The Tisburys - Kacimi & Wendy Martinez - Brye - better joy

Photo - Olivia Kirchner

The Tisburys - A Still Life Without You.

The Tisburys share new single “A Still Life Without You” from upcoming album A Still Life Revisited out April 25 on Double Helix Records and SofaBurn Records.

“A Still Life Without You” leans back into the band’s alt-country roots with twangy instrumentation, a folk story style of songwriting, and a guest appearance by Philadelphia lap steel legend Mike Brenner (of Marah, Songs: Ohia, & Wild Pink).

”I wanted to write a story song for this record”, says singer-songwriter Tyler Asay. “It’s about two people finding each other after a series of disastrous relationships & the appearances of fate”. The music video uses archival footage shot while the band was recording the album and was edited by Asay’s wife, Kathleen.

While their last album (2022’s Exile On Main Street) channeled '90s radio rock such as Gin Blossoms and The Replacements, A Still Life Revisited pushes into the aughts with the rustic bombast of millennial indie such as Frightened Rabbit and The Hold Steady. With themes that tackle memory & chosen family, A Still Life Revisited overflows with songs that find home in both packed dive bars and stadiums. It’s about looking back at your life, the choices and decisions you’ve made, and celebrating where you ended up today. The album was mixed by Phil Joly (The Strokes, Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey), mastered by Ryan Schwabe (Beach Bunny, Slaughter Beach Dog, Hop Along). A Still Life Revisited by The Tisburys is out Friday, April 25 on Double Helix Records and SofaBurn Records.

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Kacimi & Wendy Martinez - Lune Noire.

Recorded by François Serin at Le Gatillon (Haute-Savoie) during a marathon session with La Mécréance as the backing band, Kacimi presents a series of collaborations with various artists. After working with Joel Virgel and Nick Wheeldon, Kacimi invited Lyon-based singer Wendy Martinez (Gloria) to lend her voice to a garage- and fuzz-infused track.

A sort of repetitive rock’n’roll trance, where Wendy Martinez delivers her prose in the psychedelic tradition of French icons Brigitte Fontaine and Catherine Ribeiro. “Lune Noire” was mixed by Léo Persoz (Le Roi Angus, Magic & Naked) in Geneva and is published by Tweny.

If you're a fan of 60's inspired music and pop psychedelic proposition, don't miss this beautiful collaboration!

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Brye - Body Back.

Indie pop singer-songwriter and producer Brye releases the anticipated new single "Body Back," her first new music since her debut full-length RECOVER and 2024's follow-up EP Growing Through It. Written, recorded and produced entirely on her own, Brye's deeply personal and vulnerable confessional reflects the experience of coercion in a relationship and what it means to reclaim your autonomy. She shared a snippet of the song on TikTok at the end of last year, garnering millions of views and empowering fans to share their own stories.

"'Body Back' was born from a deeply personal moment of anger and rawness," explains Brye. "At the time, I didn’t expect it to resonate with so many people—it was a reflection of my own experience, not something meant for an audience. But as I’ve seen how many people relate to its themes of reclaiming autonomy, it’s become clear that this song matters, and it deserves to be heard."

She continues, "I wrote, produced, and recorded 'Body Back' entirely on my own, pouring every bit of vulnerability into it. The song explores the power of saying 'no' and what it means to finally put words to something so nuanced. This track isn’t just about personal healing—it’s a reminder that we’re not alone in our experiences. That’s why I’m releasing it: to offer the same comfort and validation it gave me while writing it.

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better joy - heading into blue (EP).

After teasing her debut body of work with a series of singles, Manchester-based Bria Keely, better known as better joy, has today shared her first EP ‘heading into blue’ alongside focus track ‘couldn’t run forever’.
 
