featuring @stevenboommusic @moemawnaedon @porcelain_band @clapyourhandssayyeah @carlita_music @sammyweissberg @iyatoyah @igivemyfriendsflowers @prettiernow @thebackalley.band
Steven Boom creates emotional pop dance music built to move people: melodic, uplifting songs shaped through collaboration and made to connect far beyond the dancefloor.
For Steven, a record starts with an idea, a melody, an emotion or sometimes a familiar musical reference that deserves a new perspective. From there, the right people are brought together to turn that starting point into a complete record.
Every release begins with Steven’s creative direction and his close production partnership with Maarten Vorwerk, an established Dutch producer with extensive experience in electronic and dance music. Around each song, the team expands to include songwriters and vocalists selected specifically for the record, followed by the visual creators, filmmakers, designers and marketing specialists for bringing the music into the world.
Steven’s role is to bring those elements together around one clear idea and make sure the original feeling of the record remains intact throughout the process.
FROM THE DANCEFLOOR TO THE STUDIO
Growing up in the Netherlands during an influential period for European dance music, Steven started DJ’ing at a young age and gradually moved from school events to clubs, larger parties and summer seasons abroad. Behind the decks, he learned what happened when the right song meets the right crowd: people who have never met suddenly singing the same words, moving to the same rhythm and sharing the same moment. That experience stayed with him.
His professional life eventually developed in a different direction and music moved away from the center of his day-to-day career, but it never disappeared. He continued listening, discovering music and following the evolution of dance and pop from one generation to the next.
Returning to music, Steven now combines the instinct he developed behind the decks with a much more deliberate approach to building records, collaborations and an artist project designed to grow over multiple releases.
His new single “End of the High” is an upbeat dance pop banger with a dual vocal narrative. The track features Swedish dance / electronic powerhouse Philip Strand and acclaimed Dutch singer and songwriter Amanda Collis. Steven shares, “End of the High is about that moment when you meet someone and everything suddenly feels different. You’re caught up in this incredible summer high, but eventually real life starts again and you have to find out if what you felt was actually real. Having Philip and Amanda tell the story from both sides made the song come alive in a way I couldn’t have done alone. It felt like the right record to start this project with, because it captures what I want my music to be: emotional, uplifting and made in collaboration.”
Fresh off of his last instrumental release “Yinztroducing…” with fellow producer C.Scott; Moemaw returns just in time for the season with a full-on concept album that reflects his admiration for B-Roll Horror VHS tapes, off the grid vinyl records and analog media alike. He was able to pull all the production source material exclusively from his own collection of analog media, drum machine and synthesizers.
Atmospheric groans from creatures of the night, sinister laughs from castle windows, swarms of bats, cackles and creaks, all layered carefully over gritty hard hitting drums and heavy bass lines. This may be THE quintessential Halloween-beats album. Each track flows naturally into the next, unlocking a new journey of the imagination each time.
The Smashed Pumpkin is out now on all streaming platforms
Austin, TX’s Porcelain are excited to share the final preview of their sophomore album, Today’s Minor Victories, out this Friday, October 23, 2026 via TODO Records. “DSD” arrives today, feeling the frustration of hopelessness in a time of political unrest and decay. Unrelenting riffs drive through punchy drums as anxiety grows through the propulsive vocals. An official music video directed by Pooneh Ghana lands alongside the track, showcasing footage of the band on the road and on stage.
“We consider this a sister song to Torch (a song we put on a 7” before this record),” the band explains. “It’s once again watching the horrors of the world unfold in front of your eyes from the comfort of your own home while staring at your phone. Instead of the genocide in Gaza, this has to do with watching ICE raids in Minneapolis, and how a government agency was executing people in the street without due process or probable cause. All in the name of a neo-fascist regime that wants to spew fear, hate, and division amongst our neighbors.”
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have announced the upcoming release of their eagerly awaited new album, Burned, arriving Friday, January 29, 2027, on the CYHSY label via Secretly Distribution, the defiantly independent home of founder Alec Ounsworth’s music for more than two decades. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available now.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s seventh studio album and first new LP in six years, Burned is heralded by today’s premiere of the lead single, “Fever of the Mind,” available everywhere now. Built on layers of synth riffs, the track surges upwards almost as a rejoinder to its lyrics, in which Ounsworth grapples with recurring bouts of depression, alienation, and what we inherit from those who came before us.
