Nothing But Thieves - Grace Elizabeth Harvey - Piper Butcher - So So Modern - Strawberry Alarm Clock - Freyja Elsy

Photo - Steve Gullick

Nothing But Thieves - Baby Kool (Evelyn).

Marking a decade of Nothing But Thieves last year, with four albums, billions of streams, thousands of worldwide live shows and a global dedicated fanbase, the Southend five-piece made their musical return recently with new single ‘Evolution’ and the title-track of their forthcoming 5th record ‘Stray Dogs’ released on 25th September via RCA/Sony Music. The band continue to showcase their versatility and ambition with new single ‘Baby Kool (Evelyn)’, which is out now. 
 
‘Baby Kool (Evelyn)’ sees the band channel shared influences of Nirvana, Sonic Youth and The Pixies into a 90s grunge and indie rock inspired song, which received its global first play at BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record last night. The anthemic track is a progressive alt-rock song that fluctuates in both atmosphere and intensity, showcasing Conor Mason’s full vocal breadth and building to a memorable melodic chorus. Thematically referencing the community of music and fandom through the metaphors of loneliness, connection and euphoria, the song is accompanied by a surreal 90s inspired video by Maxim Kelly (Hot Chip, Shame) featuring a prominent ‘pink man’ character and Evelyn the (stray) dog. The band says,
 
“This one felt like we wandered back into Dom's garage, where the band started. It's got one foot in glam and the other in grunge. Those two worlds’ probably shouldn't get along, which is maybe why they did. We often find that's where the interesting stuff is.”

============================================================================

Photo - Igor Prato Luna

Grace Elizabeth Harvey - The Dream Of Common Language.

Liverpool folk singer-songwriter Grace Elizabeth Harvey announces a new EP Songs Of Devotion, out 16th October and shares lead single 'The Dream Of Common Language'. The new EP will mark Harvey's first body of work since her spring 2025 debut EP Other Faith. Inspired by discovering Adrienne Rich's poetry collection The Dream of a Common Language in a charity shop, new single 'The Dream Of Common Language' opens conversationally over fingerpicked acoustic guitar before blooming into a sprawling instrumental passage. 

Scattered with fragmented images of cigarette papers, hazel-coloured eyes and cold telephone lines, both the single and forthcoming EP were recorded live at producer Gus White's residential studio, The Barn, alongside double bassist Sam Crooks and drummer Lloyd Haines. Mixed and mastered to tape, birdsong drifts through open windows as Harvey's delicate - almost spoken-word delivery - sits at the centre of a performance shaped by both the sound of language and its meaning; Harvey's lyrics balancing unusual, ambiguous phrasing with strikingly precise imagery, allowing the cadence of words to become part of the music itself.

Harvey said: "It’s a song about giving up on love to pursue the search for deeper philosophical understanding, in the face of language and its failures. The dream of a common language is a dream to be seen, to be understood and to rely on words to communicate what we feel and desire. It appears to us when the blind faith we have in others, often the strongest and most delusional when in love, breaks down, revealing itself as just a dream, a fiction, a wish.

"The song mentions a recurring dream I have where I feel I am screaming but no sound is coming out, or it does and I can’t understand why I am so angry or upset in the dream. I am quite a stoic person, coping with life through fantasy and goodwill, so this is maybe the unconscious outlet for pent up disappointment and injustice."

============================================================================

Piper Butcher - Porcelain Pillars.

“Porcelain Pillars is a love story. One that I encourage you to sit down with, close your eyes and really immerse yourself in”. That is the perfect summary by Piper Butcher about “Porcelain Pillars”, her stunning third release for 2026.

“Porcelain Pillars” is a cinematic dreamscape of lyrical beauty mixed with equally gorgeous melodies and accompanying musicianship and production. Focusing on the beautiful story of Jenny and Jimmy - the two star characters of this narrative - it traces the tale of two people putting their love above everything else. It’s their journey through life, loss and every stop in between. “No relationship is ever perfect, but this song dares to dream of that ‘movie love’ everyone adores”, says Butcher.

Piper Butcher continues to build upon her impressive musical resume with this third single of 2026.  Just a week after the release of “Porcelain Pillars”, Butcher heads out on the road with Variety the Children’s Charity as MC and Ambassador for their Backyard Bash, supporting schools and small communities. Keep an ear out for her performing the new single as part of these events. She was also recently announced as a showcasing artist for BIGSOUND 2026 as well as joining Wade Forster’s national tour of Australia later this year. 

