When you look at artists who use music as a form of self-therapy, It’sJustVon stands out as someone who doesn’t just write songs, he documents chapters. Ever since he released his debut album welcome to the state of denial in 2020, his artistry has been rooted in honesty, emotional depth, and the willingness to confront the parts of life that most people avoid. What makes his story even more layered is his second musical identity, LLV, short for Lost Love, a name he uses when the art demands a darker lens, a different tone, or a more vulnerable headspace. Two identities, one storyteller, and a growing discography that reflects real human struggle. 2025 became an important year for Von because it marked a shift from internal battles to outward conversation. His single “Someway Somehow,” chosen for BUZZMUSIC’s Best Independent Artists of 2025, is a track that channels his personal reflections on mental health into something relatable for anyone who’s ever carried pain in silence. The song is a reminder that healing isn’t linear, and that resilience doesn’t always look loud, sometimes it’s just surviving one more day, one more moment. The track’s calm intensity and message show exactly why Von’s voice matters in a genre where vulnerability is often treated like a risk. But this year wasn’t defined by music alone. Outside the studio, Von stacked milestone after milestone: graduating from college with a BA, earning his Class A CDL, managing at three major companies, and stepping into a project manager role for a robotics company, traveling, learning, and leveling up professionally. These real-world achievements mirror his internal growth. They show a version of Von who isn’t just writing through pain, but actively building a life outside of it. What comes next feels like a new era. With “Leaving the State of Denial” on the horizon, Von is preparing to expand the narrative he started years ago, shifting from survival to evolution, from reflection to forward motion. And whether it’s through It’sJustVon or LLV, one thing is clear: his music remains rooted in honesty, faith, and the belief that timing — God’s timing — is everything. You’ve released music under both It’sJustVon and LLV, two identities that tap into different emotional spaces. How do you decide which parts of your story belong to which artist name, and what does each alter-ego represent for you creatively? ItsJustVon is who I was, and is leaving the state of denial. My last song, “You Read My Mind” on my album, says “...what? You never met LLV.” So, to answer your question, how do I decide which parts of my story belong to which artist name? ItsJustVon is heartbroken by what happened to him, but LLV is ready to move on. My last release under LLV should have been ItsjustVon, but it just didn’t feel right. LLV is ready to move on, but in his recent release alone, he has not made that leap, which is why it didn’t make the album. ItsJustVon waited years after “Welcome to the State of Denia” to reveal why the breakup occurred on leaving the state of denial, but knew the whole time. LLV stands for lost love forgot the s.. forgot the t… {lost} forgot the o… forgot the e{love}. LLV is ready to move on, making upbeat music to have fun with. ItsJustVon makes hip hop storytelling. I honestly want to say that after leaving the state of denial itsJustVon is finished, but after so many people who have heard my album before its release, it's a high possibility ItsJustVon returns to make music that hits home. “Someway Somehow” is all about mental health and the unseen battles people carry. When you were writing it, what moment or realization pushed you to speak openly about what you were going through? Honestly, I just felt free to share. Writing to me feels free; I just write it out on my cell phone, then record it. The second verse really comes to mind when you ask that question. I have nothing to hide; the unseen battles I, as well as many others, fight every day. I feel obligated with all my accomplishments to share what I have experienced. As I always say, “you're not alone,” let's go, “ the sky is the limit. “ I was a robotics project manager. Amazon area manager. Etc. You’ve talked about wanting your music to spark conversations around emotional struggle, resilience, and healing. What’s one thing you wish more people understood about mental health, especially within hip-hop and R&B? Honestly, we should not look to musicians for life advice. I have read over a hundred books, the majority on business, self-help, and religion. But musicians make music for entertainment for the most part. When it comes to mental health, I honestly believe you should be your own doctor in a way. Decide what is and what is not working for you. Keep it going to be the best version of yourself as possible.  You’ve had a big year outside of music: graduating from college, earning your CDL, and stepping into project management and robotics. How have those real-life responsibilities and wins shaped the way you write, think, and create? Honestly, I just got a chance to wear different hats. I tell people who have met me, “everybody knows Von from Amazon. It's really the best place to work; people high up really care about what you think and your views toward making the organization a better place. Robotics really wasn’t for me, not to bash another company, but trust me, I don’t mind doing that either lol. Amazon has been the #1 company in the world, and I’m proud to say I started as a temp and worked my way up to Manager. I have a CDL and love my relaxing occupation. I think as time progresses, it will shape my music currently. I’m glad to have finished leaving the state of denial.  You mentioned “Just Me and the Studio” as a possible inclusion for Best Of 2025 if the timing works. What kind of energy or message does that unreleased track carry, and how does it continue the story you’re telling this year? Just me and the studio just feels right. The calmness after the storm, the energy I feel it brings.  It brings a message of being alone and being alone is ok. I’m working alone by choice, single by choice, looking for the right people to allow in my life. This year sets the table for the next guest llv. Get ready for him, but also, if he is too much to take, you can always message me and say we miss ItsJustVon. You dropped two tracks in 2025 “Someway Somehow” and LLV’s “alone.” When you look at both, what do they say about where you are emotionally and artistically compared to when you first released “welcome to the state of denial” back in 2020? ItsJustVon welcome to the state of denial, brings attention to, and my ex-girlfriend being on a break to officially breaking up. Leaving the state of denial is the raw, uncut reason why the relationship ending begins the album with “hurt my soul,” hopefully something everyone enjoys. With the album over, I look forward to the next person I date. Emotionally free as well as artistically free. I can make whatever kind of music I like. A new chapter is beginning, and I hope my fans are next to me to read what’s about to be written.  Heading into 2026 with “Leaving the State of Denial” on the horizon, what shift do you feel happening inside yourself? What do you want this next chapter to reveal about you as both a person and an artist? Get ready for LLV! All I can say.

