Artist Spotlight: Adam Lytle
Adam Lytle explores devotion and the divine on his excellent indie-folk album, Altars.
feature & concert review by Beau Croxton
Adam Lytle by Meg Molli
Adam Lytle explores devotion and the divine on his excellent indie-folk album, Altars.
Adam Lytle is an artist with a very distinctive approach and voice– he brings a unique, folky-style of indie rock led by nylon strings and striking lyricism. He emerged as a solo artist at the beginning of this decade with his debut record, This Is The Fire . With its potent lyricism and evocative arrangements, his solo debut drew comparisons to the work of Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, and Scott Walker. Lytle embarked on tours across Europe and the United States, further honing his craft and gaining the adoration of new fans along the way.
In May, Lytle just released his new record Altars. Despite the nylon-folk, Dylan-esque foundation of the tunes, the vibe on the record is often western and haunting , with occasional fuzzy guitars that lurk the background; it can get delightfully dark. Like his debut, it’s also reminiscent of sounds that have been championed by greats like Leonard Cohen or Scott Walker– but a new edginess brings a cinematic, Nick Cave-esque feel to his stories. The record presents a more gothic and ferocious version of his indie-folk sound– it contains elements such as over-dubbed screeching metal, blown-out guitars and off-kilter sounds in the mix to pair with some of his darker tales.
Speaking to Occult, Lylte elaborated on the LP: "With this album I wanted to expand on the sonic palette established on my first solo album 'This Is The Fire’. So much has happened in the short period between the two albums and I wanted to communicate directly with the challenges of our time both in sound and lyric. This collection of songs is united by their unwavering examination of Devotion.”
At the forefront of the mix, there is his signature nylon-string folk in a more singer/songwriter fashion, but the production is rich with details that embellish every tune theatrically; such as the beautiful ethereal backing vocals on “Sanctuary”. Opening track “Savage Thunder” leads in with a very mysterious, spooky tone that lures you in. It takes off with gorgeous backing vocals and percussion, and all of the production choices and mixing of Altars sound highly-considered. Eerie, beautiful instrumentals provide a sonic atmosphere that is very transportive– Lytle’s cryptic stories almost feel like they are taking place in a dark, dusty desert. Lytle’s lyricism, perspective, tone, and delivery really drives his narratives thoroughly.
On Altars, Lytle finds his stride as he becomes more manic and passionate on the triumphant, thumping, western-gospel of “Heaven”. Elaborating on the track, Lytle had this to say– "‘Heaven’ is a critique in the form of an odyssey. Drawing on elements of Psychedelic Rock and Kosmische, the song follows one person’s search for meaning through a society that pretends to have all the answers.”
The energy here is not just palpable in Lytle’s vocal performance, it also radiates and builds naturally from every musician in the studio– Lylte added: “The energy you hear comes from the fact that this song was recorded live in the studio. With each take, the sound became more and more unhinged. In a way, perfectly mirroring the unraveling arc of the narrative."
The record finds a great peak between “Heaven” and “Black Masses”, with the first ending in a manic guitar frenzy. “Black Masses” stomps in with a gothic, western, “Blue Monday”-type strut that goes on to detail eerie stories of uncertainty and darkness. The track’s tone is utterly tough and stands out significantly on Altars. Snare drums fire like machine guns to build suspense, while guitars and piano go haywire in the background– it all builds as the stories grow more profound. It all leads up to a cathartic ending with triumphant, choir-style vocals and a grand, bad ass 6/8 section. Speaking to Occult, Lytle had this to say about the single– "Black Masses is a parable. A time-worn story of how the power-hungry use violence and religious fervor to achieve what they feel is their divine right to lead.”
Adam Lytle at The Sultan Room in Brooklyn, portrait by Amghy Chacon
Altars is an incredibly solid and very well produced indie-folk-rock record with luring, dark tones that should definitely strike a chord with folks who are into artists such as Bob Dylan, The War on Drugs, Leonard Cohen, Tom Petty or Scott Walker— and here at Occult we highly recommend it.
