“HOW I DO” by V!ctoria – A Song Feature

 

     V!ctoria explains that “HOW I DO” is about “doing something out of character just to feel close to someone you’ve lost.” Perhaps with calculated intent, the lyrics (included at the bottom of this post) drift into vagueness at times, creating space for personal interpretation and emotional projection from the listener. V!ctoria’s voice balances yearning and assuredness, as the vocal energy and tempo shift adeptly.   

 

     Instrumentally, the percussion is strategic in moving between being5 nonexistence and impactful. The drums drive the energy after the 1:30 mark. But the characteristics of the guitar are the instrumental highlight of “HOW I DO.” The guitar shuns lushness, yet possesses a crisp, clear, and clean upper-frequency shimmer. It shares the tonal DNA of one of our favorites Indie releases of 2025 – “Chinese Restaurant” by Radio Free Alice.

 

     V!ctoria is based in New York City. The credits of “HOW I DO” state that the song was written by Victoria Addy.

 

     “HOW I DO” by V!ctoria

Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/imvxctoria/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@imvxctoria

Lyrics of “HOW I DO” by V!ctoria
Can you stay just a minute?
I’ve been tryna reminisce
Picking up the broken pieces
With bloody hands and no regrets
 
Can I be your body’s silhouette?
Cuz I’ve been tryna fill the space you made
I won’t judge, but tell me this
Can you tell me this?
 
Does she care like I do?
Take the chance like I do?
You’re running out of options
You’re wearing down your conscience
 
I get up at the brink of the dawn
And memorize your favorite song
I grind my teeth on cigarettes
Just to taste your lips again
 
I, I wanna be your silhouette
Sick of always cleaning up the mess you make
Home is losing sentiment
When it’s obvious
 
She don’t care like I do
Change your mind like I do
Take the blame like I do
Does she taste like how I do?
 

“Afternoon of Acid Rain” and “Born on a Train” by Hallucinophonics – Song Features

      Hallucinophonics provide insights into a period of musical history—approximately 1966 to the early 1970s—during which psychedelic music was significantly influenced by the use of hallucinogenic substances. It was a period in which music lovers were more receptive to Experimental and Progressive Rock, and lyrical content frequently adopted surreal imagery, such as slowly answering when called by “a girl with kaleidoscope eyes.”

      It was also a period in which bands prolifically released music. At least one album release per year was common. Hallucinophonics shared a nine-song album in 2025 (”Theatre of the Absurd”) and a thirteen-song album in January 2026 (“Falling”). Within the month following “Falling,” multiple additional singles were released, including “Afternoon of Acid Rain.” Regarding the song, the band said:

 “A surreal psychedelic rock journey from acid rain and face-melting guitars to a warm invitation — come on in, the water's fine. Featuring candy corn girls, crocodile women, avalanche people, and a seven-foot chicken with a six-foot guitar. Moving from dark to bright, this track blends psych rock intensity with dreamy folk warmth.”

 

     Hallucinophonics are based in London, UK. The project’s website references a number of influences, including Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, and Tame Impala. But our closest comparison is to The Moody Blues, as evidenced by the songs “Afternoon of Acid Rain” and “Born on a Train.” Both songs were written by Alexey Belenkiy.

 

     “Afternoon of Acid Rain” by Hallucinophonics

Website: https://elasticstage.com/hallucinophonics
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialhallucinophonics/

Lyrics of “Afternoon of Acid Rain” by Hallucinophonics
In a box full of face-melting guitars
It was an afternoon of acid rain
The hot lava dog was licking its balls
All the clouds were full of flames
 
And then they came to me and said
"Who in the hell do you think you are?"
And I said "Who in the hell do you think I am?"
The candy corn girls kept flying by
And there was love everywhere
 
The crocodile women with the jellyfish hearts
The avalanche people with their glassy-eyed stares
When you're down here you're never very far
From a seven-foot chicken with a six-foot guitar
 
And then they came to me and said
"Who in the hell do you think you are?"
And I said "Who in the hell do you think I am?"
The candy corn girls kept flying by
And there was love everywhere
 
But what the hell
We all gotta go somewhere
And it might as well be a warm place
So come on in
Friend
The water's fine
 
