We Speak Music
Julia Thomsen’s “Happy Days” Actually Lives Up to Its Name
I played Julia Thomsen’s new piano piece “Happy Days” three times in a row this morning, which tells you most of what you need to know. It’s one of those rare songs that makes you want to hit repeat before it’s even finished.
What struck me first was how straightforward it is. No tricks, no unnecessary flourishes. Just clean, purposeful piano work that somehow feels both minimal and rich at the same time. Thomsen doesn’t overexplain herself, which is refreshing. She knows what she wants the piece to do, and she does it without apology.
The thing about neoclassical piano that can go wrong is the sterile quality. It can feel like you’re listening to someone prove they know music theory. Not here. This feels personal in a way that academic compositions rarely do. The progression of the piece unfolds naturally, like someone thinking out loud at the keyboard rather than executing a predetermined blueprint.
I listened while doing completely different things, and it worked every time. Morning coffee, afternoon work, evening decompression. The music doesn’t demand anything from you, but if you actually pay attention it rewards that attention. The way the melody sits against those underlying chords creates something genuinely soothing without being boring or forgettable.
For context, Julia Thomsen has over 19 million Spotify streams for good reason. She understands the space between simplicity and sophistication. “Happy Days” is available now, and it’s worth your time if you want music that actually does something rather than just fills silence.
You can listen here.
We Speak Music
Unethical Dogma Pull Back The Dark Curtain For A Carefully Engineered Descent into Technical Melancholy
Unethical Dogma return on Behind The Dark Curtain feels less like a standalone EP and more like the final act of a deliberately constructed psychological arc. Across its runtime, the band commits fully to its horror-driven narrative framework, closing the conceptual thread that began with DUSK. The result is a release that feels cohesive, intentional, and structurally disciplined rather than loosely assembled.
Instrumentally, the EP leans heavily into polyrhythmic complexity and tightly wound djent grooves, but what stands out most is how often the band resists pure technical display in favor of atmosphere. Piano passages and choral textures are not ornamental—they function as emotional anchors, giving the heavier sections a sense of collapse rather than just aggression. The contrast between brutality and fragility is handled with noticeable care.
The vocal performance is equally dual-layered. Screamed vocals carry the narrative’s psychological deterioration with intensity, while clean vocals are used sparingly to emphasize moments of reflection or detachment. This dynamic avoids predictability by making restraint as important as force, especially in transitions where the story shifts perspective.
Lyrically and conceptually, the EP benefits from its unusual writing process, which begins with short stories before being translated into music. That foundation is audible in how scenes unfold rather than verses simply progressing. The storytelling feels cinematic, as if each track is a chapter viewed through unstable memory.
Overall, Behind The Dark Curtain succeeds most when it trusts its atmosphere over its technical ambition. It is a dense, carefully designed work that prioritizes immersion, and while it demands patience, it rewards listeners who engage with its narrative structure rather than just its surface complexity.
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