Harmonie Breeze Makes a Bold Solo Debut With “Ever Again (Acoustic)”
Pink guitar. Star symbol. Powerhouse vocals. The Chicago performer turns a personal song into the opening statement of a bigger pop-rock story.
The pink guitar and star symbol are Harmonie Breeze’s calling cards. Then the voice hits: powerful enough to fill a room, intimate enough to make “Ever Again (Acoustic)” feel personal. As her first original solo single, it puts the artist—not just the image—front and center.
The song starts from a place many people know: the pressure to follow the version of life other people expect. “There can be so much societal pressure to live a life that isn’t yours because it’s what everyone expects,” Breeze says. On the acoustic recording, the arrangement leaves space around that thought and lets her vocal carry the emotional turn—from self-doubt toward the decision to be herself.
Breeze wrote “Ever Again” and produced it with support from her bandmates. Recorded at Studio 2020 Chicago in Wicker Park, the acoustic version puts her songwriting and raw vocal performance up front. The acoustic production does not mute the force in her voice; it brings her phrasing closer, so the stronger moments land as emotional release rather than volume alone. A full-band pop/punk-rock version is planned to follow, opening another side of the song’s sound.
That visual signature is only one part of Breeze’s range. She is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and lifelong performer. She studied guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums; her solo clips range from Stevie Wonder and Fleetwood Mac to Noah Kahan and an acoustic Guns N’ Roses cover. She also plays Molly—the drummer—in the feature film “Beyond Belief.” Onstage, she fronts the touring cover act Harmonie Breeze x Sushi Roll, where she moves across pop, rock, and crowd-ready classics.
That live schedule is already in motion. Breeze’s official calendar lists Sushi Roll shows beginning October 17, 2026, at Blackhawk in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and October 18, 2026, at Anduzzi’s in Green Bay, with more Midwest dates through December. The run closes with four nights at Schooner Wharf Bar in Key West, Florida, December 28–31, 2026. These are band appearances; her solo acoustic bookings are listed separately on her site.
For a label looking for more than a one-song pitch, Breeze offers a clear development story: an instantly recognizable visual identity, songwriting and production involvement, powerhouse vocals, years of live performance, and room to move from acoustic intimacy to full-band pop/punk-rock. “Ever Again (Acoustic)” is the opening statement, not the ceiling. The pink guitar catches the eye; her voice makes the case for signing her.
Listen and find current dates: HarmonieBreeze.com
Eddy Mann’s “Thank You Lord” Reminds Us That the Most Powerful Songs Don’t Have to Shout
By Robert Mitchell
There’s an old truth about popular music that the record business keeps trying to bury: the best songs aren’t necessarily the loudest, the slickest, or the ones with the biggest promotional budgets. Sometimes they’re the ones that tell us something about being alive that we already knew but had somehow forgotten. Eddy Mann’s “Thank You Lord,” arriving November 6, 2026, belongs to that tradition. It’s a modest song with an unusually substantial emotional foundation, and its greatest strength is its refusal to confuse simplicity with insignificance.
Mann, the Philadelphia/Melbourne FL-based Christian singer-songwriter whose career has produced chart-topping singles and numerous industry honors, isn’t breaking new musical ground here. That’s not the point. He’s working within one of the oldest traditions in American music: turning personal testimony into something a community can recognize as its own.
The source material makes that achievement particularly meaningful.
In the summer of 2009, Mann’s mother was keeping a journal filled with prayers, reflections, and expressions of gratitude. She died four years later, leaving those handwritten observations behind. When Mann began revisiting her journals, he discovered that her particular way of addressing God contained its own musical possibilities.
The phrases suggested melodies. The language established rhythms. What began as a private conversation between a woman and her Creator became the foundation for a public expression of faith.
That’s a remarkable transformation, but it also connects “Thank You Lord” to a long American musical history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXFPxAFd-SU
Gospel music has always understood that personal experience becomes powerful when it’s shared. From the earliest spirituals to the great gospel recordings of Mahalia Jackson and the Staple Singers, the essential question wasn’t whether a song demonstrated technical sophistication. It was whether the singer believed what was being sung, and whether that belief could reach somebody else.
Mann’s songwriting operates on a quieter scale, but the principle remains the same.
The lyrics are almost startlingly direct. The singer gives thanks for the blessings, wonders, grace, favor, and mercy of an ordinary day, returning repeatedly to a prayer for God’s loving care. There’s no elaborate narrative, no dramatic theological argument, and no attempt to manufacture an emotional crisis where none exists.
Instead, the song depends on repetition and accumulation.
That approach has obvious risks. Contemporary Christian music too often treats repetition as a substitute for musical development, stretching a simple sentiment beyond its natural capacity. But Mann’s conception is different. These aren’t phrases designed primarily to generate an arena-sized singalong. They’re words drawn from a genuine devotional practice, where returning to the same thought becomes a method of contemplation.
The distinction matters.
Mann has described the recording as a moment captured during the song’s ongoing evolution, rather than a composition locked into some final, supposedly perfect arrangement. That openness reflects an understanding of worship as something lived rather than merely performed.
It also points toward a larger problem in contemporary religious music. Too much of the genre has absorbed the commercial assumptions of mainstream pop without questioning whether those assumptions serve its spiritual purpose. Songs are increasingly designed to deliver predictable emotional payoffs, with carefully calculated dynamics and familiar lyrical formulas.
“Thank You Lord” offers another possibility: a song whose importance comes from the life behind it rather than the machinery surrounding it.
The biblical inspiration, Psalm 118:24, reinforces that perspective. The passage celebrates the day itself as an occasion for rejoicing. Mann’s mother’s journals give that familiar message a human dimension. Gratitude isn’t presented as an abstract religious obligation. It’s something practiced in the middle of ordinary existence.
And that may be the song’s most valuable contribution.
The recording also raises questions about memory and inheritance. We tend to think of musical legacies in terms of famous performers, influential recordings, and historic achievements. But families preserve their own musical traditions, sometimes without recognizing them as such. A parent’s words, a remembered prayer, or a familiar turn of phrase can become a form of cultural inheritance every bit as meaningful as a celebrated songbook.
By transforming his mother’s private writings into music, Mann makes that inheritance audible to others.
As the first single from his forthcoming Dreaming with God album, scheduled for September 2027, “Thank You Lord” establishes an artistic direction grounded in humility and reflection.
It won’t satisfy listeners demanding revolutionary musical innovation or confrontational social commentary. Nor should it have to. Its ambition is different: to preserve an authentic voice, communicate an enduring belief, and make a simple expression of gratitude meaningful beyond the circumstances of its creation.
That’s not a small achievement.
Popular music has always been at its most essential when it helps ordinary people recognize their own experiences in somebody else’s story. Eddy Mann has taken his mother’s words and given them another life.
The result reminds us that some of the most important things music can communicate aren’t complicated at all.
Sometimes they’re only two words.
Thank you.
