Alice Phoebe Lou - Adult Leisure - Dan Ashley - Kramon feat. Hunter Hawkins

Photo - Mira Matthew

Alice Phoebe Lou - Pretender.

Alice Phoebe Lou, announces that her sixth album Oblivion will be released on 24th October via Nettwerk Music Group. The news is arriving hand in hand with her beautiful new single ‘Pretender’; a stripped back affair that allows her storytelling and honeyed vocals to take the forefront.  

Alice’s pending 6th album ‘Oblivion’ takes shape as a deeply personal collection that delves into her journey of exploration both globally and internally. It will be her first album since the release of Shelter back in 2023. Alice shares, “After five band records, I’ve opened my treasure chest of personal storytelling songs that I’ve built up over a decade. Songs that didn’t make it into other albums, some songs I never thought would see the light of day. I embarked on the brave and thrilling journey of recording these songs as they are, with love and playfulness, simple and all my own. Leaning into imperfection and taking inspiration from some of my biggest influences who have made timeless folk acoustic albums.”

The empowered new single sets the bar for what is to come. ‘Pretender’ sees Alice commending herself for finding strength in her softness and never compromising on who she is, even when it would be easier to be someone else. Her authenticity is something that her fans have championed in her writing all along, but this is the moment where she can feel it in her own heart.

Alice describes the single as, “A loving ode to my younger self — reflecting on who I am and how hard I’ve worked to love her. The way I once used confidence as a shield to mask my insecurities has transformed into allowing my walls to come down as I can finally bask in who I am without the fear of being seen.”

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Adult Leisure - The Rules.

Following standout shows at VestRock in The Netherlands and Paris’ renowned Supersonic Festival, Bristol’s alt-indie quartet Adult Leisure release their new single ‘The Rules’, on July 25th 2025, the next single to be taken from their debut album ‘The Things You Don’t Know Yet’, arriving on October 3rd 2025.

The track follows ‘See Her’, May’s collaboration with longtime The 1975 / Sam Fender collaborator John Waugh, and the album’s previous singles ‘Dancing Don’t Feel Right’, ‘Kiss Me Like You Miss Her’ and ‘Borderline’ which saw support from BBC Radio 6’s Indie Forever show, The Line Of Best Fit, Pop Journal, Fresh on the Net and multiple Spotify editorial playlists with ‘Borderline’ being used to open an E4 Made In Chelsea episode, their first national TV sync placement.
 
‘The Rules’ was recorded and mixed with Ollie Searle at Humm Studios and mastered by John Webber (David Bowie, Duran Duran, Coach Party) and sees guest vocals from Jess Chivers. The song pulls you in from the very first note, expertly mixing rich, vibrant synths, lush guitar lines, driving rhythms and anguished vocals to deliver the perfect 80’s movie soundtrack, once again showing that this is a band that exists completely outside of time. 

On the creation of the single, vocalist and lyricist Neil Scott explains, “Starting off life via an ‘Islands in the Stream’-esque voice-note sent in the band WhatsApp from Dave back in December of 2023, our new single ‘The Rules’ is exactly the pop-soaked song Dolly Parton would be losing her mind at. We were listening to lots of Blossoms at the time and wanted to write a song from both sides of a relationship on the verge of breaking down. Fast forward to earlier this year, when we were lucky enough to work with the talented Jess Chivers who provided backing vocals on the track, the song and emotions we wanted to capture were truly brought to life. This is our take on the 70s golden era of pop duets.”

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Photo - Lily Dong

Dan Ashley - Get Lost.

Americana, Rock, and Country artist Dan Ashley invites listeners to escape the everyday with his latest release, “Get Lost.” Written by Ashley himself, the breezy, feel-good track transports you to that perfect place where worries fade, good company surrounds you, and a chilled drink is never far from reach. The official video, co-produced by Dan Ashley and Bill Bentley to support the new song, is available on the official artist's YouTube Channel. 

Dan shared the following about the song, “We all need to 'get a little lost' now and then! In this crazy, busy world, filled with pressure, expectations, and demands, who doesn’t want to feel the sand between their toes sometimes. 

I wrote this song about the need to get away with the one you care about for a few days of fun in the sun. The chance to, as the song says, “feel the breeze in your hair” is just the vacation we all want and need when things get a bit frantic in our everyday lives. “Get Lost” takes you to that place where you can stretch out on a towel at the beach and just relax with that special someone and maybe even an “ice cold daiquiri”. Enjoy!