============================================================================

Photo - Si Moore

So So Modern - Peace Talks.

Light Years is So So Modern’s latest offering. A collection of songs written in the decade since their last release, the twenty-something-year-old post-punk band have for years defied convention for how a group should operate or sound. Today the band resembles less the four young, unknowing friends who started this journey in the mid-2000s but more an extended family, bound through intersecting lives and close-knit community.

The musical landscape has since overtaken them with speed and saturation, but SSM have stuck to the path of the slow and steady - because time beats everything. Whilst the band’s sound has garnered a reputation for complex, chaotic convergences of guitars, synthesisers and rhythm, the songs in Light Years are about clarity, restraint and simplicity - an acknowledgement and misremembering of the straightforward hardcore punk and pop that inspired them as teenagers.

Short, structured and delivered with earnest power, today’s lead single, ‘Peace Talks’ reflects on coming-of-age within fringe communities - the late 90’s / early 00’s Aotearoa hardcore, DIY & straight-edge scenes, goth flats & anarchist squats - friends are, after all, the family you choose. Light Years represents time, distance and the entanglement of life, although it is unclear if this is in relation to a distant past or the horizon of the future. The limited 12” vinyl release by Flying Nun Records and Holiday Records is accompanied by the illuminating artwork of Lily Paris West.

============================================================================

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Where's One? (Album).

The first full album of new music from psychedelic rock pioneers Strawberry Alarm Clock since 1969 is released today. The new album Where's One? returns the band to the pinnacle of the genre they helped to invent, with a lineup unmatched for its authenticity including five original members, and decades of performing and songwriting chemistry on display. Previewed in recent months by the hit indie singles “Monsters,” “Blow Your Mind” and “The Sky Isn't Falling,” Where's One hits record stores in a Deluxe Double LP edition and as a CD, as well as streaming on all digital platforms worldwide.

Unquestionably, the '60s spirit is here. You can hear it immediately in the immaculately sunny a capella harmonies of the opening track “Feel The Love,” as well as in the full record's sparkling instrumental arrangements featuring period-perfect touches of their signature swirling organ, sunshine pop flute, electric sitar, lacerating acid rock guitar and groovy percussion. But as the needle drifts into the second track, the captivatingly ominous “Monsters” (appropriately released as the album's first preview single last Halloween), it becomes obvious that Strawberry Alarm Clock are here not to relive former glories but to push the psych-rock form ever forward with new ideas, fresh sounds, and unexpected reinventions. 

It's a revelation driven home by the next track, a dramatic deconstruction of “Day Tripper” that lets listener know to expect the unexpected: in a world of power pop bands trying to sound like The Beatles, the Alarm Clock play The Beatles like Devo plays The Stones, here and on a delightfully skewed reading of “Within You Without You”. By the third track, “White Light” – a musically and emotionally raw journey that blends psychedelia and dream rock with intense, near-metal riffing and stunning harmonies – the restless creativity of SAC in 2026 is abundantly evident, aptly summed up in the opening lyrics: “Where am I going? What will I do when I get there?”

============================================================================

Freyja Elsy - Another Life.

Freyja Elsy’s new single ‘Another Life’ is released today Friday August 7th. Built around the idea of what might have been, ‘Another Life’ explores the imagined versions of ourselves that exist alongside the choices we have made. The track reflects the strange duality of looking back at paths not taken while knowing that the life we have built is the right one, capturing the distance between who we were, who we are, and who we might have become.

Musically, the track moves from intimate guitar, piano and double bass into a wider arrangement of evolving strings and electronic textures, with the production shifting between restraint and release. ‘Another Life’ is the third single from Freyja’s forthcoming EP to stop the world turning, continuing the project’s movement from memory and anxiety into reflection and change.

The track also marks the first time Freyja has incorporated Cymraeg (the Welsh language) into her songwriting, with a verse inspired by her ongoing study of the language and a subtle reference to Welsh folklore, reflecting the song’s themes of changing seasons, identity and transformation.


============================================================================

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Clark Paterson - Maya de Vitry

Strawberry Alarm Clock - I'm Not The One / Tahitian Gardens.

