Wednesday, 25 February 2026

Sin Cos Tan - Brother Wallace - Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - Night Swimming - Marie Dahlstrom - Danny George Wilson

Sin Cos Tan - I Wasn’t Young, I Needed the Money.

Finnish synth-pop duo Sin Cos Tan continue their Greed era with “I Wasn’t Young, I Needed the Money”, the third single from their forthcoming album Greed. Following the late-night pulse of In My House, the new track sharpens the album’s central theme into a clean, hook-driven statement: desire, justification, and the ways money can become both motive and excuse.

Formed by producer-DJ Jori Hulkkonen and singer-songwriter Juho Paalosmaa, Sin Cos Tan are known for their rare balance of Nordic melancholy, classic pop songwriting, and precise electronic production. Their music exists between nostalgia and the future: intimate, detailed, and timeless synth-pop that resonates equally well in headphones, after-dark settings, and on the edge of the dancefloor

“I Wasn’t Young, I Needed the Money” is built like a classic: tight structure, immediate chorus, and a steady electronic momentum that never turns into a genre exercise. Instead, it delivers a focused, literate narrative voice, letting the lyric carry the tension. It is one of the most direct tracks in the Greed cycle so far, capturing the album’s view of greed not only as money, but as power, control, and the normalization of harmful choices. Elegant, unsentimental, and highly melodic, it underlines why Sin Cos Tan remain one of Northern Europe’s most respected synth-pop acts.


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Brother Wallace - Gone With The Wind.

Every so often, an artist arrives with a voice so seasoned and a story so grounded that they feel less like a "discovery" and more like an inevitability. Brother Wallace is that artist. Now, the West Point, Georgia-bred singer, pianist, and soul revivalist releases “Gone With The Wind,” the latest single and music video from his forthcoming debut album, 'Electric Love' (out 8 May via ATO Records). 
 
While his previous singles showcased a high-octane grit, “Gone With The Wind” reveals a more introspective, tender side of the powerhouse vocalist. It is not only luminous, but it also finds him turning inward without losing any of the fire that’s quickly made him one of soul’s most compelling new voices. Built on a rollicking piano riff and carried by Wallace’s sublime vocal, the track is a lived-in meditation on letting go of the noise, protecting your peace, and giving yourself permission to breathe. 
 
“I started writing that song when I was driving home from work one day, feeling like I needed to let the world go and take some time out for myself,” Wallace explains. That sense of sanctuary is amplified by the song’s heavenly background harmonies, provided by a group of young vocalists from Wallace’s hometown—students he personally trained during his years as a choral director. “When they added their parts, it felt like they were carrying me away as they were singing,” he says. “It was like a beautiful journey that I didn’t want to end.” 

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Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - She Never Knows.

Hamilton, ON's Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature are following up on their debut single, "Istanbul," with "She Never Knows," a high-voltage garage-rock burner that pairs blistering blues riffs with deeply reflective songwriting. Written years ago and resurfacing with renewed clarity, the track wrestles with avoidance, identity, substance use, and the quiet heartbreak of watching someone you love slip away from themselves.

"This is a song about seeing a close friend resort to substance abuse to avoid confronting their reality," Duxbury explains. "As I've moved forward through my life, I have seen so many close people go through similar issues; my dad, close friends, and even bits in myself. Avoidance takes many forms. Sometimes it's substances. Sometimes it's just lying in bed and not wanting to face the world."

Despite its heavy subject matter, "She Never Knows" is delivered as a punchy, riff-forward blast of electric rock; an intentional contrast. "You'll find this scenario in a lot of my music," Duxbury notes. "There'll be something fun and energetic, and then you listen back and realize what I'm actually saying. Songwriting is journaling for me. It's my way of converting negative feelings into something positive."

Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Duxbury's home studio Bonnie Doon Records, "She Never Knows" embodies New Mother Nature's DIY ethos. "I like to keep production as part of the songwriting process," he explains. "I'm wired as an audio engineer so I can hear what direction I want the production to go as I record and layer a track.”"


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Photo - Derek Bremner
Night Swimming - Poison Berry.

