Artist Spotlight
Honk Magazine’s Top 10 Songs You Need to Hear Right Now
Here at Honk Magazine, we’re in the business of finding sounds that moves the heart, rattles the soul and stretches boundaries. This week, we’ve compiled 10 new singles that caught our ears, everything from folk rock to reggae, jazz and indie soul, as well as a tinge of experimental soundscapes. It’s a reminder that, no matter the genre or era, music is about connection.
Here are the Top 10 Songs You Need to Hear Right Now
Moana – “Closure”
Some tunes come on like gentle caresses, and Moana’s “Closure” is that song, a sad boi ballad spun in sticky-sweet vocals sweet to the touch. The song captures that complex region between deep love and emotional remove.
Moana speaks her lines with a sincerity that seems to have come directly from the confessional, like we are eavesdropping on her private thoughts. The melody is delicate and beautiful, but it also has an undertow that creates a yearning in the listener. What’s especially notable about this song is how it doesn’t hurry. It breathes, it lets every word and note breathe, reflecting the weight of incomplete conversations and lingering emotions.
Moana has created a timeless feeling track for sure, they’ve made something beautiful and emotive. “Closure” is less about endings than the grace it takes to let go.
Drift City – “The Seeds”
Folk rock has always held a conditioned, earthbound energy, and Drift City captures that spirit with “The Seeds.” There’s an organic warmth that draws you in from the very first chord, acoustic textures mixing seamlessly with stirring vocals.
The song, at its heart, is about growing and surviving. Drift City employs agricultural imagery as metaphor, but becomes a rallying cry for resilience. The track is a reminder that the seeds we plant today, in relationships, future dreams or personal struggles, are what determine the world we face tomorrow.
Musically, “The Seeds” is expansive without becoming overwhelming. Harmonies rise and fall like rolling hills, the rhythm section keeping the song tied to easygoing forward momentum. It’s cinematic in its simplicity, honoring the sort of landscapes that folk rock has always exalted: open skies, wide highways and the promise of a new start.
Drift City also injects a welcome dose of honesty into the track. And although it’s held in place by production gimmickry, authenticity is where this album thrives. That’s where “The Seeds” hits hardest: in feeling alive, human and unshakably hopeful. This single is the kind of song that sticks within your heart.
Aaron Koenig – “Bitcoin Bull Run”
Aaron Koenig’s “Bitcoin Bull Run” makes it happen with a bit of charm. Rather than playing into hype culture or financial gibberish, the track is fixated on the wider view: Freedom, independence and the playful thrill of potential.
The groove is slack-key and sun-soaked, with skanking guitar riffs and a bassline that rolls like waves. Throughout, Koenig’s drawl drips that easy feeling classic to reggae itself; a testament that the best messages are always the ones we can dance to. Yet the lyrics urge caution against dreaming of overnight riches, casting Bitcoin as a symbol of freedom, an alternative way to imagine value and connection. What’s refreshing is the balance. Sure, it’s topical and a little tongue-in-cheek as well but it never descends into parody. Instead, Koenig leans into reggae’s inherent uplift to make what could be a heavy topic feel like an affirming celebration.
Whether you’re a full-fledged cryptopositive believer or just someone who gets behind feel-good reggae, “Bitcoin Bull Run” will have you nodding your head. It’s sinewy evidence that music can imbue even the most improbable subjects with groove.
Greg Weeks – “If The Sun Dies”
Every now and then a comeback is less about the product itself and more like the continuation of a conversation we’d been eagerly waiting for, and Greg Weeks’ “If the Sun Dies” is one of those. Nearly two decades since we’ve heard from him, Weeks returns with a track that’s meditative, lyrical and profoundly moving.
A song both intimate and cosmic, at once about mortality, resilience and the hushed beauty of living. There is a rawness to Weeks’ vocals that instantly disarm as you are drawn into a world of sound that echo’s another era. The production is minimalist but purposeful, with every lyric given plenty of room to breathe without being muddied by gaudy ornamentation.