With their new album Wher's One? announced and on the way in August, and a headlining gig at the world-renowned Tiki Oasis Festival serving as a blockbuster release party, '60s rock heroes and psychedelic music pioneers Strawberry Alarm Clock present one more double-sided single to preview the record. "I'm Not The One," an instant modern sunshine pop classic, is joined by an exclusive shorter version of the album track "Tahitian Gardens" (in tribute to the release show festival booking) for a pairing that's out

Strawberry Alarm Clock's forthcoming album Where's One? would be remarkable enough as the first collection of all-new music from the psych-rock legends since their '60s heyday, but there's much more to it than nostalgia. The band's current lineup is almost certainly uniquely bonafide among their '60s peers, featuring five members from their original run of four albums from 1967-1969: Mark Stephen Weitz (keyboards), Randy Seol (drums/percussion), George Bunnell (bass), Gene Gunnels (drums/percussion), and Steve Bartek (guitar, flute, sitar and production, also well-known as a founding member of Oingo Boingo) plus guitarist Howie Anderson who's been a full member since their 1986 reunion. 

The decades of musical chemistry are a key part of what keeps the band so compelling to fans of all ages, onstage (as evidenced by the multigenerational crowds attending the band's live shows, often at the Whisky on LA's Sunset Strip where it all began) and on this record. But what makes Where's One? so much more than just a trip down memory lane is a sense of adventure, experimentation and ambition that few from their generation can conjure with such thrilling results.

============================================================================

Clark Paterson  - Are You Lonely Like Me? (Album). 

Clark Paterson’s Are You Lonely Like Me? is a record shaped by hard years, dark humor, and the stubborn decision to keep moving forward anyway. Written through heartbreak, illness, fatherhood, loss, recovery, and reinvention, the album feels deeply lived-in, the sound of someone taking inventory of a life while still standing in the middle of it. There’s loneliness here, but also resilience, warmth, and the crooked grin of somebody who’s survived enough to stop romanticizing anything.

Produced by Eric McConnell and Shawn Byrne, the record leans into a sound that feels timeless without becoming overly polished or nostalgic. The production is cinematic and atmospheric. Lush yet restrained, loose in all the right places, with the kind of texture and imperfection that makes a record feel human. Old-school country soul collides with folk storytelling, and flashes of punk spirit, creating a sound that feels equally at home in a dive bar, an empty highway, or a half-lit movie scene at closing time.

Written alongside longtime collaborator Mark Cline Bates, the songs explore memory, mortality, love, isolation, aging, and the uneasy comedy of being alive long enough to watch life humble you a few times. Paterson has a rare ability to deliver hard truths without turning sentimental, balancing grit with tenderness and self-awareness with sharp wit. The humor never undercuts the emotion. It deepens it.

At the heart of the record is the title track, “Are You Lonely Like Me?” an aching, beautiful song that quietly asks the question hanging over the entire album: not just whether we’re lonely, but whether we’re still capable of reaching each other through all the noise, damage, history, and hope we carry around.

============================================================================

Photo - Ethan Jodziewicz

Maya de Vitry - All My Faith (Album).

A profound connection to nature runs throughout the record—not as a passing metaphor, but as an elemental and transformative force shaping both her voice as a songwriter and her orientation as an artist. At its heart, the album reflects on the ways human beings choose to care for one another in myriad forms and on the generative healing and wisdom that emerge from our relationships—with each other and with the natural world.

Originally from the green rolling hills of Lancaster, PA, de Vitry is a Nashville-based artist whose music blurs the lines of folk, indie rock, and Americana. With a voice that glides effortlessly between tenderness and strength, her performances radiate with presence, spontaneity, and soul.

All My Faith’s 10 original songs were all written by Maya over the last year. Forgoing the technology often used to “perfect” studio recordings, de Vitry chose instead to fully trust the moment-to-moment musical conversations and choices of the players and singers gathered around her. “When the band realized that I was planning to do no edits whatsoever on these tracks, the level of commitment from everyone just soared. It was a really exciting atmosphere in the studio,” de Vitry recalls.

Maya sings and plays acoustic guitar on the entire album, and she enlisted Spencer Cullum and Ethan Ballinger (both members of Miranda Lambert’s touring band) for pedal steel and guitar, alongside Jo Schornikow (of alt-country/indie band Phosphorescent) on keys. They are joined by frequent members of de Vitry’s live band: Ethan Jodziewicz on bass, Dominic Billett on drums, and Shelby Means and Joel Timmons on harmony vocals. The band’s playing is responsive, uninhibited, and emotionally spot on. True to de Vitry’s vision, everything that you hear on this record was captured in real time and recorded over three days at The Tractor Shed in Goodlettsville, TN, from November 23 to 25, 2025.

