Issue #22 Features
The following preview features are now included in our online magazine which is also available in print.
You can read the full articles on our magazine.
Issue #22
Online Magazine | Print Magazine | Instagram Post
You can read the full articles on our magazine.
Hanna Andréa Finds Strength in Imperfection with "Braveheart"
Rising Nordic pop artist Hanna Andréa turns vulnerability into strength on "Braveheart", a cinematic pop single about perseverance, self-acceptance, and the pressure to be perfect. The track serves as the title song from her forthcoming four-song EP, pairing soaring melodies with atmospheric production and emotionally charged vocals.
The song moves from intimate reflection toward a sweeping release, exploring the quiet struggle of feeling that perfection is the only acceptable path. Andréa's performance captures both sides of that experience, balancing fragility with a growing sense of resilience.
Created with Los Angeles producer Michael Biancaniello and Swedish producer Michael Viklund, "Braveheart" combines modern pop with indie textures and flashes of early-2000s pop-rock and emo. Atmospheric synths, orchestral elements, and layered vocals give the track a distinctly cinematic character.
Andréa's Norwegian and American upbringing, alongside her Muscogee identity, contributes to a creative perspective shaped by multiple cultures. From her debut LP "Stranded In The Middle" to her work in musical theatre, she has consistently approached music as part of a larger artistic world.
Maddox Jones and Gummy DJ Bring Festival Energy to "Somebody Like You"
British singer-songwriter Maddox Jones joins German dance producer Gummy DJ for "Somebody Like You", an EDM collaboration built around festival energy, emotional vocals, and an unmistakably uplifting dancefloor pulse. Set for release via Radikal Records, the track combines four-on-the-floor kicks, arpeggiated synths, and warm atmospheric pads.
Jones brings an emotive vocal presence to the production, giving the song a sense of longing beneath its euphoric surface. The accompanying video, filmed across Hamburg, follows the singer through city streets, nightlife, and club settings alongside Gummy DJ.
Jones arrives with a history that stretches from his time as frontman of The Departure, who earned four UK Top 40 singles, to his solo career. His releases have appeared on several Music Week charts, while collaborations with artists including Great Adamz, Billy Locket, and Janet Devlin have expanded his musical reach.
Gummy DJ adds his own background in nostalgic dance music and modern EDM production, with more than 14 million YouTube views and recent chart appearances. The collaboration arrives as Jones prepares his sophomore album, "Waiting for the World to Turn", continuing his exploration of reflection, change, and personal growth.
Connor Riesen Continues a Self-Taught Musical Evolution
Orlando-area artist Connor Riesen has built his musical career around curiosity, experimentation, and an unusually hands-on approach to learning. After seven years of piano lessons, Riesen moved toward independent study, developing his understanding of composition and production through years of experimentation.
His debut album "In My Mind" arrived in 2019 and marked the beginning of his digital production journey. Later releases expanded far beyond that starting point, with "Stories" moving toward jazz, bossa nova, and pop through collaborations with Lisandra Yero and Sergio da Silva.
Riesen has continued documenting his development through the "Beginnings" series. "Beginnings, Vol. 2" explored atmospheric instrumental and spiritual music, while the piano-centered "Sabbath in C" revisited some of the musical foundations that have remained important throughout his work.
With "Beginnings, Vol. 3", released in 2026, Riesen expanded his role again by taking on lead vocals and learning guitar specifically for the project. Across jazz-pop, Christian music, instrumental composition, and personal songwriting, his catalog reflects an artist continually testing what his music can become.
THERA Captures the Energy of Her First Arena Tour
At just nineteen, Czech artist THERA turns the experience of her first European arena tour into "everywhere, all at once", a seven-track live EP recorded across the concerts of the tour. Rather than recreating the songs through polished studio production, the project preserves the atmosphere, imperfections, and emotional intensity of the live performances.
The EP follows THERA's rapid rise after "guardian angel" became a viral success, collecting more than eight million TikTok views and over one million Spotify streams. That momentum led to major opportunities, including becoming the first Czech ambassador for Spotify's Global EQUAL campaign.
"rewind", recorded during the final show at Prague's O2 Arena, captures one of the project's most emotional moments. The concert marked both a homecoming for THERA and the final stop of her European tour supporting Jason Derulo. A performance of Charli XCX's "Break the Rules" adds another energetic highlight to the set.
Influenced by artists including Madison Beer, SZA, Tate McRae, and Rihanna, THERA is now developing her second album. Her next chapter is expected to move between dance music and sad pop while maintaining the personal storytelling and emotional honesty that have shaped her work so far.
