Ringlets - The Legendary Ten Seconds - Pam Ross - Strawberry Alarm Clock - Young Martyrs - Rusty Shackle

Photo - Troy Davis

Ringlets - Hard Evidence.

Ringlets have just shared ‘Hard Evidence’, their sassy and supernal new single, via Flying Nun Records. Touching on labour, collapse, and stolen trousers - arriving with a music video directed by Martin Sagadin - the visual collaborator behind much of Aldous Harding’s acclaimed work - The track finds the Auckland post-punk four piece in vivid, uncompromising form.

‘Hard Evidence’ was recorded over a day at Roundhead Studios with De Stevens - more time than the band have previously been allotted for a single track. That space allowed the song to be developed fully in the room, and the result is audible: delicate, more industrial in texture, and underpinned by a melody a little sweet beneath the surface. Sagadin’s video takes that same physicality somewhere more surreal, where support and strain occasionally look indistinguishable.

Live, Ringlets are a different proposition again. Their first Australian tour culminated in eight sold-out shows, an appearance at BIGSOUND Festival in Brisbane, and festival slots at Rhythm & Vines, Twisted Frequency, and Laneway Festival. They recently opened for Black Country, New Road, and tomorrow will begin a 28-date run of the U.K and Europe including appearances at The Great Escape Festival, ArcTanGent, and headline shows at The Windmill, The Hug & Pint and Supersonic Paris.

============================================================================

The Legendary Ten Seconds - Sci Fi Hi Fi (Album)

We are always on the look out for something a little different and The Legendary Ten Seconds have consistently delivered on that front both musically, lyrically and by genre. So this time we have and I quote "An album of science fiction and astronomy themed songs featuring the sounds of the Mellotron." The album comes from the South West of England, recorded at Rock Lee, Torquay. Mixed and mastered by Lord Zarquon at Rainbow Starshine Studio in Marldon, South Devon. There's something different in the water the further West you go in England, whatever it is, certainly seems to make the creative juices flow (pun intended).

The album features: Ian Churchward vocals, guitars and keyboards, Jay Brown bass guitar, six string electric guitar and keyboards on The Time Stream, Ashley Dyer trumpet, Alfred Bolt electric guitar, George Bolt keyboards and backing vocals on the Lonely Planet and Lord Zarquon on drums and keyboards.

The Legendary Ten Seconds started off as the solo music project of Ian Churchward during the time when he was the lead guitar player of The Morrisons who were featured on John Peel's radio one show back in 1987. In 2013 Lord Zarquon joined Ian's music project and since then the line up has gradually expanded and various guest musician's and vocalists have helped out in the recording studio.

============================================================================

Pam Ross - That Kind of Summer.

Award-winning singer-songwriter Pam Ross returns today Friday, May 8 with her new track, “That Kind of Summer,” the first taste of her upcoming LP Wait for It. Built on sun-soaked imagery and a carefree spirit, “That Kind of Summer” captures the kind of moment you don’t plan—you just fall into. From “flip flop summer days” to “a hidden path on an old beach road,” the song leans into spontaneity and escape, pairing vivid storytelling with a breezy, radio-friendly hook: “It’s a top rolled back, that kind of summer…”

Pam wrote the track during a cold February in North Carolina, missing the warmth and freedom of coastal life. That longing translates into a song that feels immediate and transportive—windows down, music up, and nowhere you have to be.

Musically, the single blends Pam’s signature cross-genre style—country, Americana, rock, and pop—into something that feels both nostalgic and fresh. The track was produced by Pam Ross alongside FJ Ventre, with a standout lineup including Yvan Petit (guitar), George Hindenach (drums/percussion), and Franchesca “Chessie” Umbrino (backing vocals).

Pam Ross continues to build momentum following her debut album When Therapy Fails, which produced multiple UK iTunes Top 10 singles and a #1 chart-topper (“Better Than a Good Thing”). A 2024 Josie Award winner for Female Multi-Genre Artist of the Year, she has earned a reputation for both her songwriting and her dynamic live performances.

============================================================================

Strawberry Alarm Clock - The Sky Isn't Falling.

Original psychedelic rock pioneers Strawberry Alarm Clock return with the new single "The Sky Isn't Falling," a swirling rocker laden with gorgeous harmonies and lysergic guitars that continues to built the buzz for the legendary band's new album due this Summer from Big Stir Records. Together with the recent singles "Blow Your Mind" and "Monsters," it's strong evidence that Strawberry Alarm Clock is still going strong with five original members, and may be the most vital force from their generation on the scene today.