Bonnie Milne’s “Coco In Motion” Finds the Beautiful Chaos Between a Mother’s Heart and a Son’s Journey
By Jonathan Reeves
There are songs that entertain, songs that inspire, and songs that somehow manage to capture the human experience without uttering a single word. Bonnie Milne’s “Coco In Motion,” arriving October 30th via MTS Records, belongs to that third category. It’s a deeply personal instrumental composition that reminds us that the most powerful musical statements don’t always require a microphone, a screaming guitar, or a larger-than-life personality. Sometimes, all you need is eighty-eight keys, a few extraordinary musicians, and a story worth telling.
And Bonnie Milne has one heck of a story.
Written for her eldest son, “Coco In Motion” is a musical portrait of a young man whose boundless energy and ever-changing life have inspired his mother to translate love, memory, and movement into melody. The composition’s shifting tempos, dynamic contrasts, and subtle key changes reflect the unpredictable nature of growing up, while its instrumental textures capture something even more elusive: the emotional complexity of watching someone you love navigate the world.
It’s not simply a sentimental tribute. It’s a celebration of life’s beautiful disorder.
Milne’s piano provides the emotional foundation, moving through melodic passages designed to suggest everything from youthful exuberance to quiet reflection. Her approach to composition feels cinematic in its ambition, yet refreshingly intimate in its intentions. There’s no need for grand orchestral bombast when the story itself carries this much weight.
And the supporting cast brings a fascinating dimension to the proceedings.
Cellist Kevin Fox, returning to collaborate with Milne, contributes the kind of soulful instrumental voice that can transform an elegant arrangement into something profoundly affecting. The cello has always possessed an almost supernatural ability to suggest human emotion, and Fox’s role here is particularly important. His instrument represents warmth, understanding, and perhaps the quiet wisdom that comes with watching life’s seasons change.
Then there’s Adam Zimmerman, whose contribution on a custom-built soprano guitar offers one of the composition’s most intriguing sonic possibilities. Crafted specifically for Zimmerman by a classical guitar maker, the instrument brings a distinctive tonal personality to the arrangement. Its delicate, silvery brightness serves as an ideal counterpoint to the piano’s fuller resonance and the cello’s emotional depth.
The combination is both unconventional and inspired.
Milne also incorporates additional keyboard parts, enriching the harmonic landscape with countermelodies and layers that reinforce the composition’s underlying theme of perpetual motion. These aren’t merely decorative flourishes. They’re essential pieces of a larger musical narrative, suggesting that even the most familiar lives contain countless overlapping stories.
The recording’s journey through Ontario adds another compelling dimension. Ross Love captured Milne’s performance on his Shigeru piano, along with Zimmerman’s guitar tracks, at his home studio in Orillia. Those recordings were then transferred to Adam Fair at Villa Sound in Collingwood, where Fox’s cello was added and Fair completed the mix.
It’s an intimate collaborative process perfectly suited to the composition’s emotional origins.
What makes “Coco In Motion” particularly compelling is the idea that instrumental music can function as a kind of personal documentary. Without photographs, dialogue, or narration, Milne attempts to capture the essence of a life through sound alone. Every change in tempo becomes a new chapter. Every harmonic transition suggests another unexpected turn. Every moment of warmth or brightness becomes a memory preserved in musical form.
That’s the sort of artistic ambition I admire.
In an industry increasingly obsessed with streaming algorithms, viral moments, and disposable content, Milne’s creative philosophy feels almost rebellious. She isn’t chasing the latest production trend or manufacturing an emotional hook for a fifteen-second social media clip. She’s creating music because something in her life deserves to be expressed.
And there’s a certain rock-and-roll spirit in that authenticity, even when the instruments belong to a completely different musical universe.
Following her recent single “Glimpses,” Milne continues building an impressive body of contemporary instrumental work that has already attracted international attention. Her accomplishments include a No. 1 UK iTunes single with “Perception,” Top 20 radio success with “New Beginnings,” more than 200,000 Spotify streams, and recognition as an ISSA nominee.
But accolades only tell part of the story.
Ultimately, “Coco In Motion” speaks to something far more universal than chart positions or streaming statistics. It’s about the extraordinary privilege of watching another human being discover who they are. It’s about recognizing that love doesn’t mean holding someone still. Sometimes it means standing back, listening, and allowing them to move toward a future you can’t possibly predict.
Bonnie Milne has taken that idea and transformed it into an instrumental work with genuine emotional ambition.
The beauty of “Coco In Motion” isn’t simply that it tells the story of a son. It’s that it reminds us every life has a soundtrack, and sometimes the person who hears it most clearly is the one who loved us first.
“Coco In Motion” releases October 30, 2026, on MTS Records.
MusicPromoToday Opens Holiday Campaign Bookings for New Christmas Songs and Catalog Classics
The agency is taking briefs now for holiday releases and for reviving seasonal catalog across editorial playlists, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, paid media and PR, before the December window closes.
GLOBAL, October 12, 2026. MusicPromoToday, the global music marketing agency, today opened bookings for its holiday campaign season. The agency is working with artists, labels and catalog owners on two kinds of projects: brand-new Christmas and winter songs that need to land before December, and existing holiday recordings that deserve a second life on streaming and short video.
Holiday music behaves differently from the rest of the year. The same songs return every season, holiday playlists on Spotify and Apple Music refresh around the same weeks, and listeners actively search for seasonal music in a way they rarely do in any other genre. That makes the holiday window one of the few times when a catalog track can compete with new releases on equal footing. It also means the window is short. A campaign that starts in December is usually starting too late to shape what fans hear that season.
“Every year we hear from artists in the second week of December who want to push a Christmas song,” said a MusicPromoToday strategist. “By then most of the season’s decisions are made. Playlists have been refreshed, creators have planned their holiday content and ad auctions are crowded with retail brands. The artists who win the holidays brief in October, build assets in November and let the campaign run while everyone else is still scrambling.”
Two kinds of holiday campaigns
For new holiday songs, MusicPromoToday plans the rollout backward from the season: release timing, pitching to editorial and independent holiday playlists, creator seeding on TikTok and YouTube Shorts, and press angles that give media a reason to cover a seasonal release beyond “it’s a Christmas song.”
For catalog classics, the agency treats an older holiday recording as a fresh campaign. That can mean new short-form video assets, an acoustic or alternate version, lyric and visualizer content, and a paid push aimed at listeners who already stream seasonal music. A track an artist released years ago can be reintroduced to a new audience without recording anything new.
What a MusicPromoToday holiday campaign can include
Playlist strategy. Positioning the track for Spotify and Apple Music holiday playlists, editorial and independent. See Spotify promotion.
Short-video creators. Briefing TikTok and YouTube Shorts creators with holiday content ideas, from gift reveals to decorating videos, so the song travels inside formats people already make in December.
Paid media. Targeted campaigns across Meta, TikTok and YouTube aimed at seasonal listeners, scheduled to peak with the season rather than burn out early. See music advertising.
- Seasonal story angles for music blogs, local media and holiday gift guides. See music PR.
Fan capture. Turning holiday listeners into an email and SMS list so the season feeds the next release, not just December streams. See direct-to-fan strategy.
