Man At Sea - Lily Meola - The Meadowlark Lemons - Beaker - Waterpistol

Man At Sea - Pale Fire Catch Me (Album).

Man At Sea's debut album “Pale Fire Catch Me” dropped one month ago, and has been turning many a head to date. Off the back of this release, we have the new lead single and video from the project “In Love With Your Being”. It's been described as "A beautifully written piece of art, with his soaring voice and reflective throughout" and Beehive Candy just has to agree, so much so we feel impelled to include the album as well.

The new studio album “Pale Fire Catch Me” by Man at Sea is a striking first full-length statement that pitches classic songwriting craft within a modern, searching landscape. The album leans into a classic sensibility not unfamiliar to fans of Rufus Wainwright and Father John Misty: understated arrangements led by strong melodies, and an emphasis on song craft that recalls the enduring legacy of classic songwriters from the sixties and seventies.

Pale Fire Catch Me explores themes of doubt, whether in love or life as well as themes of devotion, or lack of in an increasingly secular world. Across eleven songs, Man at Sea wrestles openly with modern disillusionment and isolation — not offering answers so much as honest questions, held together by rich arrangements and deeply expressive vocals.

11 tracks reveal a songwriter coming into his own, displaying a highly tuned sense of song craft by a songwriter drawn to melody and emotional depth over trend-driven production. Pale Fire Catch Me is the sound of an artist standing at the edge of a renewed belief in something— perhaps just in himself. Together, these tracks establish Pale Fire Catch Me as an album built on classic songwriting values — melody, narrative lyricism, and emotional intelligence — while staying unmistakably rooted in the contemporary.


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Photo - Bailey Roberts

Lily Meola - You and I.

Maui-born, emerging country force Lily Meola just released her new single “You and I.” The track is the latest peek at her anticipated debut album Lucky to Be, which is due out this summer through Nettwerk Music Group. Over a bed of vintage-twanged guitar and sweeping pedal steel, Meola sings “I got lucky enough to find, you and I” as she reflects on the serendipitous nature of love and the simple odds of existence - a common theme that can be heard throughout the album.

“While writing the songs that became Lucky to Be, I came across this statistic that said the chances of you being born are one in 400 trillion. That stopped me in my tracks,” Meola says. “It made me realize the chances of simply being alive are so slim. And despite all the good and bad things I’ve had thrown my way, I’m lucky to be experiencing it. We all are.”

On Lucky to Be, Meola celebrates all the universal dots that had to be connected to make her the person that she is: a Hawaii native, a beloved daughter, a protégé of Willie Nelson, a mentee of Jackson Brown and Grammy-winning producer Bob Rock, and a stunning rising vocalist praised by the likes of Whiskey Riff as “one of the most promising names in country music.” The odds of encountering someone like Meola are themselves fantastical. She is a true bohemian artist, a woman shaped by the verdant, ancient nature in which she was raised on Maui and the eclectic people, from her free-spirited mom to a country music legend, who surrounded her. She is both a hippie and a fashion plate; she has a pet deer named “Doenut.” All of those facets inform Lucky to Be, an album of smart indie-country with a discernible Western flair.

“You can’t get any further west than Hawaii,” Meola says. “Country music is extremely popular in Hawaii and always has been. We have such a huge ranching scene here, and everyone knows the paniolo, the Hawaiian cowboys.”

Lily Meola · You and I

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The Meadowlark Lemons - The Meadowlark Lemons (Album).

The Meadowlark Lemons are a gritty funk, soul and jazz ensemble etched out of the streets and sounds of Chicago, Illinois. The quintet is made up of highly skilled music scene veterans who have come together to create an exciting music based on their common love of songs steeped in soulful grooves and rich in improvisation. The Lemons came to life in 2021 in a monthly residency at the world renowned roadside juke joint, Fitzgerald’s, and they have since shaped one of the top live shows in the city. 

A true collection of virtuosos, they draw inspiration from The Meters, Stuff, The Crusaders and Booker T and the MG’s. Classic bands that understood the balance between groove, melody and improvisation  was the secret to an undeniably uplifting musical experience. The Lemons have taken the teachings of these great bands and built on top of their foundation with a tantalizing set of originals and rare covers based around the groove and the joy and the Hammond B3 Organ.

As individuals, a short list of artists the Lemons have performed and recorded with include: Dr. John, Jerry Butler, Jennifer Holiday, Tom Morello, Keb’ Mo’, Raul Midon, Duncan Sheik, Los Lobos, Taj Mahal, Chris Pierce, Yolanda Adams, Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community Singers.

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Beaker - 50 Men.

“50 Men” is a tribute to Gisele Pelicot. She profoundly changed the narrative around shame and sexual violence, with her awe-inspiring response, when she waived her right to anonymity in the trial against her ex-husband and 51 other perpetrators. “Shame should change sides”. It’s the band’s first single in 27 years, produced and mixed by esteemed producer Sam Williams (Supergrass, Plan B) at Temple Sound Studios throwing you back to the peak of the riot girl era of L7, Hole and the Breeders while still sounding edgy, fierce and current.

The track starts in a bare, understated fashion, with gently picked notes and a soft, lounge tinged jazz vocal gliding effortlessly over the song’s darkness. As “50 Men” unfolds, it gradually opens up with sharp, brooding guitars, and layers of haunting, choir-like vocals drifting in and out. By the end, everything gathers into a weighty, immersive swell. Vocals rich, visceral and intense; a pulsating ferocious anthem to inspire a whole new generation of girls.