And then they came to me and said
"Who in the hell do you think you are?"
And I said "Who in the hell do you think I am?"
The candy corn girls kept flying by
And there was love everywhere

      “Born on a Train” by Hallucinophonics (previously reviewed at CLICK HERE)

Lyrics of “Born on a Train” by Hallucinophonics
I'm born on a train and I die on a train
Travelin' through my veins like heroin
My blood is a freight train
Pickin' up speed
My soul is a slow train
Wanderin' the reeds
 
My mom was a steam train
My dad was a bus
My sister's a car
My brother's a truck
We're rollin' through your town and we're lookin' for drugs
When we run out of gas
We fill 'em up
 
Ridin' through the night
I can't see the end in sight
Don't you try to talk me down
I'm on a train
 
I once had a lover
She left me alone
She ran out of gas
So I left her at home
So if you should see her
Please don't mention my name
I've never been a man and I'll always be a train
 
'Cause I was born on a train and I'll die on a train
I'll run on your tracks like a runaway
My blood is a freight train
Pickin' up speed
My soul is a slow train
Wanderin' the reeds
 
Ridin' through the night
I can't see the end in sight
Don't you try to talk me down
I'm on a train

“Gomboo Blues" by Ben Charles – A Song Feature

 

     The invigorating rhythm is the initial draw to “Gomboo Blues.” Confessing to having the blues isn’t typically this electrifying. Then, with each listen to the track by Ben Charles, appreciation deepens for its subtle compositional nuances and shifting textures. Perhaps best of all, on two occasions the vocalist nearly whispers “Watch Out,” and the guitar emerges—steeped in Gypsy and Eastern hues—to briefly claim the spotlight. (The lyrics are included at the bottom of this post). 

     Ben Charles describes “Gomboo Blues” as “a snack-sized dream journey driven by relentless drum and bass interplay, gypsy guitar runs, and a dynamic narrator with a delivery both intimate and howling.” The song’s dream-journey quality becomes most apparent in its final minute, after a howling buildup ushers in a shift from the high-energy propulsion to a downtempo, dreamlike state. 
 
     The transition is reminiscent of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life,” where an orchestral climax bridges two fundamentally different musical pieces. Like the Beatles’ track, “Gomboo Blues” flirts with drug imagery (“I’d love to turn you on” versus “She told me it was only to get me high”). But piano is not a featured instrument throughout Ben Charles’s single; instead, the recent release withholds the elegance of the piano until the final minute.
 
      Ben Charles released his debut album “Before the Fire” in 2023 after working with mixer Hugo Nicholson (In Rainbows) and mastering engineer, Dave McNair (The Next Day). Currently he is living on an old oil field in Southern California, where he formed a band called “The Flames” and is writing and recording a new double LP entitled “Deep Son,” due in 2027 via Lovelock Records.
 
     “Gomboo Blues" by Ben Charles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bencharlesxo

Bandcamp: https://bencharlesxo.bandcamp.com/music

 Lyrics of “Gomboo Blues" by Ben Charles
Once I knew a woman by the name of Angelina
Shot her in the popcorn slums of Reseda
She told me it was only to get me high
And as she was falling
I thought I saw me die
 
Locked down tight at the edge of the word
Dreaming of the fire like a Hindenburg
All the piggies in the river and a wolf on the line
Don’t worry Mamma, I’m really feeling fine
 
C’mon now
Sometimes I just get the Gomboo Blues
I get the Gomboo Blues
I get the Gomboo Blues
I get the Gomboo Blues
(Watch out)
 
Sometimes…
I said “Tell me, Angelina, with your bluest rose,
Is a beauty in a bell jar free, you suppose..?
Now I know you never pull a devil by the horns
But is love just a game without a crown of thorns?”
A crown of thorns
 
C’mon now
Sometimes I just get the Gomboo Blues
I get the Gomboo Blues
I get the Gomboo Blues
I get the Gomboo Blues
(Watch out)
 
Baby how do I talk?
I got visions in my head
Breaking into my heart
When I’m lying in my bed
 
Thinking of what we could do
With a kiss forever
Now is true
And the only way with blues this blue
Is to kill myself
In love with you
 
Here I go
I didn’t know how much I’d miss you
Don’t look back
River, flow.