There’s a kind of gravity in the song’s message, one that recognizes life’s fragility at the same time as celebrating its fleeting brilliance. Weeks sings with an old-soul wisdom; his words feel as if they’ve been carved out of lived experience.
Evan Olson – “Cages”
Evan Olson’s “Cages” is one of those songs that slowly creeps up on you, it starts modestly, then opens out into something deeply emotional. Soulful vocals and introspective lyrics see Olson plumbing the metaphorical depths of cages as obstacles, but also self-imposed jails.
The tune is melodic and polished without coming off insincere musically. The guitar lines shimmer, the rhythm is solid and Olson’s voice bears the weight of someone who has lived through the struggle he sings about. His performance is a master class in vulnerability and power, making the song play like an echo.
The lyrics explore the intertwined themes of freedom, fear and how many times we get in our own way. But rather than plodding, the song glows with hope. Olson shows us that cages can be crushed, liberation is possible if we have the courage to look ourselves in the eye. Olson’s knack for marrying smart writing with emotive delivery is on display throughout this song. It’s the best storytelling with a soul.
Sharon Marie Cline – “Summertime”
Sharon Marie Cline releases a new single “Summertime” that gives the classic jazz standard a cool, modern and personality-filled update. From its first drops, there’s a golden warmth to it, the kind of sunlight that kisses your skin.
Cline sings with a silky glide, precise unconstrained and filled with technical mastery and emotion. She interprets the melody in a way that feels classic but breathlessly her own. The phrasing is thoughtful, the tone even and every note feels placed with purpose.
What distinguishes this iteration is the mood it evokes. Instead of relying too heavily on nostalgia, though, Cline has given “Summertime” a contemporary sheen that keeps it feeling alive and relevant in today’s jazz landscape. The instrumentation flatters her every time, accruing lushness without ever feeling overpowering.
It’s the kind of track that makes you want to slow down, loosen up, and let yourself be carried away. Cline shows that jazz is also an aesthetic, essentially a form of storytelling.
Her ‘Summertime’ is both tribute and declaration: timeless music made new by a timeless voice.
George Alexander – “Wet”
George Alexander’s “Wet” is less of a song than a vibe, a streamy, wave-like groove meant to lift you up. From the thumping beat to its gentle melody, it’s a song that positively shines with good vibes and laid back attractiveness.
Alexander’s delivery suits the mood relaxed and assured, allowing the music to hang in the air instead of smothering it with intricacy. It’s precisely that restraint that makes “Wet” so effective it’s not trying too hard, it’s just letting flow happen.
The song sounds like the spirit of summer freedom, when nothing matters besides cruising to your destination. Easily repeatable, infectious in its optimism, “Wet” sounds like one of the songs that should be on every feel-good playlist. At times, Alexander shows you don’t always have to make the most mired-in-your-feelings music to connect with listeners.
Xammoth – “Bullshit”
Few songs have the unfiltered honesty of Xammoth’s “Bullshit.” Penned from a bad place in his life, the track doesn’t mince words. It’s dirty, sarcastic and unapologetically real, the type of song that feels like both a confession and an escape.
The guitar line is brooding, steady, and slow, with lyrics to match. Xammoth’s rapping is cutting yet vulnerable, equally angry and self-aware. There’s a sort of catharsis in every word, as if he’s burning off his old self through music.
There’s the hook, of course, catchy enough to stay in your head but raw enough not to seem cliché. It’s a song that doesn’t attempt to sugarcoat life’s darker aspects. Instead, it leans into the mess, the sarcasm, and the heartache, ultimately finding truth in chaos.
“Bullshit” sounds authentic because it feels human. It recognizes the frustration without losing touch with the idea that music has the power to alchemize even our heaviest emotions into something substantial. This is Xammoth at his least filtered, and it works.