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Kramon - Back Last Summer (feat. Hunter Hawkins).

Renowned singer-songwriter and composer Kramon releases his third single, “Back Last Summer”, from his forthcoming debut album. Dripping in lounge-y jazz vibes, “Back Last Summer” by Kramon features the bombastic vocals of Hunter Hawkins. With a melodious piano part played by Lee Pardini, the track invokes a type of nostalgic sadness that is hard to put a finger on. An ode to trusting your gut and finding freedom amidst the difficulties, regrets, and heaviness of adult life, the new single is out today.
 
Josh Kramon and Hunter Hawkins speak in further depth behind the inspiration for the new single: “For whatever reason, the first thing I could imagine was a kid growing up in the 60s/70s, without much parental watch. A feeling of eerie freedom, there. Then, if the narrator/singer is talking about the past, then it made me wonder why they are looking back, now? What has changed in their life? 

Like, how sometimes, as children, we express ourselves without thinking. We make decisions by gut. Then, later on, through social conditioning, and aiming to please those around us, we learn to second guess that gut decision-maker. Then, eventually, there’s a frustration in recognizing this huge loss, betrayal of self. So, it’s kind of asking, how can we learn to befriend ourselves/our own gut feeling, like a kid, free to roam, again? Even after adult life’s difficulties, regrets, and heaviness?”

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Gabrielle Vaughn - Pete Droge - Attawalpa - heddlu

Gabrielle Vaughn - Same DNA.

Gabrielle Vaughn has created a distinct sound, weaving and bending through pop, rock, soul, R&B, and alternative genres. She has never let herself be put in a box as an artist. Vaughn has created a sound that will have you begging for more of those heavy riffs, slamming bass, and Vaughn’s electrifying vocals.

Gabrielle Vaughn is not the kind of artist to shy away from vulnerability—and her latest release, “Same DNA,” proves that you can be fierce, emotional, and unflinchingly honest all at once.

The song explores the complex and heartbreaking reality of watching someone you love struggle with addiction, a topic Vaughn knows intimately. Reflecting on its origin, she shares, “It’s the hardest song I’ve ever written—and the hardest to let go of. It’s born from the fractures of my relationship with my dad, who’s battled alcohol addiction for most of my life.”

From the very first notes, a melancholy synth pulls you into the raw emotional landscape of Vaughn’s inner world. She masterfully blends pop and rock, layering haunting instrumentals beneath her soulful, cutting vocals. Every word feels deliberate—nothing is held back. 

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Photo - Rick Dahms

Pete Droge - Song For Barbara Ann.

Seattle-based folk/rock artist Pete Droge just released his new single “Song For Barbara Ann” along with an official video. The track is the latest to release off his forthcoming album Fade Away Blue, a largely autobiographical record that details a remarkable 16-year journey of personal growth and healing, which saw Droge finding his birth family, reckoning with his adoption, battling a mysterious illness, and discovering himself in the process. “Song for Barbara Ann” is a stirring and achingly vulnerable tune named after his late birth mother, who he missed meeting by mere months. Americana Highways featured the single and called it “a song of soul searching.”

“Around the time I turned 40, I began to do some serious soul searching to try to understand myself better,” stated Droge. “Thanks to a flurry of coincidences and a random computer glitch, it dawned on me that my adoption was a major piece of the puzzle I’d never looked into. Searching online, I learned about ambiguous grief and adoption trauma, unlocking an emotional tidal wave that culminated when I learned that my birth mother had died just months before.”

He continued, “Traveling to Appalachian Ohio and meeting the rest of my birth family was incredibly healing. They welcomed me with open arms. My people have lived among the rolling hills near the Ohio River for five generations. I devoured every bit of family history I could get my hands on. I still have no idea who my birth father is. That space was left blank on the Pre-Adoption Birth Record. Perhaps someone who knew Barb at the University of Oregon in Eugene in the late sixties will hear ‘Song for Barbara Ann’ and reach out to provide clues as to who my birth father might be. Heck, maybe ‘Bio Dad’ himself will hear it and make contact.”

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Attawalpa -You Are You. 

Attawalpa (Luis Felber) hasthis week released his new single 'You Are You'. Taken from his second album 'Experience', which came out earlier this month on Attawalpa Records, the single is accompanied by an inspired, animated video directed by Esme Blegvad. 'You Are You' is the follow-up single to 'True Love Trajectory', which serves as the perfect season finale closing track for 'Too Much', the Netflix series that Luis has co-created and co-written alongside his soulmate in art and life, the writer and filmmaker Lena Dunham. 

