LITM Singer-songwriter picks tunes brought to you by George Collins Band, Blind Man’s Daughter and Robin James Hurt

LITM Rock Picks tunes featuring George Collins Band, Blind Man’s Daughter and Robin James Hurt!

1. George Collins Band – “Black and White World”

For years, George Collins has been the quiet craftsman of the roots-rock world - the guy who can make a song feel both intimate and stadium-ready without ever breaking a sweat. But "Black and White World"? That's him throwing the cardigan off and strutting straight into the spotlight.

Gone are the cozy, fireside tones of "By the Time" or "New Way." Here, Collins leans into a sharp, staccato groove - electric guitars flicker like neon signs, brass punches in like punctuation, and the rhythm section practically grins as it drives the track forward. You can almost hear the joy of a band in full swing, playing for the sheer thrill of it.

Lyrically, however, Collins gets philosophical, reminding us life is not a question of black versus white, but all nuance, smudges, and shades of in-between. The track becomes both groove-heavy bop and clever commentary on how oversimplified thinking divides us. Smart rock music that dances as it preaches, with a little of Tom Petty's swagger, Elvis Costello's bite, and a whole lot of George Collins's wisdom.

2. Blind Man’s Daughter – “Harbor Boulevard”

The heart and soul behind Blind Man's Daughter, Ashley Wolfe, is a special talent, and this is exceptionally realized with "Harbor Boulevard." It's not just a song — it's a letter, a memory, and a love that refuses to fade.

For her father, who lives with Alzheimer's, Wolfe is painting her childhood street - the first house, the laughter, the echoes of life - in soft brushstrokes of guitar, piano, and heart. Cinematic yet delicate in its production, it offers textures that shimmer in all the ways an old photograph might do. Her voice is right at the center, perfectly positioned among the grief and grace, carrying the kind of emotional honesty that stills a room in an instant.

Fans of Kacey Musgraves or early Taylor Swift will find themselves in familiar and comfortable territory, but the storytelling of Wolfe has a quiet fire unto itself. It's beautiful and devastating when the chorus swells, much like the sun dipping low over the boulevard. "Harbor Boulevard" doesn't just honor a memory; it breathes life back into it.

This is songwriting at its purest-personal, vulnerable, and unforgettable.

3. Robin James Hurt – “Hey Mary (Play a Song for Me)”

If ever there were a love letter to Dublin's soul, Robin James Hurt just wrote it. "Hey Mary (Play a Song for Me)" isn't just about a person; it's about a place, a mood, and a whole way of life. With its inspiration from Máire Begley, the street performer who made Grafton Street an open-air concert hall, Hurt serves up a tune that's as vibrant, cheeky, and alive as the city itself. The guitars sparkle, that 12-string shimmer pure magic; the drums bounce with Police-esque precision; and the melody just refuses to sit still-it's folk, it's pop, it's street-corner rock 'n' roll. Tony Floyd Kenna's lyrics strike the perfect balance between homage and celebration; never heavy-handed, just full of admiration. And as for Hurt's delivery? Effortless. You can practically feel the smile behind each and every line. But "Hey Mary" plays like a jam session caught in motion -- communal, fleeting, and full of joy. The kind of song that makes you wish you were there on Grafton Street, pint in hand, nodding along as Dublin sings back.

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LITM Rock Pick Scintillating tunes for the weekend brought to you by JAYA, Mark Griffin and The Pennydrops

LITM Rock Picks Tunes picks weekend tunes for you to jostle to, featuring JAYA, Mark Griffin and The Pennydrops!

1. JAYA – Rolling Stone

   "Rolling Stone" by JAYA is one of those tracks that don't just play; it moves. It's equal parts cool, confident, and softly reflective-the kind of song that hits you mid-scroll and has you double back just to listen again. It leans into a seamless contemporary pop production with just enough grit under the polish to give it character. JAYA's vocals glide effortlessly over the beat, expressive and melodic, laced with a quiet strength. There's an undeniable ease in the way she delivers her lines-like she's lived every word but just won't dramatise it. The production is crisp, the hooks clean, and its pacing keeps you locked in until the end. "Rolling Stone" is what motion sounds like: change, self-assuredness, and probably just a little chaos. JAYA cements herself as one to watch, crafting music that feels both modern and timelessly cool.