The all-female group garnered a loyal following during the exciting days of the late-90s Oxford rock scene, making waves with their debut single ‘Backgarden’ as part of the Shifty Disco Singles Club in 1997 and with their double A-side ‘Monster’/ ‘Plastic’ on Fierce Panda in 1998. This sparked an extensive UK tour and an Oxford Radio 1 Sound City appearance in 1997.

Despite not having performed together since 1999, band members Sam Batlle (singer), Teresa Ward (guitar), Clare Howard-Saunders (drums) were brought together by the tragic death of bassist Kim Parsons in 2023 a quarter-century after they split. The mutual support they provided to each other in a time of sadness rekindled social and musical relationships, and inevitably led to talk of getting the old band together with the addition of new bassist Hayley Wright and backing vocalist Emma Hunter. Already there have been sold out shows and a rapturously received slot at Truck Festival and this April sees not only the single release but also a Radio 4 documentary on the band called "Band of Mothers" with an interview with Steve Lamacq and a feature on BBC Breakfast.

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Photo by Waterpistol

Waterpistol - She Flies.

Recently awarded BBC Horizons’ 2026 Launchpad Fund in partnership with BBC Cymru Wales and Arts Council Wales, Waterpistol are pleased to share their new single “She Flies”. Recorded independently, “She Flies” follows previously-released single “Felin”, alongside a live session for BBC Radio Wales with Huw Stephens, and news that the band will be performing at this year’s FOCUS Wales as a spotlight artist for God Is In The TV Zine. 

The release of “She Flies” comes with news of the band’s debut EP release, Hey Harry, which is due this summer, featuring “She Flies” and previous single “Felin.” Of the new release, songwriter Harry Watton said: “As any good poet would say, it’s about a lot of things and nothing at all.”

Formed from the remnants of various put-to-bed creative projects, Waterpistol played their debut show together in April 2023 as support for CVC’s sold-out hometown show. Festival season followed in quick succession, and soon enough the band had racked up several noteworthy live appearances (FOCUS Wales, Green Man, Sŵn Festival and In It Together Festival), all within their first active year as a band.

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Violent Vickie - Eugene McGuinness - Kelli Blanchett - Scustin - Bri Fletcher

Violent Vickie - Skin and Bones.

It's pretty obvious that we are fans of Violent Vickie here on Beehive Candy by virtue of the number of times we have featured her. The reality for us is that, so far she has never failed to impress us and that's quite a statement considering how many other artists there are creating music in the genres she consistently develops within.

Violent Vickie’s “Skin and Bones” is the third track from her upcoming album Conjure, a darkwave/synthpop release built on atmospheric synths, pulsing drum machines, and melancholic, reverb-heavy vocals. Inspired by a neighbor and friend who passed away after struggling with anorexia, the song reflects on the painful experience of watching someone slowly disappear—and the deep sense of helplessness that comes with it.

Violent Vickie’s influences range from Crystal Castles and Grimes to Bjork and Bikini Kill to Siouxsie and The Banshees and Aphex Twin. Violent Vickie’s songs have been remixed by Fragrance, Kontravoid  and she recently shared the stage with Stabbing Westward, Forever Grey, Assemblage 23, and Aurelio Voltaire and played Absolution Fest along with Glass Spells. Violent Vickie has also toured with Hanin Elias of Atari Teenage Riot and shared the stage with Pastel Ghost, Trans X, and Missing Persons.

Upcoming Violent Vickie shows:
5/23: Lake Worth, FL 
8/1: Atlanta
8/22 Spokane TBA
8/28: Seattle 
8/29: PDX 
9/26: Austin TBA
12/11 or 12/12: Las Vegas (TBA). 

VIOLENT VICKIE · Skin & Bones

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Eugene McGuinness - Eastend Requiem.

Following his recent single ‘Icarus’, Eugene McGuinness returns with the next track from his highly anticipated forthcoming new record ‘Eugene McGuinness Versus The Universe’, which is scheduled for release on April 24th. ‘Eastend Requiem’ is a soothing introspective gem that sparkles and sashays with a pop melancholy and a nod to bands like The Divine Comedy and Tindersticks. Eugene’s own trademark lyrical wit and flair is woven between glistening synths, syncopated percussion and bittersweet Parisian orchestral flourishes, as the track grows into a stunning, harmony-laden lament for London’s East End, which is both candid and gritty, yet beautiful in its reflection.

Eugene McGuinness had accepted his career in music was over when his deal with Domino Records ended over a decade ago. A difficult self-released album, fatherhood, and just life generally, saw his personal dreams and ambitions slowly slip towards the horizon. A period of great change, McGuinness had embraced his new work and family life, happy to leave the ugliness of the ‘music biz’ behind him. However, the absence of making music - and the joy the process brings - left a noticeable hole.

Now, an evolved McGuinness is back. His brand-new album, ‘Eugene McGuinness Versus the Universe’, was recorded at Liverpool’s Docklands Speed Shop with friend and producer Gajo Paco. Encouraging spontaneity, Eugene, Gajo and a host of old friends and acquaintances were ‘feeling it out’ along the way, trusting the process and welcoming a series of ‘happy accidents’ to contribute to the record’s warm and organic sound. ‘Eastend Requiem’ was one of these glorious ‘in the present moment’ spontaneous creations.

