Mastria

Imagine a vintage video shop at night. The shelves are softly lit with blue and pink light, a TV is playing static, and nobody is watching. That's the world that VHS PANTY RIOT creates with the debut EP, "KISS KISS CUT CUT🔪" Five songs that feel like the soundtrack to an unmade movie. The opening track, "You're Pretty When You Panic", gets started right away. The beat keeps moving, but it feels nervous, like there's something behind you but you don't want to look around. No vocals, but the music speaks for itself. “I Smile You Scream” combines two conflicting emotions. The song is light and somewhat cheerful, but there is a colder, more driving force pushing it forward. What stuck with me was that contrast. It's a real smile that feels almost fake. “Heaven Sent Me a Psycho” dives even deeper into that uncomfortable sensation. The tension and quietness come back in for a moment halfway through. Then it returns with even more force. It's the t...

Imagine a quiet road, with soft yellow streetlights, no sounds other than yours, and a silence that feels almost endless. This is how New Sunday evokes this feeling in “The Empty Street”. It's like a love song composed on a night of sleeplessness, carrying the emotions of that night long after it ended. I was struck with the ease of everything sounding. It's soft guitar and a voice that says exactly what it needs to say. Nothing feels rushed. It doesn't need to impress you. It simply sits next to you, and gradually starts to tell its tale. The vocalist’s voice is measured, as if the words were purposefully selected. It does not sound uncertain. It's as though she's carefully holding onto every emotion. It's a quiet control that speaks more than any big moment. It makes the song feel honest. The song slowly builds as it goes. The emotion doesn't suddenly become strong, but it's building under the surface. A subtle blend of wistfulness and melancholy. It...

Imagine the night sky fading out above with the lights of a city slowly fading below. Things begin to calm down as the plane ascends into the night and goes higher. “Flight 69” is that feeling that R3tro Riq brings. It seems the world shrinks down to just two as the engines' hum surrounds them. What grabs you first is how easy the whole thing sounds. The first was how relaxed they felt. The beat never rushes and the bass never leaves it behind. It's like a heartbeat that is never far away but you can almost forget it's there. The song is very laid back, although there is still a growing sense of energy. My favorite part was the vocals. His voice is gentle, like he's singing to one person rather than a group. It feels like he wants to reach out to someone. It's as if he is sharing something with the other person, something that belongs to the two of them in the song. As the song continues, the layers are added in a natural and smooth way. The different vocal tones bl...

Nashville Exile, “Sing Our Song” was a song that caught me off guard. The bit of chatter at the beginning of the video pulls you right into their world like you're standing in the room with them, and then it's just music. It's quite warm in this one. The vocals are clean and raw with no polish, no affectation. They're not just singing for fun, they're singing because they enjoy it. I find the build of the song is what stayed with me most. It begins slowly and gradually increases until it is like a hug at the end, a good hug. The guitar playing is right at the front, never taking centre stage, and when the organ sneaks in later, it changes the whole vibe without you realising when. I began to wonder how few songs about true love there were that didn't sound maudlin. This one does. Relying on simple, sincere feeling rather than dramatic statements. When the song's essence is right, there's no need for anything ostentatious. The video is a plus too. Knowing...

I was impressed the first time I heard Bureau of Change by Tom Minor. This is a song that I wasn't expecting to find myself laughing in the middle of. I unexpectedly found myself smiling at my speakers without a moment's thought. I don't happen to get that very often. The song begins in one style and continues to alternate. First it's an indie rock guitar sound. Then it turns into a bit of Latin. From then on it seems like a two step. I thought it would take on a style, but it doesn't. I think that's what the song is going for. It is like it is poking fun at those who talk about progress and letting everyone else down. I don't normally listen to songs with a message, but this one doesn't feel heavy. It comes across more like a quiet smile than a lecture. I replayed it as I was washing up and caught myself dancing a little while holding a tea towel. That was when I knew the song had stuck with me. It wasn't just another track that I listened to once a...

