Celebrated award-winning artist and disability rights advocate Lachi’s “Out Of The Dark” featuring Medusa, is such a powerful message backed by an equally powerful performance.
Standing in her full radiant glory, Lachi is one of the most inspirational Black Women I’ve come across. I mean, everything about her is breathtaking, and her selfless commitment to making the world a better place, especially by championing for those living with disabilities, those the society has labeled misfits and undeserving, is one of the most desirable characteristics that Lachi possesses. Being blind herself, she has had to overcome so many prejudices and preconceptions from people who not only viewed her differently but also treated her in a different way. And as she grew older, reaching and surpassing what to others might have seemed insurmountable, she felt an inestimable urge to lend a hand to others like her and, in a selflessly inexpressible way, astonish a mean world with her acts of kindness. Through her RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) company, she ensures that the unheard stories of those suffering with disabilities are amplified through heartfelt songwriting and profoundly touching records that are more than capable of competing with the best of them.
The way I view Lachi is that she is much more than just an artist or an advocate; she is a modern-day heroine. Her life and experiences are a testament to the power of self-belief and the courage to demand a seat at the table for those society may overlook. She leads with compassion, unyielding determination, and a vision for a better, more inclusive world.
“Out of The Dark” is a powerful release from Lachi and is part of an even huge “Mad Different” concert series that is meant to amplify the society’s underrepresented voices through powerful music and heartfelt storytelling, all filmed at Amazon Music Studios in New York City.
“Out of The Dark” is truly magical and embodies the inspiration behind the whole project; everyone’s voice matters. Through each note she sings, Lachi shows us what it means to be relentless in the pursuit of equality, respect, and love, and their collaborator Medusa is spot-on with their spoken word-styled delivery, elevating the song to incredible heights.
I love music like this because it is the kind you feel more and experience as opposed to just listening. From the opening notes as Lachi envelops a listener in a warm embrace with her touchingly beautiful piano playing, evoking such profound emotions as her soulfully rich and emotion-fueled vocals immediately draw a listener in, down to the depth added by the inviting bongos, stunning cello, and precise bass, all the way to Medusa’s heart-touching poetic expression, “Out of The Dark” epitomizes the power of music to heal!
There is just something special about this performance. It is an anthem of resilience and passes on a strongly defiant message about being more accepting and humane to others that, for reasons that are everything but logic, we find different from us; be it their physical appearances, their sexual affiliations, or whichever.
“Out of The Dark” is also what happens when incredibly gifted musicians, composers, and performers come together, each recognizing what the other is worth. Magic was born here, and I have to give it to them for coming up with such a sonically pleasing masterpiece that has been backed by such empowering lyrics to inspire and uplift anyone who feels a little unaccepted by the society they live in.
I want you to imagine the haunting and magical feel of this fully-produced version and triple the effect—that’s how the acoustic version of this jam feels! Everything feels like they are levitating: Lachi’s beautiful and soulful voice, the piano and cello like they are floating on a surface of their own making, and Medusa’s spoken word is delivered with such lucid clarity…it is as if the words are being openly said to you!
Please listen to this music, enjoy it to the fullest, add it to your playlist, and follow Lachi everywhere @LachiMusic for more exclusives and surprise releases that she has in store this December.
Right now, gospel artist Harmoni Allen’s work reflects the transformative power of faith, with vulnerability, triumph, encouragement, and Christ-centered hope running through her music. Her warm vocals, expressive delivery, and deeply personal storytelling give that message a human center. Drawing from lived experience and testimony, she turns questions of faith, healing, freedom, resilience, and hope into songs that feel intimate without losing their uplifting spirit.
Harmoni Allen’s “Schitzo” is a sincere, soul-stirring track built around a deeply personal subject. Short for schizophrenia, the song opens an intimate conversation about mental well-being, judgment, fear, vulnerability, and the struggle to feel free in a world that can be quick to define people from the outside. Harmoni does not keep the subject at a safe distance. She brings the listener directly into the experience, shaping the song as a confession that feels immediate and exposed.
The accompanying music video establishes that vulnerability from its opening moments. Harmoni sits alone on her front porch, drinking water, visibly troubled and seemingly asking herself whether she is truly okay. Nearby, two women watch her from a distance. Their expressions communicate the judgment and assumptions that sit at the center of the song. Without speaking, they capture a painful reality: people can decide who someone is before taking the time to understand what that person may be going through.
Looking for answers, Harmoni calls a friend and heads to a hospital. The song then unfolds inside a psychiatrist’s office, where she is asked, “So, Miss Allen, what brings you to my office today?” Her answer becomes the emotional core of “Schitzo.” The music takes over, developing into a slow-burning, soulfully rich R&B confession carried by Harmoni’s heavenly, deeply vulnerable vocals.
Verse by verse, Harmoni reveals the strain of living under the gaze of people who may fear, misunderstand, or judge what they cannot see. She sings about people being scared of her, watching from afar, the medicines she takes, and the exhausting burden of being viewed through a label instead of recognized as a human being. Inside that pressure, however, comes a moment of release. She looks into the mirror, sits on the bed, takes a breath, and arrives at the realization that she is free.
That realization does not magically change the world around her. People still look at her the same way. Their assumptions remain. This is where “Schitzo” broadens into something many listeners can recognize, the understanding that other people’s perceptions do not get to define your identity, your worth, or your destiny.
Harmoni’s faith gives that idea its foundation. Beneath the emotional turbulence is a steady conviction that God has the last say. People may judge from afar, attach labels, and make assumptions based on appearance, yet those opinions do not determine the course of someone’s life. For Harmoni, faith creates a space where judgment begins to lose its hold and freedom becomes possible.
Musically, “Schitzo” carries the same emotional weight as its subject. The production settles into a slow-burning R&B groove that gives Harmoni’s voice room to breathe, ache, and communicate. Her soulful delivery has a nostalgic warmth, while smooth layers of vocal harmony wrap around the lead with an almost heavenly glow. The arrangement remains restrained, keeping the storytelling in clear focus instead of crowding it with unnecessary drama. Harmoni shifts naturally between fragility and quiet strength, making the performance feel close enough to resemble a private conversation across the room.
“Schitzo” ultimately centers on being seen, being misunderstood, finding your breath again, and recognizing that freedom can survive other people’s judgment.
When the final note fades, Harmoni Allen leaves behind the message that has guided the song from the beginning: people may have their opinions, but God has the final say!
Based in Malta, composer Serag Baddar turns a long-held guitar idea into something intimate and absorbing on “Limerence.” The post-rock track grew from a riff he wrote 15 years ago, with one section carrying a subtle nod to Buckethead’s “Padmasana,” whose rhythm guitar left a clear impression on Baddar.
Crisp, mellow, and atmospheric, “Limerence” moves through clean guitar layers and an ethereal sense of space. Silken vocals shimmer underneath, adding a restrained melancholy that suggests heartbreak without overwhelming the arrangement.
Baddar’s background in heavy metal remains important to the song, even as he strips away high-gain distortion and conventional vocal delivery. In their place, structure and melody do most of the emotional work. At the center is a clean, melodic guitar riff designed to flow ergonomically across the fretboard, giving the performance a natural physical ease.
The quieter acoustic and clean passages of progressive metal are an obvious reference point. Opeth and Tool, two bands that have shaped Baddar’s style, can be heard in the track’s sense of structure and restraint. Its spacious ambient textures also draw from the accessible melodic soundscapes associated with instrumental artists such as Buckethead. “Padmasana” is especially relevant, with its rhythm guitar inspiring a small section of “Limerence.”
The pacing is deliberate and unhurried, in keeping with post-rock’s slow-burn character. Its rhythmic framework stays steady, patient, and evocative, giving the central guitar melody room to breathe. Notes are allowed to ring out and decay naturally rather than being crowded by unnecessary movement.
Much of the song’s appeal comes from that simplicity. The arrangement avoids excessive time-signature gymnastics and settles into a smooth, approachable cadence that strengthens its hypnotic quality. That choice suits the meaning behind “Limerence,” the intense and involuntary psychological state of romantic obsession and infatuation that Baddar seeks to capture emotionally.
Because the released track is a “demo” mix, it retains a raw, unpolished authenticity. That texture fits Baddar’s philosophy of “writing for dopamine,” prioritizing emotional resonance and the organic “magic” of a creative spark over pristine, heavily compressed commercial engineering.
The result is intimate and thoughtful. It feels reflective and deeply personal, like a bedroom guitarist finally translating a 15-year-old teenage memory into a cohesive, immersive piece of music. The closing stretch brings the song’s crisp, clean, haunting guitar riff into sharper focus, giving the track a fitting climax and reminding us how much of its emotional weight rests on that original idea.
Baddar waited until he felt his technical ability and musical vision had matured enough to do the riff justice before recording and releasing it. He approaches music as a philosophical hobby, creating for the pleasure of the craft rather than under commercial pressure.
Taken as a whole, “Limerence” is an accomplished, carefully felt performance worth spending time with. It is streaming now.
Omer B has built a significant part of his artistic identity around collaboration, working with musicians from across the world. On “Bending Time,” he leans fully into that instinct. The track brings together guitar virtuoso Oz Noy, drummer Oded Kafri, bassist Andy Warner, and Abramo Riti on Hammond organ, giving Omer B a formidable cast for what he does best: composing exceptionally good music.
“Bending Time” is a high energy, five minute instrumental funk rock piece that establishes its character almost immediately. Omer B’s guitar locks in with Kafri’s forceful drumming from the opening stretch, creating an intro that feels urgent, muscular, and inviting. Once the Hammond and bass enter the picture, the arrangement opens up into something richer and more expansive.
That introduction builds tension quickly while setting a steady sense of anticipation. You can hear the rhythm gathering momentum as the groove takes hold. At its core is a relentless, head bobbing funk rock backbeat. The pace is fast, yet the players remain firmly in the pocket, giving the song a driving foundation that keeps it moving at full speed without sacrificing its groove.
As composer, Omer B acts as the track’s anchor. He resists overcrowding the arrangement with constant shredding, choosing instead to work through sharp, syncopated rhythm chops and clearly defined melodic motifs. His guitar helps shape the song’s architecture, from its central themes to the heavy, overdriven chord progressions that guide each transition.
Oz Noy’s entrance raises the temperature. He slips naturally into the established groove, echoing the track’s hauntingly familiar melodic cadence while bringing in a streak of “twisted blues” character. His solos are explosive without feeling detached from the arrangement, and they push the song into a higher gear.
The interplay becomes especially satisfying when Noy’s lead lines careen over Omer B’s heavy rock foundation. Kafri’s airtight drumming, Warner’s bass, and Riti’s Hammond keep the music grounded while the guitars add a fiery improvisational edge. That tension gives “Bending Time” a sense of motion that suits its title.
Unpredictable, futuristic, and haunting, “Bending Time” plays like an exhilarating experiment that draws strong performances from everyone involved. Omer B’s experience as an amateur race driver also seems to surface in the track’s polished, high octane momentum. There is a clear feeling of speed, control, and mechanical precision running through the performance.
By the end, the vintage rock swagger and modern fusion sophistication feel naturally connected. In my professional opinion, they should “frame the arrangement!”