On the surface, McCoy Tyner and the Grateful Dead appear to come from different galaxies. But listen deeply, and it becomes clear: they were orbiting the same planet.
Weir metabolized Tyner’s harmonic density, left-hand power, and asymmetrical swing into a singular rhythm guitar language. Listen to “Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit” from Tyner’s Enlightenment (1973), then compare it to a long jam on “The Other One”—say, 5/10/72 from the Europe ’72 box. That centerless gravity, that rolling churn? Different instruments, same engine. It would be easy to present this as a concept album. Tyner meets the Dead. Jazz meets jam. Two cultures, one filter. But that’s not what’s happening here.
Muriel Grossmann’s project is a continuation: tracing Tyner’s influence as it threads through Weir and onward, then using it as an invitation to explore these compositions anew. Joined by Radomir Milojkovic on guitar, Abel Boquera on Hammond B3 organ, and Uros Stamenkovic on drums, she treats these four works not as artifacts to preserve, but as invitations to explore.
“We played this music using a sort of filter,” she says, “so it sounds like when I compose, record, and perform our own music. It’s somebody else’s music, but it sounds like our music.” — Muriel Grossmann, 2025
Plays the Music of McCoy Tyner and Grateful Dead is out TODAY Muriel’s label Dreamland Records, Dec 29, 2025.
Some songs hit hardest not because they are loud, but because they name a feeling you’ve been living with quietly.
ellakate’s “What Fun” does exactly that. Dark, moody and quietly self-assured, the Atlanta based artist delivers a song that is less like a performance and more like a late night realization finally taking shape.
Listen in here:
“What Fun” explores the emotional whiplash of a volatile relationship. The kind where you start shrinking yourself to keep the peace, second guessing your instincts and replaying conversations long after they end.
ellakate captures that headspace with a striking atmosphere. Her vocals are calm but weighted, as if she is already tired of explaining herself and the understated production gives the song room to breathe without losing its edge.
What makes the track especially resonant is how relatable it feels. This isn’t heartbreak dressed up for drama. It is the slow unraveling of clarity and the quiet relief that comes with recognizing it. The song taps into themes that many people, particularly women, know well – gaslighting, emotional fatigue and the moment you realize your voice deserves space again.
There’s a polished coolness to “What Fun,” but never at the expense of honesty. It’s the kind of song that fits perfectly into a solo drive, a reflective morning routine or the exact moment you decide you’re done accepting less than you deserve.
With “What Fun,” ellakate positions herself as an artist unafraid to sit in uncomfortable truths and turn them into something empowering.
About ellakate
ellakate is an Atlanta based singer songwriter with music that blends alt pop melodies with raw, lyric driven storytelling. Raised in a musical household, and currently a student at the University of Notre Dame where she also fences competitively, she channels her own experiences with mental health, identity and resilience into songs that are full of truth and vulnerability.
Channeling influences from Billie Eilish to Fiona Apple, ellakate is creating music that is bold, romantic and cheekily relatable. She is a fresh, authentic voice in today’s pop landscape. Whether she’s on stage, in the studio or sharing glimpses of her life online, ellakate builds space for honesty and connection through music.
For fans of emotionally charged alt pop ellakate is an artist to watch.
Fluid, immersive and deeply personal “CHAMELEON” exists in that liminal space between sound, movement and memory. With this release by GAB SAFA, it is a cinematic dance project that unfolds as a three part composition and short film – an exploration of identity, belonging and the power of transformation.
Drawing from her experience as a third culture artist, GABS uses music and visual storytelling to examine what it means to live between worlds, constantly shapeshifting and yet also searching for home.
In this exclusive interview, GABS opens up about the origins of “CHAMELEON”, the inspiration behind its hypnotic visuals and the deeply hands-on process of directing a film she envisioned long before the music existed.
Blurring the lines between artist, filmmaker and performer, GABS invites audiences into a world that is intimate and expansive. One that asks us not just to watch or listen, but to step inside and feel something we may not have words for yet:
1.Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualise this song specifically in this way?
CHAMELEON is a cinematic dance EP (released as a 3-part track + a dance version Radio Edit) about navigating the in-between – the spaces between identities, homes, and selves. Growing up as a third culture kid, I’ve always felt from everywhere and nowhere at once, and I wanted to channel that tension into music. It’s about self-discovery, belonging, and finding power in fragmentation.
I’m an amalgam artist at heart – everything I do, whether it be acting, writing, producing, directing, or singing/songwriting, is just another channel for creative expression.