ADAM LYTLE LIVE AT THE SULTAN ROOM - BROOKLYN, NYC
Adam Lytle opened his Altars release show with “Lead on Desire”(see below), a minor-chord tune which just slightly resembles Pink Floyd’s strut from “Another Brick In The Wall”, in a much more folky fashion. It was a captivating open that set the mood properly, and his presence got the audience laser-focused on his every word.
Lytle spent a good amount of time between songs showing gratitude for his collaborators on the Altars record, many of whom were in the room. The mix of the live show was significantly (and appropriately) more electric sounding than the record. While the nylon acoustic sits more prominently in the mix on the record, the band that surrounded him on stage really got to shine. Electric guitar leads often sounded more ripping, fuzzy and loud, bringing a heavier rock and roll flavor to his indie folk tunes, while drums thumped and banged in a more primitive way than the studio renditions. There was an infectious energy that kept everyone very present and cheering loudly after every track. It was even more electric and energetic than anticipated, which warrants plenty of excitement for Lytle’s live show as a separate entity from his studio work.
Lytle sequenced his track listing perfectly, as his Sultan Room release party peaked in energy just as it does on the album— “Black Masses” was performed explosively directly into “Heaven” to close the show with a bang, much to the delight of all attending and celebrating with him. (Make sure you check out his in live version of the track below)
At the Sultan Room on that warm night, it was clear the venue was packed by a community of Brooklyn artists, peers of Lytle, and enthusiastic new fans — the show was done beautifully. The wholesome audience clearly had an immense appreciation for Lytle, his excellent song craft, and his new release.
Premiere: ELI “Another day” Video, + Q&A
ELI switches lanes and makes an homage to classic rock and punk with her “Another Day” video — it’s a total Runaways-inspired rock out.
by Beau Croxton
ELI makes a fun homage to retro rock & punk with a rebellious spirit in her “Another Day” video. Watch the new video below, after the Q&A.
ELI, aka Eli Romanova, is having quite a year. She released three singles — “Uneasy”, “Lonely Crime” and “Beautiful Tears” (featuring Angel Haze), and all three tracks had notable production and videos that were highly elaborate. As an artist— she is very much where music, video, art and fashion intersect…to ELI lately, it seems these things are not exclusive, they are one.
Today Occult Magazine premieres her next video, “Another Day”, which is a different lane for ELI— it struts with classic, punk-rock-and-roll swagger. The track is a love letter to bands like The Runaways and retro-rock, and the video is complete with her shaggy-haired girl crew applying Bowie-esque makeup and causing a stir. ELI’s “Another Day” is a refreshing rock-out in a set of multifaceted singles that pull from many genres. It may be brief, but like most punk rock songs, “Another Day” accomplishes a lot in a quick and defiant burst.
Check out our Q&A and video premiere below.
BEAU: How did the visuals/concept come together for “Another Day” ?
ELI: The concept came from a place of emotional release and escape. “Another Day” is about feeling stuck—mentally, emotionally—and wanting to run away from everything, including yourself. There’s collapse, but also rebellion. I was heavily inspired by The Runaways—their raw, defiant energy and the unfiltered spirit of the ’80s: loud, messy, emotional, and unapologetically real. I direct and produce all my videos, and I love building a cinematic world around each track. With this one, I wanted both the visuals and the sound to carry that same sense of urgency and freedom.
BEAU: “Another Day” is a great homage and direction into rock/punk territory— is that something you see yourself expanding on in the future?
ELI: There’s something about the grit, the urgency, the imperfection of rock and punk—it just feels honest. That energy has always inspired me. But my music isn’t defined by a single genre. I’m constantly blending sounds and pulling from whatever feels real in the moment. I like creating without boundaries. So while you’ll definitely hear more of that raw punk influence, it’ll always come through filtered through my own perspective and edge.
BEAU: How has it been working with TROY NōKA on your newest material?
