At just 17, Zoey Madison’s debut EP Electric bursts with the kind of energy that only comes from someone discovering the full power of her voice. It’s bright, emotional and impeccably crafted but what really stands out is Zoey herself – a powerhouse vocalist with a four octave range.
The title track, “Electric” sets the tone with a burst of shimmering pop that captures the dizzy rush of new love and the desire to make it last forever. There’s a touch of cinematic romance in the lyrics, a nod to Romeo and Juliet and a pulse of teenage recklessness but it’s all grounded by Zoey’s voice. She sings with a sincerity which, for any artist is a tricky balance let alone one at the very beginning of their career.
From there, she takes listeners deeper. “Scars” is the emotional centerpiece. It’s a sweeping ballad that strips everything back and lets Zoey’s voice carry the story. Opening with the haunting line “Be gentle, I bruise easily,” the song builds to an almost cinematic release, closing with a whistle tone.
“Move” lightens the mood with its more laid back groove and glowing guitar textures. This is the kind of song that is like summer in motion – a gentle push towards joy and possibility. Zoey calls it “a reminder to take action and embrace happiness”, and you can hear this spirit when she sings “I’m no longer seeing in blue, I’ve got technicolor dreams coming true.”
The EP closes with “Lullabies,” which is a soft, introspective track. It’s about holding on to love that’s already slipped away, and it shows a different side of Zoey – quieter and more restrained. The harmonies swell and shimmer, wrapping around her voice.
Electric may be Zoey Madison’s first project, but it is truly a statement of her talent. She is not chasing trends or hiding behind production; she is leading with emotion, honesty and a voice that refuses to be ignored.
Whether she’s belting out joy or whispering heartbreak, there’s an undeniable spark running through everything she sings.
There’s a quiet poetry in the way “Nefasphere” came to life. Fifteen years ago, in a college classroom in New Jersey, a young Ethiopian musician named Mikael Seifu met Ben Neill, a composer already known for his experiments with the Mutantrumpet, a hybrid instrument that fuses brass performance with electronic control.
Seifu was a student then, and was just beginning to shape what would become his signature sound: a fusion of ancient Ethiopian tonalities with the pulse and texture of global electronic music.
Neill was the professor, an emerging artist who had already collaborated with the likes of David Behrman, John Cage and La Monte Young.
Fast forward to 2025, and the conversation that began all those years ago has evolved into Nefasphere. The word nefas, from Amharic means “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit” and it’s an apt metaphor for what the music achieves – a flow of energy that moves through both artists, reshaping itself as it passes.
In the Worldwinds Mix, Neill and Seifu create a kind of ambient exhalation with long, flowing tones and circular patterns that expand and contract like the breath itself. Seifu’s electronic grounding draws from the Ethiopiyawi Electronic movement he helped define. It’s meditative yet propulsive, organic yet digitally alive. Neill’s Mutantrumpet threads through this landscape, with its tones resonating like ancient horns re-imagined for a new era. The effect can be felt with the African rhythmic pulse beneath the Western harmonic drift, and yet the music never settles neatly into either world.
The Moire Mix takes the same thematic DNA and refracts it through a more textural lens. Here, beats glitch and shimmer around deeper bass modulations, suggesting the interference patterns from which the mix takes its name. This version is less meditative and more exploratory – a field recording from some unseen interdimensional borderland between Addis Ababa and New York City.
What makes “Nefasphere” so affecting isn’t just its sound, but its story. This is music born from a relationship – teacher and student, mentor and mentee – that has evolved into genuine creative partnership. In Seifu’s own words, the collaboration marks “a rebirth… a reflection of the power of honest mentorship full of mutual respect and insight.” For Neill, it’s the realization of a long held artistic vision to create living, breathing music systems where structure and improvisation coexist in perfect balance.
Both versions of “Nefasphere” invite deep listening. They resist the quick satisfaction of streaming culture, instead unfolding slowly, like a landscape viewed from above. It’s music that rewards patience, music that is unmoored from trends and yet deeply of this moment.
For Seifu, this marks a luminous return following his acclaimed Zelalem EP (RVNG Intl, 2016). For Neill, it continues a lifelong exploration of evolution in his music, from minimalist composition to digital improvisation, from hardware to human breath.
But for both, “Nefasphere” is more than a collaboration. It is a shared meditation on sound as life force, a reminder that in the meeting of air and electricity, something sacred can still occur.