Directing the film for CHAMELEON felt like the obvious choice and allowed me to merge my skill set into one cohesive experience. The short film is not your typical music video and expands the story beyond sound, letting the audience feel the journey through movement, light and imagery as much as through the music itself. My hope is to always create spaces that feel lived in. I want people to step inside my work and feel like they’ve been there before and felt something similar before, even if they can’t explain why or what it is about it exactly.
2. What was the inspiration behind this new video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
The inspiration for the video came from my own background and experience, always living and shapeshifting between different worlds, both physically and emotionally.
I wanted to explore themes of identity, diaspora and self sovereignty, while creating a cinematic universe that feels immersive. Visually, the short film combines hypnotic, ethereal lighting, primal choreography and intimate close-ups to reflect the song’s emotional peaks and valleys.
The storyline follows a journey of self-discovery and reconciliation – moving through moments of uncertainty, tension, and liberation. Every visual choice – from set design to camera angles – was intentional, reflecting the interplay between the fractured self and the search for home, between memory and imagination.
By merging performance, music, and film, the video becomes more than just a song accompaniment; it’s a world for the audience to hopefully witness a part of themselves.
Displacement and longing for home isn’t just about geography; it’s an emotional condition. It’s the ache of being close to something you can never fully return to. I create to transform that ache into something communal, something beautiful.
3. What was the process of making the video?
Creating the CHAMELEON video was a deeply hands-on process.
In fact, I saw the film in my mind before even making the song and getting in the studio with my wildly talented music producer and composer, Kate Eberstadt. A version of the shot list already existed – literally moment to moment – as a visual story that guided the making of the music itself. I wrote, directed, and co-produced the short film, with my longtime collaborator and heart sister – director of photography Maria Raad – to ensure every frame told a story.
Pre-production involved storyboarding, rewrites of multiple shot lists, and visual concept development to align the music with cinematic narrative beats.
I love telling stories through visuals, and music adds another powerful layer. Directing my own video let me mix acting, movement, and cinematic shots all together into a seamless narrative. Filming took place over multiple days and locations, and we really got to experiment with camera movement, lighting, as well as different mediums to make the film feel intimate, immersive, and emotionally authentic. Post-production was a beast of its own! From the mixing, mastering, and engineering with my beautifully meticulous post producer, Matthew Tryba, to the video side with my unstoppable editor, Michael Gray—and incredible visual artist, Lucy London McDonald, who stepped in at the last minute to create the collages when they suddenly felt essential. I’m pretty sure my editor blocked me on all devices at this point!
Anyway, we definitely gave it everything, with long hours, work sessions spent editing, color grading, and syncing movement to the music, to create a multi-dimensional narrative experience where audiences can see, hear, and feel the story simultaneously.
Trust me: watch the film first and then make your way to the dance version Radio Edit (shoutout to fierce mixer AX.EL), to get the full intention and heart behind this project.
And reach out to let me know what you think. I always love to hear!
Celebrating ten years together, New Jersey’s Above the Moon continue to redefine their sound on There Is No Arrival Vol. 2, a five-track EP that arrives with purpose and focus. The band blends raw punk intensity with melodic indie sensibilities, creating a record that feels immediate, ambitious, and personal.
Fronted by Kate Griffin, whose vocals have always been both commanding and expressive, the EP demonstrates the band’s ability to marry urgency with nuance. From the opening track to the closing moments, the collection reveals a group comfortable with its identity yet unafraid to challenge itself creatively. Each song contributes to a broader narrative of presence, connection, and the passage of time, reinforcing why Above the Moon have remained relevant and compelling a decade into their career.
Formed in Madison, New Jersey, in 2015, the band has spent years honing a reputation for authenticity, live energy, and a refusal to rely on gimmicks. Over the past decade, Above the Moon have released multiple EPs, an acoustic project during the pandemic, and a full-length album in 2023 recorded entirely in their home studio. Their music draws from punk, shoegaze, singer-songwriter craft, and pop influences, resulting in a sound that is unmistakably their own.
With There Is No Arrival Vol. 2, the band not only celebrates its past but also looks forward, offering a snapshot of where they are creatively today. The EP is concise but layered, capturing the band’s signature energy while allowing space for reflection and subtlety. It sets the stage for our conversation with Kate Griffin, who opens up about the EP, the band’s decade-long journey, and what it means to continue evolving without losing sight of who they are.
How has your perspective on music and songwriting changed since you first started the band in 2015?
Kate: In 2015 we were coming together from vastly different experiences. In regards to songwriting, to get things off the ground, I was pulling from a pool of songs I’d written on my own or with previous bands. Musically, we were each pulling from what we’d done before, and what we were listening to at the time. We’ve been at this for a decade. We’re different people now with different things to say. We have different musical influences, so things have changed a lot.