Bath, UK-based dream-pop band Night Swimming today announce their second EP 'Melting, Sometimes Bleeding', out 22nd May via Venn Records (Bob Vylan, Witch Fever, High Vis) - produced by longtime collaborator Peter Miles (Orla Gartland, Nina Nesbitt) and mastered by Simon Scott of Slowdive.

With the EP announcement comes the release of new single 'Poison Berry' and a one-take video directed by Jay Bartlett depicting a relationship deadlock. 'Poison Berry' provides the new EP's second taste, following 2025 single 'Submarine'. Built around a hypnotic rhythmic pulse, Night Swimming lean into a gauzy dream-pop palette, turning the lens inward on recurring relational dynamics. 

Speaking on the release of new single 'Poison Berry', vocalist and lyricist Meg Jones said: "'Poison Berry' is an amalgamation of my experiences with men and how they have made me feel in relationships, but it is also a reflection of my own responsibility for the kinds of dynamics I can be drawn to. There is a dryness of tone to this song that I haven’t explored before in lyrics, and a numbness. ‘Poison Berry’ details the state of being acutely aware of your partner’s emotions, although they seem distant, and the loneliness (or bitterness) of feeling like that isn’t reciprocated."

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Photo - Lennon Gregory
Marie Dahlstrom - Frostbite.

Danish London-based vocalist, songwriter and producer Marie Dahlstrom today shares her new single ‘Frostbite’, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the Roskilde-born musician and offering the first glimpse of a new project set to arrive later this year. Over the past few years, Dahlstrom has quietly built one of contemporary R&B’s most trusted catalogues – rooted in neo-soul, jazz and understated groove.

That sustained momentum now sees her entering her most assured phase yet, starting with new single 'Frostbite', produced by Dan Diggas (Central Cee, Mahalia).

Staying rooted in the soul-led intimacy that has defined her work to date, 'Frostbite' finds Dahlstrom pushing further into nuance and atmosphere. With a cooler tonal palette than her recent work, the track explores love’s mutability through immersive textures and glistening melodies, unfolding with the quiet control that has become Dahlstrom’s signature.

On the release of 'Frostbite', Marie said: “‘Frostbite’ is a song about longing and about how the feeling lingers in the body. It’s drawn from many experiences in my life, all wrapped into this piece. It was recorded on my old piano at my parents’ house in Roskilde, in my childhood bedroom. We tracked it with one small mic held close to the piano — nothing pro about it at all — but the instrument has this warm, muted tone that really captured the feeling. To me, this is what music is about".

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Danny George Wilson - Arcade.

Danny George Wilson, who releases his new album 'Arcade' on 20th March via Loose Music, has been confirmed as a special guest on The Handsome Family's forthcoming UK tour in May. Coinciding with the announcement, Wilson has today unveiled the title track to the new album. "Arcade’ is a song about youth culture and nostalgia…a mix of sadness and gratitude" reflects Wilson. "Doffing a cap to the classic and influential ‘Subway Art’ book that emerged in 1984, a first taste of Dinosaur Jr’s ‘Freak Scene’ and Sonic Youth’s ‘Teenage Riot’ and memories of Sutton’s long demolished Arcade."

'Arcade' finds Danny George Wilson returning to Hamish Benjamin’s studio in East Sussex - five years on from his startling, post-lockdown solo album Another Place – to construct its sequel. With Lewes-based Benjamin and right-hand man Henry Garratt, again given free rein, 'Arcade' presents a fresh collection of sonically inventive, deeply romantic songs, with atmosphere taking primacy over meaning, and narrative dissolving. As Wilson tells it: 

“The songs are about the ways we deal with losing people, time, place, or don’t deal with it… Looking back, we discover what was always there, or things that are just easier to ignore - different and contradictory perspectives. And I wanted a chance to work with Hamish and Henry again, and this seemed like their thing, and it was”.

Traditional instrumentation meets technology; the majority of tracks feature a string quartet, while Benjamin and Garratt employ synthesiser and mellotron along with a plethora of guitars. Gerry Love again provides backing vocals with cameos from Emma Tricca and Annie Dressner. Fragile, tender, full of uncertainty, ultimately 'Arcade' is a song-cycle in which the premise of each track subverts the previous, and demonstrates most assuredly, we still move in doubt.


