Streaming 2.0, Monoculture Myths, and Five Songs That Don’t Suck

What’s up friend!? Welcome back to Songs That Don’t Suck. I’m your host, Mark—and this week we’re starting with a little industry therapy session before diving into the new music.

Because according to the spreadsheets, this is the greatest era in the history of music.

Not one of the greatest.
The greatest.

More songs.
More streams.
More platforms.
More playlists.
More numbers telling us how incredible everything is.

And look—I believe the numbers.

I just don’t believe the vibe.

🎵 The Golden Age (According to the Spreadsheet)

After reading a recent industry letter tied to Universal Music Group, something started to itch. We’re told this is a frictionless, infinite, borderless paradise… yet somehow we’re all listening to the same handful of artists everywhere, all the time.

We didn’t escape monoculture.
We franchised it.

We took Top 40 radio, fired the DJs, stripped out the regional flavor, fed it into an algorithm, and called it choice.

Welcome to Streaming 2.0

Or as I like to call it:
A polite way of saying the first version broke everything.

• Too much noise
• Millions of uploads nobody can find
• And now machines making music that doesn’t even need musicians

This isn’t vinyl to cassette.
It isn’t CD to MP3.

This is style without struggle.
Emotion without memory.
Music that’s… good enough.

Not to move you—
Just to fill space.
Help you focus.
Sleep.
Stay calm.
Be productive.

We used to call that Muzak.
Now it’s called content.

🧢 The Superfan Economy (And the Artists Left Behind)

The industry has figured out who really matters now:
Superfans.

Not listeners.
Not casuals.
The obsessives.

The ones who’ll buy:

• the ticket
• the box set
• the hoodie
• the “experience”

That’s great… unless you’re an artist stuck in the middle.
The place where careers used to live.

Here’s the quiet truth:

• The industry is healthier than ever
• Music is more valuable than ever

And making a living as a musician is still harder than it was when we were buying CDs we couldn’t afford.

Music will survive. It always does.

The real question is whether the future still has room for the people who made the songs that didn’t suck in the first place.

And with that… let’s get into the new music for this week 👇

🎶 1. “Dream of Mine” — Ellur

Ellur, aka Ella McNamara, hails from Yorkshire, England—always nice to stumble across an artist from the same area my family comes from.

My first reaction?
A more delicate Sam Fender.

Her vocal range is so intriguing, especially in a modern landscape packed with breathless indie folk-pop vocals. Lyrically, this song hits that painfully relatable moment in a serious relationship—are we stepping into the next chapter, or staring at the exit ramp?

It all comes down to the hardest question:

Can my dreams and your dreams exist in the same future?

Beautifully written. Beautifully delivered.
Don’t sleep on this one.

🌑 2. “Trapped in the Dark” — Dark Sun ft. Pawns of Kings

Dark Sun, who previously appeared on Songs That Don’t Suck Episode 142 with “Wait for You,” return with a killer collaboration featuring Pawns of Kings.

This track fuses:

• Nu-grunge grit
• Gothic folk textures
• Fiddle and banjo layered into an unplugged-style groove

Think grunge unplugged meets Appalachian darkness. It’s moody, heavy, and deliciously bleak—channeling shades of Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains.

Oh yeah… it’s dark.
And it works.

🤠 3. “Acting Tough” — Telander

Yes friends, I dipped a toe into the country pool this week—and it didn’t suck.

Telander passes my two sacred country rules:

1. It can’t suck
2. It has to sound like actual country

That means:

• Fiddles
• Slide guitar
• Banjos
• Real drums

No bro country. Ever. You’re welcome.

“Acting Tough” is a perfect modern example of what country music should be—great storytelling, strong vocals, and flawless execution. If you miss 80s and 90s country, this one’s for you.

🖤 4. “Impetuous” — Puscifier

I’ve known about Puscifier for years—but this track made me ask a serious question:

What have I been missing?

This project—featuring Maynard James Keenan, Mat Mitchell, and Carina Round—blends industrial edge, goth atmosphere, and melodic restraint.

I hear:

• A hint of Nine Inch Nails
• A touch of The Cure
• Even flashes of Muse

Honestly? This song feels like it belongs on The Crow (1994) soundtrack—and I mean that as the highest possible compliment.

🌄 5. “Go Back” — The Steel Wheels

This one hurts a little.

The Steel Wheels have been around for 20 years, and somehow I’m just finding them now. But better late than never.

“Go Back” is a gorgeous indie folk track with:

• Rich harmonies
• Thoughtful percussion
• A slow build that rewards patience

The intro pulled me in immediately, and when the rhythm settles into place? Yeah… I’m a sucker for that stuff. Sorry. Not sorry.

❤️ Final Thoughts

And that, my friend, is it for this week.

Go out.
Support these artists.
Buy the music.
See the shows.
Keep culture human.

Because the industry might survive without them…
But culture doesn’t get a Two Point Oh. 🎶