Latest Posts

Stella Standingbear – “Mmhmm”

October 8, 2025

Rising rapper and award-winning Lakota artist Stella Standingbear has a lot to celebrate . Since her multiple wins at 2023’s Indigenous Hip Hop awards, Stella has shared the stage with Trippie Redd, gone viral with her music on social media platforms, and even made waves with a memorable showcase of her ancestry and culture in her On the Radar freestyle performance, accompanied by traditional dancers. Bear’s latest track, “Mmhmm” is a nice capstone to all she’s accomplished in recent odds, and is a great new entrant to the celebratory subgenre of hip hop. On a DJ Mustard-esque beat, Stella remembers where she came from, and takes a beat to breathe in all of her recent accomplishments. Her wordplay and storytelling still cut through this catchy beat, culminating in a fitting chorus, “I need a round of applause, I went and beat all the odds.” If you’re digging Stella, check her out[...]

Wild East Radio – “wilder than who”

October 8, 2025

The fellas at Wild East Radio are offering something for every rap fan: High quality bars, interesting and varied flows, and a great relationship with their production. The NYC trio each bring a distinct energy on their latest single, “wilder than who,” leaving us listeners with the age old question, “who’s getting wilder than these guys?” Each rapper’s delivery perfectly adds to production that ebbs and flows between sparse and banging. A couple of piano notes and a smattering of drums sound huge when paired with these guys. Add “wilder than who” to your high energy playlists. “Wilder than who” appears on 2025’s Reset I EP – and the good news for fans of this track is that they crew just dropped a Reset II for your ear teeth to chew on. Checkout “wilder than who” on our underground hip hop playlist, updated every single week.

Whalers – “Scarecrow”

October 7, 2025

The latest from Austin, Texas based Whalers is their apropos for the season, “Scarecrow,” originally conceived by the band in 2011 and forgotten in the shuffle of life (or Dropbox). Legend has it, the band happened upon it in 2023 and recorded it… and here we are now!   The guitar in this track does a LOT of heavy lifting and really drives things forward. Through the magic of layering and effects it feels at parts more like synth than guitar which is always impressive. The decision to keep the vocals relatively untouched for the verses gives the song a nice juxtaposition too. All of this combined together made me feel funny, but a good funny? Like that feeling of walking away after your first kiss with someone special, or you gained arcane knowledge (at what cost?), or a bit of both.   You can hear “Scarecrow” below from Bandcamp[...]

JEEN – “Look What You Did”

October 7, 2025

JEEN continues to build upon her absolutely stellar offerings with “Look What You Did,” recently released in anticipation of her EP For The Romance due out October 30th. It seemingly takes on a funky/freaky David Byrne-esque life of its own, but JEEN, ever the pro, is able to ride the waves and bring the song in for a soft landing. Drums, synth, and a dope bass line bounce around and off of JEEN’s vocals that occasionally turn echoey and it all works exceedingly well.   Be sure to check out our prior coverage of JEEN here (especially “Pour Your Heart“). Judging by her track record, we already can’t wait to check out the rest of the EP and hope that a trip out to Buffalo to perform is in order!   You can hear “What You Did” below from Soundcloud as well as the usual Spotify and Apple Music.  [...]

Lys Allen – “Boyish”

October 7, 2025

“Boyish” is the latest single from Lys Allen and the title track from their new album. It’s a super low key jam that builds up slowly yet surely; mirroring the themes of self-doubt and coming into your own. I know I like to point out a well placed crescendo, but this track definitely sets the gold standard. The last minute or so even has the main and backing guitar playing together instead of separately as had been the case in previous stanzas throughout… *chefs kiss.*   You can hear “Boyish” below from Bandcamp as well as Spotify and Apple Music. Be sure to check out the rest of the album if you enjoyed this offering. I particularly enjoyed “Columbia” as it showcased a different lyrical voice that reminded me of Courtney Barnett or Sonic Youth.   Boyish by Lys Allen

