Artist Spotlight

Premiere: Oakland Artist LOUIZA Dives Into Technology’s Lasting Impact With New EP ‘On, Off’

California native and indie pop singer-songwriter LOUIZA released her next project, On, Off the EP, on June 26. The songs on the EP wrestle with the role of technology in everyday life. “In some ways, devices like our mobile phones, computers and the internet provide us with the feeling that we hold an on, off switch,” says LOUIZA. She says the longer humans depend on technologies for aiding in things like DNA testing for predicting the health of offspring, the deeper we dive into blurring the line between who – or what – holds the “on, off switch.” Working with her co-creator, Jamie, LOUIZA found herself inspired to venture beyond the normal analog sound and test out more drum tracks and samples.

LOUIZA’s sound is best described as a charismatic blend of jazz and electro-pop with an underlying hint of alternative rock. Vocally, she’s inspired by legends like Joni Mitchell and Kurt Cobain, who she’s been highly compared to by fans and media. While she maintains a distinctly pop backbone, LOUIZA plays around with fresh concepts for each new project. On, Off takes on a more dark prism, metallic rainbow mental stimulation that entices listeners to dive into the messages while sitting above the clouds on the tracks’ playfully seductive qualities. The fact that LOUIZA finds strength in visuals comes as no surprise as her music is elegantly vibrant in a way that can transform the space in which it’s playing.

Tracks on the EP ride between conversations about dating apps to twisted romance under surveillance to a child’s colorful view of themself. Along with the On, Off she will be releasing a single called “Anomie,” a dark-pop track that alludes to society’s relationship with social media. The music video for the single will debut during her July 9 EP release party. Fans can stream On, Off on all major streaming platforms as well as watch the “Anomie” music video on Youtube on June 26.

California native LOUIZA is one of indie music’s best rising pop singer-songwriters. Acclaimed by top music tastemakers like Billboard, The Line of Best Fit, and The Deli SF, she’s at the forefront of music innovation and discovery. Her sound is best described as a charismatic blend of jazz and electro-pop with an underlining hint of alternative rock. Vocally, she’s inspired by legends like Joni Mitchell and Kurt Cobain, who she’s been highly compared to by fans and media. While she maintains a distinctly pop backbone, LOUIZA plays around with fresh concepts for each new project. Fans should look forward to her upcoming releases including her single “Anomie,” set to release June 4th and her On, Off EP, out on all major streaming platforms June 26.

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Artist Spotlight

“Subterranean Homesick Blues” finds a new direction through Ghost of Panama

Rearranging a song that carries six decades of cultural weight is a creative challenge, but Ghost of Panama approaches “Subterranean Homesick Blues” with clear purpose. The rock band radically reworks Bob Dylan’s counter-culture hit, reshaping its identity while keeping its rebellious spirit. It’s a tribute to musical heritage and a statement of artistic independence all in one.

This new interpretation is very much shaped by the production, made at Ghost of Panama’s home studio in West London. The setting allows an intimate approach to reinterpreting a familiar song and lets the group engage directly with the material, taking it in a new artistic direction.

“Subterranean Homesick Blues” centers on the tension between conservation and transformation. Ghost of Panama is true to the song’s rebellious spirit without adding to its legacy, and this approach gives the release an adventurous feel, grounded in countercultural energy but driven by a desire to see what the composition can become in a different musical context.

Their version of this 60-year-old classic shows that respecting a song’s history can also mean breaking the rules and finding new ways to express its spirit. Fundamentally, “Subterranean Homesick Blues” presents Ghost of Panama as artists who want to engage with the past without being tied to it. The release’s strongest identity is a familiar heritage reimagined through a singularly forward-looking creative vision.

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Artist Spotlight

“NO MORE” by Amanda Holley connects healing, awakening, and survival

“NO MORE“ carries that kind of emotional weight, and some songs feel like they come from lived experience but reach for something bigger. Amanda Holley blends R&B and soul, turning a lifetime of survival into a vision of healing, awakening, and the determination to move beyond what caused the pain.

“NO MORE“ is a healing anthem for people who have gone through bad experiences and reached a place of higher awareness, but it’s also an emotionally charged protest. The duality is introspective and outward-looking at the same time, turning personal survival into a broader declaration that some experiences, conditions, or cycles should end.

Holley had a premonition of the song six months before the world went into global shutdown. In the vocal booth, working out melodies with her collaborators, she pictured people in the streets. Those images were hard to imagine at the time, but subsequent events would make them painfully familiar.

“NO MORE“ is given a particularly contemplative underpinning by the context. The identity of R&B and soul leaves room for emotion. The song’s themes link survival, awakening, resistance, and the need for change. Amanda Holley is an artist using music to process personal endurance and a broader sense of social awakening. It’s got a complicated significance, and its release feels like a glimpse of a moment when personal intuition and public reality collided in an unexpected way.

Photo Credit: Yulia Shusharina