Los Angeles-born singer, songwriter, and producer Sheva Elliot makes music that lives where roots rock, soul, Americana, gospel, and classic rock collide. A lifelong vocalist who began singing at age four, Elliot has built a reputation for music that is both emotionally raw and stylistically fearless, songs rooted in lived experience, instinct, and a refusal to flatten the complexity of being human.
Her work often explores what she calls “the truth of the human experience”: freedom, vulnerability, sensuality, playfulness, heartbreak, humor, and the courage to become who you really are. Whether delivering a slow-burning torch song or a swaggering rock anthem, Elliot writes with an autobiographical honesty that feels timeless and lived-in.
Elliot’s recent releases have begun to cut through with both audiences and tastemakers, earning editorial support and growing press attention while helping her carve out a distinct space in the modern roots and Americana landscape. Her previous single, “Ruler of My Heart,” marked a creative breakthrough, a cinematic, soul-infused release that showcased her vocal power and emotional depth, and further established her as an artist to watch in the next wave of genre-blending singer-songwriters.
Following that momentum, Elliot returns with “Birds of a Feather,” a twangy, upbeat roots-rock single that reveals another side of her artistry, bolder, freer, and more mischievous. Driven by the tension between doing what’s expected and doing what feels right, the song captures the thrill of choosing desire over approval and instinct over image.
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The pride of Lethbridge, a city in southern Alberta that serves as the hub of the local rural community, Starpainter likes to think of itself in similar geographic terms—a little bit town, and a little bit country. The six-piece unit demonstrated that on 2023’s Rattlesnake Dream, and is set to follow it up this fall with a new album that sees the band pushing its sonic ambitions even further.
Produced in Calgary by Chris Dadge—who also plays drums with Alvvays and Chad VanGaalen—first single “I Found a River,” adds a bit of shoegaze haziness to Starpainter’s alt-country foundation. Stretch says the song came to him quickly as a simple folk-rock tune, but blossomed into something entirely unexpected when they got into the studio, particularly once lead guitarist Joel Grey broke out his fuzz box.
Stretch explains, “‘I Found a River’ explores a déjà vu feeling that hits pretty often for me. Have I been here before? In this room with these exact people having this exact conversation? It can be a nice feeling sometimes—there is comfort and pleasure to be found in life’s repetitions. I used to see life in terms of growth and forward movement; in some ways I still do, but these days I notice cycles and seasons that leave and return. So, I think this song celebrates familiarity and dependability.”
"I Found A River" is further proof that Starpainter is a band determined not to be pigeonholed, but instead evolve with each album. As Stretch says, “I guess the through-line with the artists that inspire me the most is longevity and a willingness to try out bold ideas and create something that reflects wherever they’re at.”
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| Photo - Ed Townend |
‘In My Veins’ is the first single from Freyja Elsy’s upcoming 2026 EP to stop the world turning. The track captures vivid vignettes of childhood, quiet moments of inner turmoil, and a search for hope in the darkness. Anchored by Elsy’s emphatic voice, classically trained composition and innovative, cinematic production, it weaves together dramatic piano and luscious string swells with subtle electronic details to create an immersive, emotionally charged ‘folktronica’ sound while carrying a nostalgic undercurrent reminiscent of mid-2000s indie pop. The track was recently selected as a “Molly’s Must Add” on BBC Radio Wales by presenter Molly Palmer.
“Loud words taste violent, so I whisper.” The song centres on moments of emotional disconnect, tracing the tension between the desire to reach out and the instinct to retreat inward. Its lyrics move between quiet vulnerability and suppressed intensity, capturing the difficulty of expressing what sits just beneath the surface. As Freyja explains: “It’s about reflecting on moments from early life, realising the drastic impact they can have on the rest of your life, for better or worse, and trying to reconnect with emotions after a long period of numbness.”
Built from a rediscovered fragment, the track grew outward into something expansive in scale. As Freyja describes, “The song started with a piano loop I had forgotten that I’d recorded into my electric piano years prior, and used that as the foundational tool to build up the song layers from there. The melody transmuted into what is now the main guitar melody that meanders and flows around the lyrics, expanding into a gentle anti-melody underneath the entire song.” The arrangement unfolds from this core idea, mirroring the song’s emotional push and pull while maintaining a sense of forward momentum around its introspective core.