I was driving home and playing "Planet B" and somehow missed my turn. This doesn't happen to me very often. This track was so well put together by Energy Whores that I lost focus on what I should have been doing. The song is part of Carrie Schoenfeld's project and it feels steady while gradually escalating. It's like a heartbeat that's gradually increasing in speed. It's not trying to be loud or flashy. It slowly develops its case until you begin to see it. I've heard it about six or seven times and I'm noticing something different every time. I can't hear a small sound or notice a change in the rhythm before. It gives you more when you listen to it carefully, and not all songs do. The lyrics are not serious or pushy, which I was not expecting given the topic. The song doesn't say what to think about the planet. It focuses on the idea that there is another option available when there might not be. That was something that stuck with me. The ...

There's a certain level of pain when you hear yourself in a song. Not in an exciting way, but in a subtle, unexpected way. The first time I heard “Part of the Problem,” it did something to me. I did not expect the direct impact that it had. Rumour Den is a Northern Irish duo, having written together for a long time, and that's reflected in the feeling of this track. Nothing is forced. The music has grown around the words, not over them, and you can hear the choice all the way through. It begins with a sort of push or pressure, as if someone is preparing to say something they have been delaying, and then it becomes quieter and more accepting. AJ Gilmore's voice carries it all and doesn't exaggerate it. It's like a voice that has seen a little bit of this world, that's not trying to be a part of it. It's a tale of a man who believed he was doing a favour for somebody and gradually realizes that he was not. He was only holding things back. That realization come...

I put this on without knowing much about it. When it was done, I simply sat there for a moment and was not quite ready to move on. This is not a common occurrence. Fish And Scale's "Letter from Paulus" is a song like that, one that finds its way in before you're ready to let it in. The music slowly builds up. The piano is the first instrument, followed by the marimba, which gives the piece a warm, almost ceremonial quality. Those two aren't together that often, but it just makes sense. The guitar then joins in without taking over the sound. None of the instruments try to stand out. They all do exactly what the song needs. More than anything, I remembered the voice. Fish And Scale, the project of Roland Wälzlein, sings as if he's been carrying something around for a long time. It begins softly, as though he were talking to himself, and then gradually opens up as the music builds. When it reaches its highest point, there's a bit of roughness in his voice. It...

I wasn't expecting this song to make me laugh. It's weird to say about a rock song, but I was genuinely impressed. Baïki's "KosmoX" came across as a funny sketch with a really good bassline behind it. I played it again immediately after so I could absorb it properly and work out what I had heard. The music is pretty good. The rhythm section keeps things moving, and the guitars aren't overpowering. It seems quite simple at first, but the more you listen, the more little things you pick up on underneath. It's really the vocals that stand out. The singer performs with a straight face, as if he's reading a business plan that he knows is absurd, but he's still reading it. Somehow it works a lot better than I thought. It is sung in French, and I don't really speak French, so I did a bit of research to find out what it meant after I heard the song. The second listen was different. It is about people wanting to leave Earth and destroy another planet ra...

I stumbled upon "Don't Waste My Time (LA mix)," and that's how I find great songs. I don't know why, but I flipped my phone over in the first few seconds to check out what was playing just because of the bassline. It really pulls you in. I didn't even get to the end of the song before I knew it was going to stick with me. 4fro Nick assembles the song in a natural and unforced fashion. The guitars fit nicely next to the bass, and a keyboard plays in and out without bothering anyone. It took me a couple of listens to fully take in the vocal, but it still feels understated. It never rushes. It sounds more like he's speaking to one person than singing to an audience. That gives the song a certain confidence. I changed the track to "Get There Before Noon (LA2 mix)," and the vibe shifted, but it still had a connection. The rhythm section is a little more aggressive, and the guitars are a little more edgy. It moves with purpose, as if it knows exactly w...