ELI: TROY is incredible. I love co-producing with him—there’s a real trust and creative flow between us. He knows how to build a sound that feels cinematic but still raw and personal. He pushes me to experiment, but also knows how to tap into the emotional core of a song and shape everything around that. It’s been a really inspiring collaboration, and I’m proud of what we’ve created together.
Check the “Another Day” video premiering exclusively on Occult Magazine below!
You can follow/listen to ELI on Spotify here.
“Another Day” drops on streaming platforms (officially) tomorrow, July 11th.
ARTIST Spotlight: Smut
Smut finds catharsis on their energetic new album— Tomorrow Comes Crashing, out this Friday June 27th. Beau Croxton catches up to speak with the band on the record while Blake Peck catches the live show.
Foreword & interview by Beau Croxton, Concert review by Blake Peck
Smut by Jon Salazar
Smut finds total catharsis on their electrifying new album-Tomorrow Comes Crashing, out this Friday, June 27th.
Smut is an exciting band who cut their teeth in the Cincinnati DIY scene a decade ago. They mix alt-rock, shoegaze, indie-rock and dream pop in a unique and melodic way that has garnered them much well-deserved attention.
Their debut album on Bayonet Records, How The Light Felt, prompted the band to relocate to Chicago. The record (which garnered adoration from Pitchfork and Under The Radar) explores grief with intricate melodies and a gorgeous, melancholic dream-pop sheen.
In 2025, Smut finds catharsis with their new album Tomorrow Comes Crashing; a record which displays an explosive chemistry with their new rhythm section (drummer Aidan O’Connor and bassist John Steiner). Recorded here in Brooklyn, NYC, the result is their best material yet; it doesn't just show the band’s ability to write great tunes– it also showcases the often-thrilling musical chops and abilities of each of their band members.
There is a new feverish energy on this record that brings the band to a very exciting peak– from the rollicking drums of “Godhead”, to the guitar freak-outs of “Syd Sweeney” to the bratty breakdowns in “Spit”, and the wall of sound on the melodic closer “Sunset Hymnal”--- Smut’s Tomorrow Comes Crashing is as tight as can be, white demonstrating a great range. Also…it doesn't hurt that everyone in the band is absolutely rocking out to full capacity.
Tomorrow Comes Crashing is also an embodiment of the DIY spirit– the band made a record that carries the intensity and many emotions of their decade-long journey into one big, eruptive celebration.
For our debut Indie Spotlight feature, Beau Croxton caught up with Tay (vocals), Andi (guitar), and Aidan (drums) of Smut for an extensive interview on their new record, and Blake Peck reviews their big show supporting SPELLLING at Music Hall Of Williamsburg.
BEAU: Hi everyone! So nice to meet you! Such an excellent record by the way...
TAY: Thank you so much!
BEAU: I hope your tour with SPELLLING is going great so far! I wanted to start by asking about the start of the band and the scene in the Midwest. How did Smut start and what was it like coming up in the Cincinnati DIY scene?
ANDIE: It was actually really fun. The band started in 2014, I just left another band and I wanted to start a new project. It coincided with me and Tay meeting. Then, our other guitarist Sam helped me flesh out some of the songs and then he later joined full-time. Aidan's been playing drums with us for like, four years?
AIDAN: Yeah, probably around there.
ANDIE: He joined after we moved to Chicago. Cincinnati DIY was really fun. It was a really good place to try out a bunch of stuff.I worked at a record store that would have shows once a week. It was really fun to play there.
TAY: There was a really good community there. A very tightly knit music scene for a good while.
BEAU: Your new album Tomorrow Comes Crashing is a super tight record– What was the typical writing process for the record? Do different members bring in different instrumental ideas…then you build off that?..... Tay, do you ever bring in any raw vocals or lyrics or?
