Charlie Horn - Detalji - Young Martyrs - The Brook & The Bluff - Julian Taylor - Kate Schutt

Charlie Horn - Marble and Mud.

"Marble and Mud" is from In The Pines front person Charlie Horn's whose debut solo album Rhythms Unexplained is out later this year as a self-released effort. In The Pines is widely known as Cincinnati, OH's next big psych-rock export. Horn's work, however, dials back the bombast of ITP's swelling, spacey songs in favor of stripped-back, emotionally poignant narratives that track some pretty harrowing emotional points in Horn's timeline. 

Marble and Mud both kicks off Charlie Horn’s debut album and acts as the opening salvo to listeners from the Cincinnati, OH psych rock In The Pines guitarist. Vintage synthesizers (which Horn salvaged and rebuilt) kick off the opening melody of a song that ponders the usefulness of self-deprecation and lax boundaries under the command of shimmering synths, deft guitars and Horn’s commanding voice that hits somewhere between Kurt Vile and Evan Dando.

Recorded at the In The Pines nerve-centre, a synthesizer repair shop in the basement of a decommissioned Masonic Temple in Dayton, KY, these songs have a world-weary sound of being fully lived in. Fans of Big Star's 3rd, Conor Oberst's Ruminations or the darkness around Kurt Vile's halo of smoke will find a lot to love here. 

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Photo - Federico Cabrera

Detalji - So Call (Summer Night).

Finnish alternative electronic artist Detalji has shared another cut from their new album Imagine Life, a genre-fluid electronic record that moves between dreamlike synths, alternative pop melodies, club influences and 80s nostalgia. ‘So Call (Summer Night)’ captures a moment of possibility and optimism amid uncertainty. Inspired by a night spent dancing, celebrating and falling in love, it reflects the fleeting moments where everything feels open and full of potential.

“This song was distilled directly from a certain memory,” said Detalji. “I remember partying at a midsummer festival with my friends, being intoxicated and happy at that moment listening to techno music and dancing the entire night. And at the same time being excited that I had met a certain special person, and that even though things were uncertain and they were far away, I was feeling hopeful and falling in love with the person and just feeling thankful for being alive. At that moment I felt the world was full of possibilities.”

Imagine Life is a record about navigating contradiction, the desire to escape and the need to connect, the pull between nostalgia and moving forward, and the search for identity within the chaos of everyday life. Throughout the album, themes of longing, desire, heartbreak, anxiety, liberation and connection emerge repeatedly.

Written across Helsinki, Los Angeles and Berlin, the album captures a year of transition, exploring love, loss and reinvention. Across nine tracks, Detalji weaves together elements of electronica, trip-hop, house, drum & bass and synth soundscapes into a cohesive journey.

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Young Martyrs - Only You.

Bath’s indie-americana outfit Young Martyrs return with their most ambitious statement yet. ‘Might Just Be Enough’, their third studio album, arrives on August 21st 2026 to limited edition vinyl via fledgling record label Honey Badger Records. The record’s final single ‘Only You’ is released this one week.
 
At its core, ‘Might Just Be Enough’ tells the story of a band striving for something bigger. Written and recorded after years of self-funding releases, relentless touring, and steadily building an audience through sheer perseverance, it’s a classic underdog story as old as recorded music itself: a group of friends with big dreams, refusing to stop believing that the next album might just be enough, capturing the optimism and uncertainty of a band still chasing their next breakthrough.
 
Recorded between Real World Studios and Indefra Studios, the album was created largely as a three-piece, with guitarist Rich Beeby also handling bass duties during the recording process, before welcoming bassist Phil Smith to the lineup. The record was self-produced by the band themselves alongside Sebastian Brice, engineered by Ben Koch, and mastered by renowned engineer Christian Wright (Ed Sheeran, Franz Ferdinand, Blur, Laura Marling) at the iconic Abbey Road Studios.

‘Might Just Be Enough’ represents the band’s most fully realised work to date. Across the album’s ten tracks, the record explores the essence of the human condition: love, longing, grief, hope, mental health and perseverance. Combining driving rhythms, expansive guitars, rich harmonies, addictive choruses and cinematic soundscapes, the album captures a band reaching a new creative peak, all the while remaining grounded in the honesty that has defined their music from the beginning.