JRoberts – “Celtic Connoisseur”

October 4, 2025

Worlds collide often for rising rapper JRoberts. The Irish-born, Toronto-based artist never strays far from his influences as he’s delivered a steady output of street conscious hip hop throughout recent years. His latest track, “Celtic Connoisseur” highlights what sets him apart as an artist. Fueled by his roots, his demeanor, and his desire for success, JRoberts has built out his own lane and it’s up to you whether you’re in on his journey. His gruff rapping delivery does little to put you at ease, comfortable with the places he’s been and paths he’s crossed. Soulful producer Imperetiv is behind the beat for “Celtic” offering up an expertly chopped sample for JRoberts to muse over. “Celtic Connoisseur” appears on JRoberts recent Shamrocks and Machine Guns project. If you’re feeling like more of JRoberts, check him out on Spotify. While you’re there, take our Underground Hip Hop playlist for a spin and[...]

Pynch – “Hanging On A Bassline”

October 3, 2025

“Hanging on a Bassline is about embracing the chaos, euphoria, and ennui of your late 20s”   Yeah, ok Pynch, not sure you could have clocked us even harder… And while this writer is comfortably past his late 20s now (yuck), I still feel 28ish mentally (ennui included), so “Hanging On A Bassline” was pretty much an autoblog. Lying somewhere on the spectrum between post-punk, indie dance, and new wave, “HOAB” shimmers and shines like a cold, wet street lit by neon lights. The inorganic snare and calculated instrumentals here will sound great on your playlist next to your favorite Interpol, Bloc Party, and/or She Wants Revenge singles.   “Hanging On A Bassline” is available on Spotify and Soundcloud (below).   Pynch · Hanging On A Bassline

bugcatcher – “Hurry”

October 3, 2025

bugcatcher is one of our favorite local acts (check out our AOTW feature on Slacker here), so it’s a no-brainer that we’d feature new single, “Hurry.” Jake Denning does it again, nailing this hazy, indie-folk-emo-slacker hybrid with aplomb. Plodding acoustic guitars are layered thick, boosted by tapped drums and a foggy atmosphere, leaving just enough room for Denning’s emotive voice to peek through in a delightfully low register. This one won’t blow your shorts off with sweaty dive bar energy, but it will surely make you question your existence in the way that only a great bedroom-folk song can… And by now, you should know that’s a good thing, as we’re all insufferably existential in our own ways.   “Hurry” is available now on Raincoated Records. You can purchase via Bandcamp (below), or, on Spotify and Apple Music.   Hurry by Bugactcher

Stinkus – “Plastic Blue”

October 3, 2025

Our friend Stinkus (aka Tyler Thompson) is a frequent contributor to the blog. You shouldn’t be too surprised – we’re about to tell you about how much we like “Plastic Blue,” too. Thompson wrote it “about a day with my fiancé from the perspective of my thoughts and not my actions,” and then mentions that they were “weird times,” but those odd, poignant experiences often return the most hard-hitting work. “Plastic Blue” continues Stinkus’ trend of literate indie/emo in the vein of Oso Oso, The Hotelier, and/or Slaughter Beach, Dog – let yourself get sucked in by the sticky hooks; you’ll end up sticking around for the dank emotions.   “Plastic Blue” is available now. Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube (below).  

The Noisy – “Nightshade”

October 3, 2025

Philadelphia-based act The Noisy pair up indie rock and classic pop on their latest offering, “Nightshade.” Led by poet Sara Mae, The Noisy’s “recipe” is a complicated one – think Spaghetti Westerns, Body Horror, drag, literature, queer community, and home cooking – but they bring it together into something palatable that straddles the line between pop songwriting and independent grit. “Nightshade” would slot in nicely on a playlist that features Hop Along, Perfume Genius, or even Chappel Roan.   Peep “Nightshade” via the Bandcamp embed below. You can find it on Spotify too.   The Secret Ingredient Is Even More Meat by The Noisy