TAY: So generally, all of our releases are a hundred percent collaborative. So everyone writes their own parts. I would say it typically starts with a guitar part, either Andy or Sam will have a riff and then we'll just meet up for practice and then everyone just piles on ideas. Generally I come in last for vocals, because I've just written so many songs and then been like, “Oh, let's actually change the entire structure.” And then I'm like, okay, let's reverse and start over again.
For me, I'm absorbing the instrumentals ….like, what does this sound like? What story is this going to be?
ANDI: Sometimes our songs usually have a clear idea of where they want to end up. There's one song on the record– it was one of Aidan's… “Ghosts.” He pretty much knew what he wanted out of that and we all just kind of collaborated on making it happen.
AIDAN: At the time when I was writing that one, I lived with Sam (the guitarist) too. So we would jam on it for hours and we would just like to really figure it out together. So even the ones that like to start with one person, are always 100% collaborative.
BEAU: It’s great to find that kind of democracy there. Tell me a little bit about coming to Brooklyn for the new record. I'd love to hear about the process– I heard about the 12 hour days and everything!
TAY: Yeah, it was so fun. It was produced by Aron Kobiyashi Ritch, who is in the band Momma. . It was 10 days- recorded in Red Hook, Brooklyn. We would go to the little grocery store and stock up and then just be there like morning to night…going all in. Aron was an amazing producer and we picked him because it's great to have his like… ears for this.
TAY: It felt like we got to do a lot of experimenting too, which was nice.
ANDI: We tried to do the record as live as possible- with everyone playing instruments in the same room. I think we did maybe one or two songs just straight with no click.
BEAU: It definitely translates on the record– it's very lively. Everybody gets a nice chance to shine on the record too, which is really great.
TAY/ ANDY/AIDAN: Yeah ! Thank you.
Smut by Jon Salazar
BEAU: So Tay– I heard you blew your voice out recording. Was it on the end of “Syd Sweeney” or was it on the “So quiet!” lyric on “Dead Air”....which part did it? (laughs)
TAY: It was honestly both of them. The last song we recorded was “Touch and Go”. And my voice was completely gone by that point— which was so tragic. We were running to the grocery store. I had like five bears of honey…just chugging honey and then eating raw ginger …..melting cough drops in my throat coat tea and just chugging it.
And I would do like all three and then I'd be like,” let's do a take, let's do a take!” and then like run it again and then be like, “okay, give me a second” and then…. go eat everything. And Aron, particularly, was like “that's disgusting.” But we got the takes we needed!
AIDAN: I also don't know if it was even a particular song… it was just the rigorous nature of the way we recorded the album….we were on all of the time.
TAY: We were singing all the time. I was singing along with them while they recorded instrumentals. So I was singing for like 10 hours a day. So by the time we got to the last song, I was like, “uh-oh”. But it all worked out!
BEAU: Tell me about the singles a little bit. “Syd Sweeney” and “Dead Air” are sick. I would love to know a little bit of background on them.
TAY: So “Syd Sweeney” was a pretty early track– lyric wise. It is inspired by Sydney Sweeney, the actress. It's a pretty common trope at this point…women who get famous for being sexy… and then everyone hates them pretty quickly? Like…they get a little over saturated.
I was thinking about her, and women in the context of entertainment. Just as a performer generally, how much you have to present yourself in a specific way– in order to be seen the way you want to be seen. You're kind of selling yourself in a strange way. And it's weird when you do everything that you think people want from you, but they're still going to keep finding ways to either objectify you or be like, “Oh, all you are is a poser” or something. And I just think that that doesn't happen as much with men in music. I mean, it definitely still does, but like not nearly to the same extent.
Yeah–I just want to be a rock star! And it's weird that I feel like I have to jump through so many hoops and dress a certain way and act a certain way in order for you to ….believe me? When it's like…..just listen to the album. The album is the rock! Like, you know what I mean? So it's just weird… there's so many unnecessary and unwanted facets to being a performer. When all you wanna to do is rock!
BEAU: That double standard is just crazy. That’s a conversation that needs to happen more often. Seriously, who needs the stereotypical dude at guitar center, mansplaining?! We need to get out of that.
