With a powerhouse voice and an unmistakable presence, Montreal’s Sally Phantom emerges fully formed on her debut single, “Going Insane.” Rooted in alternative pop-rock but stretching into gothic soul, cinematic grunge, and alt-pop balladry, Sally’s sound lands somewhere between the torch-song drama of Amy Winehouse and the theatrical darkness of Evanescence, with flashes of Lana Del Rey, Ethel Cain, and Paramore woven throughout.
Backed by a team of seasoned industry veterans, this young artist arrives not as a hopeful, but as a headline. Co-written and produced by Canadian music mainstays Hugo Mud and Adrian Popovich, the track is a masterclass in collaboration: raw, addictive, and impossible to ignore.
“Going Insane” began as a spontaneous creative spark and quickly evolved into something far more deliberate. From Houde’s gripping instrumentation to Popovich’s heavy-lidded synth work and precise mix, the production walks a razor’s edge between gritty and cinematic. But it’s Sally’s performance that cuts deepest—her vocal range is wide, expressive, and unflinching, with the same dramatic heft that made legends of Amy Winehouse and Evanescence. Her songwriting, co-crafted with Mudie, dives into addiction, identity, and emotional unraveling, delivered with rare lyrical poise and intensity.
“It’s a conversation with God,” she says, “a personal letter to my addictions, and a reflection on the pain of loving someone I couldn’t have.” Writing the song meant returning to the moment she realized something had to change. “Addiction had controlled my life since my teens. At 23, my dad sent me to rehab, and it saved me. Sobriety gave me the courage to feel again—and this song was how I admitted that to heal, I had to finally feel.”
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Tom Smith steps forward as a solo artist with his debut album There Is Nothing In The Dark That Isn't There In The Light (out December 5 via Play It Again Sam). New single "Leave" follows "Life Is For Living" and "Lights of New York City".
Working alongside producer Iain Archer, Tom Smith has completed work on his debut solo album. Stepping out of the world of Editors for the first time, ‘There Is Nothing In The Dark That Isn’t There In The Light’ is eagerly anticipated and today's single release 'Leave' is the third taste of what we are expecting to be a fabulous album with a real distinction from Editors material.
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Enter Amber Hotel. Still flickering, still rising, from the darker corners of modern-day Chicago. Amber Hotel is not nostalgia. It’s a gathering point. A sanctuary for those who feel out of step with the speed of the modern world. It’s 2025, and things have never felt stranger, heavier, or more electric.
If previous single Digital Ghost was the phantom of lost connection, Shadowed Face is the mirror you’d rather not face. A track that stares back at you—cold, unblinking—revealing the parts we bury under light and distraction. It’s brooding, cinematic, and drenched in the DNA of post-punk and dark wave, carrying echoes of The Cure, She Wants Revenge, and early Interpol, but warped into something wholly their own.
The guitars don’t shimmer—they slice. The bass doesn’t just drive—it drags you into the undertow. And through it all, the voice: commanding yet distant, both confession and accusation. This is chapter three of Amber Hotel’s descent. Another key, another door unlocked. Behind it lies a shadow, a mask, a self you can’t escape. Welcome back to Amber Hotel. You can hide your face, but the shadows will find you.
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Crystal Shawanda's video for the song Sing Pretty Blues launched this yesterday. Known for her JUNO and Maple Blues Award-winning albums, Crystal's latest release covers Stax-sounding soul, rootsy acoustic Americana, and pure Janis Joplin-style power Blues.
Crystal began singing this song in concert when she started her music career, performing as a Country artist at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in the 1990s.
A song about the struggle of letting go of the past, confronting pain and seeking forgiveness, Crystal's fans have often requested a recording. Audience members will tell her about how much the song means to them, and about the people who continue to struggle or whom they've lost along the way.
This song was recorded acoustically on two resonator guitars with the accompaniment of a 150-year old hand drum played by a revered elder from Crystal's home reservation, Wiikwemikoong First Nations on Manitoulin Island in Ontario.
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