7th Level Music

TarantisT resists oppression in Iran with their powerful single “Freedom.”

arantisT is calling on artists, creators, and cultural voices around the world to stand with the Iranian people, to speak for those who have been silenced, and to help ensure that the suffering of an entire nation is seen, heard, and never ignored.

Iran is currently facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. What began as peaceful civilian protests against the occupying terrorist regime has escalated into a nationwide massacre, with the regime deploying heavy and military-grade weapons into city streets and brutally killing more than 30,000 people, including children, women, elders, and unarmed civilians. Families are denied the return of their loved ones’ bodies or are extorted for outrageous sums, while reports describe piles of corpses and streets running with blood. In an attempt to conceal the scale of these crimes, the regime has imposed a total digital blackout—shutting down the internet and phone networks across the country—cutting off all communication between Iran and the outside world, and leaving the true depth of the atrocities unknown. Despite this, the Iranian people remain united, calling collectively for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and demanding an end to the regime’s occupation. Artists and musicians across Iran and the diaspora stand in solidarity with the people; among them, the Iranian rock band TarantisT, which continues to release protest music and material in support of the movement. Their latest release, “Freedom”, incorporates real footage from the current events in Iran, merged with digital technology, amplifying the voices of a nation silenced but unbroken.

Relentless and prolific, TarantisT will be releasing a new single next week titled

“Mission: Bloody Day”. Stay tuned!

Check out “Freedom” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiYaFalRTuQ

Formed in 2000 by a group of young underground metal heads, TarantisT originated in the basement alternative rock and heavy metal scenes in their native Tehran, Iran. Having to perform secretly but loudly often proved to be difficult, but after sparking a following via word of mouth in the underground, the band soon began to garner international recognition. Within just a few years, international media correspondents inspired by their story (including BBC, SKY, CNN, NPR, Metal Hammer and Kerrang) started visiting Tehran to meet and talk with TarantisT. These news reports and articles aided TarantisT in cultivating a worldwide following – motivating the band to relocate to the United States Los Angeles in 2008.

Iranian metal band TarantisT have been active with their social-political content and music during all these years, dropping tracks like “Revolution” in 2022. “This is not a protest, this is a Revolution”. TarantisT continues to march towards this Revolution with all Iranians seeking freedom and liberty for their country with the main slogan of “Women, Life, Freedom”.

Instagram, TikTok and some other social medias have put limitation and restrictions to TarantisT’s accounts due to posting images and footages of the protest, violence of the Islamic Republic authorities and due to the use of social-political hashtags.

Since their inception, TarantisT has been invited to play several festivals like SXSW, CMJ, Canadian Music Week and Intergalactic Fest. TarantisT quickly added to their touring repertoire, performing on the same stages as Metallica, Motörhead, Stone Temple Pilots, Muse, Cheap Trick, Voivod, Sum 41, My Ruin, Ben Harper and many more.

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[Thanks to Maria at Adrenaline PR.]

New German Cinema releases her debut single – “My Mistake.”

Today the voice and songwriter of Fear of Men, Jessica Weiss, announces details of her debut solo album under the moniker New German Cinema. Set for release on March 27th via Felte, her new album ‘Pain Will Polish Me’ is preceded today with lead single “My Mistake”, which features guest vocals from Merchandise’s Carson Cox.

Weiss carries lyrical precision and emotional intensity into the stormy dark-pop gems on her debut solo album. ‘Pain Will Polish Me’ has been five years in the making, stretched between London and LA, built from late-night files, long silences and the quiet persistence of trying to finish something beautiful. Produced with Alex DeGroot (Zola Jesus, Cate Le Bon), it feels both forensic and devotional, the product of someone who doesn’t rush catharsis. It presents both solitary and connective, as if built from long-distance transmissions between two dream states.

Weiss calls the album a meditation on pop and European art-house auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It tracks the ways intimacy and control fold into one another until it’s impossible to tell where one ends. The songs are about the parts of yourself that dissolve in love, and the small acts of violence that come with being known. They move through claustrophobic relationships, obsession, surrender, cycles of suffering that start to feel like devotion. The language is pop but the feeling is something stranger, colder, more interior.

