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  • 'Sending My Love' the Third Coming Album from Songstress Osmunda, is Like a Guided Meditation Series

    This minimalistic, fresh, and sometimes amorphous exploration of the Ethereal Pop style Osmunda coined as her own, feels like it's caressing our inner hearts. Instead of trying to entangle our heads under a love song's coop, it pursues the vacant spaces of meditation lingering in our subconscious borders. She commits to her music's development entirely with the intention of jutting her beaming love outwards for all to explore. Weaved, stitched, and wrapped in enchantment, these refreshing numbers exude their individual uplifting and empowering messages with a delicate and supple nature. She explores inner peace and world peace, self-acceptance, gratefulness, love, purpose, and even the in-between moments when sensibility meets inner strength. Extending further into feelings that mirror looking within yourself for light, and when you're ready to grow but anxious in accepting it. On 'Sending My Love,' Osmunda displays each message with an ethereal presence, sounding more like an earth goddess in her presentation and the positivity in her voice, as she guides us on this positive journey of growth. The New Mexico-raised, Los Angeles-based enchantress, and songstress show complex taste in her musical endeavors. Rebecca Trujillo Vest began her vocation as a singer with the band "Space babies," and after a listening session on their Spotify page, it's easy to see that the singer is a force of nature. Conducted by her fascination with the alternative and more uncovered grounds of ethereal pop, she infuses each passing note with swelling energy. Her nurtured impulse to create something innovative using minimal components also informs the music she makes as "Osmunda," pulling from classic soul, pop, R&B, and world music. Her breakout project, the earthy and resonating Munda, merited her an eager fanbase, but 'Sending My Love' is far more published with purpose. She wrote and recorded it while staying home in Los Angeles in quarantine. She describes its songs as leaves of expression from upliftments and thoughtful reflections found within the melodies she has made up. The thirteen tracks feel less like a radio dance song selection and more like snippets from a smile mediation. Her elusive and atmospheric compositions resemble the multicolored and down stepped halves of St. Vincent's "Strange Mercy"; even when the songs seem independent, they are still bound by a shared beautiful, uplifting concept. Brief and powerful yet somehow ghostly, they share a sort of dreamlike landscape through the albums run time. A majority are over four minutes; some play with a chanted flowing hymn, others with a mantra-like structure. The whimsically slow escalator ride of "Golden Light" continuously shift in and out of sight, transforming into an echoing encantation explaining the concept of inner ascension into the light. Many songs do not have riffs or hooks; they settle in a meditating chant or empowering hymn until they evaporate like when "A Loving World" blends seamlessly into "Grateful." The fluidity of her mindset mirrors the grace with which she transforms between one deep introspection to the next empowering message disguised in song. Many tracks feature world music melodies and percussive sounding rhythmic support, featuring tambourines and bells as usual suspects. The textures belong someplace on the scale between Global Music and Ethereal Pop with Experimental. But still, Osmunda's sound is unique in its abidance to lo-fi minimalistic aesthetics and her rendering of spiritually profound attunement. The songs on 'Sending My Love' feels like being forever engaged within a continuous fifty-three-minute meditative experience and, "I Believe," is full of these distinctive moments that solidify that feeling. Here, Osmunda is much more confident of her healing abilities as an artist, centering her ideas around self-reflection, and self-growth through love. Her whole project feels relaxed and usually carries the natural tone of an interior soliloquy—introspective and questioning. Her songs bring forth clear directions, overwhelming us with emotions the way good movies do—with hyper-expressive imagery and full unconcealed passion. The record was built on the framework of trying to nurture a loving consciousness unto its listener, and not just to relax the audience. She invites us to engage in the music and actively look within ourselves to find the same feelings her music speaks about. With hypnotic and endless angelic inflections and symmetries, she provokes feelings of letting go and humming along like on "Shine Our Love," where she sings, "on this life, love is here for all of us," embracing the light and empowerment with all of her vibratos. Later, she sings, "let's open our mind, let's open our hearts," on "Create For Love," an accepting song about endeavoring to make the world a better play through acceptance. It's a highlight of the album with its profound lyrics, "magic and art, love in our hearts." What might initially examine as an aimless or unenthused approach to indie music, is actually a profound push for the mindset all genres should bestow unto their listeners—invigorated with emotion. Her loving expression comes into a defined core on "Sending My Love," and the most significant improvements here are her angelic vocal cantors and her fulfilling grasp over her audacious spirit. She has spoken about warping her creations around spiritual growth in the past, and about helping to express strong values and guidance in advancing this world into something more wholesome, and she delivers it here with this record. The wavering harmonies on "Be My Greatest Self" expresses outward over the drums' cool beat, the reverbs echoes cross and bend pitch from in and out of tune whimsically. The spoken-word flows unravel into a chant that sweeps in and out of a daydream like a melody and into a poetic breath of fresh air. Next, the expansive productions during "I Am The Sun," finds her in a duet with the lower registers of her voice, and with "Be Here Now," she devastates with her enamoring lo-fi and whispering chants. Her singing has garnered a presence that resembles a parent or earth goddess, if only in the way she is embracing and caring. Throughout 'Sending My Love,' Osmunda is maturing as a distinctive and extraordinary artist. Even when it's passed, and we're just sitting here silent, a sense of afterglow is present, and it can only be achieved from these hymns of self-growth and empowerment. What are some of the emotions you're feeling right now amongst the climate of our current events and this lingering pandemic, and how has it affected the release of "Sending My Love"? The inspiration for “sending my love” came at the beginning of the “stay at home” lockdown. I felt that I could help during this crisis by sending messages of love & positivity to the world. I created one per week & offered them as free downloads on SoundCloud. As a result of being created very quickly, the songs are all minimal & fresh. For the most part, I feel gratitude and oneness with humanity and the planet, but at times I might experience other emotions as we weather this pandemic… like the idea that more disruptive events are on the horizon due to climate change and global warming. Some of the ways that I help to relieve my own stress are walking, running, doing yoga, making music – anything to release the endorphins. I allow myself to feel the feelings that come up instead of distracting myself from them. Through my music, I have created an avenue through which love and hope can flow in both directions. Where did you record this production, and what was your experience like? Did you have a supporting team helping you along the way? The first song that I wrote for the album was ‘golden light’ and it was the only one done before the lockdown. It was done at my studio in Venice – Earthstar Creation Center. Shortly after that, the lockdown began and from my makeshift, home studio, I began the “one song per week” approach that eventually birthed “Sending My Love”.  I would create simple chants, with minimal lyrics (far more minimal than my usual songs) and equally minimal accompaniment & then send them off to my co-creator John X Volaitis – often, I would send him the tracks on Wednesday & he would be done by Friday – a challenge to minimalist & beautiful production. Looking back now, would there be anything you would have liked to incorporate further in this album? If anything, it would have been wonderful to have been joined by some of my other musical cohorts. Normally, I would embrace the participation of my talented friends & colleagues. Alas, the lockdown & time constraints really limited the options for collaboration. What can we expect from you artistically with your new upcoming releases coming out this year as we press further propel deeper into all the uncertainty that 2020 brings with it? Prior to the lockdown, I had just started putting together a different collection of songs for what would have been my third album. Now that “sending my love” has been released into the Multiverse, I am already in the process of preparing what will be my as yet unnamed fourth album. instagram.com/osmundamusic osmundamusic.com #BUZZMUSIC

