Rodney Crowell - St Catherine's Child - Soft Bait - Ally Row

Photo - Neilson Hubbard

Rodney Crowell - Taking Flight (Feat. Ashley McBryde).

Rodney Crowell will release Airline Highway on August 29, 2025 via New West Records. The 10-song set was produced by Tyler Bryant and recorded & mixed by Trina Shoemaker in New Orleans, Louisiana. Crackling with live-wire energy, the album follows his 2023 Grammy Award-nominated The Chicago Sessions. The wise and vibrant Airline Highway features contributions from some of the most exciting young blues and country artists working today, all of whom count Crowell as a foundational influence. 

Ashley McBryde co-wrote and sings on “Taking Flight,” Lukas Nelson co-wrote and sings the opener “Rainy Days in California,” Blackberry Smoke guitarist Charlie Starr sings on “Heaven Can You Help,” while Rebecca & Megan Lovell from Larkin Poe add harmonies and slide guitar throughout. With a career spanning more than fifty years, Crowell is still questioning how and why he makes music, still setting new rules and quickly breaking them. “This record is a document of me falling in love with these musicians,” says Crowell. “That’s one of the great perks of this job—falling in love with the people you’re playing with. And we caught that on tape.” 

The album’s first single “Taking Flight,” is a devastating duet with Ashley McBryde about the distance between old lovers. Crowell says, “Ashley came over to the house to take a swing at writing a song together. ‘Flight’ is a fictional account of a discussion we had about stardom and driving at night in the south. With the exception of the Allman Brothers, I can’t say I was ever a fan of ‘Southern Rock.’ Tyler Bryant’s off the cuff solo at the end of the song made me reconsider.” Ashley McBryde says, “Simply sitting across from Rodney is magical. Writing a song with an icon is such an honor and being able to call him my friend is one of the great joys of my life. ‘Taking Flight’ explored heartache on a plane I hadn’t been on before. For Rodney to choose me as a co-writer and a singer is something that only existed in dreams. This record speaks for itself and I am so happy I get to be a part of its journey.” 

============================================================================

St Catherine's Child - The Other Side of Twenty-Five.

A tender yet powerful conclusion to the album's pre-release offerings, this country-tinged indie ballad serves as a heartfelt letter to her younger self, exploring the shift in perspective that accompanies confronting mortality. The track weaves seamlessly into the album's emotional narrative, which thoughtfully chronicles St Catherine’s Child’s journey through her father's passing. Her distinctively ethereal vocals float effortlessly above vibrant folk instrumentation, creating a captivating juxtaposition between the song's introspective lyrics and its spirited melody. The result is both a reflection on innocence lost and wisdom gained—a musical time capsule that resonates with anyone navigating life's inevitable transitions. 

“This song is a letter to my younger self, wrapped up in the things that are important to someone before they’re faced with life and death” she adds “Everything at that moment felt so important, when all that really mattered was my Dad and how he showed up for me, and the people who had my back.”

‘The Other Side Of Twenty Five’ will be the final offering ahead of the release of St. Catherine’s Child’s debut album This Might Affect You, set for release June 2025. A chronological journey through her experience with her father's illness and subsequent passing, the album's A-side documents the period leading to his death, while the B-side explores the aftermath and her healing process. In a departure from her previous solo writing approach, St. Catherine's Child orchestrated a collective catharsis, collaborating with ten different songwriters who had also experienced recent loss. "I just didn't think I could manage it by myself," she reflects. "It was just too heavy. I feel so much deeper in my community now because we've all made this thing together."

Recorded live with Mercury Nominated Producer David Glover, and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios the album embraces beautiful imperfection with unflinching honesty. "It's designed to be raw and organic and what it is—not polished," she insists. Shattering genre constraints, This Might Affect You sweeps across musical landscapes, featuring everything from a six-minute gun ballad to a sea shanty, a punk song, and a Springsteen-esque track.