2. Mark Griffin – Taking Over My Mind
Mark Griffin's "Taking Over My Mind" is like sunshine in song form: warm, bright, and full of unexpected heart. Recorded at Fremantle's Sundown Studios with Elliot Smith at the helm, it's got that relaxed folk-country charm that just makes one want to roll the windows down and sing along, even when one doesn't know the words yet. The acoustic guitars sparkle, the rhythm skips forward with a spring in its step, and Griffin's vocals wrap it all up with sincerity that's impossible not to love. The lyrics speak to one of life's happiest surprises-meeting that forever person when one least expects it-and the music mirrors that same spontaneity. It's playful, earnest, full of gentle joy. There is something subtle, much like John Prine's simplicity, in the storytelling of Griffin-no frills, no pretence, just honesty and melody. "Taking Over My Mind" isn't trying to be clever; it's trying to be true, and that is exactly what makes it special.

3. The Pennydrops- Nightblindess
The Pennydrops' debut single, "Nightblindness," is that kind of folk anthem that crawls into your head and stays there for days. Clearly, the York duo Izzy Hartley and J.J. Chamberlain didn't come to play it safe-this six-minute gem changes between moods like a dream, shifting between shimmering harmony and grungy melancholy. It's a song about conflict-that restless tug-of-war between breaking free and staying where it's safe-and you feel that tension in every note. The guitars chime and brood, the percussion swells and retreats, and their voices weave together like threads in the same, bittersweet story. It's cinematic, too-part indie-folk confession, part slow-burning rock catharsis. By the time this chorus soars, you're all in on its world. "Nightblindness" proves The Pennydrops have vision beyond their years: heartfelt, unpredictable, and achingly human. If this is their first release, the future is looking pretty bright-even through the darkness.

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LITM Rock Picks Tunes To Set The Weekend Mood featuring BLAD, Royal Griff, Paid By Cash and More!

LITM Rock Picks Tunes for your weekend brough to you by BLAD, Royal Griff, Paid By Cash, Belling The Tiger and Jacob Chacko.

1. BLAD – My Liba

BLAD's "My Liba" is like coming into a lucid dream you never knew you wanted. Soft, moody, effortlessly gliding in the mind with the stealth of a late-night thought you can't get rid of, there's something innately cinematic about its movement. Ambient textures fold over whispery vocals, all anchored by a beat that hums like a heartbeat on autopilot. Minimal but not simple, the landscape is that kind of minimalism where a dozen details are held in plain sight. Every tiny synth shimmer seems to serve a purpose, every vocal echo weighted. "My Liba" does not crescendo-it unfurls slowly, as it invites one into breathing at the rhythm it proposes. The result is a song that, though ethereal, feels tangible, mysterious yet strangely comforting. BLAD makes music, but he curates moods, and "My Liba" is one you will want to stay in for a while.

2. Royal Griff – It’s All in His Head

"It's All in His Head" by Royal Griff really captures that rare quality of what happens when introspection learns how to groove. The quiet confidence oozes, not that over-the-top variety, but that far cooler kind which comes with knowing exactly what you're trying to say and refusing to rush it. Every instrument on this song seems to have its pulse, its heartbeat feeding into the bigger story. Griff's songwriting is reflective without being self-indulgent; he gives you fragments of thoughts and feelings and then lets you piece together the rest. It is refreshingly human against a backdrop of overproduced noise. The mix is crispy, warm, like coffee and rain on a gray morning. With every listen, another emotional layer is pulled back, another hidden detail in the arrangement. Griff's voice sits perfectly in that sweet spot between vulnerable and assured. "It's All in His Head" doesn't demand attention; it earns it, tenderly and fully.

3. Paid By Cash – A Day Before
"A Day Before" by Paid By Cash sounds like the kind of song you find by accident and then spend the rest of the week obsessed with. This track is indie-pop at its most effortlessly stylish: crisp guitars, rolling drums, and vocals that shimmer like sunlight through blinds. There is a certain cinematic nostalgia-the kind that smells of summer air and feels like driving without destination. This song moves well; it's never in a rush but never lags. Every verse opens a little wider, like watching memory unfold in real time. Lyrically, it's wistful, not weepy; introspective without getting heavy-handed. There's this delicate balance between melancholy and momentum that makes it stick. "A Day Before" captures that exact moment before everything changes: the anticipation, the ache, the weird comfort of not knowing. Paid By Cash may not be shouting for attention, but this track makes a quiet kind of noise impossible to ignore.

