Rachel Carmen - Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - Sparkle Blood - Darryl Scotti and Big Yard - Lala Hayden

Rachel Carmen - Whole Again (Live Acoustic).

Good things take time. Rachel Carmen also took this saying to heart, allowing her music to mature. The singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from the idyllic Swiss village of Muotathal earned her stripes, among other things, with the cover band Coverstreet. From the snow-covered peaks of Switzerland to the sunny beaches of Spain, she also won over audiences as a singer and bar pianist.

In 2014, she won the Prix Walo “Sprungbrett” (breakthrough award). This was followed by radio appearances, a duet with Piero Esteriore and the Esteriore Brothers on Donnschtig-Jass, a performance at the KKL Lucerne, and a spontaneous jam session with Büne Huber of Patent Ochsner.

It is therefore high time for a new beginning—for stepping into the wider public eye—with her own single “Whole Again.” The soulful, danceable electropop anthem marks the start of a series of further singles as well as an EP set to be released next year. Rachel Carmen’s sound matured in Los Angeles, where she spent considerable time a few years ago gathering new creative impulses and further developing her style.

As a songwriter, Rachel Carmen is active internationally: she regularly takes part in songwriting camps and sessions in Switzerland, Norway, and London, where she collaborates with other artists to create new songs. In 2025, Rachel further expanded her artistic expression through acting training, strengthening her stage presence and emotional depth even more.

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Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - Already Dead.

Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature continue to ride the momentum of previously released singles “Istanbul” and “She Never Knows” with “Already Dead,” a brooding and deeply introspective blues-tinged garage rock track that captures the disorienting weight of sleepless nights and spiraling thoughts. Built around eerie guitar textures and restless energy, the song finds Duxbury grappling with isolation and exhaustion while searching for some glimmer of light beyond the darkness. It arrives as the latest single from the band’s forthcoming album, set for release on May 19th, 2026.

“I was lying awake in bed, anxiously stuck in my thoughts and unable to sleep,” Duxbury explains. “It felt like I had been awake for weeks and was losing touch with reality. In my mind I kept picturing myself driving my old red Ford Ranger down a dirt road at dusk, trying to clear my head. I wanted to try and fight my way back to some sort of light and hope that I could cling to.”

“Already Dead” sits in the uneasy space between awareness and detachment. Duxbury describes moving through crowds and conversations while carrying a private internal battle no one else could see. “There was a war going on in my mind that I was alone in and the people around me were completely unaware,” he says. “I didn’t want to talk about it. I just wanted to keep it to myself.”

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Photo - Angeline Simon

Sparkle Blood - In Real Life.

Sparkle Blood is the kind of band that gets in, says exactly what they need to say, and gets out—no wasted time, no excess, just sharp, punchy songwriting delivered with total conviction. The trio, Tyler Stewart on guitar and vocals, Bailey Kate on bass and vocals, and Bre Day on drums, lock into a sound that feels both scrappy and impossibly tight, balancing sweetly fuzzy guitars with driving rhythms and melodies that hit instantly. 

There’s an easy chemistry between Stewart and Kate that calls back to the dynamic interplay of The Lemonheads and Pixies, while Day keeps everything grounded with a powerful, no-frills approach behind the kit. It’s hook-heavy, harmony-rich, and just rough enough around the edges to keep things interesting.

Their upcoming LP ZIP ZAP leans all the way into that energy, opening with “Mad About It,” a track that feels like a thesis statement, urgent, a little fed up, but still undeniably fun. From there, the band keeps things moving at a clipped, confident pace. 

“Totally Ignorant” barrels through in under a minute and a half, landing its punch with the kind of efficiency you’d expect from Ramones or Guided by Voices, while songs like “Burning Barrel” and “I Don’t Know” stretch things just enough to let the hooks breathe, pulling from the timeless melodic instincts of Buddy Holly and the punchy edge of Buzzcocks and Hüsker Dü. Across the record, Sparkle Blood strike that sweet spot between catharsis and celebration, pairing real-world frustration with undeniable charm. It’s the kind of album that sneaks up on you, quick, catchy, and quietly addictive after just a couple of spins.

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Darryl Scotti and Big Yard - State of Mind.

Lending 'acappella' Americana with a jazz nuance, echoing the warm atmospheres of Pentatonix pairing rich vocal harmony with open-road storytelling and an understated groove, State of Mind is an intimate, roots-driven track built for listeners who value authenticity, mood, and craft. With no heavy production, the voices carry the landscape, creating a cinematic vibe that feels grounded in a quiet uplifting reflective mood. 

Darryl Scotti is the creative force behind Big Yard, a sound grounded in rock, blues, and country soul - woven together with heartfelt storytelling. A veteran artist with authentic roots in classic Americana music and a pulse on today’s evolving scene, Scotti delivers songs that are raw, real, and deeply human.

With decades of experience as a performer, writer, and producer, his work continues to bridge generations - music that moves, inspires, and heals. Big Yard is where seasoned producers and one veteran singer songwriter collide to create a bold, genre-bending sound that fuses contemporary rock, pop, smooth jazz, big band, and R&B - all produced with a modern, hip edge.

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Photo - Hanna L Hayden

Lala Hayden - Goodthing.

London/Barcelona-based Lala Hayden today announces her new EP 'Queen of Midnight', out 8th May via Goldun Egg and shares new single 'Goodthing'. Produced by Jake Gosling (Lady Gaga, Paloma Faith), 'Goodthing' is a stark alt-pop examination of self-sabotage. Written during pregnancy and early motherhood, the track forms part of an EP that documents both the intensity of new life and the psychological shifts that accompany it, as identity begins to recalibrate.

Speaking on the release, Lala Hayden said: "I feel like I'm always one bad decision away from completely sabotaging everything in my life. It feels like most of the time I'm living in a bubble that can't last, constantly treading a fine line that could break at any moment. The sabotaging part in me is so loud, especially in times when I'm sleep deprived, hormonal, or feeling disconnected from my surroundings. Goodthing is a story of intimacy and absence, where love lingers in empty rooms, in memory, and in the quiet realisation that sometimes, the hardest thing isn’t losing something good but realising you’re the reason it never lasts."

Drawing inspiration from films such as The Dreamers, Blue Is the Warmest Colour and Paris, Texas - 'Goodthing' explores the tension of holding something real, while slowly pulling away from it.

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Sin Cos Tan - Brother Wallace - Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - Night Swimming - Marie Dahlstrom - Danny George Wilson

Sin Cos Tan - I Wasn’t Young, I Needed the Money.

Finnish synth-pop duo Sin Cos Tan continue their Greed era with “I Wasn’t Young, I Needed the Money”, the third single from their forthcoming album Greed. Following the late-night pulse of In My House, the new track sharpens the album’s central theme into a clean, hook-driven statement: desire, justification, and the ways money can become both motive and excuse.

Formed by producer-DJ Jori Hulkkonen and singer-songwriter Juho Paalosmaa, Sin Cos Tan are known for their rare balance of Nordic melancholy, classic pop songwriting, and precise electronic production. Their music exists between nostalgia and the future: intimate, detailed, and timeless synth-pop that resonates equally well in headphones, after-dark settings, and on the edge of the dancefloor

“I Wasn’t Young, I Needed the Money” is built like a classic: tight structure, immediate chorus, and a steady electronic momentum that never turns into a genre exercise. Instead, it delivers a focused, literate narrative voice, letting the lyric carry the tension. It is one of the most direct tracks in the Greed cycle so far, capturing the album’s view of greed not only as money, but as power, control, and the normalization of harmful choices. Elegant, unsentimental, and highly melodic, it underlines why Sin Cos Tan remain one of Northern Europe’s most respected synth-pop acts.

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Brother Wallace - Gone With The Wind.

Every so often, an artist arrives with a voice so seasoned and a story so grounded that they feel less like a "discovery" and more like an inevitability. Brother Wallace is that artist. Now, the West Point, Georgia-bred singer, pianist, and soul revivalist releases “Gone With The Wind,” the latest single and music video from his forthcoming debut album, 'Electric Love' (out 8 May via ATO Records). 
 
While his previous singles showcased a high-octane grit, “Gone With The Wind” reveals a more introspective, tender side of the powerhouse vocalist. It is not only luminous, but it also finds him turning inward without losing any of the fire that’s quickly made him one of soul’s most compelling new voices. Built on a rollicking piano riff and carried by Wallace’s sublime vocal, the track is a lived-in meditation on letting go of the noise, protecting your peace, and giving yourself permission to breathe. 
 
“I started writing that song when I was driving home from work one day, feeling like I needed to let the world go and take some time out for myself,” Wallace explains. That sense of sanctuary is amplified by the song’s heavenly background harmonies, provided by a group of young vocalists from Wallace’s hometown—students he personally trained during his years as a choral director. “When they added their parts, it felt like they were carrying me away as they were singing,” he says. “It was like a beautiful journey that I didn’t want to end.” 

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Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - She Never Knows.

