Bau Cat - Le Bien - Purple Pilgrims - PINS - Arkells - Joe Ray McDonald

Bau Cat – Ordinary People / Conversations with America.

Prestatyn three-piece Bau Cat return with a fantastic double A-side release, Ordinary People / Conversations with America, ahead of their four-track EP Price of Life, due out on 6th November via Libertino. Known for their energetic, playful and joyful live performances, the band have already earned attention from BBC Introducing, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio 6 Music, KEXP and Radio X.

The two tracks showcase different sides of Bau Cat's songwriting. Ordinary People draws on the melodic warmth of The Beatles' Rubber Soul, while reflecting on the challenges of making a living as working-class musicians in an increasingly expensive music industry. It's a heartfelt and wonderfully relatable song, summed up perfectly by the band's description: "This one's for all the ordinary people out there like us, failing so beautifully."

Conversations with America takes a wider look at an increasingly divided and troubled world. Inspired by The Cure, Blondie and R.E.M., it opens with a driving bassline and distorted megaphone before developing into something wonderfully melodic and hopeful. Despite its darker observations, the song ultimately delivers a message of love and togetherness.

There's plenty to admire about Bau Cat's ability to combine thought-provoking subjects with infectious melodies, humour and an uplifting musical spirit. Beehive Candy love the energy, honesty and individuality of this double A-side! A terrific introduction to Price of Life and a band well worth keeping an eye on.

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Le Bien - Lucy.

French collective Le Bien continue their musical evolution with Losers, the first instalment of an exciting two-part EP series, arriving on 27th November 2026. Following their 2025 debut release Sheeplanding on Tadam Records, the band return with a wonderfully offbeat collection that turns life's everyday frustrations into something surprisingly joyful.

Born out of setbacks, including a cancelled tour and the departure of their original label, Losers embraces boredom, anxiety, pleasure and addiction with plenty of self-deprecating humour. Rather than becoming weighed down by its subject matter, Le Bien counter their sharp observations with upbeat rhythms, quirky musical flourishes and an irresistible invitation to dance away life's neuroses.

The band's increasingly collaborative approach is at the heart of this new chapter. Drawing inspiration from spontaneous jam sessions in an underground French bar before developing the material in Marseille, their music captures a wonderfully raw, communal energy. There's a particularly appealing combination of primal rhythms, infectious melodies and a sense of togetherness that feels made for sharing.

Losers sounds like a refreshing and adventurous step forward for Le Bien, demonstrating that even life's less glamorous moments can inspire something exciting. Beehive Candy love the playful spirit, infectious energy and wonderfully unconventional approach of this release.

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Photo - Olivia Renouf

Purple Pilgrims – Look to the Moon.

Aotearoa-based dream-pop duo Purple Pilgrims, sisters Clementine and Valentine Nixon, return with Look to the Moon, the latest single from their forthcoming third album, Given to the Night, due 27th November via Flying Nun Records. Accompanied by a beautiful new music video directed by Britt Walton, it's another captivating glimpse into the sisters' wonderfully atmospheric musical world.

Described by the duo as "a mantra, a sisterly love song — a communion with the universe, an anthemic prayer", Look to the Moon explores the connection between love, nature and the wider universe. Their signature kaleidoscopic sound is full of dreamy textures, beautifully layered vocals and an enchanting sense of otherworldliness.

Recorded during an off-grid countryside retreat in New Zealand, Given to the Night explores the spaces between dreams and reality, light and darkness, with the sisters allowing intuition and spontaneity to guide their creative process. Previous singles Innocence Lost and Outside have already offered tantalising glimpses of this intriguing new direction.

Look to the Moon is a gorgeous, immersive piece of dream-pop that highlights the extraordinary musical connection between these two sisters. Beehive Candy absolutely love its hypnotic atmosphere, beautiful harmonies and uplifting sense of wonder.

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PINS – No Tears.

