Bitw - Hen Dro.
The second single from Bitw's forthcoming album Gaddo Glaw sees Bitw joined by longtime collaborator Chwaer Fawr (Mari Morgan), as she shares the microphone in what can only be described as a duet. Ostensibly a generic pop song about a doomed relationship, the lyrics take on an altogether darker and more pessimistic tone in the album's ominous context.
B-side Cofio Bob Tro is an almost sickeningly cheesy other side of the coin, as Gruff lists a catalogue of bad memories, never quite revealing if they’re stated as grumbles or as regrets. Mari once again provides backing vocals, this time alongside Gwion Llewelyn, with Stephen Black on sax.
Bitw is the solo project of Welsh musician Gruff ab Arwel. A committed DIY artist, he has built a career of sorts on his own terms, creating lo-fi art pop (not his description) that takes itself seriously without taking himself too seriously. Now in his mid-thirties, Gruff has made the seamless transition from failing musician to failed musician, and is finally enjoying the freedom that comes with having nothing left to prove.
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| Photo - Sandlin Gaither |
Angela Easterling has spent six albums proving she’s one of South Carolina’s best songwriters. Her most recent album, “Witness” was chosen by American Songwriter Magazine as a Top 24 Album of the Year, she is a four-time Kerrville New Folk Finalist, and has had her work praised in No Depression, Americana UK, Oxford American and more.
But her new album, “Songs From The Knoxville Project,” isn’t just a collection of more well-written, passionately delivered songs. It’s a story straight from her ancestors; a haunting tale buoyed by more than a century of Appalachian folk. It’s a Civil War tale without any literal battles but plenty of fighting. It’s a celebration of hope in times of hopelessness, and it brims with the incisive eye of a songwriter and the passion of someone with this story in their blood.
To tell this story, Easterling dove deep into the folk music of the South, eschewing drums entirely, stripping away most of the electric guitars and telling the tale with richly arranged mandolin, fiddle and acoustic guitars. She reached out to the Southern music community and brought in some of its best singers and instrumentalists, from former Emmylou Harris vocalist Fayssoux McLean and Americana star Will Kimbrough to Carolina greats like Darby Wilcox, Elizabeth McCorvey, Admiral Radio, and Audrey Neel and Molly Johnson of the bluegrass trio, The Wilder Flower.
And it was SC musicians who created this evocative, rustic backdrop, including Sam Kruer on bass, Matt Purinton on mandolin, Robert Gowan on fiddle, and Angela’s musical/life partner Brandon Turner playing multiple guitars, banjo and dobro. The album was expertly co-produced by Turner and Ian Guthrie and recorded in SC at Studio 101.
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Norwich (England) Folk-Grunge pioneers Takeda return with ‘Lion’s Den’ out today, September 25th 2026, their most visceral single to date. The track is the first to be taken from the band’s forthcoming second studio album, which arrives in 2027 via Drongo Records.
Since forming in 2022, Takeda have forged a distinctive sound built from unlikely contrasts: intricate folk, Bert Janch-influenced fingerpick guitar set against crushing riffs, fuzz drenched guitars and heavy breakdowns, marrying authentic British and American folk sounds and techniques with heavy rock and grunge. The result is music that is difficult to categorise - and deliberately so, breaking ground in a way that’s not been done before, achieved entirely on an acoustic guitar.
“When we are arranging songs together, the moment we are able to firmly pin something we are doing to somebody else’s music, we tend to suddenly feel disinterested and the song usually gets binned,” says vocalist and songwriter Josh Harrison. “We are pretty thirsty to sound like nothing but Takeda.”
Years spent in a doomsday cult coloured Harrison’s imagery and deeply informed Takeda’s music. Their debut album ‘In Venus’ Train’ chronicled the painful process of breaking away from that past whilst Lion’s Den looks beyond the escape itself, and instead confronts the anger, resentment and sense of manipulation and betrayal left in its wake.
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Swedish singer-songwriter Winona Oak has shared a further glimpse into her second album with new single ‘Next Mistake’ featuring Maye, taken from her forthcoming album ‘Bloom’ released on 23rd October via Nettwerk.
On new single ‘Next Mistake’, Winona explores the magnetic tension of wanting someone whilst trying and knowing to stay away. Featuring Latin artist Maye, the two vocals bring the push and pull to life, backed by sweeping synths that build to a euphoric chorus.
Winona says, “The line in ‘Next Mistake’ “I go where you don’t” captures that instinct to run in the opposite direction when a connection feels almost too intense, knowing exactly where it could lead. The track captures the thrill, fear and inevitability of being drawn towards someone you know might be your next mistake.”
Maye says, “When I heard the first draft of ‘Next Mistake’ I was immediately captivated by Winona's mesmerizing vocals and I knew I wanted to be a part of it somehow. I love the dichotomy of writing my verse in Spanish, because I feel like it really compliments the song, and was a way for both of us to stay true to our identities."
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| Photo - Alex Amoros |
London-based art-pop singer-songwriter Oliver Marson shares a new collaborative single with Sharon Van Etten, 'Christina'. The new track arrives with a video directed by Sofía Boriosi, starring Avani Gregg and Abraham Lewis. Written while Marson was touring Europe in the summer of 2021, 'Christina' was inspired by a fleeting encounter following a show in Prague. Having instinctively dodged an unexpected kiss, Marson began the song the following day in Linz.
Its titular character grew to represent the people who briefly pass through our lives. "'Christina' as a character represents that exact feeling," Marson explains. "It is the people who drift in and out of your world, the friends who come and go, and the bittersweet weight of moments that are over before you can fully hold onto them. The track is ultimately about that deep sense of longing and nostalgia for good times that have already slipped away."
Originally conceived as a darker, Depeche Mode-esque composition, the track was subsequently reshaped alongside longtime producer Josh Rumble and Kirin J Callinan, who encouraged Marson to embrace something brighter and more expansive - with Charles Cave of White Lies contributing fretless bass.
"Because of the emotional nature of the song, I could only think of one person who could sing Christina, and that was Sharon," says Marson. A longtime admirer of Van Etten’s work, he approached her directly via Instagram after being moved to tears by her performance of "Seventeen" at Primavera Sound. "Her voice brought a rawness and emotional weight that I simply couldn’t have reached on my own."
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Continuing to explore the emotional complexities of relationships with striking honesty, Montreal singer-songwriter Libby Ember shares “Shoes,” a vulnerable and melancholic indie-folk single about realizing you may be the only person still trying to move a relationship forward. Stripped of drums and built around an understated arrangement, the track places Libby’s words firmly at the centre, capturing the exhaustion that comes from being ready to take the next step while someone else remains standing still.
Inspired by a relationship where Libby felt increasingly responsible for creating progress, “Shoes” transforms that imbalance into a simple but resonant metaphor. Throughout the song, putting on her shoes represents more than getting ready to leave the house; it becomes an expression of willingness to show up, put in the work, and actively pursue the life and relationship she wants.
“I decided to name the song ‘Shoes’ despite the fact that I don’t repeat it very often in the song, since the shoes are a metaphor for my efforts,” Libby explains. “If I’ve got my shoes on, it means I’m ready to go out and work for what I want or work towards bettering a relationship.”
Rather than dramatizing that disconnect, “Shoes” sits quietly inside it. The song captures the vulnerable realization that wanting a relationship to move forward is not enough when the effort required to sustain it has become one-sided. In keeping the emotion restrained, Libby allows the frustration, sadness, and honesty of that realization to emerge naturally.
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