Sapphire Hart has a new music video out for her single “Toxic Love Story,” where she displays the cool-smooth sound of her trap-soul style. The new song trots irregularly to Hart’s passionate-elegant vocals, with piano chord changes that sustain long enough to be felt beyond heard. The new song has an accompanying black and white music video that adds a seductive and profoundly emotional level to the story of love and expectations not met. Hart has a style that is direct and modern, fitting indeed for an age of intricate relationships and fast-track emotions. Stream the new music video for “Toxic Love Story” below for a glimpse at a rising Los Angeles artist. – René Cobar

Jordan Suaste is both the creator and spectator of the brilliant sonic rivers of romance that flow in his latest single, “Patience.” Where some would fear allowing their emotions to flow, Suaste does not as he flexes his vocal prowess to posh instrumentation comprised of cute piano leads and sway-inducing beats sprinkled with the sweetness of R&B. Suaste debuts in “Patience” a glossy heartbreak track that serves both as a winter warmer and a shinny treat you can’t help show your friends. As Suaste ascends vocally in the song’s bridge, you cannot help think he is a young man that knows where he is headed, and it is up there; take a moment to stream the new music video for “Patience” below. – René Cobar

Paper Jackets are honest about the state of things this year but do splash some pastels and creams on their sonic portrait aptly titled “I’m Depressed.” The new track, accompanied by a vivid visualizer, is charged up with sticky indie-pop hooks, tambourine jingles, dirty electric guitar sustains, and a thunderous beat that all help it reach anthemic territories. Limited human interactions may be the influence for “I’m Depressed,” but the sound of it is one of community, a loud and colorful one at that. The band is looking ahead to 2021 as it will release Souvnenirs Volume Two, the follow-up to the first volume released this past summer. Stream “I’m Depressed” below for another take on 2020, one honest with all its emotions. – René Cobar

Dream-pop music is often judged by the vivid sonic worlds it can create, crystallized sounds that take shape as you listen, by that standard Sleep Still’s new song “The Panoramic” flows with elegance and swells into a wonderful soundscape. Using sharp synth sustains and liquid-like electric guitars buzzing, Sleep Still paints the track as it rides a mighty beat and follows the refined vocals of lead singer Mariam McCarthy towards the song’s whirlwind instrumental finale. The music video for the song is simple and powerful in its imagery: sonic patterns made human, vulnerable, and empowered at once. Rest and reflection exist in this new entry by Sleep Still; stream the new video below for a closer look at the movements that make us whole. – René Cobar

Spacette sincerely captures the spirit of Los Angeles via a single that is just as breezy-glitzy as the city: “City Of Gold” is a slow sonic ride laced with zipping electric guitar licks, a smog-thick bassline, and Bowie-esque vocals as cool as you desire them. There is a simplicity to “City Of Gold” that is endearing: the song is medicinal even because the track’s pace remains steady and groovy enough to keep one swaying past ill thoughts, soothing the mind with its subtle harmonies and synth underpinnings. Spacette’s new single comes as the quartet announces a self-titled debut EP set for release December 11th. Spacette is taking it all in and inviting others to do the same; stream “City Of Gold” for a familiar Los Angeles feeling enjoyed anew. – René Cobar 

Los Angeles-based artist Sun Kin keeps his brand of house music refreshingly alternative: with his new single “Blue Light (Keeps Me Up at Night)” featuring syrupy electric guitar leads, Caribbean rhythms, and a sugary pop aesthetic, he is very much in vogue. In the breaks in rhythm, Sun Kin uses his sharp vocals to keep the dreamy, watery texture of the music going, rippling as the beat returns. “Blue Light (Keeps Me Up at Night)” is the lead single from Sun Kin’s upcoming record After the House, out on February 12th. For the type of house music that chills the mind while firing up the body’s movement, stream “Blue Light (Keeps Me Up at Night)” below. – René Cobar

