“Inspire Me” by Victor Gems – A Song Feature

 

     The final 60 seconds of “Inspire Me” land like an exclamation mark—adding punctuation to a song that is already both emotionally varied and emphatic. In that closing minute, strong contributing “personalities” vie for attention, but they fuse into a seamless and rousing whole. A backing vocalist contributes a delivery reminiscent of Merry Clayton during the song “Gimme Shelter,” although the mixing and the intended role provide less of a spotlight than Merry is allotted for the Rolling Stones song. Meanwhile, the instrumentation generates a driving energy and the lead vocals emotionally impart the song’s “truth.”
 
     “Inspire Me” is a single from Victor Gems, an independent musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. The appeal of his song is not restricted to the final minute. The verses are interestingly open to personal interpretation and are compellingly delivered. And the early occurrences of the chorus are almost as commanding as the final occurrence. In explaining the song, Victor Gems said, “It is a heartfelt track that fuses alternative rock, classic rock, and soul into a powerful statement of gratitude and resilience.” [The lyrics are included at the bottom of this post.]

 
     The various bridges within “Inspire Me” add yet another praiseworthy dimension to the song. Around the 2:22 mark, engaging piano leads the march to what sounds to be a cowbell, which soon gives way to drums and then guitar - igniting the ending round of energy in Victor Gems’ single.
 
     As a more detailed statement of the messaging of “Inspire Me,” Victor Gems provided:
  “I was inspired by the support and love of someone very close to me. This song is about a friend who helped me move forward, so I could begin doing what I truly love. She has always believed in what matters to me and continues to support me, even during times when I stopped believing in myself. While wandering through the darker corners of my inner world, brushing against the sharp edges of my own fears, I realized I could finally see what I was searching for — if only I stopped closing my eyes to the fears of the past, present, and future. That’s when I found a friend who has never let go of my hand.”
 
     His sound is shaped by a lifelong passion for music and rhythm, especially drums, which he began exploring in childhood. Victor Gems performs all parts of his music himself — from vocals and instrumentation to mixing — building a sound that reflects both his influences and personal perspective. Among his musical inspirations are Nirvana, Kasabian, Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl, Phil Collins, DMX, and Led Zeppelin. “Inspire Me” is his third single, following “One More Way” (September 2024) and “No Doubt” (April 2025).
 
     “Inspire Me” by Victor Gems

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicgems/
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/vicgems

Lyrics of “Inspire Me” by Victor Gems
I'm looking for something all my life
I need you to inspire me
Made me lose my mind
 
You can appear anytime
That's enough for me
To drown in your outlines
 
Strike a spark from my insides
Need another lesson
Sing soul for me
 
What should I take?
What should I give?
Only naked sunset
(Oh Yeah)
The only thing I believe in
(Please)
 
Don't shake my faith
(Don't shake my faith)
Make my heart beat
(Ah)
Don't turn away when I'm weak
Decide to stay with me
(Wow)
 
What should i take?
(Ah)
What should I give?
Only naked sunset
(Oh Yeah)
The only thing I believe in
(Yeah Baby)
 
Don't shake my faith
(Don't shake my faith)
Make my heart beat
(I beg)
Don't turn away when I'm weak
It's all I need
 
When you are not by my side
The sky is getting dark (ah)
I know how I feel
 
I wake up
And I fall asleep
And I always hear
How you sing soul for me
 
What should I take?
What should I give?
Only naked sunset
(Oh Yeah)
The only thing I believe in
(Please)
 
Don't shake my faith
(Don't shake my faith)
Make my heart beat
(Uuh Yeah)
Don't turn away when I'm weak
Decide to stay with me
(Wow)
 
What should I take?
(Ah)
What should I give?
Only naked sunset
(Oh Yeah)
The only thing I believe in
(Yeah Baby)
 
Don't shake my faith
(Don't shake my faith)
Make my heart beat
(I beg)
Don't turn away when I'm weak
It's all I need

“Good Boy” by Paris Paloma – A Song Feature

 

     Never has the staff of Indie Obsessive disagreed more about whether a post is appropriate for the blog. But free speech won the discussion. “Good Boy” might drive away listeners with the spoken-word intro, so those listeners will miss the strength of the lyrical layering during the final minute of the song from Paris Paloma.

