La Nouvelle Musique - Calico City - Railcard - Ziemba - zeronic - Sonia Elisheva

La Nouvelle Musique - Satellite.

The new single 'Satellite' drifts from Cajun like harmonies through indie psych sounds and ensures La Nouvelle Musique (Joanna Beck & Ian de Silva) continue to surprise and delight following on from last years acclaimed debut album.

La Nouvelle Musique are London based; occasionally reminiscent of Nico and Francois Hardy, their music is rooted in what they refer to as as cinematic psychedelia, mixing the psych/folk elements of folktronica with a vocal style that falls somewhere between Siouxsie Sioux and Trish Keenan of Broadcast, together with an orchestration on some of their songs that gives them a 'big screen' treatment; all bar one song (Sandy Denny's 'Crazy Lady Blues') are written by the duo.

Singer/Bass Player - Joanna Beck is also a composer and performance artist who also creates electroacoustic music, sonic art, and has scored for theatre and film. Guitar - Ian de Sylva, has releases with previous bands through Rough Trade Records and The Medicine Label.

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Calico City - Second in Line (EP).

Friendships can grow, fracture, blur into something more, or leave you wondering where you stand. Exploring everything that exists in those grey areas, Boorloo/Perth six-piece Calico City delivers their debut EP, ‘Second in Line’, a six-track journey through the messy, heavy, and complicated realities of friendship, out Friday, September 18.  

Originally formed in high school, Calico City have spent the past year building on their distinctive collision of alternative rock, reggae and psychedelic influences. Since releasing debut single ‘Ghost’ on September 19 last year, the six-piece have shared stages with Beddy Rays, Dear Sunday, SOPHIAN and Birdland, with ‘Second in Line’ arriving almost exactly one year on from where it all began. Along the way, Calico City have continued to gain momentum across Australian radio and media, spending three weeks on the AMRAP charts and reaching #9 Overall, #6 Metro, #2 Indie/Alternative and #2 Rock/Metal. Their releases have also received support from RTRFM, ABC Perth, AAA Backstage, Future Mag, Aus Music Scene and more.  
  
Across this debut EP, Calico City examine friendship from every angle, moving through betrayal, separation, frustration and uncertainty alongside the moments where platonic relationships begin to blur into something more. With vocalists Brianne Reyes and Sienna Law sharing vocal duties across every track, the six-song EP moves through different perspectives and experiences, tied together by the uncomfortable feeling of being pushed aside, overlooked or left questioning your place in someone else’s life. Brianne Reyes shares:

“‘Second in Line’ explores the complexities and the grey areas around being friends, and the many ways a friendship can crumble or grow into something more. Each song dives down a different path of a relationship, the messy paths, the hot and heavy and the more mellow. Our EP takes you through all sorts of possibilities of feeling like the lesser priority and being ‘Second in Line’ in a friendship.”  

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Railcard - Two Steps At A Time (Album).

This weekend sees the release of the wonderful debut album by indiepop supergroup Railcard, featuring ex-members of Dolly Mixture and Death In Vegas and current members of Heavenly. Beehive Candy has loved the singles leading up to this released and can honestly say, this really is a superb album. Here's the background info for those new to Railcard: You have to wonder why Railcard took so long to be born: their debut album feels like it should have been in your collection for years.

But it wasn’t until 2025 that Rachel Love (Dolly Mixture), Ian Button and Peter Momtchiloff (Heavenly) met at a gig, realised that they were exactly the same age, and decided that this was an excellent reason to form a new band.  The shared history, the same pop references, the parallel lives… Railcard had to happen, and there was no time to lose.  Two Steps At A Time - the album title and theme song - express exactly how quickly Railcard have worked since then - jumping over pavement cracks and whistling past graveyards to get these songs written, recorded and released while they are still sweet and fresh. 

As with the first EPs, Railcard enlisted the sonic services of Medway psych expert Allan Crockford (of The Prisoners, JTQ and many more) who has delivered mixes that pump with vintage valve energy and reverby depth. Two Steps At A Time is released on Skep Wax and Slumberland September 18th. An exclusive Dinked edition of 300 copies including a 7 inch single with 2 additional tracks will be available at participating UK record stores. 


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Photo - Jen Dessinger

Ziemba - Open Up.

Ziemba's "Open Up" is the final single from the forthcoming full-length album, The Braid, her first in six years. The track features some of René Kladzyk's most evocative, intimate, and transcendent lyrics to date, reveling in the mundane traces and artifacts where soul lives. Contemplative and urgent, the songwriting and arrangement evoke the direct humanism of The Roches and the elegant melodies of Neil Young. 

“I wrote this song during a period of significant personal transformation,” Kladzyk said. “I was determined to break toxic relational patterns and really interrogate how I approached the practice of love. Not just romantic love, but all the different relationships in my life.  To me, this song is emblematic of the central sort of thesis of the record, revolving around the symbol of a braid.”

