Dreaming of Wanderlust - December 2025
New releases for winter drifting - gentle songs for faraway thoughts and places only music can take you.
Featuring Nick & June, Julia Minkin, The Melancholy Kings, Kim Moberg, Julian Loida, Diane Coll, Velvet Jeanie, and ARK IDENTITY.
Dreaming of Wanderlust 🌿 Calm Indie Folk · Folktronica · Indie Pop · Chamber Pop
Nick & June - 2017 feat. The Antlers
Photo credit: Luka Popp
2017 is a drifting indie-folk/dream-pop reverie shaped by reverb-laden guitars, soft synth glow, and the gentle presence of The Antlers' Peter Silberman. The song floats like an old camcorder memory; fragile, grainy, and full of half-formed truths, echoing the refrain "Who's still living in 2017?" as if paging through a diary left open too long.
Their voices entwine over lines about hope, fear, and mixed signals of the heart, sketching an atmosphere where time folds in on itself. A luminous take of their new album New Year's Face, it feels like walking backward through winter light, searching for the place where feeling first sparked.
Connect with Nick & June
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Julia Minkin - Sunburn
On Sunburn, Julia Minkin steps into a more folk-tinted corner of her sound, weaving gentle acoustic warmth with the intimacy of Fiona Apple and Adrianne Lenker. Written while staying with her sister and newborn, the song moves with a hush, like someone humming to stay steady in a tender, shifting moment.
Minkin's lyric-first approach shines here, offering solace without making promises, the melody settling softly like late-afternoon light through curtains. A graceful introduction to her upcoming album Not Ready.
Connect with Julia Minkin
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The Melancholy Kings - New Girl
Photo credit: Olivia Selig
New Girl is the gentlest corner of The Melancholy Kings' alt-rock universe - a drifting vignette from their album Her Favorite Disguise, painted with Mike Potenza's wistful storytelling and Carolyn Jeselsohn's cello.
The guitars move like slow-turning pages, the cello carrying a soft ache beneath them, creating a soft-focus portrait of a man entranced by a film-noir figure who always stays just out of reach. It's a moment of stillness on an album rooted in New York shadows, offering a dreamlike pause in the city's constant motion.
Connect with The Melancholy Kings
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Kim Moberg - I'll Always Be A Friend
Kim Moberg's I'll Always Be a Friend is a gentle folk promise carried on fingerpicked guitar and her clear, comforting voice. Inspired by Carole King's timeless message of companionship, the song feels like someone offering their hand on a long, winding road, singing reassurance one breath at a time:
"So put your hand in mine, we'll take it one step at a time, lay your troubles along the side of life's long road. And know whatever lies ahead, you can count on me until the end, no matter where the road may bend or winds may blow, I’ll always be a friend"
A tender preview of her upcoming album All That Really Matters.
Connect with Kim Moberg
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Julian Loida - December Dreams feat. Don Mitchell
A cinematic hush falls over December Dreams, where vibraphone shimmers meet folk-tinged vocals and a slow-building sweep of brass. Julian Loida and Don Mitchell create a wintry soundscape, still, expansive, touched with ember-warm sweetness, born from a late-night improvisation during a difficult season.
The piece imagines snow drifting past a window while thoughts circle quietly, with each instrument adding a brushstroke rather than filling the space. A striking blend of folk, neo-classical colors and subtle ambient texture, it feels like standing in the soft glow of December, looking inward and outward at once.
Connect with Julian Loida
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Connect with Don Mitchell
Spotify
Diane Coll - Carolina Wren
Carolina Wren flutters like a small bird settling onto an open palm; gentle guitars, mellotron hues, and Diane Coll's serene voice offering a moment of comfort. The song explores nature's small gestures, inviting listeners into the ease of noticing something bright in a difficult day.
From her upcoming album, Strangely in Tune (out January 6), a record shaped around transformation, it echoes the idea that fragile moments can be the doorway back to equilibrium. A soft, whimsical reminder that even brief encounters with the natural world can steady the heart.
Connect with Diane Coll
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Velvet Jeanie - In My Sky
In My Sky unfurls as a folktale whispered at dusk - accordion swells, earthy rhythm, and Velvet Jeanie's theatrical, velvety voice guiding the listener through a season of change.
Rooted in folk-rock with touches of world-music color, the song holds the optimism of someone watching the sun push through shifting clouds, repeating a gentle mantra of perseverance. Inspired by her move to Tasmania, it carries landscapes within it: river shimmer, crisp air, and the quiet promise that the sky remains bright even in transition.
A beautifully crafted piece that feels both mystical and grounding.
Connect with Velvet Jeanie
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ARK IDENTITY - Falling Apart
Photo credit: Maggie Kane
Falling Apart drifts like a late-night confession glowing through a phone screen, where modern heartbreaks unfold. Synths pulsing gently, reverb-washed guitar tracing fragile outlines, and ARK IDENTITY’s fragile voice hovering just above the mix.
A beautifully atmospheric piece that explores the unraveling of connection in the digital age.
Connect with ARK IDENTITY
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Spotify Playlist
About Eugenia Roditis
Eugenia's passion for music was ignited from an early age as she grew up in a family of musicians. She loves attending concerts and festivals, while constantly seeking fresh and exciting new artists across diverse genres. Eugenia joined the MusicnGear team in 2012.
Contact Eugenia Roditis at eugenia.roditis@kinkl.com
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