Mitch Mosk

East London singer/songwriter James Smith steps fully into himself on ‘Golden Age,' a spellbinding sophomore album that channels the pressures of his mid-twenties into ten soulful, rousing songs about trying to feel young while money, grief, love, and ambition keep pulling life into and out of focus. In conversation with Atwood Magazine, Smith reflects on the highs and lows of his newfound independence, making the music he actually wants to hear, and finding light in the weight of his so-called golden years.

Houndmouth's Matt Myers channels raw feeling into feral release on “Tiger Blood,” a sweaty, untamed indie rock eruption from the band's fifth album ‘Lordy' – and visceral, living proof of a hard-won reawakening. Among the year's most captivating returns, “Tiger Blood” arrives with its pulse racing and its teeth bared – the sound of a band wide awake, fired up, and fully back in their bodies.

South London's Starter Car stir up dust and defiant joy on their sophomore single “Kicking,” a radiant, fiddle-laced indie rock rallying cry from their forthcoming debut album ‘Afterlight' that captures the messy thrill of getting knocked down, getting back up, and choosing forward motion anyway.

NYC's Sid Simons channels betrayal's lingering aftershock into cathartic release on “Under My Skin,” a blistering indie rock confession that aches with raw anger and the brutal vulnerability of letting the wrong person get too close.

corook steals their power back on “Kleptomaniac,” a buoyant pop anthem from their big-hearted, soul-searching EP ‘How do I relate to you?' that makes self-possession – the act of choosing yourself – feel like a bridge between personal freedom and human connection. Speaking with Atwood Magazine, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter traces a path through viral backlash, people-pleasing, political disillusionment, and the joy of making songs with friends, landing on a hard-won truth: Being fully yourself can be a way back to the world.

Baby Snakes & The Electric Co. make one hell of an entrance with their cinematic debut single “Dark Horse,” a soul-stirring rock anthem that transforms Jeff Saenz’s search for answers into a full-throttle testament to messy, enduring love and the choice to keep moving forward – scars and all.

E very wall Medium Build's Nick Carpenter ever built sounds like it's shaking loose on “Armor.”

Montreal's Nora Kelly Band channel the bright sting of their wry, smile-inducing song “Imposter Syndrome” into ‘So Wrong for So Long,' a rich, rollicking alt-country album of sailors, scapegoats, messy exits, and soft strength that makes feeling like a fraud sound funny, tender, and anything but lonely.

Notes From Under Ground – the solo project of Last Dinosaurs guitarist Lachlan Caskey – rips into music-industry nepotism on his intoxicating single “Names In Blue,” a glistening, boldly satirical yacht rock groove whose sardonic lyrics and Wikipedia-style music video trace the paper trail behind the myth of the self-made star.

Part of my deconstruction journey has been… realizing that adoption could not erase the Korean parts of me.