Soft Loft - Dexys Midnight Runners - Leon Majcen - Vivi Belini - Living Hour

Soft Loft - Gravity's Pull.

Soft Loft celebrate the release of their sophomore album, Throw The Dice, with the focus track “Gravity’s Pull,” a soaring indie anthem about growing up without giving up on the dreams that keep pulling you forward. Inspired by modern masters of open-hearted songwriting, from Big Thief to Sam Fender, the track captures the delicate tension between stability and freedom that lies at the heart of Soft Loft’s music. Out this week via [PIAS] Recordings, Throw The Dice was mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, Florence + The Machine), bringing added depth and scale to the band’s emotionally rich new chapter.

Switzerland-based Indie collective Soft Loft ‘Throw The Dice’ is, in many ways, a reflection on life itself. It’s about what the band learned, what they’ve observed, what has helped and what hasn’t. It questions whether they’re stepping into a new phase in life, or if that idea of clear-cut phases doesn’t really exist at all. It’s about it all being a big game, a huge gamble and you won‘t know if it‘s all gonna turn out fine or if it’s not, let‘s throw the dice. ​

After a breakthrough year of headline touring and festival appearances across London, Berlin, Paris and Zurich, as well as slots at The Great Escape, Reeperbahn and Montreux Jazz Festival, plus tastemaker praise from BBC 6 Music to KEXP, this year is shaping up to be even bigger with their [PIAS] debut and a 2026 EU fall tour.​

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Dexys Midnight Runners - Love (Album).

Produced by Belfast musician / DJ David Holmes, LOVE is a deeply personal and emotionally rich album that may mark the final chapter in Dexys Midnight Runners' extraordinary musical journey. 

Their first release under the Dexys Midnight Runners name since 1985’s Don’t Stand Me Down, LOVE gathers stories spanning Kevin Rowland’s life - from his 2nd generation Irish childhood and family relationships to late-life romance, loss and reconciliation. Built around themes of love in all its forms, the album moves beyond traditional romance to explore aging, memory, and emotional connection. 

Focus single “Once A Man, Twice A Child,” is a soulful track finds Rowland reflecting on a relationship with his father that he once believed could never truly exist, capturing the unexpected closeness and love they found in their time together.


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Leon Majcen - The Leaving Kind (Album).

Won’t ya take a ride with me / On the road dog express / Where living ain’t easy / But life’s the best, sings Leon Majcen on his new album released yesterday, ‘The Leaving Kind.’ Produced by Pat Lyons (Colter Wall, Sam Barber) and engineered by Sean Sullivan (Sturgill Simpson, Old Crow Medicine Show, Sierra Hull), it’s a collection of rugged and romantic cowboy songs that trod on as earnestly as Majcen himself. “This music thing requires life to move a lot more quickly than it should, and racking up fifty thousand miles a year can take its toll,” he says. “But I wouldn’t trade the chance for anything.” In a wind-worn voice, over unpretentiously plucked guitars, Majcen sings of cheap motels, long highways, tackle shops, sinking suns, cokes, smokes, and postcards—you can nearly hear the dust kicking up around him. 

And with all this sepia-tinted wayfaring, where is he headed? In 2025, Rolling Stone proclaimed Majcen “in the middle of a major career rise.” He’d toured with the likes of Margo Price, Trampled By Turtles, American Aquarium, and Turnpike Troubadours, putting borrowed spotlight to good use; audiences locked into his backroads balladry, a vagabondish blend of wit and grit frequently compared to Prine. Majcen’s prolific output—four albums in five years—gathered continuous acclaim and landed him on Holler. Magazine’s list of 20 Best New Country and Americana Artists for 2026, further solidifying his place in the modern Americana canon. 

The son of Bosnian refugees, Majcen may gravitate toward an open road by instinct. But his childhood in Safety Harbor, Florida also instilled in him the power of a stabilizing base. He grew up on his father’s musical influence—Dylan, Kristofferson, Van Zandt—and received his first guitar as a Christmas gift at age nine. “My dad’s been a huge supporter of everything I’ve ever wanted to do, whether it was sports, the outdoors, or music. I’m thankful to have good folks.” This much is clear on “Long Way From Home,” Majcen’s strings-laden, emotional ode to the grounding power of family. Ain’t slipped up yet / Be a shame if I do / Because I’m a long way from home / And they still know my name. “Growing up as an immigrant, my whole life, I’ve watched my parents work jobs they hated,” says Majcen. “I think it’s why they always pushed me to chase my dreams. Getting to a position where I can help my family out has always been a big motivator.”

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Vivi Belini - All Mine.

Fresh from captivating audiences at the “Sounds am See” Open air in Sarnen (Switzerland), musician Vivi Belini now welcomes the approaching autumn with a soulful and funky pop track. Her new single, “All Mine,” brings together influences and ambitions from soul, pop, funk and indie. In it, the Berlin-born artist, who now lives in Switzerland, draws on stories from her life as a cosmopolitan.

Originally from Berlin, Vivi Belini moved to Rome at the age of 18 and, after numerous stops along the way, found her second home in Switzerland more than ten years ago. Her international background is also reflected in her band: Swiss guitarist Sven brings his love of blues, rock and pop; American-Austrian drummer Timothy draws on his roots in jazz, hip-hop and fusion; while Serbian bassist Stefan comes from the worlds of jazz, big band and pop. Together, they give Vivi’s compositions their very own signature sound.

Vivi Belini’s music is often deeply introspective. Her songs explore life and its transience, identity, loss and grief – but also hope, resilience and the desire to keep moving forward despite it all. Her debut EP, “Time,” already captured this tension perfectly. Her motto: “Existential crisis, but make it groovy.” Uncompromising honesty meets a sound that invites you to dance not despite its depth, but precisely because of it.

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Photo - Lucas Pingitore

Living Hour - Magnet.

Acclaimed Winnipeg indie rock quintet, Living Hour released a new single this week, “Magnet” via Paper Bag Records / Keeled Scales. It is the title-track of their forthcoming Magnet EP, a four-track companion of demos and b-sides to their 2025 full-length, Internal Drone Infinity, which is one of ten Canadian releases nominated for The Meridian Prize, being awarded this October at BreakOut West.