Brannen Introduces a World of Melodic House with "Tulips"
UK musician and producer Brannen makes his solo debut with "Tulips", an atmospheric house track shaped by deep grooves, layered textures, and an emphasis on melody. Drawing inspiration from artists including Ben Böhmer, Marsh, Lane 8, Yotto, and Romain Garcia, the single is designed for immersive listening as much as the dancefloor.
With more than two decades of experience as a drummer and producer, Brannen brings a strong rhythmic instinct to his electronic production. "Tulips" builds gradually, allowing its melodies and atmosphere to develop rather than relying solely on immediate impact.
The single quickly attracted international attention, radio support, and curator interest, surpassing 2,000 Spotify streams in its early period. Reviews highlighted its pacing and immersive quality, particularly the way Brannen combines the rhythmic sensibility of a drummer with the expansive sound of melodic house.
His follow-up release, "Keep Dancing With Me", continues that direction with vocalist Brian Hurren. Mixed and mastered by Jack Wiles at Moonshift Audio, the track expands Brannen's melodic and atmospheric approach while retaining the organic feel at the center of the project.
Alone New Yorker Turns Solitude Into "Room with no corners"
New York bedroom art-pop project Alone New Yorker introduces its world with "Room with no corners", a song built around solitude, introspection, and the strange emotional space that can emerge when we are left alone with our thoughts. Written in Brussels and recorded in a New York bedroom, the track transforms an ordinary room into something much larger and more unsettling.
The production deliberately leaves room for imperfection. A fragile high-register vocal sits alongside restrained piano, ambient electronics, subtle distortion, and cinematic melodies, while sounds associated with New York life — streetlights, radiators, subway noise, late buses, and sleepless windows — become part of the atmosphere.
"Room with no corners" is the beginning of a continuing sequence of releases, including "Above the rooftops", "I kept the world on mute", "Pieces we left behind", and "People you might have been". Each expands the project's sonic world without abandoning its central mood of quiet observation.
Visually and musically, Alone New Yorker keeps the focus on the songs rather than a defined persona. Minimal imagery, widescreen compositions, and generous negative space reinforce the project's central idea: making small, intimate pop music and allowing it to echo into something much larger.
Saline Grace Continues a Three-Decade Journey with "Weeping Wounds"
Saline Grace, the long-running project of Ricardo and Ines Hoffmann, enters a new chapter with "Weeping Wounds", ahead of the release of the duo's fifth full-length album, "The Tree of Knowledge". The project follows more than three decades of musical development that has taken the Hoffmanns through darkwave, Americana, and increasingly atmospheric forms of songwriting.
Ricardo Hoffmann's musical journey began in Frankfurt (Oder) with The Vagrants before evolving into Nobility Of Salt. Releases including "The Evening Prayer", "Through Clouds And Thoughtful Years", and "The Tremulous Sea" established a darkwave foundation, with later collaborations involving members of And Also The Trees and Cocteau Twins.
Saline Grace emerged in 2005, initially exploring a darker Americana sound. Albums including "Border Town Shades", "Fog Mountain", and "Blacksmith's Fire" developed that direction across a trilogy, before the project moved toward more politically and psychologically charged material.
"Weeping Wounds" arrives as part of the next stage of that evolution, accompanying "The Tree of Knowledge", scheduled for May 18, 2026. The release continues Saline Grace's long-standing interest in atmosphere, imagery, and emotionally shadowed songwriting.
Rusty Reid Revisits a Classic with "Lone Stardust"
Texas singer-songwriter Rusty Reid brings his indie folk-country-rock sensibility to "Lone Stardust", an album built around songs by Texas songwriters and featuring his reinterpretation of Johnny Nash's classic "I Can See Clearly Now". Rather than radically reinventing the song, Reid chooses to preserve the optimism and simplicity that made the original so enduring.
Reid describes the track as almost the perfect pop song, emphasizing its memorable melody, straightforward lyrics, distinctive arrangement, and upbeat spirit. His approach deliberately avoids turning the song into something darker or overly stylized, instead maintaining the joyful character associated with Nash's original recording.
Nash's 1972 version reached No. 1, while Jimmy Cliff's later rendition helped introduce the song to another generation. For Reid, those recordings provided a blueprint for an interpretation that could remain familiar while still carrying his own vocal and instrumental character.