Strawberry Alarm Clock occupies a unique place on the 21st Century psych and indie rock landscape. Few true '60s veterans can boast a lineup as close to their original roster, but here they are with fve members who've been part of their legacy since the start – Mark Stephen Weitz (keyboards), Randy Seol (drums), George Bunnell (bass), Gene Gunnels (drums/percussion), multi-instrumentalist (and Oingo Boingo co-founder) Steve Bartek, plus guitarist Howie Anderson who's been a full member for forty years. 

Even more amazingly and importantly, while they embody the spirit of their original era, they trade not on nostalgia but on pursuing the musical ambition, experimentalism and unbridled creativity that made them shine in those early years. It's on display whenever the band hits the live stage, clad in paisley and stretching out with musical chemistry incorporating not just the expected instruments but marimbas, electric sitars and wild percussion, and it's been the hallmark of the new singles that have heralded their return: the eerie, unsettling “Monsters” which debuted last Halloween and the more recent hook-heavy rocker “Blow Your Mind,” as well as the attendant B-sides “White Light and “Live Water.”

============================================================================

Young Martyrs - Sugar On My Tongue.

Hot on the heels of April's 'Is There Anybody Out There?, Young Martyrs return today May 8th with their new single 'Sugar On My Tongue' and accompanying music video, the second single to be taken from their upcoming third studio album 'Might Just Be Enough', arriving this Summer. 

'Sugar On My Tongue' was recorded and produced at both Real World Studios in Bath and Indefra Studios in Frome by the band themselves, with co-production from Sebastian Brice and engineering from Ben Koch. The track was mastered by Christian Wright (Ed Sheeran, Franz Ferdinand, Blur, Laura Marling) at London's renowned Abbey Road Studios.

The song is one of three on the album written by lead guitarist Rich Beeby. It sees the band explore the desperately vulnerable yet universally relatable feelings surrounding undeclared feelings and physical longing.

Discussing the lyrical themes explored in the single, Beeby says, "The band rocks and rolls in this song so it needed a lyric that's raw and does most of its thinking from the neck down. It's about the visceral feelings of unspoken attraction and physical longing, and how those feelings might be suppressed, but can eventually develop into fantasy or obsession. It's really down to the listener to decide if surrendering to that intoxicating lustfulness should be avoided or celebrated."

============================================================================

Rusty Shackle - Your Arrows.

'Rusty Shackle' are back with an explosive statement of intent. Their new single 'Your Arrows' is released today May 8th and is our first taste from the brand new album 'Mayfield' that the band will release and showcase at Caldicot Castle on Saturday 29th August with special guests Taff Rapids, Tom Jenkins and Ernie Emmanuel.

A defiant, cinematic anthem about choosing your own path, the track channels American Western imagery into a modern inner battle between self-doubt and belief. With a vivid, time-bending narrative and a rallying battlecry chorus, it captures the clarity that comes when true intentions are revealed, and the strength it takes to stand up for what you believe in. 

Musically, the track is driven by a bluesy stomp that channels the swagger of Led Zeppelin, opening with a punchy, recognisable drum intro that propels it forward. Dynamic guitar and fiddle interplay add texture and lift, while the soaring lead vocal melodies give it a wide, defiant sense of scale, and gang vocals from all six members of Rusty Shackle bring a raw, anthemic edge.

Rusty Shackle are a hard-gigging folk-rock band from South Wales, known for their infectious energy, anthemic songs, and genre-blurring sound drawn from folk, rock, and indie roots. Since forming in 2010, they’ve built a loyal following through relentless touring and a reputation for exhilarating live shows that get crowds on their feet.

============================================================================

Social Distortion - The Womack Sisters - 64 Funnycars

Photo - Jonathan Weiner

Social Distortion - The Way Things Were.

Social Distortion have now shared 'The Way Things Were', the final preview of their long-awaited eighth album, 'Born To Kill'. The record, their first in 15 years, arrives this Friday, 8th May, via Epitaph Records. On 'The Way Things Were', Social Distortion look back without losing momentum, as Mike Ness revisits his hell-raising Fullerton youth. It’s a bruised, nostalgic anthem in the vein of classics “Story of My Life” and “I Was Wrong". It is a potent distillation of the Social D ethos, featuring lyrics like “I wrote a song with a stolen riff / If you ain’t got a song you ain’t got shit.”

