Chimes - Adult Leisure - Lily Monaghan

Chimes - Pile of Parts.

With deep roots in the Gainesville, Florida's music scene, Chimes borrows just the smallest bits from their previous members’ work (Against Me!, Averkiou, and Sunshine State) as they veer towards a more synth-driven sound, striking a balance between post-punk, synth-pop, and dark wave.

Singer/guitarist Mike Magarelli and keyboardist/guitarist Kyle Fick formed the band in 2019 as a vessel for new ideas. Bassist/singer Matt Brink and drummer Todd Weissfeld joined soon after, and Chimes began playing live in early 2020. However, the pandemic quickly paused their efforts, and Todd Weisfeld moved abroad, being replaced by Warren Oakes.

Chimes' debut album, Pile of Parts, is the sound of something unraveling — slow, deliberate, and honest. A record born from the weight of living, where each track leans into the darker corners of the human experience: loss, disconnection, the quiet violence of time. There’s no false uplift here, just an attempt to sit with the ache and translate it into sound. It’s bleak by design — but not without purpose.

Written and recorded collaboratively between 2023 and 2024, the album was captured in Gainesville by Ryan Williams at Black Bear Studios, Kevin Bruchert at Little Wing Studios, and Kyle Fick in his home. Kyle also mixed the record. Mastering was handled by Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room. The artwork — stark and fitting — was created by Noelle Shuck. Pile of Parts sees release on May 23 via Ashtray Monument.

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Adult Leisure - See Her.

Bristol-based alt-indie quartet Adult Leisure are proud to announce that their debut album ‘The Things You Don’t Know Yet’ will be released on October 3rd 2025. Its next single ‘See Her’ is out this weekend, featuring guest saxophone from longtime The 1975 / Sam Fender collaborator John Waugh.
 
‘See Her’, recorded and mixed with Ollie Searle at Humm Studios and mastered by John Webber (David Bowie, Duran Duran, Coach Party) is a blink-and-you’ll-miss it pocket rocket of vibrant energy. Through nostalgia-laden melodies and singalong choruses that Adult Leisure are fast becoming known for, ‘See Her’ offers a sarcastic take on the breakdown of a relationship and the biting realisation that you’re happier now that it's over.

On the single’s lyrical inspirations, vocalist and lyricist Neil Scott explains, “We wrote ‘See Her’ towards the end of 2023. In its full form, almost two years later, it's developed into a song unapologetically soaked in pop, yet true to who we are and the stories we want to tell. Lyrically, ‘See Her’ offers a sarcastic take on the breakdown of a relationship. Far from doom and gloom or sorrow, it’s about that feeling you get when you realise just how much better off you are now that it’s over.

“The song features the incredible John Waugh (The 1975, Sam Fender) on saxophone. When we found out that he was interested in joining the project, we were over the moon - he adds the perfect bit of spice this tune has been waiting for since its inception.

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JSLVR Photography

Lily Monaghan - Snow In May.

As anticipation builds toward the release of her sophomore EP this fall, Lily Monaghan is sharing another preview with the single “Snow In May.” A haunting piano ballad, it is arguably Lily’s most affecting song to date, offering emotional swells like the waves on the sea near her current location in Scotland where she has been completing her higher education.

Still, the singer/songwriter from Edmonton, Alberta has also been fully concentrating on her musical evolution, and like Lily’s previous single “Willing To Wait,” “Snow In May” is a product of sessions conducted back home with producer and multi-instrumentalist Kurtis Schultz.

Lily explains, “I wrote this song while watching a snowfall in Edmonton last May. The unseasonable weather seemed ironically reflective of my own mood at the time. I was months away from moving out of Canada and although the change was exciting, I was very melancholic."

She continues, “‘Snow in May’ articulates this sentimental feeling of outgrowing something and the reluctant awareness of aging out of your youth. I wanted the song’s contrasting dynamics to mirror these complex emotions that I was feeling. The isolated piano at the beginning of the tune is me playing on an old upright piano at Blue Willow Studios, which had a very similar sound to the piano at my parents’ house that I’ve used to write the majority of my songs.”

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IDER - Dream Cycle Inc - Lily Monaghan

IDER - Killing The Game (new video) / Late To The World (Album).

After teasing their next full-length project over the last few months with the singles ‘Know How It Hurts’, ‘Unlearn’, ‘Girl’, ‘You Don’t Know How To Drive’ and ‘Attachment Theory’, leftfield alt-pop duo IDER have just shared their third album ‘Late To The World’ alongside focus track ‘Killing The Game’ out now via Nettwerk.
 