(everyone laughs)
BEAU: How about the song “Dead Air" as well?
TAY: “Dead Air” was actually two songs!
ANDI: Yeah, I had the verses of that tucked away. That was just something I had in the sand while the other guitar player had the choruses mapped up. They were two separate songs and we just mashed them together. And it worked somehow— We didn't have to change any keys.
TAY: It was weird– lyrically, I had written parts for two separate songs and when we put those together, they matched. It became this sort of strange story— we switched up our rhythm section from our last album. There's just an anxiety that comes with that, and hoping that things work out and you can still find that sort of magic that you feel like you had. We were so lucky to get Aidan and John because I think they've unlocked something super energetic and meaningful in the band. But “Dead Air” specifically was about that kind of anxiety and being like, “Oh my God, I hope that this band still works” and is better than before. And very thankfully, it is !
BEAU: There is a really refreshed new energy to this record, it's great. There's great guitar sounds all over the record too, and the production sounds superb— what is some of your favorite gear that you use to achieve some of the sounds on the record?
ANDI: At the studio that had this old 90’s orange OTR 120, which was like this Noel Gallagher spec…orange combo amp. I never played an Orange amp before, but I brought all this stuff to use on the album and I literally use that amp every time on every song because I liked it so much. I think anytime you hear distortion from me, that is layered in there somewhere, if not the main sound.
Also- Aron had this thing called an OTTOBIT from this company called Meris. I don't know if you notice, on some of the guitar solos– It's got a glitchy kind of sound ....Like a vaguely Linkin Park kind of sound (laughs) like, this stuttering. We were all really excited about that.
TAY: I love that because it makes it feel like it's like the music's going so hard, like it can't handle it.
AIDAN: Yeah. Short-circuiting like robots.
BEAU: Well, how excited are we to finally release the new project out into the world?
AIDAN: Oh my goodness. We're very excited. Extremely excited!
ANDI: Only like a handful of people that have heard it so far– so we're only getting feedback in tiny bursts, but everything we're hearing from that, combined with how strongly we feel about it…is making us really stoked for everybody to hear it.
TAY: I think this tour we're on right now with SPELLLING is also just getting us so pumped to release it because we're playing a lot of those songs on this tour to sort of like test waters, and it's getting a really good reception. And we think it's the best thing we've ever done so far! We're super excited to release it!
BEAU: I mean, I would be excited too! Like I said, I feel like the whole band really gets to shine- everybody's firing on all cylinders throughout the whole record. It’s exciting! So, there's a shift in sound with this record versus the last one. Do you hope to continue to expand your sound on future endeavors? Do you have plans to keep pushing the boundaries?
TAY: I definitely think so. I think for us this album and a lot of ways felt a little bit more like a return to form for what we were originally making. The last album, which we love, was very much a departure from our regular sound we were going for. Because it was about my sister passing away. So we had to sort of take a breather, but still wanted to make and release music. So it felt more…. contemplative or something. And I'm proud of it! I think it's beautiful. But performing it live every night, we were like, “Damn, this is sad….”...like…“the sad album.” (laughs) So we were all getting really excited to sort of be a rock band. But I do think we are having even bigger ideas.This album really opened up a lot of possibilities for us in the future. I would love to keep just growing.
AIDAN: Oh, totally. Also the new rhythm section just injected like all this energy. I remember I joined the band and I remember you guys being like “it's a pop band. play the pop part” I was like, all right, let's figure it out. And we kept playing shows and we started stripping away the synthesizers. Nobody wants to be plugging in synthesizers at the show and you want to just rip. And I think just our mentality of just getting more active on stage…it kind of informed our songwriting– and the sound is coming from how we're feeling and the songs. I think it's like we're not going for an aesthetic…I think we're going for just good songs.
TAY: I feel like we're going for….catharsis. We just want the albums to sound the way we feel when we play them. And I think because we figured that out, the next album will probably be even bigger.
