Lisa Hafey

Big Wic’s story is rooted in survival and ambition. Growing up surrounded by drugs, violence, and limited opportunities, in the area around Church Street South, in New Haven, Connecticut, known locally as “The Jungle”, he was also witness to something rare, when rappers like LL Cool J and Big Daddy Kane passed through his neighborhood, then popping up on television. Suddenly, this contrast made his dream feel real. Big Wic started out distributing mixtapes throughout New England for the late DJ Kay Slay, the relationship later leading to ‘Lost Files’, a project that was completed shortly before Slay death, and half the proceeds of which Big Wic donated to Slay’s estate. He’s set to release a second installment around Slay’s birthday. Additionally, Big Wic has released an autobiography, ‘Apotheosis Analogy: How Two Worlds Became One’, and plans for a documentary. Big Wic is building his life well beyond music, and new single ‘Cheesecake’ sees him standing tall, as a statement about growth, survival, and coming back changed without losing momentum.

Accomanied by an ambitiously evocative music video, ‘B0C3TUD4’ is an absolute banger of a pop tune, that takes bodily freedom, self-love, and trans pride, and blends it with a futuristic aesthetic and cyberpunk attitude.

Redefining the breakup narrative and transforming heartbreak into liberation that is both empowering and enticing, ‘Ex’s Funeral’ is based on female friendship and the decision to finally choose yourself above all others – in essence, it’s all about “girl power”!

The term Johatsu came into use in Japan in the 1960s, and was originally used in the context of people who decided to escape unhappy marriages rather than go through formal divorce proceedings. Nowadays it’s come to describe people who dropped out of society and their everyday lives, and vanish without a trace. The phenomenon has since been seen to happen all over the world, including China, South Korea, the US, the UK, and Germany. Such was the spread of Johatsu that a documentary was released last year about it, ‘Johatsu: Into Thin Air ‘, directed by filmmakers Andreas Hartmann and Arata Mori.’

‘Where The Wild Things Are’ is the name of a 1963 released book, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. For those of us who grew up in the 1970s, it formed a pivotal part of our childhood, as we followed the adventures of Max, and his journey to becoming the king of the Wild Things. It should come as no surprise that Duane Hoover, with his musical style firmly rooted between the mod scene of the 1960s and the urgency of late 70s UK punk, should visit this title for his latest single.

While Greg Hoy’s sound can often be boisterous and rollicking, tracks like ‘The Wheel’ allow him to reveal a different side to his personality. Fans may not be aware of it, but Hoy has studied mindfulness and spirituality – in particular Buddhist teachings – for more than a decade, and even co-authored a book on the subject.

Just about two years ago, Ron Brunk was met with seven feral kittens outside his home in West Virginia, and he felt the call to care for them immediately. Now, his life is filled with light and laughter, and a companionship like no other. Initially he was wary of sharing his feline-filled world with others, but now he freely shares his tales of Little One, Mr Hank, Molly, Rusty, and Snaggly, and his fans love it.

With ‘Snaggly’ see Ron step into the paws – as it were – of this pet, taking on his daring personality, and assuming his easy-going nature. Set to acoustic and electric guitars, Brunk’s gravelly voice brings with it a twinkle that you can just about see as he breaks free from doubts that were holding him back, buoyed up by that strong feeling of “feeling snaggly”.

Rylai has always instinctively known just how to put together high quality arrangements. As he describes it, “I have my own radio in my head”, as an explanation for the unique melodies that he finds bouncing around in his head. It took him until he was a teenager, however, to fully connect with music, when he started messing about on a digital piano, that had stayed untouched for years in his family home. As soon as he began, he realised just how much music would play a part in his life.

Using baseball metaphors throughout the song, Ozzie D. relates in ‘Step Up’ about falling in love with “the boy next door”, and how they soon “wind up in such a mess”. Her love was all-consuming, but she reached a breaking point when she realised that he wasn’t being truthful with her. A blues-laden track that’s filled with emotion, Ozzie sings of how he needs to step up to the plate, lock eyes with the pitcher, and hit a home run. It’s up to him to turn things around, Ozzie has done all she can, and she isn’t interested in having her heart broken.