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Tuesday, 24 February 2026

Mel Denisse - Gitika Partington - Keeley feat. Miki Berenyi - Maria Taylor

Mel Denisse - aiming alone.

Nashville-based artist and producer Mel Denisse has always leaned into duality. Whether she’s blending left-field pop with jagged alt-rock or threading delicate vocals through dissonant, distorted production, Denisse is drawn to the clash with her newest genre-defiant single, "aiming alone". 

She shares, "'aiming alone’ details wanting to be understood with urgency, while still feeling sealed off behind glass. On the other side, the world watches and speculates, close enough to see you, never close enough to meet you. That distance becomes the point: the two realities can’t be reconciled. The outro carries that into finality, an acceptance of the lone road, and the resolve of aiming alone." 

"aiming alone" is a melancholy and haunting alt rock meets shoegaze track that is built around the narrative of feeling like there's a glass wall between you and everybody else and although they can see you, no one seems to truly feel or understand you.


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Gitika Partington - Going Round In Circles.

Gitika Partington has just dropped a new lyric video for ‘Going Round In Circles’ from her record breaking ‘Twelvefold’ project. Gitika has released thirteen albums simultaneously, and without originally setting out to, she has broken the current world record for the most albums released in one day, which as of 2025 stood at twelve.

Gitika created the thirteen albums as part of a sustained songwriting practice rather than a commercial release cycle. Composed incrementally over the course of five years, including periods marked by significant challenges. Moments of unbelievable light were interspersed, and the weekly songwriting which felt like an anchor. The first twelve albums form a chronological musical record of time passing with a thirteenth album of songs that nearly got away- a body of work intended for wandering, reflection, and long-form listening rather than singles, algorithms, or drip-fed promotion. Lots of the songs are messages to Gitika from Gitika - stories and comments on the day she wrote them. Lots are about returning home, uncomfortable moments, little blasts of therapy, quirky moments. Pleasing no-one but herself.

This release is an artistic gesture as much as a musical one. This project emphasizes that creativity doesn't require permission or external validation. It encourages anyone making stuff to ignore self-doubt and focus on just making art for its own sake, valuing the creative process over the result.

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Keeley feat. Miki Berenyi - Big Brown Eyes.

Dream rock trio Keeley have released a new video “Big Brown Eyes” featuring guest vocals by Miki Berenyi (Lush, Piroshka, Miki Berenyi Trio). 

Recently released to widespread acclaim, Keeley’s third album ‘Girl On The Edge Of The World’ (Definitive Gaze) has been lauded for the diversity of moods and textures within its twelve songs, highlighting what Dublin-born singer and guitarist Keeley Moss calls “the sonic swirl". 

The album’s emotional centrepiece is undoubtedly “Big Brown Eyes” with its dark pulsing beat, its lament to the impending murder of young teenage German backpacker Inga Maria Hauser, and a beautiful cascading vocal contribution from former Lush singer Miki Berenyi. Miki recently joined the band onstage to perform the song at their London show at LVLS in Hackney Wick. 

The accompanying video aims to imagine the sensations and impressions that Inga might have experienced as she journeyed through Great Britain in the Spring of 1988. Filmed and directed by Glasgow-based filmmaker Laura Meek using vintage VHS techniques, the clip’s soft tones and impressionistic flow capture the hopes and dreams of youthful adventure. 


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Maria Taylor - Never Thought I’d Feel New.

Today, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Maria Taylor released “Never Thought I’d Feel New,” the second song to be pulled from her first new album in more than 7 years, Story’s End, that will be released on April 3 via Conor Oberst’s Million Stars Records. She also has announced album release shows on April 10 at Sid The Cat Auditorium in Pasadena, CA and on April 15 at Night Club 101 in New York City.

About the new single, Taylor explains: “This song says exactly what it means – melodically, musically, and lyrically. It’s about how rare and fortunate it is to feel new again. It’s about breaking out of the confines of our own thoughts. of other people’s thoughts. It’s about letting go, gaining clarity, and feeling alive. 