On the track, Eugene says, "I wrote it as I walked to the studio. It's a song that I wrote with my daughter in mind. I was trying to write something that if it came on in the car, she'd like it! ‘Eastend Requiem’ might be actually my favourite track on the album".

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Photo - Niamh Bennett

Kelli Blanchett - Casual Dining (EP).

Kelli Blanchett is a rising alt-folk singer-songwriter hailing from Corby and now based in London. Her music dives deep into personal narratives, exploring the disabled experience, friendship, love and the emotional ebbs and flows of life. Known for her long-time collaboration with pop artist Self Esteem, Kelli is forging her own path with her raw and heartfelt storytelling.

After taking most of 2024 out while her chronic illness took its toll, Kelli channeled that experience into her new five-track EP, Casual Dining. “I had to start living life in a completely different way, and this record is a break-up with the old version of me,” she shares. The EP is thematically rich, grappling with isolation, being stuck both physically and mentally, and navigating the memories of what once was. “I became really ill, and my life changed dramatically. I felt embarrassed about not doing the same things as everyone else, about possibly being left behind,” Kelli reflects. Ultimately, Casual Dining is a break-up record, not with a partner, but with her old self, embracing acceptance and the messy road to self-discovery.

Reflecting on its sonic direction, Kelli notes, “I love 70s singer-songwriters like Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, and Gram Parsons, and I knew that’s the world I wanted these songs to live in.” Minimalist yet powerful, the EP blends organic, plucky guitars, spine-tingling string arrangements, Wurlitzers, and flute organs. “I wanted plush, mournful strings, punchy organs, and vocals that feel raw and close. I also wanted it pared back and unfussy, just honest and direct,” she says. The result is a soulful blend of alt-folk and Americana, where Kelli’s vocals ooze with emotion, filling each lyric with genuine soul and heart.

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Scustin - Scustinism.

Irish post-punk quartet Scustin share the new single ‘Scustinism’ taken from the anticipated upcoming EP The Lock In (May 8th). Following the bombastic satire of ‘Dodgy Box Pyramid Scheme’, new single ‘Scustinism’ stands as the band’s self-proclaimed manifesto. Where its predecessor lashed out, ‘Scustinism’ looks inward and outward at once, a commentary on Irish identity that feels equally at home in a packed basement or echoing across a festival main stage.

Inspired by cultural voices such as Blindboy Boatclub and the introspective tone of Meditations of the Anxious Mind, the track rejects plastic paddyism and “gift shop” Irishness, dismantling inherited ideas of identity through satire, surrealism and defiance. Mythological and cultural symbols are twisted and reimagined, leprechauns reduced to absurdity, and Fionn mac Cumhaill recast in a modern tech landscape, “harvesting data” amid a new kind of famine. It’s a deliberate unpicking of the romanticised and commodified image of Ireland, replacing it with something more chaotic, honest and self-defined.

“Irishness, it seems, has never been more popular, but with that comes the risk of it becoming commodified and turned into cultural capital,” the band explain. “Identity is an interesting thing to play with, and for us, we wanted to bring it back to what actually feels true, both to Irish people and to us as a band. It’s not about splitting the ‘G’ or Aran sweaters, it’s about humour, honesty, defiance and sincerity.

That’s what we wanted to explore in ‘Scustinism,’ and it’s what became our manifesto. ‘I wanna laugh till I die, I won’t let life pass me by’, that’s the heart of it. In a world where cultural and moral values are constantly being distorted, it felt important to land on something simple, sincere and unifying amidst the chaos.”

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Bri Fletcher - New Her.

Nashville country artist Bri Fletcher this weekend releases a new music video for the single "New Her." “New Her” is a deeply emotional reflection on growth, gratitude, and learning to embrace every version of yourself. The music video brings that idea to life in a clear, intentional timeline — beginning with Bri coming face-to-face with her younger self, then later stepping in to care for and comfort her early-20s self.

Set inside a house that mirrors her past, the video moves between timelines as memory and present-day emotion exist side by side. We first see her with her childhood self — observing, connecting, and honoring those innocent beginnings — before the story shifts to a more vulnerable chapter. As her 20s self appears, overwhelmed and hurting, Bri doesn’t turn away. Instead, she holds her, gently reassuring her through the pain.

At its core, “New Her” is about appreciating the moments that shaped you — the innocent, the painful, and everything in between. By the end, it becomes less about looking back and more about offering yourself grace, capturing the quiet but powerful realization: every version of you mattered in becoming who you are now. Fletcher shares, “'New Her' was written about visiting older versions of yourself and being thankful for the growth that got you to where you are today. So in the music video, I really wanted to capture that visual and feeling by visiting past versions of myself and appreciating them from afar. For me, it was about accepting the innocent moments, painful moments, and moments that led to immense growth in my life. It’s a very emotional video that I hope makes you thank your younger self for everything!"

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Anika Louise - Isabel Rumble - Tom Emlyn - St.Arnaud - Ava Claire - PUNCHBAG - The Falls

Photo - Lizzie Wilkie

Anika Louise - Thorns.

