SubmitHub – Page 6 – Queen City Sounds and Art

Dennis Hauck’s Impassioned Folk Americana Single “Natural Heart” is a Literary Examination of a Life Lived Guided by One’s Passions

Dennis Hauck’s new single “Natural Heart” is steeped in a classic folk Americana sound with expert and even spirited musical performances. But what truly makes the song stand out is Hauck’s vocal delivery of lyrics that explore the complexity of the human heart and how our natures can drive us to behave in ways that can feel unpredictable but really it reflects how we’ve been affected by our lives and what we believe about ourselves and how we understand our natures to be. And when you’re just living life with sensitivity and not a deep sense of self-awareness maybe you can only live your authentic life and seem unmindful of how you affect others. The song suggests more sense of self than the story conveys because as impassioned as the song is delivered it is with a sense of wry humor under the surface that points to having lived through some tumultuous patches across a lifetime that leave you with an sense of one’s limitations akin to hard earned wisdom. Listen to “Natural Heart” on YouTube and follow Dennis Hauck at the links below.

Dennis Hauck

Listen to Erik Hall’s Bold and Lively Interpretation of Steve Reich’s “Music For a Large Ensemble”

Erik Hall will release his new album Solo Three on January 23, 2026 via Western Vinyl. The composer and multi-instrumentalist interpreted pieces by Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, Laurie Spiegel and perhaps most ambitious of the group, “Music For a Large Ensemble” by Steve Reich. The composition originally written in 1978 for at least 23 performers finds its bright, lively spirit in dazzling sonic detail with its component parts supporting, augmenting and complementing each other in short and then longer lines back to those shorter and alterations in accent and volume to bring to the experience of listening an organic feel and one that stimulates the mind with the simple joy of its arrangements. Hall uses a divergent sound palette with synths, organs, pianos, guitar, bass (all performed, recorded and mixed by himself—impressive on its own) to lend a modern almost electronic music aesthetic to one of Reich’s classics. Listen to “Music For a Large Ensemble” on YouTube and follow Erik Hall at the links below.

Erik Hall on Twitter

Erik Hall on Facebook

Erik Hall on Instagram

Silver Liz Creates a Cinematic Experience of Deep Affection in Dreampop Single “Through The Trees”

When “Through The Trees” begins it sounds as though you’re hearing strands of music from overlapping realities. But Silver Liz appears to write music with a deeply layered aesthetic with mixed styles intermingling in unpredictable ways. When the song gets off the ground it’s like an IDM song in terms of production and arrangement but the ethereal synths, melodiously atmospheric vocals and textural guitar work ground the song in human emotion and the feeling of deep affection for one’s beloved. The intertwining of electronic and organic elements is seamless and adds to a great sense of space and sonic depth throughout the song so that even at three minutes forty-five seconds it feels like a full cinematic experience with the changes in tone and emotional resonance. Listen to “Through The Trees” on Spotify and follow Silver Liz at the links provided. The duo’s new album III drops January 30, 2026 on limited edition colored vinyl, digital download and streaming.

silverlizmusic.com

Silver Liz on Facebook

Silver Liz on Instagram

Silver Liz on Bandcamp

Trendsetter’s “Superhero” is Like a Downtempo IDM Journey to Mysterious and Intriguing Places

The dark tone at the onset of “Superhero” by Trendsetter (with collaborators Magnus Deus and Katty G) suggests long late nights driving the back alleys and byways like perhaps Batman would. The song has layers of saturated tone that feel like textures through which the yearning, melodic vocals come through like something out of a mid-to-late-90s downtempo song. But this piece of music sounds even more steeped in 2020s production. The percussion beats are in the vein of future garage/IDM but which drop drop out and echo lightly at times to give a subtle dub effect. But beyond picking apart the musical elements the song feels like a deep journey into mysterious places that stimulate the mind with the possibility of intrigue ahead. Listen to “Superhero” on Spotify and follow Trendsetter at the links below.

Trendsetter on Twitter

Trendsetter on Facebook

Trendsetter on Instagram

“Sunshine” is Your Friend Nirantha’s Tender Dream Pop Song of Affection and Appreciation For a Loved One

Your Friend Nirantha, photo courtesy the artist

Your Friend Nirantha released the debut EP Desire Path on September 25, 2025 and the lead single “Sunshine” is a quiet and delicate epic. Minimal percussion keeps the pace as spare, ethereal guitar traces the background spaces of the song and lightly distorted bass provides the deeper mood and Nirantha Gopal’s voice sits in the foreground with of affection and appreciation. In the end with the child’s voice one might rightfully assume it’s sort of a creatively ambitious song for one’s child. Hearing bells and in the mix to add a touch of texture enhances the impression of this song coming out of more a desire to convey a feeling more than being influenced by a specific style of music. It’s not really dream pop or indiepop but fans of both will find something undeniably appealing here. Fans of Black Belt Eagle Scout circa Mother of My Children will hear some resonance with the way Katherine Paul crafts melodies with great emotional nuance. Listen to “Sunshine” on Bandcamp and follow Your Friend Nirantha at the links provided.

https://yourfriendnirantha.bandcamp.com/track/sunshine

yourfriendnirantha.com

Your Friend Nirantha on Instagram

Your Friend Nirantha on Apple Music

Bad Flamingo Leans Into Defying Conventional Morality on the Languid, Noir Folk Single “The Fruit”

