Primula - Twin Bloom - Solar Eyes

Photo - Elvira Glänte

Primula - Nothing New (EP).

Swedish band Primula steps into a new chapter with ‘Nothing New’ their new EP which has just been released. With a dream of collective creativity and a desire to make something personal and unpretentious, Primula embraces the new sound they have grown into together as a band. Rather than following conventional three-minute structures and predictable choruses, Primula embraces tension and space that many musicians shy away from. The result is far from run-of-the-mill indie as their tracks shift seamlessly between fragility and power, driven by Ella’s striking and unconventional vocals.

The collection of songs that make up ‘Nothing New’ focus on the ups and downs of early adulthood: wanting to fit in while also finding your own path, dealing with love and loss, and the distance that can grow when life doesn’t turn out the way you imagined. Recorded using mostly a live approach and produced by Gustav Alte, the EP brings powerful drums and strong vocal performances, redefining the band’s musical identity while showcasing the matured sound the band have grown into.

The lead single from the EP, ‘Nothing New’, captures the emotional core of the release and sets the tone for the band’s new chapter. The track reflects on the strange familiarity of growing older and how certain feelings, patterns, and disappointments seem to return no matter how much time passes. It moves
through resignation and repetition, while still holding onto the possibility of change, of breaking old habits, and of daring to choose differently. The song balances melancholy with a sense of moving forward, reflecting the uncertainty and hope that run throughout the EP.

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Twin Bloom - Magazine Dreams.

Dandy Boy Records announced they will release a 12" EP on July 10 from Twin Bloom. You can hear the first single, Magazine Dreams, now. Twin Bloom makes indie rock that balances momentum with atmosphere, drifting between the glow of 80s new wave, the haze of shoegaze and the melodic pull of classic guitar pop. Based in Oakland, the band leans into warmth over sharp edges. Guitars shimmer and blur, melodies stick quickly, and close vocal harmonies give the songs a familiar, lived-in feel.

Influences like Teenage Fanclub, Alvvays, The Cure and The Strokes are present, but never foregrounded, filtered instead through a sensibility shaped by years of playing rooms, basements and clubs. There’s patience in the band’s writing, but also a steady sense of drive. Songs unfold gradually, carried by chiming guitars and propulsive rhythms that keep things moving even as textures bloom and recede. The arrangements stay lean and focused, favoring clarity over excess and letting repetition, tone and melody do the work. The music feels emotionally grounded and immediate, well suited for hazy summer drives and warm, nostalgic nights that stretch on longer than expected.

Twin Bloom’s self-titled debut EP, slated for release in summer 2026, captures a moment of transition, caught between looking back and pushing forward. Lead single “Summer’s Gone” distills the band’s approach most clearly, pairing an easy, driving rhythm with a bittersweet sense of seasonal shift. Twin Bloom isn’t chasing trends or big statements. The band is focused on writing songs that stick, sound good turned up in the car and feel just as natural on the tenth listen as the first.

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Solar Eyes - Be Under No Illusion.

Just in time for a hot, hazy summer ahead, Solar Eyes return with a brand new single, “Be Under No Illusion”. “Be Under No Illusion” is a full‑throttle indie psych-rock track that hits with immediacy, confidence and a gun-slinging swagger. Driven by a relentless groove, howling fuzz guitars, and Western-movie vocal whoops provided by Nadine Batchelor Hunt, it brings the raw energy of early Kasabian and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to a Morricone-scored shoot-out. With its unusual, off-kilter 7/4 time signature it counts itself amongst a rare-breed of classic tracks, including Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song” and Pink Floyd’s “Money”, both of which count them as part of their DNA. The result is a dizzying track firmly rooted in the now, but very much orbiting in a realm of its own.

The same day, Solar Eyes will accompany the track with two contrasting B‑sides that deepen the picture. The interdimensional, driving shoegaze of “Sweet Angel” is a claustrophobic contrast of darkness and light; whilst its companion “All Because Of You” is both hazy and melodic as it walks a tightrope of tension with atmosphere – think Velvet Underground or Suicide with a hint of Bob Dylan.

Collectively, the three tracks showcase Solar Eyes at their most focused and confident, sharpening their sound and building on the momentum of last year’s critically acclaimed second album ‘Live freaky! Die Freaky!’. Solar Eyes is the cosmic creation of Midlands (England) duo Glenn Smyth and Sebastian Maynard Francis. Formed in 2021, Solar Eyes have steadily been amassing a devoted fanbase at tastemaker events like SXSW and The Great Escape. 

