If Madilyn Mei’s music has always felt like a handwritten diary entry passed across a high school lunch table, her latest single, “What’s Going On?!”, might be the doodle-covered cover. Released May 16, this track finds Mei deepening her indie-folk bedroom pop roots while leaning into more experimental territory, complete with alien metaphors and a healthy dose of existential dread.
Produced and mixed by Scrawny and mastered by Joe Hutchinson, “What’s Going On?!” captures the disorienting experience of trying to “fit in” when you feel like you were dropped onto Earth from another planet. The track opens with an eerie, circus-like intro and transitions into a whimsical, layered soundscape that blends plucky acoustic strings with jittery synth textures. Mei’s voice, delicate yet resolute, delivers lines packed with metaphor, self-deprecating humor, and quietly devastating insight. Lyrically, the track dances on the edge of absurdity and melancholy, a balancing act Mei pulls off with signature flair. It’s the kind of track that makes you laugh, cry, and spiral into a late-night identity crisis, all within three minutes. It’s a story of trying to belong when you feel unrecognizable to yourself and others, a meditation on loneliness that’s somehow comforting in its honesty.
The music video, streaming now on YouTube, takes the song’s surreal undertones to new heights. In it, Mei appears as a claymation alien, amplifying the song’s themes of disconnection with a dose of off-kilter whimsy, with some circus aesthetics lurking not far behind. Her current website and Instagram bio, complete with a circus tent emoji, only add to the intrigue. Could this be the first clue of a larger, thematically cohesive project on the horizon? If so, we’re buckling in.
If you’re new to Madilyn Mei, you might recognize her from viral tracks like “The Milk Carton”, “Partner in Crime”, or “Blue Haired Boy”, all beloved for their vivid storytelling and genre-defying charm. The Arizona-based 22-year-old singer-songwriter has been quietly redefining what bedroom pop can be. Known for her poetic wordplay, genre-blending arrangements, and storytelling flair, Mei has released a debut album, three EPs, and a steady stream of singles, all written and recorded from her bedroom. Her work is intimate yet imaginative, weaving together deeply personal themes with a touch of magic that feels just left of reality.
And now, she’s taking that world on the road. Mei is slated to open for AJR and others on tour this July. It’s a major step forward that speaks to her growing influence and genre-crossing appeal.
TOUR DATES: 7/20 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre 7/22 Salt Lake City, UT Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre 7/24 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre 7/26 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 7/27 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre 7/29 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre 7/31 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center 8/6 Camden, NJ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion 8/8 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre 8/9 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center 10/4 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
“What’s Going On?!” isn’t just a catchy new track. It’s a question, a cry, and a cosmic shrug all in one. It’s for the alienated and the awkward, the overthinkers and the dreamers, and anyone who’s ever left a party wondering if they said too much or not enough. Stream “What’s Going On?!” now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, Pandora, and wherever else you soundtrack your identity crises. If this is just the opening act of her circus-themed era, we’re bracing ourselves for a wild, wondrous ride.
There’s something deeply cathartic about shouting into the void with a guitar, and Boston’s indie rock band Hallelujah The Hills knows exactly how to do it. Their new single, “It’s Undeniable”, out May 23rd, is the equivalent of both a pep talk and an existential crisis at once. And honestly? That balance feels about right.
“It’s Undeniable” is loud in the best way. It’s raw, it’s full of distortion, and it barrels forward like a train that may or may not be on the tracks anymore. Which, to be fair, might be the most accurate depiction of how life feels in 2025. It’s a song for driving too fast or dancing in the living room, blending lo-fi garage fuzz with a driving rhythm and a vocal delivery that teeters between frantic and hopeful. It captures that exhilarating mix of chaos and clarity that makes us feel truly alive.
But the chaos is calculated. This is the latest release from DECK, Hallelujah The Hills’ wildly ambitious 54-song project that spans four albums and reimagines what an “album” can even be. Each record corresponds to a suit in a deck of playing cards, and if that sounds intense, it’s because it is. But it’s also fun. Conceptual. Weird in the best way. “It’s Undeniable” functions as both a punchy standalone and a breadcrumb on a trail that promises to twist, burn, and break expectations before building them back up again.
