Toronto-based duo Moonriivr return with “Force of Habit,” an upbeat yet emotionally charged indie rock single that blends 60s-inspired kraut rock textures with surf and indie sensibilities. Equal parts nostalgic and explosive, the track traces a path from loss and desperation toward release, building into a cathartic, noise-driven finale that refuses to look back. It’s the second single to be shared from their forthcoming album, Moonriivr Vol. 2, out later this year, and follows November 2025’s “You Get Me By.”
At its core, “Force of Habit” is “...about letting go of the past and searching for a new way forward,” the band explains. That emotional arc drives the song’s momentum. What begins as reflective and restrained gradually unravels into beautiful, noisy chaos.
What sets the track apart is its tension between mood and movement. While the instrumentation leans bright and energetic, drawing from vintage rock and surf influences, the emotional undercurrent remains heavy. That push-and-pull gives the song its distinct character, capturing the feeling of being caught between holding on and letting go.
As “Force of Habit” progresses, that tension reaches a breaking point. Layers begin to collapse into a flurry of distortion and movement, mirroring the internal chaos that comes with change. The result feels both controlled and unpredictable, rooted in classic songwriting but unafraid to unravel.
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| Photo - Edwin Keeble |
Easy Honey - Plaid (EP).
Charleston, SC-based indie-rockers Easy Honey have released their rapid-fire five song EP Plaid on the newly-formed Third Brother Records (via Atlantic Records’ 10K Projects). Written and recorded over a three-day session at an isolated cabin in snowy Marble, Colorado and mixed by the legendary Tony Hoffer (Beck Phoenix, The Kooks, Air, M83), the tremendous creative power between Easy Honey’s members Selby Austin (vocals, guitar), Darby McGlone (vocals, guitar), Charlie Holt (drums, vocals) and Webster Austin (bass, vocals) is on full display on this EP.
While the quartet is celebrated for their heartfelt, nostalgic sound, this versatile collection finds them deepening their musical exploration with a more refined and expansive approach; reflecting a creative concept they’ve dubbed “tilting the cone.” It’s a sampler platter of styles that leaves the listener wanting more, tethered together by their classic song structures, instantly memorable hooks and relatable, raucous yet sentimental lyrics about love, wistfulness and life’s big moments.
Easy Honey is a Charleston, SC based indie rock band that infuses its singer-songwriter folk roots with an original mix of nostalgic East Coast surf-rock. Originating at The University of The South: Sewanee over a cooler filled with freshman year college punch, the dynamic of this group is one of their strongest elements, existing with an electricity and a true sense of comradery both on and off stage. Easy Honey, like so many of their mutual rock heroes, cut their teeth on the road and have built a devoted following of daydreamers and night seekers through extensive touring and sold-out gigs.
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Austin, Texas synth-punk lifers Drakulas return with Midnight City, their third full-length, out today May 1 via Dirtnap Records (Wild Honey Records in Europe/UK). Built from proto-punk grit, garage rock urgency, and the synthetic pulse of early new wave, the record pulls from the worlds of Devo, Gary Numan, Grauzone, Kraftwerk, and the weirder edges of Neue Deutsche Welle, landing in a tight, off-kilter pocket where jagged guitars and cold synth lines push against each other without ever settling. It plays like a lost transmission from a strip mall arcade in 1982. Not nostalgia, not revival, more like something unearthed and reassembled, flickering but fully alive.
Formed by Savage Lord Mic, Sam Francisco, and Pink Rick, with members of Riverboat Gamblers and Rise Against, Drakulas began as a conceptual project but quickly took on a life of its own. The band operates inside a fictionalized late-70s metropolis, a stylized world built from analog textures, early video-era aesthetics, and a long-running interest in character-driven songwriting. Over time, that concept has sharpened into something more cohesive, less of a backdrop and more of a system the band fully inhabits.
After a few years away, Midnight City marks a clear step forward. The songs feel more connected, the pacing more deliberate, and the overall arc more immersive without losing immediacy. “Going Going Gone Gone” sets the tone early, balancing tension and release with a sense of height and risk, while “White Off Your Nose” leans into a darker, late-night pull. At the center, “Singin’ With My Tongue Cut Out” strips things down to something direct and performative, equal parts wired and unhinged. The band’s approach to sound remains rooted in imperfection as a choice, not a limitation.