  • Punk-Rock Band, Dirtycakes Bring a New Twist to Alternative Music

    Dirtycakes is a Punk-Rock trio that consists of vocalist Charley T, bassist Rick Torres, and drummer Becky Wreck. Three days after the band formed, they were already playing 25-minute sets – that’s how they knew they were meant to create Dirtycakes. If there’s one thing, Charley, Rick and Becky can ultimately agree on, its that they will never sacrifice the heavy-hitting aspects of Rock music. Taking the best elements of traditional rock and mixing it with their own flavors of punk and psychedelic is what they do best. With their mind-shattering guitar riffs, intense drumming, and passionate vocals, Dirtycakes always keeps their fans up on their feet and dancing. One of the greater qualities of the group is each members’ individuality. The group Dirtycakes mentioned that each member usually ends up identifying differently to each group idea, which is what allows their music to be so original. Fans will be overjoyed to hear that Dirtycakes as an entire album in the works, and we’re so excited to hear what it’s like. Read our exclusive interview with Dirtycakes, here. instagram.com/Dirtycakesband #BUZZMUSIC

  • West London Composer Benjamin Digby Continues His Trajectory Upwards in the Electronic Music Scene

    West London composer, Benjamin Digby, continues his trajectory upwards as his electronic music impacts with a thematic vibrance on his latest E.P., 'Dark Adaptation.' West London isn't really a place you go to look for the latest uprise in electronic music, but that doesn't hinder Benjamin Digby. Benjamin's productions bring together the thematic sounds of classical composers, and atmospheric techno with his dreamy sonic projections that tend to divulge into ambient, straight-beat, surges and swells. His music's motivating spirit is self-evident through inspiration he has listed like John Murphy, Bear McCreary, and John Carpenter. And this year, Benjamin Digby is exceptionally mesmeric, bringing some of his pristinely texturized compositions to the electronic music scene over his exciting new E.P. 'Dark Adaptation'—and like the most prolific electronic productions, it's naturally pure. This record's opening manifests through one-continuously oscillating synth-pad discerning in its gritty character that bends into an adjacent melody with a delayed onset. This is what some might like to call background electro; the momentum gradually twists and feels slow, before being chopped up into palpable bite-sized pieces of lush midsection orchestrations. It all seems to create an otherworldly experience when the next song, "Atonement," descends us into another distinct droning noise amalgamation, like when two worlds implode into one another to form a star so dense in mass that they call it a black hole. Still, there's a tangible sense of wonder and excitement in the repetition of what sounds like the music for a feature sci-fi trailer; over and over, droning chords swell and lower with an almost vapor like quality. As manageable as the song's arrangements might be, Benjamin Digby reveals another side in his authentic profoundness on "Libra." Here, the meter is lethargic in nature, tracing with a staggering beat with the rhythm coiled between a snare and kick. The whimsical and enamoring string and bell orchestrations pierce easily through into our souls, filling us with a sense of wonder as the final samples whistle away. "Scanners" comes crawling in with a central drone that feels like the afterglow from the E.P.'s opening number, like robotic ancestry drones of the past: cutting through the fabric of time and instilling this track with its industrial electronic DNA. And just when we thought the drones would never subside, Benjamine Digby, throws "Celestial Orders" into the loop, injecting some bounce into this intrinsically interlaced connection of precise and crystalline pulses and drum back-beats: like the soundtrack to a covert space mission on an alien ship. It's all flooding in the mix's expanses but always seems to serve a more profound sensation through the song's ability to create a dynamic picture in your mind of what this song might soundtrack to. The concluding cut from this record comes from "The Vortex," a track that starts off like the credit music to a cult classic Sci-Fi flick but quickly develops into this final ballad between saturated synths and a rounded low-end end sub. Some parts of this track stand out in how effortlessly each melody from the separable synths finds a synergistic trade-off of sorts, like a short rally over the nets of this song's steady rhythm. The defining results of Benjamin Digby's 'Dark Adaptation' is the pristine example it presents as a tangibly and skillfully composed electronic music hit, creating an entirely new world through the sonics of each passing track. What inspires you most about some of the composers you have listed as leading influencers in your career? John Carpenter, he wrote his films and some of the most iconic soundtracks out there and I can listen to these nonstop. However, there was a time when I was a fan of the SyFy channel and a huge fan of Battlestar Galactica. I loved the theme music. Most music at the start of any of my favorite television series gave me goosebumps and got me hyped for the episode. There was a television adaptation of a game called ‘Defiance’ and it was the theme to this game that the name Bear McCreary came on my radar, even though he scored the remake of Battlestar Galactica (which he wrote at the age of 24). I’d written Treason from my Discovery EP because of the ‘Theme from Defiance’. That is what I’d loved to hear, that music I’d written gave someone goosebumps or hyped a listener up for whatever reason. How long have you been composing music for, and has it always been a venture under the enormous umbrella of electronic music? It's been a while and I’ve always written electronic-based music. I had been writing under an alias, but I was still growing into what I was about and refining the craft. When I released my first EP last year, I felt it was right to use my real name because what I had written was personal, it represented me. Hence the title Discovery. Do you have any critical milestones you're aiming for in your career, and have you made any steps towards those intentions in 2020? For me, every release there's a milestone and each one critical. Because now there are so many different aspects to an artist's career. From sales, streams, social media, fans, who are following, plus more. Personally, a goal, or a high milestone, would be scoring for a major project in the film or video games market. As for intentions, it's all about hard work, writing music, getting heard, and making contacts, which is always important. With regards to your musical endeavors in electronic music for the rest of this summer, what can we expect? There are a few tracks coming out between the end of August and October. One being ‘Tom’s Blessing’. I was at the late Tom Petty's concert at Hyde Park a couple of years ago. During the end, I started recording the crowd cheering, and out of nowhere Tom blessed the crowd, so that was special and I used the recording in this single. I’ve been waiting until the release of Dark Adaptation to release it. It's a banger. What are you doing these days to stay positive, passionate, and inspired? I’m a positive person really, but there have been some days where the lockdown was tough. However I was busy with the release of the Dark Adaptation album plus working on new material, so that kept me in good spirits. Also having close friends, family and my dog kept me sane. As for inspiration, for me, sound design and jamming with the number of synths I’ve collected, I get lost into creating some crazy landscapes of sound. That for me keeps me passionate with new ideas to bring out in future tracks for people to hear, hopefully causing a few goosebumps here and there. instagram.com/benjamindigbymusic benjamindigby.com #BUZZMUSIC

