News – RCRD LBL

October 3, 2025

October 3, 2025October 3, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Jairic Delivers a Tense Hip-Hop Cut with ‘Don’t Let Me Put A Track On You’ Video

(Jairic / Image Credit: Lucas Merka)

Jairic put out his new single ‘Don’t Let Me Put A Track On You’ last week on September 25 through Rich Air Music, keeping his streak of do-it-all releases alive. The guy got his start in Detroit, where music filled the house from day one, and he spent those early years making tracks for rappers around town before going solo with a sound that’s all his own. He pulls from Nas and Wu-Tang Clan for the weight in his words, folds in the grit of Detroit’s lesser-known spots, throws in some classic funk grooves, ’60s rock bite, and those big film-score swells. Over the summer, he turned heads with low-key sets at Château Les Alouettes in Cannes and Villa Balbiano on Lake Como, and popped up live for the Paris debut of the short film Azur. Jairic handles the writing, the beats, the vocals—everything—then pairs it with visuals that balance sharp luxury against rough edges, landing him right where rap rubs up against cinema and high fashion.

What makes this one stick is the way Jairic layers his delivery: straight-talk bars over a beat that builds from knotted-up chaos to a smoother vocal turn, then kicks back into a full-throttle hip-hop drive. It’s got that forward momentum, the kind his production always carries, making you lean in for the next switch. The video takes it deeper, shot by Vansh Luthra, the Indian director out of Prague who’s built a rep on films like Two Words as the Key and the award-pulling Destination Paradise—it even grabbed an “Honorable Mention by the Press” at the Academy-qualifying Festival Internacional de Cine Lebu. Jairic shows up sharp in a suit, caught in this drawn-out push-pull with assistant director Julie Weber playing the part of someone who drifts in close with a loaded stare. They move through empty nighttime streets, lights carving hard lines across faces, and a single rose keeps popping up as this quiet thread—turning the whole thing into a tight story about who ends up holding the cards.

Jairic shared: “The video is built around the symbol of a rose. It moves through a dark, seductive world, exploring power, obsession, and how the hunter can quickly become the hunted. The song itself carries that same energy — a warning, a dare, a promise: don’t let me put a track on you.“

Watch ‘Don’t Let Me Put A Track On You’:

Follow Jairic:

Website – Instagram – Soundcloud – Youtube – Spotify

September 26, 2025

September 26, 2025September 26, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Three cities, one strike: the forward drive of ZOCO’s debut “Restless”

The appeal of “Restless” is its engineering of momentum. ZOCO plots a straight line from idea to impact: write a song about killing routine, gather a cast that can play it with feel, and record it where the energy lands on tape. Sessions rolled through Los Angeles (Licorice Pizza Records) and Milan (Massive Arts Studios), with vocals produced and recorded in Nashville—three cities, one coherent picture. Gunnar Nelson produces (and sneaks in harmonies), Kerry Brown oversees, and Stephen DeAcutis mixes for punch and headroom; Howie Weinberg masters with the kind of top-end confidence that survives playlists and broadcast alike.

Players matter: Carmine Rojas’ bass lines are fluid and song-serving; the drum chair is shared—Slim Jim Phantom brings brush finesse, London Hudson adds modern weight—giving the track its dual character of glide and thrust. Marco Zocco’s baritone sits center, guitar work drawing clean lines rather than monuments. The chorus—co-written and sung with brothers Paolo and Matteo—is engineered for participation, the “whoa”s cueing the room.

“Restless” reads as a mission statement for LUMANISTA (Part 1) (January 2026): alternative rock with cinematic side-lighting, pop-scale hooks without the plastic. It’s independent music with professional torque, and that combination tends to travel.