Bad Flamingo, photo courtesy the artists

With “The Fruit” Bad Flamingo takes a more gentle tone from the dark edge of some of its other songwriting. Some tasteful slide guitar work and folk-inflected delicacy gives a new quality to the band’s tales of being from the wrong side of the tracks and leaning into sweet temptations. Bad Flamingo is expert at implying people in the throes of a romantic and sexual relationship or rare connection and passion. But this song is more like having the time to reflect on yet another facet of that relationship in a moment with the typical, and refreshing, lack of regret for transgressing conventional behavior and morality in pursuit and service to something real and vital. The title of the song and references to snakes cleverly allude to original sin while discarding such spurious notions and taking a thrill at defying god/mainstream society at the same time. In the video we see the be-masked members languishing about in what looks like a hotel room from the 1970s, an aesthetic suiting their vibe and the late night musings of the song. Watch the video for “The Fruit” on YouTube and follow Bad Flamingo at the links below.

badflamingomusic.com

Bad Flamingo on Facebook

Bad Flamingo on Instagram

CTZNSHP Returns With the Dark, Moody and Dissonant Post-Punk Song “Hawaii”

CTZNSHP recently released Lost Loves (A Collection Of Rarities), a compilation of early demos, practice space recordings, previous and more recent studio recordings. The Montreal-based post-punk band garnered attention a little over a decade ago for its commanding and spacious guitar and emotionally charged vocals with lyrics of uncommon psychological insight. The lead single “Hawaii” sounds more melancholic like a dark surf rock song Chris Isaak might sing. Its lightly distorted guitar lead threatens to break apart in any moment and the vocals similarly so in its urgency. And as the song progresses that initial impression splinters because it sounds more desparate and dissonant than anything you’d expect from Isaak and more like something in the vein of Preoccupations or Protomartyr and how both bands can dip into a fractured sensibility and then back into coherence reflecting the actual experience of having a moment of peak emotion. Listen to “Hawaii” on Bandcamp and follow CTZNSHP on Instagram.

Pullman Returns With Pastoral Ambient Single “Weightless” Featuring Former Members of Tortoise, Codeine and Eleventh Dream Day

Pullman returns after two decades with a new album Pullman III due out January 9, 2026 on Western Vinyl. The group which includes former members of Tortoise, Codeine, Eleventh Dream Day and Rex is primarily a studio project recording pastoral soundscapes with mostly acoustic instruments offers us a new single in “Weightless” with a free flow of warm guitar, textural and impressionistic percussion and a nearly hypnotic rise and fall dynamic as the main harmonic sounds seem to shimmer and glimmer in an organic pattern. It has a quality like a sonic suspension constantly resonating and revealing details of its quality with each moment. Listen to “Weightless” on YouTube and follow Pullman at the links below.

Pullman on Bandcamp

Western Vinyl on Facebook

Western Vinyl on Instagram

Kat KIKTA’s Sound Art Piece “Your Voice In My Ear” Challenges Conventional Notions of Desire and Romance

It’s best to set aside musical expectations when hearing/watching the video for Kat KIKTA’s sound piece “Your Voice In My Ear.” The background harmonics establish a dreamlike mood and the dialogue between a human woman and a processed voice whose source is implied to be a sentient machine intelligence in which there is a sensuousness and even sexual aspect to the way the voices interact. The touch of delicate rhythm along with the drones is very much more an ambient companion to the mood in the sonic foreground. It may be conceptually something like science fiction without the special effects but it speaks to the very human phenomenon of people falling for each other purely through vocal contact or even indirectly through letters or online because they feel a connection for the other person and a sense of ease, comfort and emotional attraction that can bond people together in a way that transcends more outward and superficial factors. It captures the essence of a modern experience of desire in a way few “songs” ever do. Watch the video for “Your Voice In My Ear” on YouTube and follow Kat KIKTA at the links below.

kiktamusic.com

Kat Kikta on Twitter

Kat Kikta on Facebook

Kat Kikta on TikTok

Kat Kikta on Instagram

Kat Kikta on Bandcamp

Cry9c’s Darkly Moody and Enigmatic “Play Pretend” is Reminiscent of Modern Avant-Post-Punk and Early Ambient Industrial

“Play Pretend” has a kind of icy moodiness, enigmatic energy and imaginative production that makes you wonder if Cry9c is tapping into the same frequency of creativity as more left field post-punk bands like The Serfs, Kaput and Luna Honey. The interweaving layers of rhythm, minimal guitar riffs, drones, distorted harmonics and lightly echoing vocals are reminiscent of an update of late 70s and early 80s proto-industrial pop like the members of the band listened to a lot of Cabaret Voltaire, Indian Jewelry and Drab Majesty at the same time. But the song has its own wonderfully dark resonance like the more accessible band at the noise show or the startling refreshingly different arty Witch House band at a more generally conventional post-punk show. The energy of the music is reminiscent of late 2000s American DIY scene with an elusive air of mystique and that’s a rarefied quality these days. Listen to “Play Pretend” on YouTube and follow Cry9C at the links below. The self-titled EP released October 16, 2025 and is available for digital download, streaming and on cassette.

Cry9c on Bandcamp