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| Photo - Hunter Brown and Lucy Werner |
Between their innovative arrangements, instrument swapping, scope of emotions and experiences conveyed in their songwriting, and an eclectic group of old friends and collaborators, NYC-based trio Bandits on the Run are truly living up to what they call their “ethos of artmaking” on their new album, 'Rough Magic' just released 12 June 2026.
“With a reverence for imperfection, grit, commitment, an acceptance that chaos is inevitable, and a deep gratitude for the friendships that are truly the foundation for everything — ‘Rough Magic,’ like love, is both a noun and a verb. It’s the goal and the method. It’s the god we’re evoking and welcoming into the room with each song we write and each show we play. At our core, we’re NYC buskers. We’re throwing our jackets on the ground and playing troubadour style — timeless and evergreen. We know the alchemy at play when you dare to believe that an empty section of a subway platform full of strangers can turn into a concert hall with new friends. None of this is perfect, or requires permission, it only asks that you dare your heart to be seen — even with all the rough edges. Because it’s rough, it’s magic,” the band says.
With rotating lead vocals and varied instrumentation, the trio of Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn evoke the 60s and 70s spirit of bands like Fleetwood Mac, The Mamas and the Papas, and The Velvet Underground while also carrying the sonic inventiveness of the modern folk power pop acts like First Aid Kit, Bonnie Light Horsemen, and Lucius. They swim in the same lyrical waves as I’m With Her, Folk Bitch Trio, The Staves, and other trios featuring impeccable harmonies and elevated songwriting so good they make the balancing act seem simple.
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| Photo - Mark McNulty |
Lo-fi Jones, a folk-indie four-piece from the heart of mid-Wales, recently announced the release of their debut album, Coming Sŵn, available now on all major platforms (12 June 2026). Recorded primarily at Our Lady Studio in Borth with producer and engineer Mike West, the album is an eclectic, defiantly original debut — rooted in Welsh folk and indie, but defying easy categorization. Additional tracks were recorded and produced in Oxford by Nikò O’Brien and Hannah Jacobs of pecq, in Cardiff by Mei Gwynedd, and in frontman Siôn Rickard’s bedroom. Adam Walton of BBC Radio Wales once described the band’s work as being like ‘an excellent home brew’ — ‘take one sip and it might take you somewhere you weren’t expecting.’ Words that certainly ring true for this record.
The album opens with a rhythmic, syncopated thrum of nylon strings as fiddle and harmonica glide the listener into an upbeat rendition of the Welsh traditional ‘Diofal yw’r Aderyn’. From there, the band veer off the beaten track, moving between genres and moods — playful, lyrical, reflective, and subversive. Original songs tackle topics ranging from broken toasters to refugees, climate change, and the language, landscapes and communities of Wales. Lo-fi Jones weave seamlessly between Welsh and English, with a smattering of Spanish and French.
“Some of these songs were written when we were still teenagers; others are much newer. We’re chaotic, obsessive, and it’s probably a miracle we finished the record at all — but we’re excited about what comes next.” — Siôn Rickard, Lo-fi Jones.
“With the music we make, we want to take the Welsh heritage — the folk, the stories, the storytelling of the people and Cymru — and bring it to life through the visions of people from different backgrounds; like myself, from Nicaragua, for example. Channeling the contemporary stories we all carry, through the language of the land.” — Rolando Bertrand Ruiz, Lo-fi Jones.
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| Photo - David McClister |
Nashville-raised band Breakfield released their self-titled album this weekend via Rounder Records. Produced by The 400 Unit’s Sadler Vaden (Jason Isbell, Beck, Morgan Wade), Breakfield reincarnates the band formerly named Boy Named Banjo as a four-piece that’s fully in tune with their most adventurous instincts.
