Mew Zikwryder – RCRD LBL

October 16, 2025

October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Tree of Tranquility Lands from Deep Forest-Rahul Sharma Duo, Backed by Fall Tour Dates

The August 25 rollout of Tree of Tranquility marks a solid return for Éric Mouquet‘s Deep Forest project and santoor ace Rahul Sharma, their second team-up since Deep India dropped back in 2013. Mouquet, a key architect of the French Touch wave, built Deep Forest‘s rep on sampling distant vocal traditions into house-tinged electronica, culminating in that breakthrough 1996 Grammy win for Boheme—a feat that put French electronic on the map as the inaugural non-Anglo victor in world music.

The catalog racked up 10 million physical sales plus consistent 20 million digital spins yearly, underscoring Mouquet’s grip on the genre’s evolution via solo ventures like Deep Forest Live Machine. Sharma, carrying forward his father Pandit Shivkumar Sharma‘s legacy on the 100-string santoor, has flipped the folk staple into worldly experiments—think his runs with pianist Richard Clayderman or that prior Deep Forest splice, all while holding tight to Hindustani improv’s soul. This latest pairs the album with a packed 2025 tour slate, giving audiences a front-row shot at the blend.

Across its eight outings, Tree of Tranquility carves out quieter, more personal ground in electronica, zeroing in on nature’s quiet pulse. Sharma’s playing shines with refined touch—santoor notes blooming in varied, almost meditative loops—bolstered by Mouquet’s textural overlays that hum and swell like ambient fog.

Rooted in the Old French root of ‘tranquilite’ for straightforward calm and joy, the title’s tree imagery serves as a low-key call to shake off stress and lean into mental stillness. Tree of Tranquility delivers on that promise, serving up a listen that’s equal parts unwind and uplift—timeless yet fresh enough to loop on repeat. With the tour kicking off soon, Sharma and Mouquet are set to amplify this chemistry live, turning studio subtlety into shared-space energy that world music heads won’t want to miss.

Be part of the experience and get your tickets HERE

Stream Tree of Tranquility:

Follow Deep Forest:

Spotify – Instagram – Facebook

October 16, 2025

October 16, 2025October 17, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Eyal Erlich’s ‘Jenny’ Cuts Deep With a Video That Captures Heartbreak

Eyal Erlich just let loose his solo single ‘Jenny’, hitting streaming platforms June 21, 2025. The Tel Aviv artist, who’s been grinding Israel’s club circuit since 2016, has that rare talent for turning a lone acoustic into a confessional bonfire—think Jeff Buckley‘s raw nerve crossed with Nick Drake‘s whispery bite and Ben Howard‘s rustic swing. No major-label machine behind him, Eyal‘s carved out a space that has earned him a die-hard fanbase with a catalogue that feels like eavesdropping on your own regrets, all ‘70s folk-rock grit laced with ‘90s indie shadow. This one’s the opener for his long-teased debut full-length, and damn if it doesn’t scream breakout potential for a guy who’s all about the quiet storm.

‘Jenny’ doesn’t mess around: it’s a slow-burn elegy for love that slipped away, built on fingerstyle runs that snag like barbed wire and vocals gravelly enough to scrape the soul. Eyal leans into those mid-song swells, letting the melody fray at the edges to mirror the mess of memory—pure singer-songwriter gold that rewards a headphone dive.

The Levontin live clip seals it, raw footage of Eyal owning the room with zero safety net of a large scale production, turning ache into something almost communal. In an industry bloated with TikTok fluff, this is indie doing what it does best: sticking the knife in and twisting just right. Keep an eye on Eyal Erlich—his full record’s gonna rattle more cages.

Follow Eyal Erlich:

Spotify – YouTube – Instagram – Facebook

October 15, 2025

October 15, 2025October 15, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Olivia Dean’s ‘The Art of Loving’ Lands with Neo-Soul Precision

Olivia Dean‘s sophomore effort The Art of Loving dropped on September 26, marking a sharp step forward for the East London-raised singer who’s been climbing the UK’s live circuit with her blend of neo-soul and classic pop. A BRIT School alum who cut her teeth as a backing singer for Rudimental, Dean has racked up over 10 million monthly Spotify streams, sold-out European tours, and nods like Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Artist in 2021 and BBC Music Introducing’s Artist of the Year in 2023. She’s shared stages at Glastonbury and Later… with Jools Holland, drawing from influences like Amy Winehouse and Carole King while flipping covers of The Supremes and Nat King Cole. Shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and up for BRIT Awards, Dean channels that groundwork into an album that feels both lived-in and forward-leaning, all while unpacking love’s everyday mechanics.

