In a music climate where genre lines have all but disappeared, it takes more than just ambition to truly synthesize disparate styles into something that feels fresh and urgent. Enter pretty, baby!, the debut EP from Oakland’s Pillowprince, a four-track collection that boldly stitches together indie rock, shoegaze haze, slowcore melancholia, and queercore defiance into a sharp, emotionally charged, and unapologetically queer statement. Released via the reliably progressive Dune Altar label, pretty, baby! isn’t just a promising debut — it’s a necessary one.
In an age when rock music often feels either over-polished or nostalgically derivative, Gabrielle Ornate emerges as a singular force: a bohemian visionary weaving mythology, rock grit, and pop sensibility into a spellbinding sonic tapestry. Her latest single, “Stolen Faces,” is more than a song — it’s a modern fable cloaked in shimmering riffs, impassioned vocals, and cosmic atmosphere. It’s the kind of track that reminds you rock can still be both primal and poetic.
In an era where genre lines blur and musical identities often feel transient, Canary Complex’s A Whisper of Spring arrives as a bold, cohesive statement—an album that not only embraces its influences but reimagines them into something wholly original. The solo project of American multi-instrumentalist, Canary Complex has been quietly redefining visual kei for a global audience, and this latest release is a testament to that vision.
In an era where digital perfection often overshadows human nuance, Swiss drummer Manuel Pasquinelli's Heartbeat Drumming: Bellmund Session emerges as a profound testament to the organic essence of rhythm. Known for his work with Sonar and collaborations with David Torn, Pasquinelli ventures into uncharted territory with this solo endeavor, aligning his drumming with the natural cadence of his own heartbeat.
Few contemporary jazz artists embody both the spirit of tradition and the pulse of modernity quite like Fiona Ross. The multi-award-winning vocalist, pianist, journalist, and founder of the trailblazing Women in Jazz Media has built a career out of defying expectations, carving out space for bold, emotionally resonant storytelling in a genre too often content to coast on nostalgia.