In regards to our perspective on music and being in a band, when we started, we were experienced enough to get the ball rolling pretty quickly and we spent a ton of time playing out in local venues – sometimes 3x a month, or multiple shows per weekend. Since then we’ve realized that burning the candle at both ends isn’t worth it, and we’ve spent a lot of time finding a balance between writing, recording, releasing music and playing out that works better for us. Now we’re working smarter, not harder.
There Is No Arrival Vol. 2 has a mix of urgency and reflection—how do you decide when a song should lean one way or the other?
Kate: We let the songs decide. Since we started writing we’ve always put out the songs that feel the best to play, and oftentimes they’re released as they come. Our songs are all coming from a place of catharsis, so if we’ve got a lot of high energy, angry sounding stuff, it’s because that’s how we were feeling when we wrote them. We try to balance that out in the track listing, moving things around to create a more well-rounded listening experience, but we never try to fill in a space with a “happy” or “somber” song, we just write them as they come.
Can you describe a moment during the making of this EP that felt particularly pivotal or transformative for the band?
Kate: Writing and recording the last track, When We’re Gone, felt different than the other songs we’ve released. I think a lot of that is because we can all relate to the lyrical content. I typically write from personal experience, so while the guys are usually in on the vibe or the energy, they may not identify exactly with what I’m singing about. But When We’re Gone is about being in a band, about the frustrations and hardships that come with it. I can remember when I finished singing the scratch vocal for the recording, John, who is admittedly not a “lyrics guy” asked, “Wait, is that song about us?” It is! It’s about this band and every other band we’ve ever been in. I think we play that one a little differently because we all relate to it. I also got the guys to sing on it, too, which makes it stand out as well.
How do you balance personal storytelling with creating songs that resonate broadly with listeners?
Kate: I’ve found that the artists I admire most are able to write in a way that is specific enough to sound unique, but broad enough to be relatable. I try to be just specific enough so that for me, the emotional release is satisfied – I feel like I’ve expressed the feelings I needed to, but I’m careful about the words I use, because that’s a big part of what makes the songs relatable to others. One of my favorite things is when someone tells me what they think one of our songs is about. A lot of times, it’s not at all what I was thinking or feeling when I wrote it, but I’m a believer in that a song means whatever you think it means, regardless of the artist’s intent.
What’s the most unexpected influence that shaped the sound or mood of this release?
Kate: Something I didn’t realize until the songs were finished and released was that all 5 songs either use the word “survive” or explore the concept of some kind of death. I wasn’t consciously writing about death, but I didn’t realize how much I was thinking about other kinds of loss or finality in the last year. That really surprised me, and I think it has a huge influence on both the sound and the mood of this EP.
Above the Moon has maintained a strong DIY and authentic approach—how do you keep that spirit alive in the studio today?
Kate: Over time it’s actually become easier, because we’ve learned so much. When we started, we’d have to save up money and schedule time to record at professional studios, but since our LP Mine Again (2023) we’ve done all of our recording in-house at Shawn’s home studio, Bottle Hill Recording. He is a total gear-head and over the last 10 years has been paying close attention to our recording sessions, on forums, doing research, building his home studio and now we have everything we need.
Shawn: Being able to record ourselves has its pros and cons. The benefit is we’re not on a strict timeline and can experiment more. The downside is leaving things open ended can often lead to second guessing yourself.
This year we recorded and released the most music we ever have between these two EPs and a cover of David Bowie and Queen’s Under Pressure for a compilation. It’s been freeing to record when we want and how we want. It’s allowed us to experiment and add harmonies, synthesizers and percussion without having to worry if we’re on the clock.
How does the dynamic between band members influence the creative direction of your music?
Kate: This is cool to think about. Most of the songs usually start with Shawn and myself, we’re very open and able to bat ideas back and forth to create the structure of a song. We’ve been doing it since day 1, so our line of communication is strong and wide open. Additionally we go see live music together a fair amount, we like a lot of the same bands and are always introducing each other to new music. I think that influences our collaboration and creative direction a lot. As our rhythm section, Kyle and John are very connected. More often than not, during a practice they’ll collaborate on a section of a song without even discussing it. It’s like they’re reading each other’s minds. Kyle is my brother, and while he only joined us in 2021, I’ve been surprised with how in-step he and I are when it comes to the arrangement of things. A lot of times if one of us makes a suggestion, the other was thinking of that or something along the same lines. All of these mini dynamics contribute to the whole.
Has celebrating a decade together changed the way you approach risk-taking in your music?
