It’s been said that having an inner monologue can help regulate your emotions, nurture self-awareness and build a healthy appreciation of the world and your place in it—all the signs of good living. But the question remains: are you really living if there’s no soundtrack to back things up?
Can you imagine what The Lord of the Rings film trilogy would be like without the expert touch of composer Howard Shore? Perish the thought.
The genre hardly matters. After all, music is art, and art is subjective. What does matter is how it makes you feel—how it inspires your daily living and pushes you to embrace creative self-expression in all the ways that are quintessentially you. That being said, there are quite a few genres out there that are floating across the technological ether. We wouldn’t blame you for not being able to keep up.
Avant-garde pop and progressive heavy metal. ‘90s hip-hop and 00’s pop-punk. Ambient, instrumental, classical and everything in between. Even more niche subgenres like shoegaze and midwest emo.
Each suite of monthly music sees new and returning artists delving into these disparate genres, and April is no exception. The month was a beacon of energetic hope, boasting releases that inspired emotion as much as they electrified the senses.
Rock’s entire spectrum was on bold, brash display. There’s instrumental virtuosity, a la Australian prog-rock genius Plini; head-bopping indie tunes courtesy of industry heartthrobs Metric; and post-punk nostalgia from Makthaverskan, hailing from the shores of Sweden.
Musical life thrived on the edges of convention, as well. Hyperpop sensation Tsubi Club brought their A-game with zany, glitchy samples that tug the heartstrings. And in possibly the best example of ‘seeing is believing’ in 2026, Bilmuri came to the table with a mad, rib-cage rattling marriage of metalcore and country.
Read about all of this and more below, in the April edition of Vogue Singapore’s monthly music roundup.
1 / 8
An Unnameable Desire by Plini
It’s hard to say which guitarist is ‘the best’ in the progressive music world, because that term means many different things to many different people. But for over a decade and a half, Plini Roessler-Holgate has made a strong case for being among the most loved. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, though—Australia has been responsible for some of the slickest rock music we’ve seen in recent memory, from King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard to Karnivool. Plini’s latest is a masterful evolution of his signature sound, an exquisite blend of instrumental melodies that soar on hopeful wings and technical virtuosity that makes you either want to put your guitar down forever—or put your nose to the grindstone and simply get good.
Listen to An Unnameable Desire here.
2 / 8
Romanticize the Desire by Metric
Oh, Emily Haines and company, how you have been missed. The latest from Canadian rock band Metric feels like a comforting homecoming for all the folks who have ever spent time at any of indie collective Eatmepoptart’s numerous nightclub affairs. Here, Haines’ mezzo-soprano vocals return to float as confidently as ever above a layer of pulsing synths, arpeggiating guitar riffs and classic drum arrangements. Let your inner indiehead fly free.
Listen to Romanticize the Dive here.
3 / 8
Distracted by Thundercat
The nerd with a bass is back. There seem to be no limits to Stephen Lee Bruner’s ambition—ever since his decade-long tenure as member of thrash collective Suicidal Tendencies ended, Bruner has wholeheartedly embraced a solo career framed by smooth, soulful funk. Not only does he continue to push the boundaries of what a bass guitar can do, his singing and songwriting chops ooze charisma. The proof is in the pudding with his latest album—a stunning collection of hip-shaking beats and cries for love—featuring the likes of Tame Impala, Mac Miller, Flying Lotus, A$AP Rocky and Willow.
Listen to Distracted here.
4 / 8
Glass and Bones by Makthaverskan
If you want to be transported to the ‘80s, Makthaverskan is the band to do it. The Swedish post-punk band are the 21st-century reincarnation of bands like The Cure and The Cranberries, reinterpreting their sonic sensibilities into a riveting format for younger audiences (not that their muses are any less effective at tugging listeners’ heartstrings in 2026). There has always been a vibrant, poignant energy to Makthaverskan’s music, but with Glass and Bones, their sound feels more at home with modern angst—complete with love and heartbreak—than ever before.
Listen to Glass and Bones here.
5 / 8
Kinda Hard by Bilmuri
As Bilmuri, Johnny Franck is finally doing things his way—and the people are listening with rapt attention. The former lead singer of metalcore band Attack Attack!, Franck knows how to mosh with the best of them, but now he’s introducing R&B-tinged vocals and country-adjacent musical arrangements to the genre’s chugging, mean-mugging guitar riffs and gut-busting double pedal drum work. On paper, this combination shouldn’t really work, but, somehow—helped in no small part by full-time saxophonist Gabi Rose—it does. Franck doesn’t take himself very seriously, and that’s a good thing, because when the Bilmuri dance floor calls, all are welcome.
Listen to Kinda Hard here.
6 / 8
Trinket by Tsubi Club
Hyperpop has always danced around the periphery of pop and electronica. To many, the genre’s maximalism is a bit much, but for those willing to give it time, the rewards are plenty. Los Angeles-based hyperpop artist Tsubi Club is one such example, cramming more samples and synths into his glitchy tracks than you can shake a stick at. Thankfully, it’s all incredibly catchy, with just enough strands of nostalgia laced throughout to remind you that there’s a story unfolding beneath it all.
Listen to Trinket here.
7 / 8
Ambiguous Desire by Arlo Parks
The Mercury Prize-winning Arlo Parks is a chameleonic talent, incapable of being pinned to any one genre. Her sound is unmistakeable, though, even if it resists straightforward definition: airy vocals atop a bed of light, tight production, crooning relatable lyrics centred on love and loss. Parks’ aura of self-assured confidence seems to have deepened on her third album. If you shut your brain off, it makes for easy listening, a la your corner coffee shop’s Spotify playlist. But if you dwell on it for a minute more, you’ll realise Parks is a natural-born world-builder, inviting listeners to be folded into lush, transportive soundscapes.
Listen to Ambiguous Desire here.
8 / 8
Evening Star by Emma Harner
The debut album of self-proclaimed ‘math folk enthusiast’ Emma Harner straddles two worlds with effortless ease. The singer-songwriter might be new to the scene, but this record looks like it’s one for the ages. Her ability to conjure delicate guitar arrangements that touch on the melancholy arena of math rock—and simultaneously channel all the quiet earnestness of your favourite folk artist—has not gone unnoticed. Between Harner’s growing fanbase on social media and the fact that she’s already netted a feature on Audiotree, one of the biggest live music sessions in the alternative space, we’re eager to see what lies in the artist’s future.