'Born To Kill' is more than the conclusion to a 15-year wait between Social Distortion albums, it’s a revelation: 11 songs of pure, unadulterated rock fury, joy and catharsis, all imbued with the signature blend of defiance and world-weariness that has made Ness a poet and sage to the dispossessed for more than 40 years.   

Co-produced by Ness and Dave Sardy, and featuring guest appearances from Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Lucinda Williams and collaborative cover art by Ness and Shepard Fairey, 'Born To Kill' is the latest installment in a remarkable catalog that spans nearly three generations, including Mommy’s Little Monster (1983), Prison Bound (1988), the RIAA gold-certified Social Distortion (1990) and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992), White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996), Sex, Love and Rock ’n’ Roll (2004), and Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011).

============================================================================

The Womack Sisters - Chauffeur.

The Womack Sisters – Kucha, Zeimani, and BG Womack – were singing before they could walk. Well that's the back story Beehive Candy have mentioned a few times before. The reality is that it frames their music so accurately and their new single is another confirmation of the talent they have, so here's the (true) story again.

The Sisters grew up on the road. Their schools were stages and studios all over the world, where they sang behind their parents, Zekkariyas & Zeriiya (fka Womack & Womack), alongside their four siblings. Nowhere was home for long. No matter where they lived they were always surrounded by music and family.

Their 2026 self-titled debut album (out on August 14), The Womack Sisters, is the musical culmination of the Sisters’ long and winding journey to find themselves.  Over an intensely soulful collection of tunes that harkens back to when pop music had substance, vibe and purpose, each of their distinct voices have their moments in the spotlight. 

============================================================================

Photo - Bob Hanham

64 Funnycars - The Barbeque Party.

Hailing from Victoria, BC, 64 Funnycars return with Happy Go Lucky, a reissue of their long out-of-print debut album, preceded by a three-song teaser featuring “The Barbeque Party,” “Flat World,” and “Dull Daddy-O,” out May 6 via 604 Records, with the full album arriving May 27. First heard across Canada’s campus radio networks in the late 80s, the record lands again with its original charge intact, a snapshot of a band that thrived on instinct, hooks, and not overthinking it.

Formed in 1987 by four UVic campus radio regulars, 64 Funnycars were shaped as much by the airwaves as the stage. At a time when Victoria leaned toward the heavier and more confrontational, they carved out their own lane, rooted in melody, movement, and a shared love of jangly, high-energy college rock. Bands like Young Fresh Fellows, Hoodoo Gurus, and The Replacements weren’t just influences, they were part of a broader circuit the Funnycars actively belonged to, charting on campus stations, trading tapes, and building momentum from Victoria out into the wider Canadian network.

That crossover between radio and room came to life at Harpo’s, the band’s early proving ground and a cornerstone of the Pacific Northwest underground, where touring acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice in Chains, No Doubt, and Green Day passed through on their way up. Within weeks of forming, the Funnycars were on that stage, developing a reputation for loose, high-speed sets with no fixed setlist, three members trading lead vocals, and a kind of organized chaos that kept things on edge. As guitarist Eric Cottrell once put it, the band felt “more like a fun jalopy than a fine-tuned sports car,” a description that stuck.


============================================================================

Marian - Teagan Johnston - Brother Wallace - Asara - Georgian - The Call & Todd Rundgren

Marian - Play Louder, Hit Harder (Album).

Marian is a music lover’s band. Guided by their collective love for lush harmonies, big riffs, and unforgettable hooks, their debut album, Hit Record, blends the best of rock music’s heyday with a fearless appreciation for the here and now. Whether you’re into the classics or keep your ear to the ground for the next big sound - you need to hear the latest from Marian. Rock and roll hasn’t sounded this sweet in too long.

Weaving together themes of adulthood’s relentless grind and the uncertainty of what lies ahead, sophomore record Play Louder, Hit Harder marks a bold reintroduction for New Brunswick rock trio Marian. Following-up celebrated 2022 debut, Hit Record (Music NB’s Song of the Year and an ECMA Rising Star Recording of the Year nominee), Marian preview Play Louder, Hit Harder with focus tracks “Rock N’ Roll” and “K-Leigh.”
 
“‘Rock N’ Roll’ is the companion song to PLHH,” said Marian’s Dylan Ward (he/him). “It captures the loudness and hardness of the record, and sits directly in the transition point between adolescence and adulthood. This song is the anthem to doubling down, sticking to your guns, and turning up the sound to block the noise.”

