Hello Rock Stars!
Sorry for the delay on articles, I have been sick for a while and that’s been a blast (lol).
But now I’m back with 5 incredibly awesome and diverse artists that I am legitimately excited for you to hear!
Today’s featured artists are Rhaina Yasmin, Half-Centric and Fly Nonsense, and bands less than nothing, SNARL, and Appleseed!
Enjoy! xoxoxoxox
—-Lara for VMS 🙂
1. Artist: Rhaina Yasmin
EP: “Magician”
Release Date: November 28th, 2025.
Standout Tracks: “Little Moon” and “Magician”
Thoughts: I have been listening to Artist Rhaina Yasmin for a long time, all thanks to my amazing friend Melissa M. Gill, who introduced me to her incredibly beautiful and unique sound and I am grateful she did! With her new and first EP: “Magician”, Rhaina Yasmin describes it as “An emotional and introspective narrative centered around nostalgia, grief, and the longing to believe in magic.” Which after listening to this collection I feel is a perfect description and It is also an incredibly beautiful journey she takes me on lyrically, musically and with her mesmerizing vocals as always. I feel she has definitely evolved with her sound and lyrics, but they still keep the core nature of her heart and how she perceives the world. She has always had an incredibly unique nature and voice, and even with this new music, it’s still nice to know that she continues to stay true to herself.
The standout tracks for me are “Little Moon” and “Magician“, but to be honest I love the entire EP, so it was really hard to choose on this one lol. “Little Moon” is a beautifully catchy song about love and nostalgia, which is interesting that some of the most poignant songs right now talk about that subject, which is an incredibly real part of all of our lives. We all get to that moment in our life when the only way we can look forward and move on is to also look back and see the road life has taken us. And with “Little Moon”, she captures that beautiful longing with her lyrics and haunting vocals. “Magician” is a perfect way to end this EP, and I can see why it’s the main title as well. It’s a beautiful fresh view on the first moments of a new relationship, or at least a new person in your life. It’s such an exciting and incredibly magnetic time, where everything feels so new and adventurous. It personally took me back to that honeymoon stage of meeting that special someone, (and for lack of a better description) it truly does feel Magical.
I am always impressed by the musical journey Rhaina Yasmin takes me on. She wears her heart on her sleeve and is not afraid to feel all the complex emotions of this world, and somehow manages to find that sweet spot and put it into her music. I cannot wait to see the beautifully complex journey she will take us on next time. But for now, I’m just going to go get lost in the musical landscape that is “Magician.”
Listen to “Magician” on Bandcamp!
Also, check out our Artist of the Week profile we did on Rhaina Yasmin! 🙂
2. Band: less than nothing
Album: “It’s Almost December, Another Year Has Passed.”
Release Date: November 30th, 2025.
Standout Tracks: “Scatter” and “It’s Almost December, Another Year Has Passed”
Thoughts: less than nothing comes out the gate full fucking swinging with this amazing 7 song album. It starts out incredibly strong with standout track “Scatter” and keeps the vibe going with songs “Waiting”, and “Worthless Human Opinion Regarding Everything.” I love the interesting juxtaposition they take after their interlude on “Disintegrated Memories” and they go for more of a softer, more self reflective feel, a little bit more longing for the past, albeit with the end main title track “It’s Almost December, Another Year Has Passed”, bringing the variety of emotions full swing.
It’s a wonderful way to keep the impact of their powerful first half of the album, and a brilliant way to show just the complexities of human emotion. The first half reminds me of having just gone through the worst breakup of your life, so you’re releasing that anger and frustration, and the second half feels when you have finally come to terms with everything, even if you still miss that person desperately. Not sure if that was what they were going for, this is just the interpretation I got personally from their music. I think overall for a first album from a brand new band, less than nothing, is coming out the musical gate swinging and are ready to show the musical skills they have.
Between their excellent musicianship and their incredibly beautiful grief stricken lyrics, this is definitely one of the bands that needs to be watched and listened to this year. I enjoyed every moment of the roller coaster, and I cannot wait to have it in my constant rotation and I cannot also wait to see the evolution of this already solid band.
