Artist Spotlight
UP-AND-COMING CHICAGO ARTIST PRONTO VALID RELEASES NEW EP ‘MIDNITE FLOWERS’
The Chicago native artist, Pronto Valid, has released his new summer-time EP titled, ‘MIDNITE FLOWERS.’ The project gives an introspective look into the artist and his current mental and emotional state. The raw and gritty lyricism on all four tracks present a first-person take on the reality of being an artist in a day and age where entertainers and their mental health are taken for granted.
On the opening song, ‘GOAT,’ Pronto speaks on his humble-yet-hungry mindset that pushes his efforts as a musician, while taking a deeper look into why he has this mindset. Lyrics like, ‘Soldier in my blood- in my DNA, I got some blood that’ll never be buried no matter the prices they willing to pay,’ speak to his Bosnian-American roots. His reference to ‘blood that will never be burried’ is about his family members who were killed or went missing during the Balkan Wars in the 90’s as a result of genocide. Despite all of the hate and fake love, what keeps him motivated is his willingness to push past it all and reach high levels of success for his family that never had a chance to live out their lives.
The third song of the project, ‘GET AWAY,’ introduces a much more calm and introspective feeling throughout the EP. On this track, he explains his introvertedness as a result of cutting off childhood peers whose personality traits were toxic to his creative process as an artist and mental health as an individual. With very direct lyricism, he states; ‘If I could paint a perfect picture it would change with every peak, every glance, every minute, hour, second as we speak, There’s someone looking at it now who’s just like you and can’t be pleased, Always giving your critiques, With the same old shit you talked about at seventeen, Ain’t did shit since seventeen.’
To contrast with his sharp lyrics, the artist employs a laid-back style of production that aims to give you the feeling of a late night during the Summer. The washed-out synths in the background of his song, ‘DIE YOUNG,’ and the flagship song of the project, ‘AFTER HOURS,’ give a perfect example of the vibe he aims for while providing a strong kick/bass combo that sonically anchor all of the other elements of the songs and brings the project together.
Stay connected with: Pronto Valid
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.prontovalidofficial.xyz
Album Review
Cognitive Constellation Corps blurs humanity and technology on “Thank You for Your Feedback (I)” album
In a world of notifications and automated responses, algorithms, and feedback requests, Cognitive Constellation Corps finds something unexpectedly human inside the machinery. “Thank You for Your Feedback (I)” is an alt-pop exploration of connection, isolation, communication, and the increasingly complicated relationship between people and technology, transforming familiar procedural language into something else.
Created by Brooke Tamsin Clevenger, a Belfast-based artist, the project’s principal composer, lyricist, producer, and conceptual director, the album is deliberately constructed around what happens to human emotion when our lives are increasingly structured by systems that process information rather than necessarily understand feelings. The album opens with “Opening Loop (i),” which introduces that world through the idea of repetition, linking software loops to the habits we humans learn in modern life.
Followed by “Signal Received (i),” the track becomes more fragile, a mix of bubbling electronic movement and the promise of waiting for a response. It picks up the strange emotional weight that can be behind something as simple as a digital signal. “Thank You For Your Feedback (i)” examines the pressure to be constantly evaluated, and “Echo Chamber (i)” reflects on how digital interaction creates intimacy and amplifies alienation. “The Curve of Clarity (i)” is a road toward understanding where data and human realization begin to converge.
On the production side, the project explores electronic textures without allowing its technological concept to overwhelm its emotional core. “Threadbare, Threadshare (i)” turns the fatigue of constant communication into an interesting concept. “The Response Loop (You’re Still Talking)” injects a sense of urgency with a faster, more club-friendly beat that mixes early-80s electronic music with state-of-the-art sounds.
“Harmonic Distortion (i)” continues the album’s obsession with emotion that has been filtered, and “Always (i) [Sevahem]” is an appropriate closer, reflecting on organic feeling and ancient human knowledge through the prism of digital sound. “Thank you for Your Feedback” is a tech-driven concept that is always aware of the person behind the screen. Cognitive Constellation Corps is cerebral and electronic and conceptually ambitious while remaining emotionally accessible.
Artist Spotlight
Shawn Brown raises the volume on love, loss, and survival in “What a Way to Go”
Shawn Brown’s new single, “What a Way to Go,” is a guitar-heavy rock-pop anthem that makes doomed young love, instability, and survival something ferociously cathartic. The single, produced by celebrated musician and producer Grecco Buratto, fully embraces the scope of its story. Brown doesn’t turn heartbreak into a quiet, inward experience, but he energizes it, giving it drive and urgency.
“What a Way to Go” is a relationship against impossible odds, and the emotional tension is the clash between a world that feels like it’s falling apart and the stubbornness of two people who won’t let go of each other. That tension is what makes the song dramatic, but it also allows Brown to aim for a bigger, more explosive sound.
Recorded at The Trench in Portland with engineer Gregg Williams and the full Shawn Brown Band and trusted creative team, including Ben Landsverk, Jeff Langston, Ned Failing, Tiago Becker, and Juan Garcia Petri. Their combined presence adds to the muscular, expansive character of the single that one would expect from an anthem of this magnitude.
Brown handles the emotional commitment with confidence, true to its survivalist spirit, and pairs the guitars with a performance that feels immediate rather than remote. “What a Way to Go” is one of Shawn Brown’s most electrifying releases, blending raw rock power with the emotional openness of a love story that won’t go quietly. It’s raw, loud, passionate, and unapologetically alive.
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