  • Viserra Packs their Debut Album, 'Siren Star' with Gripping Energy

    There is a direct kinship between Anthemic Indie-Rock and Alternative carried through with smoldering depth on their debut album, 'Siren Star'—the band's most erupting-sound yet. Rather than catching your attention with occultism or strangeness, Viserra hooks us with their soaring vocals from Lexi, reminiscent of an earlier rendering of a Young Hayley Williams, and singing to us with passion soaked grit of her own blend; enticings us with the driving band behind her. Viserra, the LA-based four-piece band, splits open into the intro on "Light Years," "I found you out there, a dark place," with effortless control as she continues, "you knew there'd be no time to waste," before the instrumentals slowly evolve from an anthemic rally, into a shapeshifting down tempo bridge, before the final cries in the epic chorus. Like pandora's box, the band surprises, making it clear that the journey they're about to take us is on one worth immersing ourselves in totally. Viserra's sound is tight yet unwinding as it seems tailored by enormous rock instrumental orchestrations, but magnetically, in a way that pulls our curiosities from one end to the other. On "Weightless," which clamors down on the first beat—sounding thick and encompassing—Lexi's impassioned vocal uproars with a raw grit in quality, amplified by the sharpened edge of the guitar and bass who propel the anthemic surges of this stadium filling record to new heights. But then "Falling Faster" is next, and it feels like a light tap on the brake pedal. Here this is space, allowing for a more whimsical atmosphere before Viserra begins dialing up the reverb and echo effects and attaching a forward-moving momentum through the densely sampled drums. It's all busy but feels inviting end-to-end, even as it wavers close to overwhelming. Viserra's trademark artistic flash and beckoning guitar riffs are sustained with a uniform aesthetic on "Harder To Breath," where our fondness of Lexi's centered vocals grows. She squeezes every last drop out of each fervid word before Michael Riffle's backup vocal provides the heroic callback, "we're already falling faster," as their harmonies unify together and evaporate into the umbrae of a blistering guitar solo. The smoldering and exaggerated bend of each note at the tipping point of this song says more about the nature behind the band's collaborating producer, Brandon C. Rogers, further than his list of worked-with artists ever could. The opening moment in "Midnight Sun" sounds straight from a guided mediation tape before it divulges into a saturated mix of epic proportions—a distinguishing characteristic of Viserra's fundamental tendencies. Lexi's vocals distort as she reaches her highest sopranos on this part of the album, providing a new texture for the instrumentations to build off, as their intensifying energies become prevalent. 'Siren Star'—with cover art that transforms in color for each partnering track—shows fluency in articulating its heroic and venturous themes through its long stanzas and efficient rock 'n' roll drive, evident in the potent drums and blazing guitars that unmistakably operate as a cornerstone in their writing. "Far From Over," the final track feels like a cousin to the climax in "Falling Faster" from earlier, But in contrast, Viserra's figure takes on a more whimsical star-gazing persona as it imparts a unique after-glow: conferring the finishing polish over the plentifully robust touring of this L.A. Rock band's debut catalog. When Lexi sings, "I'm tired, I'm tired, lost in time," it's an embrace of loneliness and the limitations of our expansive universe—a statement with the unflinching sentiment. It all comes to an end with a hopeful release, as Lexi's voice yields the final crescendos, like howling at the moon in anticipation for something more meaningful in the beyond. Listen to 'Siren Star' here. Can you walk us through what it was like working with Brandon C. Rogers for this record? What kind of producer-hat did he have on for the creation of 'Siren Star'? Raf: Aside from being an incredibly talented industry veteran of 20 years, Brandon’s one of my closest friends, and has become very tight with the band over the past few years, supporting us from the start. With regards to the album, Brandon was initially just going to record and produce the vocal tracks but more than anyone, he truly saw their potential and became involved top to bottom -- mixing, mastering, and producing the whole thing. I’m sure there were a few times along the way where he wanted to strangle me, but nothing we wouldn’t laugh off over some hot chicken. In all seriousness, he really elevated the entire production immeasurably. Lexi: Working with Brandon was such a blast. His positive energy is definitely contagious which made recording this album so much fun. He pushed me past my comfort zone vocally and helped me from holding back. Steve: Brandon has been great. His experience was fantastic in guiding us through the recording process.  We have been playing these songs live for 2.5 years now, but hearing them through Brandon’s vision and the mix has given them new life to my ears.  He’s really taken the tracks to levels we couldn't have imagined. Mike: Brandon is the kind of person who's willing and able to tell you that you sound bad, but do it in a way that doesn't make you feel bad. Working with him got my backing vocals to a place I was happy with. He really brings out the best in all of us. What proved to be the most challenging part of the recording and releasing this record? Mike: We had all the songs pretty much ready to record for a few months before we actually started, and I think the biggest challenge was the sheer volume of effort that went behind recording and producing all the tracks. We had it in our heads that we could get it all done in less than a month and it quickly became pretty clear that would be impossible. Raf: There was no shortage of challenges along the way, one of which was the sheer volume of live shows we kept committing to throughout the process. As Mike alluded to, we’d actually scheduled a release party before the album was even finished, believing it would give us a hard deadline to get it all done, but we must’ve been out of our minds. I think we had literally one track finished by the time of the show, so we had to revise our entire timetable. One month soon turned into six or seven, including some COVID-related delays. After 2.5 years of meeting up constantly, the four of us haven’t actually been in a room together in months, so that’s been a challenge, as well. Lexi: My nerves. I tend to doubt myself