Odd Marshall - Bill Kirchen - Jenn Grant - The Corner Laughers

Odd Marshall - Seconds (Album).

Odd Marshall has officially released his sophomore album Seconds, an eight-song roots rock extravaganza, with the emphasis on rock. Seconds expands Marshall’s sonic palette, blending indie rock, folk-rock, and alt-country while leaning into a distinctly ’90s-influenced sound. The album features Blind Melon guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn—who also produced and mixed the record—along with contributions from Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee, Mathias Schneeberger of The Afghan Whigs, drummer Denny Weston Jr. (KT Tunstall) and bassist Jon Ossman (Chris Botti).

When planning Seconds, the follow-up to his 2024 debut Sand & Glue, Odd Marshall was turned down by a prominent Canadian producer, prompting him to ask, “Who else did I like when I was 14?”

The answer that immediately sprang to mind was the band Blind Melon so, with nothing to lose, he found a contact, sent a cold email with demos attached, and in no time he was chatting with Thorn who agreed to take the reins and bring in his six-string partner Stevens, marking the first time they have worked together outside of Blind Melon. What was initially intended to be an EP quickly blossomed into a full eight-song album once Odd Marshall dug into his song bag and pulled out a few more that could showcase the immense talent in the room.

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Photo - Bob Minkin

Bill Kirchen - Cat Out Of The Bag.

To let a cat out of the bag supposedly means letting something slip, like a secret. But for Bill Kirchen, it means escape, as in freedom — from confinement, convention … even gravity. Freedom to hit the road and play rock ‘n’ roll. That’s the energy driving the title track of Kirchen’s new album, Cat Out of the Bag, which showcases the six-string master — dubbed Titan of the Telecaster by Guitar Player magazine — at his gusto-grabbing best. “That's a good-to-be-alive song,” says Kirchen of the album’s opening track. “It’s a celebration of getting through the worst of the pandemic unscathed, getting back on the road and affirming our belief that the kids are alright.”

The Austin-based guitarist, singer and songwriter confirms his lust for life — and offers up his lyrically referenced “rock ’n’ roll soul” — in several songs exhibiting the rockabilly-meets-honky-tonk style that earned him his “titan” status (as well as a Best Country Instrumental Performance Grammy nomination for the chicken-pickin’ song, “Poultry in Motion”). 

The music flowing from Kirchen’s roots-loving heart to his ever-nimble fingers also blends boogie-woogie, jazz, jump blues, Western swing, country, folk and other idioms; yes, he was playing Americana before it had a name. In fact, he helped pioneer the genre, way back when he co-founded what he calls his “hippie country band”: Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Back in the ‘70s, Kirchen’s twangalicious, fret-sizzling guitar riffs drove that band’s version of “Hot Rod Lincoln” to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen Co-founder is to release the album Cat Out of the Bag on May 22, 2026 via Last Music, Co.

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Jenn Grant - Queen Of The Strait (Album).

This weekend acclaimed singer-songwriter Jenn Grant releases new album Queen of the Strait, and shares the heartfelt new video for her latest single, "Gonna Be Free," co-starring her beloved dog, Bird. "Gonna Be Free" was filmed on the frozen lake near her home in Lake Echo, NS, the video captures the stillness and quiet resilience that shape the song's spirit.

"Shapes and symbols have always held important significance to me," Grant shares. "I use them in my art when I'm painting, as well as in my daily life, to actively cultivate hope, magic and strength. My first postpartum story was all about me finding my feet again. It was a great challenge, but it also brought me growth and a new perspective on what really matters to me. This pattern of symbols revealed in the snow represents the values I hold dear. Deep thanks to tattoo artist Jason Francis at Super Rad Not Bad Tattoos in Bedford, NS, for gifting me this piece. Shout-out to Bird, my beautiful co-star and forever sweet baby girl. You are the queen of my life."

After a 20-year career, this marks the first time Grant has fully realized her dream production. The tour promises a cinematic, immersive experience featuring a live band, curated film sequences, and interpretive movement, bringing the emotional landscape of the album vividly to life. Jenn Grant's new album Queen of the Strait stands as her most personal work to date — a deeply cinematic exploration of love, loss, and transformation. 


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The Corner Laughers - Dusking.

