Izzy Oram Brown - Chris Pellnat - Alex Amor - The Gods They Made - Burning Bouquet - Pomelo

Photo - Nico Hedley

Izzy Oram Brown - I Believe.

Released today, we have the third single "I Believe" from the forthcoming debut full-length by Brooklyn singer-songwriter Izzy Oram Brown. The latest single follows on from her excellently reviewed EP Mess and a split EP with The Bird Calls and a run opening for the acclaimed guitarist Julian Lage. As a fixture in the Brooklyn indie scene, Izzy Oram Brown has been featured as a collaborator in rising bands such as Why Bonnie and Youbet. 

Stepping into her own with her full-length, What I Want is full of unexpected surprises and moments of instrumentation and sound design that go way beyond a singer-songwriter affair. There is a sense that even as the songs on What I Want always foreground an “I,” they are not primarily written for Brown herself. She has the rare ability to crystallize emotional states and broadcast them on the most universal possible scale, both in word and musical DNA, with the invitingness, familiarity, and discipline of radio rock heroes like Tom Petty and the pop acumen and emotional intelligence that galvanizes fans of Phoebe Bridgers and Sabrina Carpenter alike. 

It might have already become clear from the description, but these songs are staggeringly beautiful—the kind that quickly silence a small rock club, that nearly any listener who has lived even a small slice of adult life can find an input for. Brown’s cocktail of timeless songwriting influences, lovingly rendered guitar moves, sensitive arrangements, and unabashedly vulnerable writing give What I Want a singular charge. It’s bound to stick long after the personal experiences onto which we may map these songs fade into history.

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Chris Pellnat - Reign Down (EP).

It's an ongoing pleasure to feature new music from Chris Pellnat, whether it's a solo release or with The Warp/The Weft where he is a guitarist and to quote him "half of the duo, Teeniest." His new EP 'Reign Down is well worth a listen, there is an overall feel to the collection of songs and yet each track stands on it's own merit with variations in style and instrumentation adding to the depth of this release, we have included both the video releases and the Bandcamp EP, Chris tells us some more below.   
  
"Reign Down" is a six-song EP of folk(ish) rock music with an infusion of vibraphone, clarinet, accordion, etc. "Reign Down" is the title track of the EP - it's a play on words since it's about wanting to be being showered with the "rain" of love. But people also yearn for the "reign" of love, so it works both ways. The varied feelings I was having over the past two years are apparent in this EP: from despair, anger and even fear as evil shows its face in the world, to determination, hope and faith that it will be overcome.

Accessible sound; weirdness intact: I worked on the "Reign Down" EP for the past two years while releasing one-off singles with Arabic and Japanese lyrics /flavor in collaboration with other singers. While I've returned to English lyrics and Western sound, you can be assured my weirdness remains intact. For each of the songs on the EP I created a music video in VR (no AI was used).


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Photo - Lewis Vorn

Alex Amor - Avalanche.

Scottish singer-songwriter Alex Amor today releases her latest single 'Avalanche' a new glimpse of her forthcoming debut album 'Heavenly Bodies' which is  out 21st August via New York independent label VERO Music.

The original demo of 'Avalanche' was written and produced by Alex in her childhood bedroom in Glasgow, before bringing it to her "holy trinity" of collaborators in London - Peter Brien (Kojaque, Kean Kavanagh), Baz Kaye (The Blessed Madonna, Obongjayar) and Karma Kid (Jessie Ware, Jalen Ngonda) - to complete the song. Led by layered guitars, gauzy harmonies and sweeping soft-rock arrangements, 'Avalanche' unfolds with a slow-building sense of release. Pairing melodic warmth and muted dream-pop textures with intimate songwriting, Amor documents the clarity that arrives just before a relationship falls apart.

The new single arrives off the back of appearances last month at Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape Festival in Brighton and Footsteps Festival in London.

Speaking on the release of 'Avalanche', Alex Amor said: "Avalanche is about the unsettling moment in a relationship where something has shifted, but only one of you is willing to see it. While you’re starting to recognise it for what it is, the other person is still holding on, almost wilfully ignoring the cracks. The idea of an avalanche felt like the perfect metaphor. It’s not necessarily about destruction, it’s about release. It’s what happens when pressure has been building for too long and can’t be contained anymore. It’s sudden, overwhelming, and sometimes painful, but it clears everything out. And in that aftermath, there’s a kind of clarity - you can finally see things as they really are.”

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The Gods They Made - Hypnotic.

Hypnotic is the first in a series of new singles for The Gods They Made, marking a step forward sonically. The track was produced, mixed and mastered by Laurent Lozano at Moon Studios in Vevey. His involvement shaped the sound significantly: tighter, more direct, at the intersection of indie rock and post-punk — the song structures and melodic sensibility of the former, the directness and refusal to soften the edges of the latter.

With Hypnotic, TGTM introduced electronic pads alongside the traditional drum kit, which gives the rhythm section a wider sonic range than on their debut album. Hypnotic opens with a vocal and synth hook, before a word has been sung. No introduction, no build, no context. You're inside the song before even realising it.

