The debut album from The Cords, described previously on Beehive Candy as the brightest new indie pop band from Scotland, has now been released. It's everything the singles promised it would be, vibrant, addictive and oozing charm and energy.
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.
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Chicago singer-songwriter Terry White's new album You Won't Have a Name was released a couple of days ago. White, known for his work with Modern Day Saints and the Yellowhammers, released his solo debut, Our Separate Ways, in 2007 and then formed the band Cannonball in 2009. Cannonball was an opportunity to collaborate with other musicians based around long-running venue FitzGerald’s Nightclub in Berwyn, IL, and White's 2012 album Cannonball Fodder, produced by Jon Langford (Mekons, Waco Bros, Skull Orchard), celebrates that spirit of collaboration and being part of a musical community.
2020's Still Got Me, credited to Terry White and his backing band The Loaded Dice, continued to shine a light on White's fine songwriting and musicianship and set the stage for his fourth full-length solo album You Won't Have a Home.
You Won't Have a Home is a collection of songs written over the last four years. It began in 2021 when White, Paul Bivans (drums), Andon Davis (guitar), Michael Krayniak (bass) and Chris Neville (organ) met at Joyride Studios, owned by engineer Blaise Barton (who sadly passed away on June 12, 2025), in Chicago.
The songs that comprise You Won't Have a Home were recorded one at a time, with as few overdubs as possible, to maintain a "live in-studio" sound. Over the course of many sessions, White enlisted his musician friends, including Brian Leach (who also engineered and mixed tracks on the album), Gerald Dowd, Patrick Brennan, Rob Pierce, John Pirruccello, and Phil Bayer, to lend their voices and assorted instruments to flesh out the desired sounds and textures. He further enlisted Pie Eyed Pete Cimbalo (bass), Sheila Cimbalo (vocals) and Tom Kneesel (pedal steel) to record a version of "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Lost Gatos)," written by Woody Guthrie and Martin Hoffman.
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Kate Prendergast is a young, emerging alt-folk musician and singer-songwriter living in County Meath in Ireland. A keen vocalist, Kate also plays piano, guitar, bass and is learning drums and harmonica. She is carefully building a portfolio of original songs which broadly sit within the alt-folk genre but experiments with ideas and influences from country, blues, jazz and a tinge of rock.
Her first single ‘Past Letters’ was recorded in her small home studio and received considerable radio attention in Ireland and the UK. John Dinsmore (formerly lead singer of the Beat Poets) saw promise in her songwriting abilities and introduced her to producer Declan Legge of Analogue Catalogue Studio B and manager of bands such as Jealous of the Birds and Vera. Declan invited Kate to visit his studio in Newry to work on a single and her second song ‘Undergrowth’ was recorded with drums and bass provided by the talented Darragh Tibbs.
Following the success of this second single, Kate and Declan decided to collaborate further and recorded ‘Lavender Country’. This time Kate chose to move away from the drums of ‘Undergrowth’ in favour of a slow build and change in mood during the song from wistful dreaming to cautious hope to upbeat optimism reflecting the challenging roads many of us traverse as we search for peace and balance in our lives.
Kate's next single 'Ignition' was released on 9th May 2025. Ignition explores the uncertainties of starting a new episode in life and the conflicting feelings that often arise for those left behind - between the desire to see loved ones flourish in their new futures and the yearning for them to return home. This was followed by 'Retold Tale' in September which is a commentary on the experiences, doubts and challenges facing countless young artists as they try to make an impact in a noisy and sometimes disdainful world.
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| Photo - Calm Elliott Armstrong |
Toronto-based singer-songwriter Erica Knox continues her Abbey Road Studios story with “Growing Song” a chill, introspective soft-pop track that balances vulnerability with resilience. Written during her time at the legendary London studio – handpicked as one of three artists to record there through DHL’s FastTrack Sessions – the single lays bare Knox’s moments of self-doubt while celebrating the growth that comes with perseverance.
“It’s a very vulnerable song, highlighting every thought of self-doubt that tends to race through my head,” Knox shares. “Among that comes knowing that things will eventually work out as long as I keep trying to build a happy life, and a strong career for myself.”
The track’s inspiration ties directly to Knox’s journey. After being turned down for the same contest in 2023, she almost didn’t apply again in 2024. But a last-minute submission won her a life-changing opportunity. “A few weeks later I was being flown out to London. I was so proud of myself for making it here and I had to write about the mental challenges leading up to that moment.”
Sonically, “Growing Song” carries inspiration from The Staves’ rich harmonies and open guitar tuning, whose live performance Knox attended the night before writing. The subtle production leans into dreamscape vocal effects and spacious instrumentation, highlighting the lyricism at its core.
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