I started writing this song 6 years ago. I would send tracks to my friend, Brad Armstrong, who would add a bunch of cool shit and send it back. This went on for years, as I kept changing the chords, the melodies, and the words. I would get frustrated and shelve it for months at a time. 

We got my brother, Macey Taylor, to play bass and Louis Schefano to play drums. Finally, in a last attempt to finish it, I asked my friend, Nik Freitas, to take a stab at writing a melody for the chorus. That was the missing link!! It was done :) The track was produced by Brad Armstrong, mixed by Ben Brodin and mastered by Doug VanSloun.”

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Monday, 23 February 2026

Kate Prendergast - Dani Ivory - Leo Brazil - Birds Flying Backwards

Kate Prendergast - Glass and Glue.

Kate Prendergast is a young, rising Irish multi-instrumentalist with a gift for crafting deeply evocative songs, blending indie folk, blues, country and alternative rock. Her music is a raw and soulful mix of personal reflection and sharp storytelling, shaped by influences ranging from Bob Dylan to Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Kingfishr.

She burst onto the scene in 2024 with her debut single ‘Past Letters’, quickly followed by Undergrowth, Lavender Country, Ignition, and Retold Tale produced in collaboration with producer Declan Legge at Big Space Studios under the Stray Dog records label. Her songs have become staples on Irish, UK and International radio, resonating with listeners for their emotional depth and rich sonic textures. Whether performing solo or with a band, Kate captivates audiences with her haunting voice and magnetic stage presence.

Selected as a showcase artist for Your Roots are Showing – Ireland’s Folk Conference 2026, nominated by Radio Wigwam for Best Folk and Acoustic Act 2026 and with two new songs ‘Glass and Glue’ and ‘Perfect Plans’ to be released in early 2026, Kate continues to carve out her place in the music world – fearless, introspective, and impossible to ignore.

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Dani Ivory - Get Through.

Dani Ivory returns with “Get Through,” a raw, heartfelt anthem about choosing your partner even when love feels complicated, heavy, and far from perfect. The song captures a deeply specific yet universally understood emotion: standing beside the person you love as they struggle, knowing there’s only so much you can do, yet refusing to walk away anyway. Tinged with neo-soul, country and Americana influences, Ivory delivers another hit in a new landscape.

Ivory’s vocal lands with emotional weight from the very first lines, setting the tone with unfiltered honesty: “I really want to write a love song, but I can’t seem to get it right, I really want to tell you I miss you, but you’re drunk out of your mind.”

It’s a devastatingly real opening. There’s no attempt to soften the edges or romanticize the situation — she simply tells the truth. From there, the song deepens as Ivory makes clear that her love isn’t conditional or convenient: “There’s no other way around it, we can’t hop, skip, or go backward, we looked our whole damn lives and found it…”

One of the most powerful moments comes when Ivory turns the lens inward, acknowledging her own flaws and contradictions with striking vulnerability: “And I wish I was stronger not to enable you, but I’m human too, I’m no better than you, I still choose you, so you can meet me halfway and we can get through.”


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Leo Brazil - Unsinkable Sam.

Leo Brazil has been creating his own music since he was a child singing into a tape machine. Drawing on a love of classic pop, rock and roll and soul, Leo writes thoughtful songs with a lyrical focus and a confident musical individuality. Running a label out his home studio brewing up a unique and colourful evolution of sound, 2026 sees two album releases; the introspective wonky folk solo album Alone and the bombastically heavy psych-rock of the dinosaur inspired band Bone Wars. Leo plays keyboards, drums and violin but live he sticks to guitars and banjo to conjure up emotive ballads alongside rousing ear worms and foot stomping guitar freak outs.

'Unsinkable Sam' is the new release by Leo Brazil from album ‘Alone’ Out Now. Unsinkable Sam is a dreamy piece of folk rock with an alternative woozy psychedelic edge that explores dreams, memories and trauma through a naval tale from the second world war and stands as a tribute to animals caught up in humans' struggles and conflicts.