More About Ben Neill
Composer/performer Ben Neill is the inventor of the Mutantrumpet, a hybrid electro-acoustic instrument, and is recognized as a musical innovator who “uses a schizophrenic trumpet to create art music for the people” (Wired Magazine). Using interactive computer technologies, Neill generates unique musical and visual experiences that blur the lines between acoustic and electronic music, minimalism, and visual media. Neill has recorded thirteen albums on labels including Universal/Verve, Thirsty Ear, Astralwerks, Six Degrees, and his own Blue Math label distributed by AWAL/Sony. His first book, Diffusing Music, was released on Bloomsbury Press in 2024.
More About Mikael Seifu
Mikael Seifu is an Ethiopian electronic music producer committed to “Ethiopiyawi Electronic” – a coinage Seifu uses to describe the music he and his peers are producing in Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis-Ababa. Born and raised in Addis Ababa, he moved to the US and went on to study music production & the music industry at Ramapo College of New Jersey, a small school about 45 minutes outside of Manhattan. Here Seifu met a mentor in Ben Neill, the composer and music technologist who trained with La Monte Young. Seifu was inspired by Neill to take serious his calling in music. Mikael’s music does not westernize or electronicize extant Ethiopian music. Instead, Seifu uses Ethio-Jazz’s spirit of brewing estranged styles for his own musical tincturing. Seifu’s passion above all else is to create something befitting of its time, yet “eternally Ethiopian.”
Revvnant’s brand new album Death Drive is a record forged from emotional intensity, political awareness and something of an unflinching reflection on the state of the world.
Across its eight full songs and one experimental interlude, the album explores despair and rage as well as moments of fragile hope, pulling the listener into its atmospheric vortex.
Listen here:
The tracks themselves are as diverse as they are visceral with each one carrying a specific narrative. The opener “Death Cult” lashes out at Christian Nationalism with ferocious energy, while “Horror” functions as a call to action against the rise of American fascism.
“Rise” is a meditation on climate despair, pairing mournful piano with swirling Mellotron, Moog synths and hypnotic drum programming. “Alien World” reflects on the disorientation of the Covid pandemic, whereas “Neukölln” captures the tension between depression and wanderlusting euphoria. Songs like “Rusted Hearts” and “Damascus” witness urban poverty, addiction and cycles of extreme violence across the globe, meanwhile the closing track “Into the Grey” channels the awe and terror of mountains into a sprawling and immersive sonic landscape.
The production on this album is a careful balance between an expansive sound and something more inwardly intense. Schutzman recorded and produced the majority of the album in his home studio, layering piano, synthesizers, drum programming and vocals with a meticulous ear.
Guest musicians include guitarists, bassists, drummers and backing vocalists who all add a depth and texture that enhances the album without overshadowing its overall core vision. All vocals were recorded and the album mixed by J. Robbins at Magpie Cage Studio in Baltimore, and mastered by Paul Logus at PLX Mastering.
What makes Death Drive particularly compelling is its texture and the way it combines different influences. From the brooding and dark atmospherics of industrial and doom, the hypnotic pulse of trip hop, and the melodic sensibilities of dream pop all converge. There is an overall tension throughout between glimmers of beauty and hope, with chaos and doom, hope with despair, all mirroring the human impulses it explores.
Schutzman explains:
“The underlying theme of this album is in the title – Human nature’s fundamental drive toward self destruction, as exemplified by our current world.
David Lynch once said he didn’t like making films with only one genre. I’m the same way with my music. I love for a band like Radiohead is equally important to the inspiration I take from Black Sabbath. The power of Paul Simon’s songwriting has shaped me as much as that of Trent Reznor.
I let all of my influences bleed together, consciously and unconsciously, until they stew into something I hope resembles like originality. The sound can make ‘industry’ people scratch their heads, but I don’t care. It’s who I am musically, and can’t do anything to hide it.”
For listeners willing to engage, Death Drive is an immersive and truly thought provoking journey. It’s music that demands attention, reflection and shows Revvnant’s commitment to intensity and artistic integrity.
About Revvnant
Revvnant is the creation of Elias Schutzman, formerly the drummer for The Flying Eyes and Black Lung. Moving beyond percussion, Schutzman embraced analog synthesizers, drum machines, Mellotron, fuzz pedals and lead vocals to create a project that draws inspiration from trip hop, dream pop, industrial and doom.
Although this is primarily his solo vision, Revvnant often expands into a collaborative collective, featuring contributors on guitar, bass, drums, keys and backing vocals. The project’s first show was a sold out support slot for Orville Peck in 2019, followed by appearances at festivals such as Freak Valley Festival, sharing stages with Black Mountain, High On Fire, and Red Fang.
