Kim Chin-Gibbons of Amherst has been playing in bands for over a decade. Most know her from her work with ZoKi, a group she co-founded with Zoe Lemos of Ashfield when they were in their teens and students at the Institute for the Musical Arts (IMA) in Goshen. She has also played with Parlicium, a band that, like ZoKi, played the Green River Festival. Chin-Gibbons is currently a member of the seven-piece progressive rock group Sunset Mission.

In addition to her work with that band, she is recording solo for the first time ever.

On April 5, Chin-Gibbons will release her first single, “7848,” a progressive rock song named after the rhythm it is built around. Last year, Chin-Gibbons was a finalist in the She Shreds Media One Riff A Day contest and continues to develop an album from the riffs she created for that 20-day challenge. “7848” is one of the riffs.

“I count the number of notes in each of the musical phrases back to back in the groups of 7, 8, 4 and 8. My way of counting it is kind of unique, and my bandmates even hear it differently (7, 8, 3, & 9, like my bassist said the other week as he was mixing it!),” said Chin-Gibbons about the riff. “There are lots of different ways of hearing it and that is what I feel makes the riff so unique.” To better understand, check out this video where she explains what she is doing as she plays it: https://tinyurl.com/yckanh2p .

The song starts with Chin-Gibbons playing this unique riff on her baritone guitar, accompanied by some busy drumming by Dana Goodwin from Sunset Mission. The riff, which has a hypnotic stay-in-your-brain quality, continues throughout the song, as does Goodwin’s wild drumming. Layers of ambient guitar provided by Sunset Mission members further give the song an atmospheric feel. Add in some tricky time signatures and odd tempo shifts, and you have a complex yet compelling listen; a song that is challenging yet remains accessible. If you are into bands like Rush and King Crimson, chances are you’ll be a fan of “7848.”

“7848” is primarily an instrumental work, but Chin-Gibbons delivers some lines in her warm, expressive voice. She said the song’s content fills the void of her lingering conflict, coming out as polyamorous, then coming out on the asexual spectrum, while mourning the 2022 murder of her friend Jana Abromowitz, who was killed in her Northampton apartment.

Also, check out the accompanying video that Chin-Gibbons co-produced with Tobias LaMontagne of Ashfield. The video features Chin-Gibbons alone but also uses swirling colors to add to the trippy feeling of the song. The video will also be released on April 5.

Chin-Gibbons was inspired to get into prog rock when she attended Marlboro College, where she met her bandmates, who were all into the prog bands of the early 2000s. This friendship came at a time when she started listening to artists like Madison Cunningham, getting inspired by that artist’s work, and feeling ready to move beyond folk rock.

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“Madison tunes her guitar to C standard and plays in odd time signatures, so I feel like I was already graduating from folk rock to baritone guitar progressive folk as a writer and listener,” said Chin-Gibbons about getting involved with prog rock and ultimately joining Sunset Mission. “And then the more technical prog that came from my Sunset Mission friends pursuing music as a big mountain climb adventure for the learner and listener, and I fell in love with that mission.”

While she will eventually release a full-length album called “Coming Out, Math Rock and Mourning Murder,” Chin-Gibbons is currently focusing on releasing singles and hopes to have the next one out this summer.

Other Institute for the Musical Arts alums are releasing new music and changing their musical direction, so let’s look at what they’re all up to.

Hannah Mohan, who for many years was the lead vocalist/songwriter/guitarist for the popular local band And the Kids, is gearing up to release her first solo album. She recently released a couple of singles on the Egghunt Records label. While writing the album, she was dealing with some significant losses in her life, including the end of a long-term relationship and the end of And the Kids, and she deals with these losses in her new music.

The first single, “Time is a Walnut,” is a mid-tempo pop number that benefits from subtle horn and percussion accents, while her strong vocals lead the way on the most recent release, the indie folk song “Therapist.” The full-length album should be out in June.

Kalliope Jones has a new three-song EP called “10:37 in Heaven.” Drummer Alouette Batteau, guitarist Isabella DeHerdt, and bassist Wes Chalfant first formed the Shelburne Falls-based band when they were kids attending IMA. Now in their early 20s and having each worked on musical projects apart from Kalliope Jones, they have all grown as musicians and songwriters. They are focusing more on a post-rock sound, and as a result, the material here is more musically complex and more adventurous than anything the trio had done before.

The band has never rocked harder or sounded as confident; they add loud fuzzy guitar to the song “Playing the Field” to create an indie-folk vibe, while retaining their knack for creating a catchy hook. I should also mention that song has the best take-down line ever: “I hate you more than I hate the winter.” If that isn’t the greatest insult a New Englander can throw, then I don’t know what is. Excellent production and sharp writing and the trio’s always great harmonies all contribute to make these three songs you’ll want to hear again and again. And play it loud.

You can catch Kalliope Jones at the Green River Festival in Greenfield on June 22.

When she isn’t working with Kalliope Jones, Isabella DeHerdt is a member of the indie-folk rock duo High Tea that also includes Issac Eliot. The pair will perform at the Parlor Room in Northampton on Saturday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m. The duo is currently working on new material and at this show they promise to let listeners hear their new song, “Tender Heart Attack,” which they will release on April 27. Tickets are available at Parlorroom.org.

IMA are enrolling for their summer sessions now so you can learn more about their programs at IMA.org.

Just a reminder: a few weeks back, we told you all about the Montague-based band Cloudbelly’s new album, “i know, i know, i know.” The band is holding a CD release shows this weekend, Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7, at the Parlor Room in Northampton. As of this writing, there are tickets still available for both shows at theparlorroom.org.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.