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!
Album Review
Brynja Rán finds clarity in complicated relationships on “Unblurred” [album]
It can be hard to see when a relationship no longer meets your emotional needs, especially when affection, uncertainty, and repeated disappointment are hard to untangle. “Unblurred,” an album built on the bedrock of emotional unavailability, recurring conflict, and the slow dawning that a relationship might need to end, is where Brynja Rán unpacks that difficult process.
The ten songs follow the arc of attachment and frustration, weaving together the story of someone trying to figure out what they deserve. The focus track, “Unblurred Lines,” hits on the album’s central concept. This is when the veils begin to fall, and the person is more ready to see the partner’s behavior for what it is. The song is musically rich, with an acoustic and electric guitar soundscape, synthesizers, bass guitar, drums, and additional instrumentation.
The surrounding songs view the same emotional landscape from different angles. “Cowboy Wannabe” explores a partner masking insecurity with a detached personality, and “Deja Vu” captures the frustration of arguments that go round and round without changing anything. “Adore” is about ignoring red flags when you’re that into something, and “Cherry” is about the temporary comfort of being in a relationship that just isn’t right.
The album opens up by looking at borders and the need for real connection. “Make Me Feel” is about wanting to be loved, and “Until” is about how long you should stay in the twilight zone. “Still Stuck Waiting” captures the frustration of waiting for communication and commitment. “Don’t You Leave” begins with fear of abandonment and moves toward healing, while “What Else” ends the record with emotional exhaustion and a desire to move on.
Rather than treating every experience as a one-off event, the tracklist of “Unblurred” attempts to create a single image of relationship troubles. With this release, Brynja Rán explores unhealthy patterns, boundaries, and getting the clarity to choose a different path.
Album Review
Legends of the Seven Golden Vampires explore healing and personal growth on “The Pumphouse of Broken Dreams” [album]
Albums often have a strong sense of identity, with songs linking to a broader emotional and musical direction. The nine-song album “The Pumphouse of Broken Dreams” by Legends of the Seven Golden Vampires, featuring Dutch vocalist Ilse Van Der Linden front and center, is more cohesive.
The band’s melodic psychedelic pop offers a welcome counterpoint to a project that explores recovery, longing, uncertainty, and personal growth. The tracklist is an emotional journey. “To Think, To Heal” starts with the idea of mental healing and moving on from the past. “Flying” is more of an escapist wish to escape the pressures of day-to-day life. “Come Home” is about finding comfort and belonging.
“Here I Am” is about self-awareness and openness. Together, these early songs form an album about finding stability and processing difficult experiences. The middle ground is more emotionally layered. “Hopelessly Devoted To You” is about being attached all the time, and “Lost & Burned” is about being worn out and the results of hard experiences. Then there is “In My Dreams,” which turns into memory and unfulfilled wishes. Later, “AIR” brings the need for freedom, air, space, and a new start.
It ends with “BLEND,” a combination of psychedelic, shoegaze, and electronic influences. The release also includes another visual element from Gareth Halliday, who also worked on Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Who Built The Moon. “The Pumphouse of Broken Dreams” has softer vocals and a range of emotions. This album is deliberately constructed, moving from reflection to acceptance without losing the variety of experiences it tackles.
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