Okay, let's pretend the universe coughed up "All the Christmas Lights." Not literally, of course, though I did find a sparkly rock in my pocket this morning – probably unrelated. This single by Eric Harmsen, straight outta Alpine, manages to feel both like a familiar, cozy sweater and a strangely uncharted territory. https://open.spotify.com/album/422cieMEcXDGkGRXvKa058 The music… it’s less jingle bell rock and more like a snow globe...

With the release of "Fame Us", Warmpth, the solo operating vehicle of Isle of Wight native Chris Smallwood, has constructed something that feels less like a track and more like a nervous twitch set to a disco beat. Warmpth is a musical distinctness engine, utilising a rigorous setup of hardware synths, guitars, and self-recorded samples to create a soundscape that sits awkwardly, yet brilliantly,...