============================================================================

Photo - Gabrielle Devereux

Soft Bait - New Leaf.

This week Soft Bait, the band share their first single, 'New Leaf' a track that picks apart gossip, group dynamics, and the mess left behind.

As vocalist Josh Hunter puts it: “New Leaf is a song about gossiping, seeking social acceptance and connection among groups. People projecting their own sense of arrogance or insecurity onto others. The lack of self-awareness to understand — or care to understand — the effect of their actions as they move onto the next drama and hysteria. Leaving the subject to pick up the pieces.” 

That tension runs through the whole track. Driven by a locked-in, repetitive bass line, the new single possesses an anxious and relentless energy. Hooky and sharp like it's pacing the room, 'New Leaf' is innately loud, unfiltered and fun. It holds a mirror up to some of the messier sides of social interaction; the messiness, posturing, gossip, and the chaos we leave in our wake.

The video, created by Patrick Hickley and Jolin Lee, takes those ideas and drops them into a dusty VHS wedding from the early-90s. Stitching themselves into the celebration as the unofficial wedding band — filmed lo-fi, green screen, digi-cam style. It’s part nostalgia trip, part fever dream. A weird, funny snapshot of connection, disconnection, and everything in between.

============================================================================

Ally Row - Middle of The Road.

Fresh off the back of their ABC Country high rotation and Double J/Triple J success, Gippsland based alt-country duo, Ally Row, release their new single, “Middle of The Road”.

This moody, gritty number captures the feeling of being emotionally marooned “between a rock and a hard place”, knowing where you want to be, but seeing others pass you by without asking if you need a helping hand. The upbeat airy arrangement and light-hearted, spirited vocals of “Middle of the Road” provide hopeful contrast as if to say, “if you’re going through tough times, you’ll get through it with or without help”.

Stylistically reminiscent of KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See”, it has the moodiness of “Nothing Matters” by The Last Dinner Party with a modern flare along the lines of Chappell Roan’s “The Giver”. The single features chugging acoustic banjo and guitar, warm and silky electric banjo plucking, and sweet, shy harmonies to support a lead vocal that is both emotional and powerful (think Missy Higgins texture and storytelling meeting Avril Lavigne’s intensity).

For the first time ever, Ally Row has featured the drumming talent of Alex Keser. His rocky rhythm gives “Middle of The Road” the beat of a runaway engine. This song will make you want to get in the car, crank up the radio and drive.

============================================================================

Far Caspian - Emily Hines - Georgian - Gelli Haha

Far Caspian - An Outstretched Hand / Rain From Here to Kerry.

Far Caspian is Irish singer-song writer and producer Joel Johnston. Joel writes, records and performs everything on his albums from his studio in Leeds, UK and tours as a 6-piece band. Far Caspian have released two albums to date and sold out numerous shows across the UK, EU and USA whilst quietly building a streaming audience internationally totalling over 200m streams across platforms.  Autoficion is Far Caspian's third album due July 25th.

On his new album Autofiction, Far Caspian’s Joel Johnston is learning to make peace with the cards he’s been dealt. Following his Crohn’s disease diagnosis in 2021, Johnston felt stuck mourning the loss of his life before, and struggling to cope with not only his new reality, but also an ongoing battle with OCD and anxiety. Autofiction finds the Irish musician discovering the tools he needs to keep moving forward. “I’m now at the point where I don't really let it define me,” he says. “The lyric ‘your mind changed from a fear to a song’ [on ‘Lough’] is my expression of freedom: to no longer be held down by something you’ve got used to. I’m trying to not even make sense of it all, but just live in it, and be grateful for the things I do have.”