Indie-pop darlings The Corner Laughers return with their first new album in over five years, Concerns of Wasp and Willow, on Big Stir Records out on March 27, 2026 The band's sixth full-length release and the keenly-awaited follow up to 2020's critically-hailed Temescal Telegraph, the new record balances sunshine and shadow in the band's distinctive style and resonates with wit, whimsy and bewitching melodies. Already previewed by the hit indie singles “Rainbow Cardigan” and last year's “Dark Matter,” the band released their third single, “Dusking,” this weekend.

The musicians on "Dusking" include Karla Kane (vocals), Khoi Huynh (bass, keyboard), KC Bowman (guitar, backing vocals, and Charlie Crabtree (drums).Karla Kane offers some insight into the song's inspiration: A little slice of life – of an evening scene, walking through San Francisco, awaiting public transportation, and taking a Caltrain journey down the Peninsula, watching and pondering the world going by in the fading light outside the windows. More literal and linear (maybe because it follows a path and then a train track!) than usual for me. It was a song started in situ, a stream-of-consciousness – I really just started singing the opening lines as they unfolded in real time (also the case with the second “dusking” song, “Larkspur Landing”). We’re big public transportation advocates, and it’s not always easy to get around that way. The Bay Area is also an incredibly expensive place to live, which makes things difficult for artists. There’s always a sort of wistful romance in train journeys and songs about trains. 

Khoi Huynh's input on "Dusking": Karla handed me a vocal-only demo of “Dusking” and asked me to add some instrumentation. To emphasize the train theme, I thought it should have a hypnotic rhythm track. I took inspiration from the music of my younger years, specifically the 1986 “Pretty In Pink” soundtrack. Some elements from my over-the-top 80s synth demo can be heard on the final recording. Still, Charlie’s precision drumming and KC’s sunset-over-the-Pacific-Ocean surf guitar really took it into another realm. 

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Maddy Little - Hirta - KickDr - The Corner Laughers - All For Jolly - Heidy H King

Photo - Carly Boomer

Maddy Little - All My Fault.

Canadian indie alt-pop artist Maddy Little returns with "All My Fault," a raw, bittersweet reflection on self-doubt, emotional manipulation, and the quiet power of finally choosing yourself. Written in the aftermath of a situationship defined by push and pull, the track captures the moment where self-blame gives way to clarity and growth.

Built around a stripped-back, organic production style, "All My Fault" keeps its focus firmly on emotion. Little explores the toll of being caught in a cycle of unmet commitment, questioning her worth while mistaking manipulation for affection. "I was constantly either being blamed, or blaming myself," she explains. "I didn't think I was good enough, or I felt too weak to walk away from a situation where I wasn't valued."

What makes the song especially resonant is its emotional arc. "All My Fault" moves from internalized blame toward self-recognition, marking a turning point where Little finds her voice and reclaims her value. The contrast between vulnerability and resolve sits at the heart of the track, mirroring the process of leaving something painful behind and stepping into something healthier.

"It feels like the end of something painful, but the beginning of something better," says Little. "I'm finally out of that dark part of my life and focused on being happier, and I truly am." 

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Hirta - Birds In The Loft.

We have the third and final single from Hirta's upcoming Soft Peaks LP. The track is called "Birds In The Loft" and it perfectly embodies the undercurrent of mourning and optimism that runs throughout this record so gracefully. Hirta is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Alistair Paxton and this record hasn't left my rotation since I first heard it last autumn. 

Hirta’s ‘Soft Peaks’ finds solace in the natural world and comforts through an intriguing map of familiar trailheads and newly chartered terrain. The debut official release from Scottish - American multi instrumentalist, Alistair Paxton, ‘Soft Peaks’ casts a windswept and lonely spell yet retains an air of optimism across its ten warm and desolate tracks. 

This album was self produced and recorded in 2025 in sessions split between the Hudson Valley town of Nyack, NY and rural Bovina in the Western Catskill mountains culminating in both vinyl and digital releases under Paxton’s own imprint, Half Painted Door.

Soft Peaks reveals layers of intricate acoustic fingerstyle guitar and plaintive drums under sparse and tasteful contemporary textures. A subtle and evocative blend of traditional folk voicings and indie rock charm which conjures fleeting nostalgia and offers some hopeful light in a dark time. Through songwriting that crafts propulsive repetition and embraces the power of restraint and economy, Paxton’s vocal harmonies remain unadorned and carry a poetic honesty while delivering elegiacal verses both timeless and universal."

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KickDr - Dubtitles (EP).