Produced with Nashville producer Jed Demlow, the new recording features Reid's 1966 Gibson ES-330 guitar and a deliberately straightforward vocal approach. The result is a respectful tribute that keeps the song's essential optimism at the center.
Valley Taylor Builds an Imperfect World on "One Hundred Billion Points of Light"
Bay Area songwriter, producer, and visual artist Valley Taylor expands a collection of rough demos into "One Hundred Billion Points of Light", an album that transforms simple garage-band ideas into a dense and experimental sonic world. Originally imagined as a straightforward guitar record, the project gradually became something stranger, more layered, and more immersive.
Taylor's production philosophy is built around preserving the emotional qualities of the original recordings rather than assuming that technical polish automatically makes music better. Guitars, programmed drums, loops, home recordings, re-amping, resampling, and manipulated digital textures combine to create a sound that deliberately leaves some rough edges intact.
The album draws from formative records including Radiohead's "In Rainbows" and Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago", alongside influences from We Were Promised Jetpacks, Dear and the Headlights, and Days Away. Songs such as "Dog" and "Don't You Wanna Be Fine?" move between intimate songwriting and more experimental production.
Taylor also treats visual art as part of the music itself, creating drawings, photographs, animation, videos, and web experiences around the releases. Mixed and mastered by Alec Beretz, the album is designed as one cohesive listening environment rather than a collection of disconnected singles.
David Moore Creates a Musical Tribute to James Masters Patterson
David Moore's "A Wink Is As Good As A Nod To A Blind Mule" is a deeply personal album built around the songwriting and musical legacy of James Masters Patterson. Nearly two years of work went into reconstructing and completing the collection, with Patterson's influence present throughout every track.
Moore rebuilt the album's drum parts measure by measure from MIDI data taken from earlier recordings, deliberately choosing not to use artificial intelligence in the process. Musicians recorded their contributions across Dallas, Pittsburgh, Albuquerque, and the UK, connecting performers through Patterson's musical legacy.
The album was preceded by seven singles beginning in late 2025, gradually revealing the project before the full collection arrived. One of its most striking moments comes on "Mysteries Of Life", where guitarist Jay Michael Smith recreates Patterson's playing style with remarkable detail.
That performance becomes more than an instrumental feature; it serves as a direct connection to the musician whose work inspired the album. Moore's project ultimately functions as both a completed collection of songs and a carefully constructed tribute to a friend and collaborator whose influence continues through the people and music he left behind.
Michael Waters Looks Toward Redemption on "We're Much Better People Now"
Adult contemporary artist Michael Waters continues a prolific 2026 with "We're Much Better People Now", an album built around regret, redemption, hope, and personal reflection. Following four releases earlier in the year, the project brings together carefully constructed melodies and lyrics designed to balance emotional storytelling with memorable pop hooks.
Waters writes both the music and lyrics, moving between introspective material and more uplifting songs. His approach sits comfortably between adult contemporary, soft rock, and pop, with an emphasis on songs that can communicate complicated emotions without losing their melodic accessibility.
His recent releases have already attracted chart attention. "A Baby Of My Own", featuring Kacey Greene, spent ten weeks on the World Indie Music Chart and reached No. 12, while "The Boy Who Really Loved You", performed by Below The Parapet, reached No. 4.
Waters' 2026 output has also demonstrated his range. "La La Love Song" offers a brighter romantic mood, while "Requiem for Earth" takes a more reflective approach. Together, these releases point toward an artist using traditional songwriting craft to explore personal experiences and broader emotional themes.
Mikhail Tank Explores the Unseen on "Prima Materia"
Mikhail Tank's "Prima Materia" continues an artistic practice that has spent decades moving between music, theatre, film, literature, podcasting, and live performance. At the center of his work is a recurring interest in transformation, dreams, archetypes, creative freedom, and the deeper forces that shape human experience.
Tank founded Darksoul Theatre in 1993, establishing the foundation for a multidisciplinary career that has consistently blurred the boundaries between artistic forms. "Prima Materia" extends that approach into a nine-track album focused on what Tank describes as an unseen force — raw soul and psychic energy.
Recorded in Maui and Kauai, Hawaii, the album draws on its surroundings to create an atmospheric setting for Tank's ideas. Rather than treating the music as an isolated project, it forms another part of a much larger creative practice concerned with inner transformation and the relationship between the visible and invisible.
Scheduled for release on September 15, 2026, "Prima Materia" represents another stage in Tank's long-running exploration of sound as a way to examine the more mysterious dimensions of human experience.
This dispatch was last updated on September 22, 2026