The lyrics across Autofiction—which dive deep into mental health burdens, self-forgiveness, recovery, and gratitude for supportive, uplifting partnership—are Johnston’s most direct, diaristic and literal to date. As such, it’s also his most vulnerable release yet. “I just wanted to get the message across,” he says. “People will sometimes comment on songs of mine saying ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ I wanted to make a record that was a bit more heard. I even made my vocals louder than I usually do.” Freeing himself from any internal judgments or inhibitions, Johnston wrote songs for Autofiction with a simple motto: “I’m enjoying this right now and therefore it’s good enough.” The process helped him reconnect with the joy of music, the reason he started making it in the first place. It felt like the first time he made an album for himself, rather than an audience. “The fact that I was less self-critical and worried about others' opinions–I think that’s why the lyrics became more straightforward. I didn’t feel the need to dress them up or hide behind something.”

============================================================================

Emily Hines - All Of Our Friends.

Nashville songwriter Emily Hines releases "All Of Our Friends" this week, the third single from her debut album These Days, out August 1 via Keeled Scales.

Emily writes: "I wrote this song in a guy's bedroom while he was working in the other room. Fresh out of college, I was naive and earnest, putting everything under a microscope. I’d fallen in love a little too quickly and felt the familiar nausea of an intimacy hangover. The lyrics are mostly questions I knew better than to ask out loud."

About the recording, Hines continues: "One of my favorite parts of the recording was when we asked two of my dearest collaborators and confidants, Madelyn Baier and Liv Greene to come over and add some harmonies. We sat in a crescent and sang into an omni mic. At some point, my dog, Birdy, waltzed in and made her debut in the first verse. Because we’re sentimental and silly, we kept it."

The single comes with a music video directed by Nashville filmmaker Abby Holmes. "When I asked Abby to make a music video with me, she showed up to coffee the next morning with several pages of hand sketched storyboard to show me. I love working with her so much. Her tenacity is incredible. We shot this video in two days with the help and generosity of many friends. It felt a lot like camp. I was so happy to be with everyone, all my anxiety about being on camera melted away."

============================================================================

Photo - Rob Smalley

Georgian - Learning to Forget.

Manchester based Georgian continues to explore her poised melancholic sound with new single and first new music of the year ‘Learning to Forget’ out now via Heist or Hit.
 
Formed and fronted by Georgia McKiernan and completed by her band (Harry George, James Poole, James Polglase and Connor Alder), Georgian’s genre fluid output is expansive; a soft bloom of sullen 60s psychedelia and folk horror peppered with Southern Gothic inclinations and a sophisticated jazz leaning. With lyrics that are mournful yet comforting, painted alongside a vivid cinematic landscape, her sound is one that is modern yet nostalgic.
 
Georgian introduced herself with the singles ‘Big Lips in Leather’ and ‘Soleil’ last year and new track ‘Learning to Forget’ continues to showcase the accomplished musical array of Georgia and her band. Produced and recorded in Amsterdam by Arno Stols (Magenta Studios), it is a track that is both intimately warm yet darkly melancholic, blending progressive rock with dark folk and building in intensity and emotion throughout. The video, filmed in Georgian’s hometown of Manchester and directed by harry right here, sees Georgia struggle through the emotions of re-emerging from a broken relationship.
 
Georgia says, “’Learning to Forget’ has a true Georgian structure, from starting quite slow, melancholy and reflective, to progressing to a heavy, distorted and powerful sound – expect the unexpected! The song itself discusses heartbreak and how you can be so eager to forget everything when a relationship ends. Even though you don’t want the memories and small reminders of that person, they still happen.”

============================================================================

Photo - Sophie Prettyman-Beauchamp

Gelli Haha - Spit.

In Gelli Haha’s latest single “Spit” - only S-words are allowed. The track has underground-club grit, with a strong, consistent bass line and strange electronic effects. On “Spit”, participation is encouraged and surrender is required. The accompanying music video, directed by David Gutel, features Gelli strapped to a spiraling operation board as Gelli Kompany scientists conduct a surreal experiment on her.