“K-Leigh,” meanwhile, channels the same loud, carefree rock energy, but with a gentler message. Jerry-Faye Ward, who works as a teacher in addition to being a musician, wrote the song after seeing so many children having a tough time fitting in. “It’s hard to know your worth if you don’t have anyone telling you that the things you’re insecure about are insignificant to everyone but you,” she said. “This song is for anyone who’s ever felt left out.”

============================================================================

Teagan Johnston - Beat a Dead Horse.

Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist Teagan Johnston shares her latest offering, “Beat a Dead Horse,” a deeply reflective and emotionally charged single that examines the lingering impact of past relationships and the process of releasing what no longer serves you. Rooted in indie rock and singer-songwriter sensibilities, the track moves through grief, awareness, and ultimately toward a renewed sense of hope and forward motion.

The song was sparked by an unexpected moment during a psychic reading in New York City. “I’m not sure what I believe when it comes to psychics,” Teagan shares, “but something she said really hit me. She told me I was allowing old experiences of dark and painful love to dictate how I love now and in the future.” In that moment, Teagan felt a renewed urgency to step out of cycles of emotional repetition and into something more present and alive.

That sense of reflection carried directly into the song’s visual world. The accompanying video was filmed during a trip to Spain with Teagan’s parents, revisiting a place she hadn’t been since her time living there between the ages of 13-14. “Those years in Spain were before the trauma I reference in the song,” she explains. “It felt like the perfect place to reconnect with feelings of optimism and openness.”

Armed only with a digital camera, Teagan approached the shoot with a return-to-basics mindset, documenting beauty, colour, and everyday moments with a sense of curiosity and emotional clarity. The result is a visual companion that mirrors the song’s central theme: revisiting the past not to live in it, but to finally move beyond it.

============================================================================

Photo - Hana Snow

Brother Wallace - You’re The Man.

Brother Wallace doesn’t just have a voice, he has command. Now, the West Point, Georgia-bred singer, pianist, and soul revivalist shares 'You’re The Man' alongside an official music video, offering a powerful new centre piece from his forthcoming debut album, 'Electric Love', which arrives this Friday, 8 May via ATO Records.

A darker, harder-hitting side of Wallace’s “Electric Love soul music,” 'You’re The Man' moves with a moody ferocity — a song that stares straight at pride, power, and the stories we tell ourselves when we think we’re untouchable. Built for big rooms and bigger feelings, it’s a performance that doesn’t blink: Wallace’s vocals land with preacher’s conviction and street-corner truth, carrying a narrative that’s both unflinching and strangely compassionate. “That song comes from someone I know personally getting caught up in a treacherous life and thinking they could somehow escape the consequences,” Wallace says. “But then of course they ended up in trouble.”
 
Now midway through a spring tour supporting St. Paul & The Broken Bones across the US, Wallace is set to arrive in the UK for the first time this May. The visit includes performances at The Great Escape and Cross the Tracks, as well as two headline shows in Manchester and London.

============================================================================

Asara - Thank You, Thank You.

Following the success of his first single "Cute," Asara returns with "Thank You, Thank You," a new track announcing the release of his debut album "028 Crises," scheduled for July 3rd on the Géographie label (Dog Park, Marble Arch, etc.).

With its catchy melody, this second track is built on the groove of a drum machine derived from an old Farfisa keyboard from the 70s, which belonged to his grandfather. Balancing sweetness and gentle melancholy, the song infuses the track with a touch of humor, also present in the music video, and radiates a decidedly positive energy.

Asara is a French multi-instrumentalist artist launching her first solo project. For the past four years, she has been a member of the band Dog Park, where she has played guitar, bass, keyboards, and vocals. She now opens up a more intimate space with her solo project, Asara.

Composed throughout 2025, this debut album is structured like a sonic diary, almost a documentary, retracing this year rich in personal emotions. This collection of songs places the voice at the heart of the project, and the eight tracks that make up "028 Crises" oscillate between melancholy and rhythmic energy. Asara recorded at Studio 48L with her longtime friend and sound engineer, Baptiste Leroy.

============================================================================

Photo - Aaron Farrimond

Georgian - Californian Jeans.

Manchester-based Georgian continue their fresh chapter today with the release of their cinematic new single and visualiser ‘Californian Jeans’. The single follows recent release ‘Crackled Grounds’ and is taken from their first full body of work the ‘Crackled Grounds EP’ out on 12th June via Heist or Hit (Westside Cowboy, Her’s).
 