The album’s lead track, online today, is “My Mistake” – a collaboration with Carson Cox of Merchandise, who comments “I was going to produce Fear of Men and instead we made something totally different I think. True collaboration which is my preferred way to work on music”. What began as an Italo disco experiment evolved into a goth club anthem, charged and restless. It captures the push and pull of Weiss’s themes – devotion as both destruction and release. Weiss has a knack for making pain feel both exquisite and familiar.

Speaking on the accompanying video, Weiss comments: “The video sets the emotional tone for the record, suspended between eroticism and nightmare. It draws on cropped mirror framing – a favourite device of Douglas Sirk used to explore themes of emotional and physical entrapment and characters’ inner psychological conflicts – moments of dissociation, and the television as a symbol of alienation, inspired by my perennial inspiration, RW Fassbinder.”

Video director Luke Bather adds: “Our initial starting point was, predictably, the New German Cinema movement. However, when we discussed the themes of the song in more depth, the video evolved into its own beast. Sex, death, repressed desire, and good old-fashioned Catholic Guilt all loom large in the video through a series of performance vignettes inspired by everything from the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder through to the paintings of Francis Bacon and everything in between. Adding to this, we have the spectre of Carson haunting the video as a ghostly analogue broadcast interspersed with archival footage of Berlin in the 1970s; an inescapable reminder of the past and a nod to the original New German Cinema movement.”

“My Mistake (ft Carson Cox)” official video: https://youtu.be/3TVLCRnr2KM
‘Pain Will Polish Me’ album links: https://felte.lnk.to/new-german-cinema

The songs on ‘Pain Will Polish Me’ move in shadow. Layers of synth, vocal and guitar fold over one another, drawing from the cinematic tension of Fassbinder’s New German Cinema and the quiet dissonance of modern Berlin, where Weiss recorded fragments of the record, drifting between places that carry uneasy ghosts. Between dinner conversations about the city’s buried history and the surreal comfort of its present, she found herself tracing the outlines of love and loss, identity and dissolution. “Germany’s history is everywhere but it’s unsaid,” she notes. “Fassbinder brought it into view. I wanted to approach the same sense of unease through sound.”

The album artwork picks up these themes, hovering between the everyday mundanity of a Fassbinder domestic scene, and something less recognisable, punctuated by surreal elements that move us into dreamscape, both familiar and disquieting. The shell and sea reference Botticelli’s Venus: a figure born from sea foam created when Uranus’s severed genitals fell into the ocean – an image of creation through destruction. The shell becomes her vessel of birth, representing transformation, protection and fertility – the bridge between divine creation and human life. Weiss extends this theme of renewal to the personal; her baby daughter’s babbles feature on the record.

Weiss has long been fascinated by the seam between pop and theory, art and feeling. While Fear of Men continue to work on their next record, this solo project opens up her own private language- a collection that feels at once personal and archival, haunted and alive. Between finishing a Masters in Early Modern Literature at Oxford, starting a PhD, moving countries and jobs many times, she’s been piecing together a body of work that sits somewhere between diary, research and séance.

It’s an album about losing yourself in order to see what’s left. A document of love as obsession, repetition, survival. A meditation on love as both mirror and undoing, crafted in fragments, then pieced together into something whole.

New German Cinema live dates:
28 February – London, UK @ Sebright Arms
15 April – Brighton, UK @ The Folklore Rooms

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[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity.]

Lee Lewis’ “White Flag” will have you surrendering to its groove.

Los Angeles-based musician Lee Lewis presents his new single, “White Flag.” Today’s single marks the first taste of new music from Lewis since his striking reimagining of Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater,” praised by FLOOD as a “stirring, soulful examination of queer Black identity.” “White Flag” is atmospheric, guided by a smooth bassline, and inspired by Bond films. The track is Lewis’ most personal song to date, expressing the built-up resentment when his relationship was reaching its breaking point and finds him declaring “enough is enough.”