The verse arrives next, pulling back from the hook's momentum into something more stripped. The lyrics operate through images and statements rather than narrative – "you know what I know", "fight the real enemy", "what goes around keeps turning". When the full chorus finally comes – "who wants it, who wants it" – it feels both inevitable and earned.

The song earns every section. Nothing overstays, nothing is wasted. The middle eight shifts the track's center of gravity before the final chorus brings everything back, fuller. That's where the title sits: hypnotic as the state you're already in, the cycles that keep turning, the thing you recognize but can't quite shake.

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Burning Bouquet - The Cycle.

Sheffield-based Burning Bouquet are an alternative rock band with a sound that blends emo, pop-punk, grunge and indie rock.Taking influence from bands such as Paramore, Holding Absence, Deftones and Don Bronco, the band formed in September 2023 and have been releasing their own material since September 2024, with plans to record an EP in August 2025.

Their line-up consists of vocalist Rachael, bassist Jamie, drummer Archie and exciting new addition Bhavik on guitar, and the past year has seen them deliver several energetic performances on the Sheffield live music scene.

This song is about committing to ending "The Cycle" of generational trauma. Most of the lyrics feature Rachael talking to her younger self, telling her that things will get better and there is light on the other side of her pain. 

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Photo - Dan Hennessy and Stevie O'Neill

Pomelo - Work Phone.

As Pomelo, Luke Elliott and Wynnm Murphy make seductive and engaging art-pop that displays evident awareness of its antecedents but feels very much like forward-facing music for today and tomorrow. Loreless is their debut, which was announced in April and which is out in a couple weeks. Today, we're sharing the third single, "Work Phone."

Vulnerable and personal and baked with humanness, Loreless is an album about being. A genuine trip, and if we are living on a shopping strip mall mode towards oblivion, Loreless accesses the tangible magic of the mundane. Paying attention to where you are and not where you will be. The album is raw and careful - the kind that pulls a curtain, applies arnica oil, and tenderises a muscle with a kitchen timer on 60 minutes. It’s listening to an open wound, from this life or the last. Loreless is an honest reckoning with purpose, histories, influences and sad magic that’s cathartic, acknowledged, satisfying.

Pomelo is the Amsterdam-based art pop duo of Wynnm Murphy and Luke Elliott. Together they craft a sonic world of sonar on solid ground, where avant-garde electronic techniques meet watery, resonant textures and sexy storytelling. The duo's debut, Loreless is a hypnotic, kinetic blend of pop, ambient, and electronic music; distinct, otherworldly, and oddly familiar, like an uncanny encounter.

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Austel - Rachel Bochner - Taxi Girls - A100s

Photo - Artemis Szekir-Rigas

Austel - Mirror To Mine (Album).

Devon-born artist and producer Austel (Annie Rew Shaw) has shared her exquisite second record ‘Mirror To Mine’. The ten track body of work sees Austel dig deep, seeking answers and courageously excavating long-lost memories. The album is a self-produced accomplishment, released independently and mixed by the brilliant Grace Banks (English Teacher, Squid, Haim). 

The album's focus single and closer ‘Coast To Coast’ is a rich offering that ruminates on a decade-long journey, which began when Austel left home. From taking bold, brave strides into music to finding a more established sense of belonging, it was written just a few months after meeting her long-term partner, as things started to fall into place. The track touches on shifting priorities and moving into a different stage of life. ‘I think I always know which songs will open and close an album, and this song, with all its themes of homecoming and both departure/arrival, felt so right to end the record - wrapping up this chapter.’ Austel shared. 

The arrival of Mirror To Mine signals progression both personally and professionally for Austel. The beautifully expansive project is an acoustic-led endeavour, anchored in nylon string guitar, subtle ensemble arrangements and evocative, delicately placed field recordings. Austel’s efforts in the run up to the album haven't gone unnoticed. With support from the likes of Metal Magazine, Under The Radar, Ones To Watch, The Line of Best Fit and Clash Magazine, who flagged Austel's music as ‘charming’ and ​​’a space for reflection’. Single 30th Day was featured on alexrainbirdMusic’s May 2026 compilation. 

Originally from Devon but now based in London, Austel brings a detail-oriented, emotionally intuitive approach to each project, with a growing portfolio spanning genres and formats. She has a first-class honours MA in Creative Music Production and was long-listed for Breakthrough Producer and Self-Producing Artist of the Year for the 2024 & 2025 MPG Awards. Austel is a member of 2% Rising (a community for female and gender-expansive producers) and an advocate for safer, more inclusive practices within the music industry.

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Rachel Bochner - Happier You’re Gone (SASE).

Brooklyn-based artist Rachel Bochner has built a reputation for sharp, emotionally charged indie-pop that cuts straight to the core. Since her debut, she’s carved out a space defined by candid lyricism and an unflinching willingness to explore the messier edges of love, identity, and self-discovery. Now, with her latest single “Happier You’re Gone (SASE)”, she enters a new chapter, one that feels both deeply personal and transformative.