Unsinkable Sam was a cat aboard the battleship Bismarck during world war 2. After the ship was sunk he was picked up clinging to a piece of wreckage by HMS Cossack. He repeated the experience shortly afterwards when Cossack was torpedoed and then a final time when he was rescued from the sinking of Ark Royal. After his third sinking he retired to the navy base in Belfast.


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Birds Flying Backwards - If I Ever Needed Someone.

London-based six-piece Birds Flying Backwards return with ‘If I Ever Needed Someone’ (Today Feb 23rd), the fourth and final single from their forthcoming debut album Lovebirds, released March 11th via Real Love Recording Co. Building a reputation for their blend of alt-country, indie-folk and psychedelic-rock, Birds Flying Backwards are already firmly established as one to watch. The new single ‘If I Ever Needed Someone’ leans into the more folk and Americana side of the band's sound bringing an organic, earthy warmth through a layered acoustic guitar, banjo, piano, bass and drums. 

Warm, worn-in sounding picked strings and the dual Joe and India’s radiant harmonies give the song a reflective yet quietly confident feel which is central to the overarching feel of the album. Speaking about the single, the band explain: “‘If I Ever Needed Someone’ is about finding yourself after heartbreak, and the resoluteness and self-assuredness that it takes to move on. Taking cues from Cut Worms, Daniel Romano and Wilco, it shifts the record from loss towards resolve - the moment when the dust finally settles.” 

The track was mixed by Joe Wyatt at Abbey Road Studios, whose credits include The Smile and The Beatles Anthologies, and mastered by Timothy Stollenwork, known for his work with Kevin Morby, Drugdealer, John Andrews and The Yawns, and Arthur Russell, further enhancing the band’s warm, organic sound.


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Sunday, 22 February 2026

Marketplace - Frank Rabeyrolles - Tedeschi Trucks Band - Death By Love

Photo - Megan Wyrill
Marketplace - Play Nice! 

Hartlepool (England) rising five-piece Marketplace return with the razor sharp new single ‘Play Nice!’ (just out 20th February 2026). Releasing ahead of anticipated slots at New Colossus Festival (New York) and SXSW (Texas) this March, the band are riding a wave of critical acclaim into what is set to be a big 2026. 

Produced by Chad Rodgers (Cape Cub, Finn Forster, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Llovers, Loren Heat), ‘Play Nice!’ sees Marketplace deliver their bright, hook-laden alt-pop meets indie sound in all its glory. Bright guitar tones, subtle synths, driving drums and grounding bass create a buoyant breezy backdrop for the melodic and charismatic lead vocals. Equal parts cathartic and cutting, the track channels pent-up frustration into a punchy, guitar-driven diss track.

Vocalist Evie Rhodes explains: ““Play Nice! was born from being thrown into the kind of situation which I had not been in since secondary school, and the frustration of feeling like I was long past the point of dealing with interpersonal issues in that sort of immature, psychological, mean-girl way. In its most basic form, it is a diss track, which was something I would never have expected I’d do. It kind of demonstrates how checked out I’d become with the situation, in that it’s basically years of frustrations boiling up to the surface that I wished I’d been able to express at the time.”

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Frank Rabeyrolles - Slow (Album).

Released this weekend we have the new album 'Slow' released on the French label Too Good To Be true. We often expect change from a musician who has a reputation for being prolific. It's in the interstices, in the sound, the arrangement and the writing that we will have to listen with this new album entirely produced and mixed by Frank Rabeyrolles We also find our traveling companions Romain Delorme on bass, Sébastien Pasquet on drums and some appearances from Rémi Saboul. 

In our last feature about Frank on Beehive Candy we had this to say: Ultimately, little is known about Frank Rabeyrolles. A discreet and unclassifiable figure on the French music scene, he first gained attention in 2004 with Life Behind the Window, the debut album from his project Double U. His dreamy, hybrid music, oscillating between pop, electronic, and songwriting, astonishes and seduces. He has been featured in Les Inrockuptibles and Libération and was named Album of the Month by Trax.

A prolific and insatiable artist, Frank Rabeyrolles has released a solid succession of albums first under Double U and then Franklin on various labels such as Sonar Kollektiv, Nocturne, Karat, and Plug Research, Wool Recordings His creative approach over the years, and now decades, could be seen as a yearning for artistic ritual driven by passion, but also as an existential necessity.. 