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Kathryn Grimm - Primula - M. John Henry - Beached Out - The Legal Matters - Marcello Di Luna - The Veils

Kathryn Grimm - Treat Me Like Gold.

The new visualizer and single "Treat Me Like Gold" from award-winning Portland based singer/songwriter and musician Kathryn Grimm has just been released. The blues rock track "is a playful song about someone who knows their worth advising a less than appreciative partner to hurry up and realize what they’ve got," shares the artist. 

Kathryn Grimm has collaborated with the likes of Jeff Buckley (backed her up in her original band “Group Therapy”), Michael Bolton and more. LA Times praised Kathryn stating that she "pummels crowds into a blissful heap”. 

Kathryn stays busy with her many projects including “The Kathryn Grimm Band” (KGB), “The Jazz Rockets”, “Hippie Love Slave”, “Babes In Portland”; and hosts a quarterly Blues/Jazz Jam. She also offers her skills as a player backing up select artists on guitar, bass, piano, vocals (“Mekong River Band”) and as a writer (several of her songs are featured in playwright Alan Alexander III’s award winning “Homeless, The Musical”). Academically she holds degrees at The Guitar Institute (Hollywood CA) and Cal State, L.A. (BA / MA - Jazz Studies / Commercial Music).

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Primula - Cobblestone.

Swedish band Primula steps into a new chapter ahead of their upcoming EP ‘Nothing New’. Recorded live and guided by a willingness to go against the grain, the track showcases the matured sound the band have grown into. Rather than following conventional three-minute structures and predictable choruses, Primula embraces tension and space that many musicians shy away from. The result is far from run-of-the-mill indie as their tracks shift seamlessly between fragility and power, driven by Ella’s striking and unconventional vocals.

‘Cobblestone’ is about the uncomfortable yet reassuring realization that you are not the center of the world, but rather one small part of something much larger. It reflects the inner shift that often comes during periods of change and growing up. Times like this make identity feel less certain and allow new
perspectives to begin to take shape. The title itself acts as a metaphor: a single cobblestone may appear ordinary, but without each stone, the road would not exist.

“‘Cobblestone’ is about the difficult yet comforting realization that you’re just a small piece in a much bigger world. There’s a freedom in not having to be so significant on your own. Even if you feel insignificant by yourself, you’re still an essential part of making something whole.”

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M. John Henry - Evelyn.

M. John Henry, Scottish songwriter and singer in the bands De Rosa (Chemikal Underground, Rock Action Records) and Whin (duo with Robert Dallas Gray of Life Without Buildings) has released the single 'Evelyn' from his new solo album, M. John Henry - 'Early Songs, Of Late' (out now). The single is out now on Gargleblast Records. The new LP is a collection of stripped back recordings made in 2025 which revisit music from the time of my debut album with De Rosa in the mid 2000s. It includes reworked and reimagined versions of songs from 'Mend' (2006), as well as some contemporaneous unreleased songs, recorded here for the first time. 

Ex-De Rosa frontman and Bellshill's shadier pop songsmith M. John Henry turns to his back catalogue with new album -‘Early Songs, Of Late’ (out now) - a beautiful collection of reworked and newly performed versions of classic songs and unreleased material. 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of 'Mend' – De Rosa's 2006 debut - which put Henry's songwriting on the map for its deep connection to his post-industrial homeland.

A three decade career later and we find Henry seeking alternative paths through what were once jagged, indie-folk cuts and arriving in darkly pastoral territory. “The kind of parochial majesty you might encounter if Pixies reworked The Go-Betweens' 'Before Hollywood' for a documentary about the social history of Lanarkshire...”, MOJO magazine wrote of 'Mend'. Swap in Bert Jansch and Mark Eitzel and you might be heading in Henry's direction on 'Early Songs, Of Late'.

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Beached Out - Variable Rate.

Beached Out is a Peterborough, Ontario–based indie rock duo made up of Anne and Jeff Parker. Formed through a long-running creative partnership, the band blends fuzzed-out, ’90s-leaning indie rock with concise, narrative-driven songwriting. Their work explores memory, relationships, and the tension between ambition and everyday life. Their first full-length album, Average Weekends, spans eleven tracks that move between hook-driven guitar songs, reflective moments, and character-focused storytelling. Written and recorded over eight months, the album is fully collaborative, with Jeff and Anne sharing vocals and songwriting equally.