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is doing what it does best: showing up for the people who built the culture. The nonprofit has announced its annual benefit concert for February 21 at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco, this time honoring blues icon Taj Mahal, a living legend whose influence stretches far beyond the genre he helped redefine. The lineup is stacked in a way that feels intentional, not nostalgic-for-nostalgia’s sake. Confirmed performers include Van Morrison, Stevie Van Zandt, George Thorogood, Mike Campbell, Patty Griffin, Jim Lauderdale, Will Hoge, Joe Henry, Ruby Amanfu, Bobby Rush, Trombone Shorty Kids, and Taj Mahal himself, with special guests and additional artists still to be announced. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 19 . This isn’t just a tribute concert. It’s a statement. Taj Mahal’s career spans more than five decades, but his relevance hasn’t faded with time. Emerging in the late 1960s, he expanded the blues by weaving in Caribbean, African, Hawaiian, and Latin influences long before “genre fusion” became an industry buzzword. Albums like Taj Mahal and The Natch’l Blues didn’t just preserve tradition, they stretched it, creating a global, joyful approach to roots music that still resonates today. His influence can be heard everywhere, whether artists know it or not. “Thrilled to be honored by Sweet Relief and to celebrate with good feeling music,” Taj Mahal shared. “Thank you Sweet Relief for all that you do and for bringing us together.” For Sweet Relief, the night marks both a celebration and a mission-critical fundraiser. Executive Director Aric Steinberg called the event “long overdue” and emphasized its deeper purpose. “This will be a special show indeed, and is also a critical fundraiser for our music community in need of emergency financial assistance for physical or mental health care,” Steinberg said. “More artists will be announced in the coming weeks, and there are always a few surprises.” The concert follows Sweet Relief’s 2025 tribute to Joan Baez, which featured performances by Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Margo Price, Tom Morello, and more. If that event proved anything, it’s that Sweet Relief understands how to honor a legacy without turning it into a museum piece. Beyond the stage, Sweet Relief Musicians Fund continues to be a lifeline for career musicians and industry professionals, providing financial assistance for medical care, insurance, housing, food, utilities, and other essential living expenses. In an industry that often abandons its artists once the spotlight dims, Sweet Relief fills a gap the system refuses to acknowledge. February 21 won’t just be a concert. It’ll be a reminder of why music matters, who built it, and why taking care of artists should never be optional.

Some artists chase trends. The Star Prairie Project chases stories, and 2025 marked one of their most compelling chapters yet. Helmed by Wisconsin songwriter Nolen R. Chew Jr., the project has always lived at the crossroads of Americana, indie rock, and free-form creativity, pulling in collaborators from around the world to turn rough ideas into fully realized worlds. But Little Gems , their standout release of the year, feels like something different. Not louder, not flashier, just deeply alive , threaded with the kind of curiosity, humor, and emotional honesty that makes the Star Prairie Project such a rare presence in independent music. The album’s origin story is as unpretentious as its name: a handful of unfinished tracks Nolen pulled back off the shelf after wrapping two very different projects. But in revisiting them, with the help of longtime collaborators Rudiger and Ivy Marie, he unlocked something surprisingly cohesive. Little Gems became the kind of record you stumble into and end up staying with, where every track has its own personality, its own life lesson, its own charm. From the cheeky gender-role flip of “Down Boy” to the lovable-loser wink of “Poor Pitiful Me,” the album bounces between playful pop-rock and reflective Americana without ever losing its identity. Nearly a million combined streams later, those instincts proved right. Yet behind the scenes, 2025 wasn’t just about looking back — it was about building forward. Nolen spent the year crafting new albums with collaborators across genres and continents, from a 12-song Americana project with Rudiger to a rock-forward record with his Portugal-based team. The Star Prairie Project is constantly moving, constantly evolving, constantly creating. And that’s exactly why Little Gems feels like such a defining release: it captures the heart of the project, the storytelling, the global collaboration, the joy of discovery, in its purest form. As Nolen looks ahead to 2026, the mission stays the same: make music because you love making music. Forget the noise, forget the industry grind, forget the discouraging parts of being indie. The Star Prairie Project is proof that when you follow the joy of creation, the work will always find its audience. When you picked those unfinished songs back up, what moment told you, “Oh wait, this is an album”? Nolen: In that pile was the song ‘Poor Pitiful Me’ along with ‘I Like it My Way’, Tess, and           ‘Sunshine Skies’. I thought that was a really good start for an album. So I pretty much knew right away that it was enough to build on because when I would listen to the songs back to back, they flowed together well and seemed to fit. I think it was at that point that I commented to my wife that there were some little gems in this pile of songs. You collaborate with musicians around the world. What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned from working cross-continent? Nolen: I learned that the one factor that brings us all together is music. It’s all about the music. Writing and recording music is joyful, and to collaborate and share that joy is one of the precious experiences of being human, in my opinion. We all love the music aspect of our craft and almost universally deplore the industry we work in as it relates to Indie Artists. Maybe the fortunate ones that are signed with the large labels feel differently, but nobody does that I work with, ha! What made Rudiger and Ivy Marie the right voices for shaping the emotional core of Little Gems? Nolen: Their voices merge and blend in a very unique and natural way. Our 2023 album ‘New Day at Dawn’ featured Rudiger and Ivy, so I knew what I could expect from them on ‘Little Gems’. They each sing their own songs, but there are a few songs where they sing together, which is a special treat for the listener because their duets are fantastic and dynamic. They can belt it out together like they do singing on ‘Poor Pitiful Me or they can blend their