The bundle of phrases that make up the EP are from an incubation period of a lot of TV, projecting movies for work, and general dissociative activities. “I was thinking about how people are magnets if they want to be. Attracting what they think about most, interact with or watch on screens,” says lead singer and lyricist, Sam Sarty.

“Magnet” marks a return to the atmospheric and ethereal sonic palette that drew listeners to the band in the early years. The song is pastoral and ambient, with layers of swelling glitchy guitar loops, e-bow, vibraphone, vocal drones, and plain, spoken-word poetry. Far-away harmonies and vocalizing from Lindsey Verrill of Little Mazarn bring a ton of cosmic ear candy.

“I started to think about all the rotted reality TV swirling around on a quantum level and where that stuff is stored in a head, all edited together, and how it switches up life in a way that feels cellular and tangible.” And of the EP as a whole, “The songs are a nice reminder to think we can focus on what we need from that soup of stuff and pull out the details we like and want to keep.” 

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Minnegasco - Chasen Wayne - Arbor Green - Sirintip - Railcard - Chinese American Bear

Minnegasco - Tar Mazzan.

Minnegasco presents their latest single, “Tar Mazzan”. Featuring the unmistakable vocals of The Shins’ frontman James Mercer, the track is now available on streaming platforms worldwide. A month back, Minnegasco pulled off a quiet coup: securing James Mercer to lend his iconic voice to “Livin’ in France.” As the mastermind behind The Shins, Mercer is indie-pop royalty, here transforming their atmospheric pop into timeless art-rock.

Minnegasco’s “Tar Mazzan” plays out like a riddle. On first spin, it feels like a catchy tune. But beneath all that bounce lies an angry anti-war protest track taking dead aim at the status quo. Imagine Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”, but stripped of the heavy guitar stacks and handed to a maniac with an accordion. The central chorus—“hat and a cane, hook and a chain, mask and a flame”—sounds like a playground chant until you realize what it’s really about: Wall Street bankers, war profiteers, and the daily grind turning everyday people into modern-day slaves. 

It’s rare to find a song that’s clever and infectious without getting stuck up its own tail. Part backroom circus, part full-blown rally, “Tar Mazzan” doesn’t just call out the rich and powerful—it sets their whole circus on fire and hands you a beer as it burns.

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Chasen Wayne - En Laredo.

Austin's Chasen Wayne returns with his new single "En Laredo," the latest preview of his upcoming fourth studio album, The Diamond Saloon, due out August 28. Built around strong storytelling and a classic country foundation, "En Laredo" reflects the blend of traditional honky tonk, outlaw country, and subtle psychedelic influences that have become Wayne's signature. It's a song that introduces listeners to the themes running throughout the album: hard choices, second chances, and the people and places that shape who we become. The track sets the tone for an album that respects country music's roots while taking its own path.

Wayne's songwriting is grounded in experience. Raised on a ranch before spending much of his childhood in a trailer park, he left his small Texas hometown as a teenager and moved to Austin, where he worked as an underage nightclub bouncer, became involved in drug trafficking, and later worked digging trenches for a plumbing company. 

Finding sobriety changed the direction of his life and led him to music. Today, those experiences inform songs about addiction, recovery, fatherhood, love, and redemption. Backed by his band, The Honky Tonk Machine, Wayne has earned a reputation in Austin's independent country scene for honest songwriting and energetic live shows. On The Diamond Saloon, he continues to bring together classic country, psychedelic rock, surf guitar, and jazz influences to create a sound that feels familiar while still pushing beyond the expected.

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Arbor Green – Cue The Timeslip.

Scottish indie-folk outfit Arbor Green return with ‘Cue The Timeslip’, the second single from the forthcoming Timeslip EP — a richly textured, emotionally resonant track that captures the feeling of watching life race past while searching for the courage to move at your own pace. Built around driving guitars, warm harmonies and an expansive full-band arrangement, ‘Cue The Timeslip’ expands Arbor Green's signature blend of folk, indie rock and alt-country into its most immediate and uplifting form yet. The song balances restless energy with quiet reassurance, turning themes of uncertainty and self-doubt into an understated message of hope.

‘Cue The Timeslip’ reflects on the modern habit of measuring our lives against everyone else's. "It's mostly about doom-scrolling and mobile phone addiction," explains songwriter and frontman Ali Begg. "Getting caught in the trap of lusting after things that you don't have, comparing yourself to other people's lives and worrying that you're falling behind.”

Rather than dwelling in anxiety, the song ultimately offers comfort. "The closing sentiment is meant to be, 'It's chill — we all feel like this, and there's actually plenty of time to do the stuff you want to do,'" he says. ‘Cue The Timeslip’ also marks an important evolution for Arbor Green. Where the 2022 debut album grew from years of home recordings and solitary experimentation, the new material was written and recorded with a dedicated band in mind, resulting in a more confident and collaborative sound.

"I feel like it sounds much more like a band," says Arbor Green. "Everyone had authorship over the arrangements. Each track on the EP pushes a little further at the edges of what Arbor Green can sound like.”

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Sirintip - Motherland.

New York-based Swedish-Thai singer, composer, and producer Sirintip has just announced her new album, White Lilies, will be arriving October 30. The second single, “Motherland,” is out this week. At the heart of White Lilies, “Motherland” uses the fjords of Sweden’s west coast as a metaphor for the moments of goodbye. The song imagines loved ones sailing away, while an imagined “silverline”—a phone line that could reach loved ones in heaven—offers a way to stay connected. Ben Wendel’s beautiful tenor saxophone solo carries the song to an emotional climax, giving voice to the longing and tenderness at the center of the record.

Sirintip’s music lives at the intersection of avant-pop, jazz, electronic music, and Thai and European musical traditions—ethereal one moment, visceral the next. A highly sought-after collaborator who has appeared on more than 50 recordings, her work has also expanded into scientific research, data sonification, orchestral composition, and immersive performance. But White Lilies marks a striking turn inward. Following the unexpected death of her father, Sirintip stepped away from the instinct to intellectualize and analyze her experience and instead allowed herself to sit with feelings that couldn’t be researched or explained. The result is her most vulnerable and emotionally direct work yet: six intuitive songs about loss, memory, home, and connection.

