Death Culture at Sea Playlist • 2025

https://www.matthewgallaway.com/

Matthew Gallaway invites listeners into the haunting, dream-lit world of Death Culture at Sea, a project born from restless imagination and sly nostalgia. In one early post, the reflection begins:

“A young boy wanders into the woods of Harlem and witnesses the abduction of his sister by a glowing creature. Forty years later…” 

That unfolding tale of memory, myth, and the surreal sets the tone for the music—introspective yet cinematic. The tracks are intimate confessions, like “Star‑Crossed Lullaby,” which Gallaway shared in December of 2022, layering gentle vocals over propulsive, echoing guitars—thankfully available alongside his Saturnine material 

Fast‑forward to November 2024, and Death Culture at Sea reveals a newer side: “Free Ride on Me” carries a bold, mythic intensity, even as Gallaway ties it back to his novelistic sensibilities (he’s also behind The Metropolis Case and a forthcoming Orpheus‑inspired novel) thegayrecluse.com

The result is a sonic landscape that feels both deeply personal and mysteriously expansive. Each track—a lullaby, a reverie, a folklore fragment—makes Death Culture at Sea an invitation: step into Gallaway’s storytelling waters, where memory, myth, and melody swirl together in beautifully disquieting waves.

ifitbeyourwill S05E21 • Hallelujah The Hills

What happens when a band decides to record not just one album, but a complete 52-song deck of cards? Ryan Walsh of Hallelujah the Hills takes us deep into his most ambitious creative undertaking yet.

"DECK" represents what Walsh calls "revenge creativity" – a defiant response to the pandemic that halted their momentum following their acclaimed 2019 album "I'm You." Rather than producing a standard follow-up, Walsh finally brought to life an idea he'd contemplated for two decades: creating a complete musical deck of cards with four distinct "suits" (albums) each containing thirteen songs.

The concept is brilliantly executed – Diamonds features polished, radio-friendly tracks; Clubs delivers faster, punkier "bangers"; Hearts showcases emotionally vulnerable material; while Spades explores experimental territory. Beyond the musical organization, Walsh designed custom artwork for each song, available as an actual playable card deck that fans can purchase alongside the music.

Most fascinating is how the project reimagines listener engagement in the streaming era. Walsh encourages fans to "shuffle the deck" by randomly selecting 13 songs to create unique playlists that statistically no one else will ever duplicate. This transforms passive consumption into something participatory and personal, giving listeners agency in how they experience this massive body of work.

The album features notable collaborations including Cassie Berman (Silver Jews) and Jeremy Gaudet (Kiwi Jr), reflecting Walsh's collaborative songwriting approach. As Hallelujah the Hills celebrates its 20th anniversary in November 2025, "DECK" stands as both an artistic milestone and a defiant statement against disposable music culture: "You work on something for two years. It gets attention for 48 hours and then everyone's on the next thing... we made this in defiance of that idea."

Listen to "DECK" when it releases this June and catch Hallelujah the Hills on tour across the Northeast as they share this extraordinary musical achievement with the world.

 

https://www.hallelujahthehills.com/

For 20 years, Boston’s Hallelujah The Hills have made full-blast rock ‘n’ roll that manages to be literate without ever losing its sense of humor. So it’s appropriate that the band is celebrating with its biggest and most eye-popping concept record to date: a four-LP set of 52 songs called “DECK".

WBUR, March 11, 2025 for DECK

Marble Sounds • Core Memory • 2025

marblesounds.com

Pieter Van Dessel is not one to stand still when it comes to music: the driving force behind Marble Sounds keeps challenging himself, exploring new horizons on every album. After the more melancholic eponymous fifth album, synths and drums take centre stage for a pure and almost electronic pop sound on sixth effort ‘Core Memory'

Blondshell • The SoCal Sound Session • 2025

Between recording the songs, Blondshell sat down with Julie Slater and Jason Friday to discuss the recording of the album, her creative process, and finding traction as her performer. During the interview, Blondshell explains that much of If You Asked for a Picture was written at home – literally in her room- with demo tracks captured on her phone. Emphasizing this point, she explains how that mind space is so important, “ It has to feel really everyday for me to feel comfortable,” she shared. “If there’s too much ceremony around it, it stops feeling natural.” socal

Rapt • Natural Light • 2025

I got some news on you from a friend

You're in Charlotte again

Teaching Spanish at high school

He said you're going by Joy

You cut your hair like a boy

And you don't talk to your old friends

I found a picture from before our fight

We're in natural light

And you're sitting on my lap

Like everything is alright

I've walked around with you on my mind

The way things were at the time

You know I've changed so much since then

I've thought on the things that we said

And what if we'd had a kid

I guess they'd be 15 now

I found a picture from before our fight

We're in natural light

And you're sitting on my lap

Like everything's alright

credits

released June 6, 2025

Written by Owen Ashworth (Casiotone For The Painfully Alone)

ifitbeyourwill S05E20 • Nick Bendzsa

Nick Bendzsa sits down with us to peel back the layers of his musical metamorphosis from synth-pop architect to folk-trap innovator. The Newfoundland native, now based in Montreal, candidly reveals how his sound has evolved alongside his personal journey.