============================================================================

Ringlets - The Legendary Ten Seconds - Pam Ross - Strawberry Alarm Clock - Young Martyrs - Rusty Shackle

Photo - Troy Davis

Ringlets - Hard Evidence.

Ringlets have just shared ‘Hard Evidence’, their sassy and supernal new single, via Flying Nun Records. Touching on labour, collapse, and stolen trousers - arriving with a music video directed by Martin Sagadin - the visual collaborator behind much of Aldous Harding’s acclaimed work - The track finds the Auckland post-punk four piece in vivid, uncompromising form.

‘Hard Evidence’ was recorded over a day at Roundhead Studios with De Stevens - more time than the band have previously been allotted for a single track. That space allowed the song to be developed fully in the room, and the result is audible: delicate, more industrial in texture, and underpinned by a melody a little sweet beneath the surface. Sagadin’s video takes that same physicality somewhere more surreal, where support and strain occasionally look indistinguishable.

Live, Ringlets are a different proposition again. Their first Australian tour culminated in eight sold-out shows, an appearance at BIGSOUND Festival in Brisbane, and festival slots at Rhythm & Vines, Twisted Frequency, and Laneway Festival. They recently opened for Black Country, New Road, and tomorrow will begin a 28-date run of the U.K and Europe including appearances at The Great Escape Festival, ArcTanGent, and headline shows at The Windmill, The Hug & Pint and Supersonic Paris.

============================================================================

The Legendary Ten Seconds - Sci Fi Hi Fi (Album)

We are always on the look out for something a little different and The Legendary Ten Seconds have consistently delivered on that front both musically, lyrically and by genre. So this time we have and I quote "An album of science fiction and astronomy themed songs featuring the sounds of the Mellotron." The album comes from the South West of England, recorded at Rock Lee, Torquay. Mixed and mastered by Lord Zarquon at Rainbow Starshine Studio in Marldon, South Devon. There's something different in the water the further West you go in England, whatever it is, certainly seems to make the creative juices flow (pun intended).

The album features: Ian Churchward vocals, guitars and keyboards, Jay Brown bass guitar, six string electric guitar and keyboards on The Time Stream, Ashley Dyer trumpet, Alfred Bolt electric guitar, George Bolt keyboards and backing vocals on the Lonely Planet and Lord Zarquon on drums and keyboards.

The Legendary Ten Seconds started off as the solo music project of Ian Churchward during the time when he was the lead guitar player of The Morrisons who were featured on John Peel's radio one show back in 1987. In 2013 Lord Zarquon joined Ian's music project and since then the line up has gradually expanded and various guest musician's and vocalists have helped out in the recording studio.

============================================================================

Pam Ross - That Kind of Summer.

Award-winning singer-songwriter Pam Ross returns today Friday, May 8 with her new track, “That Kind of Summer,” the first taste of her upcoming LP Wait for It. Built on sun-soaked imagery and a carefree spirit, “That Kind of Summer” captures the kind of moment you don’t plan—you just fall into. From “flip flop summer days” to “a hidden path on an old beach road,” the song leans into spontaneity and escape, pairing vivid storytelling with a breezy, radio-friendly hook: “It’s a top rolled back, that kind of summer…”

Pam wrote the track during a cold February in North Carolina, missing the warmth and freedom of coastal life. That longing translates into a song that feels immediate and transportive—windows down, music up, and nowhere you have to be.

Musically, the single blends Pam’s signature cross-genre style—country, Americana, rock, and pop—into something that feels both nostalgic and fresh. The track was produced by Pam Ross alongside FJ Ventre, with a standout lineup including Yvan Petit (guitar), George Hindenach (drums/percussion), and Franchesca “Chessie” Umbrino (backing vocals).

Pam Ross continues to build momentum following her debut album When Therapy Fails, which produced multiple UK iTunes Top 10 singles and a #1 chart-topper (“Better Than a Good Thing”). A 2024 Josie Award winner for Female Multi-Genre Artist of the Year, she has earned a reputation for both her songwriting and her dynamic live performances.