in the studio vocally at times so knowing that this was going to be recorded and permanent was pretty nerve-racking. Fortunately like I mentioned before, Brandon truly got me out of my funk and showed me what a badass I could be on the mic. Steve: The anticipation. As Raf and Mike mentioned we were pretty stoked to get the album out on a much shorter timeline, and I was definitely a driving force behind that. Originally we were considering producing the album ourselves, but as soon as I heard the first track from Brandon, I knew that we were on the right track and patience would be a virtue I’d have to pursue a change. The lockdown has also had an impact, the final tracks had to be approved in a very old school way of passing the tracks around. How did the four of you meet, and when was it confirmed that you'd be forming Viserra and releasing a debut album soon after? Raf: Well, “soon after” is a bit generous, but backing up, Mike and I met almost a decade ago in a dodgeball league, of all places. Not long after, four of us from the league formed a cover band, and while that was short-lived, it was a stepping stone. Over the next few years, we bounced around a few different bands together, but the ultimate vision we shared from the start was what eventually became Viserra. The interesting thing is, even though we didn’t form the band until 2017, we knew Lexi would be our singer back in 2014 -- or we hoped, anyway. I came across her videos online and fell in love with her voice and energy immediately. Turned out she was actually moving to New York City, so the timing wasn’t right, but lucky for us, she came back to LA a few years later and we got right to work. We spent the fall of 2017 just learning a ton of Flyleaf and Paramore covers, just to get used to each other and key in on a sound. We spent 2018 gigging, writing and fine-tuning the Siren Star songs, and 2019 gigging even more, and finally had the right situation to get the album recorded when Brandon came on board. By the time the album drops, it will have been three years to the day since we formed, and I think it not only benefited the music, but the band chemistry as well, as we’ve really grown in that time, and needless to say, it won’t be three years till the next one. Mike: As Raf said, he and I have been collaborating for ages. I pulled Steve in when we decided to start the project that became Viserra. Steve and I met playing in a jam group that I found through the bassist of the cover band Raf mentioned, and it just made sense to bring him on. The rest is history. Steve: I spent a few months jamming with a group of people with a constantly rotating line of drummers and Mike was one of those. After a few times playing together, Mike mentioned he had a friend (Raf) who knew of a singer (Lexi) and was looking to assemble a band and about two months after that we were playing in a rehearsal space together. Lexi: The boys pretty much got this covered! But I will say how nervous and flattered I was when they reached out to me. I was writing indie sad songs by myself so I loved the concept of a rock band. I’m so grateful that they were patient with me and still wanted to work with me when I returned back home! What can we expect to see from you as a group in the latter half of 2020? Should we be on the lookout for an exciting collaboration or some new singles tailing into autumn? Steve: More epic bass lines. Lexi: Expect the unexpected! Viserra is just starting so buckle up. Raf: You can absolutely expect more from us sooner than later. Before we recorded Siren Star, we started writing the next set of songs and even played some of them live, so we’re very eager to get those out into the world and keep the momentum going, probably as a series of singles this time around, every few months hopefully. Mike: And if we play our cards right, we'll also be putting out some additional media as well. Siren Star is a concept album, so there's more to it than just the music. What are you doing to keep inspired and motivated through these tough times? Lexi: Well, I got a puppy! He keeps me busy! I have also been teaching myself the ukulele and re-teaching myself piano. Steve: I’m one of those people who can’t sit still. Being stuck inside has driven me to take on a whole bunch of new hobbies such as building animatronics and creating new ways to project video into props like astronaut helmets and whatnot. These will definitely take Viserra’s live shows to new levels once we start playing shows again. Mike: With everything going on it's definitely hard. I took my family on a trip across the country in an RV. Nothing quite like the night sky in the middle of nowhere, or sunset on the rocks in Utah or Colorado to really spark something inside. Raf: I’m still trying to convince Mike to trick out the RV in Viserra/Siren Star shrinkwrap while tossing promo packs into the windows of passing cars, but the jury’s still out on that one. Honestly, just getting the album across the finish line and securing AWAL as our distributor, while getting everything in order to promote the album, that’s basically been our spring and summer, so it’s gonna be amazing to finally have it out there, and see where it goes from there. instagram.com/viserramusic viserramusic.com #BUZZMUSIC

  • “Sacrifice in Cultra Anything But "Ordinary”

    Hailing from New York, Sacrifice in Cultra is a Fusion/Rock band that refuses to hold back. Along with songwriter Sacrifice, members IBN Itaka, Mostafa Zaghloul, and Paolo Cicilion each contributing their very unique perspectives and talents. If Sacrifice in Cultra could be described in one word; it would be ‘loud.’ Musically speaking, they consume the soundscape with heavy metal percussion, passionate electric guitar riffs, and synth-style bass lines. Sacrifice in Cultra has the ability to seamlessly combine rock and roll and electronic dance music into one lively sound. Their music never fails to amp up the energy and directly transmit it to their fans – no matter where they are listening from. On top of their edgy music style, Sacrifice in Cultra is explicit and outspoken with their songwriting. Their right-minded ideals are broken down and described through their lyrics. The group aims to use their platform as artists to spread the message that they are not ‘sheep in this world,’ and refuse to adhere to what people call ‘normalcy.’ To top it off, Sacrifice in Cultra is set to release a movie called “Redacted,” which is based on their recent album, that will further represent their passionate views of the world. Check out our recent interview with Sacrifice In Cultra here. instagram.com/cultra.official instagram.com/sacrificeincultra