Ziemba has not released a record in nearly six years and she's back this October with this absolute album stunner. At times contemplative and earthy but more often truly baroque and stellar, The Braid is epic, meticulously crafted, and spilling over with art rock / sophisti-pop gems. Gorgeous album cover, extraordinary songwriting and execution, this record is totally arresting.

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zeronic - The Aftermath (Longing For Her Skin).

Austrian three-piece zeronic return with “The Aftermath (Longing For Her Skin),” on September 18th the final single to be released ahead of their forthcoming album Modernism, due October 2nd, 2026.

Where much of Modernism explores the pressures, contradictions and uncertainties of contemporary life, “The Aftermath (Longing For Her Skin)” turns inward, focusing on the strange emotional space that follows the end of a relationship. It is a song about absence, memory and the way people can remain present in your life even when they are no longer part of it.

Built around shimmering guitars and an immediate, expansive chorus, the track carries a sense of movement without ever fully escaping its emotional pull. There is longing throughout, but also a recognition that the past cannot simply be left behind. Instead, it resurfaces unexpectedly — triggered by a film, a poem, a song, or some otherwise insignificant detail that suddenly brings someone back into focus.

As zeronic explain, “The Aftermath“ is about what remains when something between two people is already over. You move on, but that person keeps appearing in the smallest things – a film, a poem, a song. And suddenly, all that longing is there again.”

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Photo - Robbie Ewing

Sonia Elisheva - Playground.

Arriving as an eclectic dose of electro-leaning alt-pop, Sonia Elisheva’s distinctive vocals bring out the soul in Playground. Catchy and cathartic, the track finds solace in the realisation that no one truly knows what they are doing. Playground is your reminder to look beyond the polished facades. Sharing more, Sonia explained: ‘I’ve often found in my own life that I’ll reach these places I’ve dreamed about getting to, only to realise that the people around me don’t necessarily have it any more figured out than I do. Some people are just better at pretending than others. 

I’m not the first to write about this of course, imposter syndrome is such a common feeling. Playground is ultimately about letting go of some of that pressure to present as though you have everything figured out and to detach from the constant need for external validation.’

Playground is Sonia’s first solo single to arrive in 2026 and signals a new direction for her sound. With an established background in Jazz and electro swing, she's built up a diverse and impressive discography since launching in 2021, accumulating well over a million streams thanks to an impressive run of support at DSP’s including New Music Friday and Jazz UK. Having toured extensively in the UK and Europe, some of which with her 7-piece band including a run of sold-out London Jazz venues, this is definitely a project to keep a close eye on.

Whilst her sound is exquisitely dynamic and genre bending, Sonia’s music is united by a distinct songwriting voice and undeniable London charm. Pulling from influences such as Amber Mark, Charli xcx, Caravan Palace, Lilly Allen, L’imperatrice and additionally her Eastern European heritage , her sound is, in her words own words ‘Jazz Bar meets London nightbus banter after a sweaty nightclub.’

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Minnegasco - Chasen Wayne - Arbor Green - Sirintip - Railcard - Chinese American Bear

Minnegasco - Tar Mazzan.

Minnegasco presents their latest single, “Tar Mazzan”. Featuring the unmistakable vocals of The Shins’ frontman James Mercer, the track is now available on streaming platforms worldwide. A month back, Minnegasco pulled off a quiet coup: securing James Mercer to lend his iconic voice to “Livin’ in France.” As the mastermind behind The Shins, Mercer is indie-pop royalty, here transforming their atmospheric pop into timeless art-rock.

Minnegasco’s “Tar Mazzan” plays out like a riddle. On first spin, it feels like a catchy tune. But beneath all that bounce lies an angry anti-war protest track taking dead aim at the status quo. Imagine Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”, but stripped of the heavy guitar stacks and handed to a maniac with an accordion. The central chorus—“hat and a cane, hook and a chain, mask and a flame”—sounds like a playground chant until you realize what it’s really about: Wall Street bankers, war profiteers, and the daily grind turning everyday people into modern-day slaves. 

It’s rare to find a song that’s clever and infectious without getting stuck up its own tail. Part backroom circus, part full-blown rally, “Tar Mazzan” doesn’t just call out the rich and powerful—it sets their whole circus on fire and hands you a beer as it burns.

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Chasen Wayne - En Laredo.

Austin's Chasen Wayne returns with his new single "En Laredo," the latest preview of his upcoming fourth studio album, The Diamond Saloon, due out August 28. Built around strong storytelling and a classic country foundation, "En Laredo" reflects the blend of traditional honky tonk, outlaw country, and subtle psychedelic influences that have become Wayne's signature. It's a song that introduces listeners to the themes running throughout the album: hard choices, second chances, and the people and places that shape who we become. The track sets the tone for an album that respects country music's roots while taking its own path.

