The modern promotional process of trying to get your music heard in the new music industry without a record label doing the work for you – means that trying to get your song(s) onto Spotify playlists is the new hustle.

So I’ve started taking some time here and there to submit tracks from the EP to various highly regarded Spotify playlist curators to see if any will add it to their highly-followed lists.  I have some successes here n there, and of course a lot of rejections (that’s the nature of the game), and in the process, I’ve been receiving feedback from industry folks that has been gratifying, and occasionally a touch painful – but always helpful and illuminating.

Here are a few samples of the feedback and reviews I’ve received so far:

Song: Midlife Crisis

“Great singer with amazing voice in the Bruce Dickinson’ s style. Very strong energy”

Rating 85/100

Song: Midlife Crisis

Take me back to the 80’s! Love the cowbell – nice feature. Great vocals and guitar play is on point

Rating 76/100

Review from Denmark

Song: Midlife Crisis

Spectacular song there are times when you don’t know if you are listening to Iron Maiden or Halloween but it sounds spectacular and with a lot of quality

Rating 68/100

Song: Midlife Crisis

I love it dude, sick voice and I totally get the lyrics! Most shit on here doesn’t last 45 secs but I cranked your whole tune. Wicked!

Rating 92/100

Review from Australia

Song: So Many Words

Overall I think the song was really well made, produced, recorded, and interpreted. Congrats! I do fear that you might struggle a bit with radio time but that’s mostly because radios these days seem to want to play electro-folky-poppy stuff. However, keep at it! This is a great tune!

Rating 86/100

Review from Ireland

Song: So Many Words

80s Glam rock vibe. Vocals give chills and melody is solid but nothing special. Totally a radio song!

Rating 72/100

Review from Austria

Song: So Many Words

because it reminds me of rock the guitar guns roses kiss and the beatles continue like this your voice is maximum and incredible good song that you played with the guitar I love your song I am a fan of rock” (translated from Spanish)

Rating 100/100

Review from Chile

Song: Don’t Want You Back

Bringing it back!

Rating 73/100

Song: Don’t Want You Back

Very energetic song! Instantly wanna sing along the chorus. Songwriting is standard glam metal but well executed

Rating 76/100

Review from Austria

Song: Don’t Want You Back

It’s a good song and the vocals are reminiscent of Rob Halford, but the song does feel very generic.

Rating 70/100

Review from USA

Song: Take a Shot

Another super powerful track but I fear it still just feels a bit too dated for my personal preference.

Song: Midlife Crisis

I like it, but the voice is to NWOBHM for my playlist which is more punk rock oriented”

Song: So Many Words

“From a songwriting perspective, the song was strong, but I didn’t feel that the recording quality was quite up to par though.

Song: So Many Words

Hi and thanks for your submission. I really like the chords, very well written song actually. Pretty classic approach to hard rock. The vocal melodies are really catchy. But I am also very sorry to say that the mix did not meet my taste that much. The song is quieter than the other songs I get here and especially the drums sound a bit strange, I am not a sound engineer, so it is hard to be precise, but I think there is way too much compression maybe? In the end I just didn’t like how the song sounds enough to add it. Sorry to decline. All the best and good luck!

I am super grateful for all of the feedback – the positive and the not-so-positive.