Category: Features

Posted on: January 23, 2024 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Blackstate “The Arsonist” 

Blackstate’s The Arsonist immediately tattoos its melodies deep into the minds and hearts of listeners; one can here a bit of Plastikman and Benny Bennassi in the song’s opening minute. The ability of the act to tell a story without having to dip into vocals too often showcases the act’s ability. The Arsonist is one of those songs that you’ll have to strap on your earphones and really focus on,…

Posted on: January 23, 2024 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Autumn Kings “Sleep When I’m Dead” 

At first blush, the new single from the Autumn Kings, Sleep When I’m Dead, builds upon the tradition of performers like Bring Me The Horizon, Tom McDonald, and Imagine Dragons. Assertive drums, synths, and a perfect blend of metal and pop-tinged hard rock turn Sleep When I’m Dead into one of those songs that listeners will be singing along with long after the song ceases to play. The Autumn Kings…

Posted on: January 23, 2024 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

Johnny PE “Somehow” 

Somehow is a slinky and sultry track that will immediately draw in listeners with haunting instrumentation and smooth vocals. There’s a deceptively deep dynamic that is achieved between the vox and the instrumentation, virtually ensuring that one will need to play the single multiple times before hearing each and every nuance that Johnny PE has placed within. We’re particularly digging the chorus to Somehow, which both changes up the overall…

Posted on: January 19, 2024 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Cookie Delicious – Broken Connection (featuring Natalie Bohrn)

Cookie Delicious’s Broken Connection begins with a fun, funky groove that differentiates itself from much of modern EDM with its look back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. The vocals (laid down here by Natalie Bohrn) stand out boldly among the drums and the slinky synths. Broken Connection is one of those tracks that will have listeners going out on the dance floor, but the most interesting side of…

Posted on: January 18, 2024 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Sága Imperial IPA (Summit Brewing Co.)

Summit Brewing (St. Paul, Minnesota)’s Sága Imperial IPA pours with a rich brownish-red coloration and a good amount of tenacious white head. The effort ends up very well-balanced, tying together bold, piney hop presence with a dollop of wheat (the brewery’s mentions a honey malt base). While this imperial India Pale Ale is fairly heady (it clocks in at 9.0%) ABV, the constellation of flavors flows nicely. In fact, Sága…

Posted on: January 17, 2024 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Eddie Cohn “Who Or What I Was Before”

Eddie Cohn’s Who Or What I Was Before has hints of U2 and Erasure, albeit with a much more emotive and engrossing instrumentation playing at the bottom of the track. Synths, wind-swept guitars, and on-point drumming combine to make for an eclectic backdrop. There’s a confidence to Cohn’s vocals that will strike anyone fortunate enough to listen in. The song concludes before the three-minute mark. It is a testament to…

Posted on: January 17, 2024 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Michael Little “Yesterday”

Michael Little’s “Yesterday” calls back to the late 1990s with the smooth, silky and sultry R&B style that it achieves. There’s tremendous passion that Michael incorporates into every line of the track, while the song’s instrumentation is able to add a backdrop to Little’s vox while acting as an equal partner in establishing’s the song’s inimitable melodies. The song could easily garner radio rotation at any point in the last…

Posted on: January 17, 2024 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

MattO “Reeling”

Reeling is MattO’s first track of 2024, and the song builds upon some of the trends that he presented fans in 2023 as well as draw upon different musical traditions during the single’s run time. The performer’s Americana approach hints to Neil Young and John Melloncamp, all while the guitar work seems a bit Bakersfield and a dollop of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The timeless sound of Reeling will stick with listeners…

Posted on: January 13, 2024 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Forever Alone: Peacharine (Resident Culture Brewing Co.)

Forever Alone: Peacharine is a very hazy India Pale Ale from Charlotte, NC’s Resident Culture Brewing Company, pouring with a good amount of white head. In fact, FA: Peacharine may be the most opaque beer that we have covered so far over the course of NeuFutur’s beer review section. Forever Alone: Peacharine’s nose has a small amount of frutiness with the briefest amount of hop bitterness at the end. The…

Posted on: January 9, 2024 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Daytripping to Shreveport Louisiana

I drove a few hours just this last Sunday. The temperature was fantastic. The sky was clear, but after a few hours of being on the road, I started to get a massive headache. This seems to happen once every year or so. What happens is that I get enough sun that I start getting a day-long, severe sort of migraine. Surprisingly, it’s due to all the sun that gets…