Manchester post-punk favourites PINS return with No Tears, the second half of their new double A-side release, following recent single All Over. It's an exciting taste of what's to come from the four-piece, who have also announced their fourth studio album, If I'm Alive Now, Then I Was Dead, arriving 12th February via Haus of PINS.

Marking a fresh chapter for Faith Vern, Lois MacDonald, Kyoko Swan and Abbi Phillips, No Tears finds the band embracing a more organic, analogue sound. Recorded at London's Holy Mountain Studios, the track combines yearning, heartfelt lyrics with gritty guitars and gorgeous 60s girl-group harmonies, building into a wonderfully emotional celebration of love, friendship and the people we've been along the way.

With more than a decade of acclaimed releases behind them, PINS demonstrate that they still have plenty of creative fire. There's a lovely warmth and vulnerability to No Tears, while retaining the raw energy and distinctive attitude that have always made the band such an appealing proposition.

Beehive Candy love this track. It's a beautiful, heartfelt return from PINS and a promising glimpse of an album that looks set to mark a significant new beginning for the band.

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Photo - Scarlet O’Neil

Arkells - Handshake Thugs.

Nine-time JUNO Award winners Arkells are back with a timely surprise single, ‘Handshake Thugs’, their first new music since the release of their latest album, Between Us, earlier this spring. Featuring the No. 1 singles ‘Next Summer’ and ‘Money’, the album explored the noise of modern life and the search for meaning, themes the band now push further with a sharp-edged song aimed at leaders who divide people while protecting their own power.

Written in early September, recorded just weeks later with producer Gus van Go, and already finding its way into the band's live set during their UK tour, ‘Handshake Thugs’ is a direct and uncompromising statement. Frontman Max Kerman explains that while society often imagines thugs as troublemakers on the streets, the real ones are those at the top, making deals for themselves and putting their own interests first. He describes the track as “a song for the 99%, inspired by the 1%”.

Arkells are now bringing their Between Us tour back to Canada with a fresh run of their distinctive City Takeover shows. Giving fans the chance to see the band across three nights in three different local clubs, the intimate events put live music and personal connection at the heart of the experience. Previous sold-out takeovers have taken place in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.

The latest dates begin in Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Ottawa, before the band round off the year with eagerly anticipated holiday shows in Niagara and St. John’s, Newfoundland. With ‘Handshake Thugs’, Arkells prove they are still ready to speak their minds, delivering an energetic new anthem that takes aim at the powerful and stands firmly with everyone else.

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Joe Ray McDonald - Harvester (Album).

Canadian alt-country talent Joe Ray McDonald returns with Harvester, an impressive 11-song collection arriving almost exactly a year after his 2025 breakthrough album Cowboy Cake. Based near Ottawa, McDonald is a remarkable roots musician, combining the heartfelt storytelling of Townes Van Zandt with flashes of dazzling guitar work reminiscent of Billy Strings. Once again, he has recorded virtually everything himself, showcasing an extraordinary range of musical ability.

Building on the success of Cowboy Cake, McDonald has pushed his sound further, placing guitar playing firmly at the centre of Harvester. He describes the new record as a blend of Jerry Reed's virtuosic picking and Townes Van Zandt's emotional depth, with a lighter touch than its predecessor. The result promises plenty of musical variety, balancing impressive musicianship with songs that have genuine feeling and personality.

One standout is ‘Palomino’, whose intricate arrangement and evocative lyrics capture McDonald's cinematic approach to songwriting. ‘In The Morning’ is equally special, inspired by the experience of looking after his family's farm at around 20 years old. A series of mishaps, including frozen pipes, a blown tractor tyre and a heavy snowstorm, eventually gave way to a moment of calm when the song came to him.

That combination of lived experience, vivid storytelling and exceptional guitar playing makes Harvester a compelling next step for McDonald. He's an artist with a real gift for bringing traditional roots influences into his own distinctive world, and this latest collection should further establish him as one of Canada's most exciting alt-country voices.