Stream ‘Restless’:

Follow ZOCO:

Website – Instagram – TikTok – Youtube – Spotify

September 25, 2025

September 25, 2025September 25, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Sam Macdonald Unveils Debut Solo Track ‘Distant Light’ with Northern Roots

Northern singer-songwriter Sam Macdonald dropped his first solo single ‘Distant Light’ on September 23, 2025, taking a big leap into independent territory. Coming from Carlisle, Macdonald has been creating music for over a decade, and has shared stages with heavy hitters such as The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Telescopes, and Dead Skeletons, while building a name for himself in the indie scene. His sound pulls from childhood staples—Buddy Holly vibes and his dad’s old 50s and 60s tapes—mixed with Scouse and Northern icons like The La’s, The Coral, Shack, Echo & the Bunnymen, Oasis, and The Stone Roses. Add in classics from Neil Young, R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, The Rolling Stones, plus Motown’s groove and hip-hop’s rhythmic punch, and you’ve got a foundation that’s shaped his knack for blending melody with beat.

The track itself is a quirky fusion of rock, pop, and soul elements, delivered with a melodic twist that’s anything but straightforward. Macdonald channels those varied inspirations into something intimate, sharpening the edges for a personal touch. Lyrically, it weaves themes of chasing freedom, transformation, and glimpses of what’s ahead, all wrapped in a sound that’s concise and punchy with an alternative slant that sets it apart from his group efforts.

This shift to solo work highlights Macdonald‘s drive for self-direction, moving away from team dynamics to own every beat and visual. Sam Macdonald shared: “I have learned a lot about what I want to make. This is a movement towards something that is not driven by trying to appease other people’s ideas of what is right and wrong. The basslines, the drums and everything else is all at my direction. The make-up of everything, audio, visual is all driven by myself.” He wrapped up his mindset with: “Rarely is anything set in stone or black and white I think is certainly one thing. And making the most of what is right for you in an artistic sense, staying true to yourself.”

Stream ‘Distant Light’:

Follow Sam Mcdonald:
Spotify – Instagram

September 16, 2025

September 16, 2025September 16, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Valley Onda’s ‘Reebok Fantasy’ Hits Streams and Lands With an Impact

(Valley Onda / Image Credit: Ravyna Jassani)

Friday saw the arrival of ‘Reebok Fantasy‘ by indie rock outfit Valley Onda, via Valley Onda Records. This follows their recent ‘‘Minacious’‘ single and its video rollout on CLASH Magazine, adding to a catalog that’s pulled in 350,000+ streams since the trio’s 2019 start. Their thoughtful alternative sound has landed nods from triple j and pubs like The AU Review, Happy Mag, Where The Music Meets, and Clunk Mag, alongside tour support from The Money War and Brightness. The lineup features Jordan Wilson handling vocals and guitar (previously in Georgia Fair, supporting Paul Kelly, Laurel, and John Mayer), Michiya Nagai on keys (stage time with Lamalo at The Grass is Greener for 15,000 fans and a TEDx Melbourne soundtrack gig), and drummer Galen Sultmann. Hailing from Sydney’s Gadigal land, the band took shape in a quiet restaurant meetup after tours, with Jordan and Galen jamming until Michiya joined to blend his trained piano and production into a textured indie rock style echoing Radiohead, Alt-J, Mansionair, Bon Iver, Muse, and Gorillaz—resonating with REM, Cage The Elephant, and The Verve crowds.

Valley Onda‘s new track ‘‘Reebok Fantasy’‘ unfolds as a tense, emotive indie rock ride, shifting from low-key strain to a sharp, energizing break. Jordan‘s strong vocal presence anchors it all, with acoustic guitar lines and soft, rippling elements wrapping the words in a distant, smokey haze.

The band shared: “Do you know that feeling when you’re walking down the street feeling isolated and everyone else is looking cool in their designer clothing? So you pull into a Nepalese Restaurant and order a tea to hide out for a minute. Maybe open a paperback or meet someone interesting. That’s the vibe of ‘Reebok Fantasy’.”

Stream ‘Reebok Fantasy’: