If you have sent your work to The CHILLFILTR Review in recent months, you will have news about your submission by the end of November.

EDIT: Getseen will be shutting down in the next few months, so we're back to taking submissions via the contact page.

It's been pretty crazy over the last few weeks, ever since I caught Covid at work and started looking for a new job that would let me work from home. I am almost done with that process, I can't totally announce things right now because I haven't finished signing the paperwork yet, but it does look like I will be starting a new position soon. As a family man with a wife and two kids, there is not a lot of free time after work AND an ongoing job search, so unfortunately, lately my focus has not been on writing and curating as much as I want it to be. That should be changing soon, and once I finish setting up my home office, I am looking forward to closing out the year with a few weeks of free time before the new job starts, which will allow me to finally generate a few new posts for The CHILLFILTR Review, and if luck shines on me, I may just be able to put out another episode of the podcast.

But today the focus is on the musical submissions I've gotten through our new submission portal, GETSEEN.app. Anyone who's been paying attention might remember that I set this up earlier in the year as an ongoing platform for other creators to sign up and create a revenue stream, through our partnership with dropp.cc and the Hedera Hashgraph. The promotion that they are running is still active, and on our homepage there is a link for anyone to sign up and receive five dollars for free. If you are interested, you might want to get going on that, because I will be phasing out the link by the end of the year.

Hand-in-hand with the new submission platform, I would like to briefly put a spotlight on our Internet radio broadcast. The vast majority of the submissions that we are getting now through GETSEEN are for inclusion in our radio playlist, and I will be going over those highlighted artists shortly. But for the moment, I would like to just acknowledge the progress that we've made: CHILLFILTR Radio has been streaming 24/7 for more than 2 years now, and our listener numbers have been steadily growing. It's a slow process, but the trend is clear, and I still believe very strongly that as long as I continue to actively curate the channel, we will slowly gain loyal fans as more and more listeners become familiar with our aesthetic. The music that we play is primarily focused on the last decade, but includes the occasional nugget from as far back as the 90s. So we fit quite comfortably in between the modern pop radio obsession with new releases, and the all-too-familiar repetitiveness of classic rock. We're not playing the Beatles, or the Eagles, and we're also not playing Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj (although I did put up a track by Harry Styles because I'm not an animal).

Our radio channel was built to address, head-on, a problem that I see all the time. There is a general discomfort and dissatisfaction with the state of modern radio, and not everyone has the time or inclination to obsess over their own personal playlists with a platform like Spotify. So, often enough I hear the same phrase, over and over again.

Modern music sucks. There's no good music anymore. — Someone, probably

To which I say, that's just not true. It might be harder to find the good stuff, there is certainly a lot of mediocre music out there, and enough of it ends up on mainstream playlist for one reason or another to be confusing; payola is as big of a problem as it ever was, and the way I see it is that the problem isn't the quality of music, the problem is with how people are accessing it. And without getting too deep into the evils of consumerism, like any commercial space, the money is to be made not in true diversity of choice, but more in an illusion of that. Truly innovative and different music often cannot get a fair shake, because the market isn't there yet and no one has the patience to do the kind of discovery and development that previous generations took for granted. So CHILLFILTR® was created as a way of offering an on-ramp for songwriters and musicians that may not have the resources to hire big-name publicists to do their bidding. Through the years that we've been doing this, we've been able to do our small part in elevating new artists from obscurity into mainstream success. I am proud of that track record. And I am happy to announce that through our partnership with TuneIn On Air, CHILLFILTR Radio is now available to more than 30 million potential music fans. This includes Apple Music, Android Music, as well as car and device manufacturers like Tesla, Volvo, Sonos, Amazon, and Samsung. Just do a search for CHILLFILTR® on your favorite Internet radio platform, and more than likely, we are just one click away. So we got that going for us, which is nice.

Because of TuneIn On Air, internet radio stations that were previously accessible only by website will now be accessible instantly through a simple voice command on a TuneIn supported kitchen smart speaker or in a car’s infotainment system –– no instructions or download required.

Just ask for CHILLFILTR Radio.

Any time you spend listening to our Internet radio broadcast will be not only a great opportunity for our artists to reach new listeners and potentially connect with new fans, but it also offers financial support. Listening to a given song on CHILLFILTR Radio is orders of magnitude more lucrative for an artist than streaming, because our licensing costs are paid through Live365 and reach the artists directly instead of being diluted through a monthly membership. Listening to CHILLFILTR Radio is an easy and free way of supporting new artists at the beginning of their career. And we are thrilled to have had such a great month of new submissions.

A Few of Our Favorite New Artists

All of these artists came to us through our portal at GETSEEN.app.