Formed in 2024 and with three previous singles in their musical catalogue, Georgian are a five-piece outfit comprising Georgia McKiernan (vocals, acoustic guitar), James Poole, James Polglase (both lead and rhythm guitar, BVs), Connor Alder (drums) and Harry George (bass). Together Georgian have an expansive sound that reflects each of the band’s tastes, retaining a modern approach, but keeping the sound of their influences alive. Wrangling ‘60s pop, country, folk, shoegaze, psychedelia and further-flung traditional styles, their songs tell tales of navigating harsh emotional environments and lived experiences.
 
The debut ‘Crackled Grounds EP’ was laid down with producer Arno Stols at Magenta Studio in the peaceful Amsterdam countryside. Taking a leaf from Brian Jonestown Massacre’s melodic revivalism, Georgian began emulating the warm, unsettling, mysterious 60s-70s production of artists to which they had mutually become accustomed. Lyrically taking the listener to a place of escapism, the songs tell of battling the elements, female empowerment, and deep-rooted nostalgia.

============================================================================

The Call & Todd Rundgren - The Walls Came Down.

We are catching up somewhat with this release on Beehive Candy, however we feel it's more than worth a share, so here's the back story & please enjoy. Critically acclaimed American modern rock band, The Call along with legendary performer Todd Rundgren announce a fiery call to action on a new studio version of The Call's "The Walls Came Down", which is out now. "The Walls Came Down" is a politically charged 1983 song orginally recorded by The Call, known for its Cold War themes and biblical Jericho allegory, featured on their album Modern Romans and popularized by its black-and-white MTV video, with singer Michael Been leading the band. The song reached #17 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock tracks in 1983.

Michael Been died of a heart attack in 2010, and the remaining band members (Tom Ferrier, Scott Musick, Jim Goodwin) reunited occasionally but never officially broke up. Taking over lead vocals, this is Todd Rundgren’s first collaboration with The Call.

Released as the lead track from the The Call’s 1983 album Modern Romans, “The Walls Came Down” landed in a world steeped in political tension. The Cold War was at its height: the Berlin Wall still divided East and West, the nuclear arms race dominated headlines, and Reagan’s “Star Wars” defense initiative was on everyone’s lips. Fear of global conflict wasn’t abstract—it was nightly news. Against that backdrop, The Call delivered a track that felt less like a pop song and more like a warning broadcast.

Four decades later, “The Walls Came Down” remains one of the most enduring political anthems of its time. It captures the uneasy heartbeat of 1983, but its message remains timeless. Every generation has its walls—literal and symbolic—and every wall eventually falls. Todd Rundgren would sometimes perform a cover version of “The Walls Came Down” in his solo concerts and get an enthusistic reactions. The remaing Call band members (Jim Goodwin, Tom Ferrier, Scott Musick) came across his videos on Youtube and reached out to see if he would like to collaborate on a new version.

============================================================================

Kidsmoke - Loosey - The Slackers - Tangients - Jody King Ft. Larry Cordle - Highdrive

Photo - Tom Mason

Kidsmoke - I’m Always Getting Carried Away.

Kidsmoke return with 'I’m Always Getting Carried Away', a shimmering new single and their first release since their acclaimed debut album 'A Vision In The Dark'. Written on New Year’s Day, the track carries a sense of urgency and renewal as the band step into a new chapter. Built around the dual meaning of its title, the song moves between moments of being swept up in feeling and something more physical and final. Bright, melodic and quietly weighty, it pairs the band’s dreamlike indie with reflections on memory, mortality and the passing of time.

Vocalist and guitarist Lance Williams explains: “The lyrics came really quickly and are built around the song’s title, playing with the meaning of being ‘carried away’, whether it be emotionally or physically.” The song was shaped in part by Williams’ work visiting a dementia support group, an experience that brought the fragility of memory into focus. “It was both beautiful and heartbreaking,” he says. “It made me appreciate how our memories bind us together… I think I was trying to highlight how precious the little moments are.”

On the music, bassist James Stickels adds: “I know I wanted it to sound like a song I’d of written in the early 00’s, so I was channeling The Strokes, Bloc Party, Futureheads sort of thing… It’s deliberately simple, written from a place of nostalgia and longing for simpler times.” The chorus opens out into something moving and uplifting, shaped by a gently lilting diminished chord that carries a hint of George Harrison. Layered backing vocals, including the band’s children, draw out the harmony and create a real standout moment that adds even more beauty.

Kidsmoke · I'm Always Getting Carried Away

============================================================================

Loosey - We See We.

