MUKI - Sad Daddy - YYY - Samuel S.C. - Eliza Hull - Sandhouse - This Is The Deep

MUKI - Trampoline (EP).

Melbourne/Naarm artist MUKI unveils his debut EP, 'Trampoline', out today Wednesday, June 3, a deeply personal collection exploring the emotional highs, lows and in-between moments of identity, anxiety, heartbreak and growth. Building on his introspective blend of indie acoustic pop-rock, the EP is honest and vulnerable, showcasing MUKI's thoughtful songwriting and understated arrangements.  

Since debuting earlier this year with singles 'Gasoline', 'Reflections' and 'Morning Music', MUKI has steadily shaped a sound defined by soft guitars, thoughtful lyricism and a powerful and passionate vocal delivery. 

Produced alongside Josh Barber, 'Trampoline' brings together the themes introduced across MUKI’s debut singles, reflecting on the ups and downs of life. Now joined by new track 'My Sweet Anxiety', a deeply personal reflection on the messiness and confusion that often comes with anxiety, the EP’s emotional themes are brought into fuller focus. Speaking on the EP, MUKI shares: “It’s about the strange joy tied to childhood, and the way a memory can hold both innocence and pain. The title came from a notion I couldn’t shake: ‘have you ever seen anyone sad on a trampoline?” 

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Photo - Perri Alexis Keyes

Sad Daddy - Bootlegger.

Arkansas roots outfit Sad Daddy has released “Bootlegger,” the latest from their forthcoming fourth studio album, Ozark Shine, due June 26, distributed by Free Dirt Records. The band will also embark on a regional tour to celebrate the album’s release, with stops planned in Little Rock, Nashville, and more. 
 
Recorded at Nashville’s Bomb Shelter studio, Ozark Shine captures Sad Daddy at full stride. The band, consisting of Joe Sundell (banjo, harmonica), Melissa Carper (upright bass), Rebecca Patek (fiddle), and Brian Martin (guitar, kazoo), each contributed vocals and their songwriting prowess to the album. The songs come from all corners of the band’s multiverse - some were born from writing sessions in Little Rock leading up to recording, some were longtime favorites finally making their way onto an album, and others were deeply personal solo compositions pulled from lives lived just a little outside the mainstream. The result is a collection that blends early blues, jazz, jug band, country, old-time, and bluegrass into something unmistakably Sad Daddy.

“I had a melody and a couple of verses for this song collecting dust in the archives of ideas for over a decade,” Martin, who wrote “Bootlegger,” shares. “After running it with the band, the direction the song needed to go sorta revealed itself and came together pretty quickly from that point.”

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YYY - Miserable.

“Miserable” marks the beginning of a new chapter for YYY, whose upcoming album draws on a distinctive constellation of influences — MGMT, Animal Collective, Tame Impala’s Lonerism, and the Mamas and the Papas — each refracted through his characteristically restless creative vision. True to the YYY sound, the single builds melodic hooks around droll lyrics, and an evolving, genre-fluid sonic identity that rewards close listening.

YYY is Austin Carson, a versatile and prolific Minneapolis/St. Paul-based songwriter and composer. He has spent years genre-hopping in the best possible way, scoring and contributing songs to numerous projects across a wide range of genres, work that has earned him three regional Emmy nominations for his contributions to PBS documentaries. Austin channels that creative energy into YYY, his experimental pop outlet defined by a commitment to sounds that haven’t quite been heard before. 

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Samuel S.C. - Mind Flies.

Samuel S.C. continues their monthly single rollout with "Mind Flies," marking the fifth release of the year and paving the way to a full-length release arriving late 2026. A breezy detour after the trio of fast paced bangers "Celestial," "Get Red," and "Push the Needle," "Mind Flies" traverses fuzzy hooks, sun-drenched harmonies and lyrical musings on memory and detachment. 

Samuel S.C. (FKA Samuel) continues to bridge the gap between ’90s indie-rock grit and timeless punk. Originally a cornerstone of drummer Eric Astor’s legendary Art Monk Construction label, the band reformed in 2021 with their DIY spirit firmly intact. Five years later, S.C. isn’t just maintaining momentum—They’re accelerating.