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| Photo - Adriàn Mora |
Burnt Toast Vinyl releases Lentamente's Bienvenida, an album by San Jose, Costa Rica-based post-punk, dream pop and shoegaze band, today June 5. The Spanish language band is comprozed of members of other popular Costa Rican shoegaze bands Adiós Cometa and Dylan Thomas. Since 2020, Lentamente has released three full-length albums, two EPs, and several singles through independent labels such as Z Tapes, Furia, and Stupid Decisions, among others. Their music has been issued in multiple formats, including cassette, seven-inch vinyl, and CD.
Lentamente is the moniker of musician and producer Arío Rojas. For live performances, the Ario is joined by Pablo Matamoros (Adiós Cometa), Esteban Fuentes, Diego Cubillo (Decora, Nuncamuere), and Sebastián Álvarez (Dylan Thomas., A Su Ladera)
The third full-length album, Bienvenida, was released in October 2023 and represents the most polished work in the band’s history. The record marked a turning point for Lentamente, solidifying the project’s longevity and expanding its recognition within the Latin American indie scene. The album has a shoegaze/dream pop sound with Cocteau Twins/Robin Guthrie guitars and the catchy energy of The Radio Department.
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Legendary power poppers The Spongetones return to continue their ongoing series of standalone singles with the all-new track “(I Really Need) To Kiss You,” a pitch-perfect swinging chamber pop mini-masterpiece that's sure to follow their recent hit “So Long” onto the indie airwaves and into their longtime fans' hearts.
“(I Really Need) To Kiss You,” is resplendent with chamber pop arrangement touches evoking the likes of Pet Sounds, Sgt. Peppers and Odessey and Oracle while rocking out like only The Spongetones can. Its natural fit within the band's oeuvre makes it a delightful surprise that, after the recent songs showing off the undimmed songwriting chops of founders Hoover, Stoeckel and Walters, it's the newest member of the band who provided the melodic framework for “To Kiss You.” As drummer-vocalist Eric Willhelm tells it, “I’ve had this melody knocking around in my head for quite some time. Over the years it’s had placeholder lyrics with subjects ranging from a girl dressed as a fish stick to the agony of misinterpreting a person’s body language. I decided to see what The Spongetones' brains trust could do with it, and Jamie came up with some great lyrics that capture the optimistic nature of the melody.
From there everything else fell into place, with Steve and Pat adding their own delicious talents. So finally, after years of bouncing around my head, the song is ready to leave the nest.” Hoover picks up the tale: “Eric sent me a copy of a demo he had put together of what we now call '(I Really Need) To Kiss You.' Great sounding thing, and I immediately said Hell yeah! Let me at it! All I needed was lyrics, and they streamed to me from 'above.' It was almost like taking dictation. It happens like that every so often, and this was such a time. I really just got the lyrics from how the music made me feel. They fell right into the track very quickly.
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Repeat After Me” is The October Effect at their most playful, a catchy tongue-in-cheek anthem about the people who book the same holiday, in the same place, every single year. Full of warmth, humour, and instantly recognisable scenes, the single captures the charm of all-inclusive tradition with a big chorus and an affectionate wink.
Formed in 2023 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK, The October Effect grew organically with an idea to record songs from songwriter and guitarist Laurence (aka Loz) Collins with the fantastic vocals of Cath Back. Laurence's songs blend elements of jazz and pop with a reflective, atmospheric edge - a very real 'October effect'. With an award-winning background in musical theatre, vocalist Cath Back adds depth and nuance to the band’s understated, emotionally-driven sound. The band is completed by its latest member, Mike Gutsell (bass and backing vocals), who has been collaborating musically with Laurence since they were teenagers.
The band's debut EP, Paint Yourself a Picture, was recorded at 13 Sound Studios, Weston-super-Mare and released in January 2026. The EP introduces The October Effect’s distinctive approach — thoughtful songwriting, emotionally resonant lyrics and a quietly confident sound.
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