A Sunlit Walk in the Underground Forest - January 2026
Welcome to A Sunlit Walk in The Underground Forest - a series where I hand-pick some of my favourite songs from my travels across the internet.
Featuring John Blek, Charlie Nieland, TOGETHER FOR PALESTINE, MallBat, Monster Rally, Hannah Schneider, Pebe Sebert, After & Clovers Daughter.
This edition features: a song that sounds like it could be playing in The Bronze in an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer; a folk song that sounds like heavenly orange skies in the evening time; a luxurious song that flows on a turquoise waterfall amongst the deep green of palms, ferns and passion fruit flowers; a song with a summertime bohemian vibe from the 1980s; a song that sounds like if Ethel Cain was from Minnesota; a song that sounds like it is from an enchanted forest; a song that sounds like it is from a space where sounds and gravity act differently; and more!
If you would like to be featured in the next edition, send me an email - I am always happy to hear from artists.
A Sunlit Walk In The Underground Forest ☀️ Light Pop • Folk • Electronica • RnB
John Blek - Better
This is taken from the Irish artist’s upcoming album ‘The Midnight Ache’; which the artist not only self-recorded, but also built a recording studio from scratch in order to do so.
‘Better’ feels like heavenly orange skies stretching above you in the evening time; the double-tracked vocals are sublime and induce an immediate sensation of nostalgia. It is gentle and warm, it feels like being at home, fully at ease - wrap yourself up in this warm, comforting soundscape and watch the sun set.
Connect with John Blek
Website / YouTube / Instagram / X / Facebook
Monster Rally - Own It (feat. Jordana)
A tropical holiday for your ears this January - this is taken from Monster Rally’s upcoming album ‘Echoes of the Emerald Sands’. Featuring the vocal talents of Jordana, this flows on a turquoise shimmering waterfall amongst the deep green of palms, ferns and passion fruit flowers - sending you into a state of complete relaxation.
The production for this is luxurious, made all the more seductive by the sublime groove throughout; this sounds like the wonderful world in the artwork.
Describing the song, Monster Rally said, "The instrumental for 'Own It' started with the idea of taking a sunset cruise with someone that you love. No destination in mind, nowhere to be, just that feeling of being in your own world. I've been a fan of Jordana's music for years. I really love her songwriting and her voice really pulls you into her music. Her style and vocals are the perfect fit for the track and truly make the song what it is, in my opinion. Working with Jordana on this song has been a really special experience, she's as kind and welcoming a person as she is an artist."
Jordana added, "Own It" is about giving someone a second chance to prove their love to you. It's a second chance after being hurt by this person, trying to get them to recognize what pushed you away in the first place."
Connect with Monster Rally
Website / YouTube / Instagram
Connect with Jordana
Website / Instagram
clovers daughter - Pessimist
A new release from Minnesota-based artist Clovers Daughter - although from a vastly different genre, the heavily reverbed guitar in the opening of the song immediately made me think of the one in Crazy Town's ‘Butterfly’ for some reason.
This is where the similarities end, as this has some seriously dark and twisted 1990s vibes - I feel like you would hear strains of this playing from the building in the picture in an unsettling, rather desolate movie about isolation and religion.
This is what Ethel Cain would sound like if she was from Minnesota.
Connect with clovers daughter
Website / Instagram / Twitter
Pebe Sebert - City's Burning
Pebe Sebert by Courtney McElravy
This sounds like it is from another time, which makes sense, as it is taken from the artist’s only album recorded in the early 1980s; being released for the first time recently, via Kesha Records. You may already be familiar with her work, as she has written songs for Kesha, Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus and Miranda Cosgrove.
There is a summertime bohemian quality to this, the breathy vocals are mesmerizing - you can feel the rich imagination and strength of the artist’s storytelling and songwriting capabilities throughout the lyrics (e.g “It's like a jungle in this heatwave/Sweat rolls down the dirty streets/The hunchback lady asks me each day/"Why did you send your son away?"”.