  • Alt-Rock Group, At Any Moment brings a unique flair to the table with new EP 'Letting Go'

    The Detroit, based alternative rock group At Any Moment is one of those artists that brings a unique flair to the table, combining funk and soul styles. At Any Moment brings forth a never before heart diversity and authenticity. Each release from At Any Moment is genuinely unique of an experience, with no two songs being the same, and then on top of that effortlessly covering just about every genre up there, At Any Moment will be sure to keep you on your toes. Prevalent in their latest EP, ‘Letting Go,’ each song has its unique spin but feels cohesive enough to be part of one project. Opening up with the title track, “Letting Go,” we were brought to an almost dystopian vibe through the use of calm yet edgy guitars, and a constant pulse of a rimshot groove before exploding in energy to a verse that screams excitement. “Letting Go,” tells us the story of finding difficulty moving on in life from a crucial moment. “Build You Wall,” turns the funk up and keeps a tightly packed rhythm section groove between the guitar and bass that beautifully accents the drums. On top of that, the vocal performance in “Build Your Wall” is awe-inspiring to listen to. It has a theatrical sound that perfectly tells us about what it’s like for humankind to come together as one and unite, no matter how powerful someone may think they are. The third record on the ‘Letting Go’ EP “Voices” brings the tempo down but the mood up. Featuring an acoustic guitar intro before being into a ballad groove between electric guitar and drums, “Voices” tells us the story of trying to break free from the voices inside of your head. This touching song gives a glimpse of hope that we believe many will be able to find comfort. To close off the EP, “Moving On” is a short but sweet closer that gives an almost mysterious vibe, consisting of just a lo-fi guitar, it almost teases to us that more is coming soon. It was a beautiful closer to the whole EP, we felt entirely at rest but also craving for more. At Any Moment’s latest EP ‘Letting Go’ is a dynamic journey through what At Any Moment is capable of, and we cannot recommend enough for everyone to give this one a listen. It has everything you need to make for a peaceful but exciting evening. Your latest EP ‘Letting Go’ felt like a dynamic storytelling experience, in your own words how would you describe the story being told in each song? Absolutely! I'll start with Letting Go. Letting Go is really about just that. It's a beautiful thing to be able to let things go, to live life with no regrets and be able to forgive those who have done you wrong whether it's a significant other, family member, colleague, etc. holding on to grudges is counterproductive for your own self growth and in most cases, the hardest person to forgive is yourself. In most cases people dwell in the past and hang on to negativity and let themselves be held back in life in a place of self pity. Letting Go affirms that it's a beautiful thing to forgive; forgive those who may have done you wrong in some way and ,more importantly, forgive yourself. Each person's situation is unique and it will touch peoples' mind, body, and spirit in different ways. Next is "Build Your Wall". It has a rebellious "Fight The Power" vibe to it. The underlying message in the song is United We Stand and Divided We Fall. U.S President Trump seems to support racism, separation, violence, disrespecting women, etc and we speak out against it. Trump has expressed interest in building a wall to separate the people and our stance is HELL NO!!! Build the wall but you won't stop us, you won't divide us, you won't silence us. We are United! Last is "Voices".  It is an emotional song of self-reflection and doubt referring to the negativity that is put in your head even from yourself or those close to you (voices). Those voices are sometimes what push people over the edge to do unfortunate things that there's no coming back from and this song was written to connect with people who have those thoughts and hear those voices. Basically to let people know they're not alone. As a whole band, what does the songwriting process look like? Are there any particular members that do most of the writing or is it done as a whole? Are there any go-to inspiring instruments that you choose to write from? Typically the guitar comes first when we're writing music. Justen Longo, our drummer, Kyle Clark, and Nolan Turner, our guitarists, and Hani Aljanabi, our bassist, are constantly bringing different ideas to the table. A riff, a melody, a chord progression, a cadence or strum pattern, and then we build from there. Some of our songs have been written pretty quick while others take a little while longer depending on how complex it is and where we take it. From there, our vocalist, Dennis Lee, writes the lyrics based on where the music takes him creatively, emotionally, etc. We’re loving the unique tones in each record off the EP, what was the whole recording process like for this one? Are there any interesting stories that happened? Each song essentially went through the same process of trial and error lol. We experimented with different guitars, different amps, different pedals, different effects, etc. We did this intricately until we found the perfect tone for each song.  How has being based out of Detroit helped influence the music that you are creating? How do you feel as a group you are pushing the boundaries of alternative rock? Detroit comes with a certain persona. A blue-collar, "Detroit vs Everybody" kinda swag. Not to mention the influence that Motown Music has on Everyone across the nation. With that being said, Detroit has had a tremendous influence on our music and all of the different genres that we fuse together in our music is very unique and will change the way people view alternative rock. Thank you for being with us At Any Moment! What else can we expect from you in 2020? Absolutely!! Thank you for having us. We're continuing to record new music and post on our socials: Instagram and Twitter @atanmomentmi. Facebook @atanymomentband We would also be performing if it wasn't for all the restrictions due to covid-19. But that's not going to stop us we will be releasing our album around Fall of 2020!!! instagram.com/atanymomentmi facebook.com/atanymomentband #BUZZMUSIC

  • Young Lyonne Releases His R&B and Hip-Hop Amalgamating Sound On New Song, "I Forgive You"