At its heart, “Happier You’re Gone (SASE)” is a reckoning. Written from a place of distance and hard-won clarity, the track reframes the aftermath of heartbreak into something more introspective, and ultimately liberating. What initially reads like a breakup song reveals itself to be something more nuanced: a confrontation with the past self who stayed too long, ignored too much, or simply didn’t yet know better. For Bochner, the meaning stretches across multiple interpretations, whether that’s a past lover or a more complicated, internal goodbye, but ultimately lands as a letter of good riddance. “A post-breakup note, or a ‘see-you-never!’ to a formerly destructive self,” she explains. After finishing the song, she added “SASE” (self addressed stamped envelope) to the title as a final, knowing detail, a small piece of context for those paying closer attention.

Inspired by a vivid dream in which she encountered a previous version of herself, the song captures a striking realization: I’m happy she happened, but I’m much happier that she’s gone. It’s this duality that gives the track its resonance, balancing vulnerability with a sense of resolve. Sonically, “Happier You’re Gone (SASE)” leans into an indie-pop landscape with alternative edges, reflecting Bochner’s evolving sound. Produced by Jackson Hoffman, the track pairs its emotional weight with a textured, expansive backdrop that allows her voice, and her story, to sit front and center.

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Taxi Girls - Secret Handshake.

Montreal’s Taxi Girls just returned with “Secret Handshake,” the new single and video and on Stomp Records. Following the punch of their debut “Say It,” the track offers a second look at the band’s upcoming LP Static, out June 26. If the first single kicked the door open, this one tears the walls down.

Formed in 2022, the all-female garage punk outfit has quickly carved out their place in Montreal’s underground, the kind built on packed basements, blown speakers, and nights that don’t really end so much as fade out. You can hear the city all over it, somewhere between a late-night dépanneur run, a half-crushed pack of DuMauriers, and the spill of bodies onto Saint-Laurent after last call. There’s a sense the band picked up half their moves from late-night VHS hangs, rewinding Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, digging into The Runaways, Girlschool, and Nena’s The Stripes, then running it all back louder and faster.

“Secret Handshake” reveals a softer side of Taxi Girls, showcasing the band’s sweeter and more vulnerable side. Written from a place of love and longing, the song captures the feeling of wanting a summer fling to last a bit longer than the fading season. Even when summer is over, you’ll always have your secret handshake.

The lyrics paint a picture as old as time: sharing something special with someone and wishing it could last beyond the summer. Even when time and distance make things complicated, friendship never fades, and you know you’ll always have your secret handshake. As Static takes shape, it's clear this record is not just a collection of punk songs. There is something for everyone. Loud, raw, soft, sweet, gritty - enough to make you want to pick up the phone and call an old pal or have a solo kitchen dance party on a Tuesday afternoon.

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A100s - Rude and Lovely / Too Rad To Be Sad.

Southern California’s A100s are a brand new band nearly a decade in the making from the core songwriting duo of Matt Hensley (accordionist of Flogging Molly) and Sean Wheeler (vocalist of Throw Rag), playing music inspired by vintage ska & reggae with a touch of Conjunto accordion.

The band has released a new music video for their second single, the title track from their debut LP Rude and Lovely, currently available for pre-order via Pirates Press Records. The LP is scheduled for release on July 10, 2026.

“Rolling through Mexico City looking out the backseat window like one hundred times before...taking in the rhythm of the city, I see a rotulo on a beauty salon’s storefront: ‘Rude and Lovely,’ hand painted to perfection,” explains Wheeler. Unable to get the phrase out of his head, he excitedly called Hensley immediately. “That's it! The perfect statement for what we had been doing musically!”

“Rude and Lovely” follows their debut single & video, for “Too Rad To Be Sad.” Regarding “Too Rad To Be Sad,” Wheeler points to it as a message of hope & resilience. He says it is about “reminding those around us to keep their heads up. Stay in the light and remind them that they are loved, appreciated, and necessary for the bright future ahead.”


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Eyre Llew - Asteroid Lily - Tyson Ray Borsboom - Liv Wade - Vox Umbra - Watashi Wa

Eyre Llew - Oban.

Nottingham trio Eyre Llew shared their new single 'Oban' a couple of days ago, the latest single from their upcoming album Bloom — due September 18th. Named after the unofficial capital of the West Highlands, ‘Oban’ is built around a feeling most people recognise but rarely articulate: the pull towards a place you've never lived but somehow already belong to. For Eyre Llew, that place is the Scottish west coast — white sand beaches, open lochs, a landscape that slows the pulse and sharpens the senses all at once. The lyric "my blood is blue" runs deeper still — part physical rush, part quiet reckoning with identity and the kind of belonging that doesn't need a postcode to be real. Simple, honest, and quietly devastating.

"'Oban' is about longing for a slower, quieter life — the feeling of belonging to a place you don't yet live, but already feel connected to," the band explain. "It's drawn from years of family holidays on the Scottish west coast, swims in lochs, time with loved ones in that landscape. At its core it's about imagining a future built on peace, family, and escape. A dream of one day living somewhere that feels like freedom, even before it's real. It's home — but one we don't know yet."