"I originally wrote this song about my hairless dog Ingrid," explains Luis. "I always walk around the house lovingly saying 'what are you?', 'who are you?'. Just as surprised every time. Like most songs, the original idea stretches and becomes wider. It ended up being a song about humanity as a whole. A positive whisper to carry on. Ingrid features in the Esme Blegvad hand-drawn animated video".

Reflecting on the animation, director Esme Blegvad recalls, "I was struck by the track’s reference to the rolling, cyclical nature of time, and how rather than being terrifying or morbid, Luis was able to translate this into something that felt serene and peaceful, even celebratory - so the continuous looping of the video was my visual interpretation of that. Each of the 3400+ frames was drawn and coloured by hand: a physical manifestation of the beautiful refrain “carry on, carry on, carry on!”

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heddlu - Cut The Rope.

Welsh Electronic, Indie Artist 'heddlu' has a fabulous new single 'Cut The Rope' which has just been released by Zawn Records. Heddlu is the new musical project by Rhodri Daniel. The Ceredigion native was a founding member of renowned Welsh band Estrons who had a major impact on the industry having gained rave reviews from the likes of NME, Vice, DIY and Clash to BBC Radio, Radio X, Ultimate Guitar, The Guardian and Independent.

“Cut The Rope”, the 3rd single from heddlu’s 2nd album ‘Tramor’, is a raw, emotional plea by the singer for someone they love to walk away, to save themselves. 

It’s about recognising your own damage and not wanting to drag someone else down with you. Stark, honest, and unfiltered, the song captures the painful truth that sometimes love means stepping away. “Tramor” will be released August 14th 2025. 

heddlu · Cut The Rope

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Birdlord - Wildes - Fishing 4 Compliments - Ian North

Birdlord - I Would Fall.

Grunge and psychedelic Indie Rock are making a return, just the way Birdlord from Bern (Switzerland) play and love it. You can hear it on their upcoming EP Serpents Prayer, whose centerpiece is the playful single "I Would Fall". "I Would Fall" marks the beginning of a handful of new tracks and leads the way toward the band’s debut album, set for release in summer 2026.

The band is new (founded in 2023), young, and hungry. And they’re making waves as metalinside.ch enthusiastically wrote after one of their first concerts. The influential blog praised the band’s sound as a “mix of Grunge and atmospheric rock,” highlighted the “cool vocal presence” of lead singer Lily, and described the music as having “emotional depth.”

One thing is clear - Birdlord are serious about their craft. And they spare no effort when it comes to visuals either. I Would Fall is accompanied by a true piece of art: the cover  as with their debut EP  was created by renowned illustrator Qian-hui Yu (UK), known for designing artwork for Khruangbin, among others. Her work not only gives Birdlord a distinctive visual identity but also underscores the artistic depth of the band.

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Photo - Jessie Morgan

Wildes - All I Get.

London-based singer-songwriter Wildes (Ella Walker) has announced the release of her second album 'All We Do Is Feel' on 12th September. Having recently shared first single 'Wipe Away The Tears' feat. Tonguetied, this week she releases new track 'All I Get'. 
 
She explains: "Writing 'All I Get' really took me on a path I wasn’t expecting, both in its messaging and how the production emerged. It was a liberating song to write - I had spent months musing on how little I had, how so much had been taken from me emotionally, leaving me feeling bereft - but I realised in writing it, that ‘all’ I had left was in fact abundant and rich. Left in the wake of that break-up was evidence that I had really lived and loved, I had received so much support from those around me, and I had made it through a transformative period that pushed me into becoming a better person. This song makes me feel like a living thing".

When moments slip through our fingers and no feeling is final, WILDES’ returning album is a monument to the love which remains. 'All We Do Is Feel' marks Ella’s reinvention: a kind of radiance that can only be earned when everything – your life and your art – is razed to the ground and built again in faith to a new vision. The story that unfolds across All We Do Is Feel is one which we all recognise: one of love, heartbreak and renewal. But when we are lost in the arctic-white of emotion, when everything is at its most bitter and unending, WILDES will take you by the hand and walk you out of the storm.
 
Co-produced with her best friend Elena Garcia (Tonguetied), the album was recorded in Garcia’s childhood home, and the music is completely unguarded and fearless in the face of experimentation.