Regarding Motherland Sirintip says “I’ve lost quite a few people in my life, and I started imagining them sailing away from a wooden dock and up a fjord on the Swedish west coast. In the song, I came up with an imaginary word ‘silverline’—an invisible phone line I can call up to where they are, so I can always stay connected to them even though they’re far away. Whenever I’m alone in nature, I feel them closer to me, whispering through the pines."

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Railcard - Flannelette.

We have to say Beehive Candy really do love Railcard. So here is the short background for the latest single ahead of the album. Skep Wax are pleased to share the third single Flannelette by indiepop supergroup Railcard, from their debut album "Two Steps At A Time", featuring ex-members of Dolly Mixture and Death In Vegas and current members of Heavenly. 

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 -  Sheva Kafai.

Chinese American Bear - Dance Dance Dance (跳舞跳舞跳舞).

Chinese American Bear, the Seattle-based duo of Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten today share new single 'Dance Dance Dance (跳舞跳舞跳舞)', a previously unheard cut from their new album 'Dim Sum & Then Some', released in May of this year via Moshi Moshi Records. 

"'Dance Dance Dance (跳舞跳舞跳舞)' is a groovy, riff-laden, slightly psychedelic, disco bop that we wrote in early 2025," said Anne of the track. "It's a simple song, about getting down to the groove! Bryce had written the bass line & drums first, and we remember listening back and just wanting to bop and move our bodies. So as the song developed, we decided that it should be about just that. The lyrics are about moving, grooving, and listening to the beat. "Waiting for the wu liu qi (5 6 7). Take me to the san er yi (3 2 1), I don't wanna lose it. I just wanna move it. Hey!"."

Following the success of their 2024 full-length 'Wah!!!' - Chinese American Bear's new album 'Dim Sum & Then Some' - released in May of this year via Moshi Moshi Records - showcases a more musically dense and exploratory vision, marking a sonic evolution for the duo. Delving further into experimental territory while embracing more traditional pop elements than ever before, the album forms a positive and lighthearted collage of the duo’s life together - exploring food, small joys, Chinese-American upbringing, love, and fantasy.

Blending warbling guitars with hints of psychedelia, pop, disco and strings - alongside synth-driven electronics and droney, hypnotic textures - 'Dim Sum & Then Some' reflects the Chinese American Bear ethos: open, curious and lighthearted.

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The Sunmills - Libby Ember - Chris Clark - Israel Nash - Song People - Aubory Bugg

The Sunmills – Bird That Used To Sing.

Utah alt-rock trio The Sunmills returned this week with ‘Bird That Used To Sing’, a more mellow and introspective track that sees the band stepping away from their usual funk-rock swagger to reveal a more intimate and emotionally exposed side of their sound. Known for their blend of hard-driving riffs, funk-laced grooves and sharp sense of humour, The Sunmills have always balanced infectious energy with thoughtful storytelling. But ‘Bird That Used To Sing’ finds the band exploring quieter territory — a laid-back, rootsy rock track built around atmosphere, nostalgia and the complicated feelings left behind when something once unbreakable falls apart.

The song also gives frontman Jim the perfect space to showcase his vocals, delivering a more restrained and vulnerable performance that captures the weight of the story at the heart of the track. Originally, the song could have been called ‘Rotting Away’ — an honest reflection of the place it comes from. It explores that strange period after a relationship has completely broken down, when the future you imagined together has disappeared and you’re left trying to understand how something that felt unstoppable could come to an end.

The lyrics look back at the moments that made the relationship feel indestructible: the reckless certainty, the sleepless nights, the belief that nothing could ever come between two people who were completely devoted to each other. But once everything is gone, memories can become complicated.

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Libby Ember - Pool Life.

Building on a breakout year that saw her earn Spotify Editorial support and recognition as a rising voice in indie pop, Montreal singer-songwriter Libby Ember shares “Pool Life,” a wistful and quietly reflective single that captures the feeling of watching life unfold from the outside and wondering what it would be like to step fully into it. Blending intimate lyricism with airy, understated production, the track explores social longing, identity, and the subtle ache of feeling just outside the frame of “cool” or effortless belonging.

At its core, “Pool Life” is about perception: the way certain people seem to move through life with spontaneity and ease, as if constantly living inside a moment you were never quite invited into. For Libby, the image of “Pool Life” became a metaphor for that distance.

“It’s about watching people’s lives from the outside, seeing the way that the ‘cool’ people choose to live, and feeling like I’m missing out on that,” Libby explains. “The title just encapsulated that feeling for me since when I think about these people I just imagine hanging out by the pool and spontaneously jumping in as a metaphor for the way they live their lives ‘on the spot’.”

Libby Ember is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter based in Montreal, currently pursuing music studies at Concordia University. A self-described artist for the “yearners,” her music merges the emotional honesty of indie-folk with dreamy indie pop textures, creating songs that feel intimate, vulnerable, and deeply lived-in.

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Chris Clark - Across a Carnival (Album).

Chris Clark’s roots run deep in Vermont’s West River Valley. Born and raised in the town of Jamaica, he writes songs shaped by back roads, small towns, old mistakes, chance meetings and the restless pull of leaving again. His music draws from Americana, psychedelic folk, classic pop and vintage rock, with melodies that arrive easily and lyrics that tend to stay behind.

After years of gathering a truckload of songs, Clark found the right creative partnership just a few miles from home at Song Catcher Recording in neighboring West Townshend. Working closely with producer and multi-instrumentalist Ken Anderson of Hungrytown, Across a Carnival took shape as a warm, cinematic album inspired by the late-1960s and early-1970s sounds they both loved, without feeling like an exercise in nostalgia.

The album also features vocals by Rebecca Hall of Hungrytown and violin by Lissa Schneckenburger, whose performances add warmth and depth to the record’s distinctive sound. Recorded with vintage instruments, careful arrangements and a deep commitment to songcraft, Across a Carnival introduces Chris Clark as a songwriter with a sure melodic sense, a wry eye for human trouble and an enduring connection to the place he comes from. 

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Photo - Jaycee Grover

Israel Nash - You Ain't Going Nowhere.