“This was the song that sort of thematically and sonically guided the rest of the album,” says Alec Ounsworth. “Maybe the most important thing for me is to establish the first and then shape the other songs around it.”
Brooklyn-based composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist Sammy Weissberg returns with a second preview of his forthcoming label debut, Music for Strings and Brass, out November 13 via Dear Life Records. Following lead single “String Quartet No. 2 Mvt. II,” which introduced the album’s string quartet, “Brass Quintet No. 1 Mvt. II” offers a glimpse into the album’s second central work.
As Weissberg explains: “The brass quintet was written as a song cycle, pulling from a lot of different melodic content. The second movement was initially composed for two guitars, I was feeling very inspired by both Yamandu Costa and ML Buch. Specifically how Costa writes complex yet memorable linear melodies, stemming from the Brazilian Choro tradition. And how ML Buch’s harmonic choices create an air of mystery/whimsy.While both songwriters typically compose in a guitar-centric fashion, I thought it would be a fun challenge to translate their influence on me to a totally different instrumentation.”
Carlita and Justine Skye today unveil the official music video for “WYWD,” directed by Hidji World, whose work includes projects with A$AP Rocky, Future, Metro Boomin and The Weeknd. Starring both artists, the video follows the single’s October 16 release via Ninja Tune. Following Carlita and Skye through New York’s house parties, dive bars and chance encounters with friends, the video offers an intimate portrait of their friendship and the city’s after-hours rhythms.
With creative direction by Pedro Damasceno and cinematography by Leroy Farrell, the video brings Carlita and Skye’s collaboration to the screen. Hidji World and Rayymond share editing credits, with Cesar Perez serving as executive producer. Carlita is styled by Luca Migliaro, with hair and makeup by Amanda Wilson, while Skye’s styling is by Von Ford, with hair by Nikki Nelms and makeup by Jezz Hill.
Fresh off her summer dance project, CANDY, Skye brings her soulful vocals to a record that expands Carlita’s club-rooted sound through songwriting, live instrumentation and warm, understated dance-pop. Moving between R&B, pop and dance music, Skye’s latest chapter draws on the history of Black dance music, placing movement, pleasure and self-expression at its center. From her breakout single “Collide” to her role as Annika Longstreet on Grown-ish, she has built a career spanning music, screen and style.
Manchester underground music icon Harry Stafford and American trash blues guitarist Marco Butcher are back with their first new music in three years. ‘Time Always Knows’ heralds their forthcoming album ‘Skyscraper Superhighway’, out in January 2027 via Black Lagoon Records.
The lyrics reflect on the bittersweet experience of watching an intense past romance fade into distant, abstract memories over time. As vivid details dissolve like smoke, Stafford sits with the lingering weight of a fleeting yet deep connection, ultimately coming to accept the loss and recognizing that time carries its own quiet wisdom, eventually bringing closure.
With a sound that virtually meshes a film soundtrack score with a fleeting love song, the duo offers a sublime moment of contemporary noir. Wiith his production and backwards guitars, Marco allows Harry’s beloved John Barry Esq guitar to float these atmospheric textures throughout the song.
rising indie-pop artist Saniyé (pronounced saw-knee-yay) presents her fresh new single “GAME OVER?”. Available today via 6/8 Records, the new track is now yours to hear on digital streaming platforms worldwide.
Saniyé’s new track is largely inspired by her childhood playing video games, though it is spun in a much more mature light. “GAME OVER?” perfectly blends confidence, nostalgia, and vulnerability with a little bit of chaos, creating an infectious and memorable pop tune that drips in emotion and candor. At its core, the new track is a “nerdcore” track that uses video games as an analogy to romance, highlighting the moment when love starts to feel less like a fairytale and more like a game.
Retro-inspired yet influenced by modern pop, Saniyé’s new track is bound to resonate with fans of video games and music alike. Uplifting, emotional, and instantly memorable, “GAME OVER”? desperately clutches on to hope, showcasing the moment when one decides the story is worth replaying.
Alternative music powerhouse I Ya Toyah has released ‘White Walls’, drawing attention to the personal side of the mental crisis endemic within modern society. The accompanying video was directed, filmed and edited by Chicago filmmaker Alex Zarek. Through haunting imagery, this release highlights the struggles that often remain hidden behind carefully maintained appearances, inviting listeners to look beyond the surface and recognize the silent battles many people face every day.
