Holly Wild - British Birds - The Legendary Ten Seconds - Saycouth - Eidetic Dreams - The Spongetones

Holly Wild - Technicolour (Album).

Sydney-based indie-pop artist Holly Wild embraces the messiness of life through dreamy guitar, catchy choruses and emotionally honest storytelling on new album ‘Technicolour’, released this weekend.  

Following her debut album 'Fire' released in 2024, Wild continues to discover and shape her own personal sound, drawing from the experiences, relationships and emotions of her own life. Produced with Grammy-winning producers including Brian Forbes, the album channels these familiar experiences into a dynamic and colourful soundscape. 
  
‘Technicolor’ explores the complicated spaces between love, jealousy and self-worth. Wild moves from the extremes of consuming love to the quiet moments of questioning self-worth, turning small, unspoken moments of her life into tracks grounded in emotional honesty. The album celebrates the contradictions of choosing to feel deeply and being many things at once.

The 13-track album paints this vivid portrait of human emotion with catchy indie-pop melodies, bubbly vocals, and infectious hooks. Slower acoustic moments weave throughout, with intimate verses swelling into anthemic choruses. Wild leans into moments of angst and defiance through powerful vocals belts and haunting textures, while stripped-back tracks make room for airy vocals, chiming guitar arrangements and a more unfiltered intimacy. 

============================================================================

British Birds - Murmurate, Oscillate (Album).

We have had the pleasure of featuring a couple of track from the new album, now we are delighted to feature the full album (released this weekend) on Beehive Candy! ‘Murmurate, Oscillate’ kicks off with Lie Down With Dogs, Stand Up With Fleas, a rousing expression of exasperation at our passivity in the face of lame authority.  British Birds are acute observers of the English political scene, shrouding their observations in humour and surrealism.  Polka Dot Eyes is another piece of sharp social observation: it portrays Lancashire lads – friends from school – who join the Army and return home physically and mentally damaged. The song is simultaneously disturbing, funny and catchy as hell. 

From the fog of disinformation and doubt that surrounds us all in 2020s Britain, British Birds embrace the darkness, but with wit and verve – no slogans, no easy answers – and with an energy that helps us escape the mundanity of a declining island.   This might all sound a bit bleak, but it’s not: every single one of the songs on this album has a chorus as big as a house.  

There are personal songs too: Scary Movies is a poignant description of Bobby and Emma’s grandfather, who delighted in showing them horror films when they were kids – giving them sneak previews of the darkness they’d come to embrace as adults; Just Like Them is a celebration of introversion: it might not be fun, but it’s better than being an idiot. (Paradoxically, any other introverts who hear this song will feel impelled to join in in the chorus.)  

Blame Game and Thunder Claps examine the darkness inherent in relationships: there is always an impending storm, if you recognise the low hum of the imminent thunder.  Once again: the choruses of these songs confound the melancholy sentiment.

============================================================================

The Legendary Ten Seconds - Our Unfinished Business (Album).

Ian Churchward of The Legendary Ten Seconds continues his musical journey with the new album 'Our Unfinished Business.' The Legendary Ten Seconds is the music project of Ian Churchward who is the former guitarist of The Morrisons, who were featured on John Peel's Radio One show in 1987.

Ian has a deep passion for blending rich historical narratives with his distinctive sound. His musical project took on new life in 2013 when Lord Zarquon joined forces with Ian, bringing additional depth to the recordings. Since then, a talented roster of guest musicians and vocalists have stepped in to contribute to the studio projects, the most recent being Jay Brown, who co-composed and helped to record the evocative Sci Fi Hi Fi album. This is an astronomy/science fiction themed album which includes a song about a rogue planet.

As The Legendary Ten Seconds Ian has made a name for himself in the folk-rock genre, notably for his historically inspired albums. He has received critical acclaim for the work chronicling the Wars of the Roses and the life of Richard III, focusing on England’s 15th century. The music is more than just entertainment; it's a dedication to keeping history alive through story-driven songs that resonate with modern listeners.