“In many ways, ‘White Flag’ serves as the preamble to the slow death of something chaotic and toxic, a moment where self-worth finally begins to outweigh the emotional cat chase,” Lewis reflects. “It marks the point where I start to recognize that love should not cost me myself. In the song the chorus sings ‘I’m waving my white flag.’ It’s me saying, ‘I surrender, you win, I lose, I have to let this go.’ Sonically, it’s my take on Bond music: luxurious, sultry, and powerful. The song sits in the richest part of my voice, allowing it to feel warm, buttery, and intimate. ‘White Flag’ is about surrender, not as defeat, but as self-preservation. It’s the sound of laying down my armor after a battle that took far too much from me.”

Watch Visual for “White Flag” by Lee Lewis

Lee Lewis, raised in the historically Black neighborhood of Ladera Heights, discovered his musical talent early. He trained at the Colburn School of Performing Arts and later at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, studying classical voice.

Transitioning to pop music, Lewis overcame the challenge of adapting from classical precision to expressive, varied textures. His emotional delivery, marked by smooth riffs and runs, have captivated listeners and led to sold out shows in Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

As a rising star during a time when Black artists are reclaiming genres they pioneered, Lewis believes Black musicians should freely occupy both mainstream pop and R&B spaces. “I just want to exist in both worlds. Black artists should be accepted in both.”

Listen to “Maneater” by Lee Lewis

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Rewind Review: Rockabilly Psychosis & The Garage Disease compilation (1989)

I picked this up at a record store in Paris because, frankly, the cover looked nuts and the number of great psychobilly, garage, and trash-rock bands on it is stunning.

Starting with The Trashmen‘s classic “Surfin’ Bird,” you know the rest of the album is going to be bonkers. The Sonics‘ “Psycho” lands somewhere between swing-rock and psychedelic fuzz. Up next, The Novas pay tribute to one of their favorite pro-wrestlers on “The Crusher” (“Do the eye gouge, you turkey necks!”). The song is downright weird, and almost drops into monster-rock territory.

“Scream!” by Ralph Neilsen & The Chancellors is a wild one, as guitars run around the room, apparently chasing hysterical women who spend the next few minutes screaming until they’re hoarse. Speaking of people losing their voice, I don’t know how Legendary Stardust Cowboy (who, according to the liner notes, used to perform standing on peoples’ cars at drive-ins during intermission) doesn’t do it during “Paralyzed.” Following him with the legendary Hasil Adkins‘ “She Said” is appropriate. They would’ve made a great double-bill.

Would it be a “garage disease” compilation without Link Wray or The Meteors? Wray’s cover of Willie Dixon‘s “Hidden Charms” is a forgotten classic by him and will, as usual with his material, make you wonder why people don’t speak of him in the same way they speak of Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton. When The Meteors proclaim “My Daddy Is a Vampire” (a live version, no less), you believe them.

You get to hear one of The Cramps‘ earliest recordings when they’re the backing band for Jimmy Dickinson on “Red Headed Woman.” Link Wray returns, sort of, when The Milkshakes perform a cover of his “Run Chicken Run.” The Meteors then come back into orbit for “Radioactive Kid.”

The live cut of Tav Falco & Panther Burns‘ “Dateless Night” is a super-rare cut and worth the purchase price of the whole disc if you’re a rockabilly collector. The Gun Club‘s “Jack on Fire” is almost post-punk, but they never loose their rockabilly swagger. There’s plenty more of that swagger on The Geezers‘ cover of Johnny Cash‘s “Folsom Prison Blues.” The Sting-Rays‘ “Cat Man” is dangerous and gritty, and the closer, “Just Love Me” by The Guana Batz, wraps this up with wild abandon that will have you wanting to loop the album all over again.

It’s a rare find, but worth the digging.

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Melodi Ghazal shares beautiful “Destinies and Melodies” on her new single.

“Destinies and Melodies” is a cinematic, electro-acoustic pop ballad featuring a cool Madonna-esque bassline and dramatic string sequences. The beat-driven progression gives the song a sense of motion, yet within the interplay of harmony and melody lingers an unresolved tension, a question left open; is there a direction to this movement? Where does it lead? Is the movement itself the destination?

On the track, Melodi Ghazal [Gra-zal] muses: “I’ve been inspired by the red thread connecting the Sufis’ whirling meditation and Britney Spears spinning around herself on Instagram. Maybe we’re all just spinning around ourselves in search of the same thing? This track is a reflection of this movement to me.”