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Purple Pilgrims - BoxNoise - Eliza Edens - The Boathouse - Tender Youth - Hector Gannet

Photo - Olivia Renouf

Purple Pilgrims - Outside.

Purple Pilgrims share their upcoming record's newest single 'Outside' — a melodic yet melancholic beauty, reminiscent of the trickling, cyclical environment the sisters placed themselves within to make the record, on an off grid retreat in the NZ countryside. “Last year I felt dead inside, now I’m feeling so alive / Looking from the outside in, again”. Given to the Night is out digitally and on silver vinyl LP on November 27th via Flying Nun Records, and all made with the support of NZ on Air.

Says the band: “This song is an ode to outsiders. A term that once felt heavy, now feels like an anointed privilege. Relishing a space of one’s own. The feeling of putting on headphones and walking through the world – of it and others at the same time — is a sacred space that most of us can relate to, we think. From that space, ‘Outside’ ponders some fairly existential feelings in passing — from all of our beginnings as pure energy, where and how could we transcend beyond. How isolating it is to go/grow through something transitional — how it is beautiful too, when broken down into quantum forms.”

In full, Given to the Night translates Purple Pilgrims’ signature kaleidoscopic sound via telepathic sibling connection, focusing on introspective themes of finding light in shadows, and exploring the in-betweens. The record’s previous single 'Innocence Lost' (released September 8) explored the harsh consequences of love amid meticulously layered vocals and swooning guitar.

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BoxNoise - Things I Barely Remember (Album).

Here is a band that contacted Beehive Candy directly and we are so pleased that they did. Released some months back their album 'Things I Barely Remember' has some really impressive material on it, with songs such as 'Don't Wanna Play w/u Anymore' and 'No Kontakt' demanding some listener attention. 

Some more background from BoxNoise: In 2023, Alt/Rock band BoxNoise was formed by three emo-kids-at-heart in the suburbs of Chicago. The three share a connection to music together dating back to 2016, having played in various different bands together. The struggles of Covid led to an abrupt ending to the musical projects that they had been working on prior, with members ending up states apart. 

This led to a massive loss of identity for the three, but became a loss that they would find they desperately needed. What felt like defeat became a breath of fresh air and a means to disconnect from the expectations and outside voices that had forced their hands into the three's creativity. Over time, music began forcing its way back out of them with a weight lifted and an ability to explore the direction of their music freely that they hadn't been afforded before. At first, ideas were bounced back and forth online from a distance with no intention of releasing music. 

They found themselves happily lost in that what they were creating was the most connected, genuine, and free that the band had ever felt. After they had a number of songs recorded from this new place of freedom, the three felt that they wanted to put this music out into the world and in 2023, vocalist Abbie and guitarist Ethan decided to move to Illinois to live close to drummer Andy, and in that moment, they formed BoxNoise.


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Photo - Emilio Herce

Eliza Edens - Old Home Video.

Eliza Edens has shared the third single from their forthcoming album ‘Death Drive,’ to be released October 30 on First City Artists (Coco, Alexa Rose). “Old Home Video” is an emotional blend of resonating felt piano, tender lyricism, and aching vocals. "I wrote it in the depths of my mom’s journey with dementia," says Edens. "My dad and I had found a home video of her in her thirties. She was so charismatic. I was heartbroken that I'd never meet that version of my mom again, even though she was still physically alive." 

The new release follows focus tracks “Death Drive” and “Hot & Mean.” Since its announcement, ‘Death Drive’ has gathered editorial enthusiasm from the likes of FLOOD Magazine, MAGNET, and Atwood Magazine, landing across more than twenty playlists so far. Edens will celebrate the album release with a handful of East Coast tour dates this fall, including NYC on November 19 at TV Eye. Shows are detailed below.