Wayne's songwriting is grounded in experience. Raised on a ranch before spending much of his childhood in a trailer park, he left his small Texas hometown as a teenager and moved to Austin, where he worked as an underage nightclub bouncer, became involved in drug trafficking, and later worked digging trenches for a plumbing company. 

Finding sobriety changed the direction of his life and led him to music. Today, those experiences inform songs about addiction, recovery, fatherhood, love, and redemption. Backed by his band, The Honky Tonk Machine, Wayne has earned a reputation in Austin's independent country scene for honest songwriting and energetic live shows. On The Diamond Saloon, he continues to bring together classic country, psychedelic rock, surf guitar, and jazz influences to create a sound that feels familiar while still pushing beyond the expected.

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Arbor Green – Cue The Timeslip.

Scottish indie-folk outfit Arbor Green return with ‘Cue The Timeslip’, the second single from the forthcoming Timeslip EP — a richly textured, emotionally resonant track that captures the feeling of watching life race past while searching for the courage to move at your own pace. Built around driving guitars, warm harmonies and an expansive full-band arrangement, ‘Cue The Timeslip’ expands Arbor Green's signature blend of folk, indie rock and alt-country into its most immediate and uplifting form yet. The song balances restless energy with quiet reassurance, turning themes of uncertainty and self-doubt into an understated message of hope.

‘Cue The Timeslip’ reflects on the modern habit of measuring our lives against everyone else's. "It's mostly about doom-scrolling and mobile phone addiction," explains songwriter and frontman Ali Begg. "Getting caught in the trap of lusting after things that you don't have, comparing yourself to other people's lives and worrying that you're falling behind.”

Rather than dwelling in anxiety, the song ultimately offers comfort. "The closing sentiment is meant to be, 'It's chill — we all feel like this, and there's actually plenty of time to do the stuff you want to do,'" he says. ‘Cue The Timeslip’ also marks an important evolution for Arbor Green. Where the 2022 debut album grew from years of home recordings and solitary experimentation, the new material was written and recorded with a dedicated band in mind, resulting in a more confident and collaborative sound.

"I feel like it sounds much more like a band," says Arbor Green. "Everyone had authorship over the arrangements. Each track on the EP pushes a little further at the edges of what Arbor Green can sound like.”

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Sirintip - Motherland.

New York-based Swedish-Thai singer, composer, and producer Sirintip has just announced her new album, White Lilies, will be arriving October 30. The second single, “Motherland,” is out this week. At the heart of White Lilies, “Motherland” uses the fjords of Sweden’s west coast as a metaphor for the moments of goodbye. The song imagines loved ones sailing away, while an imagined “silverline”—a phone line that could reach loved ones in heaven—offers a way to stay connected. Ben Wendel’s beautiful tenor saxophone solo carries the song to an emotional climax, giving voice to the longing and tenderness at the center of the record.

Sirintip’s music lives at the intersection of avant-pop, jazz, electronic music, and Thai and European musical traditions—ethereal one moment, visceral the next. A highly sought-after collaborator who has appeared on more than 50 recordings, her work has also expanded into scientific research, data sonification, orchestral composition, and immersive performance. But White Lilies marks a striking turn inward. Following the unexpected death of her father, Sirintip stepped away from the instinct to intellectualize and analyze her experience and instead allowed herself to sit with feelings that couldn’t be researched or explained. The result is her most vulnerable and emotionally direct work yet: six intuitive songs about loss, memory, home, and connection.

Regarding Motherland Sirintip says “I’ve lost quite a few people in my life, and I started imagining them sailing away from a wooden dock and up a fjord on the Swedish west coast. In the song, I came up with an imaginary word ‘silverline’—an invisible phone line I can call up to where they are, so I can always stay connected to them even though they’re far away. Whenever I’m alone in nature, I feel them closer to me, whispering through the pines."

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Railcard - Flannelette.

We have to say Beehive Candy really do love Railcard. So here is the short background for the latest single ahead of the album. Skep Wax are pleased to share the third single Flannelette by indiepop supergroup Railcard, from their debut album "Two Steps At A Time", featuring ex-members of Dolly Mixture and Death In Vegas and current members of Heavenly. 

As with the first EPs, Railcard enlisted the sonic services of Medway psych expert Allan Crockford (of The Prisoners, JTQ and many more) who has delivered mixes that pump with vintage valve energy and reverby depth.

Two Steps At A Time is released on Skep Wax and Slumberland September 18th. An exclusive Dinked edition of 300 copies including a 7 inch single with 2 additional tracks will be available at participating UK record stores.

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Photo -  Sheva Kafai.

Chinese American Bear - Dance Dance Dance (跳舞跳舞跳舞).

Chinese American Bear, the Seattle-based duo of Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten today share new single 'Dance Dance Dance (跳舞跳舞跳舞)', a previously unheard cut from their new album 'Dim Sum & Then Some', released in May of this year via Moshi Moshi Records. 

"'Dance Dance Dance (跳舞跳舞跳舞)' is a groovy, riff-laden, slightly psychedelic, disco bop that we wrote in early 2025," said Anne of the track. "It's a simple song, about getting down to the groove! Bryce had written the bass line & drums first, and we remember listening back and just wanting to bop and move our bodies. So as the song developed, we decided that it should be about just that. The lyrics are about moving, grooving, and listening to the beat. "Waiting for the wu liu qi (5 6 7). Take me to the san er yi (3 2 1), I don't wanna lose it. I just wanna move it. Hey!"."

Following the success of their 2024 full-length 'Wah!!!' - Chinese American Bear's new album 'Dim Sum & Then Some' - released in May of this year via Moshi Moshi Records - showcases a more musically dense and exploratory vision, marking a sonic evolution for the duo. Delving further into experimental territory while embracing more traditional pop elements than ever before, the album forms a positive and lighthearted collage of the duo’s life together - exploring food, small joys, Chinese-American upbringing, love, and fantasy.

Blending warbling guitars with hints of psychedelia, pop, disco and strings - alongside synth-driven electronics and droney, hypnotic textures - 'Dim Sum & Then Some' reflects the Chinese American Bear ethos: open, curious and lighthearted.

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Sacred Buzz - Alex Amor - Josh Rouse - Jules Klee - Railcard - Futurebirds

Photo - Khaled AlShannan

Sacred Buzz - Lost Highway.

Sacred Buzz is a Berlin psych band known for their electrifying live presence and deeply immersive soundscapes. Their sonic palette bridges vintage and modern: garage‑rock grit, krautrock repetition, mesmerizing drones, and proto‑punk drive. On stage, Sacred Buzz conjures a psychedelic ritual: hypnotic drums, throbbing bass, fuzzy guitar reverberating like a lost transmission, droning organ, lo‑fi vocals and surreal lyrics that will rattle your heart out and drive your soul up to the 13th floor in a hazy dream-like vision.

Released today “Lost Highway” captures the feeling of being on the run, hunted by something you can't name, whether it lurks in the world around you or deep within your own mind. A driving krautrock rhythm is spiced with raw guitar and embellished by a brooding synthesizer. 

A fuzzy, phased-out riff between verses evokes a sense of being chased with nowhere to run, before it all culminates in a climax that sounds like a speeding car, screeching brakes, and the sudden end of the road. Inspired by dark ambience of Joy Division and fueled with mind-bending imagery of David Lynch, “Lost Highway“ channels the paranoia simmering beneath the daily grind of modern city life.

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Photo - Henry Croston

Alex Amor - Inside.

Scottish singer-songwriter Alex Amor releases new single 'Inside' - the final preview of debut album 'Heavenly Bodies' - out 21st August via New York independent label VERO Music. Amor has also been added to the bill for All Points East's Lorde headline day on 22nd August. 

The heartbeat of her upcoming debut full-length, 'Inside' is what Alex describes as "a sad-banger lullaby for loved ones gone too soon". A buoyant, guitar-led indie-pop anthem that finds her holding joy and grief in the same hand, "it takes a looking glass to the ugly, scared, and messy parts of my mind," Alex says - from reflections on a world "when friends aren't gonna overdose" to the fear that "if you get too close / I could lose you too".

Speaking more on the release of 'Inside', Alex Amor said: "It’s about coming to terms with compounded grief, generational trauma and taking a stark look at one of the coping mechanisms that defined much of my twenties: dissociation. Pulling away from connection altogether to avoid the pain of needing someone, missing someone, or losing someone. Part of love is accepting loss, making space for grief, and finding the courage to feel it all. It’s a song about connection, the choice to be vulnerable, and learning that the only way through grief is to let yourself feel it."

Originally written as a sprawling poem, 'Inside' arrived in the studio with producer Baz Kaye determined to preserve every word Alex had written. The result is a five-and-a-half-minute centrepiece that pairs some of Amor's most devastating writing to date with an irrepressibly uplifting energy, informed by the sense of optimism Kaye and co-writer Peter Brien carried back from that summer's Glastonbury Festival.

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Photo - Joshua Black Wilkins

Josh Rouse - January Sky.

Josh Rouse has signed to New West Records and will release his label debut Museums and Women on October 23. The 10-song set was produced by Brad Jones, who also produced Rouse’s critically acclaimed 2003 album 1972. Museums and Women showcases Rouse at his most hopeful and romantic, balancing casual poetry and wry humor in equal measure as he conjures up a cast full of drifters and dreamers moving through life with quiet satisfaction. 