At the end of 2011, Frank Rabeyrolles decided to release a new album under his real name, and with it, a desire to reveal himself a little more. Between Experimental Pop, Lo-Fi Folk, and Ambient, Frank has never wanted or needed to choose. In early 2024, Frank Rabeyrolles returned to solitary work in the home studio, cultivating a gentle schizophrenia between tenderness, sonic roundness, echoes, spleen, and hope. The album "In Conversations" was released in February 2025 on Araki Records. After two albums recorded in a trio/quartet format, this new album marks a return to a certain pop bricolage and organic work created around layers of guitars. 


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Photo - Chapman Baehler
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Who Am I.

Tedeschi Trucks Band (TTB), the GRAMMY Award-winning band led by the dynamic wife and husband duo of Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, has released their new single “Who Am I,” the latest offering from their new studio album, Future Soul, out March 20th via Fantasy Records. Written by Tedeschi and Trucks along with two of the band’s key songwriters Mike Mattison and Gabe Dixon, “Who Am I” harkens back slightly to TTB’s hit “Midnight in Harlem” while also being its own beast.

“‘Who Am I’ feels a little bit like a dream to me,” shares Trucks. “The riff came naturally to me one of the mornings that we were all writing together up at our farm in Georgia. Susan immediately came up with the opening vocal melody and lyric and Gabe really took it to a beautiful place from there. It feels biographical and a bit surreal at the same time. I always love when a song can put you in between worlds.”

Known for its world-class musicianship, Tedeschi Trucks Band is Susan Tedeschi (guitar, vocals), Derek Trucks (guitar), Mike Mattison (guitar, vocals), Gabe Dixon (keys, vocals), Brandon Boone (bass), Tyler “Falcon” Greenwell (drums, percussion), Isaac Eady (drums, percussion), Mark Rivers (vocals, percussion), Alecia Chakour (vocals, percussion), Kebbi Williams (saxophone), Emmanuel Echem (trumpet) and Elizabeth Lea (trombone).


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Death By Love - 444 (Album).

Enigmatic, transatlantic gothic/industrial duo, Death By Love has announced the release of their full-length debut: a concept album called 444.

444 includes 11 tracks exploring themes of mysticism, identity, spiritual tension, and emotional rebirth. 444 is more than a record. It is a ritual of survival, transformation, and paradox wrapped in atmospheric electronics, heavy, hypnotic rhythms, and Middle Eastern-influenced vocal lines and instrumentation. 444 plunges listeners deep into shadow and transcendence. The album is a collision of goth, industrial, trip hop, and heavy  Middle-Eastern influences, a soundscape that feels at once ancient and futuristic. 444 is not casual listening; it is an immersive, genre-bending dark odyssey.

The journey began in October 2024, when Inga and Peter converged in Warsaw, Poland, to record the first tracks: “Strong Inside” and “Temros.” Both songs were captured alongside cinematic music videos. “Strong Inside” emerged as the first single on the American label, Distortion Productions— setting the tone for what would become an ambitious 11-track cycle.

Crafted over the course of an entire year of transatlantic collaboration, 444 came to life through relentless back-and-forth file exchanges, a painstaking process that mirrors the album’s themes of endurance, distance, and connection. From the brooding trip hop of “Cosmic Power” to the industrial weight of “I Don’t”, and the spectral intimacy of “Sellenno”, the record moves between extremes - despair and transcendence, fragility and force.


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Saturday, 21 February 2026

Margaux Regan - Ally Row - Romanie - J.MYSTERY - Anna Smyrk - Winona Oak

Margaux Regan - After Thought (EP).

With almost a year of successful singles under her belt, rising singer-songwriter Margaux Regan released her debut EP After Thought on February 20th.
 
Written almost entirely by Margaux herself mostly composed on her bedroom floor the four-track collection captures the quiet chaos of growing up: the overthinking, heartbreak, self-doubt, and small moments of clarity in between. After Thought maps the transition between nineteen and twenty-one, blending organic instrumentation with contemporary pop sensibilities and country-tinged storytelling. The process wasn't always easy. Halfway through writing, Margaux developed vocal cord issues that forced her to re-evaluate her relationship with music. When she returned, she wanted to be more open, more playful, and less afraid of imperfection.