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Photo - Noah Tidmore

The Brook & The Bluff - It Can't Be.

In continuation of their banner year, beloved indie/rock group The Brook & The Bluff have announced a new EP titled Lookout Pond will release on September 25th through Dualtone Records. Comprised of five brand new songs, along with a reimagined version of “Moving Along,” Lookout Pond finds the Nashville-based quartet reuniting with acclaimed producer Micah Tawlks (Hayley Williams, Mat Kearney), who also produced their latest full-length Werewolf. 

They also shared the lead single from the EP titled “It Can’t Be,” a driving, piano-drenched sing-a-long “about the first fall,” described the band. “When you really start to love a person and you feel like you are floating through the air and the only thing that can touch you is the breeze.”

After a packed spring headline tour, plus festival appearances at Hinterland and more, The Brook & The Bluff will jump back on the road this fall for a new round of US headline dates, true to their roadwarrior spirit. Kicking off at the top of October, the route includes stops in Alabama, Knoxville, Savannah, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New Orleans, and Florida among many others. The band will also appear at this year’s AmericanaFest in September, which will include a performance at Dualtone’s 25th Anniversary Bash at The Basement East on September 17th.

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Julian Taylor - Drive.

Toronto-based singer-songwriter Julian Taylor shares “Drive,” a stirring new track that reflects on the uncertainty of the current moment while offering a reminder to keep moving forward. Blending thoughtful lyricism with a warm, full band arrangement, the track explores themes of hope, compassion, resilience, and the ongoing pursuit of a more connected world.

Written when Julian observed growing tension, confusion, and hurt between people, “Drive” was born from a desire to counter those feelings with something more hopeful. Inspired by the writers, thinkers, and teachings that shaped his worldview including Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, Handsome Lake, and The Giving Tree, the song serves as a reminder to continue striving toward kindness, understanding, and positive change.

“The song was inspired by the times in which we are living,” Julian explains. “It’s a strange time and I think people are stressed, confused, hurt, and it feels as if those emotions are being taken out on each other. I want to keep spreading the good word.”

That sense of purpose is reflected in the song’s title. After considering several options, Julian ultimately chose “Drive” as a daily reminder to himself and others to keep pushing toward meaningful goals. It speaks to the internal force that motivates creators, thinkers, and everyday people to continue working toward something bigger than themselves. At its core, “Drive” is about the commitment to growth, compassion, and finding a way forward even when circumstances feel uncertain.

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Photo - Natalie Deryn Johnson

Kate Schutt - Drumfire of the Hurricane.

Award-winning singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Kate Schutt shares “Drumfire of the Hurricane,” a moving new single inspired by the extraordinary true story of Austrian painter and writer Christiane Ritter’s 1934 memoir A Woman in the Polar Night. Blending folk-rooted storytelling with sweeping adult contemporary arrangements, the song captures a moment of profound uncertainty: a woman alone in an Arctic hut, facing a violent winter storm and the terrifying realization that her survival depends entirely on herself.

The song’s title comes directly from Ritter’s description of the storm as “the furious drumfire of the hurricane,” a phrase that immediately stayed with Kate after first reading the memoir. “Ritter’s phrase is pitch perfect,” Kate explains. “Her writing is so visceral, capturing the overwhelm and terror of being inside a major winter storm. It’s my hope that my song adds another dimension to Ritter’s incredible, indelible story.”

“Drumfire of the Hurricane” explores a moment suspended between fear and action. Ritter knows the danger she is facing, but she has not yet found the courage to act. The song exists in that liminal space between the person she was before the storm and the person she becomes after surviving it.

The track’s emotional intensity is rooted in Kate’s commitment to storytelling. Guided by the songwriting advice that “songs are like little movies,” she approached the song with a cinematic mindset, carefully considering every lyric, sound, and moment. “I knew in a song I’d only have about 150 words, so every word (and every sound we recorded) had to count,” she says.

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The Sunmills - Libby Ember - Chris Clark - Israel Nash - Song People - Aubory Bugg

The Sunmills – Bird That Used To Sing.

