Mark Ryan (Marked Men, Mind Spiders) resurrects Oddfellows for a new LP on Dirtnap Records & Wild Honey Records, Oddfellows are back with a new song and upcoming LP, out on June 12th. Before The Marked Men, Mind Spiders, O-D-EX, High Tension Wires, hell, even before The Reds, there was Oddfellows.
In December 1994 Chris Pulliam, Mark Ryan, and Mike Throneberry played their first show in Denton, Texas. That original lineup was short-lived and mostly played locally, but its members went on to spawn a hundred bands you have heard of.
Fast-forward thirty years to December 2024: Oddfellows reform. In three months they wrote and recorded a new album, added guitarist Peter Salisbury (also of Mind Spiders), and hit the road again.
The 2026 Oddfellows are tight, punchy, and immediate — short pop songs (most under two minutes) that feel like the raw blueprint of a sound later honed across many bands/decades. Thirteen new tracks plus a reworked Reds classic, this LP will prove to be an eye-opening experience for die hard fans and new listeners alike.
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| Photo - Anna Rhody |
Thin Lear's sophomore album ‘Many Disappeared’ is out now on First City Artists (Coco, Alexa Rose, Pearla). Matt Longo grew up writing short stories; that narrative instinct pervades his music. He tends towards tragedies—some true, some imagined, and some stuck in between. “I’ve always gravitated to bizarre tales to access my own grief and pain,” says Longo.
From “The Mothman” event of 1960s West Virginia which inspired “Silver Bridge,” to the “Mad Gasser” mass hysteria of 1940s Illinois that backdrops “Mattoon,” Longo collects peculiar lore and studies it for insights into humanity. He pairs odd plots with placating melodies, his voice as pure and holy as a bell.
The effect is uncanny—lyrics like a nightmare delivered through a lullaby. “I need something supernatural to wrestle with, just to understand my own earthly troubles,” he says. “I write to access a feeling and get past it.” Longo may summon the ghosts to dispel them, but Thin Lear’s music remains vibrantly haunted, full of eerie figures loping along, human or otherwise, hoping to heal.
Influenced on a fundamental level by the likes of David Bowie and Karen Dalton, Longo builds a kind of sonic bridge between the two—his emotive folk pop aches and articulates from a strange, starry place.
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Belfast, UK trailblazers Wynona Bleach unveil their highly anticipated second album, Animal Style, due May 29th via Propeller Sound Recordings and Fierce Panda Records (Ash, Placebo, Death Cab for Cutie/UK). Displaying the band at their most colorful and vibrant there final single, ‘Not Cool With It’ blends the band's murky Alt-Rock tendencies with a bright and memorable melodic shimmer-pop flair. Bridging the band’s garage-rock, shoegaze, and alternative-pop elements, the track balances its driving, distorted guitar-led core with radiant dual vocals and colorfully melodic choices.
Crafted with long-time collaborators Andy Bradfield (Bjork, The XX, Rufus Wainwright, Manic Street Preachers) and Avril Mackintosh (Bryan Adams, Marillion) and co-produced by guitarist/vocalist Jonny Woods, Animal Style finds Wynona Bleach pushing their alt-rock roots into wider, more atmospheric terrain. “Be Positive” marries crunching guitars, punchy rhythms and grounding bass with swirling harmonies and soaring lead vocals that blend the relentless grit of alternative rock with the dreamy expansiveness of shoegaze and grunge. From its commanding chorus to its mysterious, reverb-soaked textures, the track signals a band both confident in their past and eager to push beyond it.
Described in the press as a fierce and vibrant force in UK alt rock, riffing somewhere between Smashing Pumpkins, Wolf Alice, The Joy Formidable and Curve, Wynona Bleach have carved out a distinctive sound that fuses alt rock, shoegaze, pop hooks and raw, emotional power. From early singles like “Eyes Burning” to the lush sublimity of their debut album Moonsoake, the band’s music has won nods from tastemaker radio outlets including BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Introducing NI, KEXP, Amazing Radio and more, along with Spotify editorial interest, and has been praised for its energetic hooks and immersive melodic landscapes.
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Eugene McGuinness had accepted his career in music was over. The end of his deal with Domino Records, followed by a difficult self-released album, fatherhood, and just life generally, saw his personal dreams and ambitions slowly slip towards the horizon. A period of great change, McGuinness had embraced his new work and family life, happy to leave the ugliness of the ‘music biz’ behind him. However, the absence of making music - and the joy the process brings - left a noticeable hole.
A decade on from Domino, an evolved McGuinness is back. His brand-new album, ‘Eugene McGuinness Versus the Universe’, has just been released (April 2026), following the release of his affecting comeback single ‘Seascape’ and follow up track, the beautiful widescreen romance of ‘London’. The album was recorded at Liverpool’s Docklands Speed Shop with friend and producer Gajo Paco. Encouraging spontaneity, Eugene, Gajo and a host of old friends and acquaintances were ‘feeling it out’ along the way, trusting the process and welcoming a series of ‘happy accidents’ to contribute to the record’s warm and organic sound.
Of Irish heritage, the idiosyncratic McGuinness began crafting songs in his teens and gained recognition with debut EP ‘The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness’ - released in 2007. His self-titled debut album was released in 2008 on Domino Records followed by ‘Glue’ (2009, as ‘Eugene and The Lizards’), ‘The Invitation to the Voyage’ in 2012 and ‘Chroma’ (2014). ‘Suburban Gothic’ (2018) was released independently and marked his departure from Domino Records.
‘Eugene McGuinness Versus the Universe’ picks up where ‘The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness’’, left off. A return to playfulness, rawness, and mysterious off-kilter pop from a more mature Eugene McGuinness, the album is another fine addition to McGuinness’ discography and reflects his evolution as an artist - unafraid to experiment and never playing to the gallery, following a tradition of songwriters - Bob Dylan, Shane MacGowan, Randy Newman, Rufus Wainwright - with voices and interior universes that are all their own.
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