Lyrically, “Destinies and Melodies” explores being in the midst of transformation and the act of learning to lose yourself. It contemplates the feeling of time as vertical rather than linear. “For me, the track is about surrendering, following the melodies that arise when you let go of control,” she elaborates. “This music came into being during a deeply transformative period when much of my life was changing. Forces stronger than my intellect or awareness led me down unfamiliar paths, and all I could do was follow.”

Melodi Ghazal is a Copenhagen-born singer, songwriter, and producer of Iranian descent. Her left-field pop sound blends elements of R&B and folk, marked by a distinctive tonal language and a strong melodic sensibility. In her productions, she fuses electronic and acoustic textures where MIDI strings, subtle daf drum rhythms, and lush guitar layers intertwine. Her music balances melancholy and hope, woven together by her evocative vocals and lyrics that shift seamlessly between English and Persian.

Melodi has quickly established herself as one of Denmark’s most intriguing new voices. A graduate of the acclaimed Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC) in Copenhagen, she studied alongside peers such as Fine, Erika de Casier, and Clarissa Connelly. Her debut EP, released in 2023, was praised as a bold artistic statement and named one of the “15 best releases of the year” by Danish music magazine Soundvenue.

Melodi has since performed at some of Denmark’s most prominent stages, including Roskilde Festival, as well as being a part of the Copenhagen underground scene.

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[Thanks to Andi at Terrorbird Media.]

Review: Hüsker Dü – 1985 – The Miracle Year

Numero Group has done it again.

Just when you think you’ve heard the last word on Hüsker Dü’s back catalogue, Numero Group comes along with 1985 – The Miracle Year. It’s a stunning two-disc set of concert performances from when the band were in their prime. They were touring to promote Zen Arcade and, after this tour, would go on to release two more classics: New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig. They would start recording Candy Apple Grey later that same year.

The first disc is a rare recording of a full show at Minneapolis’ First Avenue club recorded in January 1985. It was slated to be released as an album back then, but it never materialized and the tapes sat for forty years in storage. Thankfully, they emerged and have been remastered and released for all of us.

Hearing this show now instantly makes your jaw drop. Starting off with “New Day Rising,” they stomp the gas and almost never let off it for the whole show. They’re angry and fierce on “It’s Not Funny Anymore” and “Everything Falls Apart.” Even “The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill” has extra doses of punk rage in it.

Other great cuts include “Makes No Sense at All,” “Books About UFOs,” and the blazing “Broken Home Broken Heart.” “Pink Turns to Blue” is a great encore piece, as are “Out on a Limb” (with Grant Hart thudding out a primal beat almost as a challenge to the audience still left standing) and the wild cover songs from the set: “Eight Miles High” (The Byrds), “Helter Skelter” (a perfect song for them to perform as Greg Norton and Bob Mould trade punk rage vocals and screams), “Ticket to Ride” (The Beatles), and “Love Is All Around” (Sonny Curtis).

Disc two is a collection of other live cuts from 1985 and begins with a blistering version of “Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely.” “Hardly Getting Over It” is another good one with sharp guitar work by Mould. “Eiffel Tower High” is a great inclusion, and one you rarely hear. The same goes for “All Work and No Play,” which features great double vocals.

Their cover of Donovan‘s “Sunshine Superman” is always welcome, and the Hoboken crowd goes crazy for it. Several of the final tracks are audience requests, such as “In a Free Land,” the title track to Flip Your Wig, and even an instrumental (“The Wit and the Wisdom”) that nearly burns down the Frankfurt venue.

It all sounds great, and the first disc alone will put you right back into 1985. Bring your earplugs.

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[Thanks to Patrick at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Blackwater Holylight – Not Here Not Gone

Not long ago, Blackwater Holylight left their Pacific Northwest stomping grounds, and the gray, rainy days there, for sunny Los Angeles. The band (Eliese Dorsay – drums, Sunny Faris – bass, guitar, vocals, Mikayla Mayhew – guitar, Sarah McKenna – synths) decided they needed not only a change of space, but of perspective, and the resulting album, Not Here Not Gone, reflects the feeling of being between physical and mental spaces.

