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| Photo - Kyle Cassidy |
A beautifully crafted journey through love, loss and the natural world. With his third full-length album, In the Woods, Mike Berman delivers a warm, thoughtful and richly textured collection that showcases his considerable songwriting talents. Released on October 30, 2026, the eleven-track record explores love, loss, regret, longing and the many connections that shape our lives, drawing on traditional folk and the golden heritage of California folk-rock while bringing plenty of its own character and musical variety.
Following 2023’s Where I’m From and 2025’s Ghosts, Berman continues to develop his distinctive storytelling style, balancing intimate reflections with moments of real musical exuberance. His warm baritone and versatile acoustic guitar provide a reassuring centre to an album that effortlessly moves between gentle finger picked passages, sweeping slide guitar, expressive cello and piano, and more spirited electric guitar arrangements.
Opening track “Honey That Was Me” sets the scene beautifully, placing the listener in a mysterious woodland world of trees, owls, hawks and flowing water. Its intriguing atmosphere introduces one of the album’s recurring themes: the connections we make with other people and the natural world around us. Rather than offering straightforward answers, Berman allows the listener to find their own meaning in his lyrics, an approach that gives the songs considerable depth and lasting appeal.
The musical arrangements are equally impressive. Producer Ed Tree brings together an accomplished group of musicians, while the distinctive vocals of Canadian singer-songwriter Elissa Barron add another welcome dimension. There is a lovely balance between the stripped-back intimacy of tracks such as “Hospital for the Brokenhearted”, where delicate finger picked guitar is complemented by sensitive cello and piano, and the fuller, more expansive sound of “Hold Back the Sea” and “Farthest Thing From the Blues”.
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| Photo - Larry Marano |
Don Was pays tribute to Bob Weir with his new live album. There’s a genuine affection for The Grateful Dead running through Don Was’s latest project, as the six-time GRAMMY-winning musician, producer and composer releases a new rendition of ‘Crazy Fingers’. The track is the latest single from Live Dispatch Vol. 1: Blues For Allah ’26, a live album with his Pan-Detroit Ensemble, due November 20 via Verve. Captured during the group’s recent tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of Blues for Allah, the album is a heartfelt tribute to Was’s longtime friend and collaborator Bob Weir.
Was’s relationship with the Grateful Dead family deepened in 2018 when he joined Weir to form Wolf Bros, a band that toured extensively until Weir’s passing in 2026. Reflecting on that experience, Was explains how the songs gradually became old friends rather than simply lyrics and chord charts. He hopes the new recordings convey his deep respect for the music and the fans who have made it such an enduring part of their lives.
The Pan-Detroit Ensemble brings together an impressive collection of musicians from Was’s hometown, including longtime collaborator and saxophonist Dave McMurray, drummer Jeff Canady, trombonist Vincent Chandler, vocalist Steffanie Christi’an, trumpeter John Douglas, guitarist Wayne Gerard, percussionist Mahindi Masai and keyboardist Phil Whitfield. Their collective sound draws on Detroit’s distinctive musical identity, combining jazz sophistication with an earthy groove and an unpretentious spirit.
Few musicians have enjoyed a career as varied as Don Was. His production credits include The Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, John Mayer and Willie Nelson, while his work as a bassist, composer and former head of Blue Note Records has earned him considerable respect across the industry. With Live Dispatch Vol. 1: Blues For Allah ’26, he brings that wealth of experience to a fitting celebration of Bob Weir and the enduring music of The Grateful Dead.
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| Photo - Milo Matthews |
Disgusting Sisters unleash a gloriously twisted debut with Skin & Blisters. Disgusting Sisters make a wonderfully chaotic entrance with their debut album Skin & Blisters, released this weekend via Source Records. Blending horror, humour and a musical palette stretching from electro to emo, the duo have created a ten-track collection that is as mischievous as it is entertaining. Drawing on childhood memories of pet rats, pranks and wicked games, their songwriting delivers a distinctly offbeat take on everyday life.
The album lives up to the tongue-in-cheek promise of the band's name, which takes inspiration partly from Succession’s Disgusting Brothers and partly from the wicked stepsisters in Cinderella, with whom they identify on stage. Across Skin & Blisters, they take aim at hopeless exes, workplace frustrations, productivity pressures and the daily grind of the nine-to-five, wrapping their observations in deadpan humour and gloriously dark storytelling.
Beneath the absurdity, however, there's a genuine emotional honesty to their writing. As Josephine explains, the songs are rooted in real experiences and feelings, making the album something of a diary as the pair navigate relationships, work and the wider challenges of being young women today. It's this contrast between outrageous delivery and relatable subject matter that gives the record much of its appeal.
