Leeds based musician Lewis Jack Inman returns with his 4th Album The Squeeze released today 15th May. Once again Inman's latest offering is another alt rock record perfect for fans of Courtney Barnett, Pixies and Queens of the Stone Age. True to his own style, it's a record that doesn't conform to predictable patterns, Inman takes you on a journey that makes complex themes and music seem simple with the guidance of his soothing vocals, a key trait in his solo work since 2019.
Since going solo in 2019, he's released 3 albums (Another Winter, Far Away and Fly) as well as numerous singles throughout that time. Lewis returned to the live scene in 2025 with a new live band formed up with two of the local scene's hardest working musicians Sam Green and Dan James. They quickly took the scene by storm with appearances at Lending Room and Hyde Park Book Club in the space of a few months
In late 2025, Lewis released the Fossilz Collection, a mix of his previous bands work containing material that still exists in his shows today plus recordings from live show recorded in Leeds
All of Lewis' previous releases have been solely recorded with him playing all instruments and whilst The Squeeze is no different in that respect, it is his first release he's self-produced too making it an entirely DIY record with no external contributions showcasing just how versatile an artist he is.
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| Photo - Jacq Justice |
Athens, GA-born Futurebirds unveiled the official video for their latest single “Fly On” from their first-ever double album Far Out Country that will be released on June 5 via Dualtone Records. The official video follows a casual antique store pit stop that quickly spirals into a transportive day trip, proving you don’t have to travel far to find a little Far Out Country.
Carter King, who wrote “Fly On,” explains, “Conceptualized and directed by Casey Pierce. This video shoot was a real blast. Getting let loose in a possibly-haunted antique store after hours? Felt like an episode of ‘Are you Afraid of the Dark.’ And the moral of the video: there’s no such thing as a free cookie!”
Last month, Futurebirds released Sienna Life EP, featuring three songs from Far Out Country I – “Sienna Life,” “Sleepless in the Cage,” and “Ghost Moon.” The release and double album announcement was met with praise from Brooklyn Vegan, Relix and Stereogum among others, who noted, Far Out Country "is both a title and a mission statement.” In a rare physical-first approach, the band will release the full project as a double vinyl on June 5, with the second half of the album arriving on streaming platforms months later, making vinyl the only way to experience the complete record early.
Fronted by three distinct singer-songwriters – Daniel “Womz” Womack, Carter King, and Thomas “Tojo” Johnson – the band writes in conversation, their voices shaped by a shared history but diverging perspectives. Across 18 songs, Far Out Country unfolds like an honest dialogue about their transition to fathers and family men navigating the tension between the road that made them and their lives back home.
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| Photo - David Kruschke |
Octavian Winters have unveiled a dreamlike new single, ‘By the Stars’, ahead of Wave-Gotik-Treffen appearance. Highlighting the lush, otherworldly side of the band’s repertoire, ‘By the Stars’ is the swooning new pop ballad from San Francisco’s Octavian Winters: a beautifully delicate contrast to the dark, angular post-punk of previous single, ‘Elements of Air’.
Produced once again by William Faith, and released via Stratis Capta Records just ahead of the band’s appearance at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Germany, ‘By the Stars’ moves with a slow, dreamlike pulse: toms beating softly under glimmering melodies, like distant heartbeats under an endless night sky. Lyricist and frontwoman Ria Aursjoen says:
“The song has the feel of a sea voyage. The images for me were always ones of the vastness of the sky and the sea, and the feeling of the magnificent beauty of the world. The call and answer vocals are like two people calling back and forth across a valley. It’s meant to encompass that feeling of transcendence when you take a meta view of life and of the natural world, and just fall into the beautiful patterns of it all.”
Remarking on the song’s significance both to the band and their audience, drummer Randy Gzebb adds: “I remember playing an all-ages show in Northern California, looked up mid-song and saw these two young goth girls at the front of the stage with tears streaming down their faces. That moment told me everything I needed to know about ‘By the Stars’. You know a song matters when it reaches people like that.”
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The J.O.B. - Light Up A Room.
Richmond VA rock band, The J.O.B. have released a new single, Light Up A Room. It’s their fourth individual track of a string of singles to be dropped over the next many months, all destined to appear on the band’s upcoming vinyl LP.
Light Up A Room was recorded at Absolute Future Studios in Richmond VA with producer Jamie Rose (Vulcanite, Book Of Wyrms) again at the helm.
“Light Up A Room is an upbeat tune about finding one’s true love and the hopeful anticipation of the future they are about to share,” said Jim O’Ferrell, acoustic guitar and vocals. “We tried a few new things musically with this song,” he added. “None of us had heard Jason’s guitar leads until we got into the studio and started recording, and he blew our minds!”
