London’s UK-Indian dream-pop group The Music Of Sound are pleased to unveil their powerful new single ‘Shimmer’, released via Monochrome Motif Records. Bringing together generations, cultures and musical backgrounds, The Music of Sound has developed a distinctive sound that blends dream pop, electronic music and cinematic songwriting. Comprised of Gen Z musicians Sherin and Elena alongside veteran composer, producer and radio broadcaster Neil March, the trio have drawn comparisons to Beach House, Saint Etienne, Chromatics and Future Islands while carving out a musical identity that defies comparison, and is unmistakably their own.
Originally formed by Neil March for a BBC Introducing performance at Latitude Festival, the band has evolved from their avant-garde and post-classical roots into the immersive electro dream-pop outfit they are today. [The] Music of Sound’s current incarnation began in 2024 when South Indian vocalist Sherin moved to the UK to pursue a career in music after growing up in a culture where opportunities for young women were heavily restricted. Meeting Neil March at London’s ICMP music college proved transformative for her, leading to an endorsement from Arts Council England as an ‘exceptional talent’ for a Global Talent Visa, her appointment as the band’s lead vocalist, which proved to be a pivotal role in shaping the band’s distinctive sound. Together with flautist Elena, the trio create music that explores empathy, identity, anti-fascism and social unity.
Following the acclaim surrounding recent singles ‘Tyche’, ‘Paradigm’ and ‘Ebbw Vale’, ‘Shimmer’ continues the band’s evolution through shimmering dream-pop textures, spacious electronic soundscapes and emotionally resonant songwriting. At its heart, the single delivers a message of hope and unity to an increasingly divided world, celebrating kindness, compassion and resilience over fear and hatred.
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Glue (out this week on digital platforms) is a lovely statement of longing for the idealized stories and characters we create throughout our lives. In our lucid moments we know they only exist in our minds, and that our dreams are the only place they can retain their perfection - but sometimes doesn’t it feel as if they’re about to step towards us, and pass right through the glass divide?
With organs that evoke seaside memories and guitars from the emo classics of yesteryear, Glue packs a surprising emotional punch as it dances between 3/4 and 6/8, richness and sparsity, warm memory and spiralling fantasy. Almost precisely three years since the release of Dollar Lizard Money Zombie, HMS Morris return with their fourth studio album SACI HACS, released through Bubblewrap Collective on October 30th 2026.
Recorded between the band’s home in Cardiff and an underground garage in Johnstown, SACI HACS is an enigmatic sack of peculiar hacks. Some actually useful, most absurd, all containing a kernel of joy.
The album explores the small systems and personal rituals that the songwriters have invented or discovered to help them survive modern life: hacks to filter out the bullshit, to avoid self-doubt, to channel feminine rage into positive action. All very useful and wise, but do not mistake SACI HACS for an endorsement of ultra-productivity, process-optimization and peak performance-chasing. The implication of HMSM’s messy, baroque life-lessons is that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions; all we can really offer our fellow-travellers is encouragement, levity and occasional moments of pure delight.
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Available now on streaming platforms worldwide, Bric-a-Brac Attack is an indie-pop collage featuring various guest vocalists. The eclectic follow up to 2022’s I’m Just Plain Mister Smith is now available digitally via Amelia Recordings/Symphonic.
On Bric-a-Brac Attack, Plain Mister Smith continues to expand the whimsical, thoughtful, and richly textured sonic world he has uniquely carved out. Clocking in at a half hour, the album is a collaborative effort featuring a melange of artists including Jordan Klassen, Findlay Brown, Tyson Motsenbocker, and more.
Beginning the hype for the album around summer of 2025 with lead single “Miss Sunshine”, the road to Bric-a-Brac Attack has been paved with other ear-candy like standouts “Andy Warhol” and “We Were Called The Fox”. Delectably smooth, fresh, and ready to shake up the indie music scene, Bric-a-Brac Attack features two unreleased tracks: “Grindavik” and “Ring of Fire”.
Simple, yet effective, Plain Mister Smith’s Bric-a-Brac Attack calls back the vocal prowess of Ben Gibbard while emanating the lyrical quirkiness of artists like Modest Mouse. Overall, the album is a screenshot of Plain Mister Smith’s experiences over the last few years, making it an introspective and relatable sonic treat.
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Out this weekend on Bandcamp and all streaming services, “Where Is Love” heralds the return of B.C.-based singer-songwriter Cari Burdett after a lengthy recording hiatus. A gorgeous slice of pop-soul that would surely make Carole King smile, "Where Is Love" previews Burdett's new album Don't Forget -- out Sept. 18 -- seven songs that offer an intoxicating mix of styles that in the end is entirely her own.
Don’t Forget marks 10 years since Burdett’s previous album Magnolia, which paid tribute to Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Edith Piaf and other legendary female artists. Although it was nominated for Best World Album at the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2016, Cari was unable to follow it up in a timely manner due to an unexpected vocal injury. What was intended to be a short pause thus became nearly seven years of healing, reconnecting with nature, and rediscovering her relationship with her own voice and identity.
Cari has channelled all of that into Don’t Forget, her first collection of self-penned material, developed through artist residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and during a retreat to the French Pyrenees. Looking back, Burdett now sees the songs as having anticipated the journey that followed. Written before the vocal injury, they became companions and teachers during the years that followed, guiding her toward a deeper understanding of her own resiliency.
“Don't Forget is more than my first album of original songs,” Cari says. “It is the story of finding my way back to myself. These songs carried messages that I didn’t fully understand when I wrote them. Years later, I found myself living them. They reminded me that love is everywhere, in the trees, in the air, in friendship, in grief, and in the people who carry us through difficult times.”
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