In addition to crafting meticulously researched and artistically compelling albums, Ian has donated part of the proceeds from his music sales to a scoliosis charity. In 2018 he took the historical work to new heights with the release of the Mer de Mort album, commissioned by the Mortimer History Society in honour of its tenth anniversary. This album is a historically accurate collection of songs that delve into the fascinating and impactful history of the Mortimer family, from their roots in Normandy before the Battle of Hastings to their role in the 15th century. The album features narrative interludes read by the late actor John Challis—known for his iconic role as Boycie in Only Fools and Horses—who was a proud patron of the Mortimer History Society.

============================================================================

Saycouth - Heartbreaker.

Saycouth blends elements of Jazz, dance and Soul with storyful lyrics from singer Mikayla DeBassio, creating a lush soundscape underpinned by groove. Saycouth dropped three singles and videos in ’25, along with appearing at Nashville shows & parties. Their charismatic live performances shared the stage with house and soul DJs Soulsixnine and Erica Schultz from WNXP’s the brunch. 

In 2026, Saycouth brought a new set of songs to life at Wild Feather Recordings with producer Zach Kasik. The first single “Where Do We Go” is in equal parts, a dangerous love song and an allegory for our current times…with a decidedly Shakespearean twist. 

The new single "Heartbreaker" was released a few days back along with a lyric video, directed by Jason Stoltzfus. The band are celebrating the release with a free show at Living Waters Brewing in Nashville this coming Wednesday (details 'here').

============================================================================

Photo - Meri Björn

Eidetic Dreams - Shields (Album).

Finnish dream pop duo Eidetic Dreams released their long-awaited debut album Shields this weekend via All That Plazz. Four years in the making, the record combines towering walls of guitars, thunderous drums, shimmering pop melodies and an unwavering belief in the importance of tenderness. Formed by singer-songwriter Siiri Kähönen and guitarist-producer Antti Heikkilä, Eidetic Dreams have spent the past four years developing a sound that balances the ethereal beauty of dream pop with the intensity of shoegaze and the emotional immediacy of indie pop.

At the heart of Shields lies a deceptively simple idea. In a world that increasingly rewards cynicism, emotional distance and the appearance of toughness, perhaps softness is a form of strength. The album was born out of idealism, friendship and the belief that good people can still prevail. Kähönen and Heikkilä openly embrace their romantic worldview, rejecting the notion that vulnerability or naivety should be considered weaknesses.

For Eidetic Dreams, romance is more than a musical aesthetic. It is a way of approaching the world, an active choice to remain open to beauty and human connection even when doing so feels increasingly difficult. The album's title reflects this philosophy. Each song becomes a shield of its own, a place of refuge from the noise and harshness of the outside world. Rather than building barriers through emotional detachment, Eidetic Dreams find protection in tenderness.

Musically, Shields is both intimate and expansive. Its sound is built around enormous drums, dark synthesizer basslines and luminous guitar melodies, with influences from 1980s pop production woven into a distinctly contemporary dream pop landscape.

============================================================================

The Spongetones - Starting To Feel.

The past two years have marked a surprising and welcome renaissance for The Spongetones. Having celebrated their 40th Anniversary with a sold-out concert in their home state of North Carolina – a show preserved for posterity on a hit live album from Big Stir Records – the band has been hard at work pushing forward in the studio ever since. ]

The current lineup of founding singer-songwriters Jamie Hoover (guitar), Steve Stoeckel (bass), Pat Walters (guitar) and recently-inducted drummer Eric Willhelm –not only delivered three new powerhouse studio tracks in support of the live album, but continued on this year with a series of old school standalone guitar pop singles. Each one (“So Long,” “(I Really Need) To Kiss You,” “Lifetimeline” and “The Music At The Close”) has left its mark on indie pop radio and playlists worldwide, and each has showcased a different facet of the band's pop acumen. 

The fifth in the series, “Starting To Feel,” performs the amazing feat of introducing a new voice from among the talent on hand in the band's lineup while preserving everything about The Spongetones' enduring identity. “This is the first time in the band’s history that someone other than Jamie, Pat, or me has sung lead vocal,” says bassist Stoecke. He's referring to Willhelm stepping to the fore to deliver the soaring melody over an emotive backing track (and a wall of signature harmonies) that couldn't be crafted by any band other than The Spongetones. 

It's Willhelm's second co-written song with Spongetones co-founder Hoover, who sang lead on this past June's joyful hit “(I Really Need) To Kiss You,” but his debut in front of the band (while also still manning the drum kit) and he's more than up to the challenge of lending a voice to this lush, moving tale of recovery and rebirth. Willhelm explains, “As with the first co-write with Jamie, this was another series of chords and a melody line I’ve had bouncing around in my head since the early '90s. All this time it’s just been a la-la thing in my head. Jamie remedied the la-la part!”

============================================================================

British Birds - Sébastien De Francesco - Rachel Cribby - Next Week’s Washing

British Birds - Stuck In A Room.

Just ahead of the forthcoming new album (Murmurate, Oscillate) from British Birds the group share another new single which from Beehive Candy's perspective confirms we are in for a very special collection of new songs. The single is called 'Stuck In A Room'. Of it, singer Bobby Townson says "'There are days where you can't be bothered socialising or achieving anything at all. Put some crap on the TV, open a bottle of wine and write off whatever’s happening, I think it’s healthy to have those days."

As a reminder: ‘Murmuration’ is the low hum made by those vast, beautifully choreographed flocks of starlings as they simultaneously flap their wings and take to the sky.  Some people say that the frequency of this unique, rumbling, oscillating sound can cure diseases...  

One of the most exciting live bands in the UK, British Birds combine the garage-punk energy of Billy Childish, the wry English sophistication of XTC and the witty pop inventiveness of The Lovely Eggs.  Like the murmurating flocks of starlings, they create a unique sound, and might even be able to cure diseases.

Based in Chorley, Lancashire, British Birds are a resolutely DIY band.  Bobby records and mixes all the music; Emma creates all the artwork.  Their first two albums were self-released, selling hundreds of copies at gigs and at a few chosen record stores.   British Birds didn’t wait for permission to take flight.  They just got on with it.  

============================================================================

Sébastien De Francesco - Leaving Now.

Following “Fleury Street” and “Love on the Way Down,” Québec-based singer-songwriter Sébastien De Francesco shares “Leaving Now,” an intimate and bittersweet folk-rock single that imagines the final moments between two close friends from the perspective of the person preparing to leave. Moving between companionship, reassurance and acceptance, the song finds tenderness within loss while holding onto the belief that love and connection continue after someone is gone.

Inspired by the final afternoon Sébastien spent with a close friend who was dying of cancer, “Leaving Now” gradually became an imagined conversation between the two. Some lines are voiced from his friend’s perspective, asking for companionship as his memory and strength begin to fade, while others capture Sébastien’s instinct to comfort and protect him.

“The shifting point of view makes the song feel like an intimate conversation between two friends rather than simply a song about grief,” Sébastien shares. The song’s title arrives only at its conclusion. Sébastien spent nearly an entire day working on the ending, knowing the conversation needed to reach its final goodbye without becoming overly dramatic. Eventually, the words “But I’m leaving now” emerged, as though his friend were gently acknowledging that it was time to go. “‘Leaving Now’ expresses the immediacy of that goodbye, but the song also suggests that love and connection remain after someone leaves,” Sébastien explains.

============================================================================

Photo - Kelsey Gale

Rachel Cribby - Rich Boy Luck.

Rachel Cribby has announced her debut album ‘I Can’t Wait To Forget This Later,’ to be released November 20 on First City Artists (Coco, Alexa Rose, Eliza Edens). Produced by Daniel Ledwell (Jenn Grant, Oh Pep, Ken Yates), the album shimmers with early aughts alt pop appeal—brisk melodies laden with sharp, darkly comical lyricism reminiscent of Aimee Mann, Rilo Kiley, or Liz Phair. 

This week, she shares lead single “Rich Boy Luck,” a zipping and incisive assessment of a young love’s implosion. “Have you ever seen that meme that’s like, ‘who is the worst person you’ve ever met and why was it the guy you dated when you were 19?’” shares Cribby. “That’s what this song is about!”  She continues, “The emotion that I cathartically ejected from this song is RAGE, which is a tough emotion for me. Feels good.”

"Rich boys never know what they want - What’s there to get when all the getting’s been got? - Rich boys don’t know anything about luck".

The Canadian-born, Detroit-based songwriter’s sardonic style is for more than listener’s amusement; it’s her healing method of choice. And in recent years, she’s needed one, having lost her father and left her beloved Montreal in quick succession. “It’s not like my twenties weren’t tumultuous,” shares Cribby. “I had plenty to sing about. I was dumped more than I can count and maybe did a bit of dumping myself. But something has happened to me in my thirties, where all of the big life stuff that I thought I could ignore by moving away, by trying to become a completely independent and self-assured person, smacked me in the face. And then it promptly started to eat me alive.”

============================================================================

Photo - Hayden Armstrong

Next Week’s Washing - Clear Eyes.

Continuing to push beyond the sound established on their breakout debut EP, Toronto indie quintet Next Week’s Washing shares “Clear Eyes,” a massive, dreamy, and cinematic new single that brings alternative rock energy together with densely layered shoegaze. Taken from the band’s forthcoming second EP, the track represents their most expansive recording yet, combining walls of textured instrumentation with upfront vocals and a growing confidence in the sound they can distinctly call their own.

“Clear Eyes” was the first song Next Week’s Washing wrote after completing their debut EP. Rather than starting over, the band approached the track as an opportunity to take the foundations they had already established and push them somewhere bigger.

“We wanted to take the sound we had begun to develop with the first six songs and push it forward,” the band explains. “We took a lot more time building layers into the recording, and the result is our biggest (sonically) sounding song yet.”

That progression can be heard throughout the track. While the instrumentation leans heavily into the band’s shoegaze influences, Next Week’s Washing deliberately pushed the vocals forward in the mix, allowing the songwriting to remain present within the song’s towering layers of guitars. The result lands somewhere between the immersive atmosphere of shoegaze and the immediacy of alternative and indie rock, bringing the different sides of the band’s identity into sharper focus.

============================================================================

British Birds - The Rallies - Purple Pilgrims - Loren Berí - Mel Denisse - The McKenzie FIX

British Birds - Scary Movies.

We have the superb new single 'Scary Movies' from the wonderful British Birds ahead of their forthcoming album. Chorley-based British Birds are Bobby and Emma Townson. Drums are by Dominic Lawson and bass is by James Robinson. It's another taster for their forthcoming album 'Murmurate, Oscillat' which is due 16 October. 

The single reminds us of The Kinks and The Sweet. Meanwhile, according to Bobby, "Scary Movies is a nostalgic road trip through memories of our grandad, who recently passed away, celebrating the unconventional influence he had on us through his own unorthodox interests. It gives a gentle nod to Ty Segall’s ripping guitar riffs, Black Sabbath-esque drum fills and the hazy vocals of Tomorrow Never Knows."

‘Murmuration’ is the low hum made by those vast, beautifully choreographed flocks of starlings as they simultaneously flap their wings and take to the sky.  Some people say that the frequency of this unique, rumbling, oscillating sound can cure diseases...  

One of the most exciting live bands in the UK, British Birds combine the garage-punk energy of Billy Childish, the wry English sophistication of XTC and the witty pop inventiveness of The Lovely Eggs.  Like the murmurating flocks of starlings, they create a unique sound, and might even be able to cure diseases.

============================================================================

The Rallies - No Better Time (Album).

Released earlier this year The Rallies fourth album 'No Better Time' has only just arrived on our radar, thanks to the band contacting us themselves and we are really pleased they did, as this is such a wonderful fit for Beehive Candy. They tell us "On this album, we wanted to get a bouncy, sunny, pop feel just in time for summer to shine!" All we can do is agree.
 
The Rallies have a knack for writing deliciously infectious power pop tunes, seamlessly not missing a beat and delivering irresistible melodies with hooks that stick like glue. Their music might have a reminiscent retro sound that you swear you've heard before, but the final result is something quite new and original.

Four albums and forty-two songs later, The Rallies will be celebrating fifteen years of existence. Their signature sound remains intact, with songs immersed with heartfelt love for melody and uplifting intoxicating harmonies, apparent in every song.

Their previous album 'It Must Be Love' received exceptionally positive reviews, even selected the #1 Power Pop Album of 2023 by Power Pop News. For their fourth and most recently recorded album, No Better Time, they returned back to the same Seattle studio and producer, Johnny Sangster at Crackle & Pop!. If it's worked before in the past then why meddle with success!

============================================================================

Photo - Olivia Renouf

Purple Pilgrims - Innocence Lost.

Purple Pilgrims have announced the release of their third album, Given to the Night, out on the 27th November via Flying Nun Records in New Zealand. Truths and secrets often reveal themselves at night, under the freedom of shadowy darkness, away from prying eyes. In creating Given to the Night, sisters Valentine and Clementine Nixon have crafted a world that drifts through the in-between: between dream and reality, between day and night and the undefined, and ultimately a world that embraces the discomfort of being untethered. 

A process that follows simplicity and intuition rather than pre-determined narratives. “We recorded songs as they appeared, which sometimes felt like catching light. Before we realised it we had a record”, the duo explain. The first single, ‘Innocence Lost’, is out today alongside a brand new visualiser made with the support of NZ on Air. The new track is a dreamy example of the duo’s signature kaleidoscopic sound.

As Purple Pilgrims, Clementine and Valentine Nixon make music that is at once classic and wholly idiosyncratic. Raised between New Zealand and Hong Kong, the sisters began performing in subterranean gallery spaces and music venues across Hong Kong’s abandoned industrial estates, with sets of experimental noise and futuristic dream-pop.

============================================================================

Photo - Nate DiDomizio

Loren Berí - Stagehand.

The new single "Stagehand" from inventive New York-based singer-songwriter Loren Berí is released this week. The artist blends lush chamber textures with catchy indie songwriting, marked by inventive storytelling and a charismatic performance style. “Stagehand” is about abandoning exaggerated versions of yourself and finding unexpected beauty and relief in simply being yourself, even when you feel like you’re living backstage rather than starring in the story.

Loren Berí is a New York-based singer-songwriter whose work blends lush chamber textures with catchy indie songwriting, marked by inventive storytelling and a charismatic performance style.

Berí's sophomore album, Stagehand will be released this year alongside a book of accompanying poems.The title track is a dreamy chamber pop embrace. He shares, “After the late night writing I got into this idea of a stagehand who’s convinced he’s a character in a play, unaware he’s just the person moving set pieces around in the dark while the actual characters stand frozen, waiting for him to leave the stage before starting an actual scene. Midway through I realized it felt like the completion of an arc that began with Alby’s Ghost. Where ‘Alby’ centers on this egoic, larger-than-life, limelight sort of character, ‘Stagehand’ is the opposite.

============================================================================

Mel Denisse - Hunted.

The new single "Hunted" from Nashville based artist Mel Denisse is released this week. “Hunted” is a driving alt-pop/rock track that draws from dark romance themes that blur fear and obsession. It's dark, nocturnal, and atmospheric. She shares, "It’s a bit of a psychological game, blending obsession, fear, and desire towards someone or something that you are fighting one day, embracing the next. Things aren’t always black and white and this track explores a lot of those emotions.”

Nashville-based artist and producer Mel Denisse leans into duality, blending left-field pop with jagged alt-rock. With delicate vocals threaded through dissonant, distorted production, Denisse is drawn to the clash with her newest genre-defiant single, “hunted.”

Previous releases earned spins on BBC Radio 1’s Alternative Show, placement on Spotify’s All New Rock, and tastemakers from Ones to Watch note “I've learned to expect the unexpected when I put her on,” while LADYGUNN praised her “singular approach to alt-rock and pop, setting her apart in a saturated landscape,” calling it “refreshing, an essential listening for those craving authenticity in an age of imitation.”

============================================================================

The McKenzie FIX - Wonder The World.

The single 'Wonder The World' is our first brand new music in two years. It's taken from our third album, which is coming out in early 2027. ''A driving, 80s-inspired synth-pop anthem with bright melodies and a pulsing bassline. 'Wonder the World' blends nostalgic new wave energy with reflective lyrics about time and wanderlust. Perfect for retro-aesthetic TikToks, travel vlogs, and late-night driving playlists.'' (Auramusic)

The McKenzie FIX is the Pop-Wave / Synth-Pop sound of musician-songwriter Ewan McKenzie. McKenzie has an eclectic collection of songs and releases behind his back. His music is kaleidoscopic and diverse - he is continuously finding new ways to express himself through a broad sonic palette.
 
Formerly Ewan was lead singer with the Edinburgh band Emporium, gaining traction with BBC introducing / BBC Radio Scotland, with reviews in national press. They were also awarded a grant from the Scottish Arts Council for their album 'Silver Brainwaves'.

============================================================================