melt exclusive:
PARKE
“It felt like a fresh start, felt like a new era. Same with this music; I didn't put a single out, it was just the album went straight to it because I think I'm just an album person. I think it's more interesting, but it just felt nice and literally like a refresh, like I just showered and just came out.”
Read Above: Parke, the rapper and producer formerly of the name Dominsquis, has broken ground with his new album, Zombie, compounding the dynamic blend of hip-hop, rock, and punk influences that he began exploring under his old alias into a thrilling blend of tracks that not only amp up the sonic pressure from his previous projects but also serve, in a way, as their ultimate fruition,
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MELT EXCLUSIvE:
SQuadda B on ‘Evolver’
Legendary Bay Area rapper and producer Squadda B has been hard at work over the past year, releasing his first solo project under his new ventures with Detroit-based Bruiser Brigade, The Wonderful World of Squadda B, and following that project up with a number of production-centered releases, including SM6 and its deluxe version SM6 The French Deluxe Edition as well as an instrumental release of his well-received collaboration with J.U.S, 3rd Shift.
But The Wonderful World of Squadda B, in many ways, was a compilation project— a testament to and a spotlight on the community he’d found with his Bruiser Brigade collaborators. His newest project, EVOLVER, is a staunchly individual project in contrast; it contains just one feature from Del the Funky Homosapien, and is both more ambitious and more spacious in its overall soundscape than his last solo endeavor.
MELT Live: Surfiggy
A live set by St. Louis Surfiggy combining UKG, breakbeat, and neurobreak sounds with classic tracks and immaculate vibes. Recorded at Overtime Studio STL.
MELT Curated: Star Card
Vibes curated by Calley and Brendan of Brooklyn-based band Star Card.
Artist profiles
Ghost Lovers, the Phoenix-based indie rock band fronted by 19-year-old guitarist and songwriter Quinn Edgar, has packaged their relatable and infectious energy into their self-titled debut album, which was self-released in late February. In its mirrored mode of storytelling, it conveys a tale of the rawness of love and loss– leaning deeply into the undeniably abrasive and uncomfortable aspects– it is a strong representation of the unique charisma the band possesses and projects outward both on stage and in their recorded output.
Ghost Lovers
Every time ladybug, the Massachusetts-based dream-pop and shoegaze-tinged indie artist takes up her improvisational songwriting process, it is the years of musical intrigue and the yearning for creative expression that truly flows forth through her words— a flood of suppressed emotions and untapped creative maturation that is abundantly evident not only in each of her hypnotic and varied singles but also across her collaborations, including the 2025 EP “live from the smoke room”.
Ladybug
Fai Laci, the Boston-based alternative rock band, has come a long way from its foundations in the collaborative spirit and self-taught musings of vocalist and founder Luke Faillaci. What once started as a solo affair, strung together through recordings created in his college dorm room and at his friends’ apartments across campus, has now become a fully-blossomed project— and the release of their debut album, Elephant in the Room, will serve as the next foothold in their energetic and diverse sound.
Fai Laci
sleepazoid, the post-punk-influenced, alternative rock band based in Melbourne, has taken another step forward into their rough-edged sound with the release of their second EP “New Age” in early 2026. In doing so, they have done more than log another entry into their catalogue, however– they have crafted a testament to their creative cohesions as a band, a refinement of their sonic intentions, and a staunch move towards a striking dynamism.
sleepazoid
For San Francisco-based prog rock band Magic Fig, the mission has always been clear: create tantalizing and expansive music heaved from the swirling depths of the British rock of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. But, as the band has continued to evolve, the initial boundaries they set for themselves have been forced to expand. Their newest project, Valerian Tea, serves not only as a representation of their collective vision but as a testament to their melting pot of influences– and their spacious and inclusive take on progressive rock as a genre.