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Single Review: Hasten Mercy – You Don’t Leave Me

Hasten Mercy embraces a thought-provoking sound with the crystal clarity of “You Don’t Leave Me.” The languid pace of the sound anchors it within slowcore’s purview. Beyond that, elements of early 90s alternative rock, proto-shoegaze, and dream pop enter into the equation. Vocals rest front and center of the entire thing. Grooves here offer a fractured sensibility informed more by emotion than tempo. Keeping everything neatly-balanced, there is a spaciousness to it. All done with care, the best part of the song comes from the clever lyricism. Word choice is exceptional, and there is care with which the sound is approached.

A whispered quality cleverly introduces the song. The approach has a highly original quality to it. Basslines recall a bit of Seefeel’s mixture of dub, post-rock, and electronics. Drums too, have an off-kilter aspect giving the whole thing that wooziness that radiates oh so much love to it. Over the course of the song, a narrative of sorts emerges, one that has such passion behind it. Various melodies waft up into the air filling the sky with a sense of true hope. Within the rest of the sound, there is a spaciousness to it, one that seemingly references endless possibility, even a slightly romantic notion to all of it.

“You Don’t Leave Me” offers poetry of sorts, from the instruments to the vocalist, proving Hasten Mercy to be an exceptional crafter of its own sonic universe.

Link to the project:
https://open.spotify.com/album/1QWeo6PIIqEes2MbbD50Zh

Link to the music video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfySYkz0UOc

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Link to Website:
https://www.headfakemusic.com/

Artist Spotlight

Kayla Marque lights a fire with “Slow Burn”

Kayla Marque

Kayla Marque has returned with a new single, “Slow Burn,” a simmering, soul-passionate affair that holds you well past when the last notes die out. True to her endlessly evolving artistry, Marque serves up something future-facing and thoughtful, stitching together a grunge-adjacent bassline with ethereal melodies and haunting vocal dynamics.

Right from the outset, “Slow Burn” sucks you into its smoky milieu. The measured bassline sounds plucked from the ‘90s alt-rock golden age and dunked in modern, velvety skin. But Marque’s voice brings center stage, fluent, forceful, and emotionally detailed. She doesn’t only sing; she tells stories, whispers, and wails, and her approach lends the music an astonishing contrast between restraint and release.

As the song progresses, there’s something undeniably mesmerizing about how the instrumentation interacts with the vocals. The melodies shimmer like heat off the pavement, entrapping listeners in a hypnotic haze that feels at once intimate and cinematic. Marque displays not only her vocal range but also her emotional depth. Every note feels deliberate, and every word feels lived-in.

What’s so exciting about “Slow Burn” is how it feels like another chapter in a broader story. Kayla Marque has consistently refused to settle into a single groove, and this track demonstrates that she’s continuing to push limits and defy expectations. There’s a rawness here, an audacity that doesn’t plead for attention but commands it regardless. It’s a song that reveals more textures and emotions after every listen. “Slow Burn” is a vibe, a feeling, a statement. It’s another step in Kayla Marque’s evolution as an artist, and if this is what’s to come, we’re in for something special.

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Hip-Hop

Ronnie Bell plants his flag in love’s soil with southern soul anthem “I Ain’t Going Nowhere”

Ronnie Bell

Ronnie Bell releases a new single, “I Ain’t Going Nowhere,” featuring Poley Bear. The song bundles vulnerability and unshakeable loyalty into a sultry, unshowy package that blisters with authenticity and heart. Sung in his signature blend of R&B and Southern Soul, the Louisiana-bred crooner captures a love song for grown folks who advocate that commitment is not a promise but an attitude.

From the first note, Bell establishes a tone with a velvety tangle that feels like equal parts front-porch blues and radio magic late at night. The production is warm and organic, allowing Ronnie’s voice to do what it does best: convey emotion like a freight train. His delivery is confident but tender, serving up the devotion emanating from lived experience, not fantasy. A grown man is drawing the line, declaring.

The track waves with conviction like he’s deep in the weeds of a soul-to-soul discourse with his partner, imploring her to look skeptically through to the other side of the noise and believe in the depth of what they’ve constructed. “I Ain’t Going Nowhere” is less about a grand gesture than irritation at how the steady, everyday loyalty it describes rarely gets its spotlight in today’s fast-moving musical world.

What elevates this track beyond its message is how Bell fuses classic soul sensibility with a contemporary feel. It’s both timeless a wink to the trailblazers who ran ahead and yet new, as if it’s meant for the audience that wants its music to exist between its ears. Ronnie Bell always had a feel for storytelling, but this one hits differently. It’s a personal, mature, and fist-pumping love song for couples who have braved the storms and emerged unscathed. In a culture that still often glorifies the exit, Bell provides a welcome reminder that true love remains.

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