The Berkshires-born, Brooklyn-based artist’s third studio album emerged from the white-hot intersection of pain and pleasure. In the midst of losing their mother to dementia, Edens—in their late twenties—began exploring their queerness for the first time. Grief and desire coalesced. “It was an intense time,” Edens says. “As I was watching my mom fade, I was also embracing a more reckless and bold side of myself in terms of identity.” The album gets its name from Freud’s theory of the “death drive,” which proposes an innate human instinct towards recklessness and self-destruction in order to release tension—we smoke, we drive fast cars, we blow off steam at the bar. Edens’ parallel experiences of suffering and personal evolution electrified their creative impulses—combusting into their boldest album to date.

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Photo - Dave Gillespie

The Boathouse - Like a Lover.

Toronto yacht-rock influenced quartet The Boathouse share “Like a Lover,” a bombastic new single that pairs the larger-than-life sound of ‘80s AOR and synth-rock with an unexpectedly sincere declaration of romantic commitment. Built around towering guitars, gleaming synthesizers, huge drums and a detour into Prince-inspired funk, the track emerged from a period of housing uncertainty that put a relationship under pressure and ultimately reinforced the feeling that some challenges are easier to face when someone has your back.

The song was written soon after bassist and vocalist Tristan Armstrong and his partner moved into an apartment in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood. After navigating the city’s fiercely competitive rental market, they had finally found a place they were excited to call home. Just months later, however, their landlord informed them that the property needed to be sold following poor business decisions, abruptly throwing their future into uncertainty.

“This thrust us into a period of disappointment, uncertainty and anxiety,” Tristan explains. “These times can greatly test a relationship, and have a tendency to either strengthen or splinter.”

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Photo - Sandra Vitayarat

Tender Youth - Back and Forth.

London-based art-rock four-piece Tender Youth share the video for ‘Back and Forth’, taken from their sophomore album, Turning Torso, out now. The track captures the band’s shift from the intense, guitar-led art-rock of their earlier releases towards a more post-punk oriented sound palette, with violin replacing almost all of the guitar other than splashes of acoustics across the record.

Originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, the band have built a reputation as an energetic and unconventional live act, touring extensively across Europe before moving to London on a semi-permanent basis. 

Turning Torso marks a significant evolution in the band's sound, one that began with the decision to leave the guitar behind in favour of violin. Still keeping the raw intensity of their sound, the distorted violin, driving rhythms, industrial electronic elements and an increasingly unconventional approach bring interesting musicality and raw, emotionally urgent and theatrical soundscapes comparable to the likes of Opus Kink, Man/ Woman/ Chainsaw, Depeche Mode and Prostitute. 

Across its ten tracks, Turning Torso moves between abrasive, energetic passages and more vulnerable moments, with the band's stripped back instrumental concept allowing the songs to retain a strong sense of physicality while opening up space for experimentation. The sprawling intensity of tracks like ‘Marina Drive’, is echoed by the flourishing, performative expansiveness of tracks like ‘Portugal’ and ‘Erotica’ which highlight an industrial rock undertone with a gritty, textural freedom. 

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Photo - Ian West

Hector Gannet - The Blaydon Races.

OK so the following press release has a little bit of the corporate stuff to start with, however we have been very impressed by Hector Gannet here on Beehive Candy and their version of 'The Blaydon Races' is simply to good to ignore. Here is the background (the final two paragraphs carry the bands input):  To further its already extensive global reach, while cementing its respect for the history and culture of “the Toon”, Newcastle United have entered into the world of music, partnering with Interval Records and emerging North Shields artist Hector Gannet to create a new “reimagining” of “The Blaydon Races”.

The track marks the club’s arrival on digital platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, giving fans a new way to connect with them. It’s a striking first move, placing a reworking of Tyneside’s own folk anthem, and a North East artist, at the very centre of the club’s first step into digital music. 