What stands out on The Art of Loving is its stripped-back setups—think subtle bongos pulled from a Laurel Canyon jam session, a smooth Rhodes organ nodding to Brill Building grooves, and those crisp bah-bah-bahs echoing Motown’s tight harmonies. Drawing from bell hooks‘ All About Love and visual artist Mickalene Thomas‘s glittering take on the same ideas, Dean and co-producer Zach Nahome keep things lean, letting small touches pop: a glassy five-note piano line threading through ‘Nice to Each Other’, or horns doubling up post-chorus on ‘Let Alone the One You Love’. It’s economy in motion, turning potential filler into hooks that stick without overreaching.

Dean’s delivery seals the deal, her voice hitting that mid-ground—not the powerhouse belt of RAYE or Jorja Smith‘s edge, but a steady glow that could coax shade from a streetlight. Tracks like ‘So Easy (To Fall in Love)’ lean into bossa nova swings that match the easy rhythm of a solid first hang, while ‘Man I Need’‘s 12/8 sway turns routine into ritual. Sure, spots like ‘Close Up’ and ‘Baby Steps’ flirt with retro overload, and some lines tangle in familiar turns of phrase, but the whole set works as low-key soundtrack material—ideal for chopping veggies or folding laundry, where its warmth turns the mundane sharp. Dean knows the stagecraft here, staging clips for ‘Nice to Each Other’ and ‘Man I Need’ on obvious sets that wink at old Hollywood illusions, proving she’s got the chops to keep evolving beyond the blueprint.

Stream The Art of Loving:

Follow Olivia Dean:
Spotify – Facebook – Instagram

October 15, 2025

October 15, 2025October 15, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Q052’s Thunder Child Lands with Unyielding Bars and Beats

(Q052 / Image Credit: Jean-Philippe Sansfaçon)

On October 10, 2025, Q052 released his fourth studio album, Thunder Child, via Musique Nomade, a set that cements his status as a Mi’gmaq hip-hop force tackling systemic inequities head-on. Quentin Condo, the man behind the name—drawing from his first initial and the 052 code for his Gesgapegiag, Gaspésie roots—now operates out of Sherbrooke, Canada, where he amplifies calls for Indigenous youth empowerment and safeguards for women and girls. With streams topping 140K on Spotify, he’s claimed Best Male Hip-Hop Artist at the 2023 International Indigenous Hip-Hop Awards, alongside noms for Indigenous Artist of the Year at the 2021 ADISQ Gala, Expressive Music Artist/Group and Blues/Rock Artist/Group at the 2022 Teweikan Gala, and Hip-Hop Album at the 2022 GAMIQ. His commanding live shows have drawn coverage from CLASH Magazine, spins on Radio Canada, and support for ‘Loud Sunday‘ from BBC Radio 6‘s Don Letts on Culture Clash Radio. Q052 has rocked major lineups with Cypress Hill at events like FEQ, La Noce, OFF Québec, Innu Nikamu, Festival Kwe!, FME, Festival Bleu Bleu, and Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée.

The album’s tracks demand close listens, stacking Q052‘s sharp wordplay against instrumentals that nod to classic hip-hop roughness, infused with grunge and alt-rock elements from influences like Ty Segall, Immortal Technique, Cypress Hill, Black Sabbath, Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, Run DMC, and King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard. Leading the charge is ‘Look It Up‘, the focus single that dials back the layers to spotlight his aggressive verses dismantling authority, in the vein of Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Danny Brown, and KRS-One. It embodies the project’s push for awareness and resistance, blending spoken-word intensity with hip-hop’s backbone and rock’s snarl for a sound that’s grounded in urgency.

Q052 had this to say: “Hip Hop artists are considered to be street journalists who share stories from their environment. In this album, I’m taking listeners on a tour in my mind and expressing how I view the world right now. It’s gone to hell!! From world leaders to the environment, from television shows to the news, from law enforcement agencies invading homes to assassinations, from social media platform addictions to a cold beer!! I’m reporting on it…is this mic on?”

Thunder Child Album Tracklist

1. Whap Bam-Boo
2. Wickedness
3. Look it Up
4. Thunder Bows
5. Piece of Man
6. Loud Sunday
7. Post Like Addict
8. Space Invaders
9. Restricted Radio
10. Sláinte

Stream Thunder Child: