Every week, Music News and Liberty Music look at the best new releases from emerging and self-releasing artists.
Ally Bakst - ‘Pretty Little Ghost’ Ally Bakst’s ‘Pretty Little Ghost’ is a sweeping alt-pop/electronic release that pairs thunderous low-end, brooding synth layers, and her smoky vocal tone to explore dissociation, power, and the uneasy dance between control and release. Expanding on a beat from Trevor Poole and developed with Lorenzo Maldonado and Justin Spaulding, the track showcases Bakst’s evolving sonic world, blending cinematic scale with psychological depth as she examines the blurred line between haunting and being haunted.
Mr. Sham G - ‘Starcrossed Love’ Mr. Sham G opens his 2026 with ‘Starcrossed Love’, a luminous liquid D&B cut that weaves shimmering vocals through crisp breakbeats, warm sub-bass, and soaring melodies, striking a careful balance between dancefloor propulsion and emotional depth. The Bangalore-based producer continues to build global momentum with a sound that favours immersive storytelling over formula, proving that discipline, maturity, and late-blooming ambition can coexist powerfully within modern drum & bass.
KILLCODE - ‘RIDE (DJ Johnny Juice High Roller Remix)’ KILLCODE kick off 2026 with ‘RIDE (DJ Johnny Juice High Roller Remix)’, a bold reworking of their hard-hitting anthem that fuses their gritty, groove-driven rock with the unmistakable hip-hop touch of DJ Johnny Juice from Public Enemy. Building on years of chart success, major live stages, film placements, and a reputation for uncompromising intensity, the New York five-piece use this remix to reinforce their momentum, reshaping a song about defiance and endurance into an even sharper declaration of strength and refusal to back down.
j dylan paul - ‘love sonnet for mikey’ j dylan paul unveils ‘i didnt ask to be a bird’, a debut LP that channels raw confession and quiet defiance into a body of work shaped by longing, compulsion, drift, and the need to be truly felt. Moving from explosive, guitar-driven climaxes to the stark vulnerability and piano-led balladry before circling back to its earlier force, the album is deeply rooted in queer creative community, collaboration, and political conviction, standing as both a personal reckoning and a collective statement that creative expression outlasts suppression.
Julia Kate - ‘truce’ Julia Kate’s single ‘truce’ is an intimate reflection on ending the internal battle with body image, choosing self-compassion over self-criticism. Written with Nick Rosen, the track highlights her emotionally precise songwriting and marks another step in her steady rise as a Berklee-based artist building momentum through honest, diaristic pop.