Anika Louise is learning where the roses end and the thorns begin. On her new single ‘Thorns’ (out yesterday, April 10), she captures that realisation in something both tender and cutting. A painfully raw track shaped by contemplative lyricism and lilting melodies, ‘Thorns’ is a soundtrack to a familiar kind of heartbreak.  

Following her 2025 debut release ‘Pearl’, the Boorloo/Perth-based indie-folk singer-songwriter has already seen an array of local support, including performing on national television for Telethon at RAC Arena, earning a WAM Song of the Year nomination in 2019, and opening for the Perth Symphony Orchestra at the Pop'N'Rock Symphony Concert.  
  
Now, on just her second single, ‘Thorns’ opens with softly strummed acoustic guitar, laying a gentle, intimate foundation for Anika Louise’s dulcet voice and confessional lyricism. The first verse introduces the recurring image of thorns and roses, tracing the slow realisation that someone is not who they first seemed. Elaborating on the track, Anika Louise says:  

“Thorns is about realising someone you trust isn't who you thought they were and learning to let go of the version of them you believed in. I used roses as a metaphor for that experience, something beautiful on the surface that was hiding thorns underneath.” As the song unfolds, it begins to open out. Warm electric guitar lines come forward, paired with twanging banjo and subtle piano, all anchored by the steady pulse of the drums. The arrangement swells and softens in turns, making ‘Thorns’ a powerful yet vulnerable journey that cries out softly and lingers in the heart. 

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Photo - Kyle Dobie

Isabel Rumble - Patience Peaceful Breathing Slow.

After the release of her second album ‘Hold Everything Lightly’, followed by a national tour last year, Australian indie-folk songstress Isabel Rumble returns with ‘Patience Peaceful Breathing Slow’, a delicate and meditative new single out this weekend. The new track arrives ahead of an extensive international run, with Isabel Rumble set to take her album on tour across the UK, Ireland and Europe following a series of Western Australian dates and festival appearances in April.

With this run of shows for her second album, it feels only fitting to share ‘Patience Peaceful Breathing Slow’, a song written and recorded during the same period, shaped by the uncertain space she found herself in as her debut album was released into the world in 2023.

“‘Patience Peaceful Breathing Slow’ was written as I began to make my peace with winter,” Rumble says, describing the uncertainty she experienced after releasing her debut album. But it was when she came across a story in Women Who Run With the Wolves about “sitting with an idea and gently rocking with it until clarity returns” that the meaning of that in-between period began to shift. She continues: 

"This song was my permission to tend to the parts of myself I’d neglected in the busyness of releasing my debut album. It feels appropriate to let this one into the world now at the completion of my second album." 

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Tom Emlyn - A series Of Misunderstandings.

Swansea Singer-Songwriter 'Tom Emlyn' returns with a brand new single on 10th April 2026. 'A Series of Misunderstandings' will be his third single taken from forthcoming new album which is out in summer. One of the oldest songs on the album - I wrote this originally over ten years ago. It's about cycling through personas, exploring the ways in which difficult or disappointing experiences can change who you are as a person. Making the most of all the unfortunate events, misunderstandings and false starts. Making poetry from the humdrum, banal annoyances of the everyday, the average let-downs and miscommunications. 

One thing leads to another; before you know it you're a tired old gunslinger, selling stolen jewellery to make ends meet, sorting through memories you'd rather forget. Touring empty open mic nights with cliched phrases, more half-baked than hard-boiled, hoping something sticks. I was thinking of the band Kings of Convenience when I wrote this, as well as Elliott Smith's album XO. 

Evan added some lush slide guitar and played banjo with a violin bow. The final solo was played in one take, with a brittle Hank Marvin Stratocaster tone and a gorgeous real spring reverb tank. Described by Adam Walton (BBC Radio Wales) as a "peripatetic musical genius", Tom Emlyn crafts honest, swirling songs. Tall tales laced with dark jokes and words that cut straight to the bone. His current solo work maps an alternative Southwalian landscape, a hallucinated community drawn from psycho geography built on local history. Anthropological observations shaping poetic lyrics and simple 60s-folk influenced melodies that explore what it means to belong toa place.Bitterness, love, and humour peep through the cracks of this multi-layered, ethereal music.

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St.Arnaud - St.Arnaud (Album).

Edmonton's St.Arnaud, the indie pop project of Ian St.Arnaud, released their third studio album, St.Arnaud, this weekend via Cordova Bay Records, a record that turns grief into groove and cynicism into celebration. The self-titled album represents a significant evolution for St.Arnaud. What began as a solo songwriting outlet following the 2017 passing of close friend and collaborator Luke Jansen has blossomed into a full-band effort brimming with drums, bass, keys, electric guitar, horns, pedal steel, and electric pianos. This is the project's third record, but the first to truly capture the spirit of a live ensemble—where spontaneity and chemistry take the wheel.

"Starting an album for me feels like fumbling around in a dark room, feeling around for anything to grab onto," Ian reflects. "I think at one point I wrote something that resembled bad jazz? Ever so slowly, from an old notebook, something materializes when I struggle hard enough."

Lyrically, St.Arnaud explores "finding movement in times of stillness" and "capturing snapshots of transient times when you have time to reflect on them." The collection toggles between narrators stuck in the undertow of unresolved feelings—tracks like ‘Strange Collection’, ‘Better Than Fine’, and ‘Pretend Like You Do’—and others desperately trying to find contentment in the present, such as ‘How Lucky’, ‘Your House’, and ‘Sunshine’. 

"I think looking back at the songs as a group now, it's funny to see two distinct song types appear: a series of narrators talking about unresolved past feelings, or trying to be content in the present," Ian notes. "Maybe there's a third category too: where I'm trying to just crack a joke and lighten the mood. Those songs are usually my favourite in the end. I prefer to sandwich harder emotions between a few lighter topics."

Cordova Bay Records · St.Arnaud

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Ava Claire - The Sound.

Singer-songwriter Ava Claire returns with “The Sound,” an upbeat and captivating track that reveals a vibrant, energetic side of her artistry while maintaining the emotional depth that defines her songwriting. “The Sound is essentially about the noise in our minds,” says Ava. “The noise changes as you grow up, age, and have more life adventures.”
 
Drawing from the lyrical depth of Jason Isbell and Phoebe Bridgers, paired with the melodic instincts of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, Ava crafts smart, authentic narratives that resonate deeply with listeners. Her talent has earned her three yeses and a trip to Hollywood Week on American Idol, as well as selection as one of only 11 students nationwide for the Songwriter Track at GRAMMY Camp.
 
Her previous release, “Salt Mine,” has already surpassed 70,000 streams across platforms and earned top-playlist support from Spotify, Apple Music, and more, further building momentum for her growing presence in Nashville.
 
Now a songwriting student at Belmont University, Ava regularly performs at iconic Nashville venues, including The Bluebird Cafe and The Listening Room. Beyond the stage, she is a passionate advocate for music education, dedicating five years to a Nashville non-profit teaching songwriting and refurbishing instruments for underserved youth, work that was recently featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show. With “The Sound,” Ava Claire continues to expand her artistic range, pairing thoughtful storytelling with an infectious energy that highlights both her growth as a songwriter and the exciting momentum surrounding her next chapter.

Ava Claire · The Sound

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Photo - Sophie Webster

PUNCHBAG - I Am Obsessed (EP).

South London sibling duo PUNCHBAG (Clara and Anders Bach) now release their second EP 'I Am Obsessed' via Mute. PUNCHBAG embark on their first UK / European headline tour later this month, culminating in a show at The Lexington in London on 9th May. The new EP is marked by the release of focus single 'Playing God'.  Inspired initially by a Hinge date gone awry, the track is a cathartic highlight from the band's renowned live sets.

"Playing this song live so many times over the last year or so, it has taken on a new meaning - one that is deeper and darker than we originally intended," Clara explains. "Thereby we would like to kindly dedicate this song to the many men in power who are wonderfully running this ship aground. When there’s so much power being abused all the time, we don’t want to become numb to that and forget about it.”

Offering further proof of their status as one of London's most compelling emerging pop acts, new EP 'I Am Obsessed' is a volatile, hyper-saturated expansion of their self-described "aggressive hopecore" world - where everyday life is pushed to breaking point.

Driven by pounding percussion, snarling guitars and soaring synths, singer Clara’s instantly recognizable vocal cuts through the chaos; moving between sugar-rush pop hooks and moments of defiant release, she zooms in on the smallest details until they become grotesque and impossible to ignore.

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The Falls - Open Fire.

Manchester-based indie-rock group The Falls are excited to unveil their new single ‘Open Fire’, via Revo Pro. Since their formation in 2023, The Falls have hit the UK music scene with remarkable momentum, rapidly building a reputation both in Manchester and nationwide. 

The band have cultivated a strong live presence, playing key venues UK wide, whilst consistently selling out venues in their hometown of Manchester. February 2026 saw The Falls undertake their biggest hometown headline to date, this time stepping it up a notch at the city's iconic Manchester Academy. Their upcoming November hometown headline at Manchester’s Gullivers sold out in under 24 hours, leading them to add a second, more intimate date due to demand, at The Castle Hotel.

Drawing inspiration from classic and contemporary indie influences like The Courteneers, The Kooks and Jake Bugg, their sound combines energetic guitar hooks with sharp lyrical storytelling. Their debut EP ‘Viva La Falls’ was released in September of 2025, already amassing over 100,000 streams and earning early praise from Radio X’s John Kennedy.

Produced, mixed and mastered by Luke Owens (SHADE, Montello, The Sprats), their new single ‘Open Fire’ is a sub-three-minute powder keg of energy from start to finish. The track blends explosive drums, melodic bass lines, frenetic guitars and urgent vocals, musically and lyrically encapsulating a loss of control.

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Beth Lucas - Emory Duncan - Strange Plants - Aldous Harding - Nic Panken - Desperately Seeking Suki - Eleyet McConnell

Beth Lucas - What I Deserved.

Australian Country artist Beth Lucas has released her deeply personal new single ‘What I Deserved'. Written eighteen years after the experience of her first love, the track is a candid reflection on the complexities of young adulthood and the mistakes made on both sides of a first serious relationship - a song she never expected to write. Though the track was already written, Lucas refined the key elements during the recording process alongside producer James North. 

Through her trademark confessional storytelling, Beth explores her own shortcomings and the lessons learned from a formative romance she once thought she’d never revisit. After surfacing subconsciously, years after Lucas had “pushed it down and moved on”, ‘What I Deserved’ has evolved into a form of therapy - transforming a suppressed memory into a moment of growth and resolution. 