Largely a DIY undertaking, Skin & Blisters was written and recorded with producer James McManus before producer Oli Bayston (Fat Dog, Barry Can't Swim, Rachel Chinouriri) helped give the material extra weight for the album. With influences ranging from electro and emo to the more indie-driven sounds of Viagra Boys and Getdown Services, Disgusting Sisters have delivered a debut bursting with personality, dark wit and refreshing individuality.
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| Photo- Jen Rosenstein |
Pop-punk favourites The Dollyrots are back with a brand-new single, ‘Apocalyptic Romance’, released October 30, offering the first taste of their forthcoming album, due in spring 2027. The duo have also announced the first dates of their 2027 Apocalyptic Romance Tour, which kicks off on March 17 in Hamtramck, Michigan. With fresh music on the way and plenty to celebrate, fans have good reason to look forward to the year ahead.
The tour will feature the first live performances of songs from the new album alongside a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Because I’m Awesome, originally released on March 13, 2007. For Kelly Ogden and Luis Cabezas, the record remains a hugely important part of their musical journey, with its title track taking on an unexpected life as an anthem of self-empowerment. Cabezas says it has been particularly rewarding to hear how the song and album have helped fans through difficult times.
Ogden is equally excited about the prospect of bringing new material to the stage while revisiting the songs that helped establish the band's reputation. She describes making music today as feeling just as urgent and fresh as it did two decades ago, a testament to the enduring creative partnership at the heart of The Dollyrots.
Built around Ogden's bass and vocals and Cabezas's guitar, The Dollyrots have long delivered an infectious combination of buzzing guitars, sugar-rush melodies, punk attitude and irrepressible optimism. With a new album approaching and a much-loved record reaching its 20th anniversary, Apocalyptic Romance looks set to usher in another exciting chapter for one of pop-punk's most enduring duos.
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Canadian songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Melina Coolen explores some deeply personal territory on her new album Street Pigeon, a thoughtful collection tackling grief, loneliness, resilience and the search for direction in an uncertain world. Moving between retro-pop, rock, country and electronic textures, the record brings together songs written over a decade, revealing a more poetic and contemplative side to her songwriting.
Inspired by the weathered street pigeons she encountered while living in Toronto, the album draws an interesting parallel between their ability to survive and the experience of feeling lost or unsettled in life. Whether dealing with bereavement, relationship breakdowns, career changes or unexpected twists of fate, Coolen explores the idea that feeling homeless can be as much an emotional experience as a physical one. It's a compelling concept that gives the record a strong sense of identity.
Adding another dimension to the project, Street Pigeon marks the first time Coolen has incorporated sound design as an instrument, while performing every instrumental sound herself. The result is a personal and carefully constructed musical landscape that allows her to move freely between genres without losing the album's emotional focus.
One of its standout moments is ‘I Will Be Me’, featuring Chris Cron, a hopeful affirmation of self-worth and the importance of finding happiness within. Originally written for a documentary before being dropped during editing, the melody eventually found its way back to Coolen during a particularly difficult and lonely period, inspiring her to complete the song. It's a fitting reflection of an album that turns personal uncertainty into something creative, honest and ultimately uplifting.
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| Photo - Hunter Brown & Lucy Werner |
NYC-based trio Bandits on the Run have truly embraced their “ethos of artmaking” with their new album, Rough Magic, and the subsequent tour that has taken them from New England to Alaska, with appearances at prestigious festivals including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Americanafest and Kerrville Folk Festival. Now, Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd and Regina Strayhorn are adding another treat for fans with the release of bonus track ‘Dance Through The End Of Days’, recorded during the Rough Magic sessions.
With their innovative arrangements, ever-changing instrumentation and rotating lead vocals, Bandits on the Run effortlessly capture the spirit of 60s and 70s favourites such as Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas and the Papas and The Velvet Underground, while bringing a distinctly contemporary edge reminiscent of First Aid Kit, Bonnie Light Horseman and Lucius. Their impeccable harmonies and accomplished songwriting also place them in the company of I'm With Her, Folk Bitch Trio and The Staves, creating a sound that feels both timeless and refreshingly inventive.
The band's sophomore full-length is ultimately a celebration of friendship in all its complexities: the connections we make, the arguments we have, the times we drift apart and, above all, the love that keeps us together. It's a record that explores the magic of creating something from nothing alongside the people closest to us, with relationships, both old and new, providing its emotional heart. Across its songs, Rough Magic moves effortlessly between cinematic, lush and expansive arrangements and moments of remarkable intimacy, rawness and vulnerability.
That sense of closeness is part of what makes the album so special, with some of its most personal vocal performances recorded in a makeshift booth fashioned from a closet and a collection of sweaters. It's an approach that perfectly captures the band's creative spirit: resourceful, adventurous and unafraid to follow an idea wherever it leads. With Rough Magic, Bandits on the Run have delivered a wonderfully heartfelt celebration of collaboration, connection and the enduring power of friendship.
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