============================================================================

Strawberry Alarm Clock - The Sky Isn't Falling.

Original psychedelic rock pioneers Strawberry Alarm Clock return with the new single "The Sky Isn't Falling," a swirling rocker laden with gorgeous harmonies and lysergic guitars that continues to built the buzz for the legendary band's new album due this Summer from Big Stir Records. Together with the recent singles "Blow Your Mind" and "Monsters," it's strong evidence that Strawberry Alarm Clock is still going strong with five original members, and may be the most vital force from their generation on the scene today.

Strawberry Alarm Clock occupies a unique place on the 21st Century psych and indie rock landscape. Few true '60s veterans can boast a lineup as close to their original roster, but here they are with fve members who've been part of their legacy since the start – Mark Stephen Weitz (keyboards), Randy Seol (drums), George Bunnell (bass), Gene Gunnels (drums/percussion), multi-instrumentalist (and Oingo Boingo co-founder) Steve Bartek, plus guitarist Howie Anderson who's been a full member for forty years. 

Even more amazingly and importantly, while they embody the spirit of their original era, they trade not on nostalgia but on pursuing the musical ambition, experimentalism and unbridled creativity that made them shine in those early years. It's on display whenever the band hits the live stage, clad in paisley and stretching out with musical chemistry incorporating not just the expected instruments but marimbas, electric sitars and wild percussion, and it's been the hallmark of the new singles that have heralded their return: the eerie, unsettling “Monsters” which debuted last Halloween and the more recent hook-heavy rocker “Blow Your Mind,” as well as the attendant B-sides “White Light and “Live Water.”

============================================================================

Young Martyrs - Sugar On My Tongue.

Hot on the heels of April's 'Is There Anybody Out There?, Young Martyrs return today May 8th with their new single 'Sugar On My Tongue' and accompanying music video, the second single to be taken from their upcoming third studio album 'Might Just Be Enough', arriving this Summer. 

'Sugar On My Tongue' was recorded and produced at both Real World Studios in Bath and Indefra Studios in Frome by the band themselves, with co-production from Sebastian Brice and engineering from Ben Koch. The track was mastered by Christian Wright (Ed Sheeran, Franz Ferdinand, Blur, Laura Marling) at London's renowned Abbey Road Studios.

The song is one of three on the album written by lead guitarist Rich Beeby. It sees the band explore the desperately vulnerable yet universally relatable feelings surrounding undeclared feelings and physical longing.

Discussing the lyrical themes explored in the single, Beeby says, "The band rocks and rolls in this song so it needed a lyric that's raw and does most of its thinking from the neck down. It's about the visceral feelings of unspoken attraction and physical longing, and how those feelings might be suppressed, but can eventually develop into fantasy or obsession. It's really down to the listener to decide if surrendering to that intoxicating lustfulness should be avoided or celebrated."

============================================================================

Rusty Shackle - Your Arrows.

'Rusty Shackle' are back with an explosive statement of intent. Their new single 'Your Arrows' is released today May 8th and is our first taste from the brand new album 'Mayfield' that the band will release and showcase at Caldicot Castle on Saturday 29th August with special guests Taff Rapids, Tom Jenkins and Ernie Emmanuel.

A defiant, cinematic anthem about choosing your own path, the track channels American Western imagery into a modern inner battle between self-doubt and belief. With a vivid, time-bending narrative and a rallying battlecry chorus, it captures the clarity that comes when true intentions are revealed, and the strength it takes to stand up for what you believe in. 

Musically, the track is driven by a bluesy stomp that channels the swagger of Led Zeppelin, opening with a punchy, recognisable drum intro that propels it forward. Dynamic guitar and fiddle interplay add texture and lift, while the soaring lead vocal melodies give it a wide, defiant sense of scale, and gang vocals from all six members of Rusty Shackle bring a raw, anthemic edge.

Rusty Shackle are a hard-gigging folk-rock band from South Wales, known for their infectious energy, anthemic songs, and genre-blurring sound drawn from folk, rock, and indie roots. Since forming in 2010, they’ve built a loyal following through relentless touring and a reputation for exhilarating live shows that get crowds on their feet.

============================================================================

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Dark And Twisties - Frank Rabeyrolles & Marin Esteban - Scarlet Tantrum

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Blow Your Mind / Live Water.

