“Us Two” by Mind Tides

 

     “Us Two” is a masterful track, with production artistry only matched by compositional sophistication. The song invites closer examination of its production techniques, particularly the prominent use of effects throughout the release from Mind Tides. Yet these effects never obscure or overwhelm the trio’s musicianship.
 
     The appealing dreamlike quality of the vocals is often reverb-magnified and wobbled at the ends of lyrical lines – a sonic tail wag. The vocal presentation itself is warmly intimate and conversational, as he reveals his feeling for a person he refers to as “Lady.” Lyrically, “Us Two” describes that mixed-emotions territory between deep connection and missed opportunity. The song doesn’t explain why the two can never become an “us two.”
 
     Just beyond the two-minute mark, the single from Mind Tides pivots to a focus on keys and intricate percussion. About 30 seconds later, engaging guitar is introduced. “Us Two” is a genre-bender. The band refers to the song as “a Funky blend of Surf Rock and Psychedelic Indie.”
 
     Mind Tides is from Oslo, Norway. The three members are vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Ali Jakupovic, Spellemann Award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist Mathias Risdal, and drummer/percussionist Rashad Safin. With backgrounds from Bosnia, Norway, and Morocco, and diverse musical roots, they merge their influences into a distinct sonic identity, as is evident in “Us Two.” The song is a release from the band’s upcoming album “Inward Waves.”
 
     “Us Two” by Mind Tides  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindtidesband/
Bandcamp: https://mindtides.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “Us Two” by Mind Tides
Lady
I remember you glowing
I wish, baby
That you would only know that
 
I would wanna do
Anything for you
You hypnotized me
With your eyes so blue, yeah
 
It’s true…
 
Yeah!
 
Maybe
I’m acting kind of crazy
Because lady
You truly amazed me
 
Though I wish I knew
Your inner truth
In some other life
It could be us two, yeah
 
Us two…
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

“Chalk” by lotusbliss

 

      The combination of atmospheric texturing and masterfully layered guitars begins the title track of the debut album from lotusbliss. During the intro, it’s the bass that drives “Chalk” forwardly, which continues when the vocals enter 45 seconds into the song. And the vocal prowess immediately reveals itself as they caress the messaging and questioning of the lyrics.
 
     “Chalk” is an existential exploration of relative strengths of the pull of inheritance against the pushing hand of experience; that is, the interplay of genetics and environment. Lotusbliss explains, “The song questions how physical surroundings and settings work to form the basis of who you are, exploring the collective nature of this growth.”
 
     The members of lotusbliss are brothers Seth, Josh, and Adam, who hail from Canterbury, UK. The credits for “Chalk” identify all three brothers as contributing vocals, while Seth Gauton is the drummer, Adam Gauton plays piano and synth, and Josh Gauton is bassist and guitarist. 
 
     The Spotify stream of the “Chalk” album is embedded below the lyrics of the title track. The band’s comments regarding the album show the passion and care they have for the music. Lotusbliss describes the album as “a lifetime of sibling imagination, rivalry, growth, challenge, work and musing - brought together in an album. Years of writing, digging into concepts, meticulous recording of each instrument before dreaming up visual concepts and planning how to bring the project to you have led us to this point, and we are very proud to hand over ‘Chalk’ to you.
 
     “Chalk” by lotusbliss

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lotusblissband
Website: https://www.lotusbliss.co.uk/
Bandcamp: https://lotusbliss.bandcamp.com/album/chalk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lotusblissband/

Lyrics of “Chalk” by lotusbliss
Chalk in my DNA
In the cells I’m made of
Are we more than the sum of
All of the ones before us?
 
The wrestle will
Keep me running in circles
Keep me running in circles
Keep me running in circles
Running in circles
 
Find your light
Long enough to feel it
Long enough to sound like me
Harmonize
Long enough to feel it
Long enough to sound like me
 
My heart like a lump of clay
It’s a feather pillow
Yeah, I’m less of an English Oak
Than a weeping willow
I got that set in stone
 
Find your light
Long enough to feel it
Long enough to sound like me
Harmonize
Long enough to feel it
Long enough to sound like me
 
Blood, marrow, whispering secrets
Soft silhouettes of myself
 
Find your light
Long enough to feel it
Long enough to sound like me
Harmonize
Long enough to feel it
Long enough to sound like me
[Repeat chorus]

     "Chalk" album

“Pretending It Fades” by The Upsides

 

      “Pretending It Fades” is not the first song to explore how relationships can leave an indelible mark on our perspective after the relationship has run its course. Going back to 1969, Joni Mitchell released “Both Sides Now,” which touched upon how past experiences with romance caused a transition from viewing love as “Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels” to being “just another show.” But the recent release from The Upsides brings this concept to life particularly vividly, noting that certain smells—such as “rain on wood”—can awaken powerful memories, while familiar sounds can instantly transport you “right back in their corner.”
 