“A holiday song can be an annuity if you treat it like one,” the strategist added. “The goal isn’t one good December. It’s a track that comes back every year, picks up new listeners each time and gives the artist a reason to talk to fans when everyone is listening. That takes a plan across playlists, creators, paid and press, all pointed at the same dates.”
MusicPromoToday has planned campaigns around the release since 2012, across more than 40 markets and more than 3,000 campaigns. Holiday campaigns follow the same approach as any release: know which fans the artist is building, what those fans should do next and when.
Artists, managers and labels with a new holiday single or a seasonal catalog track can brief the team now at musicpromotoday.com/contact. Campaign acceptance is selective, and holiday slots are scheduled in the order briefs are received.
Media Contact: Joshua Primo Media Relations, on behalf of MusicPromoToday https://musicpromotoday.com
About MusicPromoToday MusicPromoToday is a global music marketing agency operating since 2012. The agency builds PR, creator, advertising and streaming campaigns around the release for artists and labels across 40+ markets, with 3,000+ campaigns delivered and selective campaign acceptance. MusicPromoToday is the agency for music promotion, marketing and building a superstar career.
MusicPromoToday strategist comments are agency commentary, not third-party endorsements.
Molly Gone Mad Make Their Debut With Genre-Blending Album ‘Modern World’
Molly Gone Mad make an ambitious debut with Modern World, a 14-track album that blends funk, soul and R&B with jazz, psychedelic textures and dancefloor-ready grooves. Confronting the anxieties of contemporary life, the trio balance social commentary with a more uplifting message centred on love, friendship and human connection.
Rather than becoming consumed by the uncertainty surrounding modern life, Molly Gone Mad channel those concerns into music that celebrates the value of living in the moment. Heavy guitars, hip-hop rhythms and expansive instrumentation give the record a fluid sonic identity, reflecting a creative approach in which musical instinct takes precedence over genre boundaries.
Recorded at London’s Angel Studios and Abbey Road Studios, Modern World represents the culmination of an extensive creative process, with producer Rocco Spaziani Testa helping the trio develop their arrangements over six months. The resulting album establishes a clear artistic direction, combining the energy of their live performances with a broader, more detailed studio sound.
With more than 200,000 streams, seven million combined social media views and performances alongside K.O.G, High Fade and Bare Jams, Molly Gone Mad arrive with growing momentum. Modern World builds on those foundations, introducing a band intent on addressing the complexities of the present without losing sight of music’s ability to bring people together.
On ’16’, Wormogenic Embraces the Tension Between Euphoria and Anxiety
Wormogenic’s ’16’ pairs shimmering dream-pop textures with gritty guitars, driving bass and darker electronic production, creating a compelling contrast between infectious pop melodies and the emotional uncertainty of adolescence. The Florida-raised artist channels personal experiences of isolation and anxiety into a confident, synth-driven track that balances vulnerability with an expansive, anthemic sound.
Inspired by a lonely birthday, ’16’ explores self-sabotage, the challenges of growing up and the fleeting nature of happiness. Drawing on contemporary alt-pop and the atmospheric influence of New Order, Wormogenic combines candid songwriting with polished production, establishing a sound that feels both immediate and distinctive.
As her third single, ’16’ offers a promising glimpse of the artistic direction behind her forthcoming debut EP, ‘Bandaids’. With influences ranging from Chappell Roan to Caroline Polachek, Wormogenic is developing a clear identity within alternative pop, pairing emotionally direct songwriting with memorable hooks and an increasingly assured sonic palette.
DSCH—Shostakovich Ensemble Brings Schubert’s ‘The Trout’ and Dvořák’s Piano Quartet to Life in New LAWO Classics Release
Album: Schubert: Piano Quintet D. 667, “The Trout” / Dvořák: Piano Quartet No. 1, Op. 23
Artists: DSCH—Shostakovich Ensemble
Performers: Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro (piano), Esther Hoppe (violin), Lars Anders Tomter (viola), Christian Poltéra (cello), Tiago Pinto-Ribeiro (double bass)
Label: LAWO Classics
Catalogue Number: LWC1423
Recording Dates: 26–29 October 2025
Recording Location: Reitstadel, Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany
Portuguese Chamber Ensemble Unites Internationally Acclaimed Musicians in a New Recording of Two Cornerstones of Romantic Chamber Music
The DSCH—Shostakovich Ensemble presents a new recording featuring two celebrated works from the Romantic chamber music repertoire: Franz Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667, “The Trout” and Antonín Dvořák’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 23. Released by LAWO Classics, the album brings together an internationally acclaimed group of musicians for a performance that explores the lyrical beauty, expressive contrasts and intricate interplay of these two masterpieces.
Founded in 2006 by pianist and artistic director Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro, the Lisbon-based DSCH—Shostakovich Ensemble has established itself as a prominent chamber music collective, bringing together outstanding performers from across the international classical music scene. The ensemble’s flexible format encourages artistic collaboration and a repertoire spanning several musical periods, from the Classical era to contemporary compositions.
Schubert’s “The Trout” is among the composer’s most recognisable instrumental works. Written in 1819, during a summer visit to the Austrian town of Steyr, the quintet was inspired in part by the suggestion of music patron Sylvester Paumgartner, who commissioned a work using the unusual instrumentation of piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass. Schubert incorporated the melody of his earlier song Die Forelle (“The Trout”), transforming it into a series of five variations in the work’s fourth movement.
The quintet is distinguished by its flowing melodies, lively rhythms and warm, convivial atmosphere, reflecting the circumstances surrounding its creation. Across its five movements, Schubert develops a rich musical dialogue between the instruments, balancing the piano’s expressive flourishes with the resonant foundation of the double bass. The result is a work that captures the composer’s gift for melodic invention and his distinctive approach to chamber music.
The recording also features Dvořák’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 23, composed in 1875 during a particularly productive period in the Czech composer’s career. Following the award of the Austrian State Prize, Dvořák entered a period of intense creativity, completing the quartet in just 18 days. The composition showcases his emerging musical identity through folk-inspired melodies, rhythmic vitality, lyrical passages and distinctive Slavic influences.
Structured in three movements, the quartet moves between reflective passages and energetic musical exchanges. Its second movement, built around a theme and five variations, introduces contrasting moods that anticipate Dvořák’s later exploration of the Bohemian Dumka tradition. The final movement incorporates rhythms associated with the Czech furiant folk dance, bringing the work to an exuberant conclusion.
Together, the two compositions reveal different yet complementary approaches to Romantic chamber music, highlighting the composers’ abilities to create expansive melodies, explore instrumental colours and balance emotional depth with moments of musical exuberance.
The ensemble is led by Filipe Pinto-Ribeiro on piano, alongside violinist Esther Hoppe, violist Lars Anders Tomter, cellist Christian Poltéra and double bassist Tiago Pinto-Ribeiro. Each musician brings extensive international performance experience to the recording, with careers encompassing major concert halls, prestigious festivals, solo performances and distinguished chamber music collaborations.