voices softly like they do on the acoustic version of ‘When I Look at the World’. Yes, they were the perfect voices for the ‘Little Gems’ album. This album has playful highs and reflective lows. Which song changed the most from its first draft? Nolen: That would have to be ‘When I Look at the World’. The first mix actually was the full version that appears at the end of the album, right before the finale ‘Without You’. The acoustic version sounded pretty much like the original demo structurally, but Rudiger added that box drum percussion, which I thought was really cool, and it was at the last minute that we decided to add Ivy, and then at first Ivy was singing backing, and we finally changed it to a full duet. But it kept its original charm throughout, and the full rock-out version and the campfire version are both great. How do you stay creatively energized when working on multiple albums across completely different genres? Nolen: It just comes naturally. It just wells up and overflows. When it’s working right, I don’t have to do anything but guide it. It’s called creating, and I believe it is humanity's greatest gift. I really believe that. We are creators, and we co-create in the universe. People ask what we would do with our time if we didn’t work. The answer is we would create. We would create in our own individual ways because it is joyful and natural, and yes, productive. You know what’s not natural? Two fifteen-minute breaks a day and a half hour for lunch. Charging the artists to create and then taking all the profits, that's not natural. That's gluttony. There is so much to write about by just really looking around us. 2025 seemed like a big “building year” behind the scenes. What shifted in your process during that time? Nolen: We’ve been building since 2019. It’s just that six or seven years go by and the next thing you know we’ve built a discography a decent catalog. But I think 2025 was a building year in terms of the maturity and the depth and breadth of our body of work. The thing is, what is happening behind the scenes in 2025, all the writing and recording of albums and videos won’t be seen by the public for a year or more. What is being heard now on current playlists was written and recorded well over a year ago. It’s weird in that sense, there’s the world of current releases and the behind-the-scenes world we are creating for the future. But if you like The Star Prairie Project up til now, you will love the new material written and recorded in 2025. I think what shifted in that time was the world. We are in the midst of a metamorphosis, in a sense, and our new music reflects it. Rudiger and I just finished an album called ‘Burning Road’ and it has a certain mood about it a brooding but hopeful mood. It reflects that shift that you currently sense. What’s the biggest lesson you wish every indie artist understood about joy, longevity, and carving your own lane? Nolen: Concentrate on the joy of what you do despite the outward rewards. Because it is the internal joy they can’t take from you. The cream rises to the top. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. But if you reward yourself along the way with living in the natural buzz of creating your music, you win. Sometimes we make it too complicated. If you love making music you will never run out of songs. We’ve recorded ten albums now, and we haven’t run out of music. You have to love how that works. However, that works.

On December 11, 2025, the Giving A Smile Foundation officially announced itself as a serious force for change with its Inaugural Gala at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA. Hosted by Kelsey Grammer and headlined by a special performance from five-time Grammy-nominated artist Robin Thicke, the night blended Hollywood energy with real-world impact. Presented by Rifkin Raanan Dentistry, the gala brought together entertainers, philanthropists, medical leaders, and community advocates in support of one clear mission: providing high-quality, no-cost dental care to underserved youth across Los Angeles. The evening opened with a standout performance by The Voice alum Jacquie Lee, followed by additional performances from Griffith Frank and Lindsay Gitter, with DJ Pookie keeping the energy flowing throughout the night. The room was packed with purpose, not just glamour. Notable guests and presenters included Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian, who received the Humanitarian Leadership Award, alongside honoree presenters Harry Goodwins (The Gentlemen), James Tupper (Big Little Lies), Colin Egglesfield (The Client List), and Lesley-Ann Brandt (Lucifer). Additional awards were presented to Lorrie Bartlett (Guiding Light Award), JR Dzubak (Visionary Impact Award), and Dr. Katja Van Herle (Healing Hands Award). The guest list reflected a wide cross-section of Hollywood, philanthropy, and business, including Emma Hernan (Selling Sunset), Emily O’Brien (The Young and the Restless), Joe Simpson, Ryan Garcia, and dozens of industry leaders, supporters, and advocates. The event was hosted alongside the dentists behind the Foundation, including Dr. Rodney Raanan, Dr. Justin Raanan, Dr. Sepehr Nassiripour, Dr. Rosie Nassiripour, Dr. Robert Rifkin, and Dr. Steve Rifkin, whose work anchors the Foundation’s mission. A Night With Purpose Proceeds from the gala directly support the development and long-term operation of the Foundation’s permanent, no-cost dental clinic, ensuring that children and young adults are never denied care due to financial hardship. The clinic will provide advanced dental treatments, preventive education, and essential oral-health resources to vulnerable youth across Los Angeles. Sponsors and supporters for the evening included Doctor’s Orders Wines, Valley Bank, Fuel Cycle, Vitamin Water, Casa Azul, CoDentist, Mamazing.com , Beverly Bar, and more. The auctions featured high-value experiences, including trips to Thailand and Napa, yacht excursions to Catalina, custom artwork by Matt Smiley, and diamond jewelry fro m XVIII Karats by Shery Levy , Beverly Hills. Looking ahead, the Foundation’s vision extends beyond a single clinic. “In addition to building our first stand-alone year-round dental clinic, the Giving A Smile Foundation is raising funds to launch two fully equipped mobile dental units that will bring free, high-quality care directly into underserved communities,” said Dr. Justin Raanan, DDS, MMSc. “These mobile clinics will allow us to reach children and young adults where they are, removing barriers to treatment and expanding our impact across Los Angeles.” With its inaugural gala, the Giving A Smile Foundation didn’t just host an event. It laid the groundwork for a lasting infrastructure of care, equity, and access. A strong start, with real follow-through.