     The band describes “Pretending It Fades” as “probably the most straightforward ‘breakup song’ on the [upcoming] album. Some imagery is specific to the relationship in question but there’s a more general and nuanced message around loss. At first, the chorus reads ‘these wounds are taking longer to heal than I thought,’ but as a whole the lyrics say something more like ‘maybe these aren’t actually wounds - this relationship changed me and I’m getting used to my new shape.’”
 
     Instrumentally, the strength is the crystalline guitar that shimmers in the melody, particularly during the verses. In comparison, the chorus is more powerful, allowing the drumming to play a more significant role.
 
     The Upsides are an indie rock band based in New York City. The members are brothers Matt (guitar and vocals) and Dan Fullam (drums) alongside longtime friends Hart Mechlin (lead guitar), Pat Freeman (keys, guitar), and Matt DaSilva (bass). The band is scheduled to release the album “In the Maze” on October 16, 2026 via Dream Wolf Records. Including “Pretending It Fades,” The Upsides have shared three of the eleven tracks from the album. While discussing the themes and origins of the album, Dan Fullman shared,
  “I view ‘In The Maze’ as a succumbing in a way to the chaos and unpredictability of life, and so it’s up to you individually to sort out which path you want to take within that thresher. So many people live with regrets that they chose a comfortable, cookie-cutter life, while so many people love the stability of a certain job, the warmth of family which keeps them sane and away from chaos and that’s beautiful too. I think the smartest people, regardless of what they accomplish in life, find that there are zero universally ‘right’ answers to anything. You do your best, and then you’re dead basically. So go for what you want - the job, the partner, the creative endeavor - and go for it now.”
 
     “Pretending It Fades” by The Upsides

Website: https://www.theupsidesband.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupsidesnyc/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsides_/

Lyrics of “Pretending It Fades” by The Upsides
Walk with me now
A hand to hold loosely
I stumble on Belgian block through streets
Heart in my mouth, as you look right through me
A dream that ends in a fall
 
I smell the rain on wood, the gas catching flame
And the past wears a perfect face
The house would never have stood, but time plays these games
I’m sure you’re the same
 
I go along, pretending it fades with the seasons
But it’s cold outside
And I’m holdin’ on to pictures you made me believe in
I believe in ‘em now though
 
You’d say there’s always a reason
And I’d just laugh
But now I believe
 
Lying on your porch outside in the boundless night sky
I watched our whole lives unfold
For a second more, for all time
It’s all that my mind could hold
 
I go along, pretending it fades with the seasons
But it’s cold outside
And I’m holdin’ on to pictures you made me believe in
 
And I keep ‘em with me now
Always wish you were around
Even though I can’t afford ya
I get hit with all the sounds and I’m right back in your corner
 
But I got it figured out, got your wisdom with me now
And my picture of the morning
I know it never let you down
I hope it never lets you down
 
I smell the rain on wood, the gas catching flame
And time plays a ruthless game
I’m sure you’re the same
 
I go along, pretending it fades with the seasons
But it’s cold outside
And I’m holdin’ on
I listen in vain for a reason
 
But I think I’m with you now
Always wish you were around
Even though I can’t afford ya
I get hit with all the sounds and I’m right back in your corner
But I got it figured out
Got your wisdom with me now and my picture of the morning
I know it never let you down
I hope it never lets you down

“Tonight” by Dear Darcy

 
      “Tonight” opens with an airy guitar delivering a stadium-ready riff. The effects-laden yet remarkably clean tone immediately commands attention, establishing the first standout feature of the single from Dear Darcy. The appeal of the lead riff is amplified by masterfully layering a rhythm guitar into the arrangement with equal prominence in the mix, and soon introducing power percussion. Staying with the appreciation of guitar, a solo that begins shortly after the two-minute mark further showcases the skills of the band.
 
     Dear Darcy is the project of songwriter and bassist Kim Cordle. The project is based in Muskegon, Michigan. Cordle’s compositions are anchored by a formidable lineup. Drummer Todd Long, noted for his tenure behind the kit for The Verve Pipe, provides the driving percussion. And guitarist Robert Hoppa — a voice of authority from the pages of Guitar Player Magazine — builds the massive, shimmering walls of sound that make the hooks feel both abrasive and anthemic.
 