4. Belling The Tiger – Listen
Belling The Tiger's "Listen" is an album that sounds at every turn like a master class in musicianship masquerading as a rock record. The Detroit-based outfit bends the genres like light: one minute floating through an art-rock reverie, the next caught up in a storm of prog-rock precision. Lush and alive, it is full of melodic twists and turns, none too interested in playing it safe. Every song on Listen-from the breathlessly intricate standout "Devil's Lure"-feels like a living thing, breathing and shifting in real time. Guitars soar, drums flex, and vocals ache with classic prog-rock yearning never out of place. The wild thing is just how emotional it all seems; this isn't just technical wizardry, this is feeling wrapped in form. "Listen" is one of those records that makes you believe in albums again: immersive, intelligent, and beautiful enough to make you forget the skip button exists. If modern rock had a renaissance painting, it would probably sound like this.

5. Jacob Chacko - Control My Pride

Jacob Chacko's "Control My Pride" is pure groove therapy - a slick, soulful pop-rock track that struts like it knows it's got the goods. The bass line alone deserves its own fan club, swaggering right through the mix with that warm, vintage charm. Chacko's vocals are clean, confident, and surprisingly tender, walking the line between reflection and release. There's a quiet self-awareness here-he's not just singing about pride; he's wrestling with it, and the production lets you feel every moment of that tug-of-war. Talya Gelfand's backing harmonies wrap around his lead like sunlight on glass, and the whole band clicks together with unforced chemistry. You can tell everyone involved knew exactly what the song needed-no filler, just finesse. "Control My Pride" sounds like the soundtrack to personal growth-catchy enough for the radio, real enough for your soul. Jacob Chacko doesn't just make pop-rock; he makes it mean something.

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LITM Rock Picks Tunes Featuring Low Wave, Sean Griffin, Pool Club and More!

LITM Rock Picks Tunes Brought To You by Low Wave, Sean Griffin, Pool Club, Phil and Chandra!

1. Low Wave – "Poison Pear"

If there was a soundtrack to desert heat, it'd be like Low Wave's "Poison Pear." It's as if the song is half-fuzzy, half-feral, and half-exquisitely calibrated. It's like the illegitimate child of Skunk Anansie and Queens of the Stone Age after a drunken night in a bright, tawdry dive bar. There’s something deliciously unhinged about it - those riffs shimmer with psychedelic sweat, the bassline struts like it owns the place, and the vocals? They slice clean through the haze, balancing fury with finesse. You can hear the ghosts of Jefferson Airplane floating through the mix, but this is no nostalgia trip - it’s a full-throttle revival. Low Wave constructs rock architecture the way it should be done: jagged, unrepentant, and full of life. "Poison Pear" is massive without being bloated, defiant without brashness - a demonstration that rock can still sound risky and smart. It's the type of song that won't request your attention - it commands it, smiling in the process.

2. Sean Griffin – "Rocks Off"

Seán Griffin's "Rocks Off" is just what it claims to be - a filthy, swaggering piece of rock 'n' roll that punches like a shot of whiskey followed by a boost of adrenaline. From the opening guitar sting, you know you're in for a wild ride through unadulterated fun. The song charges headlong like a fight in a bar and has the allure of a vintage jukebox song. Griffin's vocals snarl and howl with conviction, underpinned by a beat so tight you could coin-toss off it. You can pick up notes of The Ramones and Billy Bragg, but Griffin grounds it in his own unique way - a sound mix of Celtic toughness and Catskill soul. The wah-wild guitars and growling bassline add to it the garage rock snarl that has been missing from playlists recently. There's no overpolishing here- and that's the magic. "Rocks Off" is rock at its most basic: sweaty, loud, and alive enough to make you think again.

3. Pool Club – "Changing Tides"

"Changing Tides" by Pool Club is like a deep breath - one of those great songs that doesn't merely play to you but with you, coaxing you down slowly until you remember to forget to breathe. Constructed on glistening synth layers and waves of ethereal guitar, it's the sound of introspection translated to cinema. The indie-pop heartbeat keeps it light, while the chillwave textures give it this oddly weightless sadness - ideal for late-night drives or midnight musings. It's music for individuals in the position of great life changes, looking into the void and saying, "maybe that's alright." Each beat, every reverberation sounds deliberate, as if emotional support beams propping the entire thing up. Pool Club have produced not only a track, but a landscape - one that knows the pain of uncertainty and makes it something beautiful in an odd kind of way. If existential crises did have a soundtrack, "Changing Tides" would be the reassuring hum on the periphery.