The music is often bittersweet, with a gentle, seemingly placid surface that belies the deep well of emotion and memory and desire underneath. The result is a lush, cinematic exploration of the endless stream of passing strangers who slip in and out of our lives on a daily basis. He says, “I was drawn to these songs because they’re so observational. They’re full of characters and stories I dreamed up from little moments that sparked my imagination on the road. At the end of the day, though, it’s inevitable that I’m in there somewhere, too.”

The sessions for Museums and Women were quick and raw, with Rouse on guitar, Jones on bass, and Fred Eltringham (Sheryl Crow, The Chicks) on drums. The trio would record live in the morning, cutting multiple songs in a row before returning in the afternoon to complete overdubs while the music was still fresh and new. “At a certain point, Brad had this folder full of recordings on his desktop, and he asked me what to call it,” Rouse remembers. “I suggested Museums and Women because it was the name of a John Updike book I’d always loved, and it just felt right for the kind of stories I was telling.” Indeed, Museums and Women is a particularly fitting title for a collection that observes its subjects from a reverent distance, elevating ordinary moments of human connection (or lack thereof) into gallery-worthy masterpieces. 

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Jules Klee - He Don't Know a Thing.

Chicago singer-songwriter Jules Klee, who as opened for and/or performed with Joe Pug, Colin Gilmore, John Fullbright, and the West Texas Exiles, released the single "He Don't Know a Thing" at the end of last week. "He Don't Know a Thing" is the first single from her forthcoming album, Roses on My Table, to be released in 2027. "He Don't Know a Thing" (and the album, overall) explores a love that endured distance, addiction, and loss.

Jules Klee is an Americana singer-songwriter, with a voice that knows when to soothe and when to bruise. Her voice can quiet a dive bar—and then carry it. Her songwriting is rooted in plainspoken emotional clarity: songs told without flinching, 

“Jules Klee has a Chicago career of her own but shares a huge voice for harmony,” wrote No Depression. “She’s got pipes that rival Neko Case and Kelly Hogan,” added Time Out Chicago, “We don’t know her name.” The line lingered—less as a critique than a kind of unfinished introduction.

Her early work began quietly, through Chicago’s songwriter circles, earning a reputation for an arresting vocal presence that could shift a room without asking permission. “There’s a power and realness in her songs that’s hard to come by,” as stated by Colin Gilmore, fellow songwriter & friend whom Klee has recorded with, and joined on tour.

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Railcard - Unstable Neighbour.

Today the UK's Railcard have shared 'Unstable Neighbour' as a further taste of their forthcoming album 'Two Steps At A Time.' Railcard made their live debut in December 2025 and had by then recruited their fourth member: Allison Thomson (Trash Can Sinatras, The Love Band), whose flawless trumpet and swirly keyboard-playing complete the Railcard sound, allowing the band to fulfil the significant ambition and range of the songs, which are mostly co-written and often co-sung by Love and Button.  “Flannelette” and “Sunday Sun”, delicate and swoony, could almost be Slapp Happy at their most Bacharach. “Foxy”, mysterious and charming, has more than a hint of Kate Bush December magic. 

The raucous duet “I’m A Disaster” is The Kinks meets deadpan Shangri-Las. The title track could have been an alternative theme tune for Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads. “Runaround” is like a school choir doing The Raincoats. “Unstable Neighbour”, mesmerising and insistent: it might make you think of Stereolab; we might imagine an indiepop Hawkwind.  Peter Momtchiloff also contributes two wonderful songs on the album: the fragile and hallucinatory “Paper Thin” and the Love-meets-Undertones rush of “Hillman Minx”.

Two Steps At A Time is released on Skep Wax and Slumberland September 18th 2026. An exclusive Dinked edition of 300 copies including a 7 inch single with 2 additional tracks will be available at participating UK record stores. The band have a string of UK dates through the summer and Autumn and there will be a Bandcamp listening party for the album at 8pm (UK time) on September 16th.

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Photo - Jacq Justice

Futurebirds - Pretty Eyes.

Today, the Athens, GA-born Futurebirds released “Pretty Eyes,” a cosmic country meditation on true love from the second half of their forthcoming double album Far Out Country II that will be digitally released September 4 via Dualtone Records.  In June, Futurebirds released the full 18-song collection exclusively on vinyl, while just the first 9 songs that comprise Far Out Country I arrived on streaming services. 

About the song, Daniel “Womz” Womack explains, “‘Pretty Eyes’ is my most vulnerable song - a slow-burning surrender anthem about the less lofty side of love. It holds one of my favorite lines I’ve ever written: ‘You feel like it’s vanity anytime you cry, you’re challenging the universe.’ I blacked out writing it and when I came to it was written in my notes. It’s the feeling of being torn between self-protection and the relief of being truly seen – not just by someone you love, but by yourself. It’s a song for anyone who’s ever loved someone so much it felt like losing an argument with themselves.”