Hector Gannet frontman Aaron Duff was the first choice of Interval Records, the label behind the project, for Newcastle United’s reimagining of “The Blaydon Races.” The club wanted a local artist recognised for genuine North East integrity, with a voice that carries the region’s accent honestly and up front. Working alongside producer Alex Blamire, the pair built a completely new arrangement of The Blaydon Races, while keeping the melody and lyrics true to the original, as written by Geordie Ridley in 1862.

Aaron Duff; “The Blaydon Races belongs to the region, to every person that has sung it with passion and love for their home, their team, their family. It’s part of our identity; our past, present and future. We have a duty to celebrate our heritage, to preserve it, to pay it forward and ensure that those words are sung with pride for generations to come. It’s a song that we all have a connection to, it takes us to a time and a place, unique to our own lives. During recording I put everything into it, I was thinking about my son, my Mam and Dad and all the family and friends at home, and all those we’ve lost along the way too, I can almost hear their voices, like they’re with us when we sing this.”

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British Birds - The Rallies - Purple Pilgrims - Loren Berí - Mel Denisse - The McKenzie FIX

British Birds - Scary Movies.

We have the superb new single 'Scary Movies' from the wonderful British Birds ahead of their forthcoming album. Chorley-based British Birds are Bobby and Emma Townson. Drums are by Dominic Lawson and bass is by James Robinson. It's another taster for their forthcoming album 'Murmurate, Oscillat' which is due 16 October. 

The single reminds us of The Kinks and The Sweet. Meanwhile, according to Bobby, "Scary Movies is a nostalgic road trip through memories of our grandad, who recently passed away, celebrating the unconventional influence he had on us through his own unorthodox interests. It gives a gentle nod to Ty Segall’s ripping guitar riffs, Black Sabbath-esque drum fills and the hazy vocals of Tomorrow Never Knows."

‘Murmuration’ is the low hum made by those vast, beautifully choreographed flocks of starlings as they simultaneously flap their wings and take to the sky.  Some people say that the frequency of this unique, rumbling, oscillating sound can cure diseases...  

One of the most exciting live bands in the UK, British Birds combine the garage-punk energy of Billy Childish, the wry English sophistication of XTC and the witty pop inventiveness of The Lovely Eggs.  Like the murmurating flocks of starlings, they create a unique sound, and might even be able to cure diseases.

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The Rallies - No Better Time (Album).

Released earlier this year The Rallies fourth album 'No Better Time' has only just arrived on our radar, thanks to the band contacting us themselves and we are really pleased they did, as this is such a wonderful fit for Beehive Candy. They tell us "On this album, we wanted to get a bouncy, sunny, pop feel just in time for summer to shine!" All we can do is agree.
 
The Rallies have a knack for writing deliciously infectious power pop tunes, seamlessly not missing a beat and delivering irresistible melodies with hooks that stick like glue. Their music might have a reminiscent retro sound that you swear you've heard before, but the final result is something quite new and original.

Four albums and forty-two songs later, The Rallies will be celebrating fifteen years of existence. Their signature sound remains intact, with songs immersed with heartfelt love for melody and uplifting intoxicating harmonies, apparent in every song.

Their previous album 'It Must Be Love' received exceptionally positive reviews, even selected the #1 Power Pop Album of 2023 by Power Pop News. For their fourth and most recently recorded album, No Better Time, they returned back to the same Seattle studio and producer, Johnny Sangster at Crackle & Pop!. If it's worked before in the past then why meddle with success!

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Photo - Olivia Renouf

Purple Pilgrims - Innocence Lost.

Purple Pilgrims have announced the release of their third album, Given to the Night, out on the 27th November via Flying Nun Records in New Zealand. Truths and secrets often reveal themselves at night, under the freedom of shadowy darkness, away from prying eyes. In creating Given to the Night, sisters Valentine and Clementine Nixon have crafted a world that drifts through the in-between: between dream and reality, between day and night and the undefined, and ultimately a world that embraces the discomfort of being untethered. 