Since its foundation, the DSCH—Shostakovich Ensemble has performed internationally and appeared in major concert series and festivals across several continents. Its critically acclaimed discography includes the world premiere recording of Dmitry Shostakovich’s complete chamber music for piano and strings, released in 2016, as well as Beethoven’s Piano Trios Op. 11 and Op. 38, released in 2021.
Recorded from 26 to 29 October 2025 at Reitstadel in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany, the album was produced by Vegard Landaas, with Thomas Woldén responsible for balance engineering and mastering. The recording was made possible with support from the Portuguese Republic’s Directorate-General for the Arts.
With this release, the DSCH—Shostakovich Ensemble brings together two defining works of the chamber music repertoire, offering listeners an opportunity to experience the melodic richness of Schubert and the distinctive rhythmic and lyrical character of Dvořák through the ensemble’s collaborative approach.
Follow DSCH—Shostakovich Ensemble
YouTube: https://youtube.com/DSCH – SHOSTAKOVICH ENSEMBLE
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/DSCH – SHOSTAKOVICH ENSEMBLE
Unite The States Project distribute the official music video “Doctor Weasel”
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CattSue Opens the Family Album and Lets the Heartache Sing on Heartstrings and Highways
By Lonnie Nabors
There is something almost defiantly unfashionable about sincerity in music right now, which is exactly why CattSue’s Heartstrings and Highways lands with such force.
This is not a record built around mystique. There are no smoke machines, no carefully manufactured distance, no attempt to convince the listener that pain is glamorous. CattSue comes at these songs from the opposite direction. She names the people. She remembers the places. She opens the family album and points directly at the scars.
Across 11 tracks, Heartstrings and Highways moves through love, grief, motherhood, family memory, resilience, faith, survival and addiction with the emotional directness of somebody who has stopped worrying about whether vulnerability looks cool.
That begins with the record’s relationship to memory.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4ecbSaK5oWvec09LU0zsHu?si=iINOs7R7RjCJBQMNz1mKlw
“A Whisper on the Wind” is rooted in the loss of CattSue’s mother when she was only four and a half years old. What makes the song resonate is not some oversized declaration of grief, but the tiny details that survived it: National Park, New Jersey, photographs, a Mrs. Beasley doll, the frustrating inability to remember exactly what her mother’s voice sounded like.
Those are the things that stay.
“More Time” carries that same ache into CattSue’s relationship with her father. Here, grief arrives through riverbanks, Sunday Eagles games, repeated stories and words of encouragement that somehow continue speaking after the person who said them is gone. It is one of the album’s clearest strengths: CattSue understands that the biggest emotions are usually hiding inside the smallest memories.
Family is everywhere on this record, but rarely presented as simple.
“Little Man” watches a son grow from childhood into adulthood, moving from tiny footsteps down the hall to the moment when the child who once needed his mother becomes the man holding her hand.
Then “Mother’s Heart” turns the picture over.
This is motherhood without the greeting-card filter. It deals with sacrifice, disappointment, distance and the painful truth that you can give somebody everything you know how to give and still end up hurt.
That emotional honesty becomes even more pronounced on “Broken.” CattSue doesn’t pretend resilience means walking away untouched. The song understands that survival can look messy. Sometimes being strong simply means continuing.
“In the Light” is the album’s most overtly outward-facing statement. Written for survivors of trafficking, abuse and exploitation, it is informed by CattSue’s personal connection to human trafficking through a family member and friends who were trafficked. The song moves beyond sympathy and toward reclamation. Voice. Identity. Freedom. Life.
That distinction matters.
CattSue isn’t singing about survivors as damaged people waiting to be rescued. She is singing about people taking themselves back.
The album’s closing track, “When the Clouds Come Home,” cowritten by catt Sue, turns toward addiction. The metaphor is smart because addiction often does feel like weather. The pressure changes. The darkness gathers. The storm returns to familiar territory.
But the song’s deeper point is that nobody has to fight alone.
There are prettier records than Heartstrings and Highways. There are probably slicker ones. There are certainly records more interested in impressing you.
That is not this album’s mission.
CattSue is more interested in recognition.
She wants somebody listening to hear a line about a parent, a child, a loss, a wound, a relapse, a memory, and think: yes. I know that place.
That is the road this album travels.
The highways keep moving.
The heartstrings never really do.
Carmelo Alfano: “Is This You?” – New Mix Featuring AJ Lambert
A remarkable musical journey from Pavarotti’s teacher and pioneering live streaming to an unexpected new collaboration
Sicilian-English artist Carmelo Alfano returns with “Is This You?”, now presented in a new mix featuring AJ Lambert.
Based in London and with family roots in Sicily, Alfano’s musical journey has taken him through some remarkable and unexpected chapters. He studied voice in Modena for two years with the teacher of legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti, before developing a career as an artist, actor and television sound engineer.
A New Mix with AJ Lambert
The new version of “Is This You?” features AJ Lambert, following a friendship that began when Carmelo photographed AJ performing at Rough Trade East in London.
The photographs led to a friendship that developed through music and creative projects. In 2025, AJ invited Carmelo to a screening of a short film she had made, and later asked him to sing backing vocals during one of her London performances.
Now, the creative relationship has come full circle, with AJ contributing to the new mix of “Is This You?”
The collaboration is a natural extension of a friendship that has developed through live music, photography and shared creative projects.
From Early Streaming to Sundae Club
Carmelo has consistently found himself at interesting crossroads in music.
More than 20 years ago, he became one of the early pioneers of live music streaming, broadcasting a London gig using a dial-up service. The event attracted the attention of Sky News, who came to film it.
Another important chapter came through Sundae Club, the project formed by Hamstall and producer George Shilling. Hamstall had previously been the keyboard player in Carmelo’s band, Alfano, which supported James Blunt and performed at venues across London.
Sundae Club went on to secure a publishing deal, release their debut album Technostalgia, have music used on GMTV and write music for ITV UEFA Champions League Weekly. They also co-wrote a track recorded by French Fame Academy winner Nolwenn Leroy.
The Tom Jones Story
Persistence has also played a major role in Carmelo’s career.
In 1993, he sent a demo to Tom Jones, believing one of his songs would suit the singer. Ten years later, he was contacted by Mark Woodward, who had been trying to find the Carmelo who had originally sent the recording.
The reason? A song from the demo had been considered for Tom Jones, but Carmelo’s contact details had been lost with the cassette cover.
These experiences have shaped Alfano’s approach to music: keep creating, keep experimenting and never give up.
With “Is This You?” – New Mix Featuring AJ Lambert, Carmelo begins another chapter in that journey, bringing together a remarkable career history with a collaboration that began simply with a photograph at a London gig
Follow Carmelo Alfano
https://www.justgiving.com/page/carmelo-sundaeclub?utm_source=EM&utm_medium=DT
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmelo_alfano
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carmelo_alfano
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/carmeloalfano
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@carmeloalfano6963
Sanjay Michael Revives Classic Rock Swagger on ‘Baby Baby’
Sanjay Michael taps into the swagger of classic rock on ‘Baby Baby’, a guitar-driven single fuelled by bluesy riffs, infectious hooks and an unmistakable sense of attitude. Drawing on the spirit of Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses, the Singapore-based artist delivers a track that feels rooted in rock’s golden era without losing sight of his own identity.