Ben Edgar

With his tracks featured on multiple playlists, blogs, and indie music magazines, along with nods from blogs like The A&R Factory and RGM Australia, Ben Edgar has been making a name for himself as of late. Latest single "Cornerstones" is the 2nd lead-up to his debut EP release, and finds him contemplating themes of self-reflection and mortality against a backdrop of dreamy folk vibes and precision fingerstyle on the acoustic guitar. His voice feels both intimate and aggressive as he leaves us with a message of hope, touching on the universal struggle to find meaning in a complicated world.

Native Harrow - As It Goes

"Old Kind of Magic," the fifth full-length release from Native Harrow (their third for prestigious London based label, Loose), is a sojourn on their passage between two lands; a luxuriant exploration of the connection between the traditions of rock, folk, and soul music. We've written about their earlier track "Something You Have," and here the Brighton-based duo of Stephen Harms and Devin Tuel continue on their path of rediscovering love and letting go of things lost, while taking us along for the ride. "As It Goes" touches on elements of Chamber Pop with a gorgeous lead vocal set against a dynamic arrangement for strings (assisted by the considerable talents of violinist Georgina Leach). The result is a flowing personal narrative that mixes a bit of wistful introspection from their sea-side home across the waters with the equable Folk of Laurel Canyon.

SOZI

SOZI's recent release "Teenage Doubts" was written as an ode to her younger self, and an acknowledgement of the gratitude she feels now for how far she has come in recent years. A groundbreaking new voice in the thriving Los Angeles music scene, this songstress, musical artist, and producer is rapidly rising in the ranks among the sea of young talent in the musical ecosystem of southern California. SOZI grew up surrounded by music in a family that was always dancing, singing, and entertaining. She began classical training in piano at the age of seven and started songwriting at ten years old. Her music combines a wide-ranging experience with classical music, home studio production, and the local songwriting scene in Los Angeles with a unique sensibility that positions her at the intersection of anthemic electronic music and high-energy alternative pop.

Gracie Jean

It is said that as a human race, on average, we only share 20% of our whole selves to the people around us. Through release of her debut album, "Romance Is Bad," east coast Australian alt-country artist, Gracie Jean is opening herself up to share the vulnerability she has experienced within the challenges of her life, in the hope that others can connect and begin to lift the mask on their own pain. Produced and mixed by Matt Wykniet in Nauti Studios (Standmore) and Mastered by Harvey O’Sullivan at Studio 303, the collection of 9 songs were written by Gracie Jean as a way of processing the feelings of sadness that came through her own experience with clinical depression, and the difficult emotions associated with her mother’s 6 year journey through chronic heart failure as well as the breakdown of her parents' marriage and her personal relationships. Her music is both poignant and comforting, as we emote collectively through the losses and hardship that come hand-in-hand with life itself.

The Paperback Throne

From Glasgow-based label Iffy Folk Records, alt-folk powerhouse The Paperback Throne has released their latest opus "Waves." With a combination of organic instrumentation, studio wizardry, and dreamy lyricism, their melodies flow like water through an intricate landscape of open metaphor. Their music is unique and beautiful, striking a parallel with the slightly tropical, left-of-center works of the late, great Harry Nilsson. Multi-layered harmonies, soaring synthesizers, and a nod to both rock and jazz allow this collection of 10 songs to shine as perhaps the best yet from Ralph & Sylvia Hector.

The Playlist

Ben Edgar - Cornerstones
Gracie Jean - I Dont Wanna Sing The Blues Anymore
SOZI - Teenage Doubts
Native Harrow - As It Goes
Julien Baker - B-Sides - 02 Vanishing Point
Julien Baker - B-Sides - 03 Mental Math
The Paperback Throne - Branches
munro - About You
SYML - The Day My Father Died - 05 Lost Myself (feat. Guy Garvey)
SYML - The Day My Father Died - 13 You and I (feat. Charlotte Lawrence)
Spoon - Wild
Acre Memos, Lomelda - A Collection of Bird Songs - 01 Another Bird Song
Phoebe & Maggie - Iris
The Lone Bellow - Love Songs for Losers - 04 Cost Of Living
The Lone Bellow - Love Songs for Losers - 06 Move
The Lone Bellow - Love Songs for Losers - 08 Wherever Your Heart Is
The Lone Bellow - Love Songs for Losers - 09 Homesick
The Lone Bellow - Love Songs for Losers - 10 Caught Me Thinkin'
Vulfpeck - For Survival (feat. Mike Viola)
Julian Taylor - Beyond The Reservoir - 02 Murder 13
Julian Taylor - Beyond The Reservoir - 05 Seeds
Julian Taylor - Beyond The Reservoir - 09 Opening The Sky
Abraham Alexander - Heart of Gold
Abraham Alexander - Stay (ft. Gary Clark Jr.)
Jenn Grant - Judy
Galean x Luiza Brina - Goza

Be well, fellow music fans. Until next time.

If you are interested in having your song featured here, submit using this link.

Cover art via Midjourney and my daughter Addie.