A process that follows simplicity and intuition rather than pre-determined narratives. “We recorded songs as they appeared, which sometimes felt like catching light. Before we realised it we had a record”, the duo explain. The first single, ‘Innocence Lost’, is out today alongside a brand new visualiser made with the support of NZ on Air. The new track is a dreamy example of the duo’s signature kaleidoscopic sound.

As Purple Pilgrims, Clementine and Valentine Nixon make music that is at once classic and wholly idiosyncratic. Raised between New Zealand and Hong Kong, the sisters began performing in subterranean gallery spaces and music venues across Hong Kong’s abandoned industrial estates, with sets of experimental noise and futuristic dream-pop.

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Photo - Nate DiDomizio

Loren Berí - Stagehand.

The new single "Stagehand" from inventive New York-based singer-songwriter Loren Berí is released this week. The artist blends lush chamber textures with catchy indie songwriting, marked by inventive storytelling and a charismatic performance style. “Stagehand” is about abandoning exaggerated versions of yourself and finding unexpected beauty and relief in simply being yourself, even when you feel like you’re living backstage rather than starring in the story.

Loren Berí is a New York-based singer-songwriter whose work blends lush chamber textures with catchy indie songwriting, marked by inventive storytelling and a charismatic performance style.

Berí's sophomore album, Stagehand will be released this year alongside a book of accompanying poems.The title track is a dreamy chamber pop embrace. He shares, “After the late night writing I got into this idea of a stagehand who’s convinced he’s a character in a play, unaware he’s just the person moving set pieces around in the dark while the actual characters stand frozen, waiting for him to leave the stage before starting an actual scene. Midway through I realized it felt like the completion of an arc that began with Alby’s Ghost. Where ‘Alby’ centers on this egoic, larger-than-life, limelight sort of character, ‘Stagehand’ is the opposite.

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Mel Denisse - Hunted.

The new single "Hunted" from Nashville based artist Mel Denisse is released this week. “Hunted” is a driving alt-pop/rock track that draws from dark romance themes that blur fear and obsession. It's dark, nocturnal, and atmospheric. She shares, "It’s a bit of a psychological game, blending obsession, fear, and desire towards someone or something that you are fighting one day, embracing the next. Things aren’t always black and white and this track explores a lot of those emotions.”

Nashville-based artist and producer Mel Denisse leans into duality, blending left-field pop with jagged alt-rock. With delicate vocals threaded through dissonant, distorted production, Denisse is drawn to the clash with her newest genre-defiant single, “hunted.”

Previous releases earned spins on BBC Radio 1’s Alternative Show, placement on Spotify’s All New Rock, and tastemakers from Ones to Watch note “I've learned to expect the unexpected when I put her on,” while LADYGUNN praised her “singular approach to alt-rock and pop, setting her apart in a saturated landscape,” calling it “refreshing, an essential listening for those craving authenticity in an age of imitation.”

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The McKenzie FIX - Wonder The World.

The single 'Wonder The World' is our first brand new music in two years. It's taken from our third album, which is coming out in early 2027. ''A driving, 80s-inspired synth-pop anthem with bright melodies and a pulsing bassline. 'Wonder the World' blends nostalgic new wave energy with reflective lyrics about time and wanderlust. Perfect for retro-aesthetic TikToks, travel vlogs, and late-night driving playlists.'' (Auramusic)

The McKenzie FIX is the Pop-Wave / Synth-Pop sound of musician-songwriter Ewan McKenzie. McKenzie has an eclectic collection of songs and releases behind his back. His music is kaleidoscopic and diverse - he is continuously finding new ways to express himself through a broad sonic palette.
 
Formerly Ewan was lead singer with the Edinburgh band Emporium, gaining traction with BBC introducing / BBC Radio Scotland, with reviews in national press. They were also awarded a grant from the Scottish Arts Council for their album 'Silver Brainwaves'.

