Michael Isaak - Okay With This [Review]

Rating: 3 out of 5

Michael Isaak lays himself bare with an honesty that would make most uncomfortable. With lyrics that feel like Michael is trying to convince himself as well as his lover that they’ll be ok, I don’t know who needs to believe it more. With blue tape acting like a totem from inception, Michael is fixated on that safe space this brother made for him all those years ago.
— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

Kevian Kraemer - Restart [Review]

Rating: 3 out of 5

Restart is a slice of innocence that only comes from that pain of your first love. Kevian’s lyrics and delivery are so conversational you almost feel a part of their love story. Kevian is truly a storyteller and paints a truly vivid picture of what it feels like when you ground beneath you crumbles when you thought it was solid ground.
— Andrew Amoah (LA on lock blogger)

JamesBetaMax - Mystical [Review]

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Skipping experimental production, a catchy chopped & screwed hook and laid back rap... Jamesbetamax is cooking. The raps let this one down a little but this artist is onto something fresh. Far from perfect there is enough to hear (more importantly, feel) in this record to know when he really dials into the sound he wants to create he’s gonna take the world by storm. Watch this space.
— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

CrashMonkeys - LA Trash [Review]

Rating: 3 out of 5

This record is catchy and tongue in cheek in the way LCD Soundsystem was. The production might not be as infectious but this chorus is made to screamed at a packed show. The CrashMonkey tap into the kind of nostalgia that feels forever cool. The vocals are a little off but I think thats part of the charm and is kinda like LA in a way, its a little off but something about it just keeps you coming back.
— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

Kacia - Plastic Straws [Review]

Rating: 3 out of 5

Kacia is a young artist who is finding himself, and he does it with a transparency most established artists haven’t figured out. Stepping into adulthood is never easy, and for a long time you still have teenage emotions just with adult responsibility. Kacia’s lyrics are so innocent, from painting the vivid picture waiting on his letter to Hogwarts to wondering which friends will be around as soon as the school bell rings for one last time. Plastic Straws is a beautiful fist step into adulthood.
— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

Coma Girls - Back To The Source [Music Video Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

Self-reflection doesn’t always need to be drenched in sour minor chords and brooding grooves. Coma Girls prove that because Back To The Source just makes me want to move. Its ear-worm like melodies and true indie anthem guitars make you want to shake your demons off at a Coma Girls show screaming every lyric back at them. Subtle yet poetic with honest like “You were good at sex / But you’re bad at goodbyes” makes this a a true pop masterpiece without even trying.
— Andrew Amoah (LA on Lock Blogger)

Hojean - Cruel [Review]

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

With an intro that feels dipped into peroxide and coloured with yellow (see what I did there... blonde) and vocals that pierce through the core of your soul, Cruel is stunning. The lyrics are conversational, the emotions are raw and so visceral it takes you right back to the person did you wrong the hardest in love. The record is stripped with no frills just honesty and pain.
— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

Haley - Walk Among The Dead [Review]

Rating: 3 out of 5

To quote The Verve, this is a bitter sweet symphony. Never loud but impossible to be heard, Haley pours her heart out in this tale of betrayal and heartbreak. Writing and rewriting this song over a 4 year period, Haley really landed right on the heart strings in such a honest and raw way. *Standing ovation*
— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

Helenor - Bad2 [Review]

Rating: 4 out of 5

There is a razor thin line between feeling like you’re flying or you’re falling and Helenor walks that tightrope like most seasoned Cirque Du Soleil performer. Every line is bittersweet and contradictory, my favourite being “It’s a perfect day, to spiral down the drain”. The production is breezy and the vocal so nonchalant it feels like Helenor is just pouring his heart out to you over whiskey... no ice.
— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)

Weston Estate - Slowly [Review]

Rating: 3 out of 5

I could literally shoot bittersweet love songs into my veins... I’m not sure what that says about me BUT what I do know is ‘Slowly’ is a beautiful brooding ballad. “We don’t got love like we used to but I still holding you close” is such a raw and honest lyric. Sometimes we know its not same but something familiar feels better than nothing...right?
— Andrew Amoah (LA on Lock Blogger)

KennyHoopla - keep a window open//

Rating: 4 out of 5

This record feels like pure kinetic energy. I challenge you to listen to this song and not move your body. There is a tender bittersweet pining for a moment lost which is all too real. You know what they say about closed doors, and open windows...
— Andrew Amoah (LA on lock blogger)

Tim Schou - Ashes [Review]

Rating: 3 out of 5

Ashes is a glorious masterclass in restraint. Tim could have gone all out with vocal acrobatics but thats not what song is about. Ashes is a tender lullaby of reflection and self-honesty. We love the high and are terrified of the come down and Tim paints that fall with strokes of melancholy and quiet resolution.
— Andrew Amoah (LA on Lock Blogger)

Skyler Day - The Best Worst Thing [Review]

Rating: 3 out of 5

Break ups hurt theres no way around it. They suck, like really SUCK...BUT... If you’re really lucky you get that magical gift of hindsight. You see that that break up was ‘the best worst thing’ for you. Sklyer floats atop airy guitar driven production raining down on us with poetic honesty. Some lessons in love are only ever learned that hard way, but a song like this makes you know you’re gonna be ok.
— Andrew Amoah (LA On Lock Blogger)