In 2025, the award-winning indie pop artist doubled down on the part of his artistry that people love most: the warmth, the sincerity, and the pure joy that radiate from everything he touches. With decades spent shaping his signature blend of electronic pop, retro sparkle, and heartfelt storytelling, Craymo has never been afraid of reinvention. But this year felt different. It felt bigger, clearer, and more celebratory, almost like he entered a new creative era with wide-open arms. From shimmering dance-floor anthems to a nostalgia-soaked holiday release, Craymo used 2025 to remind everyone why independent artists matter: they create from instinct, not boardrooms, and they chase impact, not predictability. While Love Together and Tear Me Apart continued his streak of uplifting, dance-focused pop, it was “ Last Christmas ” that defined his 2025. Instead of offering another straightforward cover, Craymo transformed the Wham! classic into a glittering, club-ready celebration, something only a former nightclub DJ/VJ with decades of dance culture in his bones could pull off. His reimagining is both a love letter to the original and a nod to the DJ version of himself who once spun the track on 12” vinyl in Southern California. It’s energetic, nostalgic, and designed with one purpose: to make people feel good. And clearly, the world agreed. In just weeks, Last Christmas climbed the Mediabase Top 40 Holiday Charts and found its way onto radio playlists across the globe. The release marks one of Craymo’s most successful moments in recent years, a full-circle return to the music that shaped him. Outside the studio, Craymo stacked his year with wins: multiple international awards, expansion into the sync world, and ongoing work on Be Myself, the semi-autobiographical film script about growing up gay in upstate New York, a story he’s been waiting his whole life to tell. 2025 proved what long-time fans already know: Craymo isn’t just an indie veteran, he’s an artist who continues to evolve without losing the heart behind his music. His message remains consistent: joy matters, community matters, and music still has the power to make the world feel a little softer, even for three and a half minutes at a time. “Last Christmas” became a defining moment of your year. What was the emotional trigger that convinced you it was finally the right time to reinterpret such a sacred classic?  Since this song was released in 1984, it has been my all-time favorite Christmas song! I was working as a club DJ/VJ in Southern California at the time, and I fell in love with it! I have been trying to write an original Christmas song for years, but I have never been satisfied with what I came up with. Then last year, in 2024, I read that it was the 40th anniversary of the release of the Wham! version. I said to myself, “That’s the holiday song I want to do!” I wanted to record it with a good dance groove and dedicate it to the inner DJ in all of us! You’ve spent decades shaping your sound across multiple eras of pop. What about 2025 felt creatively different for you, and how did that shift show up in the music you made this year?  The 80s were the ultimate decade in music for me. It has influenced all my music since then in some fashion. Flying to Los Angeles in January of last year to record was very surreal as the Palisades and Eaton fires were happening at the time. It created a different kind of vibe in my music and lyrics, and I feel a positive shift in my vocals and songwriting with the help of my long-time friend, co-writer, and Producer Brandon Jarrett. We created this cool new modern vibe mixed with the heart and soul of the 80s. “Last Christmas” has already found global radio support and chart traction. What’s been the most surprising reaction you’ve received about your version so far?  The amazing reviews I have received!  It is very satisfying to receive accolades from music critics, blogs, and complete strangers. “An iridescent EDM pop rush.” “One of the best covers I have heard.” Wow, it is so nice to be embraced so positively for your craft and for doing something that you love to do!  That tells me that I was on the right path to release this version. It’s a feel-good song even though it is a song about heartbreak. A lot of my fans, friends, and family have said, “We have been waiting for you to do a cover of this!” Makes me smile for sure!   Between dance-pop releases, award wins, sync deals, and a movie script in progress, 2025 seemed like a year of expansion. How did you keep yourself grounded while juggling so many creative lanes at once?  I am also an actor, performing in indie films and advertising commercials! I am a very creative person and have always juggled my creativity and passions in life, while still working for a living. I would love to earn my living from my various creative talents however, in the meantime I continue to focus on channeling my creative energy into different projects. A lot of meditation and spending time in nature helps keep me grounded. As someone who’s lived through multiple generations of the music industry, how do you stay motivated and inspired in a landscape dominated by algorithms and oversaturation?   Honestly, I don’t get consumed by those things. I focus on the passion and the love of performing and creating something new. You’ve always championed themes of love, unity, and self-acceptance. How do those values guide the choices you make, especially as you enter a new year of opportunities, collaborations, and visibility? Those ideals have led my life in a positive direction and helped keep me focused. It is easy to get distracted in the music and entertainment industry. They will always guide me to bigger and better things. You have to love yourself before you can expect anyone else to love you. You’re working on a semi-autobiographical film, Be Myself. How much of your musical identity is shaped by the kid you were in upstate New York, and what part of his story are you most excited for the world to finally see?  I am excited for the world to see my joy and laughter!  It’s a funny and heartfelt tale of my journey.  One of my earliest and favorite memories was singing along with the Beatles into my mom’s hairbrush on my parents' bed when I was 3 years old! Music has always had a major impact on my life. It has brought me so much joy and inspiration and has helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life. Music is the best therapy for your soul, and a really good song can make you smile when you need it the most!