Shawn: I think being together this long has allowed us to be more honest with each other and collaborate more. When we first started I think we all were a bit hesitant giving feedback or tossing out ideas. Now it feels like the complete opposite! When we get together everyone puts their stamp on the song and we often will try things from different angles until the song feels right. We’ve had more than a few songs over the years that we tried different ways but never felt they landed and that’s ok too. We’ve learned when to push things and when to let the process naturally happen.
Are there any songs or ideas from this EP that pushed you outside your comfort zone?
Kate: For me it’s Sirens, specifically the vocals. For years in previous bands I was always told I was too quiet, so when we started this band I made it a point to be loud. I think for a while I thought that meant singing as powerfully and hitting as many high notes as I could, but with these last two EP’s and with Sirens in particular, I wanted to play with both my lower register and my head voice, trying to balance out the quiet and loud moments to generate more emotion.
Shawn: Top Five was a tough one for me. I wanted to create tension in my playing that matched the lyrics so that one definitely was one that pushed me a bit.
John: Top Five pushed me. I tried to put parts together that matched the vibe of the song. I wanted to put drums on there with little subtleties baked in to each verse and chorus..so if you just listened to the drums only for a couple seconds, you could tell where you were in the song. I try to do that in most songs, but this one was extra!
Kyle: I would say When We’re Gone definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone. It’s one of the few songs we have that features all of us on vocals, and I am not much of a singer. I’d much rather hang in the background and let my playing do the talking for me. When the idea was initially conceived, I was not too thrilled by it. However, regarding the feel, vibe, and overall meaning of the song, it works perfectly and adds so much to the EP as a whole!
What emotions or experiences do you hope listeners carry with them after spending time with There Is No Arrival Vol. 2? Kate: The songs are all about different things, but I think they all fall under the theme of overcoming. I hope that whatever hardship it is people are identifying with when they listen, they’re also feeling the defiance, the persistence and perseverance, whatever it is they need to push through.
New Jersey songwriter Mourning Coffee returns with “Winter Whispers” a soft and introspective single written for the winter solstice. Rooted in folk tradition and wrapped in a dreamlike haze, the song captures the stillness of the year’s longest night, when reflection feels unavoidable and time seems to slow.
Featuring Eric Contractor, “Winter Whispers”unfolds gently, guided by warm acoustic textures and subtle string arrangements that give the song an almost floating quality. Mourning Coffee’s vocals sit close to the listener, carrying a sense of nostalgia and quiet yearning that feels deeply personal rather than performative.
The track leans into restraint, allowing space and silence to play a meaningful role. Rather than building toward a dramatic climax, the song lingers, mirroring the emotional pause that comes with the turning of the season. It is music meant for solitary walks, dim rooms, and moments of inward focus.
Formerly the frontman of touring band The Foxfires, Mourning Coffee has steadily moved toward a more intimate sound in his solo work. Previous releases like Introvert/Extrovert and RETROGRADE laid the groundwork for this shift, but “Winter Whispers” feels especially distilled, focused more on mood than momentum.
Written with the winter solstice in mind, the song reflects both endings and quiet beginnings. It is a gentle reminder that even in the darkest stretch of the year, there is comfort in stillness and beauty in waiting.
Brooklyn, NY/Toronto, ON indie pop/new wave duo The Dream Eaters return with their new album Year End Report. A collection of their singles from 2024 and 2025, framed as a tongue-in-cheek yearbook, the LP is a self-portrait of a band who thrives on bending reality, blending humour with tightly crafted indie pop, and turning the bizarre into something undeniably catchy.
Year End Report is helmed by the gleefully outrageous lead single, “3D Printer” (Vagina Version). Equal parts electro-pop, synthwave, and surrealist humour, the song takes the band’s signature absurdism to a new high (or low, depending who you ask), imagining a future where 3D-printed vaginas are just another everyday convenience and turning that concept into a shimmering, danceable bop.
“We wrote ‘3D Printer’ in 2024 and made a social media video for it that used the lyric ‘I’m gonna 3D print your vagina with my 3D Printer,’” says Jake Zavracky (vocals/guitar/programming). “When we released it in 2025, we subbed in the word body instead of vagina. Our fans demanded the full vagina version, so here we are.”
Part tongue-in-cheek futurism, part deadpan earnestness, the track stands out within the duo’s catalogue not only for its title but for its balancing act: glossy pop production paired with a lyric no one was expecting. “It’s not a lyric you’d normally hear sung with this sort of tune,” adds Zavracky. “It’s an electro-pop synthwave song about the future, when people will be able to 3D print vaginas.”
Stylistically, the band leaned fully into the contrast. “We wanted a super pop song that would make people dance and also laugh – preferably at the same time.”
Modern Mystery 
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