We have a brand new single out today December 19 from psychedelic rock legends Strawberry Alarm Clock that's much more a sign of things to come than a blast from the past. The single features not one but two never-before-heard tracks from the band: “Blow Your Mind” and “Live Water,” both bristling with fresh energy and previewing a brand new SAC album on the way in 2026. 

One of 2025's greatest and most delightful musical surprises came along with the scares of the Halloween season as genuine psych-rock pioneers Strawberry Alarm Clock returned with the superb new single “Monsters,” in truth a song for all seasons, and its trippy B-side “White Light”. Now they're back again, readily proving that those tracks were no one-off fluke with two more tunes pointing the way to a new full-length album on the way in 2026. 

The new single pairs the ultra-catchy and irresistibly boisterous “Blow Your Mind” with the lushly beautiful “Live Water,” both crafted by the near-complete 1967 lineup of the band. Taken together, the two tracks give every member time to shine, and they display an inventiveness and energy that goes far beyond nostalgia, Strawberry Alarm Clock is most definitely in top form, with much to offer the modern world. 

============================================================================

Dark And Twisties - Ungrateful Women (Album).

Seasoned Alt-Folk troupe 'Dark And Twisties' release their debut LP 'Ungrateful Women' today 19th December 2025. Prepare to be swept into a world of beauty and shadow with Dark And Twisties, the alt-folk band that’s making waves with their evocative harmonies and story telling. Drawing inspiration from both nature’s power and the depths of the human experience, the group brings a unique sound that intertwines the dark beauty of traditional folk with modern, ethereal sensibilities. Dark and Twisties are; Sarah Birch, Kate Ronconi, Sarah Passmore, Danny Kilbride and Huw Rees. 
 
They have received a rapturous reception since bursting into the scene just months ago, weaving stories old and new into strange and beautiful songs with glorious harmonies and skilful musicianship. With an uplifting sadness the Dark And Twisties produce harmonies, counter melodies and  a beautiful arrangement to tell this modern folk tale for all of us : perfectly flawed and flawlessly perfect.

Dark And Twisties continue to build a loyal following across the alt-folk scene with intimate live performances and harmonies that transport listeners into a different realm. Their music is a perfect fit for those who love the eerie, the beautiful, and the transcendent. “Known for their ethereal storytelling and masterful harmonies, Dark and Twisties seamlessly blend traditional folk influences with modern, atmospheric elements. Their music feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking, resonating with fans of eerie, transcendent sounds.”

============================================================================

Frank Rabeyrolles & Marin Esteban - To Figure Out.

To Figure Out marks the first collaboration between Frank Rabeyrolles and Marin Esteban, a rare dialogue where the former’s shadowy lo-fi pop meets the latter’s cinematic folk. The track moves in weightlessness, woven with muted guitars, airy textures, and suspended melodies, like a whispered question still searching for its answer.

It carries the handcrafted, introspective sensibility of Frank Rabeyrolles, a discreet yet essential figure of the French independent scene, as well as the ambient poetry of Marin Esteban, a composer who has spent years shaping an intimate, luminous atmospheric folk.

To Figure Out is a point of convergence: a piece that explores what we grasp about the world, about ourselves, and about everything that continues to elude us, carried by the quiet, persistent tenderness that binds the two artists.

Frank Rabeyrolles · To Figure Out

============================================================================

Scarlet Tantrum - Insignificant.

Scarlet Tantrum delivers a devastating emotional punch with “Insignificant,” a haunting alt-rock/indie confession that captures the quiet kind of heartbreak, the kind that doesn’t shout, but slowly erodes your sense of worth. Hailing from North Carolina, Scarlet Tantrum draws from deeply personal experiences to tell the story of feeling unseen by someone who was supposed to provide safety, love, and validation. Instead, neglect crept in silently, convincing her that her pain wasn’t real, until it was impossible to ignore.

Co-written and produced with Jess Soelberg, the track balances delicate, aching melodies with swelling cinematic tension. Soft, fragile verses build into a crushing chorus that feels like a cracked-open diary, exposing every raw nerve. Her vocal performance sits at the center of the storm, intimate, wounded, and brutally honest.

Lyrically confronting emotional neglect, gaslighting, and longing, “Insignificant” resonates with anyone who has ever felt disposable in a relationship. It’s a song about the damage silence can do, and the strength it takes to finally walk away. With its moody production, vulnerable lyricism, and immersive atmosphere, “Insignificant” marks a new creative chapter for Scarlet Tantrum, one defined by emotional clarity, fearless honesty, and artistic depth.

