[Indie/Pop] fknsyd – Taste.test Mixtape

One of electronic music’s most promising topliners in fknsyd has stepped out on her own with the debut solo mixtape Taste.test. Having worked with Rezz, Slander, RL Grime and many more, dance fans already know her chops when it comes to creating, but now we get the full breadth of her talents and artistic direction thanks to a beautiful 9-track project.

Taste.test invites the listener into a world of chill soundscapes blending indie, pop, R&B and more for an experience anybody can sink their existence into. There’s a common message throughout tying the song’s together through a cohesive thread that showcases just what this project means to fknsyd as she heroically embarks on her solo journey. It’s a well crafted, strong first step and we hope to hear more from her!

Taste.test is a compilation of songs I made over the last year or two. With my personal music I do everything myself, and I don’t feel overly confident about most of the skills involved in that process. As much as I’d like to only share things I feel completely satisfied with, I don’t think it needs to be that serious, and I realize whatever that standard is for me will be ever-changing. It doesn’t make me happy to stockpile a bunch of music. I admire people who share their art, so to me this is a step in the direction of feeling more comfortable doing that.” – fknsyd

Related items:

[Rock] Little Dume Drop 2nd LP Single + Shwayze Collab

Little Dume continue to march towards their debut LP with the release of their second LP single “Angel In My City.” This song follows up from their energetic hit “Lose My Head” that dropped back in July. With the new song the Malibu band shift sonic gears for a more chill and emotional piece of music.

“Angel In My City” wasn’t the only new release the band has as they were featured on Shwayze’s album for the incredibly catchy song “Someday” that will for sure find its way in our end of the year favorites. Both songs are completely different in style, yet showcase Little Dume’s impeccable versatility as a band. If you don’t have your eyes and ears on Little Dume already, you better soon or you’ll be left behind when they blow the f#&% up!

Related items:

[Video] ARMNHMR & RUNN – Falling Apart (Acoustic)

Any time RUNN releases something you have to give it a listen. In the case of the acoustic version of her song “Falling Apart” with ARMNHMR, there’s also a video to watch with it! With the original having been out since January with two million plays to show, it’s just about time this acoustic came out.

“Falling Apart” in its original form is an extremely emotional song that’s good no matter where you listen to it, be that at a festival or just at home; the song just works. With the acoustic, RUNN takes the lead with a toned down arrangement with essentially just guitar and piano. It’s a beautiful song and the video is tastefully done as well. Check out the Monstercat release below and enjoy!

Related items:

Petey Drops Instant Classic ‘Lean Into Life’ LP Amidst TikTok Fame

I haven’t written a blog review/write-up/article/whatever the hell you want to call it in what feels like… well, a long ass time. But Petey, otherwise recognized as PeteyUSA on TikTok, has ripped me out of my journalistic retirement with his twelve track debut album Lean Into Life released on Terrible Records. Even if only one person becomes a fan from this I’d feel accomplished, because this LP is just that good and Petey is just that type of honest talent that deserves everyone’s attention.

We’ve all been going through it this pandemic, and a lot of us have seen numerous changes in our lives that have really just beat us down. Whether we’re using humor, alcohol, food, games like 해외축구 or music to persevere, we’ve all got plenty of things to cope with and Petey offers up an extremely authentic expression that not only gives us a peak into his relatable life, but a vastly dynamic musical escape and an anthem that will give you a kick in the toosh to push back when life is feeling like the villain of your movie.

Lean Into Life as described by Petey himself is “of the indie-rock variety,” but it’s so much more than that. Sliding through styles with ease, Petey does follow a sonic centerline but infuses a lot of electronic instrumentation into the mix for a clean balance of the organic and synthetic.

What strikes me most about Petey’s music is his authenticity. That word is thrown around a lot but it’s not until you come across someone like Petey you realize what that actually means. We can describe it, we can repeat the definition, but the term’s true nature isn’t something that’s really quantifiable. Not to get too hippy dippy, but it’s truly felt and I can certainly feel it pulsating through from start to finish on this LP.

As someone who was born, left and returned to the Golden State, I can 100% live by Lean Into Life‘s first track whose chant “I’d rather be depressed in California” which has become my go-to answer for everyone who’s asked me about moving elsewhere.