    Queen's New York is what budding Guyanese and Jamaican raised artist calls home. Here, Young Lyonne describes his latest string of magnetically charged releases as his reparation into the limelight. Having been in his mental quarantine since January of last year, the enthused lyricist induces the bloodlust of his tight-knit fanbase his the latest smooth pedantry of effortless flow with "I Forgive You." It's a track that finds the Young Runner up against his retrospective thoughts surrounding the mistakes he's made in a relationship, and the responsibility he takes alongside them. Whimsical and radiating with a tenacious sensual character, this cut from Lyonne's premiering 2020 musical catalog finds an adhesiveness in the swelling warbles of the samples that parade in the backdrops of the mix. The twinkling and atmospheric reverberations here steep our mindset into a state of languishing R&B after-glow, unearthing a splayed out, head tilted, and vibing mannerism in our listening experience as Young Lyonne raps over the thundering sub below. The drums here are minimalistic, allowing the young songster enough space to dish out his lyrics with a distinguishing nonchalant flow finished with breaths. "You had every reason to use me and leave me like I'm so out of season," he buzzes as the lines and the melody quickly etch their temporary engravings into our minds. It's a sentiment related to the self-awareness in a relationship gone awry. It feels like Lyonne is only just beginning this year's offering of hits decorated with his distinctive and captivating subject matter, and masterful toplines. What was it like coming out of a creative hiatus that lasted over a year, and how did it feeling translate when writing and producing again? That was actually just a hiatus from social media and having to create content specifically for social media - which felt GREAT! So it really helped on the music end. I was already writing almost every day, but the hiatus allowed me to schedule time to make sure I was writing absolutely every day, freestyling, and really aligning myself with what subject matters I wanted to present when I came back. On the production end, I don’t make beats, but there is a crazy level of planning to the point that absolutely - the recording artist, especially at the independent level, has to be the executive producer. Besides other goals, the “Best Today Better Tomorrow” project has a particular spectrum of sounds with the intention of receiving placements in film/television. There are also a couple of songs that have two very different instrumentals on one track (kind of like Tyler the Creator joints). I don’t think that level of detail would have been possible if I didn’t take a step back from social media. The hiatus also allowed me to not be influenced by other popular music that gets a push from influencer marketing. This project is as “me” as it could possibly be. Now, coming back to social media has me transitioning into actually caring about marketing again. Half of my weeks are filled with editing video content, making sure the lip-syncing from my own video goes just right with the track, typing out lyrics and aligning all of that. There’s just so much to be done when you wear that Social Media Manager hat again. Every day has been a new experience with that, and I’m happily learning more. How have you overcome some of the barriers you have faced going into this year with the effects of quarantine overlapping your own self allotted time-off? All respect to those that faced barriers when their city went into quarantine. NYC officially becoming a “stay at home” environment shocked me, and I really felt it, and felt worried for my family as I heard from friends, or saw on Facebook, that another New Yorker passed away from the pandemic. That feeling of worry and not knowing what to do lasted about 4 days. Then I was ready to rock. Quarantine actually became a blessing in disguise for me. When I went on that hiatus, I had planned to drop music again in August 2020. The 5th day of quarantine is when the entire plan of what I’m doing now just hit me. I have this dramatic change in the world to thank for this intense week to week push of singles and coming back two months early. Especially with racial tensions going higher and higher, I’ve been in a “hey, either I live exactly how I want to live, or I die, that’s it” mentality. And, an even sweeter reward from being forced to stay at home - I couldn’t go out and record at a studio like I had planned. This forced me to buy and set up my own recording process, and work with a friend in Taiwan to engineer everything. I NEVER would have thought of taking that on this year if it weren’t for the pandemic - because I was so used to going to a recording studio 30 minutes away. How would you describe the feeling you get when you listen to "I Forgive You," and does it mirror what you felt during the process of recording this track? I listened to the track so many times now. The feelings I get now are relaxed and a feeling of letting go, I guess is the best way to put it. I wasn’t going to put this song out! I have 9 friends that I send a batch of songs to rank and really tell me whether or not a song is really good, trash, or if it has potential. The best way to explain “I Forgive You” is the movie “500 Days of Summer” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. It’s really weird how much I resonated with that movie when it came out, and then almost the same situation happened to me two years ago. It was just a situationship/friends-with-benefits gone bad. We click, agree that we’re not in this for feelings as we’re hooking up, but eventually, I thought she was catching feelings as I was catching feelings, so I tried to take the next step, then boom - she’s out haha. Making the song just kind of happened, and I was a little upset that it was so good because then it meant I had to send it in for critiques. Then, my friends actually like it! It used to be such an embarrassing story for me (no rapper wants to talk about how the girl left him right? In fact the irony of the track is me trying to hold on to a “I’m the s***” - braggadocio way of being), but now I think it’s a really awesome song. What can we expect from you artistically this year with your new invigorated spirit and a seemingly endless bag of hits? You can expect me to certainly absolutely positively 5000% make my way onto at least one Spotify editorial playlist and at least one TV/film sync deal. Those were two big goals coming back. When I did my Hot 97 interview last year October - that was the penultimate goal for 2019. Almost everything I do is pre-meditated. I am definitely getting those two things this year. You can bet a house on that. What has been keeping you inspired throughout 2020? What can we expect to see next from you? My family and my history is the gift that keeps giving as far as inspiration goes. God, friends, people in general - I’m kind of weird in that I will get fired up from almost anything. Even someone that is depressing - I will find a way to turn the idea of that person in my head, so that I am absolutely ready to go at whatever I want to get. Motivation to get what I want is one of my superpowers. After the last single from the project drops September 18th, I have more songs prepared to drop for the rest of the year - to just keep attacking this concrete wall that I want to topple. I’m hoping to get a six-pack too by the end of the year and learn a little bit of acting. So you may be seeing Young Lyonne in some different formats! Watch out! instagram.com/younglyonne twitter.com/younglyonne facebook.com/younglyonne #BUZZMUSIC

  • MuQaBaLa Permeates a Nostalgic Vibe Over His Debut Single, "Back Ta College"