A conversational vocal delivery gives the song its personality, while its full-bodied production leans into the genre’s raw energy and infectious groove. Following his debut album, Rocking Into Midnight, and the stripped-back Wall Street Blues EP, ‘Baby Baby’ marks another confident step forward, balancing a love of rock tradition with a more expansive sound.
Accompanied by a performance-led video, ‘Baby Baby’ celebrates the enduring appeal of guitar music, placing groove, melody and personality front and centre. Sanjay Michael makes no attempt to reinvent the genre; instead, he embraces its timeless appeal with a playful confidence that feels entirely his own.
ZOMBIE FEST 9 SET TO BECOME THE BIGGEST MUSIC EVENT EVER HOSTED BY CAMBRIDGE JUNCTION
More than 90 acts, six stages and 12 hours of music as Zombie Fest returns to Cambridge this Halloween
Cambridge is preparing for one of its biggest Halloween celebrations yet as Zombie Fest 9 returns to Cambridge Junction on Saturday 31 October 2026, with organisers expecting the event to become the biggest music event ever hosted at the venue.
Taking over the Cambridge Junction complex, Zombie Fest 9 will feature more than 90 acts across six stages, bringing together major names from 90s and 00s dance, jungle and drum & bass, house, hardcore, hardstyle, trance and breaks.
The extensive line-up includes N-Trance, Stanton Warriors, Jaguar Skills, Dub Pistols’ Barry Ashworth, Mr C, Ultrabeat, Ratpack, Dougal, Slipmatt, Grooverider, Logan D, Lisa Pin-Up, Rob Tissera, Alex P, Scott Garcia & MC Vapour, alongside dozens more DJs and live performers.
The event’s crossover line-up brings together artists from different eras and corners of British dance music. N-Trance will perform their iconic 90s anthem Set You Free, while Ultrabeat will bring the early-2000s favourite Pretty Green Eyes. Scott Garcia & MC Vapour will represent the UK Garage sound, while drum & bass pioneer Grooverider joins the bill alongside jungle and rave favourites including Ratpack, Dougal and Slipmatt.
Also appearing is Jaguar Skills, renowned for his high-energy megamixes and mash-ups, alongside Stanton Warriors, one of the best-known names in breakbeat.
FROM THE VOICE TO ZOMBIE FEST
ZF9 will also welcome artists who have recently been making waves on television.
With artists appearing across six stages, ZF9 promises a diverse musical journey throughout the day, bringing together established names, cult favourites and newer performers under one roof.
MORE THAN MUSIC
Zombie Fest is designed to be a complete Halloween experience, with interactive Halloween characters roaming throughout the venue, meet-and-greet opportunities and photo opportunities for attendees.
The event will also feature an exclusive VIP experience, including Q-Jump, a premium VIP bar, luxury sofas and private toilets, giving guests the option to experience ZF9 with an enhanced level of comfort.
With 12 hours of entertainment and six stages operating throughout the event, Zombie Fest 9 is expected to transform Cambridge Junction into a Halloween playground for music fans and festival-goers.
A DECADE OF ZOMBIE FEST
Zombie Fest first launched in 2015, originally taking place at Mildenhall Stadium as an all-night event running from 6pm until 6am. Over its early years, the festival grew to feature up to 10 stages and 150 artists, attracting audiences of up to 2,500 people.
The event moved to Hi Cambridge in 2023, evolving into a daytime-to-midnight format before relocating to Cambridge Junction in 2025.
Over the years, Zombie Fest has welcomed major names including Chase & Status, Pendulum, Andy C, Paul Oakenfold, Judge Jules, So Solid Crew, N-Trance, Baby D, Fabio & Grooverider, DJ Hype, Jaguar Skills and Ultrabeat, among many others.
The festival has also been recognised as a three-time UK Festival Awards finalist, receiving nominations for Best Small Festival in 2017 and 2018, as well as the Grassroots Festival Award in 2018.
Now, ZF9 marks another milestone for the brand, becoming the largest event Cambridge Junction has ever hosted.
And the story does not stop there. With Zombie Fest’s 10th edition already in discussion, the brand is looking towards its next chapter – ZF-X.
ZOMBIE FEST 9
96 Artists | 6 Stages | 12 Hours | One Massive Halloween Experience
For more information and event updates, visit zombie-fest.com and follow Zombie Fest on social media.
Previous Zombie Fest coverage:
East Anglia Daily Press – Zombie Fest
Cambridge News – Zombie Fest comes to Cambridge
Hi Cambridge – Zombie Fest: The Aftermath
Ely Standard – Judge Jules headlines Zombie Fest 8
Follow Zombie Fest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/zombiefest
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zombiefestuk
Website: https://zombie-fest.com
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zombiefest_uk
Noble Hops’ “Thinkin’ (‘Bout Drinkin’)” Is a Booze-Soaked Rock ’n’ Roll Reckoning That Refuses to Raise a Toast
By Leslie Banks
Rock ’n’ roll has always had a drinking problem. Hell, half its mythology was built on whiskey bottles, broken barstools, and the kind of decisions that sound fantastic at midnight and look like a police report by breakfast. From the swaggering excesses of the Stones to the beer-soaked lunacy of the Replacements, alcohol has been rock’s favorite accomplice, excuse, and occasional executioner. But Pittsburgh-area bruisers Noble Hops have decided to flip the bottle upside down and see what ugly little truths come spilling out.
Their new single, “Thinkin’ (‘Bout Drinkin’),” arriving October 10th, isn’t some fist-pumping celebration of Friday-night stupidity. It’s the morning after, the afternoon before, and the vicious little cycle that connects them. It’s a rock song about drinking that has the audacity to admit drinking sometimes sucks.
And there’s something wonderfully subversive about that.
Frontman Utah Burgess, who originally wrote the music nearly twenty years ago and collaborated on the lyrics with former B.U.M. bandmate Marty Roppolo, doesn’t bother dressing up the situation in metaphorical perfume. The opening image is a man drinking straight from the bottle because even the simple civilization of a glass seems like too much trouble. He’s already on his way to oblivion, and everybody knows it except, apparently, him.
Then comes the chorus, a gloriously circular piece of alcoholic logic:
“Now I’m thinkin’, ’bout drinkin’ / And I’m drinkin’, to keep from thinkin’.”
There it is. The whole damn tragedy in two lines.
Forget your twelve-step lectures and preachy television specials. That little lyrical merry-go-round tells you everything about the machinery of self-destruction. The bottle becomes both the problem and the proposed solution, a cruel practical joke that stops being funny somewhere between the third drink and the shattered relationship.
What makes “Thinkin’ (‘Bout Drinkin’)” particularly interesting is the contradiction at its center. Noble Hops, a band named after one of beer’s essential ingredients, is offering a song about the dangers lurking inside the very substance its identity cheerfully celebrates. That’s rock ’n’ roll irony with teeth.