Cosmic-country Texas artist Israel Nash returns with his adaptation of The Byrds' iconic 1968 album Sweetheart of the Rodeo releasing on September 25. Reinterpreting the landmark record through a modern lens, Nash transforms the country-rock classic into a genre-bending take on contemporary American roots music. The first single released yesterday, "You Ain't Going Nowhere," offers a psychedelic perspective to the pedal steel and swirling organ of the Bob Dylan-penned original.

 Nash on the new single: "My first act of sacrilege in reimagining Sweetheart was changing the entire album order right out of the gate and taking ‘You Ain’t Going Nowhere’ out of the opening slot. But this song was always an open, fluid conversation: Dylan wrote it, the Byrds answered, McGuinn changed a lyric, and Dylan later rerecorded it in a meta move that made the whole joke legendary. I just wanted to let these songs breathe a little in my world, through my own language. I wanted to join that old conversation, make it new, move it forward, and invite everybody else into it."

This album is what happens when an artist stops thinking about the industry's rules and simply stays in a constant state of creation. Having reclaimed ownership of his back catalog and finished building his dream studio in the Texas Hill Country, Nash found himself free from the relentless schedule of album cycles and finally able to call his own shots. Sweetheart of the Rodeo developed during a prolific era that found him releasing a deluxe version of Rain Plans, creating the instrumental Moods album, and continuing to write original songs. 

Exploration runs throughout Sweetheart of the Rodeo – classic melodies shift in new directions, familiar rhythms are rebuilt, tempos move differently. Songs that once leaned into traditional country are reframed with synthesizers, programmed percussion, pedal steel, arpeggiators, ambient textures, and the panoramic production style that has become Nash's signature. Even the track list is different. The resulting collection of songs serves not only as a celebration of a timeless record, but as a snapshot of an artist building a new creative rhythm. 

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Photo - Ian Maley

Song People - Silver Flag.

Song People, one of Philly's brightest and most unique new acts, have announced their second album Tho I Seem Tame. Arriving via Strange Mono on October 9th. "Silver Flag" is a sliver of everything Song People do well - tight, catchy guitar arpeggios, vocals that melt and swoon with romantic abandon, and a sense of tension that builds from the first note to the end of the track. The lyrics here are particularly unique, touching on themes of self-protection and self-sabotage and using a very interesting character to do so: the worm that allegedly helped King Solomon build his temple.

Known in early rabbinical tradition as a Shamir, this wholesome mythical creature supposedly helped Solomon construct his first temple, as he had been commanded not to use any tools that could double as weapons. In the words of Shaina herself, "You can't build a temple with anything that can be used as a weapon," and therein seems to lie the key to the song, which seemingly reveals itself in new layers with each new listen. 

When the long-awaited chorus swoops in and Shaina croons, "You can only do so much to protect yourself/if you keep letting fear erase your kindness," the whole song builds to a beautiful catharsis, a post-punk potpourri of distorted lead guitar, punk-fierce drums, and vocals that ache, yearn, and brim with romantic struggle. Song People was formed in December of 2022 by core members Shaina Kapeluck, Darian Scatton, and Benjamin Schurr. Having played in each other's bands for over twelve years, they’ve settled into a comfortable songwriting cabal made fruitful by over a decade of collaboration. 

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Photo - Caity Krone

Aubory Bugg - the one you want to lose.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Aubory Bugg returns with her captivating new single "the one you want to lose," out August 12th on all platforms - the latest preview of their debut full-length album, i think i had something once, out September 18th via Dualtone. 

"the one you want to lose" blends indie folk with pop sensibility, showcasing Bugg's captivating vocals and emotional depth in a way that calls to mind the songwriting and sound that put Lizzy McAlpine on the map. It's a raw reflection on unexpected heartbreak, where tenderness slowly builds into something sonically triumphant and cathartic.

The single arrives as part of a significant step forward for the 21-year-old artist, who wrote their entire debut EP solo before relocating to Nashville and embracing a new era of collaboration, community, and creative openness. Of the upcoming album, Bugg shares: "I think having written my entire first EP on my own, I was really excited to dive into the co-writing of it all. This album is as direct a representation that I have of how I felt the last couple years, moving out and being a person on my own. And I think at its core, the thread that moves through the whole album is a love letter to things you didn't think you'd lose."

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Nothing But Thieves - Grace Elizabeth Harvey - Piper Butcher - So So Modern - Strawberry Alarm Clock - Freyja Elsy

Photo - Steve Gullick

Nothing But Thieves - Baby Kool (Evelyn).

Marking a decade of Nothing But Thieves last year, with four albums, billions of streams, thousands of worldwide live shows and a global dedicated fanbase, the Southend five-piece made their musical return recently with new single ‘Evolution’ and the title-track of their forthcoming 5th record ‘Stray Dogs’ released on 25th September via RCA/Sony Music. The band continue to showcase their versatility and ambition with new single ‘Baby Kool (Evelyn)’, which is out now. 
 
‘Baby Kool (Evelyn)’ sees the band channel shared influences of Nirvana, Sonic Youth and The Pixies into a 90s grunge and indie rock inspired song, which received its global first play at BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record last night. The anthemic track is a progressive alt-rock song that fluctuates in both atmosphere and intensity, showcasing Conor Mason’s full vocal breadth and building to a memorable melodic chorus. Thematically referencing the community of music and fandom through the metaphors of loneliness, connection and euphoria, the song is accompanied by a surreal 90s inspired video by Maxim Kelly (Hot Chip, Shame) featuring a prominent ‘pink man’ character and Evelyn the (stray) dog. The band says,
 
“This one felt like we wandered back into Dom's garage, where the band started. It's got one foot in glam and the other in grunge. Those two worlds’ probably shouldn't get along, which is maybe why they did. We often find that's where the interesting stuff is.”

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Photo - Igor Prato Luna

Grace Elizabeth Harvey - The Dream Of Common Language.

Liverpool folk singer-songwriter Grace Elizabeth Harvey announces a new EP Songs Of Devotion, out 16th October and shares lead single 'The Dream Of Common Language'. The new EP will mark Harvey's first body of work since her spring 2025 debut EP Other Faith. Inspired by discovering Adrienne Rich's poetry collection The Dream of a Common Language in a charity shop, new single 'The Dream Of Common Language' opens conversationally over fingerpicked acoustic guitar before blooming into a sprawling instrumental passage. 

