“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

“Messing With My Head” and “Streetlights” by Fletchr Fletchr

 

    We chanced upon “Streetlights” and were comfortable with concluding that it was the strongest single from Fletchr Fletchr. Not true! “Messing With My Head” is even stronger. Both tracks feature deep and engaging vocals and guitar flares. And both will be on the EP “On The Island We Call Home,” which is scheduled for release on August 21, 2026.
 
       “Messing With My Head” is about breaking away from the internal struggle of self-doubt and playing self-defense against attacks from within. The lyrics personify the source of the attacks. Our favorite verse is:
I've watched your game of whispers
Twisting every word that has been said
And I hate you and the way you
Turn every good thing into a mess
 
     The song is the slightly cleaner version of ““Fucking With My Head.” Fletchr Fletchr is based in Berkhamsted, UK. The members are Adam Sanders (lead guitar), Rohan Fletcher (vocals, guitar), Oli Williams (drums), and George Green (bass).
 
     “Messing With My Head” by Fletchr Fletchr

Website: https://fletchrfletchr.wixsite.com/fletchrfletchr
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fletchrfletchr/
Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/fletchrfletchr

Lyrics of “Messing With My Head” by Fletchr Fletchr
I've seen you in the morning
Lurking round the bottom of my bed
I've heard you spreading rumors
Putting thoughts in everybody's head
 
I've watched your game of whispers
Twisting every word that has been said
And I hate you and the way you
Turn every good thing into a mess
 
You're messing with my head
And taking all my breath
And I've got nothing left
I'm stuck in self defense against myself
I know myself the best
Stop messing with my…
Playing with my…
Messing with my head
 
Well, I've seen you in the evenings
Rubbing salt in wounds that you create
I've heard you in the distance
Mocking me for all of my mistakes
 
I feel you on my shoulder
Every single second of the day
And I hate you 'cause I gave you
Everything you need to make me break
 
You're messing with my head
And taking all my breath
And I've got nothing left
I'm stuck in self defense against myself
I know myself the best
Stop messing with my…
Playing with my…
Messing with my head
 
Just give it a rest
Give me break
Gimme some hope
Take all the weight
Off my chest
And out of my home
Stop taking my breath
Get out my head
And leave me alone
 
You're messing with my head
And taking all my breath
And I've got nothing left
I'm stuck in self defense against myself
I know myself the best
Stop messing with my…
Playing with my…

Messing with my head
And taking all my breath
And I've got nothing left
I'm stuck in self defense against myself
I know myself the best
Stop messing with my…
Playing with my…
Messing with my head

     “Streetlights” looks at a night with a love interest of a faltered relationship. The highlight of the track resides with the vocals in the final minute.
 
     “Streetlights” by Fletchr Fletchr

Lyrics of “Streetlights” by Fletchr Fletchr
Did the streetlights turn on just for us?
Did the bar close just to tell us that we′ve had enough?
 
When we got so high in the city
Felt like there was no time when you're with me
Now you got no time, you′re so busy
I wonder if you think about the night
That we got so high in the city
Stayed up 'til the sunrise, was so pretty
Now you got no time, what a pity
I wonder if you think about the night
 
When the streetlights
When the streetlights
When the streetlights
Turned on just for us
 
It's always the same with us
When will we learn to talk it out?
Instead of "We messed it up"
Nothing has changed because you don′t wanna talk about
 
What we′ve become
So why is it at 2 in the morning you keep calling my phone?
And saying you miss me, you're lonely, you′re sorry
You can't stop thinking about
 
When we got so high in the city
Felt like there was no time when you′re with me
Now you got no time, you're so busy
I wonder if you think about the night
That we got so high in the city
Stayed up ′til the sunrise, was so pretty
Now you got no time, what a pity
I wonder if you think about the night
 
When the streetlights
When the streetlights
Oh, when the streetlights
Turned on just for us
 
When the streetlights
When the streetlights
Oh, when the streetlights
When the streetlights
Turned on just for us