At first glance, it might seem like a stretch to compare Jewel to Patti Smith. Jewel Kilcher, after all, is a blonde-haired Alaskan in her 40s, best known by many people for ballads like “Who Will Save Your Soul,” “You Were Meant for Me” and “Hands.” Smith, by contrast, is a septuagenarian who grew up mainly in New Jersey and who is a rocker at heart. Where Jewel’s work can sometimes verge on Hallmark-style sentiments, Smith is not averse to using “fuck” or even the...

SHILPA RAY “PORTRAIT OF A LADY” (Northern Spy Records) Dynamic Brooklyn based singer-songwriter and musician, Shilpa Ray, returns with her fifth full length release Portrait Of A Lady. Written in the wake of the #metoo movement and the weathering years of the Trump administration - Ms. Ray is candidly revealing her views about these situtations and then some. Ray has such a wide musical and vocal range from which she draws which always keeps the listener fully engaged. Ray’s singing can be in your face with an...

“Energy never dies, it just transforms.”-Left Eye 20 years ago today, on April 25, 2002, the world lost rapper, singer, and hip-hop legend, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. 1/3 of TLC, the best-selling American girl group of all time, Left Eye was just as known for her playful and introspective lyrics as she was for her style, creativity, and fiery personality. Left Eye’s unique sound, delivery, and charisma elevated any track she was featured on. On the anniversary of her passing, we remember her legacy. Rest well, Queen.  header...

DIANE COFFEE “WITH PEOPLE” (Polyvinly Record Co.) Shaun Fleming is back under the Diane Coffee moniker with his fourth full length release WIth People. Like many artists Fleming was no doubt affected and influeneced by the isolation during Covid pandemic. This is evident resulting in his most introspective and personal offering yet. Once again Fleming shifts musical gears from his previous album, Internet Arms’ soulful Synth Pop sound to an jangly Folk Rock, Dream Pop vibe with a touch of Glam Rock. “Corrina From Colina,” “Hollywood,” and “Forever You &...

 THE LINDA LINDAS Growing Up (Epitaph) Tween/teen Asian/Latinx band the Linda Lindas exploded into notoriety after appearing in Amy Poehler’s movie Moxie. And a performance of their song “Racist, Sexist Boy” went viral last spring, instantly resonating across ages and identities. “Growing up isn’t something you can make happen when you want it to,” guitarist/vocalist Lucia de la Garza points out on the title track of the band's first full-length. Yet the foursome intuitively employs punk rock to make headway on these growing pains throughout the album. The...

When a brand new band can sell out its first headline tours based on the weight of just two songs, you know it's on to something. The first two singles from the self-titled album from Wet Leg (Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers) are, in fact, worthy of buzz—“Chaise Longue” is a masterclass in delivering innuendo-laden lines without cracking a smile (“Is your muffin buttered?/Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?”), while “Wet Dream,” um, glistens with soaring harmonies and an updated Britpop catchiness. Thankfully, the rest of...

MAITA  I Just Want to Be Wild for You (Kill Rock Stars) I Just Want to Be Wild for You is emotional gold. Led by songwriter Maria Maita-Keppeler, Portland’s MAITA grapples with the complexities of modernity and connecting amidst disconnection. Melodic, twangy guitar and dulcet vocals often walk the razor’s edge of breaking open—and sometimes do, as on the single “You Sure Can Kill a Sunday,” which erupts into punk riffs of fuzz and catharsis before transiting back and then in again. The album is insightful and raw, with a...

It may not officially be summer, but Ariana and Rose’s new song is here to kickstart your carefree living. Fresh off her forthcoming debut album, Lonely Hearts Club, the new single “Setting Me Free” focuses on evolving into the most authentic version of yourself. Anchored in the themes of self-empowerment and liberation, the song is now accompanied by a brand new music video, premiering exclusively on BUST today.  Infused with electro-pop and an upbeat tempo, this song is here to spruce up the energy of the room...

It’s hard to imagine how a new Beach House album could sound any more lush than their past work, but the duo has achieved the impossible on their eighth LP, Once Twice Melody. Singer Victoria Legrand and multi-instrumentalist Alex Scally enlisted a live string ensemble for the first time, which lends many of these songs a sprawling, epic quality. Once Twice Melody also boasts 18 tracks—double the amount usually found on a Beach House album—giving it plenty of time to cycle through intimate dream pop (“The Bells”), pulsing rock...

That’s right! Queen of Tempo and star of the new TV series Watch Out For The Big Girls, Lizzo has a new album coming out on April 14th. Her single, “About Damn Time,” debuted on James Corden’s The Late Late Show on Tuesday. Sporting a baby-blue, one-shouldered vinyl maxi dress, the artist exclaimed that she'd been working on the album for "three freakin' years!", and detailed her review process before putting out an album, explaining that her friends were her first round of testers. “They’ll tell me, they’ll...