ANDI: It feels like we kind of unlocked something on this one– we figured it out. I mean, we know what kind of music we're supposed to make. But we definitely never want to stop experimenting and exploring the sounds.
Smut by Fallon Frierson
BEAU: You kind of elaborated on my next question, which was…how has it been touring with SPELLLING?
ANDI: It’s been really fun. They have a really great audience. It's really fun to play for really enthusiastic, younger audiences. It’s awesome.
AIDAN: They're fans are ride-or-die.
TAY: And they're all incredibly sweet people!
AIDAN: The band and the audience! Both.
ANDI: It's been a really good fit for us. And it came at a really good time.
BEAU: Great! Well, the Music Hall of Williamsburg show is coming right up. How excited are we to play in New York City?
ANDI: Oh yeah— we're really, really excited! We didn't think we'd get to play in New York again so soon. We've been looking forward to it.
TAY: Yeah. We've got a lot of like friends coming out. Our label is also based in New York. Our label people & manager is going to be there. Because they're in New York, it's not that far from Chicago, but we don't see any of those people nearly as much as we'd like to. So we're going to have a big, fun kind of reunion.
BEAU: My last question is… What is next for Smut in the near future?
AIDAN: Songs. Just more songs!
ANDI: We have another single coming out before the album. But yeah, as soon as the album comes out, I think we're going to go back into hardcore writing mode.
TAY: Yeah, hopefully we'll be touring again sometime this year. We're still trying to lock something in. But yeah, mainly the next thing is just releasing the album and getting to play it for people for the rest of the year. It's going to feel really good.
AIDAN: …Grabbing people by the ears and screaming inn their faces!
(Everyone laughs)
BEAU: Sounds great. Well, thank you all so much! Been such a pleasure!
TAY/ANDI/AIDAN : Thank you! Nice to meet you!
SMUT - LIVE AT MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG
Written by Blake Peck
Smut’s show at Music Hall of Williamsburg opened with “Godhead,” a track that set a slow, deliberate tone with its shadowy presence and layered textures. It was a measured start, but one that built a steady tension—drawing the crowd in without rushing the payoff. That release came with “Syd Sweeney,” which hit with a sharper edge. The song’s restless energy and nervy vocal delivery leaned into Smut’s more emotionally exposed side, hinting at their evolution without abandoning the grit that’s defined them. The track was restless and raw, blending swirling guitars with nervy vocals that nodded to the confessional heart of Midwest indie while still sounding unmistakably their own. It set the tone for a night where nostalgia met reinvention.
“Crashing in the Coil” kept that momentum alive, all tight coils of distortion and anxious pacing. Then came “After Silver Leaves,” still one of their most affecting tracks, unfolding in a dreamy haze that offered a brief moment of weightlessness. Its melody washed over the room with a kind of bittersweet calm before things turned again.
“Burn Like Violet” was one of the night’s high points—taut, moody, and melodic in all the right ways. Its brooding atmosphere gave way to “Dead Air,” which crept in with a sense of unease before cracking open into moments of distortion that felt more cathartic than chaotic.
“Sunset Hymnal” slowed things down again, leaning into mood and restraint. The set closed with “Spit,” one of the band’s most urgent tracks, where everything tightened into a final burst of energy—loud, raw, and unfiltered.
Smut’s performance was tight and affecting, with a clear sense of direction.
The performance felt like an evolution for the band. With nods to 90’s alt, Midwest indie, and vulnerable expressionism, Smut delivered a set that was both emotionally precise and sonically massive. Smut’s performance was tight and affecting, with a clear sense of direction. They’re not reinventing the wheel, but they’re sharpening it—refining their sound in ways that feel intentional, thoughtful, and still deeply felt.
Smut’s new album Tomorrow Comes Crashing is out everywhere this Friday— June 27th
You can pre-order some epic colored vinyl HERE.
You can watch the video for “Syd Sweeney” here
and you can watch the video for “Dead Air” here.
you can press save the album here.