On September 24th, Islands returned to New York City after a five-year hiatus. They released a new album, Islomania, back in May 2021 through the Canadian indie label Royal Mountain Records. To support this record, they've hit the road and brought former Hollerado frontman - and Royal Mountain founder - Menno Versteeg along for the ride.

Phoenix-based funk-rock group, Smooth Hands, have released their self-titled debut record, Smooth Hands, on July 31st, 2021. The group released three singles, “A Love So Easy (feat. Lofty Lyn)”, “Butt Rock”, and “Lies” prior to the release of the debut. The singles prove as great taste-testers to the rest of the album, bringing hypnotic, and often energetically unabating, melodies to indulge. 

On September 14th, 2021, Eidola released a new track titled “Mutual Fear” from their new album The Architect. This track features vocalist Jon Mess from Dance Gavin Dance and is accompanied by a music video. This is the last track released before The Architect comes out on September 17th.

On September 10th, Cheat Codes released their latest single “Ghost Story”, which features All Time Low. Cheat Codes frequently collaborate with a wide range of artists, ranging from pop stars like Demi Lovato to drummer Travis Barker. 

On September 2nd, 2021, Animals As Leaders released their new track “Monomyth”, their first song in 5 years, along with a music video. This announcement also came with the band signing a new deal with Sumerian Records. 

Watching horror films, you would see that monsters are terribly hard to kill. You can stab, them, shoot them, set them on fire and they will still find a way to rise and wreak havoc for the next sequel. The same can be said for horror rockers Vampire Everywhere! who are now in their second comeback. Their return EP The Awakening will be released through Cleopatra Records on October 1st, just in time for the witching season.

On September 3rd, the electronic trio from Boise, Idaho known as Magic Sword hit the stage at Irving Plaza to open up for Avatar alongside Tallah. They graced the stage donning their costumes of cloaks and masks. Each mask color represents another member of the group known as The Keeper in red, The Seer in blue, and The Weaver in yellow.

On August 26th, 2021, Elohim released her latest EP - Journey to the Center of Myself Vol. 2. This is the second installment of this collection of EPs, a four-part project from Elohim’s home studio that goes through her journey of self-discovery, recovery, and everything in between. She also released a music video for “Go Through It”, a raw and real song paired with bright sounds and even brighter visuals directed by Chase O’Black.

Sacramento-based experimental rock group, Dance Gavin Dance, have begun their much-anticipated North American Afterburner Tour on September 7th. Before the tour commenced, it was announced the main support band, Animals As Leaders, would be unavailable to join due to undisclosed circumstances. Thankfully, Texas-based progressive rock group, Polyphia, would take over the reins as the main support. To recap the tour’s line-up, bands include Veil of Maya, Eidola, and Wolf & Bear. As show times continue to draw near, several shows are seeing deficiency in tickets or even selling out. To snag tickets or VIP packages, click HERE for more information. 

On August 27th, 2021, Nina Nesbitt released an acoustic version of her most recent single, “Summer Fling”. Released on both streaming services and on Youtube with a video of the performance, this version of the song is stunning in its own unique way.

On Friday, August 20, 2021, Leighton, PA-based hard rock powerhouse Another Day Dawns released their latest single and music video for "Look At You".

Detroit horrorcore rappers Twiztid have unleashed a new official music video in anticipation of their upcoming album Unlikely Prescription. The song, “Neon Vamp” is a shocking collaboration with Dani Filth, lead vocalist of British black metal band, Cradle of Filth.  Twiztid members, Jamie Madrox and Monoxide, have both expressed their admiration of extreme metal musicians. Madrox was very excited to work with Dani Filth.

On Friday, August 20th, 2021, SPIRITBOX have unveiled a brand new track and music video for "Hurt You", from their highly anticipated debut album, Eternal Blue, set to release tomorrow, September 17th, 2021 on Rise Records with pre-orders available now by clicking here. The band sold out of all vinyl pre-orders within the first 24 hours of announcement and on-sale.

On Wednesday, August 18th, 2021, ROLO TOMASSI returned to reveal they have signed to eOne (High On Fire, Black Label Society, The Contortionist) and, in celebration, they released their massive, brand new single and video, "Cloaked".

On August 17th, 2021, Blossoms released a new single titled “Care For”. This song, accompanied by a music video, is the first release since Blossoms’ “Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)/It’s Going To Be A Cold Winter” in 2020. The song and video are full of good vibes and classic influences, making for a tune that’s perfect for late summer evenings.

A bit over a year after releasing her studio album Chromatica, Lady Gaga has released the follow-up remix album titled Dawn Of Chromatica. With smash hits like “Rain On Me” and “Stupid Love”, Chromatica made its mark on pop music in 2020. Dawn Of Chromatica takes the songs in a new direction,  leaning away from the typical sounds of the Billboard charts and dives into the more experimental. With features from artists like Dorian Electra and Arca, this album bridges the gap between radio pop and hyper pop.

On Wednesday, August 18th, Nu-Core metal band Tallah dropped their brand new single “Vanilla Paste”. To go along for the ride of this explosive and sinister release, they are joined by some metal favorites with guest appearances including AJ Channer (Fire From The Gods), Tom Barber (Chelsea Grin), and Garett Hood (Guerrilla Warfare). Intricately, it fuses a gritty journey, while simultaneously paying homage to the band's nu-metal influences whilst further cementing the fact that there is not a band on the planet that sounds as fresh and uniquely unhinged as Tallah. 

Tucson singer-songwriter, Julius Redd, debuts his second single, “Hello, Hello” on August 26. Julius Redd is also known as the former lead guitarist of the rock group, Tiediedheart. Julius’ newest single hones a raw, transparent recording with sharp guitar riffs, confident vocals, and a fun backtrack that floats the song along. 

M3F Fest or Mcdowell Mountain Music Festival is a music festival that is held every spring in Phoenix, AZ where all of the proceeds go to charity. With a passion for the arts, music, and community M3F Fest is on a mission to give back. They are the only regional non-profit music festival and over the last 18 years, they have donated over 2.6 million dollars, $600,000 in 2020 alone. Though they had to cancel the 2021 festival dates due to the ongoing pandemic, they recently released the dates for 2022. Right now they are shooting for Friday, March 5th, and Saturday, March 6th, with the lineup being announced this October. In the past, the festival has been 3 days but because of Covid they want to play it safe and work out all of the kinks, it was also harder to get people to come out on Sundays when they were running for 3 days. Back in 2020, I had the opportunity to photograph the festival and I had a great time, check out the galleries below, and don’t forget to check out M3F Fest!