A Light Within has reemerged from a long stretch of silence with “DyingClock,” a sprawling nine-minute single that pulls the Kansas City group back into the atmospheric prog spotlight they have quietly occupied for more than a decade. The track is the band’s first release since 2024 and immediately signals a renewed creative spark built on tension, mood, and their signature cinematic pacing. Recorded throughout 2025, “DyingClock” features a standout guest appearance from Kelli Scott of Failure. His drumming adds sharp movement to a song that drifts between brooding ambience and heavier, post-rock-influenced peaks. Bass duties were handled by Madelyn Robertson, rounding out a performance that feels immersive and deliberate. The new single taps into the same emotional depth that has endeared the band to fans of Porcupine Tree, Katatonia, Tool, and other groups known for long-form storytelling. The release also marks a turning point. A Light Within weathered a turbulent period following their 2018 record “Epilogue,” the closing chapter of a conceptual trilogy rooted in transcribed diary entries. The band regrouped in 2022 with a new formation, Josh Bennett moving from guitar to bass while the rest of the lineup shifted into a streamlined four-piece. Since then, they have shared a run of singles, including “Meteoric Fires,” “Count With Your Eyes,” “Terraform,” and “Identity.” During their quietest years, core members Kyle and Jeff Irvine revisited their 2013 debut EP “Preface,” rebuilding it with modern production and newly imagined parts. The updated version, released as “re: preface,” served as a bridge between eras and as a nod to longtime supporters while the band shaped new material. With “DyingClock,” A Light Within steps fully into their next phase. The new single feels patient yet powerful, a reminder that the band thrives when they take the long way around. More music is already in motion, and the song acts as the opening move in what looks like a revitalized period for the Kansas City outfit.

Electronic artist Benton isn’t here to trauma-dump for streams or deliver some perfectly manicured “aesthetic” sadness. Animals , his new EP, is messy in the most human way, a kaleidoscope of breakdowns, breakthroughs, synth pulses, and the weird little moments in between where you’re laughing through the pain because… what else are you supposed to do? If his last single “On My Own” cracked the door open, Animals kicks it off the hinges. This is Benton at his most exposed yet most free, building worlds out of shimmering synths, retro-pop grit, and the kind of melodic honesty that hits you right in the unspoken thoughts. Benton blends the spirit of The War on Drugs, Talking Heads, and Her’s but filters it through a distinctly modern lens, emotionally aware, self-deprecating, and fully willing to dance through the disaster. Across the EP, Benton unpacks the heavy stuff: love, identity, loneliness, emotional freeze-response, all the ways adulthood feels like one long “what the hell am I doing?” montage.   But here’s the twist: he refuses to let the darkness win. Instead, Animals embraces the reality that sometimes healing looks like staring out a window, questioning your life choices… and sometimes it’s dancing your face off at 2 a.m. to forget them. The synths shimmer, the beats hit hard, and the melodies feel like a warm hand on your shoulder saying, “Same, dude. Same.” There’s sarcasm, sincerity, and a ton of self-awareness. It’s indie pop for people who know life is complicated but don’t want to drown in the seriousness of it all. This EP doesn’t come from nowhere. Benton wrote much of Animals while navigating the emotional weight of his father’s cancer battle, a reality that shakes your sense of time, priority, and meaning. Instead of spiraling inward, Benton channels it outward, turning fear and confusion into something cathartic, communal, and weirdly hopeful. These songs feel like internal conversations set to retro synths, moments where you’re trying to keep your heart open even when your mind is in full-blown storm mode. “It’s about how so much happens in life, good, bad, whatever, and everyone is just trying their best to get through,” Benton shares. “And searching for real connection through the haze and the storm in our own minds.” You feel that. Every track walks the line between vulnerability and release. At its core, Animals is a reminder that you’re allowed to laugh while falling apart. You’re allowed to dance while grieving. You’re allowed to be a flawed, confused, overstimulated human being in a world that keeps pretending everyone else has it figured out. “I want people to be able to laugh and dance and know they aren’t alone,” Benton says. “You don’t have to be some perfect version of yourself. Enjoy the journey we are on.” That’s the energy this EP radiates: messy joy. Imperfect healing. Real connection. Aside from being a skilled producer (running Moon-Runner Studios in Charlotte), a film and TV set designer, and a documentary scorer, Benton has the kind of artistic perspective that doesn’t chase trends; he builds from truth. If you’ve ever felt lost, lonely, hopeful, exhausted, or hilariously confused by life… this EP is for you. Animals is indie-electronic therapy disguised as a dance record, proof that sometimes the best way to process the hard stuff is to sit with your feelings and shake it off. Benton turned his chaos into art. All you have to do is hit play. “Animals” balances heavy emotional themes with bright, dance-driven production. How do you personally decide when to sit in the pain versus flipping it into something you can move your body to? I’m not sure if it's so either for me. I think sitting in the emotion sometimes looks like a somber melody, but also looks like rhythmic synths and drums. Everything I do starts with rhythm. I think because my musical journey started with drums. It’s just how I process, with movement.  