I always enjoy St. Divine‘s tonal choices because they are so simple but effective. The arrangements have a real live feel to them and are not overly produced, so it would sound exactly the same if you heard them play live. I have to say I was surprised by that chill xylophone section. The band is clearly open to experimenting with different textures to highlight the song’s narrative, and to push the envelope with the arrangement by creating these tense and hypnotic sections and harmonically using some exceptionally dissonant chords.

The band says “Midnight (to Track)” follows the spirit of “30 Dolls,” an acclaimed track from the album, with a deeper groove and a slightly more measured approach. That makes it feel like a companion piece to The Devil You Know rather than a leftover. They also argue there is far too little political pushback in music today, and this is their answer to that.

Whatever your own politics, the actual ask is modest. The release lists the constitutional amendments that expanded and protected voting rights, from the 14th through the 26th, and the band simply wants people to use them. For St. Divine, a song that nearly went unheard has turned into a timely one.

Big Winner is the latest project from American filmmaker and musician Charles Griffin Gibson, formerly known as CHUCK. After releasing music through cult label Audio Antihero, Gibson stepped away from music in 2019, selling his equipment before relocating from Brooklyn to Oslo. Five years later, amid the routines of family life with his wife and two children, the songs returned. Released on 16 October 2026, “Blissin’ Out” introduces his forthcoming debut album, Dinosaur, arriving on 13 November.

The track’s charm lies in its celebration of domestic happiness without dressing it up as something extraordinary. Between household chores, cheesy pasta, and throwing on Weezer’s The Sweater Song, Gibson captures those seemingly insignificant moments when everything feels unexpectedly right. The line “Wrapped around each other like a cul-de-sac” is particularly delightful, turning an unconventional image into an expression of intimacy that feels entirely in keeping with the song’s awkward, affectionate humour. Here, love isn’t about grand declarations; it’s about shared laughter and the comfort of being exactly where you belong.

That unpretentious spirit extends to the music’s creation. Determined not to let music consume his life again, Gibson built Dinosaur around a cheap classical guitar and an egg shaker, supplementing them with MIDI instruments, remote collaborators, and an eclectic collection of Creative Commons sound effects. His background in film editing informs this resourceful approach, allowing sound design to contribute to the storytelling rather than simply decorate it. The result is a distinctly DIY art-rock sensibility that embraces experimentation without losing sight of the song itself.

The accompanying music video complements the track’s playful outlook through charmingly naïve animation, everyday imagery, and subtle adult humour. Beneath the lighthearted surface, however, sits a more reflective transition: growing older, raising children, and discovering that fulfilment can look remarkably different from what we once imagined.

“Blissin’ Out” by Big Winner offers a witty, warmly unconventional introduction to Dinosaur. Gibson finds something worth celebrating in the everyday mess of family life, reminding us that happiness doesn’t need to be spectacular to be meaningful. Sometimes, bliss is simply a shared laugh, a familiar song, and the beautiful absurdity of having someone beside you through it all.

Described by the artist as “perfect for a chase scene at 200 km per hour,” “Overthinking” unleashes a paroxysmal whirlwind of heavy synthesizers and electric guitars that pushes the boundaries of the project’s signature sound. Recorded in the artist’s home studio in Rome and professionally mixed and mastered for maximum impact, the single captures the frenetic psychological state of its title, building into an unrelenting, high-velocity sonic assault.

Emerging from Rome’s vibrant underground after a rich history of playing in various bands, Komaframe crafts immersive instrumental soundscapes that function like dark film scores. Drawing stylistic inspiration from the brooding atmospherics of Massive Attack and the experimental restlessness of Radiohead, his music weaves elements of stoner rock, psychedelia, and alternative rock into hypnotic compositions.

“an engaging exercise in instrumental storytelling, translating psychological unrest into a visceral electronic-rock experience.” – Cherine Abulwafa of Rock Era Magazine. 

Following his debut single, “Working on a new brain” (released October 15, 2025), “Overthinking” showcases Komaframe‘s unique ability to translate complex human emotions and intense pacing into purely instrumental storytelling.

The single marks Komaframe’s most electronic and intense offering to date. The project explores the intersection of alternative rock, psychedelia, and cinematic sound design, drawing inspiration from the shadowy atmospheres of Massive Attack and the experimental sensibilities of Radiohead. Rather than treating instrumental music as a purely melodic exercise, Komaframe constructs compositions that unfold like film scores, moving between tension, anticipation, and explosive release.