Later this month, Futurebirds will kick off the final leg of their album release tour with two hometown shows at the Georgia Theater on August 20 and 21, followed by an appearance an AmericanaFest and a run of dates supporting Trampled By Turtles. Futurebirds is Brannen Miles (bass), Carter King (vocals, guitar), Daniel Womack (vocals, guitar), Thomas Johnson (vocals, guitar), and Tom Myers (drums).

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Pam Ross - Brigadoon - Railcard - Maddie Lenhart - Mr. Novembre - Pain Gain

Pam Ross - Who’s Gonna Save You?

Pam Ross just released her brand-new single, “Who’s Gonna Save You?” delivering one of her most powerful and thought-provoking songs to date. Built around a driving roots-rock foundation and an unforgettable chorus, “Who’s Gonna Save You?” explores the difficult reality of self-destruction, personal accountability, and the moments when we are forced to confront our own choices. The song’s striking refrain asks a question many people spend a lifetime avoiding: “God might save you from someone else, but who’s gonna save you from yourself?”

The recording features, Pam Ross – Acoustic rhythm guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals, keyboards, and organ - Yvan Petit – Lead guitar and electric rhythm guitar - FJ Ventre – Bass - George Hindenach – Drums and percussion. The track was produced by Pam Ross and FJ Ventre, with mixing and mastering by Marc Frigo in Nashville, Tennessee.

Over the past several years, Pam has built a reputation as one of independent music’s most consistent and authentic voices, earning recognition for her heartfelt songwriting, compelling performances, and growing success on radio and streaming platforms. “Who’s Gonna Save You?” continues that tradition while showcasing a more introspective and emotionally charged side of her artistry.

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Brigadoon - Everyone & No One.

The new album Everyone & No One released this weekend, comes six years on from Brigadoon’s widely acclaimed debut LP, Itch Factor. The new album is more of the same, but different. Itch Factor’s intimate, late-night, melancholy feel is retained, as is the love of melody, harmony and layered vocals and guitar to create a spectral sonic mood.

But Everyone & No One is a decisive evolution: accents from keyboards and electric guitar play a greater role, for example. This is also an exercise in precision and brevity compared to the 15-track Itch Factor. For Everyone & No One, Smith gave himself a rule: if a song goes longer than three minutes it’s outstayed its welcome. That was hard to stick to, and several tracks go beyond that (particularly the experimental drone-opus, “Under the Clock Dirge”), but these songs strive for economy and elegance, as seen in leading tracks “Maya Sleeps & Dreams”, “Extra Moons” and “Master of Cobwebs”.

As with Itch Factor, the album embraces the DIY folk spirit, retaining a slightly scruffy aesthetic in keeping with its recording environment. Replacing a shack in the hills behind Byron Bay, where Itch Factor was recorded, is a freezing garage in the Blue Mountains (the scurryings of the resident possum being audible on some songs).

With Everyone & No One, Smith sticks close to his key influences – 1960s and ’70s psych-folk ranging from the Incredible String Band to David Crosby to Gary Higgins to Tim Buckley to Mark Fry. Additional inspiration for the album came from the likes of Robyn Hitchcock, Bobb Trimble, Beck, The Chills, John Grant and Richard Dawson.

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Railcard - Two Steps At A Time.

Skep Wax (who have introduced us to some fabulous artists) have just released the first single "Two Steps At A Time" by indie pop supergroup Railcard, from their debut album of the same name, featuring ex-members of Dolly Mixture and Death In Vegas and current members of Heavenly. As a taster for the album the single is gorgeous, quirky and oh so catchy, seriously this is a massive tease for the album, about which we have the following thoughts from Skep Wax.

"You have to wonder why Railcard took so long to be born: their debut album feels like it should have been in your collection for years. But it wasn’t until 2025 that Rachel Love (Dolly Mixture), Ian Button and Peter Momtchiloff (Heavenly) met at a gig, realised that they were exactly the same age, and decided that this was an excellent reason to form a new band."  

"The shared history, the same pop references, the parallel lives… Railcard had to happen, and there was no time to lose. Two Steps At A Time - the album title and theme song - express exactly how quickly Railcard have worked since then - jumping over pavement cracks and whistling past graveyards to get these songs written, recorded and released while they are still sweet and fresh."

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Maddie Lenhart - Empty Room.
 
Nashville country artist Maddie Lenhart has released her second single "Empty Room" from her upcoming EP releasing October 2, 2026. As the second release from her upcoming debut EP, “Empty Room” finds Maddie Lenhart leaning further into the classic country influences that have long shaped her artistry. Produced by Brad Hill (Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne) and written by Lenhart and Justin Cross, the song pairs warm dobro, fiddle, organ, and layered harmonies with a heartbreaking story of loving someone whose absence is felt even when they’re standing right in front of you.

