Running Towards the Noise

What’s roarin’ mates,

It’s another major theme week — and this time, we’re putting the spotlight on the newest, noisiest beats in the music scene.

Now, when I say noisy, I don’t just mean metal. I’m talking about every track that merges several instruments to create a sound that’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. For the chill listeners out there, this one might test your eardrums, but give this one a chance, yeah?

And while you’re at it, I’m introducing a new section called “From the Vault.” It’s a space to bring back past issues and playlists you might have missed (I get it, there’s too many emails we receive every day and sometimes the vibes slip through), or to spotlight older song picks that still deserve another listen.

I also released quite a few volumes before most of you joined, so this section gives you a chance to explore those earlier themes in one place. Think of it as a way to discover different vibes you might not have heard yet.

We’re heading to the middle of autumn and things will start winding down pretty soon. Here’s me sending good vibes your way, but in the meantime…let’s get LOOOOOOOOOUDDDD!!! 🔊💥

Your rock ‘n roll enthusiast,

Val ♫

(P.S If you are reading this in your email, please click “Read Online” at the top-right corner next to the date for a better reading experience!)

In this week's setlist:

• 💿 Pedals to the Metal

• 🎸 Emo Jumbo

• 📚 From the Vault

• 🎶 New Music This Week

💿 Pedals to the Metal

Nothing screams louder than the metal and rock genres, and scream its way through the decades it did. These first few songs come from this generation’s new artists, who retain the foundations of metal and rock in their songs while giving them a whole new vibe.

Buckle up because this is going to be an ear-splitting ride:

• Anxiety by Fight From Within

• Race War (Lügenpresse) by XONOR

• Psychosemantics by FloodHounds

🎸 Emo Jumbo

If vocals are one of the primary sources of noise in metal music, then drums paired with electric guitar riffs take center stage in emo pop rock. No matter how you record it, it always sounds unapologetically teenage and rebellious. And sometimes, you need that iconic black fringe hairstyle to top it all off.

This one’s for the emo millennials:

• Do Me Like That by The Paradox

• GIRLS! by Mollusca

• stone cold summer by South Arcade

📚 From the Vault

If you think about it, Music Musings now has over 50 volumes and counting. In book terms, that’s an entire shelf — and in CD terms, that’s more than 50 discs stacked into two Subway footlong-sized racks.

Here’s some of my earlier mixes:

The Newest Sound on the Block

I Tried Boomscrolling for a Week 

🎶 New Music This Week

Ghosted by an Angel by Melo Nada: Synthwave runs deep here - it almost like your ears are cracking like tin foils. I would describe this music as futuristic underground silver pop.

Todo parecía tan bien by Ashlyn: Pop rock gets a Spanish makeover with this track. Even the title (translated to “Everything seemed so good”) is so emo-coded.

Touch Of Grace by ArjayyT: I’m not kidding when I say that everything about this song sounds like The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights in a parallel universe.

Inspired by this week’s music picks?

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