Musically, the single represents the band’s harder-rock direction. Tony Villella’s electric guitar work, Burgess’s rhythm guitar, Johnny “Sleeves” Costa’s bass, and Brad Hurlburt’s drums provide the instrumental foundation for a story that demands something more confrontational than a polite acoustic confession. The material calls for grit rather than polish, aggression rather than sentimentality.
And Burgess knows the difference between singing about drinking and glorifying it. His narrator isn’t some glamorous outlaw staggering triumphantly toward another round. He’s a frightened, lonely bastard watching his life dissolve and wondering whether his true colors are uglier than he ever imagined.
The woman leaves. Sobriety arrives too late. The damage remains.
Released on World Mental Health Day, the song also raises a question rock music has spent decades avoiding: What happens when the party is actually somebody’s attempt to outrun despair?
Noble Hops doesn’t offer a tidy answer. Thank God.
Because great rock songs aren’t supposed to solve your problems. They’re supposed to grab you by the collar, shove you toward the mirror, and make you confront whatever’s staring back.
“Thinkin’ (‘Bout Drinkin’)” isn’t buying the next round.
It’s handing you the bill.
And brother, it’s a hell of a lot bigger than you thought.
Alysha Finds Common Ground Between Faith and Alternative Music on ‘Take It or Leave It’
London-based artist Alysha explores the intersection of faith and alternative music on her latest single, ‘Take It or Leave It’, a dark fusion of goth, new-wave and electronic influences. Co-produced with Matt Rist, the track pairs shadowy synths with a nocturnal atmosphere, challenging conventional expectations of Christian music through a distinctly alternative sound.
A Cuban-Indian musician raised in London, Alysha draws on an eclectic range of influences, from Beyoncé and Lauryn Hill to Siouxsie & The Banshees and gospel. Since releasing her debut single, ‘David Attenborough’, at 16, she has developed an increasingly adventurous sound, earning more than 3 million Spotify streams and performing at festivals including Wild Paths and Forwards.
With ‘Take It or Leave It’, Alysha continues to push beyond genre boundaries, bringing her spirituality into darker electronic territory. Fresh of supporting LANY across four stadium dates in Japan and South Korea, this single marks another step in the evolution of an artist unafraid to challenge expectations.
@skopemag Album Review: Rachael Sage
Last year’s ‘Canopy’ by NYC songwriter Rachael Sage was a big, bright, horn-assisted band record. She returns this year with ‘Under My Canopy’. This is the same set of songs, taken apart and rebuilt around acoustic guitar, cello, violin, accordion and harmonica, with two chamber-style bonus cuts bolted onto the end. It’s out today on MPress/Virgin/Universal, produced by Sage with Mikhail Pivovarov, who also mixed and mastered.
‘Under My Canopy’ earns its place for a practical reason: Sage’s lyrics were always the point, and the louder arrangements sometimes competed with them. Strip away the wah-guitar and brass and there’s nothing left to hide behind. Mostly, that’s to the songs’ advantage.
The case for the whole project rests on three songs, all in the back half. ‘Nexus’ is the most difficult to write about. Sage composed it after reading about Nex Benedict, the nonbinary Oklahoma teenager who died after a beating by classmates. The arrangement here, built on upright bass, harmonica and cello beneath her own guitar, keeps to a dignified middle register. It never swells for effect. Lines about wanting this “tide of torturousness” to mean something are delivered almost conversationally, which is exactly what makes them sting. It’s a song about mourning that refuses to wallow, and it knows the difference.
‘God Bless America’ is the album’s gamble, and Sage knows it; by her own account the idea met resistance from the people around her. Here, Irving Berlin’s standard is a deliberate set-up for what follows. Her argument is that caring enough about gun violence to demand policy change is the most patriotic thing a person can do, and the performance is sincere enough that it doesn’t read as irony or provocation. It plays as a held breath before ‘Underneath’.
‘Underneath’ then does what the title promises. Written the same day as a school shooting and first aired that night at Rockwood Music Hall, it’s the sparest thing here: Sage’s guitar, Cassandra Kubinski’s harmony, violin and cello, a touch of accordion from Rob Curto. The imagery is almost naive in its directness (guns that guard us, souls like stardust), and that’s the trick. There’s no clever angle, no attempt to be the smartest song about the subject. It just aches. The sad addendum is that, as Sage herself notes, the storyline keeps repeating, which gives a song that’s already heavy a grim permanence.
It would be easy to remember only the heavy material, but the record is smarter than that. ‘Canopy’, with Kristen Ford alongside Sage, is the mission statement and it’s a catchy one: slide guitar from James Mastro, Trina Hamlin’s harmonica, a chorus that begs to be sung back. Sage is a lifelong pacifist who has spent years being told she’s too idealistic, and the song is her answer. Its lyric about a world run by women ending war will raise eyebrows in some quarters. She expects that, and doesn’t flinch.
The production is warm and unfussy, the playing is first-rate, and the writing carries a conviction you can’t fake. It’s the sound of someone who has decided, after a long career, that being sincere is not the same as being naive. In a catalogue that has always put empathy first, this album simply says it with the lights turned down.
Tracklist:
Just Enough – Acoustic
Canopy Prelude
Canopy – Acoustic
Live It Up – Acoustic
Belong To You – Acoustic
The Best Version – Acoustic
Everyday – Acoustic
Colorized World – Acoustic
Kill The Clock – Acoustic
Nexus – Acoustic
Le Rêve
God Bless America
Underneath – Acoustic
Just Enough – Chamber Version
Everyday – Chamber Version
https://open.spotify.com/album/5jJyGuJpCEgGuKgVkvgGER?si=U8VgNhsvQ-CLGN2VLK92Mg
Mila Sidhu Moves Between Heritage and Desire on ‘One Night’
Mila Sidhu turns self-possession into a sound on ‘One Night’, a sleek collision of alternative pop and R&B built around desire, confidence and control. Crisp production and sultry vocals give the track a nocturnal pull, balancing polished pop sensibilities with a darker, more intimate edge. Rather than framing attraction as a question of validation, Sidhu approaches it as an exercise in agency: she is less concerned with being chosen than deciding who deserves her attention.
Created with producer Siloe, the track began with Sidhu’s desire to weave Indian musical influences into her sound. Her subsequent exploration of traditional scales adds another dimension to a production otherwise rooted in contemporary pop and alternative R&B. The cultural thread feels most compelling as part of a broader musical identity shaped by movement between places and influences, rather than as a decorative flourish. Sidhu’s strength lies in bringing these elements together without losing sight of the song’s immediate, physical appeal.
Where much of her songwriting draws on vulnerability and emotional uncertainty, ‘One Night’ finds Sidhu occupying a more assured position. Its sensuality is deliberate, its confidence uncomplicated, yet the track retains the atmospheric quality that runs through her wider artistic world. The result is a poised statement of intent from an artist exploring the relationship between heritage, femininity and self-definition on her own terms.