Frontman and author Ryan H. Walsh leads the band through this musical labyrinth with the confidence of someone who’s read every instruction manual, thrown it away, and decided to build something better anyway. Hallelujah The Hills doesn’t just write songs, they build experiences. And this one? It’s fiery and fast and full of life, even in its most unhinged moments.
If you like Silver Jews, Titus Andronicus, The Wrens, or just songs that make you feel like sprinting down the street yelling your truth at the moon, this one’s for you. “It’s Undeniable” is streaming now on YouTube and SoundCloud. And if this is just one card from the DECK, we absolutely can’t wait to see the full hand they’re about to play.
We’ve got less than a month until Nashville’s Buick Audra releases her latest, self-produced, full length project, titled ADULT CHILD. While we wait for that genius, the newest single off that album, “It All Belonged to Me,” and its accompanying video are now available.
She sings the song with a strength in the vocals and conviction in each lyric. The track itself was written to answer a question Buick Audra is often asked, if she ever returns to Miami, where she grew up. Explains Buick Audra:
I’m from this singular, weird, incredible place in the middle of the ocean, but my time in Miami was so informed by being moved back and forth between there and Boston, being claimed and unclaimed by assorted parental figures, and being mad to feel like I took up too much space… Miami belongs to me, even from here, and so does my kid self. It’s a reclamation, if a wildly bittersweet one.
“It All Belonged to Me” is a self-reflective piece about attachment and belonging to a place, another piece of this gorgeous concept album full of awareness and presence of mind. In the video, Buick Audra is basked in warm lighting, forefront to a blank wall or projector, as different images and moving art is cast over her. About the video, she expands:
This video was both beautiful and painful to put together. I gathered all of these pics of me taken in Miami between the ages of fifteen and about twenty-three, and they became the opening backdrop. I wanted the video to be about Miami from a distance, so Jerry looked for stock footage from the last 50 years and made that into the landscape both behind and on me as the song progressed. It was quite emotional to deliver the lyrics with the palms covering my face and body. Like an abstract baptism.
Video directed by Buick Audra & Jerry Roe | Video shot & edited by Jerry Roe | Written & produced by Buick Audra (Buick Audra Music, BMI) | Recorded by Justin Francis & Buick Audra | Mixed by Kurt Ballou at GodCity, Salem MA | Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, Portland OR | Buick Audra – guitars & vocals | Kris Donegan – guitars | Jerry Roe – drums & percussion | Lex Price – bass
In what seems to be a continued, conscious effort for all the musician babes to bring ultra-poppy tracks to the masses for a summer of community and fun, Kesha has launched her new single “Boy Crazy” into the universe. Yes, the monotonous drawl of her vocals is very AI, very chic, and very modern. But Kesha’s cute shrieks and the quick pace make it feel like the next natural step in the progression of pop-synth tracks like “I’m A Barbie Girl.” Her vocals are concerted yet delicate, she is on a concerted hunt and we are along for the ride.
Coming off exhilarating and incredible performances at both Coachella and Stagecoach, Kesha is ready for the new trio of tracks to catch fire in direct anticipation of her highly-anticipated upcoming album . (PERIOD). 2024 brought her back into rotation with Kesha’s “Joyride” and on Charli XCX’s “Spring Breakers,” and helped Kesha bring more of her quintessential “I couldn’t care less” attitude back to the forefront of pop culture.
July 4th is about to pop off (for all the right reasons) with the release of . (PERIOD). Get your first listen to “Boy Crazy” below.
KESHA – LIVE 2025 MAY 29 – Glasgow, UK – House of Kesha @ O2 Academy 1 (SOLD OUT) 30 – Manchester, UK – House of Kesha @ Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
JUNE 1 – London, UK – Mighty Hoopla † † Festival Performance
KESHA & SCISSOR SISTERS: THE TITS OUT TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2025 JULY 1 – West Valley City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre ^ 3 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre ^ 5 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum ^ 6 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre ^ 8 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion * ^ 10 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ^ 12 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre ^ 13 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre ^ 15 – Nashville, TN – Riverfront Park – Ascend Amphitheater ^ 16 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center ^ 18 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center ^ 19 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre # 21 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage # 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden * 24 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center # 26 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake # 28 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center # 29 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann # 31 – Buffalo, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater #
AUGUST 2 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater # 3 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek # 5 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion # 7 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre # 9 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre # 10 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre #
Jessie J is known for her incredible vocal range and control. Every song she releases is pure magic in some way, a testament to her musicality and the way she emotes in this world. This is no different for her brand new single “Living My Best Life,” which she enthusiastically shouts from the streets in the visual and accompanying teaser.