Loosey recently announced a new LP and now they are back with a brand new video from their upcoming "A Retrospective: 2023 - 2025" LP. Following the tragic end of shooting star punk greats New York Hounds, Loosey began as a coping mechanism for a pair of friends with a shared love of rock ‘n’ roll-transforming a time for mourning to celebration of life. The resulting ideas took the big stomp of Slade, the classic power pop of Teenage Fanclub, and riffy pub rock like AC/DC and packaged it all with a DIY aesthetic, creating finely-crafted, hard-rockin’ confections with an undercurrent of punk grit, ready-made for downing an icy one during a good old-fashioned singalong.

Once Loosey began to take life, the earworms added a healthy dose of stage swagger, catching on quickly with audiences. Their reputation for owning the stage quickly lead to fly-in gigs across the states, shows with the Templars, The Marked Men, Sheer Mag, Nothing, RIXE, Murphy’s Law, Haywire, The Chisel, in addition to touring stints with Beton Arme, Angel Dust, Alvilda and others.

The band recorded several tracks in 2025 at Studio G in Brooklyn, NY with Daniel Schlett at the helm for engineering mastering and mixing. Respected artist and musical journeyman Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Zwan, Iggy Pop band) shared co-production credits with the band as well, adding guitar to the track “Need You Baby.” The result is twelve new tracks coming out in North America on TKO Records on May 8th. The band also just announced a release show and a run of shows with Generación Suicida.

============================================================================

The Slackers - The Whole World Was In On It.

We are a week late in sharing this video, however The Slackers are to impressive for Beehive Candy not to do a little catching up! Background... NYC ska/reggae legends The Slackers have released a brand new music video for the single "The Whole World Was In On It!" The video was shot by Eric Durkin & Alyssa Tennyson, edited by Pat Byrne, and completed with post-production & creative direction by Rock and Roll Creative. This song comes from the NYC ska/reggae legends' latest EP, Money is King.

“The Whole World Was In On It” is about the events that leave their mark on your life, and it was written by guitarist Agent Jay, who says: "The summer of ’77…there was a fire in my building in Queens, Elvis died, and New York fell into a legendary blackout. In my mind, as a kid, all these events happened on the same night, and were all related. The blackout caused Elvis to die, and my building to catch fire...which caused the blackout, etc. Everything was connected…the whole world was in on it!

But of course, Elvis did not die during the blackout...although I’m not sure [of] the night of the fire in my building. Things aren’t as connected as we’d like them to be. Nothing makes sense anymore."

============================================================================

Tangients - Embers (Album).

Tangients, the collaborative project of Chelsea Hope Ray and Be Hussey, unveil their debut album, Embers — a deeply introspective and sonically immersive body of work that navigates the intersections of time, memory, loss, and renewal. At its core, Embers is an emotional reckoning; a sweeping meditation on the fragile persistence of hope. The album traces the arc of a wounded identity in flux — capturing heartbreak, self-reflection, and the quiet resilience required to endure. It is, as Ray describes, “a cry for nostalgia in its most yearning form as well as an awakening to the unknown.” 

Across its runtime, Embers explores the tension between past and future, ultimately grounding itself in a singular, universal imperative: survival. Much of the album came together with an almost uncanny immediacy. Songs and lyrics emerged instinctively, as if waiting to be uncovered, later revealing themselves as reflections — and at times, premonitions — of lived experience. In hindsight, Embers carries a darker emotional weight, shaped by a period marked by personal struggle and disorientation. “There were moments where I was letting life happen to me instead of creating my own direction,” Ray reflects. “This record documents that, but it also marks the beginning of choosing a different path.” 

The album opens with “We Are Listening,” a standout track that encapsulates the project’s emotional and sonic scope. Built from a synth foundation provided by Hussey, the song evolves into something both sacred and spectral — “like going to church in a cemetery,” Ray notes. Anchored by the haunting tones of a 1963 Hammond A-100 organ, the track carries a deeply personal resonance, serving as an homage to Ray’s late grandmother, a lifelong church musician. The opening lyric, drawn from her grandfather’s familiar refrain — “Feelin’ like a million. If I felt any better, I would have to take a pill for it.” — grounds the song in lived memory, while its sweeping arrangement and mid-song tonal shift deepen its sense of longing and return. 

============================================================================

Jody King feat. Larry Cordle - Jet Airliner.