Produced by Dann Hume (Laura Mvula, Troye Sivan, Tkay Maidza) and recorded on residency in his church-cum-studio between summer and autumn 2023, ‘Late To The World’ pushes IDER’s tender sound in a tougher direction. It is both bigger in scale and deliberately restrained, honing its contrasting textures of lush electronics and blistering indie rock. The result, they say, is the album they’ve “always wanted to make”.
 
Drawing on a mix of dejected British new wave, euphoric electro-pop and swooning alt rock in the vein of Mazzy Star, the resulting sound is as cinematic as their storytelling – with an added dash of grit and the introduction of live drums (while they’ve always used a live drummer on tour, this is the first time they’ve been laid to record) that reflect the album’s real world footing.

As liberated in subject matter as it is in sound, ‘Late To The World’ represents IDER’s long and continuous journey of self-discovery both as individuals and as a band. It’s an album borne from weathering the confusion of your twenties and stepping into the clarity of your thirties; its 12 tracks acting as rallying cries for rejecting societal pressures and turning up to life at your own pace.
 
Focus track ‘Killing The Game’ is the penultimate song on ‘Late To The World’ and wholly embodies the central theme of the album; being a late bloomer. A calm yet powerful electro-pop track, lyrically it looks at how the world can sometimes feel it moves on without you, unable to keep up and unsure if you want to. The band say; “Killing The Game is for the socially anxious. Set at a party, watching people enjoy themselves whilst you feel like you’re on the outside - the perception that everyone is ‘killing the game’ whilst you are being left behind”.

IDER · Late to the World

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Dream Cycle Inc - Good Boy / Sea Shel (l) ter (feat. Amalia).

The ambient-infused dub of Dream Cycle Inc. is atmospheric, hypnotic, and immersive—blending deep, pulsating basslines with ethereal atmospheres and intricate rhythmic textures. Sonically, it draws from ambient, dub techno, and progressive house, creating a world where synthetic textures and organic elements merge seamlessly. There's an underlying sense of movement—like drifting through a futuristic metropolis at twilight, caught between euphoria and introspection. The sound of dissolving, and rediscovering reality through a hazy, melodic lens.

To truly grasp Jan's diverse musical preferences, we must delve into his teenage years, a time when he unearthed his second profound passion amidst the haunting melodies of gothic rock and the pulsating beats of dark electro: the realm of adventurous dance music. The 90s unfurled an exhilarating tapestry of sonic exploration, birthing a myriad of dance music genres. Jan found himself captivated by the pioneering spirit of labels like Planet Dog, which wielded immense influence over his musical odyssey. Acts such as Eat Static, Banco De Gaia, Children of the Bong and Future Loop Foundation, all stalwarts of the Planet Dog roster, expertly fused elements of dance, trance, dub, ambient, and drum & bass into spellbinding compositions.

Jan found solace in the label's seminal compilations, like the transcendent ‘Feed Your Head’ series, which whisked listeners away on psychedelic voyages through ambient-infused dance realms. Another gem in his musical trove was the legendary ‘Dubnology’ compilation, which further enriched his sonic landscape. It was through these sonic escapades that Jan encountered bands like Dreadzone, opening the door to the mesmerizing world of techno-infused dub, leaving an indelible mark on his musical psyche. With Dream Cycle Inc., Jan endeavours to revisit and reanimate the very essence of these transformative sounds that have left an indelible imprint on his musical soul.


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Photo - Tanjeryne Hoffman

Lily Monaghan - Willing To Wait.

Following her autumn 2024 single “Mona Lisa” – heard everywhere in Canada on CBC, in the U.K. on Alternative Roots, and in the U.S. on stations such as KTAL in Las Cruces, New Mexico – Lily Monaghan is back with “Willing To Wait,” a song that sees her expanding her sound beyond its traditional singer/songwriter origins.

Made in collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Kurtis Schultz in Lily’s hometown, Edmonton, Alberta, “Willing To Wait” places her within a full-band context for the first time, with stunning results. With Lily’s enchanting voice at the forefront, the song demonstrates that she’s more than ready to take the next natural step in her musical evolution.

She says, “‘Willing To Wait’ is meant to encapsulate that feeling of stagnation that accompanies existing in your mid-Twenties. When I wrote the song, I was hyper aware of the different life stages my longtime friends and I are all at, despite being the same age. Some have careers, apartments, pets and relationships, while others are full-time students or unemployed.