Urge Surfer – Misnomers

October 3, 2025

Urge Surfer, the moody electro-pop project of Jordan Maelyn Smith and Chelsea O’Donnell, are back with their third release, a three-song EP they’re calling Misnomers. Continuing their trend of creating literate music with a well-thought-out thesis, Misnomers picks up where previous release Alphabet Archive left off. Where AA dove into themes of language and self-identity, Misnomers explores “how misunderstandings can lead one through the haze of heartache and awe.”   Smith and O’Donnell’s chemistry is on full display right from the get-go, as lead song “Responsible” dissects relationship ennui. Dark instrumentals become an immediate theme – more of a dirge than a melt-your-face single, “Responsible” pairs a gently-plucked acoustic guitar with bitcrushed electronic drums. O’Donnell’s one-of-a-kind vocal is set off by a feature by Sheena Ozzella of Lemuria fame – about as close to a Buffalo legend as you can get.   “Public Exits” gets a lot grittier – a sludgy bass feature takes center-stage[...]

Pablo Eskobear – “Found You”

October 2, 2025

Grand Rapids beatmaker Pablo Eskobear channels his drumming ability with his knack for finding interesting samples on his lovely new instrumental love song “Found You.” Crate digging served the Bear well on this one. “Found You” is built around a vintage soul love song, chopped into a slightly wonky, heavily evocative instrumental. Pablo plays with both the sample and the drums underneath it, adding, subtracting and manipulating them right when you feel settled in. Maybe it’s in the same way that love keeps you on your toes. Press play and listen to what he pulls out of this sample. If you’re interesting in hearing more production from Pablo, be sure to check him out on Spotify. While you’re there, check out our hip hop playlist where we feature interesting artists in the underground scene.

PB Mogul – “Funhouse”

October 2, 2025

Utica’s PB Mogul is a rapper best known for his gruff delivery and Upstate-street sense. He last graced our pages with the gritty trap anthem “20 on the Stove,” seeing a feature from WNY’s 38 Spesh. His latest, “Funhouse” is 100% PB, 2:48 minutes of venom as he chews up fashion posers, weak rappers, and anyone else he finds within his ironsights. The beat features the trappiest trap snares you’ve ever heard, and that subject is well known to PB too as he references the quality of his work by how happy his customers were testing it out. The best storytellers in rap have truth behind their words, and that’s certainly a core feature of the PB Mogul output. If you’re into this new PB track, check out more of his on Spotify. While you’re there, give our Hip Hop playlist a listen, where we feature new and up and[...]

d$hip – “SLID’N THRU”

October 1, 2025

Up and coming rapper d$hip was sent to “take over the underground” on his latest track “SLID’N THRU.” With relentless flow and swagger, d$hip brings a contagious energy that works on any style of instrumental. This time around, producer STUDIO5’s spun up a dance-y, sample-heavy beat with driving pianos and swirling strings that d$hip finds effortless comfort flowing on. As the beat evolves, d$hip digs in. His vocals could be a freestyle with the charisma he brings – impossible to practice or rehearse. Give it a listen for yourself and see what playlist if fits into. If you’re feeling more from d$hip check him out on Spotify where you’ll find a smattering of recent singles. While you’re there, take a look at our Underground and Emerging Hip Hop playlist – it’s updated every single week with exciting new artists.

Jordan Burgett – “bellies of the beast”

September 29, 2025

Listener beware: The griminess of the beat in this latest single from Cedar Rapids rapper Jordan Burgett will rearrange your face for the day. “Bellies of the Beast” is a little bit of “NOSEstalgia” with a war-ready chorus. It’s an instant classic instrumental for your minimalist, gritty, grimy playlists – and Burgett’s game lyrically, too. He’s not impressed with the industry he’s seen in his chase for acclaim, and he matches the energy of the beat in telling you why. If you’re feeling Jordan, give him a listen on Spotify. While you’re there, take our New and Emerging Hip Hop playlist for a spin – it’s updated every single week with fire new tunes from artists like Jordan.