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Fishing 4 Compliments - Ghosts.

Ghosts is taken from their uplifting catchy 'hook-laden' second album due for release 13th September 2025. Fishing 4 Compliments are a quirky Huddersfield-based female fronted indie-folk-pop band which emerged organically around lead singer Eileen’s emotive & enigmatic songs. The songs began to be steadfastly encouraged and brought to life initially by Ashley (rhythm guitarist) who gradually reeled in Jim (lead guitar & backing vocals) and Steve (bass guitar & backing vocals) with all three being part of a 60s band at the time. 

Jim initially played drums on the songs but made the game changing decision (which was to be pivotal to shaping the band’s unique sound) that he’d like to switch to playing lead guitar. Before joining the band officially Steve had long been in the background supporting the songs and had always been their dream bass player and was also to become the group’s guru of harmonies.

All four have long shared a passion for developing and creating a sound they like to call their own which has developed naturally through the eclectic mix of influences from which they draw which include; The Beatles, XTC, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, The Cure, The Smiths, The Sundays and The Cranberries, to name but a few. 

Over the years the four core members of the band have much appreciated times shared with their initial drummer Ben and later David on drums and percussion and his daughter Fenella who has been a brilliant dep drummer/percussionist for the band on many occasions. Beckoning pastures new and changing life circumstances have dictated that for now the Fishing crew continue their journey as a four piece outfit with these three star contributors remaining close to their hearts.

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Ian North - Cliffs of Portugal.

Canadian folk-rock artist Ian North returns with “Cliffs of Portugal,” a moving new single that blends elegant guitar work with vivid storytelling and a profound sense of longing. Anchored by North’s evocative lyrics and delivered in his signature “Fallen-Angel Folk-Rock” style, the track captures the bittersweet beauty of travel, memory, and facing the horizon after profound loss.

The song was sparked by North’s time spent on the southwestern tip of Portugal, where he stood at the same vantage point said to have inspired King Henry the Navigator to send his fleet into the unknown. While personal experiences from that trip shape the imagery, the song also resonates with the grief of losing North’s father only months before writing it. “Cliffs of Portugal” becomes a symbolic journey – sailing out over the western sea, beyond what’s familiar, toward something both hopeful and haunted.

“I had some experiences while traveling that ended up in the lyrics, but in the back of my mind was always the idea of sailing over the edge of the known world,” North shares. “Especially after my dad died, it became about what we leave behind and what we find when we cross into the next part of the journey.”

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The Cords - Alex Fernet - Honey Motel

The Cords - Fabulist.

The Cords are the brightest new indie pop band from Scotland. Comprising sisters Eva and Grace Tedeschi, they started playing drums when they were little kids.  They found that they liked 80s and 90s indie music more than their peers did, and so formed a band, just the two of them, with Grace on drums and Eva on guitar – and the songs started to flow. Skep Wax Records (UK/Europe) & Slumberland Records (US) will release their debut album on 26 September 2025.

First single ‘Fabulist’ is a sweet and catchy pop song that races along, so headlong and hooky that, on first listen, you could miss the fact that it’s a wholehearted take-down of people who lie for a living.  And the album is a rollercoaster from that point onwards.  ‘Just Don’t Know (How To Be You)’ turns the jangle-meter up, quickly giving way to ‘October’, which pushes it higher still.  A lot of the songs are short and sweet, but the album is full of surprises.  ‘Yes It’s True’ comes in with real swagger, then softens you up with Lush-like vocal harmonies.  Closing track ‘When You Said Goodbye’ is a dreamy tearjerker. 

The album was produced by Jonny Scott and Simon Liddel, and it respects the band’s stripped down DIY approach. There is some bass guitar (played by Eva and Grace) and occasionally a keyboard pokes its head above the surface.  But these elements are simply doing their job: the real stars of this record are Eva’s sinuous guitar and silky vocals, and Grace’s clattering, expressive sing-song drums.  It’s the sound of two sisters having an intense musical conversation with each other, pushing each other on to greater heights, exhilarated by the set of perfect pop songs they have magicked up.  

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Photo - Riccardo Michelazzo

Alex Fernet - Hey Lady.

Post-funk artist Alex Fernet has recently announced the release of his new album 'Modern Night' on 26th September via Bronson Recordings. Alex Fernet has already shared two singles from the upcoming record: 'Sunlight Vampires,' which introduces a recurring character of the album and 'The Nightdrive,' described by Alex as the album's manifesto, depicting a night journey through eerie, deserted streets.
 