L.A’s Sara Noelle offers us her atmospheric take on Judee Sill’s “Emerald River Dance” and does the popularly covered song justice. The track is a weaving of swelling tones and nature-oriented rhythms that create a serene soundscape that is soothing for troubled minds. Noelle’s vocals have an elegance to them and emotional precision that wholly create a version of the song that belongs to her. With piano-key trickles and pulsing synths, the cover has a heartbeat of its own, and it is worth listening to; stream Sara Noelle’s cover of “Emerald River Dance” below for an ambiance to enjoy. – René Cobar

Pop-star Ananya keeps her music cool, relatable, and smooth enough for plenty of easy listens: in her new single “Everybody’s Lost,” the singer-songwriter deploys a heartbeat kick drum, a rippling synth atmosphere, and her soft vocals to soothe and deliver a tune to kick back to. Ananya, originally from Mumbai and now bouncing from Los Angeles to London, is connecting continents with pop music that is universally elegant and themes of love and freedom that are easy to identify with. Stream “Everybody’s Lost” below to find a song you can treasure, a mood you can recognize. – René Cobar 

It is not difficult to feel lost in times of uncertainty, maybe even feel forgotten, but there is a refuge in routine, and in music, so says Jutty Taylor in his new single “Saint James.” The new breezy single is driven by a bouncy bassline and a snappy drum pattern that gives pace to Taylor’s waxed-shinny falsettos. In the hooks, the atmosphere swells, and as an upbeat mood takes over, there is hope that all who wander are not lost. “Saint James” is the second single from Taylor’s debut album Little Seizures, set for release November 13th. For a moment, Jutty Taylor allows things to move along with no resistance and makes life a bit more simple; stream “Saint James” below, all will be well. – René Cobar, photo by Jessa Hills

Sam DeRosa calls for a wellness check in her new single “Sad Faces,” and she could not be more timely: the month of October has been a long one already. Laced in the slapping/bap-bap beat that rides across a pop atmosphere is DeRosa’s call for universal cheerfulness, perseverance, and hope for a better tomorrow. The conversational, on-beat verses that segway into beautiful choruses show off DeRosa’s vocals, polished and sweetened with honesty. “Sad Faces” layers each sound so neatly without feeling overproduced: it’s intricate pop in production, simple and approachable in sound—the way it ought to be. Stream the bright music video for “Sad Faces” below for a reason to be cheerful. – René Cobar 

With a cascading euphoria channeled via luscious falsettos and slippery guitar licks, Dylan Chambers escapes 2020 in his new single “Ya Feelin’ Good?” and does it with hot flair. Funky and free, with a bap-bap lightning beat, “Ya Feelin’ Good?” has an aim to get you dancing, and Dylan Chambers takes command with an energetic attitude that is felt both in the cream-smooth pre-choruses and in the song’s tail-end electric guitar shred. Dylan Chambers, a Los Angeles resident since 2011, allows himself a moment of celebration, during a career that keeps on blossoming through hard work, and invites you to join in: stream “Ya Feelin’ Good?” for your ticket to the party. – René Cobar

In such a contentious election year, with so many voices drowned in the mix, few are heard, others cut fiercely, defiantly through the noise, and that is the case with Chel’s new single “Nasty Woman.” The singer-songwriter debuts a single and accompanying video that highlights the ardent fight for women’s equality in all fields, in all spheres. With vocals that display force and grace, Chel rides a quaking beat that leads to instrumental swells and ascents that you can’t help but feel profoundly within. In the small bridges of the track, Chel’s voice floats elegantly towards a fabulous beat drop. The song title, a reference to words infamously uttered by President Donald Trump, reminds us that many women have awaited this coming election perhaps most fervently than many, ready to exact change. In “Nasty Woman,” Chel offers a slick and soulful pop single that rattles with hot emotion and frigid, piercing intent. In a year full of statements, some have a bit more bite to them; stream the music video for “Nasty Woman” premiering below. – René Cobar