"The title mirrors my inner world and the way I process my experiences," says Margaux. "These songs are the thoughts that linger after everything else has been said.” Among the EP's deeply personal tracks, "Sob Story" stands out as an emotionally raw ballad that navigates the conflicting emotions of anger and grief that accompany heartbreak. Inspired by the confessional songwriting of artists like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, the track showcases Margaux's country-soaked approach to heartbreak, with her vocals effortlessly floating above acoustic instrumentation that feels both intimate and devastating.

"I wrote this with my friend Daniel Haughey, who helped get the words out of me when I couldn't myself," explains Margaux. "After experiencing the kind of love where denial made you ignore the red flags, I wanted people to relate to the emotion rather than just the words. The bridge is almost a furious but devastating word vomit that makes the song just that much more devastating."

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Ally Row - Numb to the Touch.

Gippsland duo, Ally Row, release the final radio single “Numb to the Touch” (via Red Rebel Music / MGM Distribution) from their hit album, “Something More”, on Friday 20th February. The song is a stunning slice of melancholy perfection with both Alice and Rowan taking the reins on lead vocals. The gorgeous melody wax and wanes with lush, layered vocal harmonies, eery electric banjo and strings played ever so beautifully by Robyn Blann - proving they are more than energetic crowd pleasers.

Alice confides, “this song is all about acknowledging my own flaws and reminding myself that relationships take work because they contain two imperfect individuals. But sparks have to fly if you want to start a fire, right?” Rowan says, “when our faults aren’t recognised and accounted for, we start trying to be someone were not. this can be physically and mentally draining. We all just want to be loved for who we are.”

Ally Row kicked off 2026 with a successful stint at the Tamworth Country Music Festival that featured a stellar opening spot for Melody Moko that left people raving. Just hours after walking the red carpet at the 2026 Golden Guitar Awards and running on a few hours’ sleep, they were back in the car driving to Melbourne to perform at the 2026 Australian Open Tennis in Melbourne. Then off to Tasmania to support Shaun Kirk before heading back to Victoria to support Alex Lloyd.

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Romanie - Falling / It’s Not That Funny (Album).

Romanie reveals her impressive second album ‘It’s Not That Funny’ along with an exceptional music video for focus single ‘Falling.’ Arriving as a bold new chapter, ‘It’s Not That Funny’ takes shape as a deeply personal project. Through pure-vocals, tender lyricism and Romanie’s infectious charm, the album transforms powerful reflections into relatable and profound morsels of endlessly playable indie-pop. 

The duality of playful charm and hard-hitting vulnerability is immediate from the album’s title alone: “‘It’s Not That Funny’, which relates to trying to convince your therapist you’re funny and that anything that’s ever happened to you ‘wasn’t all that bad’,”. Romanie explained further; “I think that growing up in Belgium, we’re always told to keep a brave face and to keep going no matter what – which is great for endurance and resilience; but sometimes as humans, we just want to be soft. As women in society I feel like we always have to strive for perfection; but I think that with this album I wanted to seek out the imperfections; uncover what’s behind the jokes.” Over the eleven track body of work, Romanie displays her dedication to artistic honesty and social justice, never shying away from the complex and difficult topics. 

The album's focus single ‘Falling’ is a stand out moment that erupts into catharsis. Sharing more, she shared: “Initially, Falling was written about falling for the wrong people; but after recording it I felt like it was more of an omen of my own breaking down. Falling is the most fun to play live and the music video was shot at my 30th birthday party -I had to pay for a venue hire and was super broke at the time so Young Ha Kim [director] and I joked that we should shoot a music video to be able to claim it on tax. I had convinced all my friends to dress up in a wedding dress, kind of as a joke but everyone pulled up looking absolutely stunning. It’s really a representation of what the album means to me: no matter how rough life gets, my friends are there to hear me sob and pull me through hard moments as much as I want to be there for them.”


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J.MYSTERY - Change.