Scattered with fragmented images of cigarette papers, hazel-coloured eyes and cold telephone lines, both the single and forthcoming EP were recorded live at producer Gus White's residential studio, The Barn, alongside double bassist Sam Crooks and drummer Lloyd Haines. Mixed and mastered to tape, birdsong drifts through open windows as Harvey's delicate - almost spoken-word delivery - sits at the centre of a performance shaped by both the sound of language and its meaning; Harvey's lyrics balancing unusual, ambiguous phrasing with strikingly precise imagery, allowing the cadence of words to become part of the music itself.

Harvey said: "It’s a song about giving up on love to pursue the search for deeper philosophical understanding, in the face of language and its failures. The dream of a common language is a dream to be seen, to be understood and to rely on words to communicate what we feel and desire. It appears to us when the blind faith we have in others, often the strongest and most delusional when in love, breaks down, revealing itself as just a dream, a fiction, a wish.

"The song mentions a recurring dream I have where I feel I am screaming but no sound is coming out, or it does and I can’t understand why I am so angry or upset in the dream. I am quite a stoic person, coping with life through fantasy and goodwill, so this is maybe the unconscious outlet for pent up disappointment and injustice."

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Piper Butcher - Porcelain Pillars.

“Porcelain Pillars is a love story. One that I encourage you to sit down with, close your eyes and really immerse yourself in”. That is the perfect summary by Piper Butcher about “Porcelain Pillars”, her stunning third release for 2026.

“Porcelain Pillars” is a cinematic dreamscape of lyrical beauty mixed with equally gorgeous melodies and accompanying musicianship and production. Focusing on the beautiful story of Jenny and Jimmy - the two star characters of this narrative - it traces the tale of two people putting their love above everything else. It’s their journey through life, loss and every stop in between. “No relationship is ever perfect, but this song dares to dream of that ‘movie love’ everyone adores”, says Butcher.

Piper Butcher continues to build upon her impressive musical resume with this third single of 2026.  Just a week after the release of “Porcelain Pillars”, Butcher heads out on the road with Variety the Children’s Charity as MC and Ambassador for their Backyard Bash, supporting schools and small communities. Keep an ear out for her performing the new single as part of these events. She was also recently announced as a showcasing artist for BIGSOUND 2026 as well as joining Wade Forster’s national tour of Australia later this year. 

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Photo - Si Moore

So So Modern - Peace Talks.

Light Years is So So Modern’s latest offering. A collection of songs written in the decade since their last release, the twenty-something-year-old post-punk band have for years defied convention for how a group should operate or sound. Today the band resembles less the four young, unknowing friends who started this journey in the mid-2000s but more an extended family, bound through intersecting lives and close-knit community.

The musical landscape has since overtaken them with speed and saturation, but SSM have stuck to the path of the slow and steady - because time beats everything. Whilst the band’s sound has garnered a reputation for complex, chaotic convergences of guitars, synthesisers and rhythm, the songs in Light Years are about clarity, restraint and simplicity - an acknowledgement and misremembering of the straightforward hardcore punk and pop that inspired them as teenagers.

Short, structured and delivered with earnest power, today’s lead single, ‘Peace Talks’ reflects on coming-of-age within fringe communities - the late 90’s / early 00’s Aotearoa hardcore, DIY & straight-edge scenes, goth flats & anarchist squats - friends are, after all, the family you choose. Light Years represents time, distance and the entanglement of life, although it is unclear if this is in relation to a distant past or the horizon of the future. The limited 12” vinyl release by Flying Nun Records and Holiday Records is accompanied by the illuminating artwork of Lily Paris West.

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Strawberry Alarm Clock - Where's One? (Album).

The first full album of new music from psychedelic rock pioneers Strawberry Alarm Clock since 1969 is released today. The new album Where's One? returns the band to the pinnacle of the genre they helped to invent, with a lineup unmatched for its authenticity including five original members, and decades of performing and songwriting chemistry on display. Previewed in recent months by the hit indie singles “Monsters,” “Blow Your Mind” and “The Sky Isn't Falling,” Where's One hits record stores in a Deluxe Double LP edition and as a CD, as well as streaming on all digital platforms worldwide.

Unquestionably, the '60s spirit is here. You can hear it immediately in the immaculately sunny a capella harmonies of the opening track “Feel The Love,” as well as in the full record's sparkling instrumental arrangements featuring period-perfect touches of their signature swirling organ, sunshine pop flute, electric sitar, lacerating acid rock guitar and groovy percussion. But as the needle drifts into the second track, the captivatingly ominous “Monsters” (appropriately released as the album's first preview single last Halloween), it becomes obvious that Strawberry Alarm Clock are here not to relive former glories but to push the psych-rock form ever forward with new ideas, fresh sounds, and unexpected reinventions. 

It's a revelation driven home by the next track, a dramatic deconstruction of “Day Tripper” that lets listener know to expect the unexpected: in a world of power pop bands trying to sound like The Beatles, the Alarm Clock play The Beatles like Devo plays The Stones, here and on a delightfully skewed reading of “Within You Without You”. By the third track, “White Light” – a musically and emotionally raw journey that blends psychedelia and dream rock with intense, near-metal riffing and stunning harmonies – the restless creativity of SAC in 2026 is abundantly evident, aptly summed up in the opening lyrics: “Where am I going? What will I do when I get there?”

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Freyja Elsy - Another Life.

Freyja Elsy’s new single ‘Another Life’ is released today Friday August 7th. Built around the idea of what might have been, ‘Another Life’ explores the imagined versions of ourselves that exist alongside the choices we have made. The track reflects the strange duality of looking back at paths not taken while knowing that the life we have built is the right one, capturing the distance between who we were, who we are, and who we might have become.

Musically, the track moves from intimate guitar, piano and double bass into a wider arrangement of evolving strings and electronic textures, with the production shifting between restraint and release. ‘Another Life’ is the third single from Freyja’s forthcoming EP to stop the world turning, continuing the project’s movement from memory and anxiety into reflection and change.