     Cordle explains that in 1996, “while the airwaves were exploding with massive guitar walls and driving hooks, he wrote a raw, visceral collection of songs. Those tracks sat dormant for 30 years — until now.” It is interesting that Cordle used the term “airwaves, since the “clean” guitar at the start of “Tonight” shares sonic characteristics with those of Tom DeLonge during his days with Angels & Airwaves. DeLonge said that to have a sound different then when he is with Blink-182, “All I wanted was something that sounded like it was echoing over a large place. So I put echoes on everything.”
 
     Dear Darcy is the ultimate unearthed artifact of the ‘90s alternative era: not a retro imitation, but actual 1996 songs, fully realized with modern precision and veteran firepower.
 
     “Tonight” by Dear Darcy

Website: https://www.deardarcymusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DearDarcyMusic
 
Lyrics of “Tonight” by Dear Darcy
That’s how it begins
Then I turn around and I fall again
 
Trailing into day
It’s sad everything has to end this way
To my dismay
Haunted by the words that I just couldn’t say
 
If we play this right
We’ll be so long gone before it’s light
Close your eyes, we’ll leave tonight
 
My thoughts are with you
When I’m overcome
And the day is through
And I regret
That you can’t remember what I can’t forget
 
If we play this right
We’ll be so long gone before it’s light
Close your eyes, we’ll leave tonight
 
Have I succumb?
Have I become someone I swore I’d never be?
 
If we play this right
We’ll be so long gone before it’s light
Close your eyes, we’ll leave tonight
Close your eyes, we’ll leave tonight
Close your eyes, believe tonight

“Don't Save My Soul” by Tom Sless

 

     The rousing track from Tom Sless is a masterful genre blend, seamlessly weaving together elements of Blues, Rock, and a touch of Gospel, while paying homage to Soul through a clever twist of the defining lines from an R&B classic. Specifically, “Don't Save My Soul” salutes the 1971 Bill Withers’ breakthrough hit with “I know, I know, I know, I know // Ain't no sunshine in her home //…// But that hellfire keeps me warm.”
 
     Bill Withers’ “Ain't No Sunshine” lamented about the loss of warmth and light when the woman he loves is gone (and she’s always gone too long). In comparison, the protagonist in “Don't Save My Soul” receives warmth for a “hellfire” in a relationship that is as seductive as it is destructive. Tom Sless explains:
  “’Don't Save My Soul’ is a rock anthem about choosing the wrong person and meaning every word of it. Religious imagery, hellfire, a chorus built for a room of a thousand people.”
 
     Tom Sless is a Dallas-based Rock artist, former Deloitte accountant, who quit everything, bought a van, and spent years driving up and down America playing every room he could find before signing with LIGHTWORK. He writes like Springsteen at his most working class and road worn, with the theatrical presence of Freddie Mercury and the dark romantic soul of Hozier. One song is hellfire gothic romance, the next is wide open American summer. The range is the point. It all sounds like the same artist telling a bigger story.
 
     “Don't Save My Soul” by Tom Sless

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomsless
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomsless

Lyrics of “Don't Save My Soul” by Tom Sless
Been following, following my footsteps
To lands I've never known
Tomorrowing and borrowing the goodness
Of black sheep in wolf's clothes
 
She's their fallen angel
Melting hellbent cold hearts made of the stone
Trust me, I know
 
Not all kings are noble
Not all thrones are gold
Sometimes heaven comes down
To rob you of your soul
 
She can't wear the white dress
Her crown is made of snakes
But I'll choose her and the underworld
If they call me to the gates
 
Don't save my soul
Watch me swear to God from inferno
He ain't even seen the things I know
The love I can't let go
Don't save my soul
Don't save my soul
Alright
 
I'm known as a man of honor
But on her I'm divine
Low down floating down her river
Knelt down at her shrine
 
Whispering her curses
Salivation, salvation over wine
That's what I like, yeah
 
Not all queens are royal
Not all tales are told
Sometimes heaven comes down
To rob you of your soul
 
She won't wear the white dress
Her crown is made of snakes
But I'll choose her and the underworld
If they call me to the gates
 
Don't save my soul
Watch me swear to God from inferno
He ain't even seen the things I know
The love I can't let go
Don't save my soul
Don't save my
 
I know, I know, I know, I know
Ain't no sunshine in her home
I know, I know, I know, I know
But that hellfire keeps me warm
I know, I know, I know, I know
Ain't no sunshine in her home
I know, I know, I know, I know
But that hellfire keeps me warm
 
Don't save my soul
Watch me swear to God from inferno
He ain't even seen the things I know
The love I can't let go
Don't save my soul
Don't save my soul
 
Don't save my soul
Woah, don't save my soul
Oh, oh, oh…
Don't save my soul
Don't save my soul
Don't save my soul