This week sees the release of the third and final single, 'Hey Lady'. This track is more intimate: a whispered confession in a smoke-filled lounge. There’s romance here, but it’s disillusioned, filtered through VHS fuzz and draped in the kind of synth-pop sadness you might hear from a car stereo in 1983, parked outside a closed-down bowling alley.
 
Self-produced by Alex and mixed and mastered by Maurizio Baggio (Boy Harsher, The Soft Moon), 'Modern Night' musically defies easy categorisation. There are echoes of AOR radio ballads, post-industrial funk, and soul music stripped of optimism. Think of it as future nostalgia with dirt under its fingernails: a deeply contemporary work that rejects digital perfection in favour of analogue imperfection. As Fernet puts it: “In an era of over-edited sound, the most radical act might be to let things breathe.”

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Honey Motel - Milk.

Ahead of their set on the mainstage at Y Not festival, Liverpool's Honey Motel announce the upcoming EP Motel FM and share the radiant new single ‘Milk’. Opening with an illusory opening acapella vocal, ‘Milk’ soon bursts into a buoyant wall of indie through jazzy guitar chords, thick bass and tight offbeat drums. As the track reaches its euphoric chorus, the band's alt-rock side shines through as the vocals soar high above the crunching guitar tones, creating a sound instantly comparable to Nothing But Thieves. 

Produced by Alec Brits (Clean Cut Kid, Michael Aldag, St Catherine’s Child), the new single builds on the acclaim the band have previously gained across national press and radio alike, showcasing the bands evolution as they build towards the release of the new EP. 

Talking about ‘Milk’, guitarist Sam explains: “Milk explores the quiet unraveling that happens when you're unable to open up, especially in moments of emotional low. The song captures the struggle of bottling things up, of feeling detached, numb, and disconnected from the world around you, particularly through the lens of male vulnerability. 

Inspired by Freddie’s own experiences, Milk sits in that tension: the fear of speaking, the pressure to keep going, and the subtle cracks that form when you can’t. The lyric “where are the drums” becomes a cry for distraction, a metaphor for the urge to drown out what’s really going on inside, or a question of why life doesn’t feel as effortless as it seems for others. It's a track about losing grip, quietly, and what it sounds like when no one hears it.”

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Tawny Ellis - Greta Gaines - Gregory Page & Friends - Josienne Clarke

Tawny Ellis - Edge Of The World.

Edge Of The World weaves together cinematic soundscapes with folk, pop, rock, and country inflections. Ellis’s signature tenor guitar and mountain dulcimer are the foundation, layered with lush arrangements and haunting melodies. It’s the title song from her new album, Edge of the World.

The title track features a breathtaking guest appearance from Daniel Lanois, legendary producer for U2, Bob Dylan, and Emmylou Harris. Lanois contributes piano and pedal steel on the track, imbuing it with a haunting, woodwind-like atmosphere. “It was a dream come true,” Ellis says. “Listening to him talk about music is a master class.”

Born in Savannah, Georgia, currently living in Los Angeles. Tawny is known for her thought provoking lyrics and musical compositions. Her work has a distinctive elegance and dimension indicative of an artist who has created an identity of her own. Mastering diverse instruments such as lap steel and mountain dulcimer creating layers in her magical compositions. Her work has a distinctive quality rooted in sweet Southern folk indicative of Patsy Cline and Emmylou Harris but most noteworthy, Ellis' voice.

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Greta Gaines - What Do You Want.

Greta Gaines is excited to announce the August 29th release of her new album. Bird Before Light. To get the party started, she has released the first single, “What Do You Want.” About the single Greta stated, “This song is about this time of life, transition time: into being the youngest of the old people ;) When the kids leave, it’s a huge time of reckoning that begs the questions” what do I want now?  What’s still possible for me? Am I too old to keep putting out records? Is it too late to start over?”  I DO want a second shot and the last laugh. The song is sung to myself as a reminder just to keep writing and recording.”

According to Gaines, the new album, Bird Before Light, is about getting out of one's comfort zone as a songwriter, one who typically writes alone and in solitude." She explains, “It explores certain themes that I find myself wrestling with in midlife — empty nesting, newfound anxiety, resistance to change, grief, and betrayal — while also pursuing faith, finding the simple joy that comes with sharing time with old friends, and immersing myself in the beauty of nature and the natural world.” 