This doesn’t really sound like anything else, making it fully unique in a landscape where that seems almost impossible due to the sheer volume of music being released, and most importantly, the reproduction and remastering done by Daniël Rios Mol & Jeffrey Wah preserved the original magic.
Connect with Pebe Sebert
Instagram / X
TOGETHER FOR PALESTINE, NAI BARGHOUTI, LEIGH-ANNE & NENEH CHERRY - Lullaby
This is a reimagining of a Palestinian folk song, with all proceeds going to the Together for Palestine Fund (you can purchase the song on Bandcamp).
This is a breathtaking arrangement, with some of the most beautiful vocals I think I have ever heard. The lines ‘I wish my bones could form a bridge/ And carry you to the other side’ will stay with you forever.
Connect with Together For Palestine
Instagram
Hannah Schneider - In This Room
The burst of strings that open ‘In This Room’ feel like they are coming to you from the cavernous halls of the past (I believe this was recorded in the Thorvaldsens Museum). The echoey vocals add to the surreal sensations of the soundscape, it feels like you have stepped into a space where sounds and gravity behave differently - the outside world being muted, and far, far away.
Connect with Hannah Schneider
Facebook / YouTube / Instagram / X
After - Cold
I am currently watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer properly for the first time - and this feels like it could be playing at The Bronze as a Dramatic Scene goes down between The Gang. This is sublime, specifically the callback in the chorus ‘I never meant to be so cold’ - the eerie strings floating in and out make it all the more seductive.
Allow yourself to be swept away.
Connect with After
Instagram / Website
ditto! - MallBat
This was a much-appreciated Gift from the YouTube algorithm, featuring the talents of animator and digital artist Mallbat. This features an animated video with a sublime song called ditto! (also made by Mallbat, available via Patreon).
This unleashed a rush of euphoria, as it reminded me of the golden era of 2010s Soundcloud beats (e.g., the prolific Go Dee by Kailo).
Connect with Mallbat
Bluesky / YouTube / Instagram / X
Charlie Nieland - Today
Taken from the NYC artist's full-length album ‘Stories From The Borderlines’ (who you may know from producing and writing for the likes of Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Blondie and Scissor Sisters) and featuring the talents of Joe McGinty. ‘Today’ feels like stepping into a kaleidoscopic, enchanted forest - it is one of those songs that enhances the beauty of the world around you, reminding you that being alive on this planet is truly a gift.
On the song, the artist says, "'Today' is a hymn of loss and acceptance. We’re not wired to practice gratitude. When something comes along and we’re tossed into the dark, we have to choose it. This song was written when I was on the edge of losing someone I love. In that moment, I saw the universe slowly turning and the magic forest of the present moment opened up. I wrote it on keyboards and sang it for a livestream. The absence of knowing what was going to happen drew out my devotion to the burning spark of the present and how, if this was it, that would be ok. He continues “I loved the song, but as the rest of the album evolved with elaborate arrangements, I knew that 'Today' needed more than just the stark mellotron sounds I’d chosen as accompaniment. I’d been singing with the NYC performance series "The Loser’s Lounge" and decided that it was time to ask musical director (and former Psychedelic Furs keyboardist) Joe McGinty to add something great. He came through with a gorgeous set of melodies and sounds recorded at his studio."
Connect with Charlie Nieland
Website / Facebook / YouTube / Instagram / X
Spotify Playlist
About Eimear O Sullivan
Eimear Ann O Sullivan is a multi-genre music producer, audio engineer and vocalist. After receiving a Masters in Music Technology from the CIT Cork School of Music, she went on to operate as a producer under the name Blakkheart. Her releases have received critical acclaim from Ireland's biggest music publications, such as District Magazine and Nialler9, alongside receiving heavy commercial radio airplay. She currently works in Cork recording studio Flashpoint CC. Previous clients of hers include the likes of Comedy Central’s Dragony Aunt star Candy Warhol, rapper Darce and Outsider YP. (Photo credit @Fabian Boros)
Contact Eimear O Sullivan at eimear.o.sullivan@musicngear.com
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