The track also marks the first time Freyja has incorporated Cymraeg (the Welsh language) into her songwriting, with a verse inspired by her ongoing study of the language and a subtle reference to Welsh folklore, reflecting the song’s themes of changing seasons, identity and transformation.


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Josaleigh Pollett - Bywater Call - Lynn Hollyfield - Rusty Shackle - Black Bordello - Bri Fletcher

Josaleigh Pollett - If I Let It Quiet (Album).

Salt Lake City-based singer-songwriter Josaleigh Pollett has issued their fourth full-length album, ‘If I Let It Quiet.’ Produced by long-time collaborator Jordan Watko (Crowd Shy), the record is released via Audio Antihero (Frog / Tiberius / Avery Friedman / CIAO MALZ / Darren Hayman) and Lavender Vinyl on digital and vinyl. A tour of the Pacific Northwest and West Coast accompany the album's release. The work of Pollett and Watko has received a slow burn of recognition over the years, reaching a broader audience with 2023’s electronics-infused ‘In the Garden, By the Weeds,’ thanks to support from notable outlets, including NPR Music’s All Songs Considered, as well as awards and end-of-year lists.

Pollett went on to share bills with St. Vincent, Torres, Deep Sea Diver, DeVotchKa, Mini Trees, and Hibou, as well as performing at Kilby Block Party. Outside of their work with Watko, Pollett’s output included a prolific run of collaborations that included Ekko Astral in 2024 and 2025, in addition to writing a song a day in January 2025 (released as ‘bro’s bad january’). 

“This album is an exploration of what it takes to quiet the noise of geographical and emotional distance in order to hear ourselves and the ones who see us. In true independent DIY fashion and similar to 2023's In The Garden, By The Weeds, If I Let It Quiet is recorded mostly at home between my Salt Lake City makeshift home studio and Jordan's apartment in Japan. The difference this time is that we're bringing in more collaborations. In particular, Andrew Goldring, who in addition to mixing and mastering, brought deeper instrumentation to If I Let It Quiet.” – Josaleigh Pollett. 

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Bywater Call - Broken Souvenirs (Album).

A powerhouse seven-piece Southern soul, roots rock outfit from Toronto, Canada; Bywater Call was nominated for the 2025 UK Blues Award for International Blues Artist of the year for the second straight year, alongside artists such as Beth Hart and Walter Trout.

The band has also received multiple Independent Blues and Canadian Maple Blues Award nominations including Entertainer, Electric Act and Best Female Vocalist for the 2024 Awards Season.

Bywater Call’s music is an exploration of life’s highs and lows. From intimate ballads that lay bare the complexities of human emotion to electrifying anthems that demand to be played at full volume, their catalogue is a journey through human experience, featuring influences from the likes of The Band, The Wood Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Otis Redding, Little Feat, Sly and the Family Stone, and many more.

Often transcending genres, Bywater Call is known for their dynamic, emotional live shows, featuring powerful vocals and exciting interplay between all band members. And now, on the heels of a highly successful European tour and in the middle of their American tour here is their new album. 

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Lynn Hollyfield - Diving In (Album).

We have the new folk album Diving In from award-winning singer-songwriter Lynn Hollyfield. The album was produced by Grammy-nominated Seth Glier and 
is a stunning collection of songs that reveal the twists and turns in life, our humanness, loss, love, the times we are in, and the path we choose to go through. The range of styles on the album can mostly be called contemporary folk, with a few having a traditional feel and a timeless vibe.

Blend a beautiful alto voice, crisp acoustic guitar, and a heartfelt perspective on the world, and you have Lynn Hollyfield. Known for her warm stage presence and emotionally rich songs, she connects effortlessly with audiences. Writing in a contemporary folk style, Lynn weaves in jazz-influenced chords and bluesy guitar alongside passionate vocals, think Mary Chapin Carpenter meets Bonnie Raitt with a touch of George Gershwin. The result is her own distinctive voice, witty, soulful, and reflective.

Lynn has been writing songs since her teenage years, growing up on Staten Island, NY, surrounded by a wide range of musical influences, from jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to artists like The Beatles and Neil Young. She began performing locally at a young age and later gained recognition as part of the duo Hollyfield & Spruill, appearing at festivals such as the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.

After launching her solo career, Lynn released several acclaimed albums, including LAYERS (2010), IN THE BALANCE (2014), and LOOK UP (2024), earning national and international airplay along with multiple songwriting awards including being listed in the Top Artists/ Top Albums for the International Folk Alliance. During the pandemic, she also published a children’s book, The Tree, The Ship and Me, with its accompanying song recognized as a finalist in the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest.

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Rusty Shackle - Stand Up Tall.

Welsh Folk / Rock band 'Rusty Shackle' new single 'Stand Up Tall' was released Friday 24th July. Taken from their forthcoming Album 'Mayfield' which is set for release at the end of August. A raw, heartfelt reflection on friendship, self-confidence andperseverance when times are hard. The universal message inviteslisteners to find their own meaning within the song, but at its heart,it serves as a mantra of encouragement for anyone who feels lost oroverlooked in life.Musically, the track embraces a stripped-back folk sound inspired bythe poetic storytelling of Neil Young, the pastoral textures of The Decemberists and Fleet Foxes, and the understated warmth of Wilco.The unvarnished arrangement allows the song's message to takecentre stage, creating an intimate and timeless atmosphere thatreflects its themes of resilience, compassion, and hope

Rusty Shackle are a hard-gigging folk-rock band from South Wales, known for their infectious energy, anthemic songs, and genre-blurring sound drawn from folk, rock, and indie roots. Since forming in 2010, they’ve built a loyal following through relentless touring and a reputation for exhilarating live shows that get crowds on their feet.

The band have released five studio albums to date, each one expanding their sonic palette while staying rooted in rich melodies, heartfelt lyrics, and a love of storytelling. Their 2022 release, Under a Bloodshot Moon, reached number 2 in the UK Folk Albums Chart and was praised as “a winner” by Get Ready to Rock and “their finest album yet” by Liverpool Sound and Vision.

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Black Bordello - Fugue.