Beginning with quiet intimacy before building to something genuinely anthemic, 'Oban' showcases Eyre Llew at their most cinematic — a post-rock slow-burn that earns every moment of its crescendo. It's the kind of song that could only come from a band who've been somewhere and returned changed. EYRE LLEW spent years in relentless forward motion — touring over 20 countries, playing Glastonbury, fielding label interest at what felt like a breakthrough moment — before lockdown brought everything to an abrupt halt. 

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Asteroid Lily - You & I.

Asteroid Lily have shared their new single “You & I,” a dreamy electro-pop track that feels suspended in time. It sounds like late-night drives with nowhere to be. Like staring out the window convinced the world could still become something bigger. Synths shimmer beneath emotional vocals as the song drifts between nostalgia, devotion, and wide-eyed possibility. What begins as a love song slowly becomes something larger: a celebration of the people and moments that make life feel infinite.

At its heart, “You & I” is about trying to hold onto a feeling before it disappears: “I’ll never learn how to say goodbye - So don’t you dare even make me try”

There’s something bittersweet running through it. It's the rush of dreaming about escape, endless love, and all the adventures still waiting ahead, while quietly knowing nothing stays the same forever. The song moves between intimacy and imagination, turning ordinary moments into something cosmic. But this isn’t really a song about goodbye. It’s about the people who make life bigger, brighter, and more exciting while they’re there.

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Photo - Brayden Treble

Tyson Ray Borsboom - These Days (Album).

After previewing his latest album These Days over the past few weeks with several singles including the title track and "Let You Down, Vancouver-based singer/songwriter Tyson Ray Borsboom officially releases his new nine-song collection this weekend, marking his arrival as one of Canada's rising alt-country stars.

Tyson's work on These Days embraces the kind of country music that doesn’t shy away from hardship and loss, and everything else that makes us human. It’s been a steady evolution for the artist originally from Calgary, from releasing his debut EP in 2018 to building an audience across western Canada through shows with Field Guide, Kacy & Clayton and others, and more recently to packing venues both in Canada and the EU.

For These Days, Tyson teamed up with producer Phenix Warren (Wyatt C. Louis, The Dust Collectors) to make the album at Pocono House in Calgary with a band of seasoned vets who have also worked with Noeline Hofmann and Shred Kelly. Now able to reflect on the sessions, Tyson describes the final product as the seamless result of working with a dream team.

“I think Phenix really understands where I’m at as a songwriter. He heard how I was performing the songs live, and we talked a lot about how my favourite records sound. We pretty much recorded my vocals and guitar and then I let him run with it. He’d send me mixes, and apart from a few minor tweaks, they would be perfect.”

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Photo - Melanie Orr

Liv Wade - Fur Queen (EP).

After releasing the internationally acclaimed EP Radios And Buffalos in 2024, multi-talented Indigenous recording artist Liv Wade officially returns with a new five-song collection entitled Fur Queen. Overall, it displays Liv’s wide-ranging musical approach that blends traditional storytelling with soaring modern production.

Fur Queen's previously released singles, "Darkest Hour" and “Carolina,” explored similar theme of holding onto hope in challenging times, with the music a product of Liv’s longtime partnership with producer Winston Hauschild, who works out of The Treehouse Studio on Bowen Island, near Vancouver. Other tracks on Fur Queen, “Fall For You” and “Blue House Paint,” offer bold variations of modern pop that fans of Liv’s previous work will be familiar with, but the title track may come as a surprise—a rollicking, fiddle-driven country number that pays tribute to her family’s history in northern Manitoba.

Liv explains, “This song is a story of my birth mother and her life as a ‘Fur Queen,’ as part of the Northern Manitoba Trappers Festival. It was the first piece of information I gathered when I was legally able to search for my birth family. At that young age, I had no idea about the festival or what or who a ‘Fur Queen’ was. But because my birth mother was one, it pushed me to discover further information about my Metis heritage. I travelled to The Pas in my early twenties, and had the honour of attending a Trappers Festival, which was so much more than I ever imagined. So with this song, I hope to share some of what life is like for many in northern communities across Canada. And of course, my love for land and our connection to it.”

Absorbing the music of Canadian icons such as Leonard Cohen, Ron Sexsmith, Kathleen Edwards and Sarah Harmer from a young age, by her teens Liv was combining all of it with her Royal Conservatory of Music studies, which soon earned her residencies at the prestigious Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity and Manitoba’s Indigenous Music Program. Her debut studio record, and first collaboration with Hauschild, Resilience, was released in 2017, earning her a nomination for Best New Artist at the 2018 Indigenous Music Awards.

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Vox Umbra - Afterglow / The Train.

Vox Umbra returns with their two song maxi-single, "Afterglow" / "The Train", which pairs the duo's cinematic atmosphere and emotionally focused songwriting. Across these companion tracks, the release explores movement, uncertainty, devotion, distance, and the fragile clarity that can emerge when old certainties fall away. Darkly elegant and deeply human, "Afterglow" / "The Train" balances widescreen tension with intimate emotional stakes.

