Ryder the Eagle, Burr Oak, Bur, Hannah Sandoz

DIY hero, fallen Romeo, karaoke weirdo — the Mexico-based French balladeer is everything (and nothing) you might expect from an art-rock divorcé chasing dreams at your local dive bar. With lo-fi synthy soundscapes, lyrical melodies, poetic songwriting, and cathartic one-of-a-kind performances, Ryder The Eagle tells his history with love more than his love stories – coating romantic despair with a chiseled wit that’ll transport you straight into a Kaurismäki movie soundtracked by a caffeine-driven Leonard Cohen.

Chicago-based singer/songwriter Savanna Dickhut began Burr Oak not as a band but as a personal outlet. She first picked up the guitar as an aid to express her deep-rooted feelings, as she told The Chicago Tribune, and she began writing the lyrics of her first single “Southsider” after a tumultuous break-up. Late Bloomer, released later in 2021, is a record for everyone who’s felt like they grew into themselves later in life. Paste wrote “her lyrics are frank and direct, yet maintain a near-universal relatability, a sign of a songwriter to reckon with.” And this is truly Burr Oak’s greatest strength: offering the specifics of her personal experiences to capture a universal feeling. Earlier in 2024, Burr Oak had quietly been gearing up for their sophomore release— a 5 song EP titled ‘Annabelle,’ released via Easy Does It Records on September 20th. Departing from their previous album, ‘Late Bloomer,’ which showcased a more personal approach to songwriting, Savanna Dickhut (vocals/guitar/bass) crafts a conceptual piece centered around the character of Annabelle. Through poignant storytelling and emotive melodies, ‘Annabelle’ evokes themes of love, loss, resilience, and the transformative power of human connection—a fictional story inspired by the chilling and very real overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Bur– Top 5 bands of all time. British invasion wanna-be’s

Music that holds you while you cry: Hannah Sandoz‘s arrangements weave tender lyrics and lush soundscapes for guitar, vocals, and laptop. Their use of real-time processing renders universal stories of day-to-day life into complex worlds which coax and stir even the most skeptical of audiences.