Showing posts with label John R. Miller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John R. Miller. Show all posts

Sunday, 19 July 2026

Jont - Aderyn - The Stanford Family Band - Rachel Bochner - John R. Miller

Jont - Another World.

Following the May 2026 release of his latest album, Walk Right Through, Nova Scotia-based singer-songwriter Jont returns with “Another World.” Chill, uplifting, and emotionally expansive, the single traces the full arc of romantic love from connection and separation to reunion and renewal. Blending indie, alternative, rock, and shamanic folk influences, the track feels both timeless and transformative. It captures the beauty of love not as a destination, but as an ongoing journey.

Originally one of the oldest songs in Jont’s repertoire, “Another World” found new life after relocating from the UK to Cape Breton. Long written but never fully realized, the track suddenly revealed itself through the region’s rich Celtic musical traditions. What had once been a straightforward love song evolved into something more communal, celebratory, and alive. “I suddenly felt the 3/4 time signature come through,” Jont explains. “The singalong ‘la da da da da’ chorus outro arrived, and I imagined a heaving, sweaty dancing crowd singing at the top of their lungs.”

At its core, the song seeks to capture the entire emotional landscape of romantic love while refusing to define it as something effortless. “Love isn’t all honey and roses,” Jont says. That reality emerges during the song’s breakdown bridge, where the central couple part ways before ultimately finding their way back to one another. Their reunion is elevated by a soaring synthesizer performance from longtime collaborator George Hoyle, whose contribution became one of the song’s defining moments.



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

Aderyn - Please.

Beehive Candy will let Aderyn tell the story for her brand new single 'Please' accompanied by a mesmerising new video. "I have a voice memo of me writing this song, and top to bottom I wrote it in twelve minutes. That's how you know there's a monster of emotion inside you that needs to work its way out.”

"It's built into human nature to love without reciprocation - to pour ourselves into deities or people that don't give us clear answers. Once I started treating religious faith as an allegory for how I felt towards this person, the lyrics poured out.” "The chorus is brutally honest. It's basically saying: I will spend my life being devoted to you, even if I have all these questions. There's insecurity, there's anger - these are the ingredients of love that swirl in with the good stuff.”

“This is my favourite song I've recorded. I'm obsessed with the swirling, grungy intensity we created with producer Gethin Pearson (Charli XCX, Orla Gartland) - it's exactly the type of music I love to listen to. We were inspired by Nineties touchstones like Mazzy Star and Elliott Smith, as well as artists like Lucy Dacus and Du Blonde. I was so excited when Owain Fleetwood Jenkins (Billie Marten, Cate Le Bon) offered to record some organ in his Pembrokeshire chapel. It was the finishing touch the song needed to give the outro a feeling of rapture.”


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

The Stanford Family Band - Go Again (EP).

Brighton’s C86-inspired, retro sunshine pop quartet The Stanford Family Band return in radiant form, announcing their sophomore EP Go Again (out July 17th). The Stanford Family Band extends the musical lineage of lost pop music, threading together the bittersweet glow of ’60s airwaves and open-field festivals with the glammed-up intimacy of ’70s singer-songwriters. Their music aches and shimmers in equal measure, carrying a sense of longing that feels both timeless and vividly alive.

Produced by Harry Hayes of Spotted Horses, who also contributes to the songwriting throughout, the record carries a fondness for the melodic charm of Nilsson and McCartney, lending a timeless softness to its more yearning moments. Colourful, vibrant, warmly analogue, and musically inventive, the EP pairs the melodic richness of The Beach Boys with a whimsical, melancholic honesty, recalling the vintage-minded songwriting of acts like The Lemon Twigs and Drugdealer.

With this EP, The Stanford Family Band nods to the sounds of the era while deepening the band's own distinctive voice. Fully embracing their love of ’60s and ’70s music through analogue tape recording and restrained production, the release builds confidently on the quartet’s debut. From moments of heartfelt intimacy to passages of shimmering guitars, vintage synths, and swelling organs, the EP showcases a band with a clear sonic identity and a growing sense of self. 

Speaking about the album, the band explains: “Go again is a sequel - we went for another EP as we felt we had some unfinished business in that area and wanted our last record to have a companion on the shelves. It’s been fab to have Pad and Harry with us this time around and to have more evenly split writing contributions, we think everyone really shines. We’ve tried to cover all bases with this one, Baroque, Sunshine and Power pop galore.” 


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

Rachel Bochner - Say That You Don't.

Brooklyn-based artist Rachel Bochner has built a reputation for sharp, emotionally charged indie-pop that cuts straight to the core. Since her debut, she’s carved out a space defined by candid lyricism and an unflinching willingness to explore the messier edges of love, identity, and self-discovery. 

"Say That You Don't" explores the guilt that can follow the end of a relationship, even when leaving feels like the right decision. It's about still caring for someone you've hurt and wishing you could take that pain away.

Bochner shares, "In the wake of my break up, I was consumed by guilt. Staying was not an option, but leaving came with the price of hurting someone I still cared so deeply for - who still cared so deeply for me. I couldn’t help but indulge myself with the inherently selfish fantasy of “Say That You Don’t.” If I could snap my fingers and make all the hurt and lingering love they feel disappear… would it alleviate my guilt? If they looked me in the eyes and told me they barely even thought about me after I left… that they are better off now without me… could I sleep a little better at night?"


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

John R. Miller - The Great Unknowing (Album).

One of Americana’s most revered songwriters, John R. Miller, releases his highly anticipated fifth album, The Great Unknowing, via Rounder Records. Arriving to widespread critical acclaim, the album caps a breakthrough chapter for the West Virginia-raised artist, who also announced his Newport Folk Festival debut, where he will receive the prestigious John Prine Fellowship Award, as well as his return to The Grand Ole Opry on July 23rd. Alongside the brand new release, Miller also shared a music video of album standout "Steering Wheel Drums," offering fans an intimate glimpse into one of the record's emotional centerpieces.

Speaking about his excitement over the album’s release, Miller stated, “"I'm very proud of what Adam Meisterhans and I were able to achieve at Leon Russell's Church Studio with a truly stellar group of Tulsa players, and so happy to finally share it with the world!"

As Miller began work on his fifth album, The Great Unknowing, he set out to challenge himself both creatively and geographically. Born in the Washington, DC area and raised in West Virginia, Miller has built a reputation as a thoughtful, boundary-pushing voice in alt-country and Americana, drawing from punk, traditional Appalachian music, and less conventional rock influences. For this record, he left his comfort zone behind and traveled to Tulsa to record at the legendary Church Studio, drawn by the city’s deep musical legacy and its ties to artists like J.J. Cale. 



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

Michael Antelope - IFULKI - Dead Air Radio Empire - Foglights

Michael Antelope - Calls Out The Window (Album). Hamilton, ON folk duo Michael Antelope (Doug McBrien and Lenny McGowan) unveil their debut...