Growing up with a music professor father who specialized in experimental and improvised compositions, Nick absorbed the spirit of musical freedom from an early age. While his teenage years found him playing bass in a blues band and performing for crowds of 2,000 at just 17, his true artistic voice was still developing. Nick reflects on how these formative experiences shaped his approach to music-making: "I think it was very much like being around him and going to his concerts and picking up this spirit of freedom through music and the joy of creation."

The conversation delves into the fascinating transition from his previous project Hello—characterized by densely layered electronic soundscapes—to his current solo work under his own name. This shift wasn't just stylistic but represented a deeper change in creative philosophy. "I'm not trying to add frivolous stuff," Nick explains. "I want to just communicate a bit more directly." His self-described "trap folk" sound merges fingerpicked guitars with trap beats and ambient textures, creating something uniquely authentic that flows from genuine emotional experiences rather than genre conventions.

Particularly illuminating is Nick's discussion of how producing for other artists has informed his own work, teaching him to consider what elements truly serve the emotional core of a song. This perspective has helped him embrace minimalism and authenticity over the pressure to create attention-grabbing pop songs in today's saturated music landscape. With his album "Very Soft Glow" set to release on May 24th, Nick Bendzsa invites us to witness the next chapter in his evolving musical story—one that promises to continue blurring boundaries while remaining firmly rooted in emotional truth.

Subscribe to hear more conversations with boundary-pushing indie artists who are redefining genres and creating deeply personal music on their own terms.

 

Mo Lowda & the Humble • Canary • 2025

Website

"..a splash of jangle rock..['Canary'] has a carefree yet grounded energy. Surf-pop-inspired riffs give it a familiar but fresh feel, perfect for fans of alt-folk with a summery edge."

"Smoldering and emotive, gentle and driving..a refreshing breath of indie rock-laden fresh air that soothes the senses and warms the soul."

“'The Painter'” offers up a casual swagger disguised as a smooth groove, an intrepid mix of ’70s AM gold with the crystalline echo of 2010’s indie”

Frog • SAX-A-MA-PHONE (Live on KEXP) • 2025

https://frog.band/

ifitbeyourwill S05E19 • Super XX Man

When does a musical project truly end? Scott Garred of Super XX Man thought he had written the final chapter when he crafted an obituary for his 30-year-old band. Yet somehow, what began as a nostalgic blog post excavating old flyers and cassettes transformed into an unexpected resurrection.

The creative spark reignited when longtime collaborator Allie Wesley reached out after seeing Scott's posts. "It'd be so fun to do something together again," she wrote, not knowing those words would breathe new life into a project Scott had considered complete. That simple connection opened the floodgates to what Scott describes as "the community that was Super XX Man." Soon, songs that had been sitting in limbo found their way to Portland producer Adam Seltzer, forming the foundation of "Rusted Hues" - the first Super XX Man album in a decade.

Throughout our conversation, Scott shares fascinating insights into his creative process, describing how he immerses himself in music daily as both a music therapist and a perpetual student of the craft. "I play music every day," he explains, detailing how creativity generates more creativity once he begins recording. We journey back to his formative musical moments, from the friend who taught him two simple guitar chords that "changed my musical life right then and there" to his first experiences with home recording on a four-track that made songwriting feel accessible.

Most movingly, Scott reflects on what performing means after three decades of making music. "I don't think it's bravery," he says about sharing deeply personal songs. "It's a privilege to be able to go play a show and stand in front of one person, two people, a thousand people." Whether playing in a church basement in Wisconsin or to hundreds in Japan, the feeling remains the same: "When I'm really singing, and it's resonating in my own heart - there's nothing like it." Join us for this intimate look at musical resurrection, creative persistence, and finding renewed purpose in artistic community.

https://superxxman.net/home

“The music of Super XX Man is often introspective and deeply personal. It's sometimes playful, bittersweet and dreamy, but Garred's songs are also heartfelt and reflective. ” - Bob Boilen

RxHx • Star FKD • 2025

https://www.instagram.com/rxhx_vancouver

RxHx, the new solo project from Bruce Wilson, releases its haunting debut single “Star FKD” on May 23 across all streaming platforms. A bleakly beautiful dispatch from the edge of spiritual disintegration, “Star FKD” blends dissociative synth-punk, post-existential pop, and nocturnal new wave into one gripping sonic diagnosis.