Some Memories Never Learn to Stay Gone: Lili Caseley Returns with “I Cry Again” on October 23rd, 2026
There is a particular kind of heartbreak that does not arrive with the ending. It comes later, on an ordinary afternoon, long after the brave face has become a habit, when a familiar street corner or a half-remembered melody undoes months of careful healing in a single breath. London singer-songwriter Lili Caseley has written the song for that moment. Her new single, “I Cry Again,” arrives worldwide on Friday, October 23, 2026.
“I Cry Again” lives in the space between being over something and being finished with it. Caseley turns her attention to the feelings that linger when a relationship, a memory or a moment simply refuses to fade, and to the humbling discovery that moving on is rarely a straight line. One recollection is all it takes, and every emotion she believed she had safely put away comes flooding back. Rather than disguise that relapse of the heart, she sings straight into it.
That is the quiet courage of this record. In a pop landscape that so often rewards the armor, the clapback and the triumphant exit, Caseley offers something far riskier: an admission. Strength and sorrow share the same breath here. The tears of the title are not a defeat. They are proof that something mattered. The result is intimate, unguarded and deeply human, the work of an artist willing to show the fragile side of love while her own identity and sound come into ever sharper focus.
The single’s artwork mirrors that mood. It finds Caseley alone in a private, contemplative moment, elegant and still, the visual equivalent of a held breath before the feeling breaks.
Raised in Camden, North London, the daughter of a Portuguese mother who grew up in France and an English father, Caseley has built a catalog of soulful pop shaped by that heritage, by the poets she loves and by the contemporary pop she grew up on. Since debuting with “Have I Ever” in 2018, she has released a run of singles including “C’est La Vie,” “Badoom,” “Hotel Du Palais” with Nick Vyner and “Al Pacino,” earning support from Clash, Notion, Music Week and the Official Charts, along with airplay on BBC Radio 1Xtra and BBC Introducing. She has named Stromae, Billie Holiday and Nelly Furtado among her inspirations, and all three can be felt in the way she balances rhythm, storytelling and soul.
Caseley is also an official FENIX360 Ambassador, representing the artist-first platform built to connect independent musicians directly with their fans. “I Cry Again” follows her acoustic release of “Face Each Other” this past August and marks another confident step forward for an artist whose audience continues to grow on both sides of the Atlantic.
Some songs help you forget. This one sits beside you while you remember.
Lili Caseley’s “I Cry Again” will be released worldwide on Friday, October 23, 2026.
Follow Lili Caseley on Instagram @lilicaseley_ and online at linktr.ee/lilicaseley.
Pre-Save “I Cry Again” by Lili Caseley here:
https://bfan.link/i-cry-again
Esosa Gabrielle Gets Real About Love, Lies, and Heartbreak on Powerful New Single “Guilty”
Out now, the emotionally charged release finds the rising artist turning betrayal and personal heartbreak into a fearless musical statement
Some of the most powerful music comes from the moments we’d rather forget. The broken promises. The sleepless nights. The uncomfortable truths that change everything. For rising recording artist Esosa Gabrielle, those experiences become the emotional foundation of her compelling new single, “Guilty,” officially released today and available now on Spotify.
Unfiltered, deeply personal, and emotionally fearless, “Guilty” explores the complicated aftermath of love gone wrong. Infidelity, divorce, shattered trust, and the struggle to reclaim one’s identity all find their place in a song that isn’t afraid to venture into uncomfortable emotional territory.
But Gabrielle isn’t simply revisiting heartbreak. She’s taking ownership of her story.
And that distinction makes all the difference.
When Love Becomes the Hardest Lesson
There’s something universally relatable about discovering that a relationship wasn’t what you believed it to be. The realization can be devastating, particularly when years of love, commitment, and shared dreams are suddenly called into question.
“Guilty” captures that emotional collision, examining what happens when devotion meets deception and the future you imagined begins to disappear.
Rather than reducing the experience to a simple story of right and wrong, Gabrielle explores the complicated emotions that accompany betrayal. There’s disappointment, confusion, vulnerability, and the difficult process of accepting that some relationships cannot be repaired.
It’s the kind of subject matter that demands emotional honesty, and Gabrielle embraces it.
What emerges is a song that speaks not only to those who have experienced infidelity, but to anyone who has ever been forced to rebuild after losing something they believed would last forever.
That emotional accessibility is what gives “Guilty” its strength. Listeners don’t need to know Gabrielle’s personal history to recognize the feelings behind the music.
They simply need to have loved someone.
No Perfect Love Stories Here
In an industry where romantic relationships are frequently packaged as glamorous fantasies, Gabrielle takes a refreshingly different approach.
Her music acknowledges that love can be messy, complicated, and occasionally devastating. People make mistakes. Trust gets broken. Feelings change. And sometimes the hardest part of moving forward is accepting what happened in the first place.
“Guilty” doesn’t attempt to wrap those realities in a neat, comfortable conclusion.
Instead, it confronts them.
For Gabrielle, that willingness to explore emotional complexity is becoming an important part of her artistic identity. She’s interested in the stories people recognize from their own lives, particularly the experiences that rarely make it into everyday conversation.
There’s a vulnerability to that approach, but there’s also considerable strength.
After all, sharing a painful experience with the world requires a different kind of courage than simply keeping it hidden.
From Personal Confession to Cinematic Storytelling
The release of “Guilty” is accompanied by a music video produced by Day Nine Films, extending the song’s emotional narrative into the visual world.
The collaboration brings a cinematic perspective to Gabrielle’s exploration of love, betrayal, and personal transformation, adding another layer to the storytelling behind the single.
For an artist whose work is rooted in human emotion, the visual component offers another way for audiences to connect with the themes driving the music.
It’s an approach that reflects Gabrielle’s desire to create experiences rather than simply release songs.
The Woman Behind “Guilty”
Gabrielle recently opened up about the personal experiences surrounding the single during an appearance on The Andrew Eborn Show.
The revealing conversation explored the difficult subjects of divorce, infidelity, and the emotional circumstances that helped inspire “Guilty.”
It was an opportunity for audiences to discover more about the person behind the music and understand why the song carries such personal significance.
For Gabrielle, speaking publicly about painful experiences represents another extension of her commitment to authenticity.
Rather than allowing difficult chapters of her life to remain unspoken, she’s using them as creative material, turning vulnerability into a source of connection with listeners.
That willingness to be open could become one of her most compelling qualities as her musical career continues to develop.
An Artist Finding Strength in the Truth
With the arrival of “Guilty,” Esosa Gabrielle is introducing audiences to an artist who understands that meaningful music doesn’t always come from happy endings.
Sometimes it comes from disappointment. Sometimes from loss. And sometimes from the moment you finally recognize that walking away is the beginning of something better.
Her latest release is a statement about emotional accountability, self-discovery, and the complicated process of healing.
More importantly, it reflects an artist determined to tell stories that matter to her, regardless of how uncomfortable those stories might be.
For listeners who have experienced the devastation of broken trust, “Guilty” offers recognition and understanding. For those still navigating the emotional aftermath of a difficult relationship, it provides a reminder that pain can eventually give way to resilience.
And for Esosa Gabrielle, it represents another step toward establishing a musical identity built on honesty rather than illusion.