When MASSEY unleashed his blistering new single “BOOKIN’” it immediately felt like more than just another funk-rock cut.
Co-written with longtime friend and guitarist Charlie Lerant, “BOOKIN'” explodes with blues rock riffs as it tells the story of two lovers racing toward each other and towards tragedy. It’s full throttle passion and heartbreak set to music, a rush of guitars, horns and syncopated rhythms that makes you feel the chase in your bones.
But MASSEY’s vision didn’t stop at the audio. To bring “BOOKIN’” to life visually, he turned to fine artist Lionel Thomas, a painter he has admired for years and who created the artwork for his upcoming debut album Reason for Being.
Thomas’s decision to hand draw each frame of the “BOOKIN’” video in manga style animation is virtually unheard of today. The result is an action drama that mirrors the intensity of the track – a woman on a train, a man in a car, villains, storms, battles and, at the heart of it all, a love story barreling toward a cliff.
We caught up with MASSEY to talk about how “BOOKIN’” was born, and how Lionel Thomas transformed one of MASSEY’s most intense songs into a rare, hand drawn visual experience.
Watch the Official Music Video:
1.Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?
As the lyric writer and singer, as soon as my collaborator on this one, the amazing guitar player Charlie Lerant played each lick, hook and attack of the guitar part he wrote, I knew what this song was about: full-throttle, possessed passion, two people drawn like high powered magnets yet forced to chase, forced to race, towards inevitable catastrophe.
And the first word that came immediately to mind, for the title, and the chorus hook: BOOKIN’!
The general story or arc of the song came to me quickly from there, and the lyrics rolled from the story board I built in my mind.
2. What was the inspiration behind this new video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
Well, the video was the complete work of the visionary fine artist Lionel Thomas.
His paintings are one of a kind. I have been a fan, patron, and owner of his work for more than 5 years. We brought him on to paint the commissioned cover of the soon-to-be-released MASSEY debut album, Reason For Being, dropping in a few weeks on October 24th.
And we were so blown away by the album cover he painted, that we commissioned Lionel, once again, to create what is pretty much unheard of in this moment: a hand drawn manga anime music video for the entire 2 minutes and 44 seconds of BOOKIN’!
I knew he would do the most fabulous job, and gave him free reign to conceptualize, storyboard and present the story he felt matched the energy. So, as Lionel explained to me, he quickly started seeing the story, with story-board outlines in his mind’s eye: – an over-the-top action film, ala Mission Impossible. There’s a train, a heroine, a villain and a hero racing down the highway to catch them.
The heroine fights, the hero races …
They ultimately embrace …
Yet it doesn’t end well …
3. What was the process of making the video?
As it was described to me by Lionel, his conceptualizing of the video was similar to how, as soon as I heard the music from my songwriting partner, Charle Lerant, I felt what the song was about, and then wrote the lyrics.
Lionel told me, after a couple listens to the song, he knew the story he wanted to tell. He saw a Mission-Impossible like action adventure plot line, with a woman as the hero, done in a Japanese manga animation style.
From that vision, he drew more and more detailed storyboards. He presented a draft of a segment, to be sure we liked his progress. Yet we wanted more story development.
After drawing it out more, we worked to be sure the action was syncing with the drama of the music and attack of the song. The result was better than we could have imagined! A masterpiece final product, with classic cinematic-style credits, too! We are out of our mind in love with Lionel’s work, merging the drama of the song with a visual extravaganza, matching and enhancing that drama.
In a world where social media amplifies every trend and grifting scheme, Alex Thomen stands out as a songwriter unafraid to mix sharp cultural critique with wit, musicianship and a touch of irony.
The Nashville based composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist began his musical journey playing piano before earning his Bachelor of Music in Composition at Kansas State University and a Masters in Commercial Music Composition and Arranging at Belmont University. Over the years, he has scored commissions, produced cinematic trailer music, and released a solo piano album all while building a reputation as a studio minded artist with a keen eye for contemporary life.
His latest single “Where Did They Go Wrong?” which is accompanied by a striking music video, showcases that narrative precision and sly humor brilliantly.
In this exclusive interview, Thomen talks about the song’s ironic roots, his decision to “perform” it via video rather than on stage, and the full circle collaboration with longtime friend and director Chase Bartholomew.
1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?
