welsh-language alternative rock band Breichiau Hir have released a new live session capturing the emotional intensity at the core of their sound.
The five-track performance, recorded at One Louder Studios in Newport and engineered, produced, and mixed by Phil Smith, is available now across streaming platforms. The band has also shared a three-song video playlist from the session, titled “Sesiwn Byw Y Dwylo Uwchben,” out now on YouTube.
The session arrives in the wake of the band’s recent Welsh Music Prize 2025 nomination for their acclaimed second album “Y Dwylo Uwchben” (The Hands Above), released via Halen Records.
“We self-released this album completely DIY with help from just a handful of close collaborators, so it means a huge amount to us to have that effort acknowledged alongside such brilliant Welsh talent and heroes,” frontman Steffan Dafydd said.
“Y Dwylo Uwchben” has earned praise for its expansive collision of shoegaze atmospherics, post-rock dynamics, and fervent punk songwriting.
The record’s singles, including “Cuddio Tu Ôl Y Llen” and “Paid Trio” (which premiered on S4C’s culture show Lŵp), further cement the band’s reputation for pairing vulnerability with a cathartic, widescreen sonic approach. Their live shows remain central to their identity — a space where tightly wound emotion erupts into noise, release, and shared momentum.
With “Y Dwylo Uwchben,” Breichiau Hir turned their focus toward themes of fate, agency, and the tension between who we are and who we’re expected to become — a forward-looking evolution from a band already revered for their honesty.
Fresh off their set at Sŵn Festival, the group wrapped up their Autumn 2025 UK support dates with fellow Welsh icons Goldie Lookin Chain this week. Tickets are on sale now.
Stream “Y Dwylo Uwchben”: https://ditto.fm/sesiwn-byw-y-dwylo-uwchben-live-session