Utah alt-rock trio The Sunmills returned this week with ‘Bird That Used To Sing’, a more mellow and introspective track that sees the band stepping away from their usual funk-rock swagger to reveal a more intimate and emotionally exposed side of their sound. Known for their blend of hard-driving riffs, funk-laced grooves and sharp sense of humour, The Sunmills have always balanced infectious energy with thoughtful storytelling. But ‘Bird That Used To Sing’ finds the band exploring quieter territory — a laid-back, rootsy rock track built around atmosphere, nostalgia and the complicated feelings left behind when something once unbreakable falls apart.

The song also gives frontman Jim the perfect space to showcase his vocals, delivering a more restrained and vulnerable performance that captures the weight of the story at the heart of the track. Originally, the song could have been called ‘Rotting Away’ — an honest reflection of the place it comes from. It explores that strange period after a relationship has completely broken down, when the future you imagined together has disappeared and you’re left trying to understand how something that felt unstoppable could come to an end.

The lyrics look back at the moments that made the relationship feel indestructible: the reckless certainty, the sleepless nights, the belief that nothing could ever come between two people who were completely devoted to each other. But once everything is gone, memories can become complicated.

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Libby Ember - Pool Life.

Building on a breakout year that saw her earn Spotify Editorial support and recognition as a rising voice in indie pop, Montreal singer-songwriter Libby Ember shares “Pool Life,” a wistful and quietly reflective single that captures the feeling of watching life unfold from the outside and wondering what it would be like to step fully into it. Blending intimate lyricism with airy, understated production, the track explores social longing, identity, and the subtle ache of feeling just outside the frame of “cool” or effortless belonging.

At its core, “Pool Life” is about perception: the way certain people seem to move through life with spontaneity and ease, as if constantly living inside a moment you were never quite invited into. For Libby, the image of “Pool Life” became a metaphor for that distance.

“It’s about watching people’s lives from the outside, seeing the way that the ‘cool’ people choose to live, and feeling like I’m missing out on that,” Libby explains. “The title just encapsulated that feeling for me since when I think about these people I just imagine hanging out by the pool and spontaneously jumping in as a metaphor for the way they live their lives ‘on the spot’.”

Libby Ember is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter based in Montreal, currently pursuing music studies at Concordia University. A self-described artist for the “yearners,” her music merges the emotional honesty of indie-folk with dreamy indie pop textures, creating songs that feel intimate, vulnerable, and deeply lived-in.

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Chris Clark - Across a Carnival (Album).

Chris Clark’s roots run deep in Vermont’s West River Valley. Born and raised in the town of Jamaica, he writes songs shaped by back roads, small towns, old mistakes, chance meetings and the restless pull of leaving again. His music draws from Americana, psychedelic folk, classic pop and vintage rock, with melodies that arrive easily and lyrics that tend to stay behind.

After years of gathering a truckload of songs, Clark found the right creative partnership just a few miles from home at Song Catcher Recording in neighboring West Townshend. Working closely with producer and multi-instrumentalist Ken Anderson of Hungrytown, Across a Carnival took shape as a warm, cinematic album inspired by the late-1960s and early-1970s sounds they both loved, without feeling like an exercise in nostalgia.

The album also features vocals by Rebecca Hall of Hungrytown and violin by Lissa Schneckenburger, whose performances add warmth and depth to the record’s distinctive sound. Recorded with vintage instruments, careful arrangements and a deep commitment to songcraft, Across a Carnival introduces Chris Clark as a songwriter with a sure melodic sense, a wry eye for human trouble and an enduring connection to the place he comes from. 

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Photo - Jaycee Grover

Israel Nash - You Ain't Going Nowhere.

Cosmic-country Texas artist Israel Nash returns with his adaptation of The Byrds' iconic 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo releasing on September 25. Reinterpreting the landmark record through a modern lens, Nash transforms the country-rock classic into a genre-bending take on contemporary American roots music. The first single released yesterday, "You Ain't Going Nowhere," offers a psychedelic perspective to the pedal steel and swirling organ of the Bob Dylan-penned original.

