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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10 Questions w/ CASANDRA
Miami-born artist CASANDRA amalgamizes pop, R&B, and electronic textures on her newest six-track EP, ISLA TRANQUILITA, carving out her usual rhythmic and lyrical lanes while stretching some of the energies that occupied her CASANDRA EP into calmer frames.
The name stems from the command “tranquilita”, a word her aunt would routinely say in order to remind her to be calm and present in the moment when she was feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated. Across the project’s six tracks, this concept carries an emotional depth and a sonic complexity that showcases the turning of a page for the rising artist.
Here are 10 questions meant to help you get to know CASANDRA and her new project a little better.
MELT Live: areseeayy
A live DJ set with areseeayy, recorded at OverTime Studio STL.
MELT Curated: Star Card
Vibes curated by Calley and Brendan of Brooklyn-based band Star Card.
Artist profiles
Sunsick Daisy, the Adelaide-based, shoegaze and dream-pop influenced rock band, was originally formed from the teenage creative yearnings of its founding members, Kane Gabell and Sarah Grainger. But it has since blossomed into an energetic and surprisingly free affair– one that is capable of achieving the rare balancing act between a continuously evolving sound and a central sonic imprint and identity.
Sunsick Daisy
When tracing the creative threads through the trails of best dressed ghost’s first record, a singular characteristic of the band’s work becomes clear— all four members possess a special sort of creative unison, elevated by the sheer charisma and energy that percolates not only through frontwoman Stef Leo’s personality-laden vocals but also through the band’s relentless willingness to adapt to the diverse vibrancies that each track demands.
Best dressed ghost
Ovven, the solo project of Dallas Ugly guitarist and touring virtuoso Owen Burton, came to life in February with the release of Gnawing At The Cord, Burton’s debut solo album. But the foundations of Ovven’s sound, which differ starkly from the softer Americana that composes much of his body of work, trace back to his childhood in Chicago— they are, in a word, utterly natural to Burton’s sonic vocabulary.
OVVEN
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.