Your dad’s cancer battle clearly shaped the emotional core of this EP. What was the hardest truth you had to face while writing these songs, and did any track force you to confront something you’d been avoiding? I have a really good relationship with my dad, like a real friendship. He and my mom have always been such supporters of me. I think the hardest truth was realizing this is something he’s going to deal with the rest of his life and coming to terms, a lot earlier than I thought I would, of his mortality, I guess. He’s in a really good place now. Beating it as much as can happen. The track “Storm” is really about the mental battle of it all. I think I had really been avoiding exactly how it was affecting me. It absolutely made me confront that and helped me process, like Oh, this is having a huge impact on me, and I need to work through it. There’s a self-aware sarcasm running through your lyrics, even in the most vulnerable moments. Where does that blend of humor and hurt come from in your writing process? I think the sarcasm just comes from the way I view the world and the way I think. I feel like laughter is truly healing and that we should not take ourselves so seriously. It’s probably some sort of coping mechanism. I like my writing to be conversational, so it’s just my tone, I guess. And I like it.  You’ve worked across music, film, production, and set design. How do those different creative lanes influence the worldbuilding and visual identity behind Animals? I think in everything I’m creating, I’m building a world with it. If I’m writing a song, I’m picturing a scene with it. Is the character in the song driving, in an office, or walking through the streets like Blade Runner? Does the emotion of the song feel a certain way? It’s how my brain works. I guess I have an active imagination. With this project, it's just a combination of everything I love. Synths, drums, guitars, 80’s Sci-fi. Haha, and luckily, we can pull it all together to make it look pretty cool. My wife is a photographer/ production designer, so I always have someone to bounce stuff around with, too. You said you want listeners to know they’re “not alone” and don’t need to be perfect. What’s a moment from your own life recently where you had to take that advice yourself? I think I sometimes have these secret rules to live by. Maybe we all do. Like you just have to meet these milestones or need to be in a certain place in life by a certain age, or you’re not doing the same things that people your age are doing. I’m 34 now, why am I still doing music? But then I’m like, life is not perfect. Who even set these rules? Everyone is in control of their own destiny, and I can do whatever I want. And a million people have these thoughts every day.  I’d say that’s a battle every few weeks. Haha, then I'll go write a song that expresses what I’m feeling and play it at a show. Also, there’s like no way on planet earth that I could ever not be doing music, so I don’t even know why I would think that. Haha

Aron Lipman  is not easing his way into pop. He is walking straight into the spotlight, his nerves, hope, and humanity fully exposed. “ Insecure ” marks his debut solo single, and it already tells you exactly who he is. A young artist who would rather tell the truth than pretend he has everything figured out. The industry has enough polished robots. Aron arrives as a real person. “Insecure” sits on a glossy, high-energy pop production courtesy of Party Hills Music in Hollywood. It feels current without chasing trends. Aron’s vocals carry the emotional load, and that is what makes this song hit harder than expected. He leans into a Bieber-inspired softness, but there is a rawness in how he phrases specific lines. You can hear the moment he stops performing and starts admitting something personal. That shift is what gives the track its teeth. The song centers on a simple but heavy reality. Life will break you at times, and you need someone to sit with you through it. Aron wrote it from a place of emotional exhaustion, and the vulnerability shows in every note. He is not begging for a savior. He is asking for presence. Support. Connection. Something real. His quote says it all. Life is impossible alone. Everyone needs a shoulder. Lyrically, the writing is clean and direct. No metaphors to hide behind. No sugar coating the hard parts. He is not trying to romanticize pain. He is just calling it what it is. That kind of honesty is rare in a debut and even rarer in a world where everyone online pretends they are thriving. “Insecure” cuts right through the performance culture and lands on something human. Replay value is strong because the song hits a different nerve each time. One listen makes you feel understood. Another listen makes you realize how often you pretend you are fine. Aron is speaking to people who are tired of acting strong for the timeline. People who want permission to say they are not okay. As a debut, “Insecure” is a bold introduction. Aron Lipman is not chasing a persona. He is choosing truth. And truth always finds its audience. What part of recording “Insecure” pushed you into territory that felt emotionally unsafe but necessary for the song to work? Singing about insecurities is being vulnerable to the world. It puts you in the spotlight, which means people will be judging you. That’s scary  You left school to pursue music full-time. How did that leap of faith shape the honesty you brought into this track? I left school to do what I wanted deep down, which was to sing. Being real with yourself is what matters when it comes to singing. The production feels polished, but your vocal delivery feels intentionally raw. What choices did you make in the booth to keep that balance real? Starting the song off with a softer, sadder tone gave the necessary sadness to the song, but more than that, Insecure is about reaching forward, understanding, learning from struggles, and opening up to someone else the next time. I chose raw delivery bc it feels the most real. Your writing often touches on faith and the search for meaning. How does that inner journey influence the way you talk about fear and needing support? Im still figuring out a lot in life, but that inner search—trying to understand why I’m here and what really matters—shapes the way I write. So when I talk about fear or needing support, it comes from a place of knowing I can’t do everything alone.  This is your debut solo single, which means listeners are meeting you for the first time. What do you hope they understand about you after hearing “Insecure”? I hope listeners understand im about down-to-earth lyrics that everyone needs to hear. Life’s a journey, and im putting some of my journey into music in the hope of helping others on their paths.

