“Sometimes the painful truth is plain as day and yet we choose to ignore it. Vilhelm Buchaus is all about this dynamic on his new single, ‘My Mistake.’
The track has a 90’s Indie Rock vibe as it showcases a relationship that is doomed from the start even though he is diving in head first with the realization it won’t end well.”
“Richard Tyler Epperson taps into his personal history with the track, ‘All My LIfe.’
The talented songwriter has taken a song that his father first recorded as a, acoustic demo and put his own spin on it to create a link and legacy with his father. Motivated by the recent passing of his father, Epperson utilizes the emotion and meaning to give us a song that is personally meaningful to him that also has the ability to resonate with others in an impactful way.”
“This track offered up a mixed bag of reactions for me. I do like the writing and the low-key beat hits to pair with a nice groove giving a solid emotional balance to the lyrics.
On the other hand, the vocal delivery came off very flat and emotionless for the most part. The hook is delivered with more emotive energy though it does feel overly repetitive and the verses just didn’t have enough passion behind them for this one to catch fire for me personally.
How did TaReef KnockOut’s track ‘My Way Out’ land for you?”
“This one missed me in a lot of ways. The timing is solid, and I do hear passion in the delivery. That said overall the beat and backing felt melodramatic and the flow had a stilted tone prior to that shift at 1:20. The second flow felt far more authentic for my ears as that delivery hit for me leaving the track with a Jekyll and Hyde contradiction of the two delivery styles.”
“The vocal talent of Drew Schueler makes this track. Schueler’s vocal shifts and performative build forces the listener to go along for the ride. Lyrically this one didn’t hit me with that Aha type moment, but I still felt every word thanks to Schueler’s talent and passion. This is pure Pop Commercialism at its musical best, and Schueler has the tone and talent to go far in the musical landscape.”
“This is a track that technically has little to critic, but that said there is also not a lot to get excited about. The talent is obvious both in the performance and production but for me this track had more of a ‘all in a day’s work’ feel than it it did a passionate creation. The end result had a paint by numbers feel for me.
Here at LA on Lock we are trying to feature more songs with our opinions to showcase what our inbox looks like and this is one of those middle of the road track with talent, but lacking the spark to truly inspire us with something we haven’t heard before.”
“Kenny Sharp cuts us up with the gleaming blade that is ‘Smooth.’ This Retro Funk/ Soul number has a bit of Bruno, but also some Hip-Hop-esque verve that reminded me of Yung Grvy.
This is a one of those tracks that lodges in your gut and reverborates out to your bones with the groove. I dare you to listen to this and not be persuaded to move to the Funk.”
“The intro felt more like something out of a 1950s spy movie than it did a hype track for a Hip-Hop song.
The flow has talent and a nice energy, though that beat and backing struck me as an odd choice to pair up with. The writing here did not give me a lot new. so the hook ground me out with its repetition and while I like the passion of these performances, this one never had the lyrical punch to truly get me going.
Let us know if the track hit differently for you.”
“Kidd Dryden wrote this track while enduring a rough patch of life, and yet he chose to remain optimistic and focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. The flow is delivered in a low-key straightforward way, but you can feel the earnest hope and vulnerability in the words.
This is a track to listen to alone when you too are struggling and need a reminder that few things are permanent and how we get back up is what usually defines us.”
“Lisa Heller is anything but a ‘Loser!!’ Though she sings that refrain with ease and kill. Delivery a Pop Punk brand of high-energy, Heller straddles the line of Pop Princess and Punk Girl Bad-Ass quite ably.
It’s hard to imagine her losing anything she wants to keep but this tracks has punch and you can’t help but believe in the performance and the artist.”
“Caroline Romano always delivers with a strong emotive performance and this latest single, ‘Pretty Boys,’ delivers on those expectations.
’Pretty Boys is my honest recount of heartbreak,’ Caroline shares. ‘It’s like reading straight from my diary—a dramatic story with a terribly disappointing ending. The song is a cautionary tale about the blurry line between friendship and something more. Just because you’ve kissed him doesn’t mean you should do it again, and just because he looks at you that way doesn’t mean you’re the only one.’
Romano knows how to tap into her own experiences and emotions to give listeners a full spectrum of artistry. ”
“Jet Vesper sets the mood and vibe with ‘Golden Day.’ The smooth easy beat and groove is infectious and the vocal build is light and airy giving this track a uplifting tone that simply makes the world feel like a better place.
Jet Vesper brings the joy from down under as this Aussie artist unleashes a bit of the carefree attitude that we all need in this day and time of anger, hate, and stress.”
“Written with Mental Health Day in mind, Ananya unleashes this Electro pop ode to taking care of yourself and cutting out the things that drag you down. The Zimbabwean pop star delivers the sharp writing with a steady, almost defiant brand of confidence despite the honest vulnerability of the writing and that combination brings this track to life.”
“Lil Savage wrote this song a week after losing the love of his life to suicide. The emotion and heavy impact of that tragic events can be felt in the heavy brooding build and emotion of the track.
I do wish the vocal side had a touch more vibrancy within the mix but then again, the heavy sadness does come through so perhaps the track is meant to feel subdued. A track with grit, vulnerability, and genuine emotion.”
“Tungevaag is no stranger to success with more than ten million streams. “Without You’ is the kind of Big Room EDM you’ve come to expect from Tungevaag who is fast becoming one of Norway’s biggest imports.
The build here is smooth and the production clean and despite the sort of calm tranquility you still can feel the compulsion to move to this beat and build. ”
“Mt. Misery delivers a sound that harkens to a simpler time on their latest single ‘Sunday Song.’
Nostalgic is how I’d best describe this track that feels like a cross between an Indep Pop track and a theme song from a 80’s sitcom. It’s the kind of track that simply puts a smile on your lips and you can’t help but sing along to as soon as you know the words.”
“Minasta Scruge brings an old-school type flow with his track ‘Integrity.’ Clever wordplay marks the lyrical flow and the rhymes play off each other with a simple brilliance that keeps you leaning in eager for the next line. Snoop Dogg joins in to deliver his only brand of cool smooth relaxation. ”
“A big soaring Alt Pop track with singer/songwriter vibes, ‘Her’ offers a smooth and emotional build that speaks to the insecurities and fears many of us possess. WIth that said, this track avoids a wallowing kind of despair, delving instead onto an honest vulnerability that makes the lyrics feel real and of course the talented performance hooks the listener in from the very beginning.”
“SJae is a talented musician that you have probably heard on some of your favorite TV shows without realizing. Now with ‘Paper Hearts’ SJae offers a tender healing song about the divisiveness of society and how fragile we all are. Humanity has been suffering and this track does its part to help heal the wounds. ”
“If you don’t know Estella Dawn by now then you clearly haven’t been reading my blogs and reviews. Dawn is a talented Pop artists from the San Diego area and I have featured a number of her tracks. ‘Julian is but the latest from this talented artist that continues to create and perform talented songs that entertain while delivering emotional depth and intelligence.
Dawn is one of my favorite Southern California artists and really has proven her place in the So Cal musical landscape. Now the rest of the world needs to catch up.”