The Underground Forest - Volume 27

Welcome to The Underground Forest! A series where we find some of the most unusual, magical, and downright bewitching releases that come across our radar!

Featuring AshZone, Caroline Kingsbury, Violet Sands, derek muro, Arvo Party, Photocomfort, Nicky Elisabeth, Mathman, tiffi &  Sal Dulu.

By Eimear O SullivanMusicngear Editor

Article photo - The Underground Forest - Volume 27


This month's edition features; a song that sounds like the surge of freedom you get on a Saturday/Sunday morning, where you are reminded of how joyful life can be; a drum and bass song that is so achingly beautiful it feels as if it was plucked from a dream; a lofi alt pop song with some 00s rock vibes, about toxic friendships; an ambient electronic song that sounds like an oceanic portal and more!


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are you still watching? - Violet Sands, derek muro

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I recently watched the Shudder original Sam Was Here; and this desert motel-style artwork brought me right into that world. We open with uneasy chopped vocals, that have an alien-like quality. This has an underground 90s vibe to it that I love (a dash of Massive Attack, with a little bit of Sneaker Pimps, all mixed together with something even more mysterious).

This is haunting; it feels like it exists in the surreal space in between reality and a dream. 

Connect with Violet Sands
Spotify / Instagram / Facebook

Connect with derek muro
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me & you - AshZone

Article photo - The Underground Forest - Volume 27

This song is immediately so much fun. This feels like the raw euphoria of freedom on a Saturday morning, of having an entire day to yourself to whatever you want; I think this is a song that we all need to listen to (for me, this song feels like having coffee on a weekend morning surrounded by houseplants).

AshZone made the music, and also, edited and animated the visualizer. This is raw, joyful creativity at its very best; this may very well restore your joy for life.

Connect with AshZone
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter


Our House - Caroline Kingsbury

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I just happened to stumble across this on Spotify; the artwork immediately hinted at the world of magic that this song held; and it absolutely blew me away. It has some serious 80s power pop/rock vibes (the shimmering aaahs will sweep you away to the sky).

Caroline describes this as an anthem for the Queer community; the opening lines “What if I told you there is a paradise/here on earth/ baby baby it's you and I/We can make this work/” are utterly glorious (the vocals remind me slightly of Phil Lynott); I have not heard a song this fun in a long time.

Connect with Caroline Kingsbury
Spotify / Instagram


OPTICS - Arvo Party

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Arvo Party has returned; with a burst of ambient glory that has some mid-2000s vibes; this envelops you in an azure wave of euphoria (the pads sound a lot like the artwork looks). The anticipation builds from the moment you put it on; dive into this joyful soundscape; and escape. 

Connect with Arvo Party
Spotify / Instagram / Facebook / Bandcamp / YouTube


Roll - Photocomfort

Article photo - The Underground Forest - Volume 27

This artwork for this song reminds me of an under the radar science fiction movie that you stumble across, one that is a blend of sci-fi and fairytale, and ends up becoming one of your favorite movies. The song is SO good, it has an alt/art pop vibe, with an insatiable beat that has a bit of a funk groove to it, the vocals are heavenly - this is a treat for your ears.   

On the song the artist confides, "This one deals with one of the more difficult themes on the record for me: loving a friend so much that you might have to let them go.  Sometimes you have to make a friendship so expansive and flexible so that a person can grow and thrive. That person might just grow so much they get out of it and walk right out the door—and you have to let them." 

Connect with Photocomfort
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The Lights - Nicky Elisabeth

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A wave of aquatic, heavenly pads wash over you before a throbbing bassline from the deepest, darkest night in a mysterious Berlin warehouse enters; there is only one word to describe this song, and it is entrancing. The production and arrangement of this are both flawless, the vocals are bewitching, this will sweep you into another world.  

Connect with Nicky Elisabeth
Spotify / Instagram / Facebook


Alive - Mathman

Article photo - The Underground Forest - Volume 27

Taken from the album SK83 (The Prequel). A burst of glorious drum & bass, with incredibly addictive vocal sampling is expert. Alive has a nostalgic feeling to it, the pads feel like shimmering consciousness, the song itself feels like a dream mixed with a memory, you need to listen to this. 

Connect with Mathman
Spotify / Instagram / Bandcamp


cold medicine - tiffi

Article photo - The Underground Forest - Volume 27

This is a gorgeous blend of pop and indie rock, with an early 2000s vibe. The vocals are mesmerizing; it deals with a toxic friendship (a topic that not that many songs are written about, even though this is something that quite a lot of people experience). This has a bit of a lofi quality to it, making it all the more endearing.

Connect with tiffi
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp


Purple Heaven - Sal Dulu

Article photo - The Underground Forest - Volume 27

A kaleidoscopic electronic release from Irish music producer Sal Dulu; it has a mesmerizing visualizer to go with it (linked above). A mix of electronics, chopped vocal samples, and ambient sounds, this is a magical listening experience.

Connect with Sal Dulu
Spotify / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp


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

About Music Spotlight

In this blog section we host new music releases, artist features and handpicked playlists by the Musicngear staff.

Interested in a music feature, writing a story as a guest or joining the Musicngear team as a Contributing Author? Contact us at info+blog@musicngear.com