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| Photo - Lava Dreams |
Kansas City duo Katy Guillen & The Drive, that's Katy Guillen (vocals/guitar) and Stephanie Williams (drums) release the third single “Goodbye Charlie” today, about grief and loss, more specifically of a beloved pet, Charlie. “Pets become family, and losing Charlie was a major blow that left a heaviness in my heart. I was genuinely surprised at how hard it was to process his passing, but writing this song helped me find some peace.”
They dropped their first EP, Dream Girl, right before the 2020 lockdown, leaving them without opportunities to perform live. In their basement rehearsal space, they spent the year learning home recording and pre-production techniques, gradually crafting a collection of songs from the ground up. With producer/engineer Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards, Ray LaMontagne) at Invisible Creature Studio in Los Angeles, they emerged with a batch of 15 songs.
At the end of 2021, the band released the four-track Battles EP. Ten more would comprise their full-length debut Another One Gained in 2022. The Pitch (Kansas City) called it “a living, breathing testament to how life continually changes against your own will, whether you’re ready or not.” While Uncut Magazine raved, “Guillen & The Drive hit the sweet spot with a mix of spiky garage rock and soulful country torch songs.” Make That Sound will be their sophomore full-length album, available on Are and Be Recordings, October 17, 2025.
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Maddie Lenhart’s new single, “Make It Up to You,” is a tender promise carried through grief, regret, and hope. Written in memory of someone she lost six years ago, it plays like a letter left unsent — one filled with the words we wish we’d said and the time we wish we’d made. From the opening scene — “I was supposed to make the trip to Virginia Beach / See your new apartment on the Chesapeake” — Lenhart describes something incredibly raw in just the first moments of the track alone.
Releasing today, during Suicide Prevention Month, the song carries an even greater weight, offering a place of comfort for those walking through loss, and a reminder of how vital it is to hold each other close while we can. The chorus swells into a vow that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant to those who have loved and lost: “I won’t waste a minute / Tell you face to face / How much I love you / You won’t have to wait / It’s the first thing that I’ll do / When I make it up to you.”
Holler has already captured what makes Lenhart’s music so essential: “Heartfelt, dreamy and vulnerable, these are the kind of warm and comforting country songs that you'll want to turn to like a best friend when the world gets too much for you.” That intimacy rings especially true here. “This song is the one that finally captured what I’ve been trying to say for years,” Maddie shares. “For anyone who’s lost someone too soon, I pray it makes you feel less alone.”
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We still remember vividly (and fondly!) the mid-1980s, when authentic garage rock was celebrating a revival. As part of the sixties renaissance, bands like The Fuzztones, The Fleshtones, and The Cynics found their way onto the playlists of even the biggest radio stations. In Switzerland, groups like The Needles and The Maniacs enjoyed great success. And there were The Armadillos from Zurich – who have since renamed themselves Los Armadillos. Their influences: the aforementioned bands, as well as the legendary The Kinks.
Without getting lost in flashy effects or nostalgic retro mania, Los Armadillos aim straight for the essence of a good song – and leave the rest aside. The band was founded in 1985 in Zurich as part of the Swiss sixties revival scene. With Bernie Sprenger as songwriter, singer, and guitarist, and Dominique Muench on drums, the group found its musical foundation. Today’s lineup consists of Bernie Sprenger (vocals, guitar), Dominique Muench (drums), and Michael Herzig (bass, vocals).
In-demand support act for Died Pretty, Green On Red…With their infectious joy of playing, Los Armadillos have taken to numerous stages in and around Zurich – including as support for their heroes Died Pretty and Green On Red – and beyond. In September 2025, they are releasing their new single “Another Monday Morning” (with the B-side “Do it!”) – delivering a fresh dose of garage rock and a clear message: The party goes on!
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| Photo - Catguts |
Ruby Gilbert returns with ‘Goddamn Fool’, a brooding tale of karmic justice and emotional reckoning, arriving today Friday, September 19. With its slow-burning tension and cinematic grit, the track unfolds like a modern-day villain origin story, inspired by the cool stoicism of 60s and 70s Spaghetti Westerns and the lingering menace of southern gothic noir.
Gilbert’s storytelling cuts close to the bone, delivering lines with a twang and tension that feel pulled from a sun-scorched outback showdown. It’s the sound of someone who’s been outplayed, knows it, and walks away from the wreckage without asking for forgiveness or redemption.
A long-time favourite of Triple J, Double J, The Music, Music Feeds and beyond, Ruby Gilbert has spent years capturing the hearts of listeners with her rich, filmic take on country noir. From her 2018 EP 'Dearly Beloved' to syncs on Netflix and ABC, and appearances at Gympie Music Muster, BIGSOUND and TEDx, she’s carved a niche at the crossroads of dark folk and desert western storytelling.
In 'Goddamn Fool', banjo, gritty electric guitar and acoustic guitar tumble through the track with dusty swagger, painting wide skies and long roads. The arrangement is richly layered and cinematic, blooming with menace and melancholy. Drums propel the song with a hypnotic steadiness, grounding Gilbert’s performance as she sings with the poise of a femme fatale, assured, unflinching, and laced with the weight of consequence.
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Norwich (England) quartet Takeda have signed with Drongo Records and this week released their anticipated debut album In Venus' Train. Thematically, In Venus’ Train channels mystical figures from folk-lore and biblical metaphors, writing songs about obsession, love and grieving a past life. Produced by David Pye (Szun Waves, Trudy & the Romance, Faithless, Dido), the album is a musically rich, at times intricate and thoughtful, at others explosive and intense journey through the band’s blend of melancholic, organic folk and sprawling, fuzzy alternative-rock.
Drawing influence in equal measure from British folk revivalists Fairport Convention and alt-metal icons Tool, the album fuses melodic and emotional sensibility of folk with the noise and fuzzed guitar tones of grunge, ultimately making music that sounds something like if Nick Drake joined Pile. At times poetic, beautiful and complex, and at others, raw and explosive, the album is an unapologetic yet intimate journey through the band's musical identity, packing depth and innovative ideas into every track.
Talking about the album, lead vocalist Josh Harrison explains: “I wrote the album during a period of massive change in my life, losing touch with my family and friends, and rediscovering my own inner self.
I began writing about characters and narratives that, on the surface, felt separate from me. Yet through them, I found a way to look deeper into myself. Some of these figures emerged from folklore, others from scripture, and others still from my own imagination. Despite their varied origins, they each carried a kind of inner light—one that helped me reflect, process, and better understand the truths I was writing about.”
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