Following up are a string of my other favorites including the quirky “Apple TV Remote,” the previously released hit “Pitch A Fit!” and the heartfelt love anthem “Don’t Tell The Boys” which has literally made me cry several times while listening and thinking about my own girlfriend.

But the song that sticks out to me the most as one of the most genuine, fun, funny, sad, awesome, and unique songs is the title track “Lean Into Life.” It’s a 5 and half minute journey that is structurally different from usual expectations and is the aforementioned masterpiece that has become a mantra for my own life. Petey does everything right on this one and gives us what I imagine is his most deeply personal song. It’s minimal, yet cathartic, it builds in all the right ways. Despite showing vulnerability, it feels like this song – and the full LP – were loads of fun to craft. I could go on and on forever, but I don’t want to bore you with my adoration as you can plainly see I believe Petey to be a special musician.

Petey wants to just be a guy making stuff, and that’s something I can get behind. With lifeless brands taking over, it’s nice to see a genuine creative take the stage and deliver something extraordinary, yet down-to-Earth. I hope Lean Into Life hits you as hard as it did me, and make sure to also check out PeteyUSA on TikTok if you’re into alt-comedy. I could do a whole other review about his hilarious antics as one of my favorite TikTokers, but let’s leave it to the music for now. Enjoy.

Stream/Download ‘Lean Into Life’

PS, Petey is going to be on tour!

Related items:

The Knocks – R U HIGH (ft. Mallrat) [SUNDRESS Remix]


If you’ve been paying any attention, you’ve likely noticed that I haven’t posted anything in well over a year. In fact, very few people have posted on TMN recently. We won’t get into reason why, as today we’re focusing on why we, or rather I am back with another post.

Call it serendipitous. Call it kismet. Whatever you label it with, it’s a strange and rather comical reason why I’m here, writing up a song. It all started four nights ago, as I was watching the Nuggets’ playoff game, enjoying a cocktail, and scrolling through NBA twitter. In a moment of jubilation, celebrating the Nuggs somehow stopping Dame Lillard from sinking an endless amount of threes, I tweeted something snarky. That snark (seen below) was followed up by a brutal ratio from a guy named Jack–a Trailblazer fan and one half of the Portland-based SUNDRESS.


After a bit of playful Twitter sparring, we both followed each other, and came to find out that he had read TMN in high school. And, that I was a big fan of what Jack and Khal were making.

So, that’s why we’re here today, taking a peek at their latest release, a remix of long-time TMN favorite The Knocks‘ latest tune, “R U High?” Loaded with vibes for days, this flip of what was originally a moodier piece is reimagined as more of a warm weather take. Driven by well-sampled vocal cuts, and a fresh lead synth that walks the line of feeling trop, without going overboard, this stellar remix is primed for this weekend’s Memorial Day pool party.

This is SUNDRESS’ third release, but more are on the way soon. I recommend following them across your favorite social channels and staying tuned in. I’ve had the pleasure of previewing it, and they’re pretty damn fantastic.

I guess the only thing I have left to say to these two is Go Nuggets. See you on Twitter for the rest of the series.

Related items:

[Indie Alternative] Little Dume’s “Human” Leads Global Citizen’s #VAXBECAUSE Campaign

Malibu’s Little Dume (the band, not the beach) is making waves with their latest alternative anthem “Human.” Not only is this record leading a charge toward the debut album as a quartet, but it’s also principal in Global Citizen‘s international #VAXBECAUSE campaign whose aim is to raise awareness about vaccine equity.

“Human” is a smash hit all around and is deserving of such an illustrious partnership for a great cause. In this day and age, if you’ve got a great song and a meaningful yet fun AR filter challenge, you can cover a lot of digital ground. Armed with such, Global Citizen is taking a stand in a major way, especially given the fact that on May 8th they’ll be going live for their Concert to Reunite the World. Hosted by Selena Gomez, this massive show will feature performances by Foo Fighters, Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Vedder, J Balvin and more.

Check out “Human” below and make sure to join in on the #VAXBECAUSE challenge on Instagram!