    The manifestation of MuQaBaLa is quoted as being ascertained subsequent to the birth of the Houston-based artist's firstborn son, which was cited as "the inspiration to go all-in to music," the avenue for which the anti-conformist nature of his music manifests itself. With his debut reaching us from the Darian Hatcher's production lair in Austin, Texas, MuQaBaLa draws inspiration from the sentiments he holds for college students everywhere grappling with post-COVID-19 schooling practices. Now more then ever, he reminisces over the college days in his debut cut "Back Ta College," embracing the nostalgia amidst the absence of normality we're feeling in these uncertain months. As the track opens, a playful tone evaporates from the steamy edges of a tropical calling sample amongst the saturated tubes of a tasty sub-synth. It's immediately established that this song was designed to evoke nostalgic and wholesome vibes through the picturesque scenery of hot-boxing bathroom dorms, buying 'swishas' at the local corner shop, and saving up to get loose on Grey Goose for the weekends. As his straightforward lyrics playfully land over the pumping trap-reminiscent creation. We can't help but chanting along to the addictive topline in the chorus, "take me back, take me back, back to a college, back to college, when all we needed, when all we needed, was some knowledge." MuQaBaLa sings with a swagger in his flow, like the college veteran he proclaims to be amid the scintillating trickle of the hi-hats and the filtered swells throughout the transitions. It's not a profound song in its message by any sense. Still, it excels at producing an easygoing listening experience while cleverly denoting his escapades over the not-so-taboo post-secondary academy topics in a straightforward and engaging way. How did you feel going into this nostalgic mindset amid the cause we've experienced until now this year? Grateful for my own college experience, a lot of the learning for me happened outside the classroom walls. For example in the vibe of a campus, the energy, the mini-city feeling even in a smaller community, and that feeling of always growing: growing your mind, growing your soul, growing your plants, whatever it is, you always growing. Not to mention the feeling of expense: YOU SPEND a whole lot, and will maybe be in debt for a long ass time, but you get a lot out of the experience of college, not in the classroom though—maybe not a job in the field you hoped for, but you got a network, and you gotta put that NET to WORK. I feel so much gratitude for my school experience, but right now I'm feeling bad for all the students missing out on that due to COVID19. That’s what inspired me to make this song. My cousin learns in the classroom the best, but with him sitting in front of a screen at home all day, it's so easy for him to get distracted, and that makes it even harder to focus. With all the eye candyon the college campus, it's easier to stay focused, you know if you tryna impress them, with your mind. What has been fueling your creative energy while being locked inside because of quarantine? Three things: 1. Music is my best friend, music has given me so much. It has fueled me through some dire situations, helped me look for the silver lining, and gave me hope in times when I couldn't find any or confide in anyone. So I felt it was time for myself to give back to the game. 2. Chaos. Life is harder than ever now, you either adapt or die. With all that stress that builds up within us, if we dont channel it right we are doomed. Think how hard it must be quarantined with someone you've already spent a good piece of your life with & feeling like you probably need some space. I'm a father to an infant son, who's spent most of his life in quarantine. My wife and I are both working full-time, raising our son,  keeping our marriage healthy, and trying to buy a home—I’ve been able to channel the challenges of my home life into this. Embrace the chaos. 3. Routine/Sacred Space. For me, to keep my music so brand new, it’s important for me to be able to rediscover myself and also disconnect. I try to sweat in the morning somehow, either run or do some yoga, then meditate and after that I'll make coffee, spark up and just start writing, unwinding my mind and get everything out of my head: my feels, my energy, affirmations and sometimes songs too. If you could pick a perfect scenario or scenery for "Back Ta College" to be indulged in, what would you describe and why? Oh man, that's easy: when it's a Ring Day, so whole lotta ring dunks, when it's big ass football conference gameday, and we win! This way you can be out all night celebrating the win and partying, and ring dunks mean free party favors. What can we expect from your next up and coming releases as the beginnings of your musical career start to unravel and develop? I'm just getting started on this journey, like teenagers getting carded. So I'm just trying to bring awareness to the game, let ‘em know I'm coming. After that, I'm going to build a fanbase here, but before I do, I need to see what sticks so you'll see a lot of range. At the end of the day  I'm being true to who I am, and storytelling about my life. My next release, Aztecos Pachecos, is inspired by Dia de los Muertos - an Aztec tradition. The release is Spanish and English since I'm from Texas and you gotta know both if you wanna flourish out here, mayne! Plus my wife is also Mexican and my mother-in-law is at home helping us with the baby and she only knows Spanish, so as soon as I picked up the Spanish, I put that to work! Also, if you follow my playlist on SoundCloud, I'm putting out a surprise new song, 30 now, on that playlist in association with the Back Ta College Release. What has been keeping you inspired throughout 2020? Maintaining inspiration is hard, no joke. Like I have no idea what's going to happen, especially in Texas. But you gotta accept the situation with open arms and open eyes and make the most of it. I hope for the best, but I prepare for the worst. I wouldn't have jumped into this if I wasn't sure I could do it. I know it's going to be a rough path ahead, but I’m all about the process and the journey, baby! That’s how you grow. Plus, I gotta infant son, 8 months old, and I don't want him to grow up listening to shitty music. I also gotta prove to him how important it is to have dreams and to work hard to make them happen despite the odds. instagram.com/tejanostani #BUZZMUSIC

  • Artist Spotlight: Xodu$ Wins Us Over with His Charm and Good Vibes

    Xodu$ is a rapper on the rise that will give Hip-Hop lovers something fresh to talk about. His audio and visual aesthetic is a refreshing addition to the hip-hop scene. Xodu$ is the type of multitalented artist who can impress his fans through a variety of platforms. He doesn’t limit himself to just creating music; this year he released a compact Extended Play “Top 5,” and he also produced a music video for his single “Airplane Mode.” Effortlessly exuding swagger, Xodu$’s production talents allow him to get his message across through both soundscapes and aesthetic imagery. Musically, typical heavy bass combined with subtle electronic synth allows the focus to remain on Xodu$’s irresistible rap verses. It’s clear that Xodu$ creates his music “purely off vibes.” Through his songwriting, Xodu$ is witty and introspective. He uses his clever lyrics to have fans feeling themselves, and at the same time send a message of being present in the moment. As his career progresses, Xodu$ aims to consistently release music and work to improve himself as an artist. He is set to release a 5 track EP labeled “Come Outside” in August 2020, and fans are more than excited to hear what he has to offer. instagram.com/xodusvmw #BUZZMUSIC

  • Banshee Continues their Unflinching Sonic Assault on EP "Events Occur in Real Time"