Dubtitles is the second KickDr EP on Moom, following last year’s Afro-inspired Neema. The EP was shaped by a period of deep listening to dub music across genres — from the classic sounds of King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry to electronic landmarks like Leftfield and Basic Channel.

Dubtitles brings the light touch of dub into a house EP, creating something that balances movement and energy with space, warmth and atmosphere.

Dubtitles is built to travel. Equally at home on the dancefloor, the beach, in the car or drifting through your living room, it’s designed for effortless, repeat listening — music that soundtracks moments rather than being locked into a single setting.

Moom Sound · KickDr - Dubtitles EP

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The Corner Laughers - Rainbow Cardigan.

The Corner Laughers return to make good on the promise of a long-awaited new album –their first since 2020 –with the new single “Rainbow Cardigan.” The new track is a blend of melancholy and exuberance that's a thrilling sign of things to come. “Rainbow Cardigan” is out today January 16.

“Rainbow Cardigan,” like the album it heralds and the band that created it, is an exhilarating study in remarkably consonant contrasts. For longtime fans of The Corner Laughers, the sound will be instantly recognizable, kicking off in a minor key with the solo vocals and jangly ukulele of Karla Kane (both distinctive calling cards of the band), spinning a tale where the title garment is the only splash of color in a graveyard on a grey British morning. 

When the chorus hits, though, it's positively jubilant, all major chords, driving rhythms and interlocking harmonies. Still, there' a dichotomy at the core: “We were old, yes we were ancient; we were young, yes, we were barely conceived.” For all that depth and intrigue, it's also flat-out catchy, with intricate acoustic guitar by Khoi Huynh, spaghetti western bass and electric guitar by KC Bowman (both also suppling those harmonies), and propelled over the edge by a folk-punk explosion of drums by Charlie Crabtree and, coming in with a burst of electric guitar distortion for the grand finale, an exciting cameo by original band co-founder Angela Rhoades (nee Silletto), her first reunion on record since leaving the band more than a decade ago. 

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All For Jolly - Lifeblood.

Penzance (Cornwall England) based folk-punk band All For Jolly have announced their upcoming single “Lifeblood” a release that sits at the heart of a wider campaign highlighting the ongoing closure of grassroots music venues across the UK. The track is both a tribute to independent venues and a frank reflection on the growing pressures facing the grassroots music scene, from rising operating costs and redevelopment to the increasing financial strain placed on DIY artists.

For All For Jolly, the issue is deeply personal. The band built their career touring the UK’s grassroots circuit and credit small, independent venues as the foundation of their journey — and as vital spaces where new artists can survive, develop, and connect with audiences. “Grassroots venues are the lifeblood of bands like ours,” the band say. “They’re where scenes exist at all. Without them — and without proper support — making music becomes impossible for so many people.”

Following the release of “Lifeblood”, All For Jolly will embark on a UK tour throughout February 2026. The run will also mark the band’s final tour as a full band for the foreseeable future, with rising costs and the realities of remaining fully independent making extended touring increasingly unsustainable. Together, the single and tour underline the campaign’s central message: the fight to keep grassroots venues alive is inseparable from the fight faced by the artists who rely on them. Fans will be encouraged to support local venues, attend shows, and buy tickets in advance wherever possible.

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Heidy H King - The Washing Machine.

Inspired by the likes of Carole King & Kate Bush singer-songwriter Heidy H King, has many inspirations. It's obvious, after just a few bars of the newly released folk-pop number “The Washing Machine.” With this catchy and sophisticated track, Heidy H King presents herself to a wider public for the first time.

The song is carried by Thomas Güttinger’s acoustic guitar playing—and, of course, by Heidy H King’s voice. The musician was born in Schaffhausen and has been living in the canton of Zurich for 38 years. Even if her name may at first glance appear new on the music scene, she is in fact an experienced artist with extensive live experience. She began writing her own songs at the age of 17 and later deepened her musical craft at the Lucerne School of Jazz as well as through various training and continuing education programs in Switzerland and abroad.

Heidy H King in her own words about 'The Washing Machine' The song is a homage to the washing machine and tells how I make myself comfortable during the washing cycle. With this song, I wanted to prove that instead of a love song or a protest song, you can also write a ballad about a washing machine. I googled to see whether there was already a real washing-machine song—and ended up finding over 100 videos of spinning washing machines (for meditative purposes).

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