Maria Taylor - Faith Eliza - A Place To Bury Strangers - Christine Plays Viola

Photo - Liz Bretz

Maria Taylor - Story’s End (Album).

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Maria Taylor released, Story’s End on Friday, her first full length album release in 7 years out now on Conor Oberst’s Million Stars Records. The 10-song collection unfolds like a hazy, cinematic narrative—songs acting as chapters that trace love, loss, fracture, and the quiet search for solace in the aftermath of personal upheaval.

“These songs have a personal, yet universal, narrative of loss, surrender, transformation, and growth,” Taylor explains. This record is about a divorce; it’s about losing a friend I thought I would have forever; it’s about my love for this life; it’s about my love for my kids; it’s about mistakes and desire, about growing older and stronger; it’s about acceptance. It took me five years to complete Story’s End – the longest I’ve ever spent on a single album. The story was still unfolding.”

Last month, Taylor released “Sorry I Was Yours” featuring Conor Oberst that was praised by The New York Times, who called it “a bittersweet reminiscence about a long-ago romance, recalling both thrills and heartache and ending in apologies.”

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Faith Eliza - Monsters.

"Monsters” showcases Faith’s bold vocals and sharp songwriting, blending emotional storytelling with a vibrant, modern sound. The track is built for both radio and streaming playlists, connecting with fans who love anthemic, authentic rock music.
  
"Monsters dives into the fear-based patterns we develop to protect ourselves, and the moment we stop letting them run the show. The bridge brings a punch of defiance, calling those thoughts out and kicking them to the curb with 'I'm done being haunted' and 'I'm taking the trash out.'" ~ Faith Eliza

Monsters was recorded at Off the Row Studio and produced by PT Houston and showcases Faith Eliza’s introspective songwriting and emotional depth. Written entirely by Faith, the track blends her alt-rock edge with her signature storyteller soul — a haunting, honest look into the shadows we face and the strength we claim.

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Photo - Patricio Lizama

A Place To Bury Strangers - Rare and Deadly (Album).

Rare and Deadly cracks open a decade-long vault of raw nerve and sonic chaos from A Place To Bury Strangers. Spanning 2015–2025, this collection of demos, B-sides, abandoned experiments, and forgotten fragments reveals the band at their most unfiltered—caught between breakthrough ideas and beautiful mistakes. Pulled from Ackermann’s personal archive of late-night recordings, blown-out tapes, and half-finished sessions, here the interference is closer, the electricity more dangerous, the edges left jagged on purpose.

What makes Rare and Deadly truly unprecedented is that every format tells a different story. The CD, cassette, vinyl, and digital editions each feature their own unique tracklisting, a fractured release strategy that is almost unheard of. No single version contains the “complete” album. Instead, each format becomes its own window into the archive, revealing alternate paths, missing links, and parallel versions of the band’s inner life. It’s a deliberately unstable document: the album shifts depending on how you choose to hear it, mirroring the chaos of its creation.

Across these recordings, you can hear the evolution of Ackermann’s restless mind. Some pieces feel like prototypes for future chaos, seeds that later bloomed on studio albums. Others are dead ends—ideas too volatile, too strange, or too personal to ever fit the frame of a proper release. But together they form a secret history of the band, a parallel world of possibilities that existed just outside the spotlight. The tracks contain riffs mutated by malfunctioning pedals, songs born from gear pushed past its limits, or delicate melodies overwhelmed by walls of feedback until only their ghosts remain.

Rare and Deadly is less a compilation and more a documentary—an aural snapshot of how sound takes shape before it hardens into something finished. You hear the room, the accidents, the restless experimentation, the immediacy of a moment being captured before it disappears. It’s a reminder that A Place To Bury Strangers has always thrived in this in-between space: the tension between control and collapse, melody and noise, beauty and distortion.

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Christine Plays Viola – Desolate Moments.