“Where Did They Go Wrong?” explores themes that have become increasingly prevalent in the social media age. In essence, it’s an “anti-grifting” song, but it’s disguised in irony instead of strict, polemic writing. During the writing phase, I approached the lyrics, composition, and pacing as if it were to be performed for a live audience. There’s a minute and a half of setup before the first “punchline” hits – that kind of misdirection is characteristic of live comedy. The problem is I consider myself a studio musician more than a live performer, and I enjoy producing studio recordings of my songs.
My solution, therefore, was to make a music video that essentially captures the visuals of a live, in-studio performance. Those moments where the lyrical delivery is communicating something ironic, facial expressions and body language help drive that point. Irony is best communicated with the eyes – I believe this is why jellyfish are famously unfunny.
2. What was the inspiration behind this new video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
Each topic addressed in the song (manosphere movement, MLMs, alternative medicine) warrants its own in-depth conversation, because the reasons for each one’s existence is culturally complex. My goal was to critique these different trends/movements, pointing out some of the flaws in their ideology. While making it rhyme. While it’s inspired by real conversations and real people, all of the specific characters in the song are made up. I did not have a boyhood friend named Danny.
The lyrics are a self-aware, reductive type of argument – a thorough rebuttal of these beliefs would require more words that I can fit in a song. But I did my best to make it as thought-provoking as possible while keeping it entertaining. Plus, I got to put in lots of words that I’ve never heard in a rock song before. What the song lacks in brevity it makes up for in affectation.
3. What was the process of making the video?
The video was shot at Colorado Sound Studios in Denver, Colorado. It was directed/produced/edited by Chase Bartholomew. He’s one of my best friends from high school (he is also not a self-proclaimed alpha male, not involved in an MLM, and not a practitioner of alternative medicine). In fact, we used to spend our weekends scripting and filming videos – either for school projects or just for fun (we would do this while other guys were getting invited to parties). He ended up studying film and is now a professional videographer. It was kind of a full-circle moment to collaborate again on a creative project. We have also improved in our video-making skills since high school.
I gave him creative control over the video – I’d give thoughts/suggestions here and there, but he’s the expert when it comes to the visual component so I wanted to let him run with his ideas. I think his vision for framing/editing/coloring helps amplify the message of the story. There’s a whole science of how different colors can evoke certain emotions. Chase is a bit of a perfectionist, so he focused on how small details could change the final shot. He focused a lot of his energy on subtle lighting changes to best capture the performance. For Chase, it was a long video shoot with tons of lighting changes. For me, it was a relaxing day sitting at the piano.
There’s a giddy rush to Kenzy Kyx’s debut EP Glitter that is much like a friend pulling you onto the dance floor before you even finish your drink.
Across four tracks she takes the bruises of her twenties – bad love, self-doubt, tiny wins – and spins them into fizzy and defiant pop. It’s pop, but pop with teeth and personality, full of sly jokes and big choruses.
Listen here:
Kenzy’s voice is the glue. It has that grainy warmth that recalls Stevie Nicks in her prime, but she flips it over sleek modern beats that nod to Sabrina Carpenter and Gwen Stefani.
You can hear the path she’s taken. Scribbling lyrics as a kid, falling for poetry in high school, a formative trip to Nashville that convinced her to jump in with both feet. She writes and composes everything herself, which gives these songs a diary entry honesty even when the production is sparkling.
The opener, “Take It Easy” has an easy breezy flow with shimmering vocal harmonies and sets the tone for the EP.
The title track “Glitter” elevates the collection with its shimmering, euphoric soundscape. Layered synths, groovy bass lines and bold melodies create a playful yet empowering anthem about transformation and embracing change. It’s a song that encourages listeners to dance, shine and revel in the beauty of stepping into their own power, blending current pop hooks with subtle nods to timeless disco.
Then there’s Kenzy’s bold cover of No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak.”Rather than a straight copy, Kenzy reimagines the 90’s classic in her own voice – slower, moodier, but still melodic – giving the track a depth that contrasts beautifully with the EP’s brighter moments. Honoring Gwen Stefani’s original while making it fit her sonic world, it reflects the EP’s recurring theme of letting go and moving forward.
Lead single “I’m So Glad” is the obvious standout. It’s a glittery breakup anthem built for shouting in your car with the windows down. But the other songs on Glitter carry the same playful defiance, mixing hooks with a sly wink that makes you feel like you’re in on the joke.
There’s vulnerability here too, but Kenzy has that skill for turning messy feelings into something you actually want to move to.
Glitter stands out and is not a cautious first step by any means. Kenzy Kyx is not just trying to mimic anyone else’s lane. She is building her own, one glitter coated hook at a time, and inviting listeners to come along for the ride.
Modern Mystery 