KVRX's Singles of the Summer

As summer comes to an end, Blog highlights KVRX's favorite singles that were released during the break!

"forum" was one of the singles for rubyred's most recent mixtape wickera (my personal album of the year so far), and wow what a song. The beat sounds sparkly and super magical, but what really makes this song for me is the vocals. Ruby effortlessly floats on the beat using a really dynamic range of vocals that make her super engaging as a rapper to listen to. Would highly recommend this song and wickera as a whole; I've been coming back to it nonstop since it was first released.

- DJ Gwormph

Check out rubyred here!

After the indefinite hiatus of Black Midi, the band’s front man and lead guitarist makes a surprising and memorable solo debut. Geordie Greep’s sound on the new single displays unique type funkiness that everyone can grove too. Greep’s lyricism, production, and overall quality of his first solo single gives music community hope for his debut album coming out early this October.

- Oluyemisi Bolarin

Check out Geordie Greep here!

Josh Lane, the lead singer of Thee Sacred Souls, has one of those effortlessly beautiful voices that makes his work very recognizable. I’ve listened to Thee Sacred Souls for a few years now—I even saw them in concert at Deep Ellum ArtCo back in 2022—and their music has evolved into a very distinctive sound. It’s upbeat, sensual, and extremely fun. “Lucid Girl” is the perfect example of all of these qualities—it’s the perfect summer song for dancing or a drive with friends.

- Sarah Baker

Check out Thee Sacred Souls here!

The band King Woman has been one of my favorites for a few years, and when I saw that the band would be featuring on a new movie, I Saw the TV Glow, I knew I had to go see it. The band’s theme and sound is mostly inspired by the lead singer Kris Esfandiari’s experiences growing up in the church, and this song is no outlier.The song "Psychic Wound" is this desperate, writhing song with a trudging backing guitar and Esfandiari howling her heart out as Lucifer being flung out of heaven. I just love it, I think she’s awesome.

- Percy Burns

Check out King Woman here!

I heard this track on KEXP Street Sounds and I instantly recognized it as a 90s track. To my surprise it was released recently, and judging by the view-count, it is also very underground. I really love the 90s feel of this track. I find it pretty amazing that he was able to replicate the sounds of Hip-Hop in the 90s from the lyrical style all the way to the microphone quality and beat. Either that or it was released 25 years after production.

- Renzo Montgomery

Check out Rick Reams here!

Guatemalan cellist and singer Mabe Fratti has been a reliable staple of the Mexico City experimental scene, and her newest solo record Sentir Que No Sabes is a great entry point for her incredibly varied discography. "Enfrente" synthesizes everything that makes her one of the most exciting Spanish-language artists out there, with sultry strings that bend and twist eventually giving way to shimmering synths and a thrumming breakbeat. With evocative yet elusive lyricism, this dreamy single invites listeners (as the album title suggests) to feel what they don't know.

- DJ Scrumptious

Check out Mabe Fratti here!

This song has been stuck in my head for weeks! It’s like Earth, Wind and Fire combined with The Beatles. The band also makes their own little advertisements that play into the music, it’s a lot of fun!

- DJ Beechner

Check out Intellectual Property here!

Remy Bond is a pop artist with a distinctive look with a sound that’s very dream-like. What reeled me into her was that she sounded like early 2010s Lana Del Rey. As a song that came out in 2024, I loved that it sounded like it came out in that time of the early 2010s. The song “Summer Song” makes me think of what my future will be like in the summer with my significant other.

- Zahria Hunter

Check out Remy Bond here!

Their music is mostly pretty angry/sad, and I feel like this song has the same soundscape except it’s actually uplifting! “I’m in love with my life again” feels like summer.

- DJ Trash Panda

Check out Porridge Radio here!

So calming and sweet- wonderful vocals and instrumentals. La Lá is an acclaimed musician from Peru, her album Zamba Puta is a great album to get into Peruvian jazz and folk.

- Mayra Estrada

Check out La Lá here!

This is a totally new sound for Avishai’s trio that represents a willingness to experiment! Roni Kaspi is about to become really big she’s an amazing drummer.

- Matthew Giovannetti

Check out Avishai Cohen Trio here!

"Real Life" from The Marías tests the balance of a relationship that teeters between illusion and reality. The artist does not want to let go of the fantastical intimacy she has with her lover but yearns for a more tangible and genuine connection. By laying out her complex emotions through an ethereal musical style, listeners are reminded that letting go is not always so simple — consistent with a theme of rebirth that is developed throughout the Submarine album.

- Samuel (Sam) Huron

Check out The Marías here!

Saw them in 2022 when they were more "rock" and didn't expect them to blow up as much as they did. I knew the singer from his previous project, the DIY art space, All the Sudden. I like the way he performs, if you go to a Font show you will see him let the music take over him. Their drummer, Jack, has played with other Austin bands like Other Vessels and Large Brush Collection.

- Kaitlyn Gomez

Check out Font here!