Debut EP ‘heading into blue’ was produced by Mike Hedges (The Cure, U2, Manic Street Preachers) and the 6-track collection features previous singles ‘waiting on time’, ‘carnival’, ‘what a day’ and ‘quiet thing’, as well as two brand-new tracks, the brooding ‘couldn’t run forever’ and the stripped-back ‘can I land the plane?’. A frank and deeply personal set of songs that focus on themes of self-love and self-belief, the EP is Bria’s true self-expression of herself, with the title ‘heading into blue’ referencing the colour blue being the exact shade of self-expression.  As the first full-length project, it is both a perfect introduction to better joy’s alt-pop sound and an exciting taster of more to come this year. Thoughtful lead track ‘couldn’t run forever’ balances both lightness and darkness in true better joy style, as a melodic and upbeat pop song, backed by a gritty edge with fuzzy guitars and reflective, wide-open lyrics.
 
Bria says, “At its core, ‘couldn’t run forever’ is about running away from things and the notion that you can’t run away from those things forever. I find it fascinating that tiny decisions can steer your life in weird and wonderful ways, but also sometimes there’s that feeling of well “what if” it went that other way? And sometimes these feelings are hard to run away from. In the same breath, I do believe life steers you in ways that are meant for you which is also something you shouldn’t be running from. It’s one big contradiction!”
 
When better joy launched in late 2023, her vivid songs brought comparisons to The Cure, The Smiths and Phoebe Bridgers. A solo project led by Bria Keely and backed up by her band, Bria has an upfront and centre voice as colourful as Debbie Harry and a knack for effortless storytelling. Ringing, complex riffs winding around Bria's vocals, dancing bass lines, characterful drumming and vulnerable lyrics: this is the sound of better joy.

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better joy - Glazyhaze - Frog - Phonseca

better joy - quiet thing.

Following her first new music of 2025 with ‘waiting on time’, Manchester-based Bria Keely, better known as better joy, has shared her new single ‘quiet thing’ taken from her forthcoming debut EP ‘heading into blue’ released on 28th March.
 
Building through gritty guitars and honeyed vocals to a euphoric chorus, new track ‘quiet thing’ is a captivating and buoyant new track. A reflective and personal song, lyrically it illuminates the understated beauty of the normal and quiet times in relationships.  
 
Bria says, "’Quiet thing’ is one of those songs that has taken on so many different lives since its original conception. I was originally inspired by someone close to me, who at the time was describing the quiet type of love he needed from his partner when going through a tough time. It got me thinking how important it is to not take the quiet moments in relationships for granted. I suppose I wanted to write an ode to those moments, but I didn’t want it to be sweet-sounding; I wanted the lyrics to be against music that had a bit of grit to offset the sweetness.”
 
New single ‘quiet thing’ is taken from better joy’s forthcoming debut EP ‘heading into blue’, produced by Mike Hedges (The Cure, U2, Manic Street Preachers). The 6-track EP features previous singles ‘waiting on time’, ‘carnival’ and ‘what a day’ alongside new single ‘quiet time, as well as two brand-new tracks, ‘couldn’t run forever’ and ‘can I land the plane?’. It is the first full-length project from better joy and is both a perfect introduction to better joy’s alt-pop sound and an exciting taster of more to come this year.

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Glazyhaze - Nirvana.

Glazyhaze will release their second album 'SONIC' on 21st March. Now they share new track 'Nirvana', which offers a blend of fresh pop energy and dreamy feels. The heart of 'Nirvana' is the interplay of two distinct vocal lines: one raw and direct, the other soft and melancholic, creating a contrast that adds depth and emotion to the song. Built on shimmering guitars and playful rhythms, it explores the complexities of desire, the inner struggle between longing and letting go, and the bittersweet, fleeting nature of perfect moments.   
 
The accompanying video, set in a greenhouse transformed into a cosy library, features two protagonists playfully interacting and exchanging books. The video's light-hearted, dreamlike atmosphere complements the song's warm sound. 'Nirvana' follows previous single 'Forgive Me', a haunting shoegaze ballad that explores the bittersweet of love and heartbreak.
 
Forthcoming album 'Sonic' was written and recorded between Italy and London, produced, mixed and recorded by Paolo Canaglia and mastered by Maurizio Baggio, the album explores the complexity of love, narrating a journey of self-discovery and emotional contrasts. It is a more ambitious and mature album, characterized by a more personal sound and writing that embraces shoegaze, post-punk and alt-rock sounds.