 Nash on the new single: "My first act of sacrilege in reimagining Sweetheart was changing the entire album order right out of the gate and taking ‘You Ain’t Going Nowhere’ out of the opening slot. But this song was always an open, fluid conversation: Dylan wrote it, the Byrds answered, McGuinn changed a lyric, and Dylan later rerecorded it in a meta move that made the whole joke legendary. I just wanted to let these songs breathe a little in my world, through my own language. I wanted to join that old conversation, make it new, move it forward, and invite everybody else into it."

This album is what happens when an artist stops thinking about the industry's rules and simply stays in a constant state of creation. Having reclaimed ownership of his back catalog and finished building his dream studio in the Texas Hill Country, Nash found himself free from the relentless schedule of album cycles and finally able to call his own shots. Sweetheart of the Rodeo developed during a prolific era that found him releasing a deluxe version of Rain Plans, creating the instrumental Moods album, and continuing to write original songs. 

Exploration runs throughout Sweetheart of the Rodeo – classic melodies shift in new directions, familiar rhythms are rebuilt, tempos move differently. Songs that once leaned into traditional country are reframed with synthesizers, programmed percussion, pedal steel, arpeggiators, ambient textures, and the panoramic production style that has become Nash's signature. Even the track list is different. The resulting collection of songs serves not only as a celebration of a timeless record, but as a snapshot of an artist building a new creative rhythm. 

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Photo - Ian Maley

Song People - Silver Flag.

Song People, one of Philly's brightest and most unique new acts, have announced their second album Tho I Seem Tame. Arriving via Strange Mono on October 9th. "Silver Flag" is a sliver of everything Song People do well - tight, catchy guitar arpeggios, vocals that melt and swoon with romantic abandon, and a sense of tension that builds from the first note to the end of the track. The lyrics here are particularly unique, touching on themes of self-protection and self-sabotage and using a very interesting character to do so: the worm that allegedly helped King Solomon build his temple.

Known in early rabbinical tradition as a Shamir, this wholesome mythical creature supposedly helped Solomon construct his first temple, as he had been commanded not to use any tools that could double as weapons. In the words of Shaina herself, "You can't build a temple with anything that can be used as a weapon," and therein seems to lie the key to the song, which seemingly reveals itself in new layers with each new listen. 

When the long-awaited chorus swoops in and Shaina croons, "You can only do so much to protect yourself/if you keep letting fear erase your kindness," the whole song builds to a beautiful catharsis, a post-punk potpourri of distorted lead guitar, punk-fierce drums, and vocals that ache, yearn, and brim with romantic struggle. Song People was formed in December of 2022 by core members Shaina Kapeluck, Darian Scatton, and Benjamin Schurr. Having played in each other's bands for over twelve years, they’ve settled into a comfortable songwriting cabal made fruitful by over a decade of collaboration. 

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Photo - Caity Krone

Aubory Bugg - the one you want to lose.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Aubory Bugg returns with her captivating new single "the one you want to lose," out August 12th on all platforms - the latest preview of their debut full-length album, i think i had something once, out September 18th via Dualtone. 

"the one you want to lose" blends indie folk with pop sensibility, showcasing Bugg's captivating vocals and emotional depth in a way that calls to mind the songwriting and sound that put Lizzy McAlpine on the map. It's a raw reflection on unexpected heartbreak, where tenderness slowly builds into something sonically triumphant and cathartic.

The single arrives as part of a significant step forward for the 21-year-old artist, who wrote their entire debut EP solo before relocating to Nashville and embracing a new era of collaboration, community, and creative openness. Of the upcoming album, Bugg shares: "I think having written my entire first EP on my own, I was really excited to dive into the co-writing of it all. This album is as direct a representation that I have of how I felt the last couple years, moving out and being a person on my own. And I think at its core, the thread that moves through the whole album is a love letter to things you didn't think you'd lose."

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OWEN oriçon - JoeJoe S - bauhofer - Weekend Millionaires

OWEN oriçon - Room 092.