Let’s be real. Most emotional rock songs either overdo the theatrics or hide behind distortion, like vulnerability is embarrassing.  Jay Luke  doesn’t do either. “ Ghosts ” lands in that rare, uncomfortable space where the emotion is so real it almost feels intrusive to listen to. And that’s exactly what makes it powerful. From the first note, the track feels like stepping into a dim room filled with things you haven’t dealt with yet. The guitars set the temperature instantly, warm but heavy, while the rhythm section builds this slow, churning tension that sits in your chest. Michael “Duds” McDonald’s lead guitar work cuts like a voice inside the mind you try to ignore, and Joe Loftus on bass, keys, and piano adds a cold edge that makes the whole track feel haunted in the most literal sense. Then Jay comes in. His vocal delivery doesn’t try to pretty anything up. He sounds like a man who has lived with these ghosts long enough to know them by name. There’s grit, there’s ache, and there’s this emotional clarity that only shows up when someone finally stops running from what hurts. The vulnerability hits even harder once you know the backstory. This isn’t a metaphor for the sake of art. This is a son watching his mother drift between memory and confusion. This is trauma repurposed into tribute. And despite the weight, “Ghosts” isn’t exhausting. It’s gripping. Replayable. A reminder that rock still has space for songs that tell the truth without hiding behind ego or nostalgia. The production feels intentionally imperfect, adding to the rawness instead of smoothing it over. You hear every crack as it matters. The cultural moment fits too. In a world obsessed with distractions, here comes Jay Luke asking you to sit with the things you bury. Anyone dealing with grief, unresolved memories, or that weird, disorienting space between love and loss will feel this track hit straight in the ribcage. With chart placements across ISSA Radio, Valley FM, and Radio Indie Alliance, “Ghosts” is proof that authentic storytelling still cuts through the noise. Jay didn’t chase a trend. He let truth lead. And it shows. “Ghosts” carries decades of emotional weight. What moment convinced you it was finally the right time to release it? The interesting thing about being an artist or musician is that the things you create tend to change in meaning as you grow older. To me, that has always been a sign of great art, when it grows with you. I have many songs and lyrics that were never released, and when I revisit them years later, I often find something new or a way to update them to make them feel fresh again. “Ghosts” was exactly that. I originally wrote the lyrics shortly after seeing  The Sixth Sense , and then they just lay dormant in a notebook for years. Fast-forward a few decades, and I found myself sitting with my mother as she began experiencing frightening hallucinations. In that moment, the lyrics I had written back then suddenly shifted into something deeply personal. It hit me instantly that the song needed to be reworked and brought back to life. That was when I knew the time had finally come to release it. The production feels intentionally raw. What imperfections did you choose to leave in because they added truth instead of polish? I can’t say anything in the production was intentionally “left in”, it all happened naturally throughout the process. But if certain moments feel a little rough, emotional, or unpolished, I think that’s because I was drawing from a place of real pain and reflection. I was reliving some of the struggle I watched my mother go through, and that emotion naturally came through in the vocal delivery and performance. Sometimes the truth shows itself more honestly than anything you could plan. Watching your mother navigate that liminal space between clarity and confusion is incredibly heavy. How did you protect your mental state while turning that experience into art? I think no matter how much we try to prolong our mortality, at some point, we have to face the reality that everyone’s time eventually comes. What we choose to do with the time we do have is what life is really all about. Accepting that helped me protect my mental state and approach everything with a clearer mindset.I wanted to illustrate what people go through when they’re seeing or experiencing things nobody else can see. It’s incredibly frightening for them, and witnessing that changes you. Turning it into art helped me process it in a healthier way. Your music has always leaned into emotional honesty. What part of your storytelling shifted the most between the first version of “Ghosts” and the version you released today? Interestingly, the lyrics from the initial draft changed very little. What changed the most was the perspective behind them. Originally, the song was written about an idea, something foreign to most people and me. But as the decades passed, the song almost became prophetic, because it ended up describing a very real and personal situation I was living through. So while the literal lyrical content didn’t change drastically, the connection I had to the song and the emotional weight behind it shifted in a huge way. It became much more personal, and that changed how I delivered it. You ’ve shared stages with major rock icons. How have those experiences shaped the way you approach vulnerability and intensity in your own songwriting? Absolutely, they had a huge impact. I learned from a lot of people I looked up to: how to act, how not to act, what to share, and what to keep private. Having heroes teaches you a lot, but it also teaches you that at some point, people may let you down. That’s when you realize you have to find your own path. In today’s world, the truest form of rebellion is being yourself. Not chasing after the crowd, not trying to fit into whatever is popular at the moment, but carving your own path and seeing where it takes you. That mindset has shaped how I write and how honest I try to be in my music.

