RAPT, UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US

Jacob Ware’s musical journey begins in the home he grew up in, surrounded by the sounds of Joni Mitchell, Pentangle, and Van Morrison. These artists, rich with storytelling and intricate instrumentation, quietly shaped his sensibilities long before he ever picked up an instrument himself. However, his first real foray into music was far from the gentle strums of folk—he found his place in the extreme metal scene as the founding bassist of the UK black metal band Enslavement.

For eight years, Ware immersed himself in the relentless intensity of black metal, a genre built on aggression and atmosphere. But over time, something in him pulled away from the distortion and fury. His childhood influences never left him, and he gradually gravitated toward music that mirrored the warmth and introspection of the records that played in his youth. This transition led to the creation of Rapt—a project that fuses his metal roots with a newfound appreciation for ambient textures and folk’s delicate vulnerability. 

Ware's approach to songwriting is as unorthodox as his musical evolution. Rather than writing songs and then deciding on a title, He begins with an album name and builds the music around it. Until the Light Takes Us, his latest release, emerged from this process. The title, borrowed from a 2008 documentary about the Norwegian black metal scene, served as a foundation for the album’s themes: mortality, endings, and the unknown that follows. It’s an album about finality, but not in a way that feels entirely bleak—there is a certain peace to the way Ware explores these ideas, a sense of acceptance rather than fear. 

Musically, Until the Light Takes Us is a tapestry of lush acoustic guitar, atmospheric piano, and airy, melancholic vocals. The album is steeped in folk traditions but carries the weight and cinematic depth of Ware’s past in metal—his ability to craft immersive, heavy moods, even in this softer setting. Through this record, he hoped not only to explore the idea of endings but also to create something that meets listeners wherever they are in their own experiences with change and loss. Ultimately, Until the Light Takes Us is a meditation on the unknown, offering solace in its contemplative beauty. It’s gorgeous, thought-provoking, comforting, and near perfect.

DITZ, NEVER EXHALE

I have always appreciated artists who challenging convention and defy expectations along the way—it’s one of the reasons I listen to music. DITZ, a Brighton-based noise rock and post-hardcore band, is one of those artists. Since forming in the mid-2010s, they have built a reputation for their abrasive sound, chaotic live shows, and unfiltered intensity.

With Never Exhale, their third album in four years, the band distills their sound into a striking, urgent form, blending punishing walls of sound with moments of eerie restraint. Recorded in London, the album’s restless nature explores themes of alienation, frustration, and self-reflection, with lead vocalist and guitarist Cal Francis delivering lyrics that blur the line between personal confession and universal angst.

There’s something cathartic about listening to Never Exhale. It forces a release of something I didn’t even realize needed to be let go. In doing so, I found myself drawn to the album not only for challenging convention but for reshaping my expectations of the kind of album that can take me to a place I didn’t even know I needed to be.

HEARTWORMS, GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Jojo Orme has carved out a distinctive space in London's underground post-punk scene by channeling her personal struggles and experiences into her music. Navigating the industry as an outsider, she has wrestled with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, using these emotions as a driving force behind her work. Her sound is defined by a mix of tension and release, where sharp guitar work and striking vocals meet introspective, emotionally charged lyrics. The themes in her music often mirror her own journey—battles with identity, resilience in the face of uncertainty, and the discipline it takes to push forward in a world that can feel unwelcoming. 

Under the moniker Heartworms, Orme has released Glutton for Punishment, an album that expands on her post-punk foundations with the addition of synthesizers and electronic elements. This combination creates a sound that is both brooding and expansive, layering mechanical precision with fierce emotion. Her lyrics reflect both personal and historical narratives, blending war imagery with confessional storytelling. Each track moves with a calculated intensity, reinforcing the push-and-pull dynamic between control and turmoil. It makes Glutton For Punishment a compelling listen.

LUKE SITAL-SINGH, SPRING’S FOOL

Often, at winter’s end, Mother Nature cruelly throws out false signals that spring has arrived—a brief warm spell, only to be followed by another cold stretch. Fool’s Spring. It’s a fitting metaphor for the emotional landscape Luke Sital-Singh explores on his latest album, capturing the push and pull between hope and disappointment. After uprooting his life from the UK to Los Angeles, he found himself caught in a similar cycle—the excitement of starting a new phase of life, sun filled adventures, the weight of a pandemic, and the struggle to start a family, which eventually led he and his wife back to the UK for IVF treatment. That tension—between light and dark, expectation and reality—sits at the heart of the record, making it one of his most personal yet.

Fool’s Spring builds on Sital-Singh’s introspective songwriting while reaching for something bigger. As his first self-produced album, it has a handcrafted feel, every note and texture carefully placed. The arrangements shift from sparse and delicate to full and soaring, creating an ebb and flow that mirrors the emotional currents of his lyrics. He recorded much of it himself over an extended period, layering rich instrumentation that gives the album a warmth even in its heaviest moments. And though Sital-Singh’s songs don’t shy away from doubt and longing, they carry an undeniable resilience—proof that even in the coldest seasons, spring is still out there, waiting.

 

MOTORPSYCHO, MOTORPSYCHO

Thirty-five years and over thirty albums in, Motorpsycho’s Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan and Bent Saether enter a new era as a duo, embracing full creative freedom on their epic, self-titled album. As a band enthusiast, it’s thrilling to hear Ryan and Saether deliver the full spectrum of the Motorpsycho sound—from tight pop-rock tracks to sprawling prog epics, acoustic meditations, and psychedelic explorations.Their first double album since the Gullvåg Trilogy, Motorpsycho is both a return to form and a step forward, proving that even in a leaner form, their ambition remains limitless.

More than just another entry in their vast catalog, Motorpsycho feels like a statement of intent—a reinvention that embraces the past while carving out some new ground. Across 81 minutes, Ryan and Saether sound as vital and adventurous as ever, pushing their sonic boundaries with the same restless creativity that has defined them for decades. This is Motorpsycho distilled to its purest essence—uncompromising, immersive, and utterly their own.

SHANE PENDERGAST, WINTER GRACE

Nestled beside a river on Prince Edward Island, folksinger Shane Pendergast’s home offers a view of an ever-changing landscape that continually inspires his music. Drawing from this setting, the lore of his Maritime home, and his university years performing in Toronto pubs, Pendergast crafts songs rooted in themes of community, history, and the sea. Those songs have helped Pendergast establish himself as one of Atlantic Canada’s premier folk voices.

On his third album, Winter Grace, Pendergast’s insightful storytelling is vivid and rich in imagery. Like the shifting scenery outside his window, on “Only Drifting By” he reflects on people with meaningful connections becoming strangers and the emotions that come with drifting apart: “Glances that we gave, I can not forget. Through the rosy glow, and the blue regret. Saw you in the bower, with my roving eye. Now I walk the coast, haunted by your ghost. Only drifting by.”

Blending his deep connection to Maritime and traditional folk traditions with intricate guitar work and subtle modern elements, Winter Grace stands out as a beautifully crafted album. Pendergast’s ability to weave heartfelt narratives with rich melodies results in songs that are timeless, yet infused with contemporary touches, making Winter Grace a truly memorable album.