The J.O.B. creates an original blend of Alternative Rock with Blues, Americana, and some Progressive Rock vibes in the mix. All four band members come from different musical backgrounds and share in the song writing process. “We didn’t grow up together,” said Jason Crawford, lead guitarist, “We all bring different musical influences into the band.”
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Sparkle Blood is the kind of band that gets in, says exactly what they need to say, and gets out—no wasted time, no excess, just sharp, punchy songwriting delivered with total conviction. The Albera-based trio, Tyler Stewart on guitar and vocals, Bailey Kate on bass and vocals, and Bre Day on drums, lock into a sound that feels both scrappy and impossibly tight, balancing sweetly fuzzy guitars with driving rhythms and melodies that hit instantly.
There’s an easy chemistry between Stewart and Kate that calls back to the dynamic interplay of The Lemonheads and Pixies, while Day keeps everything grounded with a powerful, no-frills approach behind the kit. It’s hook-heavy, harmony-rich, and just rough enough around the edges to keep things interesting.
Their upcoming LP ZIP ZAP leans all the way into that energy, opening with “Mad About It,” a track that feels like a thesis statement, urgent, a little fed up, but still undeniably fun. From there, the band keeps things moving at a clipped, confident pace.
“Totally Ignorant” barrels through in under a minute and a half, landing its punch with the kind of efficiency you’d expect from Ramones or Guided by Voices, while songs like “Burning Barrel” and “I Don’t Know” stretch things just enough to let the hooks breathe, pulling from the timeless melodic instincts of Buddy Holly and the punchy edge of Buzzcocks and Hüsker Dü. Across the record, Sparkle Blood strike that sweet spot between catharsis and celebration, pairing real-world frustration with undeniable charm. It’s the kind of album that sneaks up on you, quick, catchy, and quietly addictive after just a couple of spins.
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| Photo - Alys hardy |
Swansea Singer-Songwriter 'Tom Emlyn' returns with a brand new album. 'Passing Craze' is released today Friday 15th May 2026. His 6th Studio album will be released Digitally, CD and Vinyl LP via Dirty Carrot Records. 'Passing Craze', Tom Emlyn's sixth solo album in four years, began as a final university project for Evan Collett, who produced the album. Evan and Tom both play in the psychedelic garage rock band Rainyday Rainbow. He needed to make an album for his final project in DBS, Bristol; a university that specialises in music production. DBS stands for Deep Blue Sound. Evan asked Tom if there was any unrecorded material to make another album.
A few forgotten gems, fragments and songs from years ago were unearthed, some of them going back to the first songwriting undertaken by Tom as a teenager. They seemed to fit together and felt like they had a thread running through them. Recording began in an amazing room at DBS, with an impressive, hugely expensive analog desk.
The tracks began with skeletal acoustic guitar, doubled in an Elliott Smith style, then embellished with drums, piano, electric guitar and harmonica. It was made more difficult by the university only allowing recording to be booked in three-hour sessions, meaning there was a rush to get the parts done, and it all took a bit longer than expected. Maybe that was a good thing in the end, though. After Evan finished his course, work resumed on the project at home in Cardiff. The project took on more of a bedroom pop sound with more layers of guitar, vocals, trumpet, melodica, percussion by drummer Jack Patrick, and backing vocals by Alys Hardy. Evan added some interesting production flair, such as slide guitar and playing banjo with a violin bow; just trying to get interesting sounds and do things a bit differently.
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Hannah & Nathan have released their debut duo album 'Love & Labour' where the Ontario Folk duo blends old-time drive, lyrical balladry, and close harmony. Late one rainy night on a Northern Ontario highway, Hannah and Nathan were struck by an SUV en route to a weekend of shows. They walked away unscathed and performed anyway. On the drive home, they made a decision: it was time to record together.
Love & Labour is their debut duo album, rooted in Appalachian and old-time traditions and shaped by a shared instinct for close harmony and acoustic interplay. Built around claw-hammer banjo, fiddle, and guitar, the record moves between driving, dance-ready tunes and spare, expressive ballads.
Both artists bring deep experience to the project. Hannah is a Canadian Folk Music Award–winning Traditional Singer of the Year (2017; nominee 2024), while Nathan’s band The Barrel Boys has earned multiple CFMA nominations. Since first performing together in 2022, their musical connection, especially their tightly blended vocals has become the defining feature of their sound.
Their singing is central: clear, intimate, and finely balanced. At times they trade lines; at others, their voices merge in close, parallel harmonies that echo bluegrass traditions while retaining the clarity of narrative folk song. The album features eleven tracks: seven originals, two traditional songs, a contemporary cover, and a set of original fiddle tunes. With the exception of the acappella “Turtle Dove,” each track highlights the rhythmic interplay of banjo and fiddle in open tuning, creating a sound that is at once raw, textured, and immediate.
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