😄 ula / so kind review

lawnmower chic

Author

Connor Weir
July 15, 2025

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ula "so kind" review: vibrant pop debut that builds its own world check out our latest song review featuring ula's debut single, "so kind." packed with character, cohesive melodies, and fresh pop vibes, this subscriber-submitted gem proves why the underground is the best place to find new hits.

but first, the news

yes that’s right, news time! a short selection of links to all things going on in the music biz:

more i’ve been listening to

kelly lee owens / dark angel this song feels like act 2 of a really good movie

this song feels like act 2 of a really good movie

ruston kelly / pickleball and this feels like the montage to when the main character moves away from the boy across the street who he was “good friends” with, he’s gay, so is the other guy, it’s a gay movie, a sad gay movie, starring john trevolta as the dad listen now > princess nokia / drop dead gorgeous actually i think this is in the start of the film, like the school bully is introduced and it’s really on the nose. like she takes actual candy from a baby, and then like, keeps walking in slow mo and then she has an arc where she’s like, really sad actually, and you learn it’s cus her parents yell and she acts out because she wants attention and her parents to stop yelling. it doesn’t make her good, she still stole from that baby, he’s just a baby after all, but you like, you get it. listen now > genre: pop release date: 14/10/24 runtime: 3:20 video: no :( alrighty then let’s get into it. so, i’ve talked a lot before about my time in bands trying to make it while still in school or being very, very, very young. so i have a massive soft spot for artists who are in that place in their career but are putting out banging music, which is exactly the zone this weeks track is in. a debut track from a debut act, sending their songs in to a, not debut, newsletter. it’s a lil rough around the edges, but that gives it so much charm. so without further ado, meet archangels, and their track losers don’t cry. listen here! > what i like over and above anything else that i loved about this track, and there’s a lot, this song is really catchy. not catchy in that necessarily laboured way where they have a hook and it’s really really ear wormy and obvious, but catchy in that almost intrinsic way where the song feels like something you’ve heard before, even if you haven’t. the chorus hits you and it settles and it sticks to you like glue and before you know it it’s several hours after you first heard it and you’re whistling it to yourself. that’s not an easy thing to achieve, but is done with ease here. the tones in this song are really excellent here too, whoever recorded this song did such a bang up job. everything from the raw roar of the rhythmn guitars, piercing lead, massive sounding drums and meaty rhythmn section. it’s all sounding so good and when it comes together it works so so well. the solo in particular is such a high point for the song, really paying off a lot of the virtuosity and energy teased in earlier sections of the song in a way that feels satisfying and brings the song through a fair bit of development. the vocals in this are also top tier. really skirting that line between giving tons of personality and energy while also backing it up with some cracking lyrics and great singing that holds it’s own against the furore of the rest of the track. listen here! > what i don’t like this band does a thing which is super super common in a lot of bands early on in their development and i can see this band growing out of quickly, but i think it’s a useful thing to talk about for those new artists out there. it’s a bit of a tricky thing to get your head around, but if you listen closely to this track you’ll start to spot it. in essence, this is an act that needs to relax into the song they’re performing a bit more. most of the song is great, sounds and performed really really well, but there’s a few sections where things are just a little bit stilted, a little bit janky where they could be a lot more smooth. for a really really great example of exactly this kind of thing, go listen to vampires will never hurt you by my chemical romance, and then listen to i don’t love you. the difference is noticeable in the tiny details of those songs. the biggest difference you’ll hear on first inspection is of course the tones and qualities of the recording, but i’m not referring to that. what you’re listening for is in how the song flows from section to section and how it handles introduction of sections and segments of the song. in this song and lots of songs like it, there’s a certain blockishness that’s quite subtle, and isn’t always there, but makes some sections feel like going a and then b and then c, whereas a song that is by a band with a bit more time behind them feels a lot more cohesive as a single song. listen here! > my drunk opinion this song feels like being in a tiny dark bar putting yourself in danger for the sake of jumping around, more of that please. listen here! > my drunk opinion i went hunting for a song to compare this to, and almost immediately was reminded of this absolute banger - unlicensed hall monitor by drug church, which is doing so much of the same stuff, but also has that absolutely wailing riff that i think about quite a lot. listen here! > for a debut track, this song absolutely rules and the follow up does not dissappoint. there’s a lot of talent on the go here, and some really clever song writing backed up by great musicianship. i’m really interested in seeing where they go, as there’s so much potential. plus, i bet the live show for these dudes is insane. click here to listen to more from this artist leave a comment on this post and let us know what you think! or better yet, reply to this email! what did you think of this song? have you been listening to anything good lately? any gems i’ve missed? advertise with us! next edition out next tuesday!

