Music
Old Tom & The Lookouts Aim to Bring Listeners “Alive” with New Self-Worth Anthem
Old Tom & The Lookouts continue their conversation on mental health in their new single “Alive” releasing on September 23. A melodious, folksy soundscape accompanies the vocals of band member Alex Calabrese as he sings about self-worth – saying, “it’s hard to know if I’m alive, slinging sorrow like we’ll never die”. Discussing the tumultuous relationship one might face with finding fulfillment and purpose and one’s self-worth within their community, “Alive” brings to light how difficult the journey to understanding your purpose may be. “How we see ourselves and how the world sees us can be so different, and navigating those anxieties can feel like a constant uphill battle,” says Calabrese. 
The Boston-based Indie-Folk band is known for creating hopeful, evocative music about mental health. The lyrically driven project is shared through the lens of writer and singer, Alex Calabrese and violinist Cecilia Vacanti. With their combined efforts the two provide a minimalist tone, accompanied by lush string arrangements, witty and brooding lyrics, soulful melodies, and striking harmonies. Musically, “Alive” continues showcasing those musical strengths with an anthemic-like rhythm that is buoyed by the driving string arrangements of traditional folk instruments. Paying homage to influences such as Frightened Rabbit, Phoebe Bridgers, and Tom Waits, yet capturing a new voice within the Indie-Folk genre, the band’s full record, Just for Beasts, (November 4th) is a concept piece centered around finding community, a sense of self-worth, and finding a healthy and sustainable way to love and support yourself as well as others you care about. The record addresses many of the nuanced challenges presented to folks suffering from depression and anxiety.
“Alive” is available to stream on all major platforms.
Artist Spotlight
Lisa Boostani creates a mesmerizing tidal realm in “Ocean”
Lisa Boostani’s “Ocean” takes you deep into a sensory world where body, spirit, and myth come together, beyond the surface of genre. Boostani makes a soundscape that is both ethereal and deeply human by combining the broad essence of psychedelic pop with the strong appeal of alternative rock.
Her voice rises as if it is coming from deep within her, shaped by emotion rather than action. She intentionally channels the intangible, turning weakness into strength rather than a source of pain, and “Ocean” tells people to get involved in this inner world, not just watch it. This release is an integral part of her first EP, “One,” which will come out in March 2026 and is based on love, sensuality, and unity.
If “Ocean” is any indication, the EP will show sensuality not as something pretty, but as a kind of spiritual intelligence, a way to know yourself by connecting with others. The song’s textures and structure have an aquatic quality, moving between clarity and delirium, rhythm and freedom. Its emotional focus is on immersion instead of resolution.
The striking quality of “Ocean” is the blend of the mystical worlds. Boostani understands that strength often shows up as gentleness and that deep feelings are better expressed through frequencies than words. She wants people to see consciousness as immediacy, sensation as truth, and openness as an undeniable strength.
Artist Spotlight
NOAH. captures the unspoken signals in enchanting R&B track “That’s Bless”
“That’s Bless” captures the unspoken late-night message, the smile that was exchanged from afar, and the feeling you sense but are afraid to say. NOAH. offers a song with a smoky R&B feel and lyrics that capture unspoken tension, firmly in the realm of emotional ambiguity, where connection is clear but not defined.
This piece concerns the subtle discomfort of mixed signals and quiet longings, when looks say more than words ever could. NOAH. handles the theme with restraint, letting the chemistry simmer rather than explode. NOAH.’s delivery shows a confident gentleness, recognizing that some feelings don’t need strict definitions to be real.
In “That’s Bless,” he captures the essence of connection and the compelling allure that endures, even when both parties pretend it is not there. The composition is based on real-life events, and it acknowledges that specific attachments endure in the heart long after one has persuaded oneself of having progressed.
“That’s Bless” is at the crossroads of closeness and distance, clarity and confusion. The song doesn’t resolve the tension it talks about, and that’s what makes it so powerful. It sums up the connection we say we don’t want but keep coming back to in memory, rhythm, and pulse.
Connect with NOAH. on Instagram
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