‘Desolate Moments’ is the new video-single from Italian darkwave / post-punk quartet, Christine Plays Viola: a fragile, moody, processional ballad exploring the loss of self and dissolution of identity, for fans of Faith or Disintegration-era Cure, and Closer-era Joy Division. The song is the third video-single from the band’s latest album, F.I.V.E. – Fear Increases Violent Emotions (Cleopatra Records, January 2026). 

Guitarist, songwriter and bandleader, Fabrizio Giampietro, says of ‘Desolate Moments’: “Desolate Moments is about that fragile space where you realize you’ve lost yourself, but you’re still conscious enough to feel it. I was thinking about the idea of emotional disappearance — not in a physical sense, but in a psychological one. That moment when you look back at your life, at promises you made, at people you loved, and you understand that somewhere along the way… something broke. There’s a strong sense of guilt in the song, but also inevitability. Like being trapped inside your own mistakes, watching your world slowly collapse while you’re unable to stop it. The line ‘you exist nowhere’ really sums it up for me — it’s about losing your place in reality, becoming a shadow of yourself.”

Discussing the video, Fabrizio adds: “Musically and visually, we wanted to reflect that dissolution of identity. That’s why in the video we chose silhouettes instead of faces — no clear identity, just fading presences merging with memories, like fragments of something that once was. It’s probably one of the most introspective and emotionally exposed tracks we’ve ever written.”

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Mel Denisse - Gitika Partington - Keeley feat. Miki Berenyi - Maria Taylor

Mel Denisse - aiming alone.

Nashville-based artist and producer Mel Denisse has always leaned into duality. Whether she’s blending left-field pop with jagged alt-rock or threading delicate vocals through dissonant, distorted production, Denisse is drawn to the clash with her newest genre-defiant single, "aiming alone". 

She shares, "'aiming alone’ details wanting to be understood with urgency, while still feeling sealed off behind glass. On the other side, the world watches and speculates, close enough to see you, never close enough to meet you. That distance becomes the point: the two realities can’t be reconciled. The outro carries that into finality, an acceptance of the lone road, and the resolve of aiming alone." 

"aiming alone" is a melancholy and haunting alt rock meets shoegaze track that is built around the narrative of feeling like there's a glass wall between you and everybody else and although they can see you, no one seems to truly feel or understand you.

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Gitika Partington - Going Round In Circles.

Gitika Partington has just dropped a new lyric video for ‘Going Round In Circles’ from her record breaking ‘Twelvefold’ project. Gitika has released thirteen albums simultaneously, and without originally setting out to, she has broken the current world record for the most albums released in one day, which as of 2025 stood at twelve.

Gitika created the thirteen albums as part of a sustained songwriting practice rather than a commercial release cycle. Composed incrementally over the course of five years, including periods marked by significant challenges. Moments of unbelievable light were interspersed, and the weekly songwriting which felt like an anchor. The first twelve albums form a chronological musical record of time passing with a thirteenth album of songs that nearly got away- a body of work intended for wandering, reflection, and long-form listening rather than singles, algorithms, or drip-fed promotion. Lots of the songs are messages to Gitika from Gitika - stories and comments on the day she wrote them. Lots are about returning home, uncomfortable moments, little blasts of therapy, quirky moments. Pleasing no-one but herself.

This release is an artistic gesture as much as a musical one. This project emphasizes that creativity doesn't require permission or external validation. It encourages anyone making stuff to ignore self-doubt and focus on just making art for its own sake, valuing the creative process over the result.

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Keeley feat. Miki Berenyi - Big Brown Eyes.

Dream rock trio Keeley have released a new video “Big Brown Eyes” featuring guest vocals by Miki Berenyi (Lush, Piroshka, Miki Berenyi Trio). 

Recently released to widespread acclaim, Keeley’s third album ‘Girl On The Edge Of The World’ (Definitive Gaze) has been lauded for the diversity of moods and textures within its twelve songs, highlighting what Dublin-born singer and guitarist Keeley Moss calls “the sonic swirl". 

The album’s emotional centrepiece is undoubtedly “Big Brown Eyes” with its dark pulsing beat, its lament to the impending murder of young teenage German backpacker Inga Maria Hauser, and a beautiful cascading vocal contribution from former Lush singer Miki Berenyi. Miki recently joined the band onstage to perform the song at their London show at LVLS in Hackney Wick. 

The accompanying video aims to imagine the sensations and impressions that Inga might have experienced as she journeyed through Great Britain in the Spring of 1988. Filmed and directed by Glasgow-based filmmaker Laura Meek using vintage VHS techniques, the clip’s soft tones and impressionistic flow capture the hopes and dreams of youthful adventure. 

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Maria Taylor - Never Thought I’d Feel New.

Today, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Maria Taylor released “Never Thought I’d Feel New,” the second song to be pulled from her first new album in more than 7 years, Story’s End, that will be released on April 3 via Conor Oberst’s Million Stars Records. She also has announced album release shows on April 10 at Sid The Cat Auditorium in Pasadena, CA and on April 15 at Night Club 101 in New York City.

About the new single, Taylor explains: “This song says exactly what it means – melodically, musically, and lyrically. It’s about how rare and fortunate it is to feel new again. It’s about breaking out of the confines of our own thoughts. of other people’s thoughts. It’s about letting go, gaining clarity, and feeling alive. 

I started writing this song 6 years ago. I would send tracks to my friend, Brad Armstrong, who would add a bunch of cool shit and send it back. This went on for years, as I kept changing the chords, the melodies, and the words. I would get frustrated and shelve it for months at a time. 

We got my brother, Macey Taylor, to play bass and Louis Schefano to play drums. Finally, in a last attempt to finish it, I asked my friend, Nik Freitas, to take a stab at writing a melody for the chorus. That was the missing link!! It was done :) The track was produced by Brad Armstrong, mixed by Ben Brodin and mastered by Doug VanSloun.”

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Place Position - Libby Ember - Maria Taylor - The Legendary Ten Seconds

Place Position - Went Silent (Album).

Dayton-based math rock/post-hardcore power trio Place Position, a band that includes members of Landfilth, Shadyside, The 1984 Draft, etc., released its Went Silent album on January 23. A foursome of DIY labels, including Sweet Cheetah Records, Poptek Records, Bunker Park Records, and Blind Rage Records, are offering up the album on vinyl.

According to Place Position, it is “a musical group from in and around Dayton, Ohio. We write as needed and play when necessary. What do they play? How fast? Will they be playing after 9pm? How effective are their socials? The answer is simple: Place Position is a musical group.”

Place Position adds, “Went Silent is an album. It comes complete with 10 songs. We recorded together in a Southwest Ohio basement in the Fall 2024 over the course of two days. After stitching together loose ends we handed off mixing duties to Derl Robbins formerly of Motel Beds of Dayton, Ohio.”

“Every now and then Andy from Poptek Records would ask; ‘How’s the record coming?’ The band was uncertain whether or not to have it released. After six months, Gwen of Blind Rage Records said, ‘You should get the album pressed and play this show.’ So, we give you the album Went Silent.


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Libby Ember - Let Me Go.

Following the September 2025 release of her debut EP I Kill Spiders and the subsequent single, "To Her," Montreal singer-songwriter Libby Ember shares "Let Me Go," a melancholic, dreamy indie-folk single that sits in the uncomfortable space between holding on and letting go. Nostalgic and emotionally raw, the track captures the quiet contradictions of a relationship that lingers long after both people know it isn't right.

Inspired by a complicated relationship rooted in mutual fear, Libby reflects on the tension of staying when leaving feels just as painful. "I felt like someone was holding onto me because they were afraid of letting me go," she explains. "Even still, I knew that it was wrong to keep dragging the relationship on when we knew it was wrong for the both of us. It also touches on the fact that the opposite feels wrong. Both letting go and not letting go feel wrong."

