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Emily Curtis Reminisces On Childhood “Sandcastles” With Music Video Steeped in History

Emily Curtis is bringing fans a new music video for her recently released single, “Sandcastles.” “Sandcastles” lyrically explores a poetic contrast between childhood and adulthood. Emily Curtis found inspiration in her own childhood, the joy of creating and building sandcastles, simply because it was fun.

Reflecting on those moments of joy, and remembering what it was like to look at the houses lining the beach, Curtis always found herself saying “those are adult sandcastles” and wondering “if the people who own them ever actually enjoy them? Are they happy?” “Sandcastles” witnesses Curtis and her fellow artists lose themselves and their pure motivation in the race to the top. The single witnesses that loss of the real joy of building and creating and tries to remind the listener that oftentimes, this joy is found in the process, “in becoming, in learning and trying and starting over, in working with good people, in watching other people succeed, or taking a break for a little while to enjoy what someone else made.” Shot at the historic 20 South Battery Mansion, the music video beautifully captures that idea with a real-life “Sandcastle” house.

Built-in 1843, the mansion was originally built as a private residence – reflecting the prosperity that was prevalent in South Carolina during that era. The home served as the first preservation society of Charleston – who lead the country in preservation, theatre, art, and music in the renaissance period of the 1920s – and the birthplace of many new societies created by the suffragists, artists, writer-poets, and other creatives that frequently spent time there. Since then, the mansion has seen everything from war to dignitaries gracing the halls, a reminder to Curtis that she never wants to wonder why she ever bothered building and striving for her next achievement, when everything inevitably fades away. Written to remind herself, and us, to remember the “why” behind our building, creating, and striving, “Sandcastles” is an emotional tribute to childlike wonder and joy.

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Emily Curtis is a soulful singer-songwriter with a southern flare. The artist began making waves with her guitar and smooth vocals in the Charleston, SC music scene in 2015 and has since released her own music including a crowd-funded EP and a steady stream of singles. No stranger to the stage, Curtis has performed everywhere from local bars to amphitheaters, to radio, to showcases in the Costa Rican jungle, with show credits including national acts such as Parmalee, Sister Hazel, and hometown favorites Hootie & The Blowfish. Collaboration has been the backbone of her career. Her most recent producers, songwriters, and personal mentors include Micah Nichols, Sam “Heights” Garay, Adam McInnis, and Mario Marchetti as she continues to expand her trusted “music family”. At the end of the day, Emily Curtis hopes to lead people to a place of wholeness and belonging feeling empowered to “Leave a Mark” using the unique gifts and strengths that each person possesses

Connect with Emily Curtis:
Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok

Natalie is a journalism major with a focus on Entertainment and Music who aspires to become a Content Creator For Honk Magazine. Eventually, she wants to be the Publisher or Editor-in-Chief of a major Publishing House. She loves helping people find their voice and passion for writing and journalism, and she can always be found with coffee in hand, editing another article.

Artist Spotlight

French Inhaler explores desire and disconnection through “TV LOVE”

French Inhaler

Chicago trio French Inhaler make a bold start with “TV LOVE,” the first single from their upcoming album “Practiced Lines.” It’s a song that finds a band able to make contemporary fears danceable but also think deeply about them with post-punk urgency and synth-pop atmosphere.

The song is about the gap between people’s desires and reality, and about the contradictions of living in an age of hyper-connectivity but emotional disconnection.  “TV LOVE” opens with a cold sound built on mechanical drum grooves, melodic basslines, and synth textures. The production is deliberately tight and precise, mirroring themes threaded throughout the song.

Everything combines to create a tension that draws you into a world where connection is increasingly mediated by screens, expectations, and distorted perceptions. In terms of vocals, the performance is perfectly suited to the aesthetic of the track, somewhere between detachment and openness. “TV LOVE” is a primer for “Practiced Lines” and demonstrates that French Inhaler is a band with a defined artistic identity and a strong sense of purpose. It’s an immersive, stylish, and thought-provoking record that lingers, cementing the Chicago trio as a promising new voice in the modern post-punk and synth-pop scene.

Connect with French Inhaler on | Spotify | IG |

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Artist Spotlight

Neo Brightwell finds beauty in the brutal art of letting go with “Break Me Like a Promise”

On the lead single, “Break Me Like a Promise” off his upcoming album “Burn Bright, Stay Free” to be released November 13, 2026, Neo Brightwell asks for love to last and to leave with dignity.

Neo Brightwell

Neo Brightwell’s “Break Me Like a Promise” is the first single from his upcoming album *Burn Bright, Stay Free,” to be released by November 13, 2026. This song is not just about the end of love, but about how it ends, and if there’s honesty to be found in the wreckage.

The track is in an unusual emotional register, as slow, aching space between breathing devotion and an already-decided departure. Brightwell doesn’t sound like a man desperate to be kept, but a man asking softly, devastatingly for the truth, not a clean exit. The song plays with the push and pull of pop accessibility and Americana soul. The slower tempo allows the arrangement to breathe, and the warm, weathered tones sound lived-in.

Brightwell’s singing is measured, more expressive, and the whole thing is holding its breath for an honesty that might never come. It’s the moral clarity that makes “Break Me Like a Promise” stand out from the sea of breakup anthems. It asks for no love in return, and it’s a call for integrity. This is a final act of respect between two loving people, and that’s a harder thing to want. As the opening statement of “Bright, Stay Free,” this release is one of the most emotionally accurate singles of the year so far.

Connect with Neo Brightwell on | FB | X | Spotify | IG | TikTok |

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