Art-rock provocateurs Black Bordello announce their new EP, Midheaven Tempest, due 18th September 2026 via AWAL, and unveil its first offering with the new single 'Fugue' (24th July 2026), a Fitzgeraldian world of sepia-tinted nostalgia. 'Fugue' offers the first glimpse into the immersive world of Midheaven Tempest, a collection that sees Black Bordello deepen their singular dialogue between art-rock, post-punk and cinematic atmosphere. Expansive yet intimate, the EP embraces contrast, where ornate arrangements meet raw immediacy, and gothic romanticism collides with moments of striking clarity.

With 'Fugue', the band continue to blur the boundaries of artistic, gothic and experimental rock, while drawing more openly from the dramatic sweep and melodic ambition of 1970s rock music. Threaded with baroque flourishes and taut post-punk tension, the single unfolds as a richly layered introduction to the conceptual landscape of Midheaven Tempest, hinting at an EP that is both emotionally resonant and sonically adventurous.

The romantic Hammond-organ introduction to ‘Fugue’ evokes 1920s picture houses and travelling carnival calliopes, hinting at a Fitzgeraldian world of sepia-tinted nostalgia. But any promise of reverie is quickly upended by the verse’s psychedelic, buoyant theatricality. Dripping with the weary, eye-rolling detachment of Peggy Lee’s Is That All There Is?, the track instead unfolds in a haze of Velvet Underground fuzz, Black Heart Procession gloom, and Nick Cave–esque refrains. It moves through jarring shifts in tempo and melody, each one underscoring the band’s restless drive to experiment rather than settle into nostalgia.

Speaking on the single, vocalist and songwriter Sienna Bordello says: “Fugue is a joyful stab into the cardboard cutouts on the set of society's stage. It's our gift to music nerds, inspired by Bach.” 

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Bri Fletcher - Salt Water.

Nashville country artist Bri Fletcher releases new single "Salt Water." Bri Fletcher is crying good tears on her new single, “Salt Water,” an R&B-leaning country anthem that cleverly uses the healing properties of salt water as a remedy for heartbreak. While the production embraces a smoother, more soulful sound, Fletcher’s signature storytelling remains at the heart of the track, blending emotional honesty with undeniable vulnerability.

The song explores the idea that sometimes the first step toward moving on isn’t pretending you’re okay — it’s allowing yourself to feel everything. Fletcher transforms tears into a symbol of hope with the lyric, “Thought I’d never be the one to cry online / But WebMD just said I’ll be alright.”

Its memorable chorus reinforces the song’s central message: “Salt water, it’s good for my skin / I ain’t bothered, it’s got healing benefits / It’ll clean my wounds, rid me right of you / When these tears are running down my face / Salt water, yeah I’ll be okay.”

“Salt Water” marks another step in Fletcher’s evolving artistry, pairing contemporary R&B influences with the heartfelt lyricism that first established her as a country songwriter. It’s a reminder that growth doesn’t always come from hiding your emotions — sometimes it comes from embracing them. With “Salt Water,” Bri Fletcher continues to carve out a lane entirely her own, proving that authentic storytelling can transcend genre while resonating with anyone who has ever cried, healed, and found strength on the other side of heartbreak.

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Izzy Oram Brown - River Shook - Peter Parcek - Sam Burchfield - Twin Bloom - Empty Melon

Photo - Natalie Jordan

Izzy Oram Brown - What I Want (Album).

“Love U the Same”—a plainspoken, broadly strummed pop ballad and the emotional highwater mark of Izzy Oram Brown’s new LP What I Want sketches out a journey toward accepting emotional paradox. Singing in hushed but soulful tones that bring to mind Christine McVie, the Massachusetts-born, Queens-dwelling songwriter returns to chords that she reframes in every verse, setting up a resolution that never comes, mirroring the lost promise of a broken compact between lovers who really tried to make it work. An ambiguous chord, neither bright or despairing, frames both an admission of hurt and bittersweet statement of re-devotion (“But no matter what I do or say, you’re with me.”) 

It is only after the narrator accepts that only time can make mutual empathy and acceptance possible that the harmony settles and the arrangement expands: “If we tire of the work/of finding who’s to blame/I will remember/I love you the same.” With its nostalgic, carefully arced melody and lyrics, the song holds pain, contradiction, and a genuine warmth of spirit easily. It’s a combination which often eludes even the greatest artists who write about romantic wires getting crossed.

These strengths permeate What I Want, Brown’s sophomore release, from beginning to end. Each song dramatizes a frank and comprehensive self-analysis session in their basic structure. Throughout the album, Brown convincingly tackles the broadest possible thematic material with deliberateness and clarity. Though she began life immersed in singing folk songs, she has spent much of her musical career as an accomplished session and touring guitarist—known for her work playing with musical legends like Julian Lage as well as rising NYC bands like Why Bonnie and Youbet. 

Taking a break from jazz studies, she moved to Nashville in her late teens to do live and session work, and fell in love with the architecture of pop songwriting. For her, writing music is as much a responsibility as a pastime. “Every song I’ve ever written happened because I decided it was time to write some songs,” she explains. Hesitant to waste anyone’s time, including her own, she writes when she is ready to, and as a result, the songs on What I Want ring out with the lucidity of someone who has thought hard about what they are going to say long before they say it. 

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River Shook - River Shook (Album).

River Shook’s self-titled debut album is out this weekend via Blackberry River. On River Shook, arrow-to-the-heart honest lyrics, rock-god guitar solos, shimmering pedal steel, and Shook’s unmistakable voice cuts like a ray of light through a great darkness. A sense of poise, a contagious strength coaxes the listener towards a deeper level of honesty about ourselves, our choices, and the shifting landscapes of modern life.

In the spring of 2025, River Shook was getting through the remaining Sarah Shook & the Disarmers’ tours. The beloved country rock band’s decade-long run was set to come to a close that summer, but Shook was mentally miles ahead already, dreaming up a new future as a solo artist. Despite a powerful armory of brand new songs, Shook’s demos yielded no bites from labels. Frustrated with the slow-turning gears of the music industry, Shook pitched an unconventional idea to their lead guitarist and partner, Blake Tallent - they would make the entire record themselves on a shoe-string budget, and sort out a label deal down the line.