As they put it, “We Drakulas continue to evolve our sonic mastery of lo-fi instrumentation. Midnight City is the result of a dirty basement, menthol cigarettes and the warm glow of a cathode ray TV. We spilled kerosene on the keyboards to make them sound uglier. Not for squares.” That philosophy runs throughout the record, shaping a sound that feels tactile and immediate without losing focus.
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| Photo - Jessica Brothers |
U.S.-based Pink Floyd tribute band Floyd Nation has released their new original single “Watching The Sunrise” alongside the announcement their debut album, Inner Light, will be released on Friday, May 29th. Pushing boundaries and viewpoints, Inner Light meticulously covers the entirety of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here before closing the album with a brand-new point of view, reimagining and furthering its narrative with carefully crafted original tracks while retaining a powerful reverence for the multi-million-selling masterwork.
The new single “Watching The Sunrise,” the album’s final track, is an expression of hope for a better tomorrow that turns isolation into togetherness, sadness into wonder, mourning into the promise of future connections, and transitions from waving goodbye to the “Crazy Diamond” to gathering together to watch a new beginning. “‘Watching the Sunrise' is about what comes after the darkness,” shares Floyd Nation’s John Conrath. “When the world starts to glow again and you feel a little bit of healing return.”
“The album Wish You Were Here spoke of absence, loss, and longing,” adds guitarist and vocalist Brendon McDonnell. “We wanted to close the album with a new point of view. ‘Watching the Sunrise’ is about hope and that quiet moment when you realize the inner light was there all along. No matter how long the night feels, we can always find our way back to the light by opening our eyes and watching the sunrise.”
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The day has finally come! Vera Ellen's latest album Heaven Knows What Time is out today and available digitally, on vinyl and CD. In addition to the album, Vera has dropped a new video for ‘Walking In Vegas’, which joins previously released album tracks: the lush alt-pop of ‘Thaw’, the joyous anthem ‘Gayfever’, and the sophisti-pop Hemi Hemingway duet ‘When It’s Over’.
Vera Ellen describes ‘Walking In Vegas’ as “An exploration of artifice in the entertainment industry. The many selves, the lack of self. Identity within identity without identity.” She uses Las Vegas as a symbol for blurred reality - especially in the age of AI - adding: “I visited there a few years ago and felt like I was in the belly of the beast. When you can't decipher what is real in the world or in yourself, there's a true tragedy in that.”
Alongside the album release, Vera Ellen (set to embark on a 27-date tour of the UK and Europe supporting Flying Nun label-mate Aldous Harding) returns to Aotearoa in July for a six-date national tour in celebration of Heaven Knows What Time.
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Off the back of what can only be described as a meteoric rise, Gippsland duo, Ally Row kick off an exciting new era with the stunning new single, “Tail Lights”. For many years, Alice and Rowan would drive to South Australia for weddings to witness their friends and family members begin the new chapter of their lives. It began to feel like some force was guiding them to the City of Churches and their future would only manifest itself once they got there.
“Tail Lights” was written on the long drive from Gippsland - past Adelaide - to Western Australia late last year. It was recorded, in all its rawness, over two days with award winning producer, Dylan Olliviere (Siobhan Cotchin/Harry Foxton/Joan and The Giants). “When life feels grey and stale and like the world has nothing left to give, often something new and exciting is just around the corner, if we stay open to these possibilities”, says Alice Fitzgerald.
“When you feel lost, the best thing to do is try and remember that losing your way is often part of the journey. You can’t find yourself driving down someone else’s road”, added Rowan Sizer. The bittersweet track takes a folky turn down the backstreets of Ally Row - featuring the duo’s signature heartwarming vocals, velvety banjo, melancholy harmonica and a sweet as sugar chorus.
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Self Portrait – Is a reflective song about identity and self perception, tracing doubt, acceptance and emotional honesty across a lifetime. Formed in 2023 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK, The October Effect is the brainchild of songwriter and guitarist Laurence (aka Loz) Collins. Laurence's songs blend elements of jazz and pop with a reflective, atmospheric edge - a very real 'October effect'.
With an award-winning background in musical theatre, vocalist Cath Back adds depth and nuance to the band’s understated, emotionally-driven sound. The band is completed by its latest member, Mike Gutsell (bass and backing vocals), who has been collaborating musically with Laurence since they were teenagers.
The band's debut EP, Paint Yourself a Picture, was recorded at 13 Sound Studios, Weston-super-Mare and released in January 2026. The EP introduces The October Effect’s distinctive approach, thoughtful songwriting, emotionally resonant lyrics and a quietly confident sound.
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