The title of the opening track, “How Will You Feel,” reflects this as Faris asks us to examine our emotions and physical reactions as we adapt to change (willingly or not). The sound of this song also reflects the blending and shifting of shapes for the band. They meld their Pacific Northwest “gloomgaze” sound with bright southern California synths.

Their love of shoegaze comes through strong on “Involuntary Haze” – which could be a drug reference, but I doubt it. I think it’s about the odd feeling of being confused after you’re thrust into a new situation or place and are overwhelmed by sensory input. They crank up the amps and gravity on “Bodies.”

“Heavy, Why?” was the album’s first single and it’s a good example of BWHL’s blend of shoegaze, metal, psychedelia, and, I’ll say it, dreampop. Faris’ voice could easily carry an entire dreampop album if she wanted, and McKenna’s synths almost add an ELO touch to the song. Mayhew riffs on this practically shove you into a wall.

The instrumental “Giraffe” is a short mix of smoky synths and electro beats to shift your brain and ears into further exploration of the path BWHL have laid out on the album…because along comes “Spades” – a track that will impress all of your metalhead friends and have dudes in battle-vests running for their merch table. It’s one of the best metal tracks of the year…and it’s only January. Dorsay’s drumming on “Void to Be” reminds me of tribal beats designed to change your perception of what’s around you.

“Fade” is another standout. It’s downright gorgeous and is one of the best shoegaze tracks of the year…and it’s only January. “Mourning After” is the kind of song that BWHL do so well: Somewhat gothic, somewhat heavy, somewhat fuzzy, somewhat crushing, somewhat sad, all beautiful. The closer, “Poppyfields,” is pulsating stunner about a friend of the band losing their home in a California wildfire.

BWHL have long been considered a doom band with their heavy riffs and heavy lyrics. The last time I saw them live, at the 2021 Psycho Music Festival in Las Vegas, Faris opened the show by saying, “Hi. We’re Blackwater Holylight, and we’re going to play a bunch of sad songs for you.” There is far more to them than doom and gloom, however. There’s always a powerful strength and at least a glimmer of hope on all of their albums. Not Here Not Gone is no exception.

This is in the running for one of the top albums of the year…and it’s only January.

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[Thanks to Andi at Terrorbird Media.]

Austin Psych Fest announces 2026 lineup.

Austin Psych Fest 2026 returns May 8–10 with another wide-ranging exploration of psychedelic sound, bringing legendary icons, forward-thinking indie rock, global grooves, and deep-cut psych favorites to the big South Austin backyard at The Far Out Lounge.

Since its inception in 2008, Austin Psych Fest has embraced an expansive definition of psychedelia — not as a single genre, but as a feeling — tracing its roots from 1960s experimentation through modern interpretations shaped by reverb-soaked guitars, hypnotic rhythms, and adventurous songcraft. The 2026 lineup continues that tradition, spanning classic psych, indie rock, soul, cumbia, global psych, and everything in between.

Friday, May 8 opens with an explosive night headlined by THE FLAMING LIPS, masters of technicolor psychedelia whose live shows blur the line between concert, communal experience, and sensory overload. Joining them are dream-pop architects DIIV, indie rock torchbearers MOMMA, Texas shoegazers GLARE, Brazilian psych favorites BOOGARINS, with additional sets from STARCLEANER REUNION and Austin psych staples HOLY WAVE, setting the tone for a weekend of expansive sound.

Saturday, May 9 leans into darker, heavier, and more hypnotic terrain as THE BLACK ANGELS perform their landmark debut album Passover, a cornerstone of modern American psychedelia, for its 20th anniversary. Topping off the bill is garage rock icon TY SEGALL and the lush, cinematic psych pop of MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER. On the international front, Italian brooding psych outfit NEW CANDYS and pan-Arab psych funk innovators AL-QASAR enrich Saturday’s lineup alongside local beloveds GROCERY BAG and ANNABELLE CHAIRLEGS, rounding out one of the weekend’s most adventurous bills.