In the last few years, this woman has realized her lifelong dream of being a mother. She weathered many storms – including career obstacles and a relatively public miscarriage – to be where she is right now, poised for greatness with her second single of 2025. And this single does nothing but breathe life into its listener.
But the best part about it? “Living My Best Life” was written, recorded, and mastered around 5 years ago, and the music video was even shot for it 4 years ago… all before the last few years transpired. Four years ago, she was set to release this gorgeous track and then suffered a larynx injury from a car wreck, rendering her unable to perform the way she wanted to.
Life got complicated. She kept this anthemic masterpiece in her pocket, and now she gets the chance to “dust it off.” “Living My Best Life” gets the celebration it so rightly deserves — and truly sets the tone for a summertime of living it up, going after what you want, and simply letting the sun shine all over your face.
Jessie J shows us what the power of storytelling can do for people. Keep up with the queen here.
Future Islands creates synth-pop that helps us to disconnect from reality — and sometimes become more connected to ourselves. Seeing them live is an experience unto itself, and we were lucky enough to check them out last week on their stop through Kansas City, Missouri. The Madrid is a beautiful, historic theater that was the perfect backdrop to this lineup.
If I’m being honest, any female artist wielding a song with the title “Causing Trouble Again” was going to pique my interest. If nothing else, I am an unashamed feminist and broad supporter of women who speak up and speak out. And while her sophomore album Trouble won’t be released until July, the indelible Gina Birch has unleashed a single with just that name — and just that energy.
Post punk is, perhaps, one of my favorite genres. Watching a group of women have so much fun causing mischief and standing in their power is, honestly, the best part and the point for me. But once you know the reasoning behind the visuals themselves – and the metaphorical connections that were discovered as the concept came together – you may find yourself falling in love with Gina.
After hearing Bob Dylan sing about a white ladder all covered with water, I became obsessed with white ladders. I decided to use five white ladders, three with seven rungs…I realized later that this references Jacob’s Ladder and a connection from Earth to heaven, but I think I was thinking of ladders as a symbol of getting on, getting up. I wanted to have a choreographed movement with four of us with these ladders. How do we move with ladders? Do we move together, do we fight, do we dance?
I also wanted to reference the wind scene from the film, The Colour of Pomegranates, and to include as many artist women from the Women in Revolt exhibition as I could. I wanted them to be troublesome, or just to shout ‘Causing trouble!’ I ended up inviting all the artist musician women I knew who could make the shoot, and it was a fantastic meeting of great women, many of whom had never met each other before.
Get your first peek at the video below.
Keep up with Gina Birch here, and catch her on one of her upcoming tour dates.
GINA BIRCH – NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2025 (All Dates w/ Miki Berenyi Trio) JULY 16 – London, UK – Rough Trade East In-Store OCTOBER 10 – Washington, DC – Pearl Street Warehouse 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg 12 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair 13 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz PDB 15 – Toronto, ON – The Great Hall 16 – Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag 17 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall 18 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club 20 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge 21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge 23 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre 24 – Vancouver, BC – Hollywood Theatre 25 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios 27 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall 28 – West Hollywood, CA – The Roxy Theatre
Psych/punk rock is experiencing a renaissance, and Los Angeles-based Frankie and The Witch Fingers are riding the wave. Ahead of their album’s June 6th release date, they have dazzled us with a particular head-bobber, a track called “Dead Silence” that is anything but. The track actually feels a little more surf rock in places, with obvious 70s flare.
The track is relatable, addressing anxiety, existential dread, and reminds us of the unrelenting amount of information and pure insanity that envelopes us all. The anxious energy of the lyrics is reflected in the composition, something you can blast from your car on a sunny day.