“Overthinking” establishes its restless character from the opening moments. Intricate, almost breakbeat-inspired drumming creates an immediate sense of instability, complemented by dark-wave guitar textures. A sustained, astral synth then introduces a futuristic dimension, expanding the soundscape before another, more cerebral electronic layer pushes the arrangement further into psychedelic territory. Brooding electric guitars gradually intensify the atmosphere, adding weight to the track’s already urgent momentum.

The interplay between percussion, synths, and guitars evokes the tension of a psychological thriller, where every sonic shift feels like a new development in an unfolding scene. It is easy to understand why Komaframe describes the track as “perfect for a chase scene at 200 km per hour.” The arrangement sustains this high-octane energy without becoming one-dimensional, using contrasting textures and evolving layers to maintain the listener’s attention.

The absence of vocals also works in the track’s favour. Without lyrics to dictate an interpretation, the instrumental arrangement becomes the primary vehicle for emotional expression. Its relentless pulse and dark, immersive textures allow listeners to experience the tension rather than simply hear it described.

“Overthinking” by Komaframe is an engaging exercise in instrumental storytelling, translating psychological unrest into a visceral electronic-rock experience. Through driving percussion, psychedelic synths, and brooding guitars, the single creates a soundtrack for a mind that refuses to slow down, blurring the line between music and imagined cinema.

The track opens with shimmering piano, its celestial, almost microtonal nuances establishing an atmosphere of quiet unease before textured drums, guitar, banjo, and bass gradually enter the picture. Blending alternative rock with folk and Americana influences, the arrangement balances atmospheric depth with an organic warmth that complements the song’s introspective character. The band’s self-described “Surf Drench” sound finds a compelling expression here, moving between shadowy textures and expansive instrumental passages.

“Reflections” wastes little time confronting uncomfortable truths. “Oh I can see my reflection / The life I’ve lived / Those I’ve hurt / The lies I’ve said” establishes a narrative rooted in accountability rather than nostalgia. As broken relationships, lost friends, and restless nights accumulate, the song becomes a portrait of someone struggling to reconcile their past with their present. The question “where did all the quiet go?” is particularly affecting, prompting a shift in the arrangement that allows the tension to breathe before building again.

The vocal performance is bold and expansive, carrying an almost stadium-ready quality without losing its emotional intimacy. Meanwhile, references to broken homes and inherited wounds widen the song’s perspective, acknowledging how personal histories shape the people we become.

The track refuses to offer easy redemption. The recurring declaration, “There is no progress. There is no growth,” captures the unsettling realization that self-awareness does not necessarily lead to change. Sometimes, confronting the past only makes us more conscious of what remains unresolved.

With “Reflections,” The Night and the Dirty deliver an atmospheric, emotionally charged release that balances sonic expansiveness with lyrical vulnerability. It is a song about the echoes we carry, the damage we acknowledge, and the distance between understanding ourselves and becoming someone different..

The track looks at where humanity is heading, with the erosion of democracy, war, the climate crisis, corruption, and political dishonesty all named in the band’s own description. What comes out of that is a song that mourns more than it accuses, and it reads as an honest expression of frustration and grief at a decline that feels hard to stop. It is a heavy subject, but the song carries it with a delicate, soulful touch in the production, the performance, and the arrangement. The humanity in all three is easy to hear, and the band states plainly that no AI was used anywhere in making it.

The playing backs that up. The press materials single out a bass line from honorary gardener Melisa, along with melodic rhythm guitar and dark synth textures from Danny. Inês’s vocal is gentle and melancholic in the verses, then grows more powerful in the choruses, which gives the song a clear shape as it moves from quiet unease toward something more forceful. The post-punk touchstones are the ones the band cites: The Cure, Joy Division, and The Smiths, while Inês’s vocal leanings include Florence Welch, Lana Del Rey, and Chelsea Wolfe. The band has been described as Lana Del Rey meets The Cure, and that gives you a fair idea of where to place it. The song pulls no punches, and the feeling behind it is real. When “Civilisation” arrives on October 16th, you’ll understand what I mean when I say it is worth setting aside a few quiet minutes for.

I have a soft spot for this outcast art-punk genre. These textures, for me, are repression, wide ambient sounds that seem as if they can only exist inside a person’s head, like a person who can’t really express themselves freely and outward, because they feel alienated or picked last in PE. That’s the atmosphere created by Oliver Paul’s enchanting bed of harmony. My only gripe is that I wish it were three times as long.

The song has only four lines, yet it manages to leave a lasting image and tell a cohesive story of vivid dreams and childhood nostalgia. Paul and producer Sam Cook used around 12 or 13 different synths from Logic’s plugin library, many of which play for only a second or two before another takes over, building swells that give the track its ambient feel. Duster, Sign Crushes Motorist and Slowdive were on his mind while writing, and he wanted to recreate the warm, nostalgic feeling those records gave him.

