The new single 'Satellite' drifts from Cajun like harmonies through indie psych sounds and ensures La Nouvelle Musique (Joanna Beck & Ian de Silva) continue to surprise and delight following on from last years acclaimed debut album.
La Nouvelle Musique are London based; occasionally reminiscent of Nico and Francois Hardy, their music is rooted in what they refer to as as cinematic psychedelia, mixing the psych/folk elements of folktronica with a vocal style that falls somewhere between Siouxsie Sioux and Trish Keenan of Broadcast, together with an orchestration on some of their songs that gives them a 'big screen' treatment; all bar one song (Sandy Denny's 'Crazy Lady Blues') are written by the duo.
Singer/Bass Player - Joanna Beck is also a composer and performance artist who also creates electroacoustic music, sonic art, and has scored for theatre and film. Guitar - Ian de Sylva, has releases with previous bands through Rough Trade Records and The Medicine Label.
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Friendships can grow, fracture, blur into something more, or leave you wondering where you stand. Exploring everything that exists in those grey areas, Boorloo/Perth six-piece Calico City delivers their debut EP, ‘Second in Line’, a six-track journey through the messy, heavy, and complicated realities of friendship, out Friday, September 18.
Originally formed in high school, Calico City have spent the past year building on their distinctive collision of alternative rock, reggae and psychedelic influences. Since releasing debut single ‘Ghost’ on September 19 last year, the six-piece have shared stages with Beddy Rays, Dear Sunday, SOPHIAN and Birdland, with ‘Second in Line’ arriving almost exactly one year on from where it all began. Along the way, Calico City have continued to gain momentum across Australian radio and media, spending three weeks on the AMRAP charts and reaching #9 Overall, #6 Metro, #2 Indie/Alternative and #2 Rock/Metal. Their releases have also received support from RTRFM, ABC Perth, AAA Backstage, Future Mag, Aus Music Scene and more.
Across this debut EP, Calico City examine friendship from every angle, moving through betrayal, separation, frustration and uncertainty alongside the moments where platonic relationships begin to blur into something more. With vocalists Brianne Reyes and Sienna Law sharing vocal duties across every track, the six-song EP moves through different perspectives and experiences, tied together by the uncomfortable feeling of being pushed aside, overlooked or left questioning your place in someone else’s life. Brianne Reyes shares:
“‘Second in Line’ explores the complexities and the grey areas around being friends, and the many ways a friendship can crumble or grow into something more. Each song dives down a different path of a relationship, the messy paths, the hot and heavy and the more mellow. Our EP takes you through all sorts of possibilities of feeling like the lesser priority and being ‘Second in Line’ in a friendship.”
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This weekend sees the release of the wonderful debut album by indiepop supergroup Railcard, featuring ex-members of Dolly Mixture and Death In Vegas and current members of Heavenly. Beehive Candy has loved the singles leading up to this released and can honestly say, this really is a superb album. Here's the background info for those new to Railcard: You have to wonder why Railcard took so long to be born: their debut album feels like it should have been in your collection for years.
But it wasn’t until 2025 that Rachel Love (Dolly Mixture), Ian Button and Peter Momtchiloff (Heavenly) met at a gig, realised that they were exactly the same age, and decided that this was an excellent reason to form a new band. The shared history, the same pop references, the parallel lives… Railcard had to happen, and there was no time to lose. Two Steps At A Time - the album title and theme song - express exactly how quickly Railcard have worked since then - jumping over pavement cracks and whistling past graveyards to get these songs written, recorded and released while they are still sweet and fresh.
As with the first EPs, Railcard enlisted the sonic services of Medway psych expert Allan Crockford (of The Prisoners, JTQ and many more) who has delivered mixes that pump with vintage valve energy and reverby depth. Two Steps At A Time is released on Skep Wax and Slumberland September 18th. An exclusive Dinked edition of 300 copies including a 7 inch single with 2 additional tracks will be available at participating UK record stores.
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| Photo - Jen Dessinger |
Ziemba's "Open Up" is the final single from the forthcoming full-length album, The Braid, her first in six years. The track features some of René Kladzyk's most evocative, intimate, and transcendent lyrics to date, reveling in the mundane traces and artifacts where soul lives. Contemplative and urgent, the songwriting and arrangement evoke the direct humanism of The Roches and the elegant melodies of Neil Young.
“I wrote this song during a period of significant personal transformation,” Kladzyk said. “I was determined to break toxic relational patterns and really interrogate how I approached the practice of love. Not just romantic love, but all the different relationships in my life. To me, this song is emblematic of the central sort of thesis of the record, revolving around the symbol of a braid.”
Ziemba has not released a record in nearly six years and she's back this October with this absolute album stunner. At times contemplative and earthy but more often truly baroque and stellar, The Braid is epic, meticulously crafted, and spilling over with art rock / sophisti-pop gems. Gorgeous album cover, extraordinary songwriting and execution, this record is totally arresting.
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Austrian three-piece zeronic return with “The Aftermath (Longing For Her Skin),” on September 18th the final single to be released ahead of their forthcoming album Modernism, due October 2nd, 2026.
Where much of Modernism explores the pressures, contradictions and uncertainties of contemporary life, “The Aftermath (Longing For Her Skin)” turns inward, focusing on the strange emotional space that follows the end of a relationship. It is a song about absence, memory and the way people can remain present in your life even when they are no longer part of it.
Built around shimmering guitars and an immediate, expansive chorus, the track carries a sense of movement without ever fully escaping its emotional pull. There is longing throughout, but also a recognition that the past cannot simply be left behind. Instead, it resurfaces unexpectedly — triggered by a film, a poem, a song, or some otherwise insignificant detail that suddenly brings someone back into focus.
As zeronic explain, “The Aftermath“ is about what remains when something between two people is already over. You move on, but that person keeps appearing in the smallest things – a film, a poem, a song. And suddenly, all that longing is there again.”
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| Photo - Robbie Ewing |
Arriving as an eclectic dose of electro-leaning alt-pop, Sonia Elisheva’s distinctive vocals bring out the soul in Playground. Catchy and cathartic, the track finds solace in the realisation that no one truly knows what they are doing. Playground is your reminder to look beyond the polished facades. Sharing more, Sonia explained: ‘I’ve often found in my own life that I’ll reach these places I’ve dreamed about getting to, only to realise that the people around me don’t necessarily have it any more figured out than I do. Some people are just better at pretending than others.
I’m not the first to write about this of course, imposter syndrome is such a common feeling. Playground is ultimately about letting go of some of that pressure to present as though you have everything figured out and to detach from the constant need for external validation.’
Playground is Sonia’s first solo single to arrive in 2026 and signals a new direction for her sound. With an established background in Jazz and electro swing, she's built up a diverse and impressive discography since launching in 2021, accumulating well over a million streams thanks to an impressive run of support at DSP’s including New Music Friday and Jazz UK. Having toured extensively in the UK and Europe, some of which with her 7-piece band including a run of sold-out London Jazz venues, this is definitely a project to keep a close eye on.
Whilst her sound is exquisitely dynamic and genre bending, Sonia’s music is united by a distinct songwriting voice and undeniable London charm. Pulling from influences such as Amber Mark, Charli xcx, Caravan Palace, Lilly Allen, L’imperatrice and additionally her Eastern European heritage , her sound is, in her words own words ‘Jazz Bar meets London nightbus banter after a sweaty nightclub.’
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