“Borderline: Chaos at the Border” - Patrick Costello
Some songs don’t just land in your headphones—they slam down like a gauntlet. Borderline: Chaos at the Border, originally released in 2021 and now re-released in 2024, is exactly that: a razor-sharp protest anthem that refuses to be forgotten, refuses to soften, and refuses to let anyone look away from the brutality that’s still unfolding on the US–Mexico border.
“Persona Non Grata” - Bones in Butter
Every once in a while, a band drops a track that doesn’t just nod to its influences—it reanimates them, giving the past a pulse in the present. That’s exactly what Bones in Butter, the Belgrade-based alt-rock collective, has done with “Persona Non Grata.” Released May 24, 2024, via Swedish indie powerhouse Rexius Records, the single is lifted from their conceptual album COSMOPOLIS, and it plays like a slice of post-punk theatre set against the raw realities of modern Serbia.
“Tu Locura” - BLiTz Sk
When an artist manages to make history with their first release in a new lane, you know they’re onto something bigger than just a single. That’s exactly what Lukas Buga, better known as BLiTz Sk, has pulled off with “Tu Locura”—dropped August 30, 2025. On the surface, it’s a slick banger, but under the hood it’s a cultural collision that feels both daring and overdue: the first Lithuanian rapper to fully fuse Baltic rap with Spanish trap.
“Better Than Gold” - Ooberfuse Ft. Tugista
If you think protest music has gone soft—too much polite finger-wagging and not enough blood in the teeth—then “Better Than Gold” is about to remind you what fire sounds like when it’s bottled and thrown back at the system.
“Game Fit” - 9 o'clock Nasty
If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like if a survival manual morphed into a punk anthem, 9 o’clock Nasty just handed you the answer. Their new single “Game Fit” is not just a track—it’s a boot camp in three and a half minutes, a snarling, stripped-down warning siren that asks: Are you ready?
“Dream of Peace” - Kelsie Kimberlin
Kelsie Kimberlin doesn’t just release singles—she launches statements. Her new track and music video “Dream of Peace” arrive perfectly timed with the International Day of Peace, and it’s hard not to feel the weight of its message. Kimberlin, an American-Ukrainian pop artist with a growing reputation for bold, cinematic work, has delivered her most powerful project to date: a prayer, a protest, and a piece of art all rolled into one.
“Talk” - Aleksandra Picariello
Aleksandra “Allie” Picariello’s new single “Talk” is the kind of track that makes you stop mid-scroll and actually listen. It’s not background music—it’s a full-body, cinematic indie-pop swoon that feels like it belongs in the closing credits of a film you’ll never forget.
“Glimpses” - Closer
Closer aren’t just back—they’re coming in swinging. The Scottish alt-rock trio have been around long enough to earn their scars, and Glimpses feels like the payoff for two decades of surviving, recalibrating, and refusing to die quietly. It’s a record that doesn’t just pick up where they left off—it slams the door open, plugs straight into the amps, and reminds you why Glasgow has always been a breeding ground for raw, unrelenting rock.
“Once Was Blonde” - JD Hinton
JD Hinton has always had a knack for spinning words in ways that make you laugh one second and reflect the next, and “Once Was Blonde” is him at his absolute best. The title alone is classic Hinton—playful, witty, and layered with more meaning than you first expect. What sounds like a cheeky twist on a Sunday-school saying—“I once was blonde but now I see”—quickly unfolds into something far more universal: a meditation on innocence lost.
“Dark Charm” - Sugar Scars
If there’s one thing Sugar Scars have mastered, it’s turning contradiction into cohesion. Their new single, “Dark Charm,” the first taste of their upcoming sophomore record Dark Spark White Light (out November 21, 2025), feels like a perfect continuation of the boundary-bending path they laid down with last year’s critically acclaimed Rhythmic Body Reflexes.
“The End of Love” - The Vanities Ft. Kaysha Louvain
Sometimes a song just oozes drama from the very first note—and The End of Love by The Vanities, featuring powerhouse vocalist Kaysha Louvain, is exactly that kind of track. This isn’t just another retro-pop single; it’s a full-throttle, neon-soaked, 80s-inspired epic that refuses to stay in the background.
“The Pilgrimage” - Tim Oksanen
Some albums feel like they’re written in a studio bubble, neat and polished but detached from real life. The Pilgrimage, the new record from Australian alternative pop artist Tim Oksanen (out September 19, 2025), feels like the opposite—it’s an album born in the in-between spaces of life. Written between long shifts at the hospital, late nights with a young family, and moments of wrestling with faith, doubt, and purpose, it carries a rawness that’s rare in the pop world.