Hamilton, ON's Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature are following up on their debut single, "Istanbul," with "She Never Knows," a high-voltage garage-rock burner that pairs blistering blues riffs with deeply reflective songwriting. Written years ago and resurfacing with renewed clarity, the track wrestles with avoidance, identity, substance use, and the quiet heartbreak of watching someone you love slip away from themselves.

"This is a song about seeing a close friend resort to substance abuse to avoid confronting their reality," Duxbury explains. "As I've moved forward through my life, I have seen so many close people go through similar issues; my dad, close friends, and even bits in myself. Avoidance takes many forms. Sometimes it's substances. Sometimes it's just lying in bed and not wanting to face the world."

Despite its heavy subject matter, "She Never Knows" is delivered as a punchy, riff-forward blast of electric rock; an intentional contrast. "You'll find this scenario in a lot of my music," Duxbury notes. "There'll be something fun and energetic, and then you listen back and realize what I'm actually saying. Songwriting is journaling for me. It's my way of converting negative feelings into something positive."

Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Duxbury's home studio Bonnie Doon Records, "She Never Knows" embodies New Mother Nature's DIY ethos. "I like to keep production as part of the songwriting process," he explains. "I'm wired as an audio engineer so I can hear what direction I want the production to go as I record and layer a track.”"

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Photo - Derek Bremner

Night Swimming - Poison Berry.

Bath, UK-based dream-pop band Night Swimming today announce their second EP 'Melting, Sometimes Bleeding', out 22nd May via Venn Records (Bob Vylan, Witch Fever, High Vis) - produced by longtime collaborator Peter Miles (Orla Gartland, Nina Nesbitt) and mastered by Simon Scott of Slowdive.

With the EP announcement comes the release of new single 'Poison Berry' and a one-take video directed by Jay Bartlett depicting a relationship deadlock. 'Poison Berry' provides the new EP's second taste, following 2025 single 'Submarine'. Built around a hypnotic rhythmic pulse, Night Swimming lean into a gauzy dream-pop palette, turning the lens inward on recurring relational dynamics. 

Speaking on the release of new single 'Poison Berry', vocalist and lyricist Meg Jones said: "'Poison Berry' is an amalgamation of my experiences with men and how they have made me feel in relationships, but it is also a reflection of my own responsibility for the kinds of dynamics I can be drawn to. There is a dryness of tone to this song that I haven’t explored before in lyrics, and a numbness. ‘Poison Berry’ details the state of being acutely aware of your partner’s emotions, although they seem distant, and the loneliness (or bitterness) of feeling like that isn’t reciprocated."

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Photo - Lennon Gregory

Marie Dahlstrom - Frostbite.

Danish London-based vocalist, songwriter and producer Marie Dahlstrom today shares her new single ‘Frostbite’, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the Roskilde-born musician and offering the first glimpse of a new project set to arrive later this year. Over the past few years, Dahlstrom has quietly built one of contemporary R&B’s most trusted catalogues – rooted in neo-soul, jazz and understated groove.

That sustained momentum now sees her entering her most assured phase yet, starting with new single 'Frostbite', produced by Dan Diggas (Central Cee, Mahalia).

Staying rooted in the soul-led intimacy that has defined her work to date, 'Frostbite' finds Dahlstrom pushing further into nuance and atmosphere. With a cooler tonal palette than her recent work, the track explores love’s mutability through immersive textures and glistening melodies, unfolding with the quiet control that has become Dahlstrom’s signature.

On the release of 'Frostbite', Marie said: “‘Frostbite’ is a song about longing and about how the feeling lingers in the body. It’s drawn from many experiences in my life, all wrapped into this piece. It was recorded on my old piano at my parents’ house in Roskilde, in my childhood bedroom. We tracked it with one small mic held close to the piano — nothing pro about it at all — but the instrument has this warm, muted tone that really captured the feeling. To me, this is what music is about".

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Danny George Wilson - Arcade.

Danny George Wilson, who releases his new album 'Arcade' on 20th March via Loose Music, has been confirmed as a special guest on The Handsome Family's forthcoming UK tour in May. Coinciding with the announcement, Wilson has today unveiled the title track to the new album. "Arcade’ is a song about youth culture and nostalgia…a mix of sadness and gratitude" reflects Wilson. "Doffing a cap to the classic and influential ‘Subway Art’ book that emerged in 1984, a first taste of Dinosaur Jr’s ‘Freak Scene’ and Sonic Youth’s ‘Teenage Riot’ and memories of Sutton’s long demolished Arcade."

'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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