4. Phil – "Home"

Vienna indie band Phil reached a quietly dazzling groove with "Home," a track that simultaneously feels both intensely familiar and somewhat unreal - as if a dream you continue attempting to recollect upon waking. The first groove is an instant tip of the hat to Tame Impala's smooth funk, but there's an undeniably European sadness threaded through the synth rushes and basslines. "Shiny on the outside, burning bright…" That one line alone explains the pain hiding behind the track's gleaming fringes. The production is lush but unpressed; each instrument allowed room to breathe, to hurt, to signify. What makes “Home” linger is its intimacy: it’s not just about belonging somewhere, but about the quiet restlessness that comes with it. The song hums with that tension - comfort vs curiosity, peace vs the pull of motion. Phil doesn’t shout to be heard; they whisper truths wrapped in groove. And that’s why “Home” hits harder the longer it stays with you.

5. Chandra – “It’s OK”

Chandra's "It's OK" is the type of song that's hugging you and high-fiving you simultaneously. It's sunny, explosive, and emotionally raw - a contemporary rock anthem with its heart firmly on its sleeve. Right from the introductory riff, it crackles with drive: sharp drums, jangling guitars, and a melody that almost demands to be sung back in a hot club. But beneath the singalong sheen is a message that cuts deeper than most inspirational posters ever could - "It's OK to not be OK." No platitudes, no manufactured optimism, just sheer relief at being human. Chandra Nair presents it with gritty conviction, walking the tightrope of vulnerability and confidence, with producer Elliot Vaughan ensuring every beat connects with precision and warmth. "It's OK" sounds like sunshine bursting through a persistent haze - glorious, purifying, and incontrovertibly alive. If joy had an electric guitar, this would be its sound.

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LITM Rock Brings You Tunes to set the week featuring Izira Burley, One Man Boycott, Massimo Cambiano

LITM Rock picks tunes brought to you by Izira Burley, One Man Boycott, and Massimo Cambiano!

1. Izira Burley – "who i used to be"

Izira Burley's "who i used to be" is the type of song that feels like it's been hiding in the depths of your subconscious - just waiting for the very right heartbreak, epiphany, or 3 a.m. meltdown to let its presence be known. Burley goes all in on the turmoil of rebirth, making vulnerability a sweeping monsoon of sound. Her voice is alchemical - smoky, soaring, and inescapable - coasting from ethereal whisper to rich catharsis. Imagine Evanescence if Phoebe Bridgers were their musical upbringing and David Fincher one of the reference points for production. The guitars growl, the drums slam like emotional punctuation, and over it all Burley presides with a rawness that's both intimate and untouchable. It's moody, magnetic, and perilously relatable - the type of song that has you reaching for your ex to text and compose poetry. Izira doesn't just sing here -she cleanses, and it's positively live.

2. One Man Boycott – "Imposter Syndrome" (from Face For Radio)

"Imposter Syndrome" strikes like a slap in the face of caffeine - a shot of pop-punk therapy smothered in the glorious din of revolution and rebirth. Joe Brewer, the enfant terrible of One Man Boycott, puts all his self-doubt and creative fatigue into a record that blows way out of proportion. This isn't another angsty anthem – it's the noise of someone struggling to enjoy himself again, riff by riff. The guitars riot with an unapologetic honesty that makes your internal teenager want to pump its fist into the air, and Brewer's vocals toggle between gritty punch and singing heartache. The hooks? Glass-cutting sharp. The lyrics? Bluntly honest without ever despairing. Face For Radio is like a love letter to the golden age of punk, updated with contemporary heart. If you've ever doubted yourself and then still managed to show up, this song is for you. Spoiler alert: you're exactly where you're meant to be, and Brewer is here to remind you of that.

3. Massimo Cambiano – "Luck, Timing & Birth"

Massimo Cambiano's "Luck, Timing & Birth" is like sitting on a park bench as sunset approaches and the world passing by and seeing that every turn of fate has its beat. It's considerate without ever being preachy, silky without ever being superficial - a song that occupied the nexus of jazz sophistication, pop lucidity, and indie contemplation. Cambiano's voice floats across a groove that's at once low-key and compelling, the sort of thing that gets stuck in your head and won't quietly exit. His lyrics are a philosopher's musings on how the smallest brushstrokes of fate determine our existence. It's aware of itself without being too awfully serious - a smile wrapped in tune. The production is crisp, the instrumentation rich, and the feel? All late-night-drive stuff. Pondering fate or simply grooving with a glass of wine in hand, "Luck, Timing & Birth" ensures that sometimes the universe does get it right.

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