 

     Paloma explains:

  "’Good Boy’ is a message to men that you have more in common with me, more in common with everyday women, then you do with men in power pushing capitalist patriarchy; so don’t be their good boy. Any knee-jerk reaction to women criticising and working against patriarchy, by calling women ‘man haters', bites off your own nose, and upholds a system that isolates and betrays you, cutting you off from community and love. You won’t be rewarded by those in power for upholding a system that harms you and benefits them. You’ll get nothing, not even so much as a ‘Good boy.’"

 

     The lyrics of “Good Boy” are included in this post. Paris Paloma instructs independent-thinking men to resist any temptation to chase their own tails in a quest for approval from others who care only for themselves.

 

     Interestingly, Paloma has a tour date supporting Florence + The Machine. During portions of “Good Boy,” we find it fair to compare Paloma’s vocals to those of Florence Welch.

 

     Paris Paloma is based in London, UK. “Good Boy” was released on September 19, 2025.

 

     “Good Boy” by Paris Paloma

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

Other Socials and Tour info: https://parispaloma.ffm.to/links

Lyrics of “Good Boy” by Paris Paloma
I knew one day that I’d have to watch
Powerful men burn the world down
I just didn’t expect them to be such losers
 
I have never seen submission
Embodied half so well
As in the feeble competition
Between men with souls to sell
And I have never seen a guard dog
With less fearsome of a bite
Then with its tail between its legs
Found at the rich man’s side
 
Look at him, he’s sweating,
He’s sweating from the climb
Office worker, soldier, CEO
He’s bleeding and he’s blind
And I have never seen a creature
More pitiful than him
He drinks power like saltwater
All because he cannot swim
 
Mouths open
Servants of a higher power
They told him
“It's a staircase, it's a tower!”
Full circle
Wagging tails, wearing a collar
Poor madman that’s what happens
When you drink saltwater
 
Burned your tongue too early
And realized too late
The tragedy of losing
Everything you’ll never taste
The clearness of the river
The honey on her tongue
Door open to communion
Being your father’s son
 
And I would not expect you
To witness what we know
The songs sung in the dark times
The fire in the snow
We’ll be piling up our pyre
And you defend your lords
And we will have our joy
But it will never be yours
 
Mouths open
Servants of a higher power
They told him
“It’s a staircase, it's a tower!”
Full circle
Wagging tails, wearing a collar
Even the dogs know not to drink saltwater
 
Good boy!
You’re working exactly as intended
Has the penny dropped, you’re never gonna get it?
Unrewarded for all of your defending
From your loneliness epidemic
 
Good boy!
Has any of the money trickled down yet?
You say one day you’ll be rich, well tell me how then
Unpaid marketing department for the power
Good boy! Good boy!
Boy
Good boy!
Good boy!
 
Mouths open
(You’re working exactly as intended)
Servants of a higher power
(Has the penny dropped, you’re never gonna get it?)
They told him
(Unrewarded for all of your defending)
“It's a staircase, it's a tower!”
(From your loneliness epidemic)
Full circle
(Has any of the money trickled down yet?)
Wagging tails, wearing a collar
(You say one day you’ll be rich, well tell me how then)
Even the dogs know not to drink saltwater
(Unpaid marketing department for the power)
Good Boy!
Good Boy!

“Maybe it Takes Time” by The South Hill Experiment – A Song Feature

 

     The South Hill Experiment is driven by brothers Baird and Gabe Acheson. The were raised in Baltimore, Maryland, but have moved to Los Angeles. The band name is based on South Hill Street, the location of the LA warehouse in which they record their music.  
 
     The single “Maybe it Takes Time” is a track from the band’s third album “EARTHBREAKS.”  Despite the song title, the brothers say, “The most exciting time to make music is always right now.”
 
     “Maybe it Takes Time” by The South Hill Experiment

Website: https://southhillexperiment.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_south_hill_experiment/
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/southhillexperiment

Lyrics of “Maybe it Takes Time” by The South Hill Experiment
Maybe it takes time
Here for a long while
Maybe it takes time
Here for a long while
Maybe it takes time
Here for a long while
Maybe it takes time
Here for a long while
 
Don't make it impossible
There's even odds you're hanging on
The forest's where the money grows
I read the leaves, I know
There's a storm tonight, storm tonight, storm tonight
With a bolt of light, you will find you finish what you write
 
But maybe it takes time (Hey, hey, hey...)
Here for a long while (Hey, hey, hey...)
Maybe it takes time (Hey, hey, hey...)
Here for a long while (Hey, hey, hey...)
Maybe it takes time (Hey, hey, hey...)
Here for a long while (Hey, hey, hey...)
 
Maybe it takes time