"Afterglow" / "The Train" is a cohesive two-song statement about how people carry each other through uncertainty, whether side by side or from afar. One song moves through pressure and fracture. One song lingers in grace and release. Together, they create a resonant emotional arc. For fans of thoughtful, atmospheric songwriting and listeners drawn to shadowed textures, lyrical depth and songs that stay with them after the final note, "Afterglow" / "The Train" offers two compelling new entries in the Vox Umbra catalog.

Vox Umbra is a darkwave duo formed in 2025, blending rich haunting melodies with cold atmospheric textures. Tiffany, based in Seattle, composes the music, drawing from the city's moody landscape and industrial influences, while Florian, located in northern France, provides evocative vocals that deepen the band's emotional impact. Their collaboration, despite the geographical distance, creates a unique sound that fuses introspective, melancholic rhythms with dark, cinematic arrangements. Together, they offer an immersive journey into the darker corners of the human experience, balancing shadow and light in perfect harmony.


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Photo - John Sontag

Watashi Wa - I Am.

Watashi Wa releases the first single from its forthcoming full-length album for Lost In Ohio. “I Am" is the band’s most focused statement in years. The title is deliberate: “Watashi Wa” literally translates from Japanese as “I am.” Bright, hook-driven, and unmistakably Seth Roberts, it carries the melodic confidence of The Love of Life while drawing on the band’s formative influences of the 1990s. It is the sound of a band that knows exactly who they are. 

Roberts had this to say about it: “I Am” is a song about God, and about the way truth calls us back to who we were made to be. We are made in the image of God, and the best parts of our lives carry pieces of that truth. We feel it in the songs that stop us mid-thought, the books that seem to know too much about us, the places that feel like home, the memories that still have some dirt on their shoes, the beauty we almost missed, and the people who remind us what actually matters.

But we all wander. It is one of our more reliable talents. We can know what is right and still drift from it. We can know what is true and beautiful and still trade it for foolishness, usually at a terrible exchange rate. We can leave the path that brings peace and go chasing after something smaller, shinier, and much less satisfying.

But truth has a way of finding us again. It does not usually kick the door down. It waits on the porch light. It calls us home. It helps us recalibrate. It reminds us of what we knew deep down all along, before we got distracted by our own cleverness. That is God. Even when we veer off course or sell ourselves short, it is always possible to return. To come back to what is true. To choose beauty again. To live with peace, purpose, and a heart that feels at home.

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Kate Prascher - Moving Into Tucson - Scarlett Macfarlane - Winona Oak - Heather Anne Lomax - Eli & Fur

Photo - Sander Randall

Kate Prascher - Jubilee.

Kate Prascher, whom No Depression once praised as "a mesmerizing singer whose traditional-sounding tunes upend any feeling of comfort with lyrics that cut deep," has announced her highly anticipated follow-up album. ‘Sunday Afternoon’ will be released August 28 on First City Artists (Alexa Rose, Carly King). Co-produced by Diana Walsh (Amanda Shires, Jason Isbell, Wild Rivers), the collection brings esteemed comparisons to mind—the classic country soprano of Allison Krauss; the dark, dusty Americana of Gillian Welch; the bright melodicism of Madison Cunningham—as Prascher examines the forward motion of life. 

Of the lead single, Prascher shares: 'Jubilee' follows a ghost train. I wrote it while walking on an old train trestle in Rosendale, New York, a town ringing with the eerie history of a stone quarry, carrying memories of my hometown across it. By the time I climbed down from the track, the song was mostly written. It's a lyrical exploration of the word 'jubilee' as both a signal of celebration, and of forgiveness.
 
Prascher was raised in Memphis, a childhood spent amidst the haphazard heart of blues music and the haunted spirit of Southern storytelling. “Where I’m from, it’s expected for the people in your life who’ve passed to show up again, one way or another,” she says. She carried that ominous elegance with her to New York City, and embraced the lively vibrance of the city’s Bluegrass scene, taking mandolin lessons from Michael Daves and joining open sessions at staple venues like The Jalopy, Mona's, Sunny's.  
 
Prascher wrote about half the songs on ‘Sunday Afternoon’ while she was living in Brooklyn—the rest, after she left. “I’m interested in how environment informs identity,” she shares. “Leaving New York was a reckoning for me. I moved there out of ambition. If I left, could I still consider myself ambitious?” Now based upstate, she’s grateful for the opportunity to answer that question. “My life is less about chasing one thing, and more about grounded rituals, the practices of work and creation. I can hear myself more clearly. I know what I want to say.” 

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Moving Into Tucson - Turn The World Around.

Moving Into Tucson strikes a chord for the future with the urgent new anthem: "Turn The World Around." Opening with a soul-stirring piano and organ chorus that immediately sets a timeless, high-stakes tone, the track marks a powerful shift for the band. "Turn The World Around" is the sixth official taste of their highly anticipated 2026 album All Dressed Up, and it arrives at a moment when its message couldn't be more vital.

Musically, the song is a masterclass in Indie Poprock, blending driving guitars and Britpop swagger with a soaring, anthemic refrain. But beneath the "bells and whistles" lies a raw, modern-day hippie cry. In a world currently shadowed by war, climate crisis, and fear, the lyrics serve as a rhythmic call for unity: "Turn the world around, stop wasting more precious time."