Related items:

How to Create an Ideal Playlist for Online Learning


Know What you Like
The first step in creating a playlist is to know what you like. Essays from writing sites like PerfectEssay will recommend listen music for inspiration. Remember that not everyone likes the same things. What is acceptable and useful to some people could be distracting and annoying for you. You need to keep that in mind. There is no right or wrong way to do this!

Look and listen to the music you like. Try and remember your previous experiences with it when you were studying. Were you distracted by it, or did it help you focus? If it helped you focus, it is a good contender for a study list. Remember that if the music on your list is something that you don’t like, it can be very distracting. That’s the opposite of the goal you want to achieve! You want to pick music that you like, which is why you should focus on the music you regularly listen to first.

Knowing what you like is the key, as it will form the base of your studying playlist. You can’t branch out into new ideas if you don’t have a good music starting point.

Have a Look at Different Music
A playlist for studying doesn’t have to be static. You can always look for new music to put in it, if that is what you want.

If you want to do this, it’s best to do it from your existing musical tastes. If you like trance, why not try another genre of electronic music? If you like classic rock, why not try progressive rock? If you like baroque music, you will probably like romantic music. And so on. Widening your listening can give you some great new ideas for your study playlist. It can also introduce you to entirely new musical genres to use throughout your life and activities!
Looking at what other people do is always helpful when you are looking at expanding your own musical tastes. Why not start with some articles on what music is known to help people study? If they have music on there is similar to what you like, you can easily try it. You might like it, and you might not. Either way, you can find new music to try in your own playlists. More than that, expanding your music journey can lead you to a new genre you can listen to for the rest of your life!

Ask Other People’s Opinions
You may just be creating a playlist for your own use. In that case, do what you want – the only person you need to please is yourself. However, you might find yourself in the position of creating a study playlist for multiple people. If that’s the case, then you will need to talk to people and find out what they want.

You can buy essays online and enjoy listening music then. You need as much information as possible before you start making your playlist. You will need to find a way to please everybody with your playlist. Try and find out who likes what, who doesn’t like what, and try to compromise. You might have to mediate between people who hate each other’s music! Just remember that the end goal for everybody is the same – to get some good studying done.

You should try and approach this study playlist by keeping things simple. Take all the genres that are similar to each other, and start finding tracks that you like. This will allow you to create a playlist that satisfies everybody, and yet is not too jarring. Any tracks that are too different from each other will likely pull you out of your studying headspace.

Put it all Together
When you have all the music you feel you want or need, put it together. Remember that the best study music playlist is one that enhances your studying. You shouldn’t find yourself actively listening to the music at any point. The music should help you focus on your work. When you are putting your playlist together, try and keep the genres together, if you can. This will serve two purposes. It will keep your attention focused on your studying by avoiding any sudden changes in music. If the music only gradually changes, then you won’t get any sudden shocks.

When you put it all together, you need to decide how you are going to do that. Are you going to make a YouTube playlist? That would make the creation process a lot easier – you simply take YouTube videos of appropriate songs and add them to your playlist. You might prefer another music platform, such as iTunes or Spotify. It all depends on your needs. Which would be better for you? Choose, and then work on a playlist in that format. From there, you could take it one step further and start a podcast! Make sure to do your research to review very popular streaming mics.

On the other hand, why not use all the music platforms you want to? Each one can have different applications, and you will never be without your study music.

Listen to It Before you Play It
Before you confidently move on with your life with the best study playlist, listen to it all the way through. You might find that music which works well in concept doesn’t work so well when you actually hear it. Your idea of good studying music might turn out to be too distracting. Listen to it all the way through, and then make adjustments if you can.

You might find that you want to make two playlists. You can split your music up into a more sedate playlist and a more active playlist. One for quiet studying, and one more pumped up music for when you need to get your blood flowing. This can come in very handy when writing essays, for example. Listening to your playlist before you debut it can solve a lot of problems. If you are making a playlist for a group, listening to it first can help you spot any problems before they come up.

Happy Listening!
The question of the best music to study to has no real answer. It depends on what helps you, so your list should have music that helps you. Whatever happens to your list, try and have fun while you make it. Studying doesn’t have to be purely work – have fun!

Related items: