Katie Boeck - The Wild Things - Greg Jamie - Jont - Honey Motel - Maygen & The Birdwatcher

Katie Boeck - Dust.

Nashville-based indie singer/songwriter + actress Katie Boeck (pronounced Bōke) returns with “Dust” today August 15th, produced by Shane Leonard and recorded at his home studio in Eau Claire, WI.

It’s a song about spiritual timing, when one soul is ready for something real and the other is still chasing fleeting pleasures. The gentle guitar and dreamy vocals seduce the listener with a gentle warning, and a challenge to rise. But ultimately the song settles into acceptance and letting go.

For the video, Katie worked with Bella Mazzola (Twin Lantern Productions). “We wanted to reflect on that longing with something simple yet ethereal, a visual echo of the song’s emotional space: vulnerable and yearning, but also beautiful and sacred,” explains Katie.

Katie Boeck is an actor who shared the lead role of Wendla in the Tony nominated Broadway revival of “Spring Awakening,” a coming-of-age rock musical with music by Duncan Sheik. The play’s success led to appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, and feature with Katie and Sandra Mae Frank on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

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

The Wild Things - I Can't Wait.

Following on from the release of “Knock Down, Drag Out” earlier this summer, The Wild Things have announced their new single “I Can’t Wait”, which details the second half of their sonic love story.

Back in June, The Wild Things shared “Knock Down, Drag Out”, a scorching tale of lust and love in New Orleans, delivered through cheeky lyrics and pop-rock soundscapes. Now, the band have announced their follow-up single, “I Can’t Wait’, which recounts the bitter end to the love affair. 

From the opening moments of the track, The Wild Things make it clear that any feelings of lust have been replaced with rage over the course of the summer. “Hey son of a bitch,” declares vocalist Sydney Rae White, “First of all, go to hell.” Taking aim at game-playing scumbags and arrogant fools, the track is defiant and self-assured, bringing their summer lovin’ (or lustin’) to an abrupt end over catchy rock instrumentals.

““I Can’t Wait” is part two of our love affair story, happening inside New Orleans,” shares White, “The gap between the singles is the realtime breakdown of our character’s relationship, ending in a vitriolic yet cathartic rock song. This song is a real shift for us in some really exciting ways. If “Knock Down, Drag Out” is a nod to our past, “I Can’t Wait” is a window into our future…”

The Wild Things · I Can't Wait

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

Photo - Kyle Ross

Greg Jamie - I'd Get Away.

This week, weird art lifer Greg Jamie shares "I'd Get Away," the first track from his forthcoming full-length, Across a Violet Pasture. An established devotee of dark weirdness, Greg Jamie brings forth his second solo album on Orindal, Across a Violet Pasture. Over ten songs, Jamie journeys to the strange, enchanted center of his personal vision. This is a space between sleeping and waking, where Jamie’s woodsy, weary voice guides us forward.

It’s no surprise that the latest from the Maine-based musician and visual artist aims to haunt, but this experimental folk pop does it in a way that’s more playful than funereal. It lays a shimmering floor over the abyss.

Across a Violet Pasture evokes, on different tracks — a sea shanty, a cowboy song, and lounge music for a David Lynch film. A beaten-up vintage drum machine provides the pulse for one song, while another conjures the cavernous panic of Suicide. But the album doesn’t adhere too strictly to any gesture or influence. This is Jamie’s unique blend.

Many of the songs on Across a Violet Pasture are about going away — in search of freedom, alternatives, and a sense of meaning. There are mentions of the open road, a passage through the woods, distant shores, and the countryside. Yet Jamie’s descriptions of everyday life are mostly hints of a real world, quickly interrupted by bursts of the unexpected. Stories about relationships and inner turmoil are suggested. A broken or restless heart cries out. But the narratives are never fully told. On “Beautiful Place,” the singer speaks as if in a dream: “I took the witches by the hand / To tell me where I am / And take me back inside the fold.”

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

Photo - Harry Artland

Jont - Walk Right Through.

From a beach hut in Thailand to the wooded trails of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, "Walk Right Through" is Jont's latest transmission from the deeper currents of human experience – a contemplative, harmony-soaked track that feels both ancient and modern, gentle and unflinching. The inspiration that Jont experienced during his time in Thailand was more than just a song – it was a narrative wrapped in archetype and poetry.
 
"A story of a son and a father, of a truth so radical it's banned by society, of the desire to sing that truth despite everything," he explains. "It's a photographic story if you want to see it. But more than that, it's a felt experience – melodic, harmonic, trance-like. The lyrics are there, but the real message is in the feeling."

At the heart of the track lies a chorus that offers a kind of spiritual reassurance: "Nothing's ever gonna get you / nothing's ever gonna blow you out / no-one loves you like I love you / you're the me that is all around." "I have goosebumps as I type these words," Jont admits. "Perhaps I've never felt prouder of a song than this one. Or maybe I mean grateful."

"Walk Right Through" lands as a personal and artistic high point – not only for its musicality, but for the clarity with which it affirms Jont's role in this world. "We are the ones who bring the songs," he says. "Thousands that may disappear without trace. But one or two get through. One or two, 50, 60, 80 years later, will still be alive in people's hearts. We do this for those who are not here yet."

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

Honey Motel - Try Not To Worry, Babe’. 

Ahead of the anticipated upcoming EP Motel FM (Nov 28th), Liverpool rising indie-rockers Honey Motel share the reflective new single ‘...Try Not To Worry, Babe’. 

Produced by Alec Brits (Clean Cut Kid, Michael Aldag, St Catherine’s Child), ‘...Try Not To Worry, Babe’ showcases more of the bands indie credentials whilst highlighting the more emotive, reflective side of the band's writing. Intimate and honest, yet built around some radiant guitar work and soaring, infectiously catchy vocals, the track balances its emotive undercurrent with an accessible and stylistically vibrant soundscape. 

Talking about the track, lead vocalist Freddie explains: “‘Try Not to Worry, Babe’ to me is if the Fallout video games were a surf rock inspired song. We wrote about what it would really look like if the world fell apart, not in a movie, in real life. Little details like the weatherman breaking down on live TV as the facade crumbles, and ultimately everyone embracing the end. (And I got to make a plane noise with Sam's guitar in the studio which I am very proud of)”

Honey Motel formed in the rehearsal rooms of Liverpool, rooted in the teenage friendship of guitarist Sam Meredith and bassist Jack Hughes, who laid the band’s early foundations before drummer Lew Fogg joined in the winter of 2023, locking in the rhythm section. With the groove in place, they brought in Freddie Griggs to lead the outfit in April 2024, debuting as a four-piece at Liverpool Sound City 2024 and diving headfirst into the live circuit. 

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

Photo - No Aesthetic Stills

Maygen & The Birdwatcher - Millie Moon.

This week, the Minnesota-based group Maygen & The Birdwatcher are encouraging all of us to welcome joy into our hearts on new single “Millie Moon” from upcoming LP The Americana Dream, out October 10 via Yellow House Music Collective / Missing Piece Records. The song finds lead vocalist Maygen Lacey, vocalist/guitarist Noah Neumann and banjo player Nik Pellinen trading verses about what happens when you let good things come to you and embrace bliss – especially after a particularly rough patch in your life. Mandolin player Jesse Maravec adds harmonies to create a truly communal sound.

On the new song, Neumann shares: “The journey out of the briars into accepting and welcoming joy. The melody and the tone of this song were something we really wanted to make very sing and dance-along friendly, to encourage everyone to experience joy.” 

The new LP reimagines the traditional definition of the American Dream by shifting away from the aspirational nature of the concept itself and moving towards a full embrace of the literal definition of Americana – the vast geographical, historical and cultural expanse that reflects Maygen & The Birdwatcher’s roots as well as this country as a whole. The band already shared the bouncy first single “Feel Good,” as well as the cathartic “Elizabeth,” which was named The Current’s Song of the Day and earned praise from Magnet Magazine who lauded the band’s “easy Midwestern charm and effortless versatility.” 

The record’s expansive sound, firmly rooted in the band’s bluegrass and folk roots, is the result of a new recording process where Lacey and Neumann worked with co-producer John Fields (Brandi Carlile, Soul Asylum, Miley Cyrus). Bursting onto the scene with their sparkling bluegrass in 2021, they’ve already shared stages with fellow genre luminaries like Sierra Ferrell, Old Crow Medicine Show and Grace Potter. They’ve also won Album of the Year, Americana Artist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year from the Midwest Country Music Organization.


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

The Cords - Alex Fernet - Honey Motel

The Cords - Fabulist.

The Cords are the brightest new indie pop band from Scotland. Comprising sisters Eva and Grace Tedeschi, they started playing drums when they were little kids.  They found that they liked 80s and 90s indie music more than their peers did, and so formed a band, just the two of them, with Grace on drums and Eva on guitar – and the songs started to flow. Skep Wax Records (UK/Europe) & Slumberland Records (US) will release their debut album on 26 September 2025.

First single ‘Fabulist’ is a sweet and catchy pop song that races along, so headlong and hooky that, on first listen, you could miss the fact that it’s a wholehearted take-down of people who lie for a living.  And the album is a rollercoaster from that point onwards.  ‘Just Don’t Know (How To Be You)’ turns the jangle-meter up, quickly giving way to ‘October’, which pushes it higher still.  A lot of the songs are short and sweet, but the album is full of surprises.  ‘Yes It’s True’ comes in with real swagger, then softens you up with Lush-like vocal harmonies.  Closing track ‘When You Said Goodbye’ is a dreamy tearjerker. 

The album was produced by Jonny Scott and Simon Liddel, and it respects the band’s stripped down DIY approach. There is some bass guitar (played by Eva and Grace) and occasionally a keyboard pokes its head above the surface.  But these elements are simply doing their job: the real stars of this record are Eva’s sinuous guitar and silky vocals, and Grace’s clattering, expressive sing-song drums.  It’s the sound of two sisters having an intense musical conversation with each other, pushing each other on to greater heights, exhilarated by the set of perfect pop songs they have magicked up.  

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

Photo - Riccardo Michelazzo

Alex Fernet - Hey Lady.

Post-funk artist Alex Fernet has recently announced the release of his new album 'Modern Night' on 26th September via Bronson Recordings. Alex Fernet has already shared two singles from the upcoming record: 'Sunlight Vampires,' which introduces a recurring character of the album and 'The Nightdrive,' described by Alex as the album's manifesto, depicting a night journey through eerie, deserted streets.
 
This week sees the release of the third and final single, 'Hey Lady'. This track is more intimate: a whispered confession in a smoke-filled lounge. There’s romance here, but it’s disillusioned, filtered through VHS fuzz and draped in the kind of synth-pop sadness you might hear from a car stereo in 1983, parked outside a closed-down bowling alley.
 
Self-produced by Alex and mixed and mastered by Maurizio Baggio (Boy Harsher, The Soft Moon), 'Modern Night' musically defies easy categorisation. There are echoes of AOR radio ballads, post-industrial funk, and soul music stripped of optimism. Think of it as future nostalgia with dirt under its fingernails: a deeply contemporary work that rejects digital perfection in favour of analogue imperfection. As Fernet puts it: “In an era of over-edited sound, the most radical act might be to let things breathe.”

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

Honey Motel - Milk.

Ahead of their set on the mainstage at Y Not festival, Liverpool's Honey Motel announce the upcoming EP Motel FM and share the radiant new single ‘Milk’. Opening with an illusory opening acapella vocal, ‘Milk’ soon bursts into a buoyant wall of indie through jazzy guitar chords, thick bass and tight offbeat drums. As the track reaches its euphoric chorus, the band's alt-rock side shines through as the vocals soar high above the crunching guitar tones, creating a sound instantly comparable to Nothing But Thieves. 

Produced by Alec Brits (Clean Cut Kid, Michael Aldag, St Catherine’s Child), the new single builds on the acclaim the band have previously gained across national press and radio alike, showcasing the bands evolution as they build towards the release of the new EP. 

Talking about ‘Milk’, guitarist Sam explains: “Milk explores the quiet unraveling that happens when you're unable to open up, especially in moments of emotional low. The song captures the struggle of bottling things up, of feeling detached, numb, and disconnected from the world around you, particularly through the lens of male vulnerability. 

Inspired by Freddie’s own experiences, Milk sits in that tension: the fear of speaking, the pressure to keep going, and the subtle cracks that form when you can’t. The lyric “where are the drums” becomes a cry for distraction, a metaphor for the urge to drown out what’s really going on inside, or a question of why life doesn’t feel as effortless as it seems for others. It's a track about losing grip, quietly, and what it sounds like when no one hears it.”

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

Honey Motel - Boo Boos - The Wind-Ups

Honey Motel - If You Didn’t Exist.

Liverpool's Honey Motel whose exciting current genre blurring single ‘If You Didn’t Exist’ has been accompanied by a new video released today 17th June.

Produced by Alexandros Brits (Clean Cut Kid, Michael Aldag, St Catherine’s Child), the new single builds on the acclaim the band have previously gained across national press and radio alike, showcasing the bands evolution as they build towards the release of the new EP. A striking display of musicality and intelligent songwriting, ‘If You Didn’t Exist’ moves between moments of swaying melodic-Indie, Blues infused licks and bursts of high energy Alt-Rock, ultimately resulting in a track that displays the band’s strikingly unique approach to songwriting.

A fluent and inventive journey through the band’s varying style and influences, the track shifts pace and feel throughout. From the flawlessly husky lead vocals, to the tightly locked drums and grounding bass, to the elegant flourishes of guitar, ‘If You Didn’t Exist’ manages to balance its restless shifts in pace with catchy and memorable lead melodies. Talking about the single, guitarist Sam explains: “This is the first track the band and Fred clicked together on. I showed him the track in one of our first rehearsals and Lew and Jack played along. It was like the track went from black and white to technicolour instantly. He just seemed to get it…Fred brought it to life.

Thematically, If You Didn’t Exist is about the quiet weight certain things carry in our lives. Things that might seem insignificant to others, but for us, hold everything together. A favourite band, a partner, a personal obsession, take them away, and suddenly the whole structure starts to wobble. The song sits with that feeling, the fear of losing what makes life feel like life.”

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

Boo Boos - C'mon Baby / That's Not A Thing.

Dynamic bicoastal duo Boo Boos share a first taste of their debut album Young Love, due out September 19 via Play It Again Sam. The double single features C'mon Baby and That's Not A Thing.

Boo Boos comprises of E, founder of rock band EELS and Kate Mattison, founder of 79.5. 

The project was born from a musical dialogue of ideas and songs sent back and forth between the two artists, eventually leading to recordings these songs.


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

The Wind-Ups - Cheer Up.

The Wind-Ups are back with a new song off their recently announced upcoming full length album. The Wind-Ups (Northern California) return with their third album this summer. 11 blistering tracks of lo-fi sugar punk à la the Ramones and Spits, Confection is a cotton candy rock’n’roll blitzkrieg. Recorded to tape by frontman/ringleader Jake Sprecher.

The anxious and snarling energy of the lead off track "A Fine Pink Mist" recalls the early days of Denton, TX's Marked Men in their most primitive state. From there the tone is set–a wall of noise and fuzz-drenched guitars recalls Black Tambourine's Ramones covers EP, with a backbeat that feels like a panic attack. The result: bubblegum music through blown out speakers played at the wrong speed, noisy and demented in the best possible way.

When Sprecher sweetens things up a bit for the saccharine sing-alongs “(That's Just My) Dream Girl" and "To Keep Away," Confection shows its softer and more sensitive Joey side; but it’s the midtempo spoken word duet "Cheer Up" that steals the show. A love letter to those feeling exhausted, beaten down and doubting themselves, the song radiates the genuineness, positivity and earnestness that really defines who The Wind-Ups are. Last but certainly not least, the LP closes with a rare electric guitar appearance from Jonathan Richman on the outro of “Little Boy Blue.”

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