Because sometimes the most powerful thing an artist can do is stop pretending everything is fine and tell the truth.
Esosa Gabrielle’s new single “Guilty” is available worldwide now.
Stream Esosa Gabrielle – “Guilty”
Artist: Esosa Gabrielle
Single: Guilty
Release Date: October 8, 2026
Music Video: Produced by Day Nine Films
Listen on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/track/7eDIrd0cGjVl0UvS3Gij28?si=e530d2e960b8451e
Clarity Liao Turns Romantic Anxiety Into Upbeat Pop On ‘Lose’
Clarity Liao turns jealousy into something unexpectedly buoyant on ‘Lose’, the focus track from her forthcoming debut EP Dear…. Built around upbeat drums, electric guitar and a bright pop arrangement, the song deliberately rubs against its subject matter: insecurity, comparison and the fear of watching someone you want choose somebody else. What could have been a stripped-back confession instead becomes a lively study in emotional contradiction.
That tension gives ‘Lose’ its character. Liao originally conceived the song as a sparse piano ballad, but the finished production finds greater depth in its refusal to wallow. Her candid vocal delivery moves through infatuation, obsession and self-doubt without overplaying any of them, while touches of indie pop, R&B, bedroom pop and modern doo-wop give the track a loose, genre-fluid quality. The result feels less like a conventional breakup song than a snapshot of the irrationality that precedes acceptance.
As the track progresses, Liao gradually shifts her perspective from projection towards release. It is this movement that makes ‘Lose’ more than a song about romantic jealousy: beneath its polished pop surface is a portrait of someone confronting the limits of their own fantasy. As an introduction to her solo work, it establishes Liao as a songwriter more interested in following an emotion wherever it leads than fitting neatly into a predetermined sound.
DALE CORNELIUS ANNOUNCES; WHAT IS CARRIED. WHAT IS LEFT BEHIND? A HAUNTING NEW CHAMBER WORK INSPIRED BY MEMORY, PLACE & RENEWAL
What Is Carried, What Is Left Behind? Streaming Link
Award-winning Australian composer explores memory, grief and renewal through an immersive new chamber work featuring ‘Eclective Strings’.
Due for release in October 2026, the six-track album brings together string quartet, synthesizers and found sound in an immersive production mixed in Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio. Created with Melbourne-based string collective Eclective Strings, the project represents a major new chapter for Cornelius, moving beyond his celebrated career in screen composition into a more intimate and personal musical world.
The album began with a chance recording made late at night in Montalcino, Italy. While walking past the Concattedrale di San Salvatore, Cornelius captured the sound of a metal door moving in the wind. The strange, percussive sound became the central sonic motif of the title track and ultimately inspired the wider concept of the album.
Using Dolby Atmos, Cornelius has recreated the spatial experience of that original recording, placing the listener inside the soundscape with the string quartet and synthesizers arranged around them.
At the emotional heart of the album is ‘A Whispered Dawn (Spencer’s Lullaby)’, a string quartet composition originally written in 1999 during an extraordinarily difficult period in Cornelius’s life. His first-born son, Spencer, nearly died before and after childbirth. One of the first infants in Australia to undergo an operation in utero, Spencer was born at just 27 weeks and spent three months in neonatal intensive care, with doctors uncertain whether he would survive.
During this frightening period, Cornelius wrote A Whispered Dawn (Spencer’s Lullaby). The composition was never recorded and remained only as a manuscript for 26 years. Now, alongside the new material on What is Carried, What is Left Behind?, the piece finally receives its first recording.
For Cornelius, returning to the composition more than two decades later represents an act of reclamation — bringing together the fear and uncertainty of that moment with the perspective gained over the years since.
“Recording it now, alongside music written from that more honest place, is an act of reclamation. It’s the answer that piece has been waiting on for twenty-six years.”
Its inclusion gives the album a powerful sense of continuity, bringing together music from two very different points in Cornelius’s life and creating an emotional journey from uncertainty and memory towards hope and renewal.
“Recording it now, alongside music written from that more honest place, is an act of reclamation. It’s the answer that piece has been waiting on for twenty-six years.”
The album’s opening track, ‘In This Moment, What Matters Most?’, is similarly rooted in Cornelius’s personal experience. The phrase became an important reminder during a period of caring for his mother and dealing with anxiety, eventually becoming both a tattoo and the title of the album’s opening composition.
FROM MARY & MAX TO THE CONCERT HALL
Cornelius brings more than two decades of experience to What is Carried, What is Left Behind? His extensive screen-composition career includes more than 90 international productions, including Mary & Max, Backtrack, Till Human Voices Wake Us and five seasons of The Doctor Blake Mysteries.
He has also composed music for major IMAX documentaries including Hidden Universe and The Great Barrier Reef, as well as creating site-specific immersive works for the Australian Pavilions at the Shanghai and Nagoya World Expos.
His work has earned 18 major international awards and nominations, including AACTA and APRA/AMCOS recognition.
The new album has already received strong reactions from leading figures in the music industry, including Deutsche Grammophon’s Senior Manager A&R Anusch Alimirzaie, who described Cornelius’s music as “truly beautiful.”
Christian Kellersman, Executive Producer of Deutsche Grammophon’s Recomposed series, also praised the new work, saying: “I listened to your new album and it’s beautiful.”
London-based Major Tom Music Supervisor Marina Guy described the music as “truly stunning.”
A 55-MINUTE IMMERSIVE LIVE EXPERIENCE
Alongside the album, Cornelius is developing a 55-minute continuous live concert experience, transforming the record into one uninterrupted performance.
The production combines live string quartet, keyboards and sample manipulation with spoken word, bespoke lighting and video projection. Designed with festivals and curated concert series in mind, the performance can also incorporate local string quartets and language-specific spoken-word performers for international presentations.
TRACKLIST
- In This Moment, What Matters Most? – 5:06
- What is Carried, What is Left Behind? – 6:41
- Innocence – 3:46
- A Whispered Dawn (Spencer’s Lullaby) – 6:50
- Under an Impersonal Sky There is Hope – 4:57
- Bloom – 3:12
ABOUT DALE CORNELIUS
Dale Cornelius is an award-winning Australian composer based in Melbourne, with a career spanning more than two decades in screen scoring. His work has appeared across film, television, documentary and immersive projects, including Mary & Max, Backtrack, Till Human Voices Wake Us, The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Hidden Universe and The Great Barrier Reef.
With What is Carried, What is Left Behind?, Cornelius steps outside the demands of screen composition to create a work where memory, place and personal experience become the story itself.
ABOUT ECLECTIVE STRINGS
Eclective Strings is a Melbourne-based string collective featuring members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Partridge String Quartet. Co-director Amy You has performed as a featured soloist on the Hans Zimmer Live world tour and collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma. The ensemble’s wider credits include work with Sigur Rós, Nai Palm of Hiatus Kaiyote, Lior and Wafia.
Follow Dale Cornelius
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalecornelius_composer/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaleCorneliusOfficial/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/dalecornelius
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/dalecornelius
Website: https://dalecornelius.com.au/
