Demons (Single)
by
Josiah Josiah Queen has launched off the 2026 year with a strong attempt. The track begins quietly and modestly, in a minor, edgy tone. For the first verse and chorus, the song is entirely Queen's...
Josiah Queen, "Demons" | Posted January-21-2026
Josiah Queen has launched off the 2026 year with a strong attempt. The track begins quietly and modestly, in a minor, edgy tone. For the first verse and chorus, the song is entirely Queen's vocals and Dylan Thomas' acoustic guitar accompanying each other, until the second verse, when backing percussion and bass notes appear. An overall "wall of sound" explodes at the chorus to implement the signature combination of industrial and folk rock which has characterized Queen's latest work.
The build on this song is exceptional—I laud the effort to start slow and gradually pick up pace before being hit with a loud, richly textured chorus. I also applaud the way that Queen was able to include both a chorus with a melody memorable enough to carry the entire song in addition to a bridge with a melody memorable enough to carry the entire song—the inclusion of both makes this song catchy, and the sort of track that will get stuck in your head for the rest of the day. It also emphasizes the fact that Queen did not craft this song in half an hour—it was well thought out and prepared.
On the other hand, I felt that the lead-up measure to the chorus was poorly structured. The chorus begins with the line, "Tell those demons...", before falling head-first into the most intense part of the song. Because "Demons" is in 4/4 time, a three-beat pick-up note is an odd choice. If I were in Queen's position, I think I would have changed the final word of that phrase to last for two beats rather than one.
But, all things considered, this is only a minor error in the grand scheme of this song. Overall, with its catchy melody and rich texture, I believe that this song has hit potential. I also believe that it could not only become one of Queen's most successful songs, but also one of the biggest breakout singles of 2026.
Forrest Frank and Jake Lawson, "This Is What Christmas Feels Like" | Posted January-19-2026
This Is What Christmas was released on 5 December of this 2025, becoming Lawson's first Christmas album, Frank's second Christmas album (his first being A Merry Lofi Christmas in 2023), and both of their's first collaborative studio album.
In comparison with Frank’s later studio work, particularly Child of God (2024), and its sequel, Child of God II (2025), the album demonstrates a significant step up in element variation, exhibiting the use of stringed instruments and other background sound effects (a good example of the latter would be on the track "Christmas Morning"). This is a strength, considering the formulaic nature of Frank’s later work.
A weakness of the album is its length. It only contains nine tracks, one of which is an interlude. It also only runs for a short twenty-two minutes, making it hardly the length of an extended play.
I also feel that the addition of the track "Her" was overly redundant. This song marks the fifth collaborative remix of the song that Lawson has released since November. Furthermore, it doesn’t appear to directly correlate with the overall theme of the album, not being explicitly Christmas-themed. In addition to this track, there are other factors, such as adding an interlude to the second-to-last track of the album, or having a track transition in the middle of a song, that disrupt the album’s flow.
While there are certainly flaws with the album, I believe that the use of differing elements and creativity makes this a quality step forward. The album is a stellar attempt with spectacularly mature production, and I am hopeful that this becomes a new standard for Frank and Lawson.
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