Moving from rain-soaked verses into a massive, hands-in-the-air chorus, the song tackles the weight of the unknown and the necessity of standing together. It’s an urgent reminder that to secure a future on this planet, we must walk these uncharted paths as equals. Bold, catchy, and deeply rooted in the "now," "Turn The World Around" is more than just a single, it’s a demand for change. We stand together, in rhythm and in rhyme.

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Scarlett Macfarlane - Fireflys.

Following on the heels of the vulnerable single, “Sorry,” Scarlett Macfarlane returns with “Fireflys,” a warm and nostalgic pop single that captures the fleeting magic of youth, memory, and the quiet moments that stay with us long after they’ve passed. Rooted in feelings of ease, joy, and reflection, the track leans into a softer, more sentimental side of Scarlett’s songwriting, offering a moment of lightness grounded in emotional depth.

The song was sparked by a simple, intimate setting. “I have a string of lights that I like to sit out under on my balcony that mimic the randomness of fireflies,” Scarlett explains. “I was sitting out there one night and the rest is history.” That quiet moment of inspiration expanded into something more universal; a reflection on the small, meaningful experiences that shape how we remember our lives.

The title itself carries layered meaning. Inspired by childhood memories of summer nights celebrating her mother’s birthday, Scarlett connects the imagery of fireflies to a sense of wonder and togetherness. “Those are moments from my life that I wish I could capture in a jar and keep forever,” she says. “Much like a child wishes to keep the magic of a firefly forever.” Even the stylized spelling of “Fireflys” serves as a personal touch; a nod to storytelling, nostalgia, and her own creative instincts.

Musically, “Fireflys” embraces simplicity and warmth. A standout moment arrives in the bridge, where a last-minute addition of a whistled melody adds a playful, childlike quality to the track. “One of my favourite things to do as a kid was whistle melodies,” Scarlett notes. “Getting to use that skill in a song was a fun moment for me.” That sense of play carries through the arrangement, which builds gently before opening into a refreshed final chorus that feels both familiar and new.


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Winona Oak - Bones.

Swedish singer-songwriter Winona Oak has shared her powerful new single ‘Bones’ taken from her forthcoming second album ‘Bloom’ released on 25th September via Nettwerk. Following recent singles ‘Do You Hate Me Now’, ‘Horses’, ‘Stay the night’ and ‘Breaking Point’, new album ‘Bloom’ marks a new chapter for Winona Oak and is a testament to survival, showcasing both her emotional and musical growth and devotion to connection. Allowing herself to slowly open up again with honesty and hope after a period of grief and heartbreak, her new record lets the listener into a deeply personal world where beginnings emerge from endings. 
 
Winona released her EP ‘Salt’ last spring, which was a poignant personal documentation of her physical and emotional states. Throughout the last year, she has been working on new music and a more organic progression in her raw and unvarnished sound, whilst still writing candidly about the highs and lows of life; loss and repair, heartbreak and love, resistance and patience. Winona says, “Like a flower emerging after a long winter, blooming isn’t instant - it’s the result of surviving the darker seasons.Bloom reflects the transformation - the idea that even after pain life still finds ways to grow. It’s a gentle but powerful reminder that healing isn’t about forgetting the past, but about allowing yourself to open again to the light."
 
New single ‘Bones’ is about learning to live again after experiencing heartache, and is a song of two halves, with both fragility and courage co-existing together. The emotional track opens delicately, showcasing the tenderness of Winona’s vocals, before building to a majestic chorus that is a confident statement of intent - “I wanna live until my body turns to bones”. Winona says, “’Bones’ is about having been through darkness and felt the weight of unbearable pain but still choosing to fully embrace life. It’s about growth, freedom and feeling every part of the human experience, because one day, all we’ll leave behind are bones. This song is a reminder to live deeply, love hard and not be afraid to truly feel alive.”

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Photo - Remi

Heather Anne Lomax - Come Along.

Heather Anne Lomax announces her forthcoming album, Who Do You Think You Are, due August 28th via The Blackbird Record Label, with the release of her new single, “Come Along.” It’s an uplifting blast of Rock, Soul, and Blues inspired by the classic sounds that helped shape the record. “‘Come Along’ is a song really inspired by the Black Crowes,” says Lomax. “I wanted something uplifting and hopeful despite all of the darkness in the world.”

Fresh off the release of her previous album, Lomax slipped a pair of songs by cult-favorite rock band Broken Homes into her set at LA’s storied Troubadour. The response—and her own connection to the material—was immediate. What felt like kismet soon became the creative spark behind her latest album, a deeply collaborative collection that blends Rock, Blues, and Soul into a sound that feels both timeless and unmistakably her own. Recorded live at Love Street Sound Studios in Los Angeles, the album captures the raw energy and spontaneity of classic 1970s recordings. Rather than chasing perfection, the sessions prioritized feel, chemistry, and performance, resulting in a record that crackles with authenticity and heart.