Jody King shared the story behind the recording: “During my college days, a buddy and I were hanging out in his parents’ basement listening to music. ‘Jet Airliner’ was playing, and one of us picked up a guitar and started playing the opening repetitive riff. After a few minutes of messing around, it had morphed into bluegrass mode. The chorus section was perfect for improvisational soloing and made for a smoking bluegrass tune, accented by the signature riff and those well-known, catchy lyrics.

I’d always loved The Steve Miller Band and that song, but playing it this way really reinforced that love. I’ve wanted to record it ever since. Fast forward a few decades, and after working with Larry Cordle for years, I knew he had a soft spot for this era and style of music. He also has the voice and instinct to pull it off. I was thrilled when he agreed to do it, and even more thrilled to hear his performance on the track. My hope is that folks listening will appreciate the same love that Larry and I share for this music—and the same excitement that a couple of college buddies once felt in that basement years ago.”

Cordle added: “When Jody King played me the track for ‘Jet Airliner,’ I was absolutely knocked out. What a great idea to take this Steve Miller rock standard from the ’70s and reimagine it as a driving bluegrass number. I knew I was listening to something special. What I didn’t know at the time was that he had played every instrument on the track except the mandolin. He left that detail out when he played me the song. When I asked who the other musicians were, he said, ‘Well, I played the bass and guitar parts,’ as if to suggest anyone could do that. It’s remarkable that this man could be this proficient on all these instruments.

============================================================================

Photo - Derek Bremner

Highdrive - Passing By.

Brighton (UK) five-piece Highdrive have shared their third single 'Passing By', out today on Venn Records. The new single follows the release of recent tracks 'Something I Said' and 'Cherry' and arrives ahead of upcoming shows in Brighton and London, plus festival appearances at 2000 Trees and Brighton Psych Fest. Highdrive have quickly become a fixture of the south coast live scene, scoring early shows alongside Marmozets, English Teacher, Do Nothing, TTSSFU, Deadletter, Welly and Glare.

On latest single 'Passing By', their live intensity hits head-on. Scorched guitar lines lurch and coil around Lucas Leitch’s soaring vocal, tracing the messy fallout of a relationship. As big, hooky moments force their way through layers of distortion and tension, the song builds to its breathless finale.

Speaking on the track, the band said: "Passing By is a song about grief, focusing on remembering the bad things and the reasons why the relationship ended in the first place, rather than looking back through rose-tinted glasses."

Forming in 2024 with a mutual appreciation for acts including Deftones, The Jesus and Mary Chain and DIIV, those disparate influences have carved out a unique lane for the Brighton upstarts as they go from strength to strength.

============================================================================

Apryll Aileen - Bandits on the Run - Taxi Girls - American Blonde

Apryll Aileen - Call Me Anytime.

Canadian singer-songwriter Apryll Aileen shares “Call Me Anytime,” a warm and uplifting pop/alt-country single that captures the quiet strength of unconditional love across distance. Rooted in storytelling and emotional clarity, the track follows a grandfather supporting his grandson as he leaves home to pursue a rising soccer career, balancing pride, longing, and the enduring promise of connection.

At its core, the song is written from the perspective of a grandfather speaking to his grandson as he begins to find success in the Canadian soccer world. Through simple yet deeply resonant lyrics, he reminds him that no matter how far he goes, he is never alone. “Call Me Anytime” becomes both a message and a mantra; a steady reassurance that love remains constant, even as life pulls people in different directions.

That sense of connection extends into the song’s visual world. Filmed in Toronto during JUNO week, the accompanying music video features rising youth soccer talent Malakhai Eaton, one of the top defensive players in the GTA (12 and under). The video captures the emotional tension between ambition and home, reflecting the reality of leaving behind familiarity to chase something bigger, while still holding onto where you came from.

The creative process behind the song unfolded organically. “I was actually on a flight to the UK when I heard the chorus melody in my head,” Apryll shares. “I didn’t want to lose it, so I recorded a voice note right there in my seat. As soon as the plane touched down, I grabbed my friend’s guitar and the song grew naturally from there; it wrote itself.” The track was later brought to life in collaboration with UK-based producer Danny Lafrombe, blending simplicity with dynamic shifts that mirror the emotional arc of the story.

============================================================================

Photo -  Hunter Brown & Lucy Werner

Bandits on the Run - lostlostlost.

Continuing to build excitement for their highly anticipated full-length album, Rough Magic, out on June 12, 2026, NYC-based indie-folk-pop trio, Bandits on the Run, just released the new single, “lostlostlost.” With rotating lead vocals and varied instrumentation, Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn combine to evoke the 60s and 70s spirit of bands like Fleetwood Mac while also carrying the sonic inventiveness of the modern folk power pop acts like First Aid Kit and Bonnie Light Horsemen, and trios like I'm With Her, featuring impeccable harmonies and elevated songwriting so good they make the balancing act seem simple. 