Sunday, May 10 brings warmth, groove, and global influence to close out the festival, headlined by modern soul luminaries THEE SACRED SOULS, the sun-soaked instrumentals of LA LOM, Latin soul and bolero heat from TRISH TOLEDO, the psych rock soul of NIGHT BEATS, Italian sonic explorers DUMBO GETS MAD, Peruvian chicha revivalists MONEY CHICHA, COMO LAS MOVIES, and a DJ set from ADRIAN QUESADA, tying together the festival’s far-reaching musical journey.

More artists will be announced soon.

Tickets are on sale now, with 3-Day Passes and Single-Day Tickets available, along with a limited number of Early Bird options while supplies last.

3 DAY PASSES and SINGLE DAY TICKETS available HERE.
Early Bird Tickets have sold out – Tier 1 Passes & Tickets available now!

FRI MAY 8
THE FLAMING LIPS
DIIV • MOMMA • GLARE • BOOGARINS
HOLY WAVE • STARCLEANER REUNION

SAT MAY 9
THE BLACK ANGELS PERFORM PASSOVER
MELODY’S ECHO CHAMBER • TY SEGALL
NEW CANDYS • AL QASAR • GROCERY BAG
ANNABELLE CHAIRLEGS • STRANGE LOT

SUN MAY 10
THEE SACRED SOULS
LA LOM • TRISH TOLEDO • NIGHT BEATS
DUMBO GETS MAD • MONEY CHICHA
COMO LAS MOVIES • DJ ADRIAN QUESADA

WITH ADDITIONAL ACTS + NIGHT SHOWS TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON.

VISUALS + VIDEO + ART INSTALLATIONS FROM:
TV EYE • MAD ALCHEMY DRIP//CUTS
SHELUSHY • ATTIC SPACE • SLIM REAPER • BILLGAZER
CHURCH OF THE ETERNAL SUN • FEVER DREAM
EL TALLER DE PIYAMAS • COSMIC DOMMY

AUSTIN PSYCH FEST will be held May 8-10, 2026. The Spring event precedes the renowned LEVITATION in the Fall, and marks the 5th year of APF’s return to Austin, with an intimate setting and two stage lineup at South Austin’s The Far Out Lounge.

Austin Psych Fest began in 2008, as a DIY event and quickly expanded over the years into an international destination for the underground music scene. The event was rechristened LEVITATION, in a nod to the Austin’s psychedelic rock godfathers The 13th Floor Elevators. Austin Psych Fest returned in April 2023 celebrating its 15 year anniversary with a 3 day throwback to the original multi-stage, single venue format – bringing an intimate gathering on the Spring side of the calendar, and LEVITATION in the Fall. APF honors the city’s 1960s psychedelic rock heritage and channels it into the here and now – drawing indie rock icons, experimental rock and tripped-out sounds to an appropriately laid-back South Austin setting.

Since Austin Psych Fest’s inception, organizers have sought to create a thriving center for the independent music scene locally and internationally, in the original home of psychedelic rock: Austin, Texas.

For updates and additional information, keep up with Levitation on Instagram H ERE.

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[Thanks to Bailey at Another Side.]

Bory’s new single is “Living Proof” that rock is still here.

At the start of January, Bory announced his sophomore LP Never Turns To Night, which will be released on the new Toronto label Bleak Enterprise on March 6th. The project of Portland-based songwriter Brenden Ramirez, the album is the follow up to his 2023 debut LP Who’s A Good Boy, which earned comparisons to Elliott Smith, Big Star, The Shins and Tony Molina from outlets like Stereogum, Uproxx, and Pitchfork, who said that the album “surges with quiet confidence and an open heart.”

Bory has shared two singles from the record so far, “We’ll Burn That Bridge When We Get To It” and “By The Lake” which have seen praise from outlets like Pitchfork, Paste, Line of Best Fit, Stereogum and BrooklynVegan, and today they are sharing a new track called “Living Proof.”

LISTEN TO “LIVING PROOF”

“Living Proof” captures Bory’s rare ability to deliver emotional heft in the context of bright, mile-a-minute songwriting. A song about feeling inspired by a friend’s resilience in a difficult situation, “Living Proof” elevates its sentiment with a barrage of ear worms that never obscure its emotive impact. There’s never a dull moment in this arresting track, yet it conjures a feeling that lingers.

