A former student at Berklee College of Music, Tyler Ballgame (Tyler Perry) cut his teeth for several years performing at open mics and in cover bands in his native Rhode Island. After suffering from depression that reached its lowest point with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he decided to fulfill his dream of starting over in Nashville, New York, or Los Angeles, and applied online for an office job in Los Angeles, which he quickly landed. He was able to build an audience with his own songs at regular open mic nights, and after about a year, he met Jonathan Rado (Foxygen, Miley Cyrus, Father John Misty) and Ryan Pollie (Los Angeles Police Department), who offered to work with him on an album. Most of the songs on this first record were written in a month. With Amy Aileen Wood (Fiona Apple, Sharon Van Etten) on drums and Wayne Whitaker on bass, Ballgame's classic songs, influenced by the 1960s and 1970s, and their soulful interpretation, were recorded on vintage analog equipment. The opening acoustic guitar, tapped percussion, and what sounds like a crystal bowl accompany lyrics that are both nostalgic and grateful. As the song progresses, the arrangement is enriched with an additional guitar, a rhythm section, and subtle backing vocals. However, as with the rest of the album, the star of the song is Ballgame's voice, which at times is strangely reminiscent of Roy Orbison's without imitating or overdoing it. Songs like the joyful “I Believe in Love”, the infectious “Matter of Taste” with its country rock accents, and “Down So Bad”, reminiscent of Elvis' style, sound like lost AM radio hits. Ballgame and his collaborators also offer moving ballads with evocative titles such as “Sing How I Feel” and “Deepest Blue”, a piano song with lots of reverb, organ touches, and a buzzing electric guitar. By the end of the 12 tracks, it's clear that Tyler Ballgame has all the talent and charisma necessary to showcase his music. (March 2026 Featured New Artist)

Longtime friends and frequent collaborators, Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore have been enriching each other's music for years. Mary's participation on Julianna's 2020 album Healing Is a Miracle was a particularly memorable moment in their ongoing collaboration. But Tragic Magic, their first full-length project together, is something special. Recorded at the Musée de la Musique in Paris shortly after the fires that devastated their hometown of Los Angeles in January 2025, Lattimore and Barwick use 18th- and 19th-century harps and 20th-century analog synthesizers to fully explore the harmonious connections and contrasts in their music. The union between Julianna's soft, enveloping voice, electronic sounds, and Mary's precise harp playing is as beautiful as expected on "Perpetual Adoration", which opens the album with a luminous tribute to the duo's visit to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre. However, Tragic Magic quickly exceeds expectations. A winter freshness underlies the fairy-tale grace of "The Four Sleeping Princesses", a slowly awakening piece dedicated to the museum's instruments. "Temple of the Winds", a track written by Roger Eno, seems to come from a distant era. In contrast, the duo's version of "Rachel's Song", from the Blade Runner soundtrack composed by Vangelis, makes the black glare of rain-soaked streets feel both futuristic and immediate. While the album doesn't feel as personal as Healing Is a Miracle or Mary Lattimore's Rain on the Road, that's also a strength. On "Melted Moon", where Julianna Barwick transforms into a choir, and on "Stardust", with its ecstatic combination of haunting synthesizers and Mary's sparkling harp notes, it feels as if the duo is composing music to soothe the universe. In short, Tragic Magic is a moving and powerfully gentle testament to the chemistry between the two artists. (February 2026 Featured New Artist)