The instrumental is beautifully simple. The Grover Washington smooth jazz sample isn’t chopped up that much, and the drum pattern is straightforward with basic syncopation. This allows Lupe’s lyrics and flow to take center stage, and he’s relentless during the verses on this song, packing in as many rhymes as possible but delivering them in his signature smooth fashion. His vocal melodies and backing vocals on this song are soothing as well.

- Adam Elayan

Check out Lupe Fiasco here!

I love the song because of its fast-paced rhythm, which keeps me bouncing and swaying the whole time. The simplicity of the lyrics and vocalization maintains an easy-to-digest melody, bridging the gap between different personalities - making it a popular song for many to relate to. Compared to "Heaven Is a Cop Car," a consistency that mesmerizes its audience into a state of liberation is found within - plenty of - Almost Nice's music, through the percussion and tempo.

- Dik Jagger (Derrick Licon)

Check out Almost Nice here!

"Star 9200" is off of Modern Color’s newest album, There Goes the Dream. The album blends shoegaze with post-hardcore and tells the story of their adolescence in South Bay, California.

- Alexandra Donea

Check out Modern Color here!

It’s a great and summery emo record. Kinda has that sad twinge but still is upbeat and something you can bang your head and dance to.

- DJ Y Not

Check out Origami Angel here!

Everything quinnie does from her writing to musicality is amazing to me!!! This song is part of a larger project she’s about to put out that’s going to be so good so you all should be the first to listen!

- DJ Smiles

Check out quinnie here!

I think the singer has a great voice. I like the use of the vocoder in the song and the use of synthesizers. Urban Heat is a great band from Austin. I went to their album singing at Waterloo records and even took a picture together! I also believe all their songs are well thought out and masterfully executed and hope their popularity grows.

- DJ Bear

Check out Urban Heat here!

I've seen many interviews and blogs talking about Brigitte Calls Me Baby and they all seem the mention the same thing. Wes Leavins' voice. I haven't heard many modern music artists with such a deep and powerful voice since Elvis. There is a reason Elvis became famous and I believe with a few more streams and more publication, Brigitte Calls Me Baby could become just as big. But apart from him, the music is just so beautiful and makes you want to bop your head. I mean the guitar riff? wow.

- Jayda Burr

Check out Brigitte Calls Me Baby here!

This song has some intense guitar and bass playing along with drums that just make you want to dance. The vocals are very deep and entrancing. The band Marie Laveau is an awesome new deathrock band out of Warsaw, Poland that released this single on August 2nd.

- DJ Sputnik

Check out Marie Laveau here!

I found this song from the newbin originally! Matador Sphere has a great vibe to them, very melodic and chill. Their new single totally reminds me of a little critter skittering around on the water, and it's very interesting to listen to! They don't have any other music out on Spotify right now, but when they do it's instantly going into my favorites. You should check them out!

- DJ Cat Hat

Check out Matador Sphere here!

I like it because it’s jazzy and also funky. It’s also relatable and representative of some people I’ve dealt with.

- DJ No Food Or Hijinx

Check out Ginger Root here!

If you like Dean Blunt, you’ll LOVE Babyfather… because they are the same person ;-) cool little side project, very chill, incredible flow.

- DJ Loganator

Check out Babyfather here!

The lyrics and strained vocals combined with the audio quality make it such a heartfelt song. I just think it's really beautiful, Oldstar captures a specific sense of sadness in their music. Oldstar is a country band from Florida.

- Bella Weissman

Check out Oldstar here!

The song really hits a relaxed melancholy. Its lyrics are depressing but the melody itself makes you feel like you’re floating in a pool at night after being given the most depressing news. There’s a sense of elation to the vocals but again a melancholic, dreamlike quality.

- Katrina Donf

Check out Pump Action here!

I love this song because it reminds me of…love and like ships from certain fandoms lol. It’s catchy and it has such a weird duo but it makes sense.

- Sienna Madrigal

Check out Lady Gaga here and Bruno Mars here!

After releasing the critically received album, Scaring The Hoes, JPEGMAFIA is creating an innovating the way we sample in hip hop. the first half of the album builds upon what Peggy has done throughout his entire career and create something that you’ve never thought about before woth some of the most chaotic and interesting chops and sample usage I’ve heard in a long time. The second half of the album takes a more mellow approach with beautiful sample choices as well as opening up about career success and drug usage over the course of his career. either on or off the drugs (all lowercase) is a prime example of how JPEG opens up about fighting his inner demons with sobriety and how he’s been struggling with intense feelings of withdrawal. I think the so beautifully captures the struggles of fighting your own inner demons (this doesn’t have to be sobriety but either other forms of addiction that have negative effect you). Plus it’s just very ethereal sounding in my opinion.

- Miguel Almanza

Check out JPEGMAFIA here!

The first ever concert I went to was EDEN's "i think you think too much of me" tour in 2016. This experience brought me to a different side of music past the 2010s dubstep and other electronic music which I had never heard before, and I was instantly in love. Ever since then, EDEN has remained my favorite artist of all time, and with significant stylistic changes in 3 albums released between 2018 and 2022, "Zzz" brings me back to the time I had truly discovered my first musical preferences.

- Tomas Marulanda-Mesa

Check out EDEN here!