California's Own Ismay Paints the Landscape of Americana-Folk Music with Rich, Earthy Hues. California's golden vistas carry the reverberations of a heartfelt tone, which the mountains softly reflect. Avery Hellman, better known by their stage name Ismay, is an engaging folk/Americana musician whose music beautifully reflects the spirit of her native California. As early as 2020, publications like American Songwriter and No Depression were raving about the...

With their single "Numbers Game," Grey Jacks has managed to build a deceptively inviting room inside a house that’s actively on fire. The foundation here is a slithering, almost hypnotic rock groove, driven by the lock-step pulse of Teddy Minton on drums and Howard Rabach on bass. It has that cool, coiled tension reminiscent of late-90s Radiohead, a sound that gets in your bones...