A shapeshifter, a sonic acrobat, a performer with one foot in the cosmos and the other in arthouse theatrics, Gelli Haha (pronounced Jelly-Haha) is a space for pure creative chaos that exists somewhere between Studio 54 and Area 51. Gelli’s music thrives on duality: playful but profound, tongue-in-cheek but sincere. Her debut album Switcheroo, out next month via Innovative Leisure, is the soundtrack to the Gelliverse, a sensory adventure sphere created by Gelli.

With a shared taste for off-kilter pop and vintage gear, producer Sean Guerin (of De Lux) joined Gelli in turning freshly-formed demos into a high-voltage experiment, abandoning meticulous structure for something freer and more electrifying. Every song on Switcheroo makes use of a myriad of recording toys; wacky analog effects, such as the Eventide Harmonizer, MXR Pitch Transposer, and various Electrix units, fashion an intentionally flawed and strictly silly texture throughout the album. Switcheroo is an exercise in letting go, an inside joke turned theatrical spectacle.

============================================================================

Hallelujah The Hills - The Slim Kings - Izabella Lily - Harri Larkin

Hallelujah The Hills - It’s Undeniable.

Beloved Boston indie rock alchemists Hallelujah The Hills unveil their latest single, “It’s Undeniable,” a hypnotic and genre-defying track that marks the first release from Spades, one of four full-length albums in their upcoming 52-song project, Deck, available across music platforms on June 13th, 2025.

Described by the band as a Rube Goldberg device of a song, “It’s Undeniable” is loaded with chant-like vocals, mysterious lyrical codes, and scattered samples that feel like transmissions from an unknown station. Its hooks grab hold and don’t let go, making it a fitting introduction to the ambitious Deck project, which features one song for every card in a standard deck, plus two jokers.

“This song features the world’s first ‘Live Podcast Song Overdub,’” says frontman Ryan H. Walsh, referring to a spontaneous collaboration recorded live on the long-running Who Charted? podcast with hosts Howard Kremer and Brett Morris. Their voices now echo throughout the track in an unprecedented and surreal sonic moment. “Guinness Book of World Records, get at us,” Walsh jokes.

Adding another layer of richness to the song, Niani Campbell of Boston band Children of the Flaming Wheel joins the band for their signature gang vocals on the chorus. Her husband and Hills bassist Joseph Marrett reflects on the track: “Undeniably the world is a wild place; rubbery bandages, lying wires, and sidewalk schisms await to trip up our best intentions! Let’s engage the truths and find a path forward, shine a light if possible! It’s Undeniable!”

============================================================================

The Slim Kings - Keep On.

Brooklyn-based retro soul-rock outfit The Slim Kings return with a smoldering new track, "Keep On," that explores the quiet strength of patience. In a world addicted to speed and certainty, the band flips the script by choosing to sit still, to wait, and to trust.

It's a song about giving someone the space they need without letting go of your presence. A slow burn with vintage soul textures, "Keep On" is rich in restraint, resolve, and realness. From its laid-back groove to its timeless sentiment, "Keep On" is equal parts support system and soul serenade. It's about knowing when to step back and when to show up. Sometimes the best thing you can do is let the answer come on its own. – The Slim Kings

Recorded in their New York studio, the track was built slowly, with purpose – fighting the urge to rush, even as the world moves faster than ever. It’s a fitting metaphor for the group itself: Liberty DeVitto (Billy Joel's legendary drummer), MSB (a sync veteran with over 40 placements), and Andy Attanasio (R&B bassist known for his work with Black Thought) know the power of patience, presence, and playing only what's needed. "Keep On" is a taste of their upcoming 14-track album, Superlove, out September 26th, 2025 – a record that promises to deliver vintage grit with modern soul.

============================================================================

Izabella Lily - Freedom.