Produced by Zachary Ross (Rose’s Pawn Shop), mixed by Jason Hiller (The Freewheelers), and mastered by acclaimed engineer Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More, YES, Halford, Def Leppard), the album features an extraordinary cast of musicians. Among the contributors are bassist and mixer Jason Hiller; drummers Rob Humphries (Kacey Musgraves, Leonard Cohen, Jason Mraz), Jordan West (Grace Potter), David Goodstein (Jackson Browne, Dolly Parton), and Jamie Douglas (Shooter Jennings, Samantha Fish); keyboardists Ty Bailie (Katy Perry, Tanya Tucker), Jerry Borge (Ziggy Marley), and Carey Frank (Bruce Springsteen, Tedeschi Trucks Band); along with guitarist Zachary Ross and Lomax herself. Additional textures come from flutists Fuzzbee Morse (Bono, Peter Gabriel), Lily Elise (Gwen Stefani, Miley Cyrus), and Mary Scholz.

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Photo - Vika Petlakh

Eli & Fur - Dreams At Dusk: Part II (EP).

Celestial songstresses, Eli & Fur, return with the continuation of their Dreams At Dusk concept with their latest EP, Dreams At Dusk: Part II, which officially arrived on June 5 via [PIAS] Électronique. A transcendent body of work, the six-track EP is an anthology of sonic and emotional contrasts, an exploration of the gray areas in between.  

Trading heavier production for elemental and intuitive creation, Dreams At Dusk: Part II proves to be the duo's most organic and expansive project to date. Written largely while they were on the road touring, moving through different cities and energies, letting their environment naturally influence the music. Juxtaposing light and dark, warm and cool, this project is a delicate balance of newness and familiarity – a natural progression of Eli & Fur’s artistry that feels true to their distinct sound while opening up less explored sides of their sonic realm.  

From Eli & Fur: “With Part I, everything felt very much about the beginning, the excitement of building the Dreams At Dusk world, the anticipation of shows, that outward energy – Part II came together more gradually. We didn’t sit down and decide on a direction, it revealed itself – we’re excited about how different the tracks are when you play them out. A lot of this EP came from the kinds of moments where we didn’t overthink things, we just followed instinct and let the track evolve into something unexpected. We want it to feel immersive. Something you can move through depending on your mood, whether that’s in a club, driving, or just listening on your own.” 

Eli & Fur · Dreams At Dusk Part II

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Sheva Elliot - Starpainter - Freyja Elsy - Lentamente - The Spongetones - The October Effect

Sheva Elliot - Birds of a Feather.

Los Angeles-born singer, songwriter, and producer Sheva Elliot makes music that lives where roots rock, soul, Americana, gospel, and classic rock collide. A lifelong vocalist who began singing at age four, Elliot has built a reputation for music that is both emotionally raw and stylistically fearless, songs rooted in lived experience, instinct, and a refusal to flatten the complexity of being human.

Her work often explores what she calls “the truth of the human experience”: freedom, vulnerability, sensuality, playfulness, heartbreak, humor, and the courage to become who you really are. Whether delivering a slow-burning torch song or a swaggering rock anthem, Elliot writes with an autobiographical honesty that feels timeless and lived-in.

Elliot’s recent releases have begun to cut through with both audiences and tastemakers, earning editorial support and growing press attention while helping her carve out a distinct space in the modern roots and Americana landscape. Her previous single, “Ruler of My Heart,” marked a creative breakthrough,  a cinematic, soul-infused release that showcased her vocal power and emotional depth, and further established her as an artist to watch in the next wave of genre-blending singer-songwriters.

Following that momentum, Elliot returns with “Birds of a Feather,” a twangy, upbeat roots-rock single that reveals another side of her artistry, bolder, freer, and more mischievous. Driven by the tension between doing what’s expected and doing what feels right, the song captures the thrill of choosing desire over approval and instinct over image.

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Starpainter - I Found a River.

The pride of Lethbridge, a city in southern Alberta that serves as the hub of the local rural community, Starpainter likes to think of itself in similar geographic terms—a little bit town, and a little bit country. The six-piece unit demonstrated that on 2023’s Rattlesnake Dream, and is set to follow it up this fall with a new album that sees the band pushing its sonic ambitions even further.

Produced in Calgary by Chris Dadge—who also plays drums with Alvvays and Chad VanGaalen—first single “I Found a River,” adds a bit of shoegaze haziness to Starpainter’s alt-country foundation. Stretch says the song came to him quickly as a simple folk-rock tune, but blossomed into something entirely unexpected when they got into the studio, particularly once lead guitarist Joel Grey broke out his fuzz box.

Stretch explains, “‘I Found a River’ explores a déjà vu feeling that hits pretty often for me. Have I been here before? In this room with these exact people having this exact conversation? It can be a nice feeling sometimes—there is comfort and pleasure to be found in life’s repetitions. I used to see life in terms of growth and forward movement; in some ways I still do, but these days I notice cycles and seasons that leave and return. So, I think this song celebrates familiarity and dependability.”

"I Found A River" is further proof that Starpainter is a band determined not to be pigeonholed, but instead evolve with each album. As Stretch says, “I guess the through-line with the artists that inspire me the most is longevity and a willingness to try out bold ideas and create something that reflects wherever they’re at.” 