“This is easily one of the most vulnerable songs I’ve ever written and I know it’s finally the right time to share this part of my story. Like a lot of my songs, the lyrics eventually found their way out in the middle of the night, and when I sat down the next day, the song basically wrote itself. It feels good to finally release it”.
 
Beth Lucas creates confessional modern country with an alt-edge, blending “sad girl country” vulnerability with the vocal power of Sara Evans. Her sound is a deliberate evolution - originally rooted in the emo and alternative scenes, Beth returned from a brief hiatus with a refocused devotion to raw, honest storytelling.

Beth Lucas · What I Deserved

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Emory Duncan - Semicircles.

Emory Duncan has shared the second single from his forthcoming EP Semicircles and Half Written Songs, produced by Jamie Mefford (Gregory Alan Isakov, Nathaniel Rateliff). Duncan’s soft, gauzy vocals float over an elegant tangle of violin, piano, and slide guitar, as he examines the power of real love to pull us out of self-sabotaging cycles. 

Duncan shares: “Semicircles” is about the rhythms we find ourselves in, patterns that we fall into and define us, and the cold realization in hindsight that the agency to change was ours all along. We become victims of our choices, stuck in our little loops despite our awareness of them. Semicircles, at its core, is a lack of self-control. It’s reconciling regret and emotional distance with a love that’s powerful and real. That’s the tragedy, that honest love is no match for self-destruction, although they both exist in a messy complexity of internal struggle. 

Originally from Houston, Duncan now lives and writes from a log cabin tucked beneath the Redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, crafting pastoral Americana as dreamy, foggy, and serene as the setting he inhabits. He released his debut EP For Someone I Don’t Know in 2024 followed by a string of singles. Duncan’s music has independently racked up millions of streams and landed in tastemaker compilations by Alexrainbird, Indie Folk Central and more.  

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Strange Plants - Ground Falls Away.

Strange Plants return with “Ground Falls Away,” an energetic rock single that blends kinetic grooves with the band’s signature analog warmth. Driven by pulsing rhythms, vintage textures, and an undeniable forward motion, the track captures the restless feeling of pushing through life’s daily pressures and refusing to stand still. Following up on February’s “Lay Your Mind,” it’s the second release to be shared as part of a collection arriving throughout the year.

The inspiration for “Ground Falls Away” came from a candid conversation between friends. “I was speaking with a friend over drinks one night and he was really going through it,” explains songwriter Matt Brannon. “He was hustling day to day just to stay ahead, and it felt like if he ever stopped moving the ground would just swallow him up. Despite all this pressure, he remained hopeful and willing to keep soldiering on.”

The song first began with a riff from songwriter Travis Flint, an acoustic figure that weaves through the verses and anchors the driving momentum. Though written several years ago, the band initially set it aside after recording the foundational tracks during a transitional period. Returning to it later gave the song new life. “We had recorded the bed tracks but shelved it for a while,” Matt says. “Coming back to it now, it feels like it was meant to be. It’s so much better and we couldn’t be happier.”

One of the most distinctive elements of “Ground Falls Away” lies in its rhythm section. The bass lands on the upbeat against the kick drum’s downbeat, creating an unusual push-and-pull groove that fuels the song’s sense of motion. The chorus then expands dramatically, culminating in an instrumental back half that delivers emotional impact without relying on additional lyrics.

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Aldous Harding - Venus In The Zinnia.

Aldous Harding has dropped a second single from her upcoming fifth album Train On The Island, which lands on 8 May. The track, 'Venus In The Zinnia' got its first spin last night on Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6Music show.

On the song, Harding teams up with H. Hawkline—who handles bass, guitar, and backing vocals—while John Parish jumps in on drums, Wurlitzer, and percussion. Keeping up her streak of striking visuals, the new video features both Harding and H. Hawkline, and was made with the support of NZ on Air Music.

The 10-track Train On The Island was co-produced by long-time collaborator John Parish (PJ Harvey, Dry Cleaning) at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, where the pair recorded the New Zealander’s previous bodies of work, Party (2017), Designer (2019) and Warm Chris (2022). Joining Harding and Parish on Train On The Island were pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte, harpist Mali Llywelyn, synth artist Thomas Poli, drummer Sebastian Rochford (Polar Bear) and Huw Evans (H. Hawkline) on bass, vocals, acoustic/electric guitar and organ.

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Photo - Rakel Stammer

Nic Panken - Near Divine or Merely Rhyme (Album).

Nic Panken understands the perseverance of art and its intentions to ground and inspire us. He sees how melodies ruminate deep in the belly of uncertainty, blossoming to bring fresh clarity and a whispering optimism. Over the years, the Brooklyn-born songwriter has endeavored to spread the invigorating presence of song, initially through fronting the Americana-folk group Spirit Family Reunion and now, through his own evolution as a solo artist. Panken strives for equilibrium and purpose, and it's through his gorgeously sensitive yet gutsy delivery that an exhale can be found, away from our amplified anxieties and collective mourning. 

Now residing in Kingston, NY, Panken divides his time outside of music-making between working as a puppeteer, hosting his weekly radio show, and mixing sound at beloved local venue Tubby's. By immersing himself in the restorative power of the arts, every day is decorated with the potential to be present; to find new meaning and community through his various, purposeful practices. After years of relentless touring with Spirit Family Reunion, Panken found solace in staying still, and it’s in this shift that he began crafting what would become his new body of work.