Swedish-Finnish artist Izabella Lily returns with her third single Freedom, a modern folk rock anthem filled with lyrical depth and spiritual introspection. Recorded with professional studio musicians Miikka Laitinen, flying guitar and tight bass, Petter Lithvall drums and synth, and Sam Seatone acoustic guitar, “Freedom” was produced by Petter Lithvall. Following Izabella’s debut “Varandra”, 2nd single “Fields of Green” and a recent live appearance on Sveriges Radio P4 Gothenburg, Izabella continues to build momentum with this evocative new release.

Izabella delivers a raw folk indie single with poetic lyrics and spiritual depth, with a heart beating for social justice. "Freedom" follows her Sveriges Radio debut and previews her 2025 EP. Rich acoustic textures meet modern indie production in this moving anthem about the kind of love that is selfless and sacrificial - that which empowers us to use our freedom for the good of others.

============================================================================

Harri Larkin - Slowburn (EP).

Sheffield-based singer-songwriter Harri Larkin is proud to announce the release of their brand new EP, Slowburn, officially out now via Golden Robot Records.

Blending elements of indie, funk, jazz, and grunge, Slowburn is a genre-defying collection that captures the emotional intensity and evolving artistry of Harri Larkin. Known for her heartfelt lyricism, soaring vocal melodies, and an undeniably infectious sound, Harri delivers an EP that is both introspective and anthemic - burning slowly but leaving a lasting mark.

The new EP follows the powerful single 'Too Close to the Sun', a song written in tribute to a close friend lost to an accidental overdose. The single set the emotional tone for Slowburn, an honest and cathartic body of work that explores grief, healing, and the quiet power of vulnerability.

Harri Larkin first made waves with debut album 'Beach City' that caught the attention of BBC Introducing, who broadcast it in full. In 2023, Harri was named the winner of the national Tramlines “Apply to Play” competition, landing performances at major UK festivals and earning national radio play along the way. Harri continues to push creative boundaries with Slowburn - a record that embraces nuance, celebrates growth, and invites listeners into a deeply personal world.

============================================================================

Pomona Park - The Salt Collective - Forgotten Dream - The Northern Territories

Pomona Park - Do Not Disturb.

Pomona Park have released their "thought-provoking, youthful optimistic indie pop single" 'Do Not Disturb'. Its a vibrant and hook fueled affair which for a young band has a level of maturity that is palpable. That said perhaps it's can be more simply put as a gorgeous song that deserves to be a powerful hit! Any way onto their background story: “Youthful optimism with lyrical charm” are some of the ways Pomona Park can be described. The Manchester based, Indie-Pop band, create thought provoking story line like songs on a bedding of punchy and memorable music.

Lyrically inspired by Sam Fender and Alex Turner, and guided musically by the likes of The Blossoms and The Smiths, Pomona Park started as a group of friends reconnecting to normality after the UKs COVID19 lockdown. Chris Smith (front man) and Bobby Mears (bassist), friends from school, would bring in respective work colleagues Aaron Wrigglesworth (drums) and James Reid (guitar) to form what became, by the Quays of Salford, to be Pomona Park.

Using the material that Chris had been writing over the lockdown, the boys ventured into the studio in April of 2022, releasing their first studio single Overdrink, which still tops their headline sets to this day. Over the years Pomona Park have released 7 studio singles, covering a range of topics from letting seemingly insignificant “icks” get in the way of finding a meaningful partner to the mindset of changing oneself into an unrecognisable version in an attempt to impress others.

Overdrink saw relative success early on, hitting No.4 on the UK Alternative Chart on release day, and breaking into the UK Main Chart’s Top 100. Following tracks have again been featured in the UK Alternative Chart Top 20, been played on National Radio like Radio X X-Posure show and have enjoyed streams of several thousands most notably with “Stormy Weather” hitting over 10,000 streams not long after release.

Pomona Park · Do Not Disturb

============================================================================

The Salt Collective - Last Day That We're Young (EP).