“Life takes us in different directions and there is nothing we’re able to do about it. With age comes an inevitable distance within some relationships; ‘Willing to Wait’ acknowledges this and is a love letter to these people in my life. Declaring that no matter how far away life pulls us, I will always be here and waiting for the day we come back together again.”

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Lily Monaghan - Ariel Bui

Lily Monaghan - Sleeping Alone.

With delicately plucked acoustic guitar and a vocal performance as pure and soulful as a Prairie sunrise, Lily Monaghan’s debut single “Sleeping Alone” heralds the arrival of a compelling new voice on the Canadian roots music scene. Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Lily has been building up to the release of her first EP, Introspection, in early 2023 by crafting songs such as “Sleeping Alone” in a manner that blurs the lines between folk, country, soul and pop. Working closely with producer Mark Maclure, with whom she was enrolled in MacEwan University’s music program, Lily experimented with several different musical approaches before finding the natural balance that brought out the most in her songwriting.

“I grew up listening to, practicing, and studying all types of music and I was really confused for the longest time about what genre I should commit to because I loved too many,” Lily says. “Even some of the first drafts of the tunes on this EP began as completely Pop-based because I believed audiences would like that the best. It took a lot of introspection, and it wasn’t until recently that I realized that Roots and Folk-inspired music is what feeds my soul and speaks to me the loudest, and the songs on this project are a reflection of that. I understand now that my versatility for other genres isn’t a weakness but a strength, and I intend to allow my knowledge for all styles of music to support me by bleeding into my writing and performing rather than setting me back by believing I must only choose one.”

Such self-awareness is certainly uncommon in such a young artist, and that’s reflected in Lily’s lyrics as well. On “Sleeping Alone,” a Taylor Swift-level breakup song, Lily sings, “I’m not a drinker but pour me a stiff one / I’m stuck in the ringer and no money’s enough / To look a dead man in the eyes before shooting him down.”

Other songs that will be on Introspection equally demonstrate Lily’s wise-beyond-her-years songwriting ability, the result of the influence that many of her favourite artists have had on her. “The songwriters that inspire me the most are those who make it evident that the craft is precious to them,” she says. “People like Gord Downie, Stevie Nicks and Florence Welch made a point to be eloquent and expressive through the use of literary devices and storytelling. Additionally, as a female vocalist I am also hugely inspired by strong and powerful female artists. Women such as Adele, Brittany Howard, Maggie Rogers and Miley Cyrus each have such different strengths and styles but they also set good examples on allowing yourself to musically evolve, grow, and experiment without limitations.”

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Ariel Bui - Sixteen.

Nashville based singer / songwriter Ariel Bui has released “Sixteen”, the lead single from her forthcoming new album Real & Fantasy. The music of Ariel Bui, who Ann Powers of NPR Music once described as "a psychedelic cowgirl cool rockabilly queen”, pulls from her wide ranging musical background as a performer and music educator, blending elements of indie rock, country, soul, and psych rock into a distinct sound that should instantly appeal to fans of artists like Angel Olsen and Courtney Barnett. This album reunites Ariel with Grammy-nominated producer Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff), with the entire new LP recorded at his Nashville studio, The Bomb Shelter.

“Sixteen” starts as a more straightforward coming of age indie rock song about “being sixteen years old, riding in the backs of cars and going to the beach, having crushes and first loves'', but that easy-going atmosphere acts as the trojan horse for the song’s undercurrent of deeper message. The opening line of the song, “I was just sixteen, you know what I mean,” is a play on the classic Beatles line, “She was just seventeen, you know what I mean”, a subtle but powerful tweak in perspective that subverts the innuendo of that Beatles lyric by placing it in a woman’s perspective, during the #metoo era no less.

The song’s chorus, centered around the line "I may be just a little girl / I have something to say", speaks both to the specific experience this song draws on of being a teenager first trying to earn respect in a male-dominated industry, and also a response to the way girls of all ages are oppressed or abused by men and society. “I was channeling my experiences of growing up a girl in a male-dominated scene and then going on to empower girls through music education at my music school Melodia Studio and Southern Girls Rock’n’Roll Camp,” Ariel says. You can really hear the way that today's teens and young women who “have something to say'' really inspired and re-invigorated Ariel. “Sixteen”, the opening track of Real & Fantasy, was the first song Ariel wrote for the album, and the track is uplifted by that female empowerment at its center, in a time when women's and humans' rights are as important as ever.

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