Lenhart immediately transports listeners into the song’s world, opening with, “Lights come up glittering red and gold / I feel the kick of the drum echo off the back wall / Through the flickering and the smoke / I can make out just enough / To know that I’m alone.” The scene is vivid and cinematic, but it’s the following realization that gives it its emotional weight: “It’s something that I should be used to now / But hell, it still keeps burning me out.” In just a few lines, Lenhart reveals this isn’t a fleeting moment of loneliness – it’s the familiar ache of continually showing up for someone who no longer meets her halfway.

That emotional foundation makes the chorus all the more powerful: “Loving you’s like playing to an empty room / I keep pourin’ out my heart, but what good does it do? / I could walk off this stage, nobody’s listening / I could leave you, you wouldn’t ask me to stay / You don’t give a damn, and I shouldn’t like I do / ’Cause loving you, loving you, loving you / Is like playing to an empty room.”

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Mr. Novembre - Mountains, Hope.

Mr. Novembre new single “Mountains, Hope.”, is an expansive alt-folk meditation on grief, surrender, and finding peace on the other side of emotional exhaustion. Built around delicate fingerpicked guitar, sweeping strings, and a slow-burning sense of release, the song invites you to sit with life's heaviest moments rather than rush past them. It feels like the quiet after the storm. Like setting down a burden you've carried for too long. Like discovering that hope doesn't always arrive through holding on, it can begin by letting go.

At its heart, “Mountains, Hope.” offers a reminder many of us need to hear: “Love was all I had to give - But my tank is empty - There's nothing left in me”

With each verse, the song moves gently from depletion toward acceptance. What begins as a confession slowly transforms into an embrace of stillness, where healing comes not from reaching the summit, but from finding peace with where you stand. This isn't a song about giving up. It's about recognising that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop fighting what cannot be changed.  This is a taste of the album 'Petrichor'  due August 14 2026.

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Photo - James J. Robinson

Pain Gain - Pain Gain (Album).

Pain Gain, the collaborative project of Chloe Kaul (Kllo), Hamish Lefevre (SWIM), and Samuel Cooke (CRUSH3d), have released their self-titled debut album Pain Gain (via Play It Again Sam/PIAS). Formed in 2023, Pain Gain began as a deliberate left turn. Shedding their established electronic identities, Kaul, Lefevre and Cooke retreated to the beachside forests of southern Australia, armed with guitars, modular synths and a tape recorder. What began as a temporary escape soon evolved into something far more profound: a complete recalibration of sound, process and purpose. The result is Pain Gain, a debut album that trades velocity for gravity, moving fluidly between indie rock melodrama and expansive pop balladry while rejecting genre as a fixed idea.

That philosophy, that pain can be instructive and even transformative, runs throughout Pain Gain’s work. Embracing a tactile, imperfect process, the band favored single takes, analogue experimentation, and the accidental beauty of mistakes. Songs emerged organically: melodies drifting through kitchen conversations, lyrics shaped by late-night reflections, and ideas bleeding across rooms in a house that became a living, breathing studio.

Across the project, vocalist Chloe Kaul delivers lyrics that cut deep, exploring personal upheaval with unflinching honesty, while the band’s collaborative dynamic ensures no single voice dominates and each member shapes the music with equal weight and intent. It’s three distinct voices finding unity in vulnerability and shared experience as they explain: "We went away together with only the intention of starting something new, we never expected that we would end up not only with an album, but one that feels as cohesive and collectively personal as this. It's a record that looks for beauty in friction, and finding a new start in the wreckage of something past"

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James Tonic - Railcard - ADULT. - The Imaginary Band - Julian Never

James Tonic - Safety II (Album).

James Tonic's Safety II is out now, the second chapter in his dream pop trilogy following 2025's breakout Safety. Released January 28, 2026, this seventh studio album takes the saga further, mixing dreamy vibes with real life edges.

Safety II builds on the first album's indie win (20,000 sales and a solid 60% Spotify save rate), plus the buzz from 2024's Stuck in LA and its sold out West Coast shows pulling in crowds. Early signs show strong fan love: a high pre-save rate and it's on track for 30,000–40,000 units in week one. The 9 song set pairs dark stories with light beats, using live drums, old school synths, and raw plays for that true feel missing in most tracks today. 

James Tonic is a Montreal-born artist blending hip-hop, R&B, and pop roots with soft rock and folk compositions and band instrumentation. Known for albums like Stuck in LA — produced by Chris Peden with live orchestration — and his latest Safety, he explores self-discovery, resilience, and real-life narratives through organic, unhurried sounds. Following successful tours, his work continues in a series into 2026. Beyond music, James is a tech investor building a platform for musicians to automate websites and focus on their craft. 