The international super group the Salt Collective have returned with a six-song EP of fresh recordings (May 23rd via Propeller Sound Recordings). The groundwork for the new EP actually dates back to 2000, when Collective leader, Stéphane Schück, first met the late Scott Miller (Game Theory / Loud Family) in San Francisco, seeding the inspiration for the project.

The multifaceted Paris- and North Carolina-based ensemble kicks off the EP with the single “Last Day That We’re Young,” a recently completed, anthemic version of a beloved Game Theory song tracked initially in 2005 with Miller himself on guitar.

When asked about how this recording came to be, Schück explains: “We have to go back to December 31, 1989. The last day of the 80s. My friends and I had an important question to answer: What song were we going to leave the 80s with? We'd entered the decade at the age of 12 and were going to leave it at 22. This question consumed us for 6 months . . . until we all agreed it would be “Last Day That We're Young” by Game Theory. We launched the track at 11:58 p.m. and went into the 90s with Scott!

In 2005, when Scott came to France to produce one of my albums, I told him this story, which made him smile. I think it was quite an unexpected revelation. I couldn't resist asking him if we could play “Last Day That We're Young” together. Scott knew how important that song was to me. . . . We [hit record] and he played these two wonderful riffs."

Also featured on the EP is “Try the Lost and Found,” a collaboration and co-write with Mitch Easter (Let’s Active)—his first release in nearly two decades—recorded during recent sessions at Easter’s renowned Fidelitorium studios in Kernersville, NC for a forthcoming full Salt Collective album, A Brief History of Blindness, due in the fall.


============================================================================

Forgotten Dream - Kids.

Too Loud Records and Forgotten Dream are thrilled to announce the upcoming release of “Kids” – a haunting and heartfelt reinterpretation of the cult classic by Current Joys.

Hailing from Cremona, Italy, Forgotten Dream blends the raw emotional grit of '90s grunge with ethereal dream-pop textures and shoegaze atmospheres. With this new cover, the band dives into the melancholic essence of “Kids”, reshaping it through their unique sonic lens: distorted yet delicate, nostalgic yet fresh.

Produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered at the renowned Titans Lab Recording Studio by producer Riccardo Daga, this release showcases the band’s ability to take an already emotionally charged song and infuse it with new intensity and vulnerability – staying true to the original spirit while giving it a distinctive Forgotten Dream identity.

“Kids” marks a new chapter for the band, following the success of their latest album Distorted Karma (Too Loud Records), and continues their exploration of themes like inner conflict, youth disillusionment, and emotional fragility.

============================================================================

The Northern Territories - Say Yes To Heaven (Lana Del Rey Cover).

The Northern Territories present a new video single for their Lana Del Rey cover track 'Say Yes to Heaven', which appears on the acclaimed fourth full-length ('Album of the Month' in renowned German Orkus! magazine) of the Swedish melancholic synth duo, that is also being released and started streaming in full on May 23, 2025.

The Northern Territories comment: “The video to our cover of Lana Del Rey's 'Say Yes to Heaven' consists out of footage that we have lifted from our first ever video clip 'Midnight Ambulance', which we shot in Stockholm during the summer of 1994", vocalist and multi-instrumentalist John Alexander Ericson explains on behalf of the duo. "We have not released an album in 25 long years and therefore it made sense to us to include these images as a nod to our past and as a reminder to ourselves and to others about how it all started."

After a record breaking hiatus of 25 years, The Northern Territories are back for good. The Swedish melancholic synth duo has used the time well to hone their musical prowess and to think hard about how they wanted their unique sound to come across in the present.

As a result of this intense thought process, the stunning album "A Star in Orbit Still" combines everything that made the band great and generated a dedicated and loyal following that eagerly awaited their return during all those years with a contemporary sound design. Channeling their trademark melancholy and Nordic knack for captivating melodies, The Northern Territories did not even shy away from covering Lana Del Rey's iconic track 'Say Yes to Heaven' and to make it theirs.

============================================================================