The credit belongs to the woman who is actually in the arena: Crystal Rose, the pop singer-songwriter based in Kansas City, Missouri. Her three-track hip-hop and rap EP is the perfect anthem to empower people’s spirits during these unprecedented times. In a time when our screens are flooded with news about COVID-19, police brutality, and racial injustice, our defenses are up and we go out into the world treating it as an arena.

Sonny Falls’ Ryan “Hoagie Wesley” Ensley embodies that spirit with the songwriting project’s newest single, “Plasma Kids.” Make no mistake, this is a track meant to be listened to sitting down, because it’s musical storytelling at its independent finest.

Be prepared to open up a slot on your vibin’ playlist, because Gabrielle Grace released her third single today, titled “We’ll Be Alright.” The track is a folk pop song with a real Maggie Rogers essence that bleeds in, what with her singer-songwriter, banjo-folk early identity blended with a bit of electronic dance music and mainstream pop. With “We’ll Be Alright,” Grace has achieved her place in the music scene, cementing the fact that she belonged here all along.

Dripped in Nostalgic Black Culture and queer representation, Saki Nosaki delivered all the best parts of the early 2000s: Black culture, amazing styling and Black kinship. It’s hard not to think of the iconic movie, ATL- modern fashion with a southern flare and pro skaters sharing space on the rink. Saki took it a bit further though and added the queer representation that has always been missing.

Immediately, the listener is transported to a different era, somewhere between the 60s and 70s smooth jazz fusion and folk fervor in this track. While the lyrics explore the floating isolation one feels when a love is lost, the song is grounded in a foundation of a consistent but subtle use of percussion and the trill of a saxophone throughout. Wren is actually rather clever and ironic in his articulation of lost love with “The Earth Is Flat.” Instead of describing the loss of love in the quintessential way we recognize it through heart-wrenching ballads of pain and misery, Wren comes at it through a different lens.

“#1 Summer Jam” feels like the kind of song that would best be heard live—a leading lyric of the chorus is “a song to connect you to your fellow man.” The energy of the band and song beg for a live audience. The expressive lyrics are full of—what I can only imagine is—how a band feels when they are starting off their set. The energy is high, and everyone is optimistic about the #1 summer song they will be releasing.

Enter into the soundscape of Sonny Falls—it’s quick. You’re thrust into their garage space as the electric guitar riffs in the background. The anthemic alternative rock with a hint of punk essence is a familiar energy. Listening to Sonny’s latest single, “Roses Rotting In Your Glass,” feels like going to a house party—you know the one where a friend of a friend invites you and you become lost in a sea of strangers who want nothing but to escape into a boundless world.

The album was recorded live at Wholesome Studio B3 in Chicago, and it carries the energy of the band straight to the listener. In full psych-rock tradition, this is a band that deserves to be heard live. But, live shows have had to be put on hold for the moment. Therefore, a live recorded album will have to do.

Hollyy’s upcoming EP, Miss the Feeling, highlights the feelings of heartbreak while simultaneously flipping the narrative around on the listener. Their newest single “Wondering Why” is no different. Instead of being heartbroken, you’re the one who leaves.

Imagine, if only for a moment, that you had access to a time machine. You could go anywhere, any place, at any point in time, and do whatever you please. I’m fairly confident there’s one place where most wouldn’t go: 2020.

As I’ve said before—in my coverage of Wyatt Waddell’s song “FIGHT!”—there is profound hope and gratitude for the Black artists that have taken this time to create something for their community, to truly serve them and feed them while reflecting upon the times we are all entrenched in. This August, the lead guitarist in Wyatt Waddell’s band and the Original Chicago Blues All-Stars has achieved as much. Michael Damani has reminded us that this fight is not over in a new record lush with swanky guitar riffs and a softened blend of reggae and blues.

For the last year or so, I have become so desensitized to its horror stories that I often forget to search for the incredible individuals who overcome the current prison structure. Manny 10x is one of those incredible individuals. He took a soul crushing place and turned it into a garden of creativity, one that blossoms with positivity.

“Something Special” is a fun pop song handling themes of love, friendship, and self expression. The lyrics paint a picture of a ‘we’ where the top priority is time spent together. Labate emphasizes those special attributes that are found in someone you care for.

There is nothing more delectable, and dangerous, than falling in love. Ifeanyi Elswith candidly captures this conundrum with her latest single “XO.” It’s a dreamy, pop-infused track full of poetics and wit.

Growing up with parents from Louisiana, I was encompassed by the rich jazz of Miles Davis, Wynton Marseilles, Stanley Clarke, and countless others. Because of this I now have such a love for this music that my chest swells when I hear it’s tune.

I have never felt as tired in my twenty years of life than in these past three months, these past two weeks especially. It is an exhaustion that is not foreign to me, but has been magnified by the images of black bodies beaten from blue, thrown unto the ground, poisoned in the face—assaulted in every thinkable way. I have struggled to find pockets of joy or even a semblance of peace within myself as I am traumatized every time I turn on my television or swipe up on my black phone screen.

This is what rebirth sounds like, a cinematic revelation into the beauty of self, the elegance of proprium, the sexy grace of peace in the mind and soul. While this may have been the journey of acquiescence, she is no longer a castaway object to be violated and used by the rough hands of life. Rather, she has let go of the notions that she must be changed to fit within a stranger’s standard for subsistence.

The body, while listening to music, has a multitude of reactions. Goosebumps, shivers, tears, smiles, happiness, and dancing--just to name a few. Turns out, when you really like a song, the music has a way of literally moving through you. A song enters your ears, moves through all four major brain lobes and triggers physical and emotional reactions through the entire body. This process explains why music has been so impactful throughout our lives. In fact, because these sensations are uniquely correlated to music, I argue that I may not be able to live without it.

A Binky recently released their debut single, Sunlight. We spoke with Dallas native about hip-hop, Dallas hip-hop scene, and Mac Miller. You can hear A Binky’s debut single here, along with some of our favorite songs.