The group’s 2026 trajectory is defined by a prolific streak that finds the band continuing to evolve and hone its sound, one that refuses to fall neatly into any punk sub-genre. Their new single “Get Red,” is a shadowy ripper, on the heels of the propulsive “Push the Needle,” and the wistful “Another Good Lie,” all recorded and mixed in 2025 by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines) at his Baltimore studio, Magpie Cage. This follows a landmark year featuring a 10″ split release with Florida’s Pohgoh and standout performances at Fest (Gainesville) and the inaugural Several States Festival in Chicago.

The current lineup features original members Vanessa Downing (vocals), Eric Astor (drums), James Marinelli (guitar/vocals), and Dean Taormina (guitar), with Michael Honch (bass) rounding out the mix. With a new full-length album expected in late 2026 via Expert Work Records and Sweet Cheetah Records, the mission remains clear: Ain't no slowing down.

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Photo - Michelle Grace Hunder

Eliza Hull - Hotel Room.

Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Castlemaine based multi-award-winning songwriter, musician, advocate and writer Eliza Hull who received an O.A.M. last month for her contribution to music and disability advocacy, further cementing her reputation as one of so-called Australia's most important voices across both culture and accessibility, shares her first official new music in 3 years: 'Hotel Room', her "most unguarded" single yet, an utterly vulnerable and unapologetic-ally sensuous alt-pop self-excavation tracing Hull's emotional journey through womanhood while "feeling completely lost... moving toward midlife [and] becoming undone - questioning everything, wanting more, wanting less, changing shape in real time". 

Written during a personal breakdown while Hull was alone in a London hotel room, the song explores womanhood, identity, intimacy and emotional unravelling, landing alongside an equally intimate video directed by Keiran Watson-Bonnice (You Am I, ABC's And Then Something Changed) exploring sensual expression, her most liberating visual work yet. 'Hotel Room' marks a bold and emotionally expansive new era from one of the continent's most compelling artists.

Eliza Hull peels everything back on 'Hotel Room' to capture a private moment of complete unravelling with rawness and sensuality, exploring the "messy in-between place" she - like many women - feels moving toward midlife. Recorded at London's Knight Time Studios with producer James Knight (The Kooks, Feist, Ainslie Wills) and mixed by trusted collaborator ARIA Award-winning Pip Norman (Missy Higgins, Baker Boy), written during "a breakdown" in a London hotel room reflecting that quiet, tense space where there's nowhere left to hide from your thoughts and it all cracks open, the track spirals through self-reckoning through brutally honest lyrics that see Hull searching passionately for connection with a grounded version of herself after "feeling completely lost". 

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Photo - Hannah Murrell

Sandhouse - Pollyanna.

London duo Sandhouse today share new single 'Pollyanna', a glimpse into a forthcoming project due to be revealed over the coming months. Opening with glassy electronics before rupturing into distorted guitars and blown-out alt-rock catharsis, 'Pollyanna' pairs Anna Sutherland’s feather light vocals with lyrics that feel seductive and darkly playful - romantic fantasy gradually curdling into something more obsessive and difficult to control.

Speaking about the track, the band say: "'Pollyanna is about becoming numbed by the cinema of infatuation, and using the fairytale of romance to blindly ignore any signs of reality." Consisting of Anna Sutherland and Caspar Holloway, Sandhouse carve out a sound that folds together grunge guitars, bleary trip-hop production, warped psychedelia and nocturnal alt-pop.

Their 2025 debut EP 'Circus' - along with the two standalone singles that have followed - have been tipped by key press taste makers including The Line Of Best Fit, DIY Magazine, Dork Magazine, Under The Radar, Rolling Stone UK, The New Cue, and more. Radio support to date includes regular spins across BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing (where the band were named Track of the Week). Debut EP 'Circus' is fast approaching 4 million streams on Spotify alone.

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This Is The Deep - Darkness and the Dawn.

As their name suggests, This Is the Deep is a multi-faceted project in the pursuit of something subterranean, which they achieve by expanding their music into painted sets, animation, and theatrical storytelling to form a cohesive visual and sonic world. Now signing with 5dB (Mould, Martial Arts), the collective announce their forthcoming sophomore album Everything (September 9th). 

Led by the vibrant new single ‘Darkness and the Dawn’ (June 3rd), the band give a first taste of the upcoming full project, showcasing elegant avant-pop songcraft. Combining elements of alt-rock, orchestral-folk, chamber-pop, and psychedelic garage-rock, This Is The Deep traverses sprawling and colourful soundscapes, moving from moments of intimate reflection to joyous explosions of colour.