His debut solo album Near Divine or Merely Rhyme is the result of trusting your gut and the process, no matter how unexpected the outcome. The foundation of these songs were spurred on by a wink from the universe, when Panken met multi-instrumentalist Jared Samuel (Kevin Morby, Aldous Harding) while performing at a local Hudson Valley house show. Samuel and his partner Sarah La Puerta run the small recording studio Pale Moon Services in Cambridge, NY, with core beliefs that music making is for all, and that to say yes to one instant is to say yes to all of existence. 

“As soon as I walked into that space I knew I wanted to make music there,” Panken says, citing Samuel’s “encouraging yet patient,” energy that served as a catalyst in the album’s tapestry. The previously stripped-down arrangements of Panken’s songs soon morphed into an expansive landscape, as the pair’s chemistry propelled the sonic direction. “I learned to just allow it to be what it wants to be.”

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Photo - Eshe Taylor

Desperately Seeking Suki - Suki.

Desperately Seeking Suki, are an exciting duo made up of siblings Natassa Zoë and SIG SALI (Danny Pugh), based in Australia and the UK. They introduce you to their world with their impactful debut single 'Suki' out on the 10th of April, lifted from their forthcoming EP.

‘Suki' is a love song about life’s messy, beautiful bits, the good, the awkward and the real. It’s about meeting someone who truly sees you and being free to be completely yourself.  Standing on the dancefloor in the eye of a carousel of glimmering synths and infectious beats, Natassa’s evocative and literate spoken word puts you into her mind's eye. Bursting into synth-dapped, earworm alt-pop choruses. ‘Suki’ embodies the ups, the downs, the laughs and the big feelings, love with an open heart, even when it’s messy. A rushing and cinematic song built for 2026: relatable yet universal, it burrows into your head and won’t let go. Desperately Seeking Suki will take you by the hand and take you for a ride.

Natassa says: “Suki is about embracing the light and dark in yourself and finding love that holds through the chaos.” Natassa Zoë, who lives between Australia and the UK, and Danny Pugh, based in Bristol, started Desperately Seeking Suki by sending tracks back and forth across continents before reuniting to launch their debut EP. Together, they craft a sonic tapestry that fuses melodic indie pop, art pop, and dynamic synth pop.

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Eleyet McConnell - The Ledge.

Award-winning husband-and-wife duo Eleyet McConnell return with their gripping new single and video, “The Ledge,” available worldwide on April 10th, 2026. The track is the latest release from their critically praised sophomore album, The Journey, which debuted March 6th across all major digital platforms.

Written by Angie and Chris McConnell, “The Ledge” stands as one of the album’s most emotionally charged and sonically intense moments. Driven by raw vocals, urgent instrumentation, and unflinching honesty, the song captures the breaking point in a toxic relationship—where silence, manipulation, and emotional weight collide with the need for liberation.

Opening with stark confrontation—“One of these days you’re gonna realize you needed me”—the track builds into a defiant chorus that declares independence and self-worth: “Standing on the edge of the ledge / I need to break free from here.” The imagery is vivid and immediate, placing listeners at the brink of a personal reckoning. It’s a song about reclaiming control, shedding emotional chains, and choosing truth over illusion.

Musically, “The Ledge” leans into the duo’s evolving rock-forward sound, blending driving guitars with dynamic rhythms and powerful vocal delivery. It reflects the broader sonic direction of The Journey, an album that expands Eleyet McConnell’s palette while staying rooted in their signature authenticity.

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Bea Elmy Martin - Deer Tick - Eauclaire - Susto Stringband - Georgian

Bea Elmy Martin - Written On Me.

Bea Elmy Martin is carving out a vital space within the UK alternative landscape. London born and bred, her music is defined by emotional precision, blending ethereal vocals, orchestral intimacy and brooding electronics. Raised on the sounds of classic soul artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway, Bea developed an early understanding of melody and feeling, using songwriting as a way to process life, love and loss from a young age. She describes songwriting as her journal, a way of breaking overwhelming emotions into something tangible and manageable, allowing moments of beauty, pain and connection to surface naturally.

After the release of her 2021 debut single “Blue Escape”, which earned early BBC tastemaker support from Jack Saunders and Lauren Laverne, Bea began a slow, intentional creative journey alongside her producer Dominick J Goldsmith (HÆLOS). That collaboration led to Under The Yew (Vol. 1), released in May 2025, a luminous meditation on loss, healing and renewal. She has continued that emotional thread through subsequent releases from Under The Yew (Vol. 2), including “Lost”, “Born To Fly”, “Unscarred” and more recently “Anouk”, each one deepening the world of the project ahead of the arrival of her upcoming album Under The Yew (Vol. 2).

“This project has been a personal excavation,” says Martin. “Under The Yew transforms loss into light, each track a step toward resilience.” The record draws comparisons from Air and Portishead to Billie Marten and Adrianne Lenker, all anchored by Bea’s raw emotional clarity. Her new single “Written On Me” offers another intimate chapter in that journey, this time turning toward love, closeness and the ways another person can become part of you. The track captures the feeling of falling in love and becoming deeply intertwined with someone over time. “I wrote ‘Written On Me’ at home one night,” Bea says. “I remember going in without too much of a plan, just a feeling I couldn’t shake. I started playing around with a few ideas and this one just sort of fell out naturally. It didn’t feel forced at all, which I think is why it ended up being such an honest song.”

