#MusicMonday Review - January 2026 Part 2

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#MusicMonday is the hashtag I've been using for quite a while to share music recommendations from up-and-coming artists. Always fresh, and always different, trying to look for trends before they become one. You can check January's Part 1 review for more music.

Music can be empowering, and this issue's artists give us examples on how songs can drive us to inspiration, and strength. Give them a listen, with a word from the artists themselves. 🎧

Martyn Cuthbert – Not Today

Just over the horizon
I hear the children play
The seabirds are singing
And life feels great
And I think to myself
What a time to be alive

We begin the next leg of our musical trip in Kilmarnock, Scotland, for an Indie Rock about the mighty feeling a simple walk can bring, when you're surrounded with loved ones:

"It came from a day at the beach with my wife and children. There was a good feeling about that day. Just so peaceful and the stress of everyday life was gone. My music is usually deep and emotional. This song I wanted to be a happy one. To remind me of the peace I felt that day 😊"

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Moonlight Parade – War On The Moon

Open up your eyes
Let it all inside
Chase the moment
Make it all worthwhile

Let's fly now to Worthing, England for another Indie track, this time about diving into your first experiences in a new town:

"The track started as a jam in the rehearsal room and we kept coming back to it and built it up over 4 or 5 months and it kept growing. Usually our songs are are under 4 minutes so this way a bigger composition than we are used too. Some of the lyrics are inspired by singer Ben’s experience living in Worthing for a short period of time."

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Subsolar – Here And Now

Go ahead I’m listening
There’s no wall between us now

I said it before, no, I’ll say it again
You’re looking through an out of focus lens

I focused on my distancing
So please don’t pull me down

I’m looking back at the shore but I don’t wanna descend
The green and the blue they perfectly suspend

We travel west to Bournemouth, England, for an Alt Rock track about the meaning of living in the moment, confronted by a past that won't let you go:

"Here And Now continues the emotional journey started in Komorebi (my first single), but explores an earlier stage - before acceptance has fully settled in. The song is about being present while still creating distance, in essence acknowledging something difficult without fully confronting it.

Lyrically, it captures the tension between wanting to stay grounded and not getting swept away emotionally. It inhabits that in-between space, reflecting the uncertainty of how to respond to change or loss, the need for distance, and the quiet comfort found in solitude.

Vocally, the spacious verses and swelling, layered choruses carry a soft, shimmering delivery, giving the track an intimate, reflective feel. The repeated refrain 'Here and now' acts as a subtle anchor, grounding the listener amid conflicted emotions.

Musically, a lightly hopeful backdrop contrasts the uncertainty in the lyrics, hinting at the possibility of moving forward despite the unease. I was caught between wanting to be present in my relationship and needing to pull away entirely. I wasn’t ready to accept that my Dad wasn’t going to be around anymore, and that grief made it hard to fully be there for someone I cared about. Some days I wanted to hold on, to stay close and engaged, but other days I felt this almost instinctive need to retreat, to create distance so I could make sense of everything. I didn’t really know how to be there, or how to step back, and I was just trying to find some balance in the middle of all that uncertainty.

In narrative terms, Here and Now is a step before Komorebi. Capturing the tentative, questioning stage that precedes the clarity and acceptance explored in the debut single. It’s a moment of pause, introspection, and emotional balancing, reflecting the early process of coming to terms with life’s ups and downs."

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Oh Hazar – Justice

No crime without justice, and justice day has come
It’s time to face the verdict, on what is mine to hold and what is beyond retrieve

Mired in miles of gloom and tangled up and tired in threads of loathing
Smothering my long since worried mind

And now time has come to hand it in, the eyes the teeth…
To be blind and famished by surprise, the meed it makes me realize
It’s going to be a long and lonely winter

Let's travel east to Nijmegen, Netherlands, for another Alt Rock track about accepting punishment, even with the truth on your side. Nothing that you give is free:

"Justice is like judgement day. It's about the main character that has to pay for a crime that was not hers. It's about giving too much of yourself and dealing with the consequences. Realizing it's not your fault and that justice will come in time.

But it takes a long time, for the consequences are real."

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Barranquismo – Take Everything

Try to slow me down
But I’m stronger than ever
While I’m giving time
You been throwing away

So I tell you what
You can say when it's done
Cause you're gonna know
What we’re capable of

Last but not least, let's go to Garnock Valley, Scotland for a Groove Rock track about the competitiveness inside every one of us. Claim your ground, and fight til the end:

"It was the first song that all 4 of us wrote together after Nate and Tommy joined the band. It was written in Nate's flat at his university accommodation. We all got into the room together, not long after Christmas, and jammed out, throwing different ideas and riffs together.

The bass riff for Take Everything got thrown in pretty quickly, it only really took a half hour or so from there to write the rest of the song. I'm not 100% sure on the inspiration behind the lyrics but, the instrumentality of the song just came from all of our different styles mixing together for the first time!"

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#MusicMonday 2025

It's time to recap 2025 with this year's compilation. 76 titles from original artists covering all types of genres, represent the multiple trends independent artists were proud to establish. Have a listen:

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Listen to them and much more on the complete playlist

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See you next time!