The Disarmers played their final show at the end of June 2025. On the first day of July, Shook and Tallent dug deep into their small home studio, and got to work. The songs felt light years ahead of Shook’s past writing. “I’ve talked a lot about evolving as an artist, about personal growth as a tool to avoid stagnation or hitting a plateau,” explains Shook. “The finality of the Disarmers disbanding felt like a weight had been lifted, like I was seeing my life with perfect vision for the first time. Evolution wasn’t enough for what I wanted to achieve with this record, I had to die. I had to completely kill my old self, and all inhibiting beliefs about myself, my potential as an artist, and my limits as a creator.”

Shook and Tallent pulled off the impossible with River Shook - in a modest home studio in rural North Carolina, two people created an album that feels larger than life. Vast, rolling landscapes of sonic layers gently envelope timeless themes into each other: a great sacrifice that gives nothing in return, a false friend’s betrayal, a longing to be truly seen by an emotionally unavailable parent. Throughout the album, Shook gently illuminates themes we tend to mentally avoid, reminding us we’re braver than we think, we can handle hard truths about our lives, and we can change course the moment we’re ready.


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Photo - Tom Hazeltine

Peter Parcek - Twistified.

Acclaimed guitarist, singer-songwriter, and blues innovator Peter Parcek returns with Most of the Time, a powerful new album arriving August 14th. The album’s first single, “Twistified,” captures Parcek’s fearless approach to modern blues. Fueled by roaring guitar, hypnotic grooves, and a nod to Mississippi bluesman Roosevelt “Booba” Barnes, the track honors blues tradition while pushing the genre into bold new territory, setting the tone for an album that is both rooted in history and unmistakably forward-looking. Listen here.

A 13-song collection of originals and inspired interpretations, Most of the Time showcases Parcek at his most expressive—as a songwriter, vocalist, arranger, and one of today’s most distinctive guitarists. From the haunting title track, written by Bob Dylan, to soulful takes on Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands,” John Hiatt’s “Mississippi Phonebooth,” and Mose Allison’s “Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing,” the album balances emotional depth with extraordinary musicianship.

The album also marks new territory for Parcek, incorporating horns on four tracks for the first time and featuring an exceptional lineup of guests, including Duke Robillard, Luther Dickinson, Mickey Raphael, Kevin Barry, Danielle Miraglia, and Tom West, alongside longtime bandmates Marc Hickox and Tim Carman.This is Parcek’s fifth major release and follows an acclaimed run of albums including the Blues Music Award-nominated The Mathematics of Love, the EP Pledging My Time, Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven—praised by Premier Guitar for its “close to the bone” approach and “earthy and ethereal” sound—and 2020’s Mississippi Suitcase, which expanded his signature blend of blues, rock, folk, and gypsy jazz.

Peter Parcek · Twistified

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Photo - Aram Aghababian

Sam Burchfield - One More Setting Sun.

Sam Burchfield has released a new single on Cloverdale Records (Evan Honer, Winyah), “One More Setting Sun.” Over rapturous rhythm and zagging electric guitars, Burchfield celebrates another year of vibrant life. 

He shares: We're just little eternal beings trapped in bodies trying to love each other and navigate the cosmos. The world is beautiful, we are in it and we are part of the beauty.  I wanna love you forever—that’s what this song is. What else can I say? It’s a summer bop.

This is the second glimpse into a new full-length expected later this year; details to be announced. Burchfield shared “Leave the Light On” this spring to acclaim from Northern Transmissions, Atwood Magazine, DittyTV, and Whiskey Riff among others, amidst a rolling tour including dates with The Strumbellas. The run continues with headlines as well as support for Joe P, Wilderado, Max McNown, and Evan Honer.

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Twin Bloom - Summer's Gone.

Twin Bloom’s self-titled debut EP, slated for release in summer 2026, captures a moment of transition, caught between looking back and pushing forward. Lead single “Summer’s Gone” distills the band’s approach most clearly, pairing an easy, driving rhythm with a bittersweet sense of seasonal shift. Twin Bloom isn’t chasing trends or big statements. The band is focused on writing songs that stick, sound good turned up in the car and feel just as natural on the tenth listen as the first.

Twin Bloom makes indie rock that balances momentum with atmosphere, drifting between the glow of 80s new wave, the haze of shoegaze and the melodic pull of classic guitar pop. Based in Oakland, the band leans into warmth over sharp edges. Guitars shimmer and blur, melodies stick quickly, and close vocal harmonies give the songs a familiar, lived-in feel. Influences like Teenage Fanclub, Alvvays, The Cure and The Strokes are present, but never foregrounded, filtered instead through a sensibility shaped by years of playing rooms, basements and clubs.

There’s patience in the band’s writing, but also a steady sense of drive. Songs unfold gradually, carried by chiming guitars and propulsive rhythms that keep things moving even as textures bloom and recede. The arrangements stay lean and focused, favoring clarity over excess and letting repetition, tone and melody do the work. The music feels emotionally grounded and immediate, well suited for hazy summer drives and warm, nostalgic nights that stretch on longer than expected.

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Empty Melon - Don’t Look Away.

Created and developed in Montreal’s DIY scene, Empty Melon (the solo project of Ada Lea bassist/producer Summer Kodama) follows up on her debut single, “Hoping to Find,” with “Don’t Look Away,” an atmospheric, dark, and emotionally charged song that transforms late-night spiralling into something strangely beautiful. Blending experimental electronics, art pop textures, and cinematic sound design, the track embraces discomfort rather than avoiding it, finding clarity through directness, vulnerability, and self-confrontation.

“Don’t Look Away” first emerged during a solitary drive in the early hours of the morning. “It started with spiralling while driving alone at 2am and improvising on the bass guitar,” Summer explains. What began as a fleeting emotional moment gradually evolved into a meditation on honesty, both with others and with oneself. “I think there’s a catharsis to expressing yourself and your needs with plain, direct language,” she says. “It allows you to facilitate an alignment with your most authentic self. Honesty is the most important component of self-expression.”

That sense of emotional directness is reflected throughout the production. Where “Hoping to Find” drifted through the hazy space between sleep and wakefulness, “Don’t Look Away” occupies a darker emotional landscape. Summer describes the two songs as “polar siblings,” with one basking in sunlight while the other emerges under the cover of night.

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