With gentle understated vocals Room 092 quickly draws the listener in. The lyrics come across as somewhat personal and the musical arrangement is structured and melodic without overpowering his words. Although the song was released some days ago we felt it really should be heard on Beehive Candy. So, some background. Owen is a London based artist, Japanese and unsigned, who writes, plays, records and produces everything himself. Guitar pop and alternative rock: close harmony, jangling guitars, a little psych at the edges. He plays London open mic rooms and releases a song at a time.

OWEN oriçon tells us: Room 092 is a room inside The Taste, the album I am building single by single. The Taste is a tavern, somewhere in the 1960s. People go there to forget. A marriage that curdled, a career that stalled, someone who walked out and never wrote. Anyone can get in. The price is a part of yourself, handed over at the door, and once you are inside you get your past back, or better, a version of the past where things went the way you wanted. It is warm in there. Nobody checks the time.

Almost nobody leaves. Not because they are stopped, but because they stop wanting to, and by the time the wanting comes back they have already given away the part of themselves that could have walked out. They start to forget their own names. The whole thing owes something to Murakami's The City and Its Uncertain Walls, where a person enters a walled town by leaving his shadow at the gate, and the gate only opens one way.

Room 092 is one of the rooms. The song is what happens inside it, and I am the one who went in. Beatlesque pop rock, bright on the surface, with the psych at the edges being the only part that knows something is wrong.

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JoeJoe S - In Black! and In White! (don't wanna live).

"In Black! and In White (don't wanna live)," a thoughtful, lyric-driven indie rock anthem that encourages us to embrace life's complexity instead of reducing it to simple absolutes. Written after a creative awakening later in life, songwriter Joseph Seroussi draws on the wisdom of lived experience to explore empathy, perspective, and the quiet courage it takes to keep an open mind. Rather than offering answers, the song invites us to pause, reflect, and remember that the world is rarely as simple as black and white.

Driven by warm guitars, heartfelt melodies, and a chorus that lingers long after the song ends, JoeJoe S reminds us that understanding often begins with listening.

"If you see life in black and in white
You'll miss the colors hiding in plain sight."

At its heart, this is a song about choosing compassion over certainty. It's a reminder that every person carries a story we can't fully see and that some of life's most meaningful connections are found when we make room for different perspectives.

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bauhofer - Just The Blues.

Beehive Candy are really pleased to welcome back bauhofer. Why? because powerful songs like 'The River Seine' which is in all fairness superb, could easily make an artist try and do more of the same. So to go off in such a tangent musically, shows an artist who loves his music, rather than personal image. More like this please!    

Back in the seventies, the Rolling Stones criticized the pomp and circumstance of many stage shows with their track "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll, But I Like It." Even today, the industry's superstars—from hip-hop to reggaeton—rely on elaborate spectacles. Swiss singer-songwriter bauhofer picks up on this idea in his new work, "Just the Blues." "No big stage, flashes and lights. 

No merch, meet and greets, private jet flights. It's just the blues, I love it." The song is a tribute to legendary blues greats like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Mick Jagger. Slade Templeton picked up the guitar for the raw blues sound and, as with bauhofer's previous EPs, was also responsible for the production.

Following the international chart success of "The River Seine," the singer-songwriter opted for a minimalist approach with the piano-driven ballad "Move Mountains." "Long before techno conquered the world, I was captivated by the simplicity and power of early blues. It's difficult for artists today to remain true to their music and independent, and to resist the pull of this commercial machine," says the artist.

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Weekend Millionaires - Dopamine.

Weekend Millionaires are a 3-piece indie rock band based in Sheffield. The group formed after singer Maisie, guitarist Josh and bassist Eric, bonded over their love of guitar-based pop and rock music, decided to start a project that would provide an outlet for the group’s frustration with the lack of modern bands in this space.

Taking inspiration from Indie & Britpop bands before them and adding pop music simplicity to their songs' foundation, they created a sound that is both a cathartic release of introspection, and catchy melodies to sing along to.

Debut Single ‘Dopamine,’ (recently released) , captures this idea perfectly: the intro guitar riff, drenched in delay, attacks the ear first, leading into Maisie’s unique vocal delivering the opening line and asking the question “do you know what this is?” Creating a personal moment directly addressing the listener, the driving drums then drop in and snap everything back into motion before the chorus lands with a strong repetitive hook delivered with conviction and passion.