The recording took place in Cook’s home study on the fourth day of a five-day session. The two met at a Black Country, New Road gig in Birmingham in April 2025, bonding over music, comedy and Wallace and Gromit. Cook’s enthusiasm is also why the track exists as a single at all. His mantra during the sessions was “don’t dwell, the sound will come.”

Paul is talking about a full-band gig in Birmingham around January. With a debut album still to be announced, “Fear Of Bears” is a short, atmospheric introduction to where he’s headed next.

Somber is the key word here. This is a song made for introspection, and its atmosphere is spacey but also very intimate, as if it were someone exploring their own mind. As I wrote that thought down, I realized it was subconsciously influenced by the song’s theme, the way a song can continue playing in your head long after the actual sound has stopped. That kind of overlap between a song and the mind listening to it is fitting for a track about music that keeps playing in the head.

Songwriter, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Jonathan Gibbon created the project, working with Michael John Ross on guitars and production, Mike Pratt on bass, Chris Nickolls on drums, Bill Mudge on keyboards and Jessica Greenfield on backing vocals. Nickolls also engineered and mixed the track, and it was mastered by Topfloor Music. The sound draws on art-rock, post-punk and the more experimental side of late-70s and early-80s songwriting while keeping the melodic, guitar-based character that runs through the project’s earlier music.

Their earlier releases have picked up independent radio support in the UK and internationally, along with coverage from Mystic Sons, Lost in the Manor, Our Sound Music and Sinusoidal Music. The Wrong Man also uses animation and illustration for its artwork and videos instead of appearing personally. “Return to Silence” belongs to a four-song release that began with “Starship” and also includes “Cassette Compilations” and “Sleeping Pills.” For listeners who like melodic, atmospheric alternative rock with a left-field edge, it is a fitting place to pause and let the quiet do some of the work.

Drawing heavy inspiration from the golden eras of 1970s and 1980s rock and roll, Studio flows seamlessly across diverse sonic landscapes. The record kicks off with the David Bowie-influenced alternative rock lead single, “Scratch,” pivots into the Rolling Stones-flavored tracks “Deja Vu” and “Hig & Jig,” and ultimately concludes with an 80s pop-dance mix of “It Ain’t Perfect But It’s Free”.

⇒ Don’t miss our thoughts on the “Studio” album, and read here.

The album’s signature sonic fingerprint comes from the tactile combination of a 1960s Hammond Organ run through a vintage Leslie Cabinet Speaker and a Fender Mustang guitar.

Recorded at Vancouver’s Blue Light Studio alongside producer Kaj Falch-Nielsen, Studio features a powerhouse lineup of contributors. Most notably, legendary drummer Steve Ferrone—renowned for his work with Tom Petty and Eric Clapton—anchors six of the album’s tracks with exquisite percussion.

“Pennan first saw Steve playing in Eric Clapton’s ’21 Nights’ performances at the Royal Albert Hall. It was an honour to have him play on the record,” notes the production team.

The rich instrumentation is further rounded out by Alison Jenkins’ creative vocal harmonies, Kaj Falch-Nielsen on bass, and Cameron Wilson on violin. Visually, the release maintains continuity with Paint, featuring striking cover artwork by Nathan Gowsell that highlights vintage Vancouver neon signs.

⇒ Don’t miss our thoughts on the “Studio” album, and read here.

Forgotten Garden are pleased to report that no AI was used in the creation of this song. The Forgotten Garden is 100% organic!

The track features a superb bass line played by honorary gardener Melisa. The melodic rhythm guitar and dark synth sounds are played by Danny (from Scotland). Inês Rebelo’s (from Portugal) vocal whilst gentle and melancholic in the verses becomes more powerful in the choruses.

Forgotten Garden are a Scottish-Portuguese Indie band (duo+guests). Their songs are generally sad, poignant and haunting. Vocals are provided by Inês whilst Danny plays most of the instruments. Although primarily an electric band they do sometimes produce acoustic material. Inês lives in her native Portugal whilst Danny lives in the north of Scotland. They started working together in 2019.

The music of Forgotten Garden is mostly inspired by post-punk bands such as The Cure, Joy Division and the Smiths. Inês’s vocals are influenced by some of her favourite artists like Florence Welch, Lana Del Rey, Chelsea Wolfe, Weyes Blood, Kelsey Lu and Warpaint. In fact, Forgotten Garden have been described as Lana Del Rey meets The Cure!!