M.Y78 – “Has To Be You Freestyle”
Freestyles have way of uncovering the rawest version of artist, and M.Y78’s “Has To Be You Freestyle” is no different. It’s a raw, honest track with a lyrical conviction that demands to be listened to.
Tight but raw in the best sense, that flow, less perfect than authentic. You hear the urgency in every line, the idea that these words needed to be spoken just then. Production is spare, putting all the focus where it belongs: on M.Y78’s voice and message.
Lyrically the freestyle deals with loyalty, identity and the drive of an individual. As much as it’s a self-assertion, ”Mama’s Cry” is also a track for listeners: See not just where M.Y78 is at but where he’s going. “Has To Be You Freestyle,” adds to the evidence that all too often, some of the most powerful music can be found in just letting words spill on a page.
Barefoot Vengeance – “Cat Theory”
“Cat Theory,” la de BAREFOOT VENGEANCE, is a straight-out-the-gate sort of song that makes you grin. Half comedy, half sincerity, it’s an experimental gem that revels in both originality and charm.
The words skip between humorous and wise, splashing around in the imagery like a puddle whose depths you realize are greater than they first appear. The reason that “Cat Theory” stands out is its moderation. There’s craft behind the quirk, and that’s what prevents it from being a gimmick.
The production shines with that creativity and the off-kilter song is guaranteed to get stuck in your head even after just one listen. It’s the type of song that you’re tempted to listen to again just to catch the details you might’ve missed after a single go-round. Barefoot Vengeance show that taking risks can be rewarding. “Cat Theory” is weird, wonderful and altogether too outre not to hear in other words, just what indie music ought to be.
Artist Spotlight
Charlie Cope captures fragile midnight emotions on new release “Burning Lullabies”
Charlie Cope unveils one of his most emotionally nuanced releases with “Burning Lullabies,” a song that quietly anchors his latest body of work while disguising its emotional weight beneath a brighter, bluegrass-leaning sound. The contrast between its uplifting musical character and its deeply reflective narrative creates a compelling and memorable listening experience.
Set against the stillness of a late-night moment, the song unfolds with remarkable intimacy. Cope sings to someone he has found again, yet there is a lingering awareness that the connection may already be slipping away. This delicate tension fuels the track, giving every lyric a sense of urgency wrapped in tenderness.
The bluegrass-inspired elements add an unexpected brightness to the arrangement, creating a fascinating balance between melancholy and warmth. The music moves with ease, while the lyrics reveal layers of uncertainty beneath the surface. This contrast allows listeners to experience the song on multiple levels, discovering new emotional details with each listen.
Connect with Charlie Cope on Spotify
Artist Spotlight
The Advocate Brigade discovers hope beyond the struggle on new release “Find My Way (Running)”
The Advocate Brigade’s latest release, “Find My Way (Running),” is a collaborative release with Gibson and Michael Hornbuckle, is a deeply resonant and emotionally rich statement. This heartfelt track is not just a song of perseverance, but a glimpse into the universal search for purpose, identity, and grace, in a world where so many people feel the pressure to measure up.
The song is about those times of uncertainty that are often at the heart of the human experience. It doesn’t provide us with easy answers, but it does acknowledge that we can feel lost, judged, or disconnected. It’s that honesty that gives the track its emotional weight, creating an instant connection with listeners who’ve dealt with similar things in their own lives.
One of the song’s greatest strengths is storytelling. The lyrics are thought-provoking and ask the listener to look past the expectations of the surface and rediscover freedom in truth. There is a genuineness that runs through every second, and the message flows organically, not like a sermon or a soap opera.
Gibson and Michael Hornbuckle, as well as the collaboration of The Advocate Brigade, make the release even richer. Each of the voices has its own point of view, its own emotional flavor, and the result is a performance that is multi-layered, true, and engaging. They turn the song into a collective conversation about resilience, inclusion, and self-awareness.
Connect with Advocate Brigade on Spotify || Soundcloud || Youtube
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