melt exclusive:
Anna Justen
“It's young Anna's dream to not have that turmoil but through the lens of this innocent viewpoint of a cat who, regardless of the screaming and the pain and the fear, was still a loyal creature always and loved purely despite the pain and the violence. Basically that's the concept of the album; it's his dream metaphorically.”
Read Above: Anna Justen, the Seattle-born singer-songwriter, has been carving out her own artistic path in Montreal for the past few years, and, with the recent release of her debut album, MiCHOU’S DREAM, has burst fully onto the scene as a dynamic, introspective, and sonically intriguing young artist.
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Featured Artist Profile
J.U.S, the rapper from Detroit-based group the Bruiser Brigade, has been an integral piece of the Detroit rap scene for over two decades. A well-regarded producer and recording engineer, J.U.S’s contributions to the genre still remain to be fully explored. Yet, his recent output, in collaboration with the artists he has come to know in that time, has finally showcased the extent of his talent, putting his pure musical skill and knowledge on full display.
J.U.S
“On the clock”- The Making of 3rd shift documentary
2024, Directed by Ryan Heinz
In compliment to their recent album, “3rd Shift”, veteran rappers Squadda B and JUS have released a documentary compiling footage of their months of writing and recording. Made in summertime Detroit, the album is, in part, based on the grind mentality of the Motor City. With beats by Squadda and flows by JUS, Fat Ray, and more, it has been one of the must-listens of 2024.
Normally based in Oakland, Squadda says that traveling repeatedly to Detroit in order to make the album was “Definitely needed. You’ve got to kind of get out of your comfort zone a little bit, and I'm very comfortable in Detroit. But still… you're not at home. You're not near your bed.”
Watch the documentary now to see how the two artists push each other out of their comfort zones in order to create a gem of a project.
Listen to 3rd Shift now on:
10 Questions w/ odelet
Odelet, the Detroit-born producer and multi-instrumentalist, has been experimenting between genres for multiple years now, and, with the release of their newest album, Angels (Revived), the experiment has reached new heights.
A dynamic blend of soul, funk, jazz, reggae, and other musical roots, the album encapsulates perfectly the genre-agnosticism that permeates Odelet’s creative output.
Currently based on the West Coast, their work in visual art has slowly become intertwined with their musical ventures, and the ultimate result, which is in part represented in Angels (Revived), has blossomed into a transformation of their creative process and manifestation of sound.
Artist profiles
TEATEA, the enigmatic singer from Massachusetts, began her music career in the annals of internet, posting videos of acapellas and songs she had made to Youtube, and has since developed into an alluring young artist, shaping unique storylines across the two projects she has released thus far.
TEATEA
Kurupi, the Latin punk-rap artist from Northern California, has spent years chasing an intersection between genres that feel almost innate to his creative drive, melding the aggression and capabilities of emotional expression of two separate genres into a cohesive, instrumentation-driven sound.
kurupi
O Dawg
O Dawg, the dynamic rapper from New York, has steadily been improving in his craft since the release of his first song, “Grand Slam”, in 2016, and now, delivering snappy bars over instrumentals ranging from tastefully jazz-inspired to stunningly trap-infused, he continues to push his sound forward.
Neighbourly, the enigmatic four-piece band based in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, has operated, in various forms, for nearly a decade on the strength of their pure, collaborative approach to creation, and, with their upcoming EP “Get In”, they have added another genre-rooted gem to their growing collection.