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Purple Pilgrims - The Velveteins - Maygen & The Birdwatcher - Alicia Stockman - M. Byrd

Purple Pilgrims - Ancestors Watching.

Sister duo Purple Pilgrims have released the third part of a trilogy of Super 8 films that were made with friend and fellow musician Gary War. ‘Ancestors Watching’ is taken from the band’s album Perfumed Earth which was released via Flying Nun Records in what seems like another world; pre-pandemic. Due to one thing or another the sisters were delayed in releasing the third instalment, then with the emergence of Covid-19, it was temporarily lost to the archives. This is the final piece of Purple Pilgrims’ current story left to share.

“The video is our take on an ancient ritual. We were thinking about folkloric traditions, and of course our ancestors. The song is largely about being kind to oneself, and the idea that muddling our way through life can feel less daunting when we consider all our family branching out behind us, holding wisdom and strength. It’s an idea that can offer comfort when we’re feeling lost. We had this really simple idea loosely based around a maypole dance - the ancient celebration of oncoming warmer weather and new growth. May celebrations are so optimistic, always looking forward - which felt fitting as the song itself is about a new beginning too in a way.”

 this video was filmed by Gary War in the summer of 2019, freely on a hillside in Tāmaki Makaurau, with their ancestors watching on (amused we presume). Concept and art direction by Clementine and Valentine Nixon and makeup by Jessica Hunt.

As Purple Pilgrims, sisters Clementine and Valentine Nixon make music that is at once spacious and sensual, swooning and spellbound. The sisters’ intertwined voices soar and slow dive, radiating a rich spectrum of experience: journeys, homecomings, and great longing.

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The Velveteins - Cosmic Saturation.

Soaked in the bright psychedelia of the 1960’s and dipped in the indie rock explosion of the new millennium, The Velveteins are best described as a bridge between the two. Inspired after living out of a camper van on the beaches of Australia for a year, frontman Spencer Morphy returned to Canada and started the band with co-songwriter Addison Hiller in 2014. Later joined by Dean Kheroufi and Danger Sedmak, the foursome have since made a name for themselves for their incendiary live performances.

Radiating hazy energy, “Cosmic Saturation” has a trippy, laxed aura with a structurally, pop-rock sensibility. The vintage twangs on the guitars surf over an ocean of edgy, quirky melodies and soft drums that lend to a more modern indie feel. The vocals maintain a relaxed feel allowing the subtle, psychedelic atmosphere to stand out next to charming, gritty guitar riffs.

While travelling across the USA, the band were exposed to a colorful palette of sights and sounds, with a fusion of delirium, euphoria and chaos spinning the web of inspiration for their new single. Morphy shares, “Cosmic Saturation was largely inspired by our lives at the time, being constantly travelling and the lifestyle we were living playing so many shows. Driving across the country from the east to west coast, watching the interstates fly by in the dawn.” Keeping the themes of their tracks very much in the present day, their sonic taste buds draw them back to the classic flavours of the 60s, resulting in a throwback sound reminiscent of Babe Rainbow, Foxygen and Deerhunter.

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Maygen & The Birdwatcher - Jigsaw.

Minnesota based folk turned genre-bending Americana-Newgrass duo Maygen & The Birdwatcher, have just released "Jigsaw," the track is an "honest look at the dynamics of what family life really is.

Maygen Lacey is an accomplished, Midwest CMA nominated singer/songwriter with millions of streams on Spotify from listeners around the world. Noah Neumann is a wicked talented guitar virtuoso with a taste for Delta Blues. The combination of the two is Maygen & The Birdwatcher, an indie-folk duo turned genre-bending Americana-Newgrass and Soul experience you need to hear!