J.MYSTERY is a singer-songwriter from Portugal. He is an enigmatic artist who defies categorization, seamlessly blending various musical influences to create a captivating and ethereal sound. With a unique approach to songwriting and an unmistakable presence, J.MYSTERY takes listeners on a journey through mystery and introspection. His sound weaves alternative rock, electronic, and atmospheric pop elements, resulting in a beautiful and profoundly reflective sonic landscape.

The enigmatic persona of J.MYSTERY is reflected not only in his music but also in his stage presence and visual aesthetics. His captivating performances create an otherworldly atmosphere that envelops the audience. J.MYSTERY is carving a unique path in the music industry, challenging traditions and pushing the boundaries of sonic exploration. As he explains, “Music was always something deeply personal for me, something I loved rather than something I imagined as a career.”

His brand new single, “Change,” marks one of the most emotionally ambitious moments in his catalogue to date. Written and recorded in Portugal, the song began in his home studio before being developed alongside longtime collaborator and producer Francisco Reis, who has worked with him since day one. Expanding the process further, “Change” became his most collaborative project so far, featuring a string quartet and cinematic arrangements by Nikolai Gimaletdinov and IAN, giving the track a sense of scale while retaining its intimacy. Reflecting on the process, J.MYSTERY describes it as “one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve created to date.”


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Photo - Michelle Hunder
Anna Smyrk - Line by Line.

Leading the way for her debut album, Anna Smyrk returns with gorgeous new single ‘Line by Line.’ Written in the bathroom of an airplane, Line by Line is quietly introspective. It beckons a glimmer of light after darkness and serves as a reminder to take things as they come, one step at a time. Sharing more, Anna said: “I was flying home after a tour around Germany, feeling exhausted and really missing my dad, who had passed away a few months earlier. I watched a sad movie on the plane, then the chorus came into my head while the credits were rolling in the dark. I locked myself in the bathroom for a few minutes, singing quietly into my phone, and that was the seed of the song.”

Line by Line is the final teaser to arrive ahead of Anna’s debut album ‘Spectacular Denial’ which will be out on the 20th of March via Community Music. Shaped by her deeply personal journey with grief and her exploration of the many forms denial can take, the new album sonically sits in a rich space between indie, alt-pop, and folk, drawing inspiration from Blondie, Phoebe Bridgers, Garbage, Angie McMahon and Hozier. Listeners can anticipate a beautifully compelling body of work which looks to be an impressive milestone in Anna’s rise as an indie-pop artist to watch. 

Ahead of her upcoming debut album, Anna has already road tested her unreleased tracks during the recent Community Garden Tour around Australia. Her honest and reflective songwriting and approach to grief has been quietly resonating with audiences. “People have come to talk after the shows about their own losses,” says Anna. “It’s like we can share a little moment of solidarity’.

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Winona Oak - Stay the night.

Swedish singer-songwriter Winona Oak continues to showcase her new era with her candid new single ‘Stay the night’ out now via Nettwerk. Winona released her EP ‘Salt’ this spring, which was a poignant personal documentation of her physical and emotional states. Throughout this year, she has been working on new music and a progression in her raw and unvarnished sound, whilst still writing about the highs and lows of life; loss and repair, heartbreak and love, resistance and patience. 
 
With her new single ‘Stay the night’, Winona unveils a more organic approach by collaborating with renown Swedish producers Martin Stilling and TF, embracing live instrumentation and an emotive sonic palette to deliver a cinematic, deep and personal track. The intimately delicate filmed video by Studio Förgätmigej visually displays Winona being pulled between both strength and fragility.   
 
Winona says, “’Stay the Night’ captures the magnetic pull of desire — the moment you allow yourself to fall again, even while carrying old bruises. With aching honesty, the song explores the tension between surrender and self-protection.” ‘Stay the night is the next instalment in a new chapter for Winona Oak and she will be announcing further new music soon. 

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Sin Cos Tan - Brother Wallace - Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - Night Swimming - Marie Dahlstrom - Danny George Wilson

Sin Cos Tan - I Wasn’t Young, I Needed the Money. Finnish synth-pop duo Sin Cos Tan continue their Greed era with “I Wasn’t Young, I Needed...