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Frog - 1000 Variations on the Same Song (Album).

Following the critical and commercial success of 2023's ‘Grog,’ cult New York duo Frog return with ‘1000 Variations on the Same Song,’ their sixth album, which features their recent singles.

An eclectic, emotional, and lyrically vivid collection, the songs see Daniel Bateman refer to My Chemical Romance, Gucci, Stillwell deals, fatherhood, and the 6 train (“I was listening to a lot of Mozart, Kodak Black, and Prince, but it doesn't really sound like any of those.”). Musically, songs like “TOP OF THE POPS VAR. I” and “DOOMSCROLLING VAR. II” touch on the agitated Indie Rock that defined their earlier work, while the Alt. Country of ‘Count Bateman’ and ‘Grog’ can be heard on ‘WHERE U FROM VAR. III’ and ‘ARTHUR MCBRIDE IN THE LOWER EAST SIDE VAR. X.’ Elsewhere, singles like ‘JUST USE YR HIPS VAR. VI’ and December’s ‘DID SANTA COME VAR. IX’ introduce a smoky lounge element to Frog’s sound, but as Bateman explains it, these are all just variations on the same song:

“1000 Variations on the Same Song is a theme and variations—there are times in your life as a songwriter where you'll start a bunch of stuff that all sounds alike, which can be a problem, something that you want to excise from yourself. This time I decided to embrace it and take it as far as it could go.”

Since Frog returned in 2023 with the addition of Daniel’s brother Steve Bateman on drums, they’ve received significant critical acclaim and enjoyed sold-out shows in the Tri-state area. Their 2025 dates will see the band joined by Frog co-founder Tom White on bass and will take them to new cities for first-time-ever shows, as well as to the KEXP studios for a session with Larry Mizell, Jr. on March 25th.

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Photo - Paul Stevenson, Visual Hybrid

Phonseca - When Night Equals Day.

‘When Night Equals Day’ is the superb new single from Indie Synthpop duo, Phonseca, which brings together Bristol’s much respected keys/synth player Matthew O’Connor and radiant Swedish vocalist Kristina Sheppard.

Matthew has a rich musical background, bringing his talent to bands across the musical spectrum from House to Shoegaze, Psyche to Soundtrack, Electronica, Britpop and Rock. Both touring and featuring on albums released on labels as diverse as Rocket Recordings, Invada Records and Dishy Recordings, his creative input has featured on many projects. Inevitably the urge to form a more personal musical landscape saw him starting to write his own music. This began the process which resulted in ‘Between A Dream’, the debut Phonseca album, which came out in 2019.

The album was championed in the UK on BBC Radio 6 Music by both Gideon Coe and Steve Lamacq. With Steve Lamacq featuring it in his "Recommends" show. It also picked up lots of airplay and excellent reviews around the world. Matthew’s classical piano training has an influence on his work. This was the catalyst for first writing with Kristina, initially working on songs for a Disney project which followed a chance meeting at a wedding fayre, where they had stalls directly opposite each other. Since its release, the pair have spent the past few years promoting the debut album while writing/recording the second ‘Everything Lasts Forever’, which is now ready for release via Old Bad Habits Label.

‘When Night Equals Day’, the second single to come from the new album, captures the emotional heartbeat of Phonseca’s indie synthpop, electronica sound. The track’s unhurried pulsing beats, icy ambient synths, desolate piano and sweeping drones make for a deep, contemplative listen. A wintry, never ending glacial atmosphere pervades the track, conjuring lonely and dark winter nights. What begins as a fragile cry for help, evolves into something more resilient. Then by the refrain ‘When Night Equals Day’, it’s realistically introspective again.

“As with the whole album, these songs have a nocturnal feel and this one is no exception”, says O’Connor. “Lyrically I was inspired by classic songs like Kraftwerk - Computer Love and Soft Cell - Bedsitter and other songs too that are so evocative the images freely play out in your mind. The title refers to the Spring equinox, and by complete coincidence this was when we were recording the vocals at Invada. It’s my favourite lyric and possibly my favourite song on the album and another amazing vocal from Kristina, completely embracing the song and meaning”, he further reveals.

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