The Pursuit Of Pleasure have now finished recording their second album and are gearing up to release & tour in the first half of 2026. The new album adds grungier guitars and a 90's indie-influenced sound to the alt-folk, country-tinged Americana of their debut.
The Pursuit Of Pleasure released their debut album "Songs Mostly in Waltz Time" via Chufty Badge Records back in April 2025. The band also performed at several major festivals in 2025 as well as releasing a standalone single "Lava on Snow" in December.
Today the first single "Smash My Heart to Ash" from the forthcoming album has been released. 'Smash My Heart to Ash' is veering a little towards indie rock, with a hint of alt folk and some beautifully powerful dual vocals, collectively it really works and is a fabulous taster for the eagerly awaited second album.
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Power Pop Hall Of Fame inductees The Spongetones, fresh off the success of their acclaimed live album The 40th Anniversary Concert... And Beyond, return to make good on the promise of that album's trio of new studio bonus tracks by kicking off an on going series of standalone singles with “So Long,” an all-new track featuring all three founding members and showcasing the songcraft and pitch-perfect retro stylings that have made them mainstays on the indie pop and power pop scene for decades. The single is out today March 13.
The Spongetones are singer-songwriters Jamie Hoover (guitar), Steve Stoeckel (bass) and Pat Walters (guitar), joined in recent years by full-time drummer/vocalist Eric Willhelm have been crafting, recording and performing neo-classics in the British Invasion mold together since well before their iconic 1982 debut album Beat Music.
They've maintained that legacy across the decades on a series of well-received studio albums (nearly ten, depending on how you count them, the most recent being 2009's Scrambled Eggs) and built a catalog of new pop rock classics brilliantly captured with all the band's esteemed onstage prowess and energy on the live album released last year. The real treasure for longtime fans was the inclusion of three brand new studio tracks, also released as singles: “Lulu's In Love,” “Help Me Janie” and “Honest Work,” all hits on global indie radio and tantalizing signs that the album was not just a career summary but a step forward for The Spongetones as well.
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| Photo - Anna Burnett |
Belfast quartet Wynona Bleach share ‘Religion’ taken from the anticipated upcoming sophomore album Animal Style - May 29th via Fierce Panda Records (UK - Coldplay, Placebo, Ash) and Propeller Sound Recordings (US, & UK Retail stores).
Capturing the band’s raw intensity and distinctive alt-rock style, the single delivers relentless energy through punchy drums, fuzz-drenched guitars, and biting lead vocals. Merging grungy guitar riffs with pop-rock melodies and a visceral grit that adds a punk edge, ‘Religion’ showcases the band’s ability to channel the raw power of their live performances while maintaining radio-ready musicality.
Speaking about the single, the band explain: “It’s less a love song, and more a “lust” song. It's about when you meet someone that makes you feel like you’d do anything, even if it was to lie to your true self. It also calls out fake people, fake society, organised religion and how everything made out to be “cool” is usually just a con.”
Produced by Wynona Bleach’s own Jonny Woods alongside Andy Bradfield (Bjork, Rufus Wainwright, The XX, Manic St Preachers, Spice Girls), and Avril Mackintosh (Bryan Adams, Marillion), the upcoming album showcases some of the band's most complete and incisive work to date.
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EYRE LLEW, the Nottingham-based alternative-rock trio hailed by BBC Radio 6 Music's Chris Hawkins as "Britain's answer to Sigur Rós," released their new single "Miningsby," two days ago on March 11th.
Born from frost-lit January mornings and the quiet weight of bearing witness to a loved one's struggle, the track marks a profoundly intimate moment in the band's evolution. "Miningsby" is not a song about fixing or saving—it's about staying. Written as vocalist Sam Heaton watched a loved one navigate a period of anxiety, the track forgoes grand gestures in favour of something far more difficult: the simple act of being present when someone feels cold inside.
"Rather than trying to dramatise that experience, 'Miningsby' is about something quieter and harder: staying, listening, and offering warmth," the band explains. "It's a love letter to emotional endurance, grounded in small moments and the hope of better days ahead."
The title itself emerged from beautiful happenstance. When the original demo files were saved in an old rural Lincolnshire studio, they were geolocated to Miningsby, a tiny nearby village. The name became an unintended marker for a place and time that no longer exists but continues to resonate through the music—much like the fleeting moments the song memorializes.
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| Photo - Jason Griego |
The Jaws of Brooklyn have shared their new single “Lie To Me,” the next offering from their upcoming EP Unstoppable, out May 15. Effortlessly channeling ‘60s girl-group glitter and garage grit, the cheerful tongue-in-cheek song grapples with a relationship that’s falling apart while clinging to the comfort of denial.
Guitarist Bryan Cohen on the new single: “‘Lie To Me’ is about a long distance relationship that is not working – at all. It's the otherworldly feeling of knowing that you and your person aren’t connecting anymore and are stuck miles apart. The protagonist knows they are not getting what they need but it's too painful to confront or end it. Instead, they keep kicking the can down the road and continuing the illusion that the relationship will work out. Who hasn’t been there? The music is inspired by Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).’ The idea was always to have lots of vocals and keep the music sparse but groovy and danceable.”
“Lie To Me” follows the shimmering call-to-the-dancefloor “Where Are You?”, which also appears on the upcoming EP. Co-produced with Grammy-winner and Alabama Shakes keyboardist Ben Tanner, Unstoppable finds the Seattle five-piece blending Motown melody, Muscle Shoals soul and West Coast rock & roll for their signature melting pot sound, which has earned praise from American Songwriter and Billboard over the years. These songs delve headfirst into the human experience, vulnerably writing about love triangles, relationships and ride-or-die friendships, all anchored by frontwoman Gretchen Lemon’s powerhouse presence.
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| Photo courtesy of Maria Taylor |
Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Maria Taylor just released “Sorry I Was Yours” featuring Conor Oberst, the final pre-release single from her first album in more than 7 years, Story’s End, that will be released on April 3 via Oberst’s Million Stars Records. She will celebrate the album with release shows on April 10 at Sid The Cat Auditorium in Pasadena, CA and on April 15 at Night Club 101 in New York City.
About the new single, Taylor reflects: “I met Conor close to 30 years ago. Music has always been such a strong part of our connection. As soon as we met, I started periodically touring with Bright Eyes as either the keyboard player or the drummer. Our friendship turned into a romantic love that lasted 7 years which eventually morphed into the love we have now, which feels like family.
A couple of years ago we decided we wanted to write a song together, so I went over to his house with my guitar and computer. I was playing him songs that I was working on and when he heard this one, he perked up and ran inside to grab his pen and notebook. Hours later we finished the song and even made a demo. So many beautiful contributions from these friends that made the song better than I could have imagined: Brad Armstrong, Mike Mogis, Macey Taylor, Ben Brodin, Nate Walcott, Tiffany Osborn, Hannah Murray, and Paul Cartwright.” Conor Oberst added, “Writing this song was a full circle moment. We’ve made so much music together over the years, it was just like going home.”
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