Some bands fit neatly into genres. T he Uprights are not one of those bands, and that’s exactly why they stand out. Formed inside Area 51 during the global shutdown, the group has always felt less like a band and more like an art movement, one built on experimentation, cinematic imagination, and a refusal to obey conventional musical borders. Their sound is a living collage: electronica, jazz, classical phrasing, spoken-word musings, environmental textures, surrealist visuals, and a commitment to beauty in all its forms of serene, haunting, or downright unsettling. The Uprights have never tried to blend in. Their mission has always been to blur the line between music and art, to create work that feels like an exhibition rather than a playlist. And Curse Of The Yellow Butterfly , the 2025 release chosen for BUZZMUSIC’s Best Independent Releases of 2025, is the clearest expression of that ethos to date. The album isn’t just listened to, it’s entered. It surrounds you. It creates a world where sound becomes a sensory environment, where guitars ripple like strange weather, where vocals hover like memories, and where every arrangement carries an element of wonder, mystery, or danger. As Complex writer Brandon Constantine put it, their compositions don’t follow genre rules; they follow beauty. Whether that beauty is fragile, eerie, or terrifying is beside the point; what matters is the emotional awe it leaves behind. 2025 also marked a banner year for the collective. Their work caught the attention of publications like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Medium, Pitch Perfect, Vents Magazine, and more, all drawn to the band’s ability to create something that feels genuinely new in an industry that often leans toward imitation. Guitarist Rod earned a songwriting award from the Nashville Music Foundation; bassist John Thomas debuted a global photography exhibition; the group played stripped-back sets in Germany, Curacao, and Australia; and their music was featured in The Seven In One Way, a documentary exploring the Basque region of Spain. What makes The Uprights so compelling is that their world expands beyond sound. Their visuals, concepts, and performances all stem from the same creative DNA, a willingness to get weird, dig deep, experiment loudly, and refuse to be defined by the expectations of others. And as they prepare to release their next album, Death Of The White Dog, and negotiate with labels and streaming platforms for wider distribution, the band is stepping into their next evolution with the same energy that has carried them since day one: curiosity, intuition, and a commitment to art that challenges and mesmerizes. At their core, The Uprights are a reminder of something essential: great art isn’t safe, predictable, or polished into submission. Great art is weird. It’s bold. It’s boundaryless. And if Curse Of The Yellow Butterfly proves anything, it’s that the world is more than ready for bands that dare to be all three. Curse Of The Yellow Butterfly is the release you chose for our Best Independent Artists of 2025. What was the original spark or visual that set the tone for this album’s surreal, immersive world? When The Uprights first came together, we were planning to be a jazz group. However, we soon realized that our shared interests in both art and experimental music could take us to some far more interesting and imaginative places. So I think that is what set the tone for Curse Of The Yellow Butterfly: a sense of artistic freedom and a willingness to push against the perceived boundaries of what a band can or should be. Your sound blends electronica, jazz, classical, spoken word, field recordings, and cinematic elements, and somehow still feels cohesive. How do you approach composition when your “rules” are basically that there are no rules, except beauty? The world itself is a chaotic blend of random and often conflicting elements. Every day we experience love and hate. Beauty and ugliness. Heart-warming kindness and savage cruelty. We see obscene wealth and wretched poverty. In the same way that all of those things coexist on our pale blue dot, we try to mold these disparate components into unified musical statements. I’m reminded of the words of Kurt Vonnegut, ‘Nice, nice, very nice. So many people in the same device.’ The Uprights were born inside Area 51 during the pandemic, a story that already sounds like its own myth. How did isolation, secrecy, and experimentation shape the band’s identity in those early stages? For us, it is very important that we are artists, as opposed to rock stars. Therefore, we have taken great pains to remain anonymous. That way we don’t have to worry about fashion trends or hair styles, publicity tours or whether or not we are being seen in the hip clubs. We want the music and the art to be the focus, not our private escapades and shenanigans. Ironically, however, our desire for privacy seems to have fueled even more interest in the group.  Brandon Constantine noted that you blur the line between music and art. What does “art” mean to The Uprights, and when do you know a piece has crossed from just sound into something more immersive and experiential? We seem to be at our best when a song sort of bleeds over into real life. You can be listening to a nice groove, and suddenly, there is the sound of gunfire or a dog barking. This happens to people all the time, so we decided to incorporate it into our work. We also like to take quotes from movies or books, which help to express what it is that the song is trying to say, and put them into the piece. Even the natural sounds of wind, rain or traffic. What’s that noise? Is it on the recording? Is it coming from outside? We like that uncertainty. We want the listener to feel as if they are slowly slipping into another world. Somehow familiar and yet, alien. 2025 saw huge moments for the group: praise from Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, Rod’s songwriting award, John Thomas’s photography exhibit, international acoustic shows, and your music being featured in a Basque documentary. What accomplishment from this year felt the most validating for your evolution as a collective? The wonderful reviews that we have received from various music publications in the last year - including from BUZZMUSIC, by the way - have been incredibly gratifying. When we started down this path, we were just trying to amuse and entertain each other. There was no expectation that anyone outside the band would have any interest in, let alone praise for, this music. It turns out that maybe we weren’t crazy after all. There might still be people out there who are looking for something other than pre-packaged pop. Death Of The White Dog is coming this December. What emotional or conceptual territory does this next album explore, and how does it expand or subvert what you started with Curse Of The Yellow Butterfly? We definitely want to expand our horizons beyond what we did on the last album. We are incorporating some new musical styles and sounds. We are creating some longer pieces than we did on Curse Of The Yellow Butterfly and using more AI tools for both the music and the accompanying videos. In short, we just plan to keep exploring and pushing ourselves into new areas. As the saying goes, all of the good stuff is on the other side of your fear. Your advice for artists is to stay weird as hell and define art on their own terms. What’s the weirdest creative risk you’ve taken as a band that unexpectedly paid off? The decision to write, record, and release our last album was an incredibly risky move in and of itself. It was far and away the strangest music that any of us had ever worked on before. We had already finished a perfectly respectable jazz album (which I’m sure that we will release one day) that probably would have gotten some attention and praise from critics, but then we suddenly just walked away from it and said, ‘Let’s try something different…’ It was a ridiculous choice to make at the time, but it has paid off so far. Let your freak flag fly!