In many respects, Maygen and Noah couldn’t be more different. From upbringing and musical taste to the Minneapolis vs Saint Paul debate, there are few things these two agree on. The short list includes: sarcasm, the great outdoors, quality beer, and having a good ‘ol time. Maygen & Noah’s 2018 debut album, “The People We Don’t Choose,” drew on their distinctly different musical influences including Brandi Carlile, Florence + The Machine, and Balmorhea to create a collection of songs that explored family, addiction, loss and navigating the people in their lives. With heartbreak and hope intertwined throughout, it was very well received. Its single, “Comeback” currently spins on local radio, including The Current’s Radio Heartland

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Alicia Stockman - Stay Between the Lines (feat. Mary Bragg).

Utah-based country meets Americana singer-songwriter Alicia Stockman has released her new single "Stay Between The Lines." Conceived during a long journey home on the highway from New Mexico, the song is a reflection on how we all can sometimes “dance between right and wrong and personal limits and boundaries to keep life interesting.” Featuring a twangy Americana melody, reverb-drenched guitar, and dynamic vocal harmonies, this is the perfect tune to get lost in during your summer road trip.

Alicia Stockman is a Utah-based folk-meets-Americana singer-songwriter whose music pulls back the veil to reveal everyday vulnerability. Her songs are written like intimate moments, drawing listeners into a relatable emotional journey.

At a young age, Alicia Stockman began her deep love for music, compelled by the vivid storytelling of powerhouse songwriters including Patty Griffin, Brandi Carlile and Jewel.  After performing in a loud rock n’ roll band playing bars with sticky floors and belting out Stevie Wonder tunes, Alicia began writing her own music more seriously.  Realizing her new songs didn’t have a place in a loud bar with a party atmosphere, she branched out and started playing more intimate venues, quickly finding her home in the folk and Americana scene. Her whisky-dipped soulful vocals and creative takes on day-to-day realities soon sparked the interest of “Nashville’s Americana Queen” Mary Bragg who began collaborating with Alicia on her new album.

Her upcoming debut 10-track full-length album is entitled These Four Walls and is a collection of  "songs to make you feel and feel seen." The album says, “I see you. I've been there. I understand.” Written over a three year period, These Four Walls is a luminous roots release  infused with gritty blues rock guitar licks and attention worthy melodies.

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M. Byrd - Orion.

After his two singles "Mountain" and "Morning Sun", M. Byrd now releases his first EP titled Orion - four songs full of vastness and warmth, carried by the feeling of passing trees outside a backseat car window and the melancholic homesickness that sometimes goes along with. Just one year ago, the first sign of life appeared with "Mountain" and the interim summary is impressive: M. Byrd has become one of the most exciting newcomers on the European music scene, counts 3.5 million streams on just two songs, was recommended in the French Rolling Stone as well as in American blogs. This summer he plays at tastemaker festivals like Immergut, in September at the Reeperbahn Festival and next year he will support indie dance king Roosevelt on his full European tour.

Wafting reverb tails, the casually stoic drums - Byrd's music sounds like Guadagigno's "Call me by your name," at times reminiscents of Tom Petty, Sufjan Stevens or Kurt Vile, while the guitars first sound like Sonic Youth and then fade away like The War on Drugs. In the title single, "Orion" M.Byrd remembers a long-time-nameless turtle that lived with his family for years - without anyone being bothered by the fact that it has no name. In the end, it is named Orion. "It's living in the past, you held me in your hands and never called me Orion". In the accompanying video, director Constantin Timm accompanies the artist and turtle on a journey through the desert.

M.Byrd’s timeless songs shine with a feeling of strength and self-understanding that can be rarely found at the beginning of a young musician’s career - they transport the listener to the American west coast, emitting a sense of melancholic future and euphoric youth, urging them to trust their intuition and find their inner-self. “I spent many years soaking up personal and musical experiences and I’ve been learning a lot in different studios and touring situations. The music I make is thus inspired by being on the road, moving on and allowing growth to happen. I realized that the experiences on my path might also inspire other people and I hope that this will continue in the future with the songs we release.”

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