With its airy, nostalgic instrumentation, warm vocals, and hindsight 20/20 point of view, indie-pop artist Hoppe creates a cinematic tribute to coming to terms with life’s surprises. Article Contributed by Brooke Dougherty Album Artwork for Cade's upcoming album artwork | Artwork from Spotify Listening to “Lake Michigan” feels like rolling the windows down on a summer roadtrip, chasing blue skies, and realizing that the destination was never the point. A former finance studen

There are breakup songs that make you want to text your ex. Then there are songs like Rachel Bochner's "Happier You're Gone (SASE)," the kind that reminds you just how much you've grown since everything fell apart. Article Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt Photography by Smiles Meyer (IG: @strangeexposures) At its core, "Happier You're Gone (SASE)" isn't about bitterness. It's about perspective. While the song can easily be heard as the story of leaving behind a relationship, i

With smoky vocals and lyrics that ache, this track captures the realization that some relationships don't end with a bang, they unravel until there's nothing left to save. Article Contributed by Shyanne Vaden Rising artist Marilyn Hucek’s single “Self Destruct” tells a story about love and mutual destruction that we are all too familiar with, holding onto a relationship that is past the point of return and struggling to let go. Released June 12, 2026, the Chilean-American art

Article Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt & Ilana Bornstein Some bands come together through industry connections. Others start because a group of friends simply never stopped playing music together. For Chicago-based alternative pop band Flwers, it’s the second story. SoundCheck first discovered Flwers the same way a lot of fans did lately… scrolling through TikTok. Between honest lyrics, hook-heavy melodies, and videos that felt more like friends sharing music than a careful

Article Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt Photo Provided by Spotify Die To Fall is The Maine’s first release off their upcoming record Joy Next Door, and it already feels like a song made to be shared. It has that indie alternative glow to it, but with a beat you can still move to. The kind of song that turns into a group scream at a summer show, arms thrown over each other’s shoulders, yelling “I feel alive” like you mean it. There’s something really freeing about it. It feels

On the first warm night in months, Philadelphia showed up loud for a lineup that proved the local scene is thriving. Article Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt & Devin McDevitt Moonroof performing at Underground Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Photo by Rebecca McDevitt. IG: @ rebeccajeanlimitedphotography There is something about the first warm night in Philadelphia that feels like permission to breathe again. The snow was melting into the sidewalks. People lingered outside instead of

Photo by Sasha Camacho Article Contributed by Fernando Flores Lexa Gates’s “I Am” unfolds like a conversation you don’t rush through. It’s an album that takes its time not because it’s unsure of itself but because it understands that self-definition isn’t something you arrive at all at once. This project moves with patience and purpose; tracing the quiet evolution of someone learning how to live inside their own truth. It doesn’t posture or over-explain. It simply exists con

On asking the hard questions, embracing chaos, and writing in real time. Article Contributed by Vaneza Gutiérrez Wyckoff Asha Banks shot by Louise Browne For Asha Banks, reflection isn’t something that happens neatly after the fact — it’s an active, ongoing state. That instinct sits at the heart of How Real Was It?, her debut EP released last November via Island Records, shaping both the emotional arc of the project and the way she speaks about her creative life overall. Rath

Article Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt Fourteen years ago, Mike Schiavo was performing in a small pizza shop in New Jersey, the kind of venue where the stage feels temporary but the ambition does not. Backed by members of Aaron Carter’s former touring band, the show carried an odd duality: hyper-local grit paired with a glimpse of something bigger. Even then, Schiavo sang like someone already imagining Los Angeles. Mike Schiavo performing at Luna's pizza in 2012 with a local

Article Contributed by Fernando Flores Photos contributed by UMG 1824 SoundCheck was lucky enough to catch up with the artist known as no other than Diana Silvers. With grace like Anne Hathaway, she clearly shows her excitement to detour away from her filmography and deep dive into her first full-length musical project, “From Another Room.” Known for her work in Booksmart, Ma, and Space Force, Silvers has built a reputation and has shown her strengths in conveying emotions.

Photo credit: Jack Morgan (IG: @jackmorgan07 ) Contributed by Rebecca McDevitt Photos by Jack Morgan Independent pop singer-songwriter...

Interview by Rebecca McDevitt & Ilana Bornstein Article & Photos by Rebecca McDevitt Photo by Rebecca McDevitt Genre-defying....

Some artists are born into music; others find their way to it through sheer passion and relentless pursuit. Chucky Hugh blends both.