The band’s anecdote about this particular song is enthralling:
This one’s got a nice little origin story. We played a festival in Boise with Spacemoth, Maryam Qudus’ brainchild, and met her for the first time there. Cut to a year later, and she’s deep in the guts of this record – producing, engineering, twisting knobs, and arranging sounds with us.
On the flight home from that Boise show, Josh threw on the Spacemoth album for the first time and got his brain microwaved. He also recorded the plane taking off, just on a whim. That roar ended up in the bridge of DEAD SILENCE. It’s a nice crusty texture, but it also weirdly bookmarks the start of it all.
Maryam’s all over this record. She sings, plays, distorts, haunts – leaving smudges on everything in the best way. She rules, and we were happy to accidentally mark the occasion sonically with a little jet-engine weirdness.
FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS ON TOUR 2025 5/16 – Nijmegen, NL – Sonic Whip Festival 5/17 – Diksmuide, BE – 4AD 5/20 – Lyon, FR – Épicerie Moderne 5/21 – Biarritz, FR – Atabal 5/22 – Rouen, FR – Le 106 5/23 – London, UK – Wide Awake Festival 5/25 – Berlin, DE – Desertfest 5/27 – Cherbourg, FR – Le Circuit 5/28 – Brighton, UK – Daltons 5/30 – London, UK – Shacklewell Arms ^ 5/31 – Bristol, UK – Strange Brew 6/01 – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds 6/05 – Berlin – New York, NY ^ 6/07 – Permanent Records Roadhouse – Los Angeles, CA ^ 7/15 – Felton Music Hall – Felton, CA ° 7/16 – The Chapel – San Francisco, CA ° 7/19 – The Den – Portland, OR ° 7/20 – The Pearl – Vancouver, BC ° 7/23 – Shrine Social Club – Boise, ID ° 7/24 – Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT ° 7/25 – Mesa Theater – Grand Junction, CO ° 7/26 – Underground Music Showcase – Denver, CO 7/27 – Sister Bar – Albuquerque, NM ° 7/29 – Hotel Congress – Tucson, AZ 7/30 – Rebel Lounge – Phoenix, AZ ° 7/31 – Swan Diver – Las Vegas, NV ° 8/01 – Belly Up – Solana Beach, CA ° 8/02 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA ° 8/31 – Bumbershoot Music Festival – Seattle, WA 9/19 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY * 9/20 – First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia, PA * 9/21 – Songbyrd – Washington, DC * 9/23 – Grey Eagle – Asheville, NC * 9/24 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA * 9/26 – Chelsea’s Live – Baton Rouge, LA * 9/27 – Dan Electros – Houston, TX * 9/28 – To Be Announced – Austin, TX 9/29 – Tulips – Fort Worth, TX * 10/1 – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL * 10/2 – Turf Club – Minneapolis, MN * 10/3 – X-Ray Arcade – Cudahy, WI * 10/4 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH * 10/5 – Third Man Records – Detroit, MI * 10/7 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON * 10/8 – Foufounes Électriques – Montréal, QC * 10/9 – Oxbow Brewing – Portland, ME * 10/10 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA * 10/11 – Lark Hall – Albany, NY * ^ – intimate album release show ° with Iguana Death Cult * with Population II
Bracing for the impact of their sophomore album “Couple(t)s,” independent North Carolina duo Couldn’t Be Happier – expertly comprised of soulmates Jordan Crosby Lee and Jodi Hildebran Lee – share supportive and audibly satisfying single “I Got You.” The lyrics are encouraging, something to send to a friend or family member that may be going through a hard time. Because life is hard enough as it is, and this duo has no problem acknowledging that.
The song itself is truly upbeat, so even lines like “screw your parents, you don’t need them to approve” feel light and supportive. Of the song, the band explains:
Life is hard enough. Let’s not let millionaire podcasters and right wing TV hosts turn us against our neighbors. The song emphasizes that this is not about politics – it’s about humanity. Let’s celebrate our differences and the beautiful, vibrant world we can create if we work together to make it so. Life is too damn short to waste hating people for who they love, where they come from, or how they identify.
We are obsessed with their message, entranced by “I Got You,” and fully excited to hear the rest of this dynamic album.