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The Music Of Sound - HMS Morris - Plain Mister Smith - Cari Burdett

The Music Of Sound - Shimmer.

London’s UK-Indian dream-pop group The Music Of Sound are pleased to unveil their powerful new single ‘Shimmer’, released via Monochrome Motif Records. Bringing together generations, cultures and musical backgrounds, The Music of Sound has developed a distinctive sound that blends dream pop, electronic music and cinematic songwriting. Comprised of Gen Z musicians Sherin and Elena alongside veteran composer, producer and radio broadcaster Neil March, the trio have drawn comparisons to Beach House, Saint Etienne, Chromatics and Future Islands while carving out a musical identity that defies comparison, and is unmistakably their own.

Originally formed by Neil March for a BBC Introducing performance at Latitude Festival, the band has evolved from their avant-garde and post-classical roots into the immersive electro dream-pop outfit they are today. [The] Music of Sound’s current incarnation began in 2024 when South Indian vocalist Sherin moved to the UK to pursue a career in music after growing up in a culture where opportunities for young women were heavily restricted. Meeting Neil March at London’s ICMP music college proved transformative for her, leading to an endorsement from Arts Council England as an ‘exceptional talent’ for a Global Talent Visa, her appointment as the band’s lead vocalist, which proved to be a pivotal role in shaping the band’s distinctive sound. Together with flautist Elena, the trio create music that explores empathy, identity, anti-fascism and social unity.

Following the acclaim surrounding recent singles ‘Tyche’, ‘Paradigm’ and ‘Ebbw Vale’, ‘Shimmer’ continues the band’s evolution through shimmering dream-pop textures, spacious electronic soundscapes and emotionally resonant songwriting. At its heart, the single delivers a message of hope and unity to an increasingly divided world, celebrating kindness, compassion and resilience over fear and hatred.

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HMS Morris - Glue.

Glue (out this week on digital platforms) is a lovely statement of longing for the idealized stories and characters we create throughout our lives. In our lucid moments we know they only exist in our minds, and that our dreams are the only place they can retain their perfection - but sometimes doesn’t it feel as if they’re about to step towards us, and pass right through the glass divide?

With organs that evoke seaside memories and guitars from the emo classics of yesteryear, Glue packs a surprising emotional punch as it dances between 3/4 and 6/8, richness and sparsity, warm memory and spiralling fantasy. Almost precisely three years since the release of Dollar Lizard Money Zombie, HMS Morris return with their fourth studio album SACI HACS, released through Bubblewrap Collective on October 30th 2026.

Recorded between the band’s home in Cardiff and an underground garage in Johnstown, SACI HACS is an enigmatic sack of peculiar hacks. Some actually useful, most absurd, all containing a kernel of joy.
                      
The album explores the small systems and personal rituals that the songwriters have invented or discovered to help them survive modern life: hacks to filter out the bullshit, to avoid self-doubt, to channel feminine rage into positive action. All very useful and wise, but do not mistake SACI HACS for an endorsement of ultra-productivity, process-optimization and peak performance-chasing. The implication of HMSM’s messy, baroque life-lessons is that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions; all we can really offer our fellow-travellers is encouragement, levity and occasional moments of pure delight.

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Plain Mister Smith - Bric-a-Brac Attack (Album).

Available now on streaming platforms worldwide, Bric-a-Brac Attack is an indie-pop collage featuring various guest vocalists. The eclectic follow up to 2022’s I’m Just Plain Mister Smith is now available digitally via Amelia Recordings/Symphonic.

On Bric-a-Brac Attack, Plain Mister Smith continues to expand the whimsical, thoughtful, and richly textured sonic world he has uniquely carved out. Clocking in at a half hour, the album is a collaborative effort featuring a melange of artists including Jordan Klassen, Findlay Brown, Tyson Motsenbocker, and more.