With the release timed with World Mental Health Day, the initial proceeds were donated to Backline Care, which helps people in the music industry access the mental health care and support they need. Individuals can also support this vital organization by donating directly.
‘White Walls’ is her fourth and final single in a series leading up to her ‘Error Prospect: Human’ EP, which was developed in collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer Johnny K,(Disturbed, Staind, 3 Doors Down, Megadeath, Finger Eleven). The first major release since her 2024 album ‘DRAMA’, co-produced with and mixed by STABBING WESTWARD’s WALTER FLAKUS, this new material expands I Ya Toyah’s sonic vision without losing the dark atmosphere, emotional intensity, and independent spirit she is known for.
i give my friends flowers — the experimental bedroom pop project by lo-fi hip-hop artist/producer Jacob Klein — is beginning a new chapter with “FEEL LIKE”, his first piece of new music since DOGSTAR 1, his debut album released earlier this year. An organic blend of indie drums, guitars and zaney synths, the new single is atmospheric, bubbling towards a future that’s unknown, but strangely full of hope.
“FEEL LIKE” was the first song i give my friends flowers wrote after the “1,000 year flood” of Hurricane Helene destroyed his town and ecosystems around Asheville, North Carolina. He found a rescued piano and began writing the single, with his headspace somewhere in the space between recovery and whatever comes next. It opens with a warped guitar sample from a friend who had spent much of that last summer before the flood in the studio, working on his own record.
“The hook (“what’s it feeling that like / what’s that feeling that like”) is grammatically unstable on purpose: a somatic reach toward a question that won’t quite form,” adds Klein about the new track. “What does it feel like to live your own life in the middle of chaos — and what are those who’ve moved out of your life feeling now, in theirs? The song doesn’t answer. It holds the question open, closing on ‘after all we’ve been through…’”
Prettier Now have unveiled their second full-length outing, Miracle Charm. Across these nine new songs the Manhattan-based project unveil a fresh slate of immersive fuzzy soundscapes that take their self-styled “underwater punk” sound into its heaviest territory yet.
With Miracle Charm Prettier Now continues the weighty trajectory launched on debut album Perfect Crush (2024) and continued on the Born On A Cross (2026) EP, but songwriter Christian Monte is now more lyrically direct than ever. Set aside are the broad stroke emotive metaphors prevalent on Perfect Crush. In their place are unvarnished dispatches on regret, loss and emotional exhaustion.
Lead off single “Beaming” announced this intent with swirling layers of grunge hooks, ascendant vocals and a lock-tight rhythm section interweaving lyrics that damningly explore Monte’s role in torpedoing a relationship before it could even get going. Elsewhere “Friends I’ll Never See Again” carries a heart-wrenching refrain aloft towering guitars while “Temporary” closes the album in painful honesty as Monte admits “I’ve burned every bridge I can, there’s nothing that I can do to make it okay.”
NEW YORK, NY, Jamaican-American duo The Yutes return with their new single, “Rebellious Souls,” via Babygrande Records. Drawing on the infectious energy of dancehall, reggae, and hip-hop, the brothers continue carving out their own space by blending their Jamaican roots with their upbringing in the United States.
Comprised of biological brothers Chris and Santris Palmer, The Yutes were raised in Kingston, Jamaica, by their father, legendary Jamaican dancehall artist Mr. Lexx, before moving to the United States to pursue their own music careers. Their experience between Jamaica and the U.S. has shaped their sound, which moves naturally across genres and connects the traditions of Jamaican music with contemporary hip-hop and global sounds.
“Rebellious Souls” continues that evolution, reflecting the duo’s ability to draw from both sides of their background while creating music that stands apart from conventional genre boundaries. Following a recent trip back to their hometown of Kingston, The Yutes have been staying active and continuing to build on their sound with new music.
The Yutes have also collaborated with artists including Tarrus Riley, Jah Vinci, Masicka, Govana, and Curren$y, while performing internationally as the duo continues to expand its audience. They opened for Popcaan on his 2023 European “God Is He” tour and for Stove God Cooks during his 2024 North American “Let Him Cook” tour.
With more than 5.5 million Spotify streams across their featured top tracks and a growing presence across streaming platforms and YouTube, The Yutes are entering a new chapter with “Rebellious Souls.”
