Artist Spotlight
Gabriella Zauna confronts the mirror in haunting new single “PINUP”
Singer-songwriter Gabriella Zauna plunges into raw exposure in her charming new single, “PINUP.” Written and produced entirely by Zauna alone, the track is a revelation in dark pop, ethereal, edgy, and plain-spoken, all arranged with a soundscape that simultaneously sounds like both the future and the face of one singular and intimate tragedy.
Right from its opening note, “PINUP” sets an unmistakably haunting mood, but somehow comfortingly eerie, like wandering alone in a dream you’re trying to decipher. Its production is a shadow of itself, with dim synths, an undercurrent of contained chaos that mirrors the emotional turmoil woven through Zauna’s lyrics. Her voice doesn’t so much sing as confess. It beckons. It unravels. At its heart, “PINUP” is an act of self-deprecation but of self-confrontation. Gabriella Zauna questions our unaddressed insecurities, particularly the pressures placed on women to adhere to impossible timelines and standards. The result is a song that looks you in the eye and challenges you to respond in kind.
In this powerful TED at SXSW talk, Zauna elegantly undercuts the status quo with cinematic suspense and poetic grit. The answer isn’t to chase the world’s definition of success or beauty, but to define it yourself. But as if the song were not enough, “PINUP” is a siren call to any fan or listener who has ever felt trapped by a shadow of their own making. It’s for the overthinkers, the late bloomers, the ones who need to be reminded that there’s never a clock on your worth. Gabriella Zauna shows she is a truth-teller with a vision and sound all her own.
Connect with Gabriella Zauna: Instagram
Artist Spotlight
MIVA unveils a soft texture with an unexpected grit on latest release “Do You”
“Do You,” an alternative R&B track, evokes a compelling sense of motion, MIVA, one that finds itself comfortably between familiar textures and surprising production choices. The Montreal-based artist, producer, songwriter, and visual artist considers music part of a larger world where sound, fashion, and cinematic storytelling converge.
The production doesn’t want to stay still, not least through the saxophone, which gradually mutates into something like an electric guitar. It’s an odd detail that gives the arrangement an evolving character without detracting from its alternative R&B foundation. Vocal fry adds an unexpected metal influence to the track, adding some grit and tension below the softer textures.
MIVA allows different influences to coexist in the same space rather than being defined by a single, obvious musical direction. The result is a very identity-driven track, with a hypnotic rhythm, expressive vocals, and production choices that keep the listener on their toes throughout. “Do You” is a showcase of MIVA as an artist who is unafraid to explore the space between softness and intensity, offering an alternative R&B experience with its own character.
Artist Spotlight
With “A New Frame of Mind” EP, We Told You So finds strength in loss, friendship, and change
Growth comes with loss, hard realizations, changing relationships, and the uncomfortable process of learning how to keep going when life refuses to slow down. That tension is central to “A New Frame of Mind” by We Told You So, an EP that draws from personal experience and turns it into a larger story of resilience, friendship, grief, independence, and the courage to start over.
Opening the EP is the track “Anchor in the Storm,” a particularly important, very personal tribute, written during a period of loss. This song is about how important the people in our lives are for keeping us anchored when our world feels shaky. Followed by “Echoes of Resilience,” which takes that sense of connection and extends it from the struggles of one individual to the struggles of others. The perspective is the frustration of seeing pain from afar but choosing to cling to hope.
Meanwhile, “Last for Long” ups the energy, celebrating friendships that endure tough seasons and stay when circumstances change. “Running Out of Time” is a reminder of the band’s DIY, small-town indie roots and the realization that you have to chase your dreams before the chance is gone. Next up is “Season of Change,” which is more introspective, exploring family, aging, and the inevitability of change as we grow older.
The EP’s French-language track, “Pas Besoin de Toé,” further links the record to We Told You So’s roots in Trois-Rivières, Québec, and also speaks to independence and the decision to cut toxic influences out of your life. From there, “Time to Rise” embodies the project’s essence, from individual struggle to collective action and self-belief.
Closing the EP is “My Last Verse,” which works through its pain to clarity. At the end, We Told You So is making a record about choosing what happens next. It’s gritty when it needs to be, introspective when it wants to be, and optimistic without being naive. The EP is based on the idea that moving on is an act of strength in itself.
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