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Photo - Ed Townend

Freyja Elsy - In My Veins.

‘In My Veins’ is the first single from Freyja Elsy’s upcoming 2026 EP to stop the world turning. The track captures vivid vignettes of childhood, quiet moments of inner turmoil, and a search for hope in the darkness. Anchored by Elsy’s emphatic voice, classically trained composition and innovative, cinematic production, it weaves together dramatic piano and luscious string swells with subtle electronic details to create an immersive, emotionally charged ‘folktronica’ sound while carrying a nostalgic undercurrent reminiscent of mid-2000s indie pop. The track was recently selected as a “Molly’s Must Add” on BBC Radio Wales by presenter Molly Palmer.

“Loud words taste violent, so I whisper.” The song centres on moments of emotional disconnect, tracing the tension between the desire to reach out and the instinct to retreat inward. Its lyrics move between quiet vulnerability and suppressed intensity, capturing the difficulty of expressing what sits just beneath the surface. As Freyja explains: “It’s about reflecting on moments from early life, realising the drastic impact they can have on the rest of your life, for better or worse, and trying to reconnect with emotions after a long period of numbness.”

Built from a rediscovered fragment, the track grew outward into something expansive in scale. As Freyja describes, “The song started with a piano loop I had forgotten that I’d recorded into my electric piano years prior, and used that as the foundational tool to build up the song layers from there. The melody transmuted into what is now the main guitar melody that meanders and flows around the lyrics, expanding into a gentle anti-melody underneath the entire song.” The arrangement unfolds from this core idea, mirroring the song’s emotional push and pull while maintaining a sense of forward momentum around its introspective core.

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Photo - Adriàn Mora

Lentamente - Bienvenida (Album).

Burnt Toast Vinyl releases Lentamente's Bienvenida, an album by San Jose, Costa Rica-based post-punk, dream pop and shoegaze band, today June 5. The Spanish language band is comprozed of members of other popular Costa Rican shoegaze bands Adiós Cometa and Dylan Thomas. Since 2020, Lentamente has released three full-length albums, two EPs, and several singles through independent labels such as Z Tapes, Furia, and Stupid Decisions, among others. Their music has been issued in multiple formats, including cassette, seven-inch vinyl, and CD.

Lentamente is the moniker of musician and producer Arío Rojas. For live performances, the Ario is joined by Pablo Matamoros (Adiós Cometa), Esteban Fuentes, Diego Cubillo (Decora, Nuncamuere), and Sebastián Álvarez (Dylan Thomas., A Su Ladera)

The third full-length album, Bienvenida, was released in October 2023 and represents the most polished work in the band’s history. The record marked a turning point for Lentamente, solidifying the project’s longevity and expanding its recognition within the Latin American indie scene. The album has a shoegaze/dream pop sound with Cocteau Twins/Robin Guthrie guitars and the catchy energy of The Radio Department.

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The Spongetones - (I Really Need) To Kiss You.

Legendary power poppers The Spongetones return to continue their ongoing series of standalone singles with the all-new track “(I Really Need) To Kiss You,” a pitch-perfect swinging chamber pop mini-masterpiece that's sure to follow their recent hit “So Long” onto the indie airwaves and into their longtime fans' hearts. 

“(I Really Need) To Kiss You,” is resplendent with chamber pop arrangement touches evoking the likes of Pet Sounds, Sgt. Peppers and Odessey and Oracle while rocking out like only The Spongetones can. Its natural fit within the band's oeuvre makes it a delightful surprise that, after the recent songs showing off the undimmed songwriting chops of founders Hoover, Stoeckel and Walters, it's the newest member of the band who provided the melodic framework for “To Kiss You.” As drummer-vocalist Eric Willhelm tells it, “I’ve had this melody knocking around in my head for quite some time. Over the years it’s had placeholder lyrics with subjects ranging from a girl dressed as a fish stick to the agony of misinterpreting a person’s body language. I decided to see what The Spongetones' brains trust could do with it, and Jamie came up with some great lyrics that capture the optimistic nature of the melody. 

From there everything else fell into place, with Steve and Pat adding their own delicious talents. So finally, after years of bouncing around my head, the song is ready to leave the nest.” Hoover picks up the tale: “Eric sent me a copy of a demo he had put together of what we now call '(I Really Need) To Kiss You.' Great sounding thing, and I immediately said Hell yeah! Let me at it! All I needed was lyrics, and they streamed to me from 'above.' It was almost like taking dictation. It happens like that every so often, and this was such a time. I really just got the lyrics from how the music made me feel. They fell right into the track very quickly.

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The October Effect - Repeat After Me.

Repeat After Me” is The October Effect at their most playful, a catchy tongue-in-cheek anthem about the people who book the same holiday, in the same place, every single year. Full of warmth, humour, and instantly recognisable scenes, the single captures the charm of all-inclusive tradition with a big chorus and an affectionate wink.

Formed in 2023 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK, The October Effect grew organically with an idea to record songs from songwriter and guitarist Laurence (aka Loz) Collins with the fantastic vocals of Cath Back.  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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