Formed by visual artist and musician Ranny (Ranald) Macdonald as a way to explore the space between music and art, the band’s members hail from across the UK, Brazil, and Japan. Their singular avant-pop sound bucks traditional genres and twins traditional songcraft in the vein of Burt Bacharach and Carole King with the experimental approach of artists like David Lynch and Aldous Harding. Through Phil Spector-like arrangements which blend: guitars, bass and drums with a cascading ensemble of horns, strings, percussion and synth, the 10-piece band create a singular and immersive world of sound and imagery.

The new single ‘Darkness and the Dawn’ offers a first taste of the full upcoming project Everything - a concept album which follows the subconscious journey of Richard (Dick) Herman, who, after dozing off at his desk one morning, is plunged into a series of dreams. 

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Office Dog - A Place To Bury Strangers - Sandhouse - Danny George Wilson - Dirk Powell

Photo - Hamish Morgan

Office Dog - Front Row Seat.

Office Dog and Flying Nun Records are pleased to share the indie rock band’s brand new single ‘Front Row Seat’. ‘Front Row Seat’ finds Office Dog confronting the numbing weight of the 24-hour news cycle, a state of quiet paralysis where the sheer volume of bad news makes even the smallest decisions feel impossible. 

The song explores the feeling of being stuck “in the front row” as the world unravels — absorbing everything while feeling increasingly powerless to act. ‘Front Row Seat’ finds the band leaning into that uneasy tension, turning overwhelm and uncertainty into something quietly cathartic.

The music video, directed by Sophie Black and made with the support of NZ on Air Music, applies these feelings of someone's world boiling over to corporate team bonding activities. About the video concept, Office Dog’s front-person Kane Strang says “I could instantly picture it in my head, which is always a good sign.”

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Photo - Holger Nitschke

A Place To Bury Strangers - Where Are We Now.

New-York based band A Place To Bury Strangers release “Where Are We Now,” the third single/video from their new rarities album, Rare And Deadly, out April 3rd via Dedstrange. Following the “full-on sonic attack” (Consequence) of “Acid Rain,” on which “frontman Oliver Ackermann delivers deadpan, near-chanted lyrics about systemic cruelty,” (Consequence)  “Where Are We Now” finds A Place To Bury Strangers reflecting on the past: “Where are we now // Is it too late // Should I reach out // Where we are now // caught in our lives //did our dreams fade.” Ackermann says the song is about “looking back at friends you lost touch with. Wondering where they ended up. Remembering when everything felt possible.” The accompanying video was put together by Ackermann with footage from the Library of Congress National Archives. Ackermann says he made the video because “I think we need to look at people more and see the value and wonder of life so we can be compassionate towards others."

Rare and Deadly cracks open a decade-long vault of raw nerve and sonic chaos from A Place To Bury Strangers. Spanning 2015–2025, this collection of demos, B-sides, abandoned experiments, and forgotten fragments reveals the band at their most unfiltered—caught between breakthrough ideas and beautiful mistakes. Pulled from Ackermann’s personal archive of late-night recordings, blown-out tapes, and half-finished sessions, here the interference is closer, the electricity more dangerous, the edges left jagged on purpose.

What makes Rare and Deadly truly unprecedented is that every format tells a different story. The CD, cassette, vinyl, and digital editions each feature their own unique tracklisting, a fractured release strategy that is almost unheard of. No single version contains the “complete” album. Instead, each format becomes its own window into the archive, revealing alternate paths, missing links, and parallel versions of the band’s inner life. It’s a deliberately unstable document: the album shifts depending on how you choose to hear it, mirroring the chaos of its creation.

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Photo - Hannah Murrell

Sandhouse - Snapdragon.

South London duo Sandhouse just shared the new single 'Snapdragon' and become the first UK act to sign to US label Broke Records. 'Snapdragon' follows the release of their debut EP 'Circus' last year. Consisting of Anna Sutherland and Caspar Holloway, Sandhouse have spent the past year refining a sound that threads together alt-rock bite, 60s psychedelia, trip-hop atmosphere and electronic textures.