Their third single Variable Rate has been released this weekend and is yet another beautiful example of what to anticipate when the album is released. We are also told regarding the album: The record opens with the deceptively bright “Variable Rate,” followed by the moody churn of “Falling for Sure,” which explores miscommunication and emotional distance. “Hands in Reverse” shifts toward connection, while “1000 Trees” draws on the eerie calm of an ice storm. The surf-tinged title track (a nod to Canadian icons Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet) reflects a search for balance in a hectic world.

Elsewhere, the album leans into character studies and memory-driven vignettes, from the washed-up wrestler tale of “Half Nelson” to the bittersweet nostalgia of “Supervillain.” The record ultimately balances regret and contentment, landing on intimacy and hope.

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The Legal Matters - Lost At Sea (Album).

The new album from Michigan indie pop all-stars The Legal Matters. The band's fourth full-length record (and their first for BSR) Lost At Sea has seen worldwide release on Vinyl, CD and Streaming from yesterday February 27. Already previewed by the indie hit single “Everybody Knows” with “The Message” soon to follow, the album is a triumph of sharp hooks, songwriting and performances even by the high standards set by the band on their acclaimed previous albums.

It's become traditional to refer to The Legal Matters as a “midwestern power pop supergroup,” but they've long since transcended that label. It's true that when the band formed in 2013, Keith Klingensmith, Andy Reed and Chris Richards were already key players on the Michigan scene, with a combined pedigree encompassing beloved bands like The Phenomenal Cats, An American Underdog, and Richards' ongoing solo career with The Subtractions. 

But they've undeniably become a force of their own, and more than the sum of their parts, over the course of releasing three of the most celebrated indie pop albums of recent decades: their self-titled 2014 debut, 2016's Conrad (one of the few albums by emerging artists to be backed by reissue powerhouse Omnivore Recordings) and 2021's Chapter Three. All three garnered critical praise and berths on Year's Best Albums list across the indie pop world from Popdose and MusicTAP to the UK's I Don't Hear A Single and beyond, and the list of classic artists artists referenced in those glowing notices – Big Star, Badfinger, Teenage Fanclub, Fountains Of Wayne, Crowded House – does provide some idea of what to expect. What sets The Legal Matters apart, though, is the magic of their chemistry as songwriters, harmonizing vocalists and players.

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Marcello Di Luna -  Hanalei Bay.

When he’s not on stage with the band Wintershome or working as a ski instructor (and until October 2025 serving fresh trout at the “Gault&Millau” awarded “Chalet Alm”), Martial Chanton dedicates himself to his own music. Under the name Marcello di Luna, he creates enchanting, atmospheric indie folk infused with the spirit of lo-fi and driven by grand melodies. Equally expansive are the sonic landscapes that unfold in his new single “Hanalei Bay.”

Marcello di Luna’s most important instrument is the acoustic guitar — and, of course, his voice. He sings about closeness, about doubt, and about what it means to be human. “Hanalei Bay” (released yesterday February 27) also reflects the striking contrast and the unexpected similarities between the mountains of Valais, where he grew up, and the ocean.

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The Veils - Lungs.

Following the critically acclaimed release of ‘Asphodels’ in 2025, The Veils quickly return with a bold and invigorated new album titled ‘Fragile World’, out 19 June on V2 Records. The first single ‘Lungs’ is released this weekend. Arriving just over a year after their last release, ‘Fragile World’ marks a striking shift in tone and energy for the band. Recorded live to tape in New Zealand by Paddy Hill, with production by Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins, The Chills, Folk Bitch Trio), ‘Fragile World’, captures The Veils in an urgent and instinctive mode.

As can be heard on the first single ‘Lungs’ of which frontman Finn Andrews says: “I make each album, generally, as a kind of atonement for the last. Asphodels was so quiet and introspective, I think I just wanted to make something strident and full of life for a goddamn change. I wrote the lyric for this years ago, while I still lived in London and I still smoked fags.”

The album’s title is both a reflection of the present moment - a time in which many institutions appear to be crumbling before our eyes - and a metaphor for the act of creation itself. The process of making music, Andrews notes, is a delicate and fragile undertaking where thousands of small decisions gradually coalesce into a finished whole.

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