What sets "Let Me Go" apart is its careful attention to detail in both instrumentation and texture. Delicate flute lines weave through the arrangement, while reversed sounds subtly fall into the landscape, creating a hazy, immersive atmosphere. "We were very particular about the instrumentation," Libby shares. "We also emphasized the detail in the imperfection as a means to drive the emotion forward. The voice isn't always polished, the sounds can be a bit random. It makes the song feel more raw."

As the song unfolds, its instrumental outro becomes a space for reflection, allowing the listener to linger in the emotion long after the vocals fade. "It makes me reminisce," Libby says. "It pushes me back to that time of strong emotions and gets me in my own head. Once my voice cuts out at the end, the instrumental has a way of making me tune out the world and just be in the music."

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Maria Taylor - Story's End.

Today, the Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Maria Taylor announces her first new album in 7 years Story’s End will be released on April 3. Alongside the announcement, Taylor shared the official video for the album’s title track that was released also today. The 10-song collection marks her first release on Conor Oberst’s Million Stars Records and unfolds like a hazy, cinematic narrative—songs acting as chapters that trace love, loss, fracture, and the quiet search for solace in the aftermath of personal upheaval.

About the new single, Taylor explains: “For years, I would play this chord progression and melody; knowing it would be one of my favorite songs, but it took me 5 years to complete the lyrics. I had no sense of urgency… it was like I knew, somehow, the story was still unfolding and I just had to be patient.”

The album began slowly with Taylor building songs from demos in her home studio, yet it was the spark of conflict that gave her the resolve and focus to complete the project. “After spending years working on this record, an irrevocable fracture in both my marriage and a friendship gave me the urgency to finish it. I think I needed to make something beautiful as things fell apart around me,” she explains. 

The project eventually moved to Mike Mogis’ ARC Studios in Omaha, Nebraska where Taylor played drums on much of the record (following her recent stint as a touring drummer with Bright Eyes), joined by Macey Taylor on bass and Mogis on guitar. The album was ultimately produced by Ben Brodin (First Aid Kit, Bright Eyes), who also recorded many of Taylor’s vocals and added much of the instrumentation. Longtime friend and collaborator Brad Armstrong (13 Ghosts, The Glass Hours) produced the pulsing single “Never Thought I’d Feel New” that sits at the very heart of the album.

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The Legendary Ten Seconds - Churchward Road (Album).

The Legendary Ten Seconds is the solo music project of Ian Churchward who is the former guitarist of The Morrisons, who were featured on John Peel's Radio One show in 1987. Ian has a deep passion for blending rich historical narratives with his distinctive sound. His musical project took on new life in 2013 when Lord Zarquon joined forces with Ian, bringing additional depth to the recordings. Since then, a talented roster of guest musicians and vocalists have stepped in to contribute to the studio projects, the most recent being Jay Brown, who co-composed and recorded the evocative time travel track called the Time Stream.

As The Legendary Ten Seconds Ian has made a name for himself in the folk-rock genre, notably for his historically inspired albums. He has received critical acclaim for the work chronicling the Wars of the Roses and the life of Richard III, focusing on England’s 15th century. The music is more than just entertainment; it's a dedication to keeping history alive through story-driven songs that resonate with modern listeners. In addition to crafting meticulously researched and artistically compelling albums, Ian has donated part of the proceeds from his music sales to a scoliosis charity.

In 2018 he took the historical work to new heights with the release of the Mer de Mort album, commissioned by the Mortimer History Society in honour of its tenth anniversary. This album is a historically accurate collection of songs that delve into the fascinating and impactful history of the Mortimer family, from their roots in Normandy before the Battle of Hastings to their role in the 15th century. The album features narrative interludes read by the late actor John Challis—known for his iconic role as Boycie in Only Fools and Horses—who was a proud patron of the Mortimer History Society.

Ian has released numerous albums and his latest endeavour called ‘Churchward Road’ is released this month (January 2026). He continues his exploration of storytelling through music.

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