Beginning the hype for the album around summer of 2025 with lead single “Miss Sunshine”, the road to Bric-a-Brac Attack has been paved with other ear-candy like standouts “Andy Warhol” and “We Were Called The Fox”. Delectably smooth, fresh, and ready to shake up the indie music scene, Bric-a-Brac Attack features two unreleased tracks: “Grindavik” and “Ring of Fire”.

Simple, yet effective, Plain Mister Smith’s Bric-a-Brac Attack calls back the vocal prowess of Ben Gibbard while emanating the lyrical quirkiness of artists like Modest Mouse. Overall, the album is a screenshot of Plain Mister Smith’s experiences over the last few years, making it an introspective and relatable sonic treat.


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Cari Burdett - Where Is Love.

Out this weekend on Bandcamp and all streaming services, “Where Is Love” heralds the return of B.C.-based singer-songwriter Cari Burdett after a lengthy recording hiatus. A gorgeous slice of pop-soul that would surely make Carole King smile, "Where Is Love" previews Burdett's new album Don't Forget -- out Sept. 18 -- seven songs that offer an intoxicating mix of styles that in the end is entirely her own.

Don’t Forget marks 10 years since Burdett’s previous album Magnolia, which paid tribute to Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Edith Piaf and other legendary female artists. Although it was nominated for Best World Album at the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2016, Cari was unable to follow it up in a timely manner due to an unexpected vocal injury. What was intended to be a short pause thus became nearly seven years of healing, reconnecting with nature, and rediscovering her relationship with her own voice and identity.

Cari has channelled all of that into Don’t Forget, her first collection of self-penned material, developed through artist residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and during a retreat to the French Pyrenees. Looking back, Burdett now sees the songs as having anticipated the journey that followed. Written before the vocal injury, they became companions and teachers during the years that followed, guiding her toward a deeper understanding of her own resiliency.

“Don't Forget is more than my first album of original songs,” Cari says. “It is the story of finding my way back to myself. These songs carried messages that I didn’t fully understand when I wrote them. Years later, I found myself living them. They reminded me that love is everywhere, in the trees, in the air, in friendship, in grief, and in the people who carry us through difficult times.”

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Just Pearls - Blank Instrument - The Music Of Sound - Cherry Vance

Just Pearls - Comes Love.

Just Pearls is the project of musician and author Kate Pearl, who grew up in Ohio, USA, and has been living in the Bernese region (Switzerland) since 2001. Her musical and literary biography is as diverse as it is impressive - it includes collaborations with Balts Nill and Ursula Hotz (Rodeo Ranchers; collaborations with Tammy Wynette, Brent Moyer, and Hans Holzherr, among others), as well as personal support from renowned songwriter Tom Paxton.

Just Pearls new single 'Comes Love' was released yesterday August 7th. The song is reminiscent of Tracy Chapman's striking directness, Patti Smith's poetic power, and Courtney Barnett's distinctive energy. At the same time, "Comes Love" is a first taste of the album "Flutterby," which will be released on October 23rd.

The new album features contributions from renowned musicians from the Swiss scene, including Serge Christen, Dave Jutzi ("Pirates of the Caribbean" soundtrack, collaborations with Joe Cocker, Nils Burri, and 4Accord), Tom Gisler (Bo Katzman, Nubya, Zia Lisa & Gattopardo, Mario Capitanio’s bands (formerly Polo Hofer)), and Phillip Bühlmann.

Particularly intriguing: "Comes Love" is part of the album "Flutterby” which is also the musical soundtrack to Kate Pearl's fairy tale and songbook of the same name, to be released in September. Music and literature combine to form a shared story about confidence, connection, and the power of imagination.

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Blank Instrument - Green and Blue.

Blank Instrument, the pen name for Boorloo/Perth-based singer-songwriter Kim Franklin, shares her second single of 2026, ’Green and Blue’, released (Friday, August 7). Following the June release of the single ‘Brand New’, ‘Green and Blue’ is the second single from her upcoming debut album, ‘Jumping at Ghosts’, due later this year. 

‘Green and Blue’ continues to expand the world within ‘Jumping at Ghosts’, acknowledging her late friend Julie while finding solace in recognising the need for emotional respite. The piano-fronted ballad encompasses the feeling of escape, both physical and emotional, with the song’s warm, lulling tones that encourage reflection and emotional openness.

