“Your gut is telling you something, are you listening?” So goes a thought I’ve come across online and it got my attention. Are my insides whispering something to me and if so, have I ever paid it attention? Sometimes I think that I do, and at times it has saved me from danger or at least something that would blow up in my face at least.

But how about on a regular basis? Like in a day-to-day kind of thing? Like shopping and picking up an item to add to your usual must-do-purchases, or when driving trying to decide on a turn that will lead to the same destination anyway, or listening indiscriminately to radio or to a streaming service? Come to think of it, I might have done one or two in the past week alone and it has led to good things, especially on that last bit.

“Listening indiscriminately to radio or to a streaming service.” To this I must say: doing so has led me to a ton of good artists. I mean just the past year alone has led me to the likes of Geese, Olivia Dean, Mavis Staples, Wet Leg, Tyler Ballgame, Snooper, Lola Young, SALIMATA x Kelly Moonstone (on their excellent “Cake Up”) and many more! Like they say: “You’ll never know what you’ll get.” And that’s a good thing.

In that spirit, here’s a listing of tunes for this week’s listening.

Janine Berdin got something up her sleeve. The singer is up and screaming her head off (tastefully) on her song titled “Promise.” On this slow, mid-tempo number, Janine admits to her guy that she’s “a wreck” and professes to “ruin me for me.” Janine’s got it bad for someone that’s for sure, and she’s desperate to be taken back, at least that’s how it looks like on this heavy ballad. The lyrics are basically her going crazy for someone and that’s basically everyone at some point in their lives. When Janine admits “I’m a wreck,” she means it. Janine's use of dynamics going slow, soft then heavy is all that we need to know how she’s feeling, and the final minute of intermittent “noise” is quite apropos I think.

Chezka (Franchezka Sabalza) is doing something good. An up-and-coming singer/songwriter that’s gaining on the streaming platforms, Chezka is gaining traction with her song titled “Amoeba.” Indie/folk melodies are Chezka’s forte and it’s registering well with listeners and “Amoeba” seems pulsing enough to catch. Distinct and honest songwriting seems to be doing something good for Chezka. Writing since she was 15, Chezka is readying a debut album titled “Fire Near A Toddler,” and already it's shaping up to be a doozy. Serious vibes here!

Suki Waterhouse is an English singer-songwriter, model and actress and a pretty good one at everything. There’s too many to mention as far as roles, but her most notable is "Daisy Jones & The Six" and she’s not even the lead on that one, but it did lead us on to discovering her music. Which is heady mix of indie ballads, synth-sy numbers and what-nots. 2022’s “Good Looking,” and 2024’s “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin” stands as a testament to Suki's airy and at times earthy demeanor and it's all a good listen if your into what we just described. “When I Get Drunk (I Want You Boy)” is a 3-song EP that is more of the same and more. New single “Notting Hill” adds to the mix, it’s a little ballad that recalls a Mazzy Star bent. Did we mention Suki looks great?