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Photo - Rich Ferri

Deer Tick - Everything Born.

On 5th June, Providence’s Deer Tick will release their ninth studio album, 'Coin-O-Matic', via ATO. This week, they tease the album with a new single, the intimate 'Everything Born', which touches on the LP’s underlying theme of impermanence. The band’s guitarist/singer Ian O’Neil shares: “‘Everything Born’ was written quickly about the tenuousness of life and the precious time we have to spend with the people that come into our lives. It’s about family, friends, neighbors, strangers and how these thoughts burrow a little deeper the older we get. I was thinking about my son and the people of Providence, RI while writing it.” 

Deer Tick recently went into Rhode Island’s Big Nice Studio and filmed the song live. 'Coin-O-Matic' casts a bright light on a little-known facet of the American mythos: the hidden histories of the band’s home state of Rhode Island, where the everyday dramas of working-class families long collided with the menace of the mafia underworld. As they tapped into their infinite fascination with that strange duality, singer/guitarist John McCauley, guitarist/singer Ian O’Neil, drummer/singer Dennis Ryan, and bassist Christopher Ryan assembled a batch of songs exploring desperation, grief, redemption, and resilience with both cinematic detail and lived-in emotionality. A sharp new turn from one of indie-rock’s most enduringly vital forces, Coin-O-Matic arrives as a complicated love letter to a way of life slowly slipping from the collective memory.       
 
The follow-up to Emotional Contracts (hailed by Uncut as one of 2023’s best albums), Coin-O-Matic takes its title from a cigarette-vending-machine company that served as the headquarters of Raymond Patriarca—a legendary mobster who ran one of the most ruthless crime families in U.S. history. “If you grew up in Rhode Island years ago, you’d see all these mobsters on the news and then run into them at a restaurant on Federal Hill,” says McCauley, referring to Providence’s version of Little Italy. “They were criminals but also very colorful characters, and I wanted the album to partly reflect a certain nostalgia for that kind of seediness.”

Deer Tick · Everything Born

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Eauclaire - Heaven On Earth.

“Heaven On Earth” is Eauclaire’s (pronounced “ō-claire”) latest indie-rock anthem, born not in a studio, but in the open desert. Written at the Heaven on Earth Music Festival in Moab, Utah, right beneath the Looking Glass Arch, the song captures a moment where awe meets the ordinary. With driving guitars, heartfelt vocals, and a chorus that feels both intimate and expansive, “Heaven On Earth” wrestles with getting out of your head and back into the present—back into the beauty that’s been there all along.

The bridge takes that idea literally: the gang vocals were recorded live on top of the Looking Glass Arch, with voices echoing across the canyon as the sun dipped low. It’s a song about noticing—wildflowers, starlight, golden hour, morning light—and realizing that heaven isn’t somewhere distant or abstract. It’s here. It’s now. And it’s found in the everyday moments we’re so tempted to rush past.

Formed by college friends Bryant Urich, Kyle Kicker and Justin Barnett in 2010, Eauclaire (pronounced “ō-claire”) released their acclaimed debut, Océan Bleu, in 2019, followed by 2022’s Timber, the latter of which chronicles a deeply personal season of loss and rediscovery for the band. Eauclaire’s single “Depths” was showcased in the CW and Netflix series All American, and their music has also been featured on MTV, MTV2, and in various international advertising campaigns.

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Photo - Chris Brennan

Susto Stringband - Hands In The Dirt.

Susto Stringband, led by frontman Justin Osborne of the highly lauded alt-country band Susto, just released their new single “Hands In The Dirt.” The track comes from their upcoming Susto Stringband (Volume 2) LP, which is out on May 29 via Missing Piece Records. The album features bluegrass and old-time reworkings of Susto favorites alongside a couple tracks that have never been released including today’s new single, which Osborne wrote before Susto began to take shape. Built around a mournful fiddle, the song reminds the listener to literally touch grass in times of turmoil and despair.

“‘Hands In The Dirt’ is an older tune of mine that actually predates Susto,” says Osborne. “I wrote it based on some advice my dad gave me in my 20s, when I was feeling burned out from DIY touring, and ready to give up on the dreams of writing and performing that I’d been pursuing. His advice was basically to work harder (lol) which over time has proven to be sound advice. 

My dad passed away back in 2020, and since then I’ve enjoyed bringing this one back into the sets from time to time, because it really reminds me of my dad and makes him feel closer. It was a blast to work up this Susto Stringband version of the song for Volume 2, and I’m really proud to finally be re-sharing a song that I’ve had such a personal connection to for many years.”

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Photo - Aaron Farrimond

Georgian - Crackled Grounds.

Manchester-based Georgian begin a fresh chapter today with the release of their new single ‘Crackled Grounds’ and the announcement of their first full body of work with 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 first introduction to their forthcoming EP is the alternative Western-inspired title track and new single ‘Crackled Grounds’, which atmospherically recalls a barren apocalyptic landscape where the sun is blazing and rain feels like a distant past. Blending haunting imagery with beautiful instrumentation and poignant vocals, it is a mournful song that also inspires reflection and hope. The band says; “This song was probably a result of watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and listening to Nancy & Lee within the same week. We got the opening riff and then it blossomed very quickly from there. It feels like the ultimate culmination of our journey so far.”

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