and this feels like the montage to when the main character moves away from the boy across the street who he was “good friends” with, he’s gay, so is the other guy, it’s a gay movie, a sad gay movie, starring john trevolta as the dad

princess nokia / drop dead gorgeous actually i think this is in the start of the film, like the school bully is introduced and it’s really on the nose. she has an arc where she’s like, really sad actually, and you learn it’s cus her parents yell and she acts out because she wants attention and her parents to stop yelling.

actually i think this is in the start of the film, like the school bully is introduced and it’s really on the nose. she has an arc where she’s like, really sad actually, and you learn it’s cus her parents yell and she acts out because she wants attention and her parents to stop yelling.

okay, it took forever, but all of my records are finally up for sale. well, not all of them, but all the ones i want rid of! thank you to everyone that’s been buying them up, you’ve been helping fun this lil newsletter. everyone else, what are you waiting for! get shoppaloppin. and if you tihnk the prices are too high, put your money where your mouth is and drop a wee offer, let’s see what we can do ;)

genre: pop
release date: 27/06/25
runtime: 2:35
video: yes :)

contents

another win for the database everyone, we’ve got another big tune, and it’s been sent in. no algo’s, no insiders, no industry peoples saying what’s cool or not just artists firing their songs into the database and them making it to the top with banging high quality tunes. this week, we’ve got a big ol’ pop number complete with a sick lawnmoer featuring music video. meet ula, and their track so kind, fresh off the presses and straight to your ear holes. let’s dive in.

what i like

what i like

this is a song that puts a lot of effort into building it’s own world and does it spectacularly. you’ll often hear music writers talk about that kind of thing, and to give you a bit more on what it means in practice, the tones and ideas and melodies and rhythmns in this song feel distinct. they aren’t, there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking going on here, but that’s like saying there’s nothing groundbreaking about blue or red, it’s not about the elements it’s what you do with them. what this does with those, is it combines them together in a way that feels unique and distinct and at no point in the runtime does it dip into tropes or cliche. one really cool way it does this is through how the instrumentation respond to the lyrics but also the intonation and energy going into the vocal performance. at times this song feels like the vocalist is atop the steering wheel of a great ship, thorwing it to and fro, and the ship responds on a dime, spinning and yawing to whatever way the singer wants. everything feels in sync and cohesive in a way that’s really powerful.

what i don't like

what i don’t like

my only real gripe with this song is that in the final outro / ending section, it really shoots for a big finish, but doesn’t feel like it quite lands it. it’s got energy and power, but the whole song feels big, and nothing demarcates the big moment that caps it off, so it leaves the outro feeling like more of the same.

my drunk opinion

my drunk opinion

lads, i want to drive a lawnmower like right now. that’d complete me i tihnk, just a good ol run round the garden. they look like they’re having the time of their life in that video and i want to be there man.

for fans of

my drunk opinion

this had me thinking a lot about marina, as in marina marina, who lately has been releasing hit after hit. and i think that’s the category i’m slotting this song into as well.

should you listen to more

this is, a very big debut track. to be landing tracks like this from the jump is pretty powerful if you ask me. the production, the art direction, the character, the songwriting, the voice, it’s all there. i can see this one picking up quite a bit, and subsequent tracks are going to go even harder.

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next edition out next tuesday!

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