============================================================================

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Manuel K and his Family Band - Caswell - iNNUENDO - Louis O'Hara - Leilani Patao

Strawberry Alarm Clock - Monsters / White Light.

As Strawberry Alarm Clock began to approach its sixtieth anniversary, a new album began to take shape: songs about life, everyday fears, and what comes next. With each member of the band writing and singing, just as they had for all these years, a new and powerful collection of songs emerged that deserves to be heard by listeners both old and new. 

Big Stir Records, located near Burbank, CA, where the band first emerged sixty years ago, is proud to present the next chapter in the band's saga. The first single, “Monsters”, coupled with “White Light”, brings the classic SAC sound into the here and now. The new songs, and forthcoming album, are the continuation of those long-ago ideas, shaped and strengthened anew by the times that they, and we, now live in. 

This is not the return of Strawberry Alarm Clock. In truth, they have never even gone away over the last sixty years, as films such as Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls and Austin Powers have continued to share their sounds far beyond that Summer Of Love. Perhaps the moment has arrived again has come for a new, powerful, yet familiar sound. Once again, the time has come for The Strawberry Alarm Clock.

============================================================================

Manuel K and his Family Band - Like a Flower (Studio Session).

Manuel K from St. Gallen (CH) is reminding us of good old power pop – in a charming way: twanging guitars, straightforward, catchy pop melodies. And of course, the essential dose of power. All those ingredients make a good power pop song.

What makes the whole project special is that Manuel K recorded the track with his Family Band, bringing together several generations. On drums, his son Jayden; on bass, his daughter Allison; and on second electric guitar, his sister Angela. The song was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Marco Jencarelli (Philipp Fankhauser, Dada Ante Portas, among others). The video production was handled by Jonas Ruppen and Manuel Maeder of Ruppen Productions (working with well known Swiss acts such as Anna Kaenzig, Mothers Pride, among others).

“Like a Flower” is now the ninth single by Manuel K, who grew up in Mels (SG) and lives in Azmoos (municipality of Wartau / Werdenberg region of Sankt Gallen/CH), and it comes with a video release. Already with his former rock band Nextmile, Manuel K had the track in his repertoire – but it has never sounded as fresh as in this new recording with his Family Band.

============================================================================

Photo - Gabby Sep

Caswell - Break/Bleed/Bloom (Album).

Suffolk Alternative-Pop riser Caswell releases the hotly anticipated debut album Break/Bleed/Bloom this week. Blending elements of downtempo electronica, ethereal deampop and indie musicality with pop and EDM sensibilities, Caswell brings a sonic intelligence and melodic clarity which sets her music apart. Lush, immersive and emotive, the album showcases how well formed Caswell’s sonic identity across its 9 tracks. 

Honest lyricism, atmospheric electronics, and driving bass and drums form the backbone of the album, with Caswell’s tender yet commanding vocal pulling each track forward through instantly repeatable melodies. The record moves fluidly between moods—at times intense and danceable, at others melancholic and understated—always retaining a subtle musicality. From the opener Your Type, which swells from ambient beginnings into a driving wall of bass and synth, to the stripped-back emotion of Written To Die, the haunting ambient beauty of Dorko Boda, the moody ‘My Bed’ with Passion Parade, and the floating alt-pop shimmer of Final Call, the album is varied, immaculately produced, and yet affectingly raw and real.

Speaking about the album Caswell explains: "Break/Bleed/Bloom is a collection of nine songs, split into three chapters: Break, Bleed, and Bloom. Break is about friction – those moments when something stops working and you have no choice but to change it. Bleed is the mourning period that follows, but also the release and healing that comes with it. Bloom is the beginning again: hope, optimism, self-exploration, before the cycle inevitably repeats. For me, this album is about leaning into endings instead of rushing past them. We live in a world that tells us to keep producing, achieving and moving forward, but I wanted to show the power in allowing things to die. That’s where the real growth happens.

It was written over three years, giving us the time and space to really live with the songs while living life. Collaborating with my long-time live band and producers kept it super authentic and organic too, and we’re so excited to finally share it with the world, before the next creative cycle begins."

============================================================================

Photo -  Aidan Dowling

iNNUENDO - Rosemary.