Working with renowned producer Ben Hillier (Blur, Depeche Mode), Sandhouse lean into a more direct, guitar-driven sound on new single 'Snapdragon', its lyrics exploring the idea of wilful self-deception: "shark eyes glistened in our bed / licked your lips and kissed me good / you smelt blood and I wanted you." Built around gently chugging guitars and a steady rhythmic drive, the track is anchored by Anna’s distinctive vocal delivery and cool-headed melodic hooks, balancing sweetness with a subtle sense of unease.

Speaking about the track, the band say: "'Snapdragon' flowers symbolise deception, due to the skull-like shape that appears when their petals fall away. This is a song about the excitement of recognising a lie and choosing to believe it, rather than turn away."

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Danny George Wilson - Arcade (Album).

Danny George Wilson has just released his new album 'Arcade' via Loose Music. Wilson, who has been confirmed as special guest on The Handsome Family's forthcoming UK tour, has unveiled his latest single 'Before September'. 

"‘Before September’ is a song about some of the fleeting random moments of pure joy that have stayed with me my whole life," explains Wilson. "Smoking a fag out of my teenage bedroom window at my mum and dad’s house in the summer holidays whilst listening to ‘Astral Weeks’ and watching the sun catch the smoke hanging in the air, free wheeling down a hill on a beautiful spring morning on my red Royal Mail bike when I was a Postman whilst Nick Drake played on the headphones, finally catching a wave body surfing with my dad and brothers, a first feeling of real love on the long walk home from a teenage party. Musically it’s inspired by the wonderful Tony Bennett & Bill Evans album and Sinatra’s genius ‘Watertown’. The stunning string arrangement by Hamish Benjamin and incredible piano by Henry Garratt perfectly capture these feelings. One of the songs and recordings I’m most proud of in all my years of making music."
 
'Arcade' finds Danny George Wilson returning to Hamish Benjamin’s studio in East Sussex - five years on from his startling, post-lockdown solo album Another Place – to construct its sequel. With Lewes-based Benjamin and right-hand man Henry Garratt, again given free rein, 'Arcade' presents a fresh collection of sonically inventive, deeply romantic songs, with atmosphere taking primacy over meaning, and narrative dissolving. As Wilson tells it: 

“The songs are about the ways we deal with losing people, time, place, or don’t deal with it… Looking back, we discover what was always there, or things that are just easier to ignore - different and contradictory perspectives. And I wanted a chance to work with Hamish and Henry again, and this seemed like their thing, and it was”.

Traditional instrumentation meets technology; the majority of tracks feature a string quartet, while Benjamin and Garratt employ synthesiser and mellotron along with a plethora of guitars. Gerry Love again provides backing vocals with cameos from Emma Tricca and Annie Dressner. Fragile, tender, full of uncertainty, ultimately 'Arcade' is a song-cycle in which the premise of each track subverts the previous, and demonstrates most assuredly, we still move in doubt.


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Photo - Karen Cox

Dirk Powell - Down The Line.

Internationally acclaimed fiddler, banjoist, and singer Dirk Powell will release Wake, his first solo album since 2020, on April 17, 2026 via The Last Music Company. A singular presence in American roots music, Powell is widely regarded as a “musician’s musician.” His artistry is grounded in the hills of Appalachia and the bayous of Louisiana, where he learned banjo, fiddle, and accordion from his grandfather and community elders.  Guest appearances include Amelia Powell, Sophie Powell, Rhiannon Giddens, Darrell Scott, Kai Welch, and others. 

The first single, "Down the Line" was shared this weekend. Powell says, “…Softly rolling banjos, stark guitars, and distant fiddles paint pictures of journeys from my home in Louisiana through places that have inspired me to lay everything on the line — and given me settings in which to do so. West. South. I’ll take either one, but both at once makes the blood rise in my chest. To feel the moisture of the Gulf give way to chaparral, then to scrubby plains, and finally to the bright desert. Danger and its opposite.”

Over the course of his career, Powell has toured extensively with artists such as Joan Baez, Eric Clapton, Rhiannon Giddens, Loretta Lynn, Irma Thomas, Jack White, Buddy Miller, and Steve Earle. In film, he has collaborated with directors Anthony Minghella, Ang Lee, and Spike Lee. He has contributed to many Grammy-winning projects across Folk, Country, Blues, and Rock. Since the 1990s, his own recordings have continued to shape a new generation of traditional musicians and songwriters. He remains a sought-after producer and composer. His best-known composition, “Waterbound,” has been recorded over 100 times. 

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