Ramirez says of the track:
This song is about a couple of really strong and resilient people in my life who were really going through it. It made me grapple with the side of me that immediately wants to be like “Why am I complaining? My problems are insignificant compared to them,” and instead just try to appreciate and be inspired by them, rather than find yet another way to put myself down.

PREORDER NEVER TURNS TO NIGHT HERE

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RY-GUY releases “Dunja” ahead of his next EP due March 27, 2026.

RY-GUY is a South London-based artist whose music sits at the intersection of soul, psychedelia and art-pop, shaped by a deep sense of heritage and a commitment to telling stories often left unheard. Born in London to a West Indian/Caribbean family with roots in Guyana and Barbados, RY-GUY is highly influenced by the soundsystem culture of his Guyanese / Caribbean heritage as well as art movements like Impressionism and Surrealism and treats songwriting as both personal expression and cultural document.

Today RY-GUY announces new EP ‘like a river’, set for release March 27th and shares the first single from the record, “Dunja” (pronounced “DOON-yah”).

“Dunja” features a driving, guitar-led sound and an unforgettable chorus replete with 60s style backing vocals – then takes a complete left turn, building up to a crashing crescendo, before then veering off into a space rock coda for its final 60 seconds. The result is an epic single that feels like three songs in one and further confirms RY-GUY as one of the most unique indie artists currently around.

Recorded at the legendary RAK Studios in London by Adele Phillips (Speedy Wunderground) and mixed by George Murphy (The Specials, Hotel Lux, Major Lazer), RY-GUY speaks about the idea behind “Dunja”.

“A powerful anthem for ethnic women navigating the challenges of a Western world, this song speaks to their resilience in overcoming male oppression, violence, and the patriarchy. It’s a celebration of strength, defiance, and the pursuit of freedom in the face of adversity.”

Listen to “Dunja” here: https://youtu.be/Nm1EImHLfXE

Classically trained on piano from a young age in South London, RY-GUY’s early immersion in artists such as Otis Redding and Al Green laid a soulful foundation, while a formative encounter with Jimi Hendrix opened up a more expansive, boundary-less approach to composition. After years of writing and recording demos on a 4-track recorder, RY-GUY emerged as a project driven by the desire to release the kinds of musical narratives he felt were missing from the contemporary landscape.

RY-GUY’s work often centres marginalised perspectives through abstract lyricism and textured soundscapes. His upcoming EP ‘Like A River’ was conceived as an honest, self-contained artwork – one that balances a direct pop sensibility with enough sonic grit and ambiguity for listeners to lose themselves within it. Themes of strength, defiance and self-affirmed freedom run throughout the record, portraying life candidly and in the present tense. The project’s DIY ethos extends beyond the music itself, encompassing self-shot artwork, deliberately chosen track titles, and a visual world that reinforces the EP’s emotional core.

Written primarily on piano (with “Dunja”, originating on guitar), the EP was recorded across Salvation Studios, Speedy Wunderground and RAK, with Speedy Wunderground becoming a creative home during the process. RY-GUY co-produced the record with Adele Phillips, with additional guidance from long-time mentor Sir Robin Millar CBE. Mixing and mastering were handled by George Murphy and Dyre Gormsen of Eastcote Studios, while contributions from live band members and collaborators added further depth.

Closing track “Oil In My Hair” stands as the emotional and thematic heart of the EP, a moment of resolution that encapsulates its pursuit of freedom and self-belief, blending psychedelia, soul and art-pop into a final statement of quiet triumph.

Live, RY-GUY has graced headline shows at The Shacklewell Arms and The Windmill in London, as well as playing outside his home city at venues such as Yes in Manchester and Supersonic in Paris and is set to play a run of UK tour dates later this year.

See RY-GUY live:
21 March 2026 // Coventry, Just Dropped In
28 March 2026 // Liverpool, Jacaranda
31 March 2026 // London, Shacklewell Arms
23 May 2026 // Southampton, Wanderlust Festival

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[Thanks to Frankie at Stereo Sanctity.]