Grown from theatrical roots Enscoe and Shepherd have appeared on Broadway, while Strayhorn has a successful career in casting - they are also writing several original musicals, including a stage musical adaptation of the novel What's Eating Gilbert Grape with actor-musician-longtime-friend Christopher Sears and newfound friend, Academy Award Nominee Peter Hedges. This summer, after a tour supporting Alan Doyle and the release of Rough Magic, Enscoe, Shepherd, and Strayhorn will perform their musical based on William Shakespeare's As You Like It, the basis for their 2025 EP, The Shakespeare Tapes, at the Chautauqua Institution, from August 10 - 15th, as well as two Bandits on the Run shows surrounding that production on August 9 and 12.
 
The new single, “lostlostlost,” was written “off the map,” during an increasingly rare moment when none of the band members were working on anything Bandits-related. Shepherd was starring in the world premiere of a show in Minneapolis, Strayhorn was working on a casting job and starting up a film portrait business, and Enscoe was cast in a TV show. Shepherd and Enscoe - who are married - were also moving, and Enscoe found themselves traveling between NY and Minneapolis, as well as visiting friends in other states. 

“It was a lot of being alone, and without the context of Bandits and our other collective pursuits, it got me in a meaningless-ness state of mind,” Enscoe reflects. “When I don't have Sydney to sleep next to, my circadian rhythm drifts, and soon I was staying up almost to sunrise and sleeping in the middle of the day. My life as a quasi-drifter lacked context. Much as I tried to find some pursuit to latch onto, I never stayed anywhere too long, so no shape took hold.”

============================================================================

Taxi Girls - Say It!

Montreal’s Taxi Girls kick off the next chapter with “Say It!”, the electrifying new single and video which arrived May 1 on Stomp Records. Formed in 2022, the all-female garage punk outfit has quickly emerged from the city’s underground with a sound rooted in punchy hooks, raw edge and rock ’n’ roll swagger, nodding to The Donnas, Joan Jett and Nikki Corvette.

Like a snowy cab ride down Saint-Laurent after last call, their music carries the texture of late-night dépanneur runs, sesame bagels eaten on the curb, a Labatt 50 sweating in hand and a DuMaurier burned down to the filter. That feeling fuels a mix of garage rock cool and punk urgency, with infectious energy and a clear sense of identity. Big hooks cut through blown-out guitars, while the dual-vocal dynamic between Jamie Radu and Vera keeps everything shifting, trading lines, colliding and snapping into focus without losing control.

“Say It!” serves as the first glimpse of the band’s forthcoming debut LP Static, set for release on June 26. The single lands alongside vinyl and digital pre-orders for the album and sets the emotional and sonic tone for what’s to come. A second single, “Secret Handshake,” follows on June 5, with “Midnight Mixtape” spotlighted during release week.

“Say It!” captures Taxi Girls at their most immediate and unapologetic. The band’s dual-vocal dynamic shifts effortlessly from sweet to scathing, mirroring themes of resilience, self-realization and the courage to speak plainly. As the band explains, these ideas carry through Static: “This record is very real and very raw, exploring themes of love, loss, struggles with mental health, postpartum depression, and being caught in endless loops of nostalgia. The light at the end of the tunnel is stepping into your power, owning it, feeling it and truly understanding what that means deep down. We felt this was the perfect way to showcase Taxi Girls and share how we really feel.”

============================================================================

American Blonde - Mississippi Moonshine.

American Blonde returns with their first release in nearly 18 months. This is a bold new chapter as a full band produced by Grammy-nominated Lincoln Parish (Cage the Elephant).

Swampy guitars, slide-driven grit, and a vocal that cuts, “Mississippi Moonshine” leans into Southern Rock roots with a modern edge. “Mississippi Moonshine captures the direction we’ve been moving, leaning into our roots while pushing toward a more rock-driven, live-energy sound. Delta born. Rock raised. Country at heart. This feels like the truest version of who we are as musicians.”— Nata & Tinka Morris

Mississippi-born, Nashville-based band blending Country, Rock, and Soul. Fronted by sisters Nata & Tinka Morris. International touring artists with multiple European runs. Ryman Auditorium artist program finalists. Known for high-energy live shows and a growing national footprint.

============================================================================