    Regrouping as four and licking off their wounds from previous trumpet-tongued endeavors under numerous demos and an endless revolving door of exiting collaborators, the final manifestation of "Banshee" is rendered through the final collaborations between Nico Cafarelli, Austin Kranick, Tony Marzello, and Andrew Wallace. They prove to be precise in coloration while remaining calamitous in their delivery of Hardcore and Heavy-Metal amalgamating sonic hellfire. The most recent crusades in their musical subjugation reigns in on the shrieking harmonics of fringed out guitars and a vigorous double kicks that excavates the flats beneath us, plowing their ground shattering half time breakdowns amongst up-tempo outbursts and a fatalistic grit that presents as rasp in the howls and chanting of Nico Cafarelli's lead vocals. "Terror Bird" comes down thrashing over the edges of the drummer's cymbals as he hails over the rattling drums beneath him. "I'm a fire put me out, I'm a fire put me out," Cafarelli shrieks as the mammoth metal production behind him overwhelms the expanses of the mix with fired up riffs and stubborn connections of hyper-fueled sonics. It's a big-sliced offering from the enthusiastic group who open up this record with a cannonball, sinking into it's intrinsically placed breaks and back tempered buildups amongst the hell-storm that this genre results to naturally: seething saturated mid-range guitars, cascading cymbals, a shrilling topline that quivers in its labored fiery howls. It feels like we just purchased a ticket to the most bent out and intense rallying train ride, set over the burning tracks that Banshee manifests their drive-in with remarkable ferocity when "Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe" implodes from the combustible fumes of its predecessor track. On a post-hardcore-punk blast beat, this cut seems to launch between sudden rushes of enthusiasm and intoxicating dives into melodic refrains that utilize pitched out vocal toplines, scorching in ferocity as they outline the antiquated expiations of this conspicuous Hardcore relic from the Metal-core prophets themselves. As we reach the centerpiece of this record, what's most notable is how "Banshee" establishes an aesthetic and energy through the opening flashes of "Events Occur in Real Time" and continues in developing from it as each ensuing tracking is reborn from the ashes of its antecedent track, while always maintaining magnetic compulsion through ever-adapting riffs. It's clear and concisely proven throughout the gritty and fleshy wails on "Lizard Conditions," a song that inundates through its cohesive divulgence of intoxicating metal-core instrumentation and cleverness. As we continue, it feels as though the gates of Mordor have opened, and Mount Doom has just erupted; blazing riffs swell with overpowering energy and spew out in the breakdowns like fiery molten lava. It's all found in the next two tracks, "Hollywood Burn," and "Sunflower," where we are shown the most uptempo and scathingly intense sides Banshee's soaring symphonic heights. Pounding at the drums as if in the middle of a fist provoked brawl "Sunflower" takes effect on the wave of a wall of sound that rings devastatingly wide through an edgy bass and glazed-over guitars that protrude out during the intricately placed breakdowns accompanied by earth-shattering drums; like trap doors opening at the slightest sense of vibration. "Hollywood Burn" doesn't fall far from the tree in its ancestry's sonic aesthetic either. Here, it conveys on more profound effectiveness through the slicing tonality and expressiveness this the instrumentations afford to the vocal performance. The chugging characteristics of the most relevant and influential heavy metal bands can be found here as the pounding verges on the edges of puzzling with dominant kind of sonic radioactivity, sticking to you like an invisible glue of heavy guitar shrills, melodic riffs, and thundering drum orchestrations. The final sonic meteor storm comes crashing down on the wings of a set of devilish guitar tones and an unmatched searing-hot vocal tenacity. The meticulously concise machinery of drums smashes and turns the cogs of this interlocking gearwork track called "Constable." It feels like the final crescendos of a prehistoric army raised from the ashes of all things metal and heavy-core, blistering with conviction and undying fervor as the blast beats induce an intoxicating sense of wonder. After years of trial, error, and reformulation, Banshee has come together and reestablished their footings with this hardcore record. The imparting afterglow leaves us with itches that pulsate like an uncontrollable urge for some more of that Upstate New York sonic grit. Can you tell us more about the challenges you have had curating this album and its progression? What oversaw your thought process in the track order and flow? I would say the biggest challenge would be recording my vocals. Vocals are one of, if not the, most important factors in music, and they can really make or break a song. It's like a first impression, it only takes a few seconds to decide if you're into it or not.  Making sure every take was as tight and strong as possible was pretty painstaking, just ask Austin (guitar)  and Tyler (engineer). It was definitely exhausting at points, but the final product speaks for itself I think. As far as the track order goes it's actually kind of hilarious how OCD I am about ordering the tracks, because if two titles in a row read in a similar way my brain gets all haywire. So it was kind of a game almost to see how I could sequence them in a way that A) flows with the music and B) doesn't' hurt my head. What's stuck as to the main reason why this rendering of Banshee proves to be the most effective and synergistic group of musicians to date? The energy is this lineup is really something. Every member of this band actually played in another group together called More Than Human about five years ago or so, so coming into this together was really painless. Banshee is a little more hectic than that band, so everyone gets to let loose and just bang out the parts you know. They're all talented, hilarious dudes, the vibe in the practice room is always positive. This lineup is bulletproof really. What is the driving fuel behind your Metal-Core creations and all its adjacent intensive sonic attributes? The driving force behind everything would be we just really want to make wild music. We enjoy different genres and different bands but actually playing music like this is a rush exclusive to the genre. Metal/hardcore shows are like contact sports except we're all on the same team. What can we expect from Banshee as you continue to develop your heavy sound and intoxicating character for the next upcoming releases? We're always going to be a heavy band. But we're always looking for ways to push the envelope as far as what we can pull off. There are no real rules, so something like a jazz breakdown or acoustic guitars is never out of the question. Or blast beats over a poppy sing-song chorus, I think that would just be great. I love things like that. The more ingredients we can throw in the pot the better as far as I'm concerned and it will keep things interesting for the band and for the listener too. What has been keeping you guys inspired throughout 2020? What can we expect to see next from Banshee? 2020 has been a tough year for every band, small or large, and for most people in general. It's hard for us because you never know when they'll be shows again which is very depressing because that's the whole point of being a performer. But on the other hand, that's given us a lot of time to be creative and work on new demos and whatever else. We're always throwing riffs around. I think we have three or four basic demos right now. I don't know when they'll turn into full-fledged songs, as our EP is still so young, but we've been chipping away. We've also briefly talked about doing a cover song, so whether that happens or not we'll see. We're always looking three weeks down the road so there's always something in the chamber. facebook.com/BansheeInc #BUZZMUSIC

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