‘Jumping at Ghosts’ is the product of Franklin's emotional vulnerability and Julie's immense generosity prior to her passing in 2023. Julie and Kim Franklin, long-time friends, brought together by work and sewn together by their mutual love of music, storytelling, and conversation, remained close after moving on to different careers, emphasising the connection between the two women. Prior to her passing, Julie bestowed a gift to Franklin, leaving her some money so Franklin could “pursue her dreams”, a gift that led to the funding of ‘Jumping at Ghosts’, Blank Instrument’s debut album.

Written during a visit to Byron Bay in the months following Julie’s passing, coinciding with what would have been Julie’s birthday, ‘Green and Blue’ weaves warm piano with a mantra of finding escape and “waiting in the blue” for the motions to come to you, accepting what is and what is to come. The track, harmonious and inviting, encapsulates the need for respite and finding emotional clarity, using the picturesque locale of Byron Bay’s grassy coast and rolling waves as motifs for reaching understanding and realigning your beliefs of the world. “Taking the coast road, city streets, a distant memory… Bare feet on a bush track… feel my tension ebb away, each step I’m whole again… my soul is at ease."

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The Music Of Sound - Shimmer.

London’s UK-Indian dream-pop group The Music Of Sound are pleased to unveil their powerful new single ‘Shimmer’, released August 7th 2026 via Monochrome Motif Records. Bringing together generations, cultures and musical backgrounds, The Music of Sound has developed a distinctive sound that blends dream pop, electronic music and cinematic songwriting. Comprised of Gen Z musicians Sherin and Elena alongside veteran composer, producer and radio broadcaster Neil March, the trio have drawn comparisons to Beach House, Saint Etienne, Chromatics and Future Islands while carving out a musical identity that defies comparison, and is unmistakably their own.

Originally formed by Neil March for a BBC Introducing performance at Latitude Festival, the band has evolved from their avant-garde and post-classical roots into the immersive electro dream-pop outfit they are today. The Music of Sound’s current incarnation began in 2024 when South Indian vocalist Sherin moved to the UK to pursue a career in music after growing up in a culture where opportunities for young women were heavily restricted. 

Meeting Neil March at London’s ICMP music college proved transformative for her, leading to an endorsement from Arts Council England as an ‘exceptional talent’ for a Global Talent Visa, her appointment as the band’s lead vocalist, which proved to be a pivotal role in shaping the band’s distinctive sound. Together with flautist Elena, the trio create music that explores empathy, identity, anti-fascism and social unity.

Following the acclaim surrounding recent singles ‘Tyche’, ‘Paradigm’ and ‘Ebbw Vale’, ‘Shimmer’ continues the band’s evolution through shimmering dream-pop textures, spacious electronic soundscapes and emotionally resonant songwriting. At its heart, the single delivers a message of hope and unity to an increasingly divided world, celebrating kindness, compassion and resilience over fear and hatred.

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Cherry Vance - better.

Nashville pop-punk band Cherry Vance officially kicks off a new chapter with the release of their single, "better," available everywhere now. Blending hard-hitting instrumentation and emotionally driven lyrics, the self-produced track introduces listeners to a band quickly gaining momentum in Nashville's alternative scene.
 
"'Better' is about loving someone through their darkest moments and holding onto hope that they'll choose to become the better person you know they can be. Even though the song opens with a breakup, it's really about not wanting that goodbye to be permanent," shares the band. "We self-produced the track and recorded it at East Iris Studios in Nashville, Tennessee."
 
Self-produced and recorded at Nashville's East Iris Studios, "better" pairs emotionally charged lyrics with infectious pop-punk energy, exploring the hope of reconciliation and believing in someone's ability to change.
 
Although "better" marks Cherry Vance's first official release, the band has already established itself as one of Nashville's rising alternative acts. Recently praised by the Nashville Scene, Cherry Vance has shared the stage with Slow Pulp, Cameron Whitcomb, and Josiah and the Bonnevilles, and has become a staple at the city's Emo Night and Grunge Night events. The band has also performed at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and will join Ian McConnell on select tour dates this September.

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