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Railcard - Day Dream.

Skep Wax are pleased to announce a new single and a limited edition CD album from Railcard, a brand new band featuring Rachel Love (Dolly Mixture), Ian Button (Papernut Cambridge, The Penrose Web) and Peter Momtchiloff (Heavenly, Would-be-goods). The new single, Day Dream, is a perfect indicator of the dreamy Bacharach pop that Railcard have embraced and reinvented. Rachel Love’s vocal sounds as pure as it did in Dolly Mixture.

Railcard formed in 2025 when Rachel Love (Dolly Mixture), Ian Button (Papernut Cambridge, The Penrose Web) and Peter Momtchiloff (Heavenly, Would-be-goods) discovered that they were all born within weeks of each other.  It seemed like a great reason to form a new band, so Love and Button began writing songs together, and Railcard was born. Their original ‘1962’ age limit rule was relaxed shortly afterwards when suspiciously youthful trumpeter Allison Thomson completed the line-up.

Following two limited edition download-only EPs (the first accompanied with a Railcard wallet, the second with a pair of iron-on patches) Skep Wax and Slumberland are proud to release this collection of ten songs as a CD album (release date: 6 February 2026). The seven tracks from those first two EPs are included, along with three new ones. (The fetish for merch hasn’t been overlooked: the CD comes with a useful Railcard information leaflet). 

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ADULT. - No One is Coming.

ADULT. is not cooperating. For over 25 years, the dystopian Detroit synth-punk institution founded by Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller has embodied steadfast frustration, distrust, and apprehension. One might expect the edges to soften with time, but ADULT. is not interested in the comforts of legacy. The duo’s music has never sounded as visceral, urgent, and downright angry as it does on the culminating, uncompromising Kissing Luck Goodbye, their scorched-earth 10th LP and fourth with Dais Records.

Built with upgraded gear and a whole new library of sounds, the material is crushingly dynamic, louder yet clearer, with Kuperus’ commanding delivery given greater prominence in the mix, outlining an arsenal of vivid, caustic calls, chants, and musings. Laughter, whether in the lyrics or as a possessed presence, serves as a leitmotif that speaks to the menacing absurdity of modern times. 

“No One is Coming”, the album’s lead single is a poignant, bassline-driven industrial anthem that turns feedback into melody, the track attacks inaction in the face of fascism.

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The Imaginary Band - Polka Hands.

The Imaginary Band, longtime Chilliwack, BC-based musician Andrew Christopher's latest project, steps fully into focus on their debut single, "Polka Hands." A carefree, roots-leaning indie-folk single, it celebrates intuition, creativity, and the beauty of not overthinking life's next move.

"At first, The Imaginary Band only existed vaguely in my mind," explains Christopher. "But when I wrote 'Polka Hands,' I learned to fully embrace the concept." Without a bass player at the time, he began playing a bassline on guitar, imagining exactly how it would feel once the right players arrived. "Immediately, an imaginary drummer sat behind the kit in my head, laying down a groovy but straight-ahead rock beat. Just sitting in the pocket. That's still the intro of the song."

The clarity of this vision unlocked something new; not just musically, but emotionally. Written during a lazy afternoon at a pump track while watching his son ride his bike, the lyrics came naturally and without force. "They speak of taking chances, doing hard things, accepting the reality that life is inherently complex, and that it's beautiful that way," Andrew shares. With real-life bandmates who are ever-so imaginative now filling the roles once envisioned, "Polka Hands" becomes both a song and a statement of intent. 

The title itself reinforces the song’s central message: don't overthink it. Inspired by a recent polka band performance at a friend's 40th birthday and lyrics referencing a barroom scene and a game of Texas Hold'em, the original phrase "Polka Bands & Poker Hands" was quickly distilled. "It was a bit too wordy," Andrew laughs. "So I went with 'Polka Hands' without overthinking it."

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Julian Never - Anything.

Los Angeles' Julian Never shares the third single and video from its forthcoming Everyday Is Purgation LP for Mt.St.Mtn. “'Anything' tries to hold all the things you’ve done, good and bad, and all the love you carry in one song. Repeated words that have lost meaning. So much energy wasted for little purpose, connection or insight.  Sometimes capturing a moment is enough. Maybe each time the song plays it will teach you something. 

“'Anything' is a song about a time of desperation with a brief and relevant reference to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tragic novel, Tender is the Night.

 “'It’s 5 o'clock in the morning. Awake again and no place to go.' The early morning sets the tone for an entire day, whether the skies are clear or opaque. 'Anything' is about the search for peace when you’re not sure if you’d recognize it. The pull toward chaos, and the strange comfort found in distortions. It’s a reflection on the patterns we return to, even when we know better. - JAE, 2026.

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