Breakfield has already garnered support from Ones to Watch, MusicRow, Holler, All Country News and Americana Highways, who praised the album’s “sharper-edged storytelling” as the band delves into the complexities of relationships. Early singles include the rowdy “Straight for Heartbreak,” the optimistic “Pull Some Strings,” the bittersweet “Darker Out Tonight,” the tender "Ever-Loving Mind" and the anthemic “Canyon Walls.” Reimagining never-released material through the lens of their less-is-more approach, the album harnesses the spirited vitality they’ve shown at major festivals like Bonnaroo and historic venues like the Grand Ole Opry, while capturing the joyful abandon of their earliest days 15 years ago.
Formed in their teens, Breakfield includes Barton Davies (vocals/banjo), William Reames (guitar/vocals/harmonica), Ford Garrard (bass) and Sam McCullough (drums). The self-titled album follows their 2023 LP Dusk, which earned acclaim from American Songwriter, BrooklynVegan, Holler and Garden & Gun, who said "their sound has evolved and deepened, no longer penned in by just one genre."
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Artists such as Patti Smith, A.A. Williams and Slowdive come to mind within the first few bars of “Interesting Times.” The atmospheric density, urgency, and sonic expansiveness associated with these artists resonate throughout the new single by Bern-based musician Mirqa. With “Interesting Times,” she delivers an impressive solo debut.
Yet Mirqa is far from a newcomer to the Swiss music scene. As a drummer, singer, songwriter, and now also a producer, she moves confidently between different musical worlds. Alongside her solo work at Studio MMI and on her own label, Greymouse, she plays drums in two bands: the singer-songwriter trio “The Schrad’Elles,” of which she has been a member for more than 35 years—with interruptions—and, since 2024, the indie alternative rock formation “Curvy Curls.”
After spending an extended period abroad, Mirqa returns with a whole series of new songs. Her music comes straight from the heart—sometimes in Bernese German, sometimes in English—depending on which side of her artistic expression is calling to be heard. For her productions, Mirqa records most of the instruments herself, only occasionally receiving support from guest musicians. This independent and highly personal approach also defines “Interesting Times.”
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| Photo - Sasha Pedro |
Indie singer/songwriter Brooke Annibale has announced her new album Bolder Font will release on September 17th. Her first collection of brand new music in four years, Bolder Font finds the Rhode Island-based, Pittsburgh-native at the precipice of a creative rejuvenation as she rediscovers her self-worth after a series of disheartening and unexpected setbacks. Bolder Font also marks the first time she dove into full creative control of an entire album, including writing, recording, producing, editing, and mixing entirely on her own.
This weekend Annibale shared “Make You Mine,” her electrifying new single that burns with the thrill of chasing something you simply can’t walk away from: the pursuit of love, a creative passion, a road not taken. It captures that irresistible pull of going after what you want one more time, making the scenic route feel like the only route worth taking.
“I wrote this song after writing a few quite lyrically heavy ones, feeling like I just wanted to write something fun,” stated Annibale. “I pulled up a drum loop, set up my mic, and just started playing to see what would come out. The writing of ‘Make You Mine’ fell out in about a day. I love those kinds of songs, because they just feel natural, unforced. Tommy Ng, who played bass on this, really created this danceable element with the driving bass line in the choruses. I hear it in my head even when I’m playing it solo. Sure this could be taken as a simple love song, and it has some of that inspiration in there. But it also is about the pursuit of dreams, and chasing something more.”
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Christa Wells new single “I’m Okay,” is a gentle piano-led meditation on presence, acceptance, and finding safety in the moment you're in. Built around delicate piano, warm vocals, and a simple yet powerful refrain, the song creates space to slow down. There’s no rush, no destination, no pressure to be anything other than exactly who you are right now.
It feels like sunlight through a window. Like exhaling after carrying too much for too long. Like remembering that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is simply stay present.
At its heart, “I’m Okay” offers a reminder many of us need to hear: “In this moment - In this body - I'm okay” With each repetition, the song becomes less of a statement and more of an anchor. A grounding presence. A quiet reassurance that even amid uncertainty, there is safety in the here and now. This isn't a song about fixing yourself. It's about recognising that, for this moment, you are enough exactly as you are.
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