Music Mailbag April 2025 

• Courtesy photo
• Cera Gibson

Spring is a great time for renewal and feeling refreshed. As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, you'll need some new music to add to your playlists. Here are some new releases that you'll want to add to your library to welcome the spring vibes.

Cera Gibson, pinksoak: Known for her unabashed, provocative and fearless sensuality, singer/songwriter Cera Gibson delivered her newest EP last month, offering listeners an unforgettable experience. Gibson's music always tends to have a lasting effect, but pinksoak is a standout that will have you coming back again and again. The opening track "I Found God" is a dark, dance-pop confessional about reclaiming sexual power after an underwhelming relationship. The song is a full-throttle exploration of pleasure, self-discovery and shedding shame. Meanwhile, the music video that pairs with "I Found God" is equally interesting and cinematic; set in a church-turned-rave, the video sees Gibson leading a diverse, age-inclusive congregation toward nirvana. With raw emotion, uninhibited movement and striking visuals that blur the line between heaven and hell, the video challenges mainstream media's exclusionary portrayal of sexuality. Featuring a cast of men, women and gender-nonconforming individuals of all ages and body types, it's a bold statement: sexual liberation is for everyone. The following tracks on the EP are alt/pop gold, and you won't feel bored for one second while listening to each one.
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Arsenic Addiction, "Flora and Fauna": SLC goth/metal band Arsenic Addiction stand out with their witchcraft-infused sound that packs a punch—and their latest, "Flora and Fauna," is no different. "This song is simply about the grief cycle, loss, and how memories fade as we journey further and further from the past, but with this we are able to romanticize the memories we do keep," the band says of the song on their BandCamp page. "The natural cycle of death, the passage of time, and seeing beauty in all of it." This song starts slow and euphonic, with peaceful guitar and piano pulling you in before exploding into screaming vocals and pounding drums. The song offers beautiful visuals with lyrics like, "As winter's secrets lay / Roots entwined in graves below / Coiled in soil and bone / Buried by the snow / Memories start to fade / As I grasp the thought of you / Trying to see the face / That time hid from view." Folks who grew up loving bands like Evanescence, Lacuna Coil and Within Temptation are likely to love Arsenic Addiction's sound, so if you enjoy those bands but haven't heard them yet, give them a try.
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Rachael Jenkins, The End: Over the last few years, SLC singer/songwriter Rachael Jenkins has made a habit of dropping in to deliver a devastating, emotionally-driven track and then going away for a while. At the end of March, Jenkins swooped in with a sort of new project, but one that precedes a brand-new project. The End features acoustic versions of Jenkins' current singles, stripped down and more personal. As the title alludes, this EP marks the end of one chapter as Jenkins starts another. "This EP is an ending to my singles throughout the years. I am stepping into a new era, and wanted to close this chapter with an acoustic EP featuring my four previous singles," she shared on BandCamp. "These songs shaped who I am as an artist and kickstarted my career, I want to send them off properly. The focus track is 'Untitled,' which was originally recorded in my bedroom and produced in London by Nathan Cox. This version is an acoustic version I recorded . . . in New York when I was recording my album. 'Untitled' is my coming-of-age song, following me through my loss of faith and reclamation of self." Jenkins released "Untitled" in 2021 and has racked up over 3.5 million streams on Spotify in that time. The End is a beautiful send-off, and it will be exciting to see what Jenkins does next, but enjoying these acoustic renditions in the meantime will be a treat.
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Sunfish, "Everybody": Sometimes, all you need in life is some good old rock 'n' roll. SLC alt/rock band Sunfish knows how to crank it up and jam out. Their style is crisp, loud and rowdy in the best way. Since the band's debut in 2019, they've continuously built and evolved their sound, captivating listeners with each new release. Their single "Doors" has become a favorite, with over 1.8 million streams on Spotify, and it's easy to see why it has so many fans with its clever, emotionally-driven lyrics and rich rock sound. Their newest entry "Everybody," follows suit, but punches harder and drives faster. Sunfish weaves tantalizing electronic effects into their music that pairs expertly with the overdriven guitar sound and percussive, powerful vocals. It's so easy to get lost in Sunfish's music and not want to come back.
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Listening to the same 10-20 tracks is always fun, but sometimes you need to freshen up your current playlists, so grab a few of these new releases and add them to your rotation.