Artist Spotlight
Premiere: James Harries Finds Magic in the Mess with “Love & Desire”
Some of the most honest art comes when you just throw up your hands and stop trying to make it perfect. That’s the pulse of “Love & Desire,” the latest album from James Harries, a singer-songwriter and film scorer who swapped control for presence and ended up hitting emotional pay dirt.
Harries, who took approximately five years to put out his sophomore album, originally began as a solo project after the dissolution of Spread Eagle. He decided that instead of a slick, nearly completed recording, he would toss all of his old ideas and start from scratch. This decision was inspired by a cute moment of childlike ingenuity when his young son found a new-old film camera and shot a roll full of less-than-perfect, over-exposed photos. Instead, he holed up in the studio with some friends and recorded almost entirely live in just three days. No click tracks. No edits. No filters. The result is an album that breathes.
On its nine tracks, “Love & Desire” glows with the warmth of human presence and the bravery to release it. Get push notifications with news, features, and more. Opening with the vulnerable honesty of “Sabotage,” Harries immediately invites listeners into a world in which to be weak is to be strong. On the title track, “Love & Desire,” he treads lightly but with surging intensity, weaving lines about longing, acceptance, and rebirth through stark arrangements that make his voice rich, worn, and human, prominently at center stage.
It’s not the sweat and stink of “Shivers Down My Spine,” which calls to mind a soulful early Van Morrison or the pulse of indie-folk grit heard on “I Want Out” that borrows from the emotional forthrightness of Big Thief. Then there’s “Paris,” a folk-pop bauble that floods hope like morning light post-storm.
Clocking in at a shade under 30 minutes, “Love & Desire” is like that conversation you never want to stop having, intimate, inviting, and raw in all the best ways. It’s about being in touch. James Harries is the voice that whispers to us that beauty lies in the cracks, and sometimes, making it is simply feeling it. But for those who adore deep songwriting, organic production, and the eternal meeting of love, loss, and rediscovery, “Love & Desire” is a record worth living with, listening to over and over again.
To be honest, this is one of the fantastic tracks that you will put on repeat because the album has all the relatable vibes that keep you going. Well done, JAMES!
Artist Spotlight
Amanda Fagan unveils lost love and regret on latest release “Forever Yearn”
Amanda Fagan‘s latest release, “Forever Yearn,” is a tragic love story of pride, lost opportunity, and the harrowing knowledge that some mistakes can never be undone. A young couple at heart, wild and almost in love, but whose pride prevents the relationship from flowering. Their story doesn’t end with seeing what went wrong. It hurts more because you don’t see it for years.
“It’s a song about breaking cycles, but the characters are caught in the consequences of their choices. They learn from their mistakes, but knowledge cannot change the past. What remains is the longing for each other, which gives the song its emotional weight and its title, “Forever Yearn.”
Inspired by Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, the song feels like a love story that never gets old. Fagan’s premise blends regret and longing, showing how pride can linger long after an alternative decision could have changed everything. So “Forever Yearn” is less about lost love than about two people wondering what might have been.
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Artist Spotlight
iLLLACAT brings sharp bars and catchy production with latest release “Like Dat”
iLLLACAT drops “Like Dat,” a Hip-Hop cut with punchy production, percussion, and synths that give the record movement. Bookie comes on the track and sets the tone immediately with the hard lines, “Get out of my face with the gas, we’re on the chase for the cash, if you’re moving fake I’ll pass, I’ll pack it, and I’ll put it in a bag.” The delivery is right there in the money, the movement, and staying away from anything fake.
The production leaves plenty of space to land those words. Percussion powers the track with synths adding another layer to the beat, a backdrop for the straight-up vocal approach. “Like Dat” maintains tight energy and, instead of overcomplicating its message, lets the verses do the work in terms of personality.
The line, “Steady making money while smoking a pain killer” provides another memorable moment and an insight into the attitude that runs throughout the record. iLLLACAT brings us “Like Dat”, a pure hip-hop joint with Bookie on the track. A catchy production that stays sharp, an assertive voice, memorable lines, and enough rhythmic punch to keep the record moving.
Connect with iLLLACAT on Spotify || Instagram || Facebook || Youtube
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