Listen to their Album: “It’s Almost December, Another Year Has Passed” on Bandcamp!
3.Artists: Half-Centric and Fly Nonsense
Album: “Starfall”
Release Date: November 12th, 2025
Standout Track: “Silver Lining” and “A Night of opera in Gotham (Ft.Big Kev and Melo.hp)”
Thoughts: “Starfall” by Artists Half-Centric and Fly Nonsense is a match made in heaven. I think this collaboration brings out the absolute best in both of them, and in turn they take you on a wonderful journey of Half Centric’s background, growing up in a city and streets that don’t seem too kind, but he has been able luckily to rise like a phoenix in the ashes and in turn showcase incredibly deep, raw real lyrics dealing with the political climate, love, trying to be better than the situation you’re in and always evolving as an artist. It’s clear that both of these artists have made a wonderful album that is all over the place in the best way possible.
Musically they dip their toes in so many different genres and it’s so incredibly cohesive and helps facilitate the story they are taking you on. The biggest thing I always love about rap and hip hop in general is the wonderful storytelling that artists like Half Centric can go on for the listener. I truly can feel all of the moments, struggles, love and joy that they experience. He has created a wonderfully diverse sound and also incredibly complex lyrics that you might unintentionally miss because the beat is so sick, and then he will say something incredibly deep in the same breath.
I am excited to do a deep dive into the incredibly multifaceted artist that Half Centric is with the rest of his albums. With his collaborator Fly Nonsense, they have created a truly magical, profound and complex world that I cannot stop listening too.
Listen to “Starfall” on Bandcamp!
4.Band: SNARL
EP: “Sedated Concubine”
Release Date: April 8th, 2025
Standout Tracks: “Stand By” and “FIRST TO GO!”
Thoughts: I know it’s just a demo for SNARL, but holy shit does it pack a punch! With lyrics about politics, bigotry, immigration, and all the evils of this world, I love the huge passion that this band has in their lyrics, sound and the pure anger in their voice. They truly bring something unique and special to the musical landscape here in Vegas, and I think this is incredible demo overall, which makes me so excited to see a full EP or Album from them in the future!
With the killer tracks like “Stand By” with biting lyrics such as “You say you’re worried, You’re crying in fear. Yet you’re doing nothing to stand for something, Letting prejudice worm in your ear.” and another favorite track “FIRST TO GO!” that talks about how our world is so corrupt and run by a bunch of billionaires and also I assume how fucked our government is on a whole, which lyrics like “You were fine with this when it was on foreign waters, You obliged with this pain. Until it affects your sons and your daughters, I desecrate your name.” I just wish more artists had the balls like they do to call out the bullshit that is killing the USA right now, and I am so grateful for this younger generation of artists to not be afraid to call it like they see it.
SNARL’S passion is raw, real and a breath of fresh air. I hope they never lose sight of who they are, and I hope they always try to push the envelope, and also get people to think about all the atrocities in this world, and what we can do as a society to fix it. I cannot wait for hopefully a full album from them one day. I do know no matter what, I am definitely sticking along for the already amazing ride.
Listen to their EP: “Sedated Concubine” on Bandcamp!
5.Band: Appleseed
EP: “Appleseed”
Release Date: December 12th, 2025
Standout Track: “System”
Thoughts: God Dammit, why is this only 3 songs?! (Lmao) Appleseed is an interesting band from the sense that when they go hard, they go fucking hard. My favorite example of this is standout Track “System” but then I really do love their acoustic version of “Is it The Glow of Street Lights or Heaven?” cause there is an incredibly beautiful softness to their songwriting and vocals that I would love to hear an entire acoustic album as well. So I am intrigued by this EP and band and genuinely excited to see where they take their sound and I’m hoping in the near future we will get an entire album from them. But overall between their biting lyrics, incredible musicianship and a very raw, gritty sound, I think Appleseed is on the right track and I cannot wait to hear some more killer songs from them.
For now, I’m gonna go listen to “System” on repeat at full volume for the rest of my life. 🙂
Listen to “Appleseed” on Spotify:
—-VMS xoxoxoxo