Upon clicking play on the latest release from Armanii Day, Deuce Deuce, I was entirely unfamiliar with the rising talent’s music. Noticing that she was from Chicago, however, I decided to give it a chance after the 2-song release slipped into my feed, and as you might have guessed, I was thoroughly surprised and impressed with what I heard. Right off the bat, despite having not heard of Day before Deuce Deuce, the first song here — “Jupiter” — immediately took me into Armanii Day’s world, creating a mesmeric escape with such curious and mysterious production. Every line grabbed my full attention thanks to her clever storytelling, and furthermore, Day’s personality was sure to show through her lyricism, crafting a head-turning character that immediately had me hooked within the first 30 seconds of “Jupiter.” The second song on Deuce Deuce, “Hadou!!,” is the more high energy of the two, building on the otherwordly themes of “Jupiter” with a profoundly exciting bundle of energy to match. Day is sure to deliver the dense, vivid lyricism of the first song, but she also switches up her pace a few times throughout “Hadou!!,” keeping things entertaining while exploring the anthemic, sing-a-long nature of song in the …

If you’ve been following our pages for some time now, I’m sure you’ve heard the name Serena Isioma at least once or twice. Put simply, this budding talent has emerged as one of the most refreshing acts on my radar right now, and today, she’s here to prove it yet again with my personal favorite release of hers to date, “Do I Make You Nervous.” The first main aspect of this one that caught my attention was the instrumentation. From the backset presence of the organ to the polished guitar riffs, producer C. Medina crafts a galvanizing sonic environment, even crossing over into what seems like post-Neptunes territory with the gorgeous, otherworldly synths. Each layer adds to the vivid texture of the production, and Isioma’s vocals act as the cherry on top, unforgiving and energetic as can be in their energy. With this, speaking to the point of “unforgiving,” “Do I Make You Nervous” details Isioma’s declaration to do her own thing in a world where outside influences try to control her. Throughout the single, she consistently belts out the ever-important line, “imma do me,” not just telling the world that she’s going to follow her own path, but also …

Scrolling through my SoundCloud feed this morning, I was immediately taken back by the raw charisma and unforgiving deliveries of Ohio artist Loudy Luna. Fittingly, my introduction to the rising talent was with her new song, “Foolery” — a high-energy, menacing offering in which Luna maintains a tunnel-visioned approach, not letting anyone or anything intimidate her along her path. Produced by SHAWNYBOI, the menacing nature of this concept certainly shines throughout the song, as the production hammers home its point with mesmeric melodies that truly feel like the moments right before a thunderstorm, when the sky is at its darkest and the worst is yet to come. Needless to say, however, there’s something innately alluring about this kind of energy, as the sheer force of Luna’s deliveries give “Foolery” a fascinating sense of invincibility. Put simply, this self-assured release is a perfect look into the wild world of Loudy Luna, so be sure to pay attention. “Foolery” is undeniable. Produced by SHAWNYBOI

Chemistry is key when it comes to making music. As we’ve seen countless times in the past, the artists that take the time to build a rapport with a producer often see better musical results than those that simply use random beats sent to them over email, and furthermore, the former tend to build music that lasts much longer than the latter. On one hand, it comes down to trust and the art of seeing eye-to-eye, while on the other hand, this is truly just a force of nature, as two talented people are guaranteed to dig a little deeper the longer they spend time with both one another and the music, itself. Needless to say, one artist-producer team that has displayed this better than just about anyone is Jazz Ingram and Your Friend, Kami: two Lyrical Lemonade favorites who are here today with a brand new offering, “Blue Gatorade.” Speaking to the aforementioned point of the importance of chemistry, the refreshing, off-kilter production here is something that Jazz clearly knows how to navigate because of his experience in working with Kami. Put simply, the two understand one another’s visions better than anyone else, and as a result, songs like …

In music, momentum is everything. From iconic songs like “Hey Jude” to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” it’s the journey throughout the song that captivates listeners, and furthermore, it’s the presence of ever-growing excitement that keeps them engaged from the first second to the last. Here with his own demonstration of such, New York artist Quiet Luke just delivered a masterful new offering, “Something to Lose.” Backed by clashing guitars and velvety vocals, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact genre for this one, but that’s why it works. Quiet Luke denies any and all classifications, instead pouring a myriad of influences and sounds into what I’ve seen best described by The FADER as a “miniature rock epic.” As a result, “Something to Lose” generates its own sense of momentum, using the inertia of the song to constantly push toward the apex of energy at the end, in which all of this energy comes to a point that calls for nothing else but the repeat button. In addition, only adding to the magic here, the lively visuals maintain this bursting sense of energy, as Luke refuses to hold back, all the way from gym class to the moment in which he takes center stage, belting …

Per the title of her latest project, Sensitive Soul, the true root of Hope Tala’s music is that of emotive storytelling — a humanizing talent woven into the fabric of her sound, beaming with heart and that intangible sense of artistic integrity, soul. Put simply, her art is a mirror of life, and in keeping things so honest, Tala balances the line between universal themes and confessional lyrics, crafting a masterful combination of both. Today, we see this at its finest in Tala’s latest effort, a brand new, 6-track project. Cleverly tagged under the genre “RnBossa,” the project’s understated style and soothing sound at times certainly reflects that of a bossa nova piece, as Tala seems to move with an innate reserve in each step. She isn’t the type to scream out her message, but rather, she keeps things somewhat calm, instead focusing her attention on the emotion packed into each lyric. As a result, Sensitive Soul doesn’t chase for attention. Instead, it captures listeners naturally, letting the music and the stories do the talking throughout the duration of the project. That said, Sensitive Soul is yet another wonderful step forward for Hope Tala, so keep an eye out. The West London native is …

I still remember stumbling upon Safario’s “Robin Hood 300” last year, deeply excited by the pure bliss and animation in the young talent’s vocals. Sure, the song had promise and I certainly felt like Safario had something special, but never did I think that the budding talent would come so far in just a year’s time. Now performing at festivals and stage diving into crowds of screaming fans, the weird, wonderful world of Safario has taken on a life of its own, and by the looks of it, the growth doesn’t seem like it will be stopping anytime soon. Today, marking the only song that can truly do justice to this incredible rise, Safario is back on our pages with “Go Crazy, Go Stoopid.” As the videos will tell you, “Go Crazy, Go Stoopid” is the perfect song for live performances, as it seamlessly captures the animation behind Safario’s personality. From the feverish drums to the endlessly catchy nature of the melodies, the song is unorthodox, sure, but it’s also an intriguing listen, and one that flourishes in the intersection between rapid pace and undeniably odd — yet easily lovable — character. With this in mind, Safario is truly a …

Throughout the last year or so, Massachusetts artist YOUNGFACE has periodically graced our pages with new music, each time coming through with a style entirely different from his previous release. As a result, YOUNGFACE’s growing fanbase has become accustomed to hearing new sounds, so much so that the budding talent has entirely stepped past one of the central struggles that artists deal with today — that of being pigeonholed. In the age of virality, when an artist makes their break with a random single, few are actually able to turn this moment into sustainable careers, the main reason being that they’re often afraid to take a risk and lose the attention. YOUNGFACE, on the other hand, has operated the entirety of his career so far by taking risks, and considering the solid catalog of music that he’s built, these risks are certainly beginning to pay dividends. Today, YOUNGFACE is back and better than ever with his latest switch-up, “No Harmonies.” In past releases, we’ve certainly heard flashes of YOUNGFACE’s vocal talents, but never before have we heard such a fervent example of the emotional range in which he can execute these vocals. From pure intensity to smooth, melodic runs, “No …