Toronto-based coldwave duo TRAITRS present their final single before the release of their tertiary album, Possessor. The new goth-horror track “Dream Drowning” is now available on all major streaming platforms. An intricate blend of analog horror, heartthrobbing drum beats, and haunting synths, “Dream Drowning” evokes a sense of urgency with its thought-provoking lyrics. On the captivating new track, TRAITRS aim to analyze the meanings and emotions behind their dreams. Showcasing the horrors of everyday life on an endless loop, the Canadian duo create a track shrouded in mystery.
As avid connoisseurs of post-punk and coldwave, TRAITRS are turning heads with their entrancing soundscapes that penetrate deep. Keeping the spirit of The Cure, Joy Division, or New Order alive, TRAITRS have mesmerized audiences with their electrifying performances and uniquely elevating sound.
With their cinematic blend of horror-based imagery, anthemic choruses, motorik drum loops, atmospheric synths and angular guitars, Canadian cold wave duo TRAITRS stare unflinchingly at our dystopian present while paying homage to artists from the post-punk past. In the decade since their debut record to now, the Toronto-based TRAITRS went from bedroom artists selling cassette tapes on a small boutique record label to accumulating millions of streams worldwide and performing hundreds of shows on massive stages across multiple continents.
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Few Finnish groups sound as effortlessly international as Helsinki-based AVES – and even fewer do so with such a meticulous producer's touch. Operating since 2011, Aves has evolved from a band into a music collective where the combination of creators is the idea itself: songs may originate from different members, but they are jointly finalized into carefully selected, polished releases.
The group, originally founded by Antti Ojala, Eino Anttila, and Joonas Hakava, has grown into a music collective with the addition of Alpo Nummelin, Elias Durac, and Markus Perttula. In the collective, the combination of creators is the idea itself: tracks can start from various sources, but they are jointly finalized into carefully selected, polished songs.
The now-released single, Justice, encapsulates the collective's current core: the production can be grand and polished, but it doesn't have to be sterile. It is carefully constructed pop music where the indie background is audible in the details and the warm, human touch. The melancholic pop gem sounds like its creators, not just "ready-made."
The single features Kenyan vocalist IkeN (Ike Ngala), a rising alternative R&B and pop artist based in Britain, whose deep interpretation provides the track with its bright core. At the same time, the collaboration highlights Aves' approach, where guest artists are not an exception but a natural part of the collective's way of writing and finalizing songs.
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While Wormstew has existed in various forms, all fronted by LA pop scene fixture Mike Schnee, for years, the band –in its definitive new lineup including bassist/vocalist Teresa Cowles (EZ Tiger, Dragster Barbie, Evie Sands) and drummer/vocalist/producer Michael Simmons (of sparkle*jets u.k. and solo renown) consider their new material their “proper” debut. The band's live shows and prior singles and EPs, as well as Schnee's ongoing surrealist comedy work as his alter ego Chissum Worthington, have earned them a loyal local following, and the strength of their recent songs along with the deftly detailed touch of Simmons as a producer have resulted in an album, Last Days Of Loma, that demands a broader audience. The giddy hooks, winning wordplay and ace harmonies of “Spinning” are the perfect introduction.
Galloping in on a shuffling beat and an instantly-memorable organ riff, “Spinning” brings a smile right away, especially when Schnee starts singing. The wit of the lyrics and the glee of his delivery simply radiate off of the track, and when Cowles and Simmons join in for the immaculate harmonies of the chorus, the track lifts off into the AM Gold stratosphere. It wouldn't do to say that Wormstew has gotten more “mature” in comparison to their early work: the humor may be more understated and the reasons for Schnee's citation of Neil Young, McCartney and Paul Simon as influences are evident, but there's more than a touch of the childlike enthusiasm of Jonathan Richman and the playfulness of Ween on display, too.
“I wrote this entire song—everything except the lyrics—years ago: the chords, rhythm, and melody. I couldn’t think of anything to sing about, but I also knew I didn’t want to change a single note. I wanted every syllable to stay exactly as I had 'scat-sung' it on the demo,” says Schnee. “Years later, on a road trip to Lone Pine with Teresa, I finally found the subject matter. As a bonus, I somehow managed to find a real word for every single 'da' I had sung.” Everything gels on the resulting track and it's an ideal jumping-on point for new fans, who can expect the breezy production and warm humor to inform every track on the new album, even as the songs touch on topics from grief, aging, the drive to be a better person and even the characters of the classic movie Jaws.
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Re Mattei delivers “It’s A Love Thing,” a warm, soul-stirring single that strips romance down to its truest form. No flash. No status symbols. No polish for polish’s sake. Just the kind of love that hits you in the chest and stays there.
Written by Re Mattei and Courtney Bach, “It’s A Love Thing” is a love song for grown hearts. Sonically, the track glides with effortless confidence—rooted in country and Americana, but elevated by Mattei’s sultry, soulful delivery and a band that knows when to lean in and when to let the song breathe. The result is intimate, timeless, and deeply human.
“I wrote ‘It’s A Love Thing’ because real love isn’t about appearances or what’s sitting in the driveway. It’s not about horsepower or polish—it’s about feeling your heart race when you look in their eyes for the first time and you know they’re the one.” — Re Mattei
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“Hoffnung” means "hope" – and that's what we need more than ever these days. Winterthur/CH-based art-pop and neoclassical artist Sara Hugelshofer has given it a musical form, together with renowned musician Lisa Oribasi, who produced the single.
Following around 300 plays of her previous release—mostly on international indie radio—a new “art-pop song with soul,” as Sara Hugelshofer describes her sound, is now being released. The first musical sketches for “Hoffnung” were created at the piano during the pandemic. In a time of isolation and inner unrest, the melody became a quiet companion in uncertain moments—and at the same time, an expression of optimism. With the later development of lyrics and production, it grew into a song that today, in a world shaped by uncertainty, conveys a subtle but powerful message of hope and trust.
Sara Hugelshofer spent more than two decades as a classically trained soprano performing on opera and concert stages in Switzerland and Germany. She embodied numerous roles—from the spirited Csárdásfürstin to the ethereal Eurydike—and touched her audiences with expression, presence, and a voice that fills spaces.
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Renowned Manchester-based musician Matthew C. Whitaker has just finished ‘Songs for the Weary’, a soothing and introspective miniature album designed for those seeking rest.
Following his 2016 record ‘Man With the Anvil Hat’, Whitaker dedicated the following years to recording and touring extensively across the UK and Europe with HENGE, releasing four albums of high-energy, rave-infused prog. In contrast, ‘Songs for the Weary’ offers a serene listening experience - eight gentle compositions featuring subtly intricate harmony, delicate classical guitar, and warm instrumentation.
October 2025 marked the release of debut single “Lucid Dreamer” - a lush, cinematic composition that weaves sweeping strings, nostalgic melodies, and electronic textures into a spellbinding whole. The music finds its visual counterpart in a hypnotic video directed by acclaimed artist Antony Barkworth-Knight. Filmed at Manchester’s Supermassive visual installation, the piece brings Whitaker’s vision to life with breathtaking, ethereal detail.
Co-produced and arranged in collaboration with longtime friend and neighbor Alan Keary (Shunya), the album weaves Whitaker’s compositions with lush string arrangements and subtle electronic elements. The project also features an impressive lineup of guest musicians, including Alabaster DePlume, Rob Turner (GoGo Penguin, Mammal Hands, Elf Traps), Liviu George (Matt Halsall, Elf Traps), as well as his HENGE bandmates Roy Medhurst, Pete Turner, and Sam Draper.
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