Dublin based art-pop quartet iNNUENDO return with the new single ‘Rosemary’, offering another taste of their theatrical alternative-rock-meets-artistic-pop aesthetic drawing inspiration from the likes of Kate Bush and David Bowie, the band bring together a sound which conjures elements of CMAT, XTC, Florence And The Machine and Marina And The Diamonds. 

The new single distills the band’s aesthetic into technicolour brilliance, weaving together intricate piano lines, driving drums, and theatrical, emotive vocals to create a rich and compelling soundscape. As the track surges into its shout-along chorus, the band’s gift for infectious melody shines through, carried by taut rhythms and choppy guitar that echo the spirit of The Last Dinner Party. The second verse then takes an unexpected turn, erupting into a dazzling wall of arpeggiators that inject a renewed sense of energy and vibrancy, mirroring the electric dynamism of the band’s live performances.

Speaking about the single, the band explain: “‘Rosemary’ was inspired by one of our bandmate’s old piano teachers, who was awful to him. I started noodling around with piano motifs and the song came together almost instantly, expanding once we crafted the cutting synth line after the first chorus - that really cemented the dance-y groove underneath".

============================================================================

Louis O'Hara - Finally Stick.
 
Louis O'Hara has shared his new 'Finally Stick' single, with the debut album 'A Peaceful Kind of Fun' due out 07.11 via Libertino. Of the single we are told: Opening in the glow of early love, the track captures the joy of losing yourself in someone else’s light. By the final verse, it drifts into a lower key reflecting on the exhaustion and fallout that come with endings. Arranged with piano, bass, clarinet, cello, electric guitar, and even a theremin, the song also features a spoken-word bridge inspired by 1950s vocal groups like The Capris and The Ink Spots. The result is both tender and haunting a love song that lingers long after it fades. 

A Peaceful Kind of Fun is a 14-track collection that distils O’Hara’s poetic lyricism, tender folk roots, and subtle chamber-pop flourishes into a deeply personal yet quietly universal debut. Recorded with his band His Burley Chassis and produced by James Trevascus (Billy Nomates, Young Fathers, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis) in Spain, the album is shaped by themes of memory, loss, joy, and the places and people that anchor a life.

Throughout the record, O’Hara draws from family history, friendships, and rural West Wales landscapes to create songs that are intimate yet resonant. “The Kid In Me” channels recurring dreams of playing football for Wales as an ode to imagination and daydreaming. “Just Grand” (the album’s first single) is a tender farewell to his grandfather. “Sunnyhill Farm” recalls childhood summers spent on his aunt and uncle’s dairy farm. “Munnelly” traces his grandfather’s memories of the corncrake bird in rural Ireland, entwined with the fragility of dementia. Other highlights include “Magpie”, a love song to his closest friend, “Married”, written in celebration of his brother’s wedding, and “Plant a Tree”, which gathers pieces of life advice into a song of gratitude.

New single “Finally Stick” embodies the duality at the heart of O’Hara’s writing - beginning with the joy and lightness of love’s early stages before descending into the exhaustion and fallout of a relationship’s end. Its arrangement layers piano, clarinet, cello, electric guitar, and theremin, with a spoken-word bridge nodding to 1950s vocal groups such as The Ink Spots and The Capris.

============================================================================

Leilani Patao - Bird Whistle.

Brooklyn-based (via Los Angeles) artist Leilani Patao has released "Bird Whistle," the second single from ‘daisy,’ their label debut EP, which will be released via Audio Antihero on November 7th. Debuting in 2021 at the age of 17, Leilani showcased their rich, aching voice, shaped by a background in theatre and their youthful willingness to show vulnerability through a raw lyrical honesty across a series of DIY self-releases. 2024’s ‘But What If?’ earned them their greatest exposure to date when they were featured on The Tonight Show. 

Taking its title from the name of Leilani’s much-missed childhood dog, ‘daisy’ is described by the artist as “a pure experiment” in both sound and distribution. Leilani’s ambitious production requires the listener to find the emotion within the cracks, as their range, biting words, and ear for melody push through the wash of sound in fragments. Leilani also made the decision to remove themselves from the algorithm by withholding these songs from streaming, taking control of their work, and asking:

“Is it possible to share my music properly, pay everyone who was involved, get paid myself, and not have to interact with the many systems in place that make me dread music?” 

============================================================================