Three pins, and nearly every signal in this business passes through them.

The magazine is named after the cable: the microphone in the booth, the line to the desk, the DMX run that fires the lights. Studio, stage and rig share the same cable. Most magazines pick one of the three. This one covers all of it, because the people we read do too — the engineer mixing a record on Tuesday is on front of house by Saturday.

Around a hundred and sixty sources, in English, Japanese, Spanish, German, French, Chinese and Italian: makers and their release notes, reviewers who put a hand on the thing, studios and touring crews, the producers and collectives surfacing this month and the scenes they came out of. Synths and modular, plugins and DAWs, guitars and drums, microphones, monitors, PA and lighting. What the trade is talking about is counted and plotted. The editor's letter has just started; it will find its rhythm.

For each story: a headline, a short excerpt, one picture and the link out. We never reprint the article, and the picture belongs to the maker or the photographer. A German review appears in German and a Japanese one in Japanese, as the writer published it; the link goes to the original.

Nothing is sold on this site. When a link leads to a shop, it is the maker's shop, not ours.

← XLR MAG Archive

Happy MagScenes

HEALS turns post-breakup overthinking into hazy R&B-rock on ‘cigarette’

October 14

Happy Mag https://happymag.tv HEALS on channeling heartbreak into ‘cigarette’, blending guitar-driven alt-rock with R&B and producing music independently from his home studio.

Read at Happy Mag ↗

One letter a week, starting soon.

Latest

HEALS turns post-breakup overthinking into hazy R&B-rock on ‘cigarette’

More from Happy Mag on XLR MAG

ScenesNew Music Radar: Blue Boys Club, Ella Ion and Black Cab Happy Mag

ScenesLucian Piane: Former RuPaul’s Drag Race music producer dies at 46 after being hit by car in morning crash Happy Mag

ScenesSienna Spiro set to perform alongside stacked lineup at 2026 ARIA Awards Happy Mag

ScenesElla Jackman Shares New Single ‘Like Me More’ Happy Mag

ScenesSURPLUS is bringing a world of creatives to Sydney this weekend Happy Mag

ScenesAmyl and the Sniffers set to electrify Sydney’s Bondi Beach Happy Mag