Produced by Gonzalezlab
Canadian guitarist, singer, and a founding member of New York City’s Spin Doctors, Eric Schenkman returns with “Avocado Eldorado,” a driving rock ’n’ roll track inspired by his grandfather’s Cadillac.
In “Avocado Eldorado,” Schenkman looks back at his grandfather’s green Cadillac Eldorado, presently rusting away in an old Vermont barn. The relic – a wide-ass, loud, stately car – represents freedom and the romance of the open road. For Schenkman in particular, it also honours the “old men” who played pivotal roles in his life.
The song’s title has its own history. In 1995, Schenkman traveled from San Francisco to legendary guitarist David Lindley’s Reseda, CA home with drummer Wally Ingram. When they arrived, Schenkman spotted Lindley’s big blue 1970s Cadillac Eldorado sitting in the driveway.
“My grandfather has the same car, only it’s an avocado Eldorado,” Schenkman remembers telling him. Lindley’s response was immediate: “That’s a song you should write.”
“It only took 30 years!” Schenkman says.
Ungothly Places is a Vancouver, Canada-based metalcore band that was spawned from the viral “Goths in Ungothly Places” series, which has reached millions of viewers across social media. Led by Glen Clarke, frontman of 2 Shadows, the project brings the world behind those videos into the music itself, combining dark visual storytelling, goth culture, heavy music, and humor into one identity. They are sharing their debut single “No Shadows”, released on Rock Shop Records.
The song blends modern metalcore with gothic atmosphere, down-tuned guitars, electronic elements, and melodic hooks. Ungothly Places music sits somewhere between the worlds of metal, industrial, and dark alternative music. The track was produced by The Veer Union’s Crispin Earl.
Glen Clarke says “No Shadows” is about betrayal in its most raw reactionary form. It’s full of emotion and was written in the heat of the moment following a deeply personal experience. Shortly after returning from tour in 2024, I gathered my touring musicians, and we wrote our first ever song together. It came together super quickly and eventually grew into a collaboration with some of my closest friends, including members of The Veer Union.”
Baby Snakes & The Electric Co., the indie/alternative project of Dallas, TX producer and Modern Electric Sound Recorders founder Jeff Saenz, release their anticipated debut album, Ouroboros via Spaceflight Records. Paying homage to 2025, one of the most challenging years for Saenz, as well as the Chinese Zodiac’s Year of the Snake, the record is a catalyst for shedding his skin, growing through pain, and confronting both comforting and frightening memories before finally moving forward.
quick-rising Chicago indie band, The Back Alley, has announced that their debut album, Back At Home, will be released on January 22, 2027. The news is heralded with the nostalgic new single “Pick Me Up.” Written while on the road, the offering is about when circumstances outside of your control keep you from being with your person, but taking the trials and tribulations head-on to make things work. Filled with longing lyrics, there is an air of hope that not everything is too far out of reach — Stream “Pick Me Up” / Pre-save Back At Home.
The band shared, “We chose to announce the album with ‘Pick Me Up’ because it feels like a perfect transition from the past Back Alley sound of catchy guitar licks and melodies — songs like ‘Brand New’ and ‘Neon Jeans’ — to the open and mature sound we have found within the new album ‘Back At Home’. ‘Pick Me Up’ feels like a comfortable mix of both eras of the band. The new, and the old.”
Acclaimed British rockers Band of Skulls are thrilled to announce their return with the new single “Bitter Dream”, marking the band’s debut on FLG, the rock and alternative imprint of Frontiers Label Group.
Russell Marsden described the single by saying: “Bitter Dream” is a song about being haunted by our dreams. A persistent longing and melancholy, that can only be quelled with the strength of a new love. Featuring Iona Alven on vocals, this song has one foot firmly in darkness and one stepping towards the light. It’s direct, heavy where it needs to be, and unmistakably Band of Skulls. It feels like where the band is right now – and where we want to go.”
About signing to FLG, he added: “I’m thrilled to be working with Frontiers Label Group as we move into an exciting new chapter for the band. We’re focused on what’s ahead – creating new music, building on the connection we have with our fans, and continuing to evolve while staying true to the sound they love. Their support continues to drive us forward, and we can’t wait for them to hear what’s next.”
Leave a Reply