146. Fifteen Minutes of Fame Spotlights: June 13th Edition
Originally Published on June 13th, 2025
Preface
This Friday boasted many new releases from talented independent artists. Throughout the week, there have been others including releases from Circumstantial Saint, Falling Over Water, Sprawler FU, and Elly Kace had her first release for her upcoming album, due to release in 2026! Today, we are looking at 3 wonderful releases from some very talented musicians.
Don’t Look Back by North Woods
About the Artist
North Woods are a significantly talented folk duo from the Boston area consisting of Sherry Aviles and Christina Thomas Taylor. They were last featured by Fifteen Minutes of Fame in November, after the release of their single, Voices.
Since Voices, North Woods haven’t had any other releases, but Taylor’s side project, Octoberture did release their single, Bada Bada Uh in January.
About the Song
Don't Look Back is the first release by North Woods in 2025. It released on June 13th, 2025 and runs at around five minutes and fifteen seconds.
About the Music
As with Voices, Holloway, Onward Tomorrow, and all other songs in North Woods’ catalog, the element that stands out and truly separate these artists from the folk music being produced today is the way the two vocalists perform off of each other. Their voices blend perfectly. They can harmonize, they can call and respond, and they can sing in unison, and each of these elements are provided with a sense of mysticism that’s not heard anywhere else in music today.
Don’t Look Back seems to have built from the incredible place they found themselves musically after releasing Voices. North Woods have found a magnificent way to create music together and they’re showing us they’re just getting started!
Read Fifteen Minutes of Fame’s review of Voices here.
Is This Real by Galaxy Parade
About the Artist
When we last caught up with Galaxy Parade, they had just released their January EP, The Madness. Well, the Houston rockers are showing no signs of slowing down as they’re back with a single just months after their latest stellar release!
About the Song
Is This Real? is the second release by Houston-based rock band, Galaxy Parade, in 2025. At three minutes and thirty second, this full feature release dropped on Friday, June 13th (you heard me). It was performed, recorded, and produced by Galaxy Parade.
About the Music
If I am being honest, I don’t like to tie reviews too close together because I feel like the articles run the risk of being derivative. However, after hearing “Is This Real?” I knew I had to write about it. Listening to The Madness, listening to Galaxy Parade, I can truly say I’ve become a fan of their music. I know their music. I know it better than my own!
So when I say “Is This Real?l is THE BEST SONG I’VE EVER HEARD GALAXY PARADE PLAY!!!…. you can take it to the bank!
I mean, seriously! This song hits on SO many levels! It reminds me of PEAK Kings of Leon and maybe even a little bit of Fiction Plane, in their prime as well.
The guitars play off of each other in a way that just permeates through this power ballad. The vocals are stellar and bring the exact right amount of energy to blend in with this entirely cohesive performance. In April, when reviewing The Madness, I talked about how I could hear how this band just gels. It sounds as natural as breathing, as they navigate through this song with hive-minded unity. It’s scary good.
I know they just dropped an EP but I am so ready for a new album!
Strawberry Milkshake by Miss Zaphire
About the Artist
Unlike the first two artists, I’ve actually not reviewed Miss Zaphire’s music before and this is the first time I’ve listened to it.
Miss Zaphire is a powerful alto that is at her best singing R&B and Pop R&B compositions. The tonal quality of her voice has a slight resemblance to Maggie Rogers.
About the Song
Strawberry Milkshake is the first release from independent recording artist, Miss Zaphire. This song touches on pop, R&B, and dance music. It runs a little shy of four minutes and released on June 13th, right in time for summer!
About the Song
There are songs, then there is subliminal messaging. This song won’t just have you dancing, it will have you running to your car and driving to your favorite ice cream shop! There are no euphemisms in this song; it’s about Strawberry Milkshakes. If you have a friend that is on a diet, they will never forgive you for playing this song.
Strawberry Milkshake is a bit of a different vibe than what Miss Zaphire has released so far. She had five releases to date, and in my opinion, her best song to date is End of the Earth. In this new direction, Miss Zaphire has introduced an experimental track incorporating influences of drum & bass and dubstep into her traditional R&B sound for a much more uptempo song than any of her other releases. Incorporating layers of vocals, there are many elements to Strawberry Milkshake that would indicate a shift in style and musical direction. This song is very experimental and an opportunity to hear a new direction from Miss Zaphire.
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