Artist Spotlight
Premiere: Cigar Club Presents Newest Track “COLD”
Cigar Club’s newest track “COLD,” is a raucous thrill ride about loving someone who shows adoration in frigid ways.
The track from the Toronto four-piece has a punk rock energy to it—featuring blistering guitar bends, bombastic drum fills, smooth bass, and vocals that echo The Stooges’ early work. The singer has clearly been hurt and you feel it during the first line—”Maybe it’s true that I’m already your dog” and you immediately feel for the guy trapped in this icy coffin of a relationship. Still, lust rules during this hard alt-rock epic.
The vocals harmonies on “I” and “no” during the chorus are also pretty damn glam rock. Think T.Rex meets a heavy counterpart like Black Sabbath and you’re close.
The drum and bass combo are ridiculously tight allowing the guitar to dive head-first into heavy, chaotic, dimensions of distortion. Also, keep your ears alert for the little two-second bass fill—a highlight of the track.
Then comes the outro guitar solo, which sounds like it was meticulously crafted to bounce off the dark tone of “COLD” perfectly. The solo sounds like it could live on the Era Vulgaris Queens of the Stone Age record and really sends the song home. Yes, “COLD” is a banger of a track and will hauntingly stay with you hours after your first listen.
Though Cigar Club sounds like they have been playing together for nigh on a decade, the young band got its start in 2016 from the mutual interest in guitar maestro John Mayer. The sound quickly shifted into a heavier alt-rock with a bit of blues and soul.
They recorded their debut self-titled EP and started getting traction in Toronto playing live shows in 2019. The EP caught the notice of Billy Talent’s guitarist, Ian D’sa, who invited Cigar Club to play a curated show at the Bovine Sex Club. Cigar Club also recently made it into the semi-finals out of 100+ bands during 97.7 HTZ FM’s 2020 ROCKSEARCH.
“COLD” is the last single, following the previous singles “…Aliens” and “Swimmin’ in Gold,” and “From a Southeast Asian Two Bedroom Condo.” Cigar Club will unleash their highly anticipated full-length, Day, Now, in August. The debut LP promises to be an onslaught of hard rock tunes with a psychedelic, experimental edge.
“It takes the listener through all ends of the music spectrum, from heavy hard rock to soft ambient soundscapes,” Cigar Club says. “We really aimed to display our dynamic ability in this record and I think we managed to pull it off.”
Artist Spotlight
personalheartbreaker and ENCASSATOR unpack manipulation, obsession and remorse on “Sorry Eyed”
“Sorry Eyed” is a dark shoegaze and alternative rock ballad by personalheartbreaker and ENCASSATOR that explores the space between obsession, emotional dependence, manipulation, and remorse. The new single slowly reveals how reliance is a form of oppression, not just weakness. The result is a psychologically complex song that pulls you into a relationship where trust and exploitation are not mutually exclusive.
The track takes an unsettling emotional turn through its manipulator’s perspective in “Sorry Eyed.” At first, the narrator seems dependent on another person, as if they need comfort, connection, or support. But as the story progresses, that openness starts to resemble exploitation. The song’s heart is the power imbalance, where regret always clashes with self-interest.
This struggle gives the song its emotional weight, because the narrator knows the damage he’s causing but is still addicted to the perks of manipulation. The accompanying music video arrives September 30th and carries that story further with the angel’s trust, devotion, and sacrifice. What begins with faith in a fellow man ends in destruction and offers visual counterpoint to the song’s themes.
“Sorry Eyed” is a collaboration with ENCASSATOR, who produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered the song and played a major role in its development. That full creative engagement helps shape the single into one cohesive piece, where the track’s dark alternative rock, shoegaze identity doesn’t detract from the story but supports it. “Sorry Eyed” is a strong pick for fans who love exploring manipulation and complicated relationships.
Artist Spotlight
“Hell has frozen over” finds Sarina choosing peace over being understood
Sarina’s new track, “Hell has frozen over,” explores the less dramatic, more complicated moment of reaching the end of the road, being gaslit, ignored, rejected, and painfully lonely. It translates the emotional burnout into a rock-pop context that’s easy to understand.
“Hell has frozen over” focuses on the decision to step away, instead of explaining, defending, or seeking understanding from people who refuse to listen. The rock foundation gives it the right weight, the pop influence makes it accessible, and the focus stays on the emotional message.
Sarina’s art is the struggle of loss and being strong in yourself. It’s about understanding that protecting your peace is more important than being understood. And that’s the emotional balance that gives the release its character so that the subject matter has relevance beyond a particular circumstance.
“Hell has frozen over“ is a relief from the burden of carrying on a debate that will never be resolved. Sarina turns an experience of isolation into a statement about boundaries, resilience, and the choice not to get caught in the same cycle. The result is a record that’s at its best when it’s being true to what it feels like to finally be free from whatever has been holding you down.
Photo Credit: Andrea Hunter
-
Artist Spotlight3 days agoC’batch turns an old guitar performance into a new story with “Our Little Pooh Pea (The Last Light) 4 – Cinematic”
-
Artist Spotlight4 days agoSara Diana follows a wild spirit into the moonlight on latest release “Her Hair’s Like Fire”
-
Artist Spotlight6 days ago“NO MORE” by Amanda Holley connects healing, awakening, and survival
-
Artist Spotlight6 days ago“Subterranean Homesick Blues” finds a new direction through Ghost of Panama
-
Artist Spotlight6 days agoLisa Jo draws a line under the past with latest release “Done Druggin’ Away the Pain”
-
Artist Spotlight4 days agoTabi Harlowe captures the ache behind attraction with latest release “So Pretty (It Hurts)”
-
Artist Spotlight4 days agoDusty Edinger crackle tension into rock electricity with latest release “We Outshine”
-
Artist Spotlight4 days agoTemidayo Balogun bridges tradition and modern expression on latest release “Ori I “Concept of Democracy”