The album, produced by Jim Reilley, mixed by Eric Fritsch and Mill Logan, and was recorded at Ken Coomer’s Cartoon Moon and Eastwood Studios in East Nashville. In addition to Greta playing guitar, the album features drummer Ken Coomer (Wilco), Jim Reilley on bass, Eric Fritsch (Marty Stuart) on electric guitar, piano, keyboards, Grammy winner Tim O’Brien on fiddle and harmony vocals, Adam Ollendorff  (Kasey Musgraves) on pedal steel, Kevin Roentgen (Buckcherry) on electric guitar, and Raul Malo (The Mavericks), and Dan Bern (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.)

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Gregory Page & Friends - Right Now Not Tomorrow (Live).

Singer-songwriter Gregory Page’s positively charged album ‘One Hell Of A Memory’, which features his good friend & co-producer on the album Jason Mraz singing on several tracks, has just had a UK & Ireland release. A highlight from ‘One Hell Of A Memory’ is ‘Right Now Not Tomorrow’, a rousing anthem, combining both Americana and traditional folk elements, for getting up, seizing the day and letting the good times roll. Alongside the album release, Gregory has also now dropped a beautiful live performance video of ‘Right Now Not Tomorrow’.

‘One Hell Of A Memory’ imparts a message of optimism and urgency, complete with catchy melodies, beautiful harmonies and an array of special arrangements performed on Banjo, Fiddle, Mandolin and Irish Uilleann pipes by the likes of Dennis Caplinger (Eric Clapton) and Eric Rigler (Braveheart, The Titanic). While the sounds are reminiscent of yesteryear, the lyrics get us on our feet and dancing toward a brighter tomorrow. Page's wordplay and compositions weave tradition with change, blending yesterday with the future and delivering us an uplifting album with all the feels, right now.

You hear it more and more, the phrase “these are strange times.” We wonder what lies ahead and what shape “normality” might take if and when life begins to sink back into a more relaxed pace, free from all of the anxiety. They say good can always come from adversity, of the anxiety. They say good can always come from adversity, and that’s how it’s been for Gregory Page, with time to pause, reflect and reassess much of what went before and hopefully look forward to brighter, less angst-filled days ahead.

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Josienne Clarke - What Do I Do.

Today, critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and guitarist Josienne Clarke has announced she will release her new album, Far From Nowhere, on October 17th via her own label, Corduroy Punk. Alongside the announcement of the album's release date, she is sharing new single 'What Do I Do?'. 

The album will be accompanied by a short film titled Deluded, directed by Alec Bowman_Clarke, offering a candid, behind-the-scenes portrait of the album’s creation. Currently screening at festivals, the film will be shown throughout Clarke’s UK tour this October - full dates now announced - before its general release on November 30th.

Following the release of the haunting ‘Tiny Bird’s Lament’, new single 'What Do I Do?' asks the question: if anything is possible, where do you even contemplate beginning? With a chugging chord progression and puttering drum machine, the track channels a twitchy, conflicted restlessness. It could be about creativity, motherhood, partnership, relationships — and all of these at once. The beauty of Clarke’s writing is in its openness: there’s an assurance in letting ambiguity sit and trusting the listener to meet it on their own terms.

There’s an irony that cuts to the bone on Far From Nowhere, the new album from the critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and guitarist Josienne Clarke. Long admired for her crystalline voice and unflinching lyrical gaze, Clarke has always had an ability to evoke a communal melancholy. But with this LP, recorded at a remote Scottish cabin, she’s achieved the feat of stripping away the barriers between artist and listener. What emerges is a record of remarkable intimacy and integrity as Clarke embraces stillness and vulnerability. She sought total isolation but ended up creating something even more profoundly connective.

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Tullycraft - The Altons - Rogan Mei - Pony Gold

Tullycraft - Jeanie's Up Late Again and Blaring Faith by The Cure.

The indiepop nerdy cuddle-core pioneers Tullycraft are back with a new future classic indiepop single/video "Jeanie's Up Late Again and Blaring Faith by The Cure" off their upcoming new album Shoot the Point, which comes out on August 22nd on HHBTM Records. If you are a indiepop fan the albums are filled with inside jokes and music nerd easter eggs. Bouncy, snarky, very tongue in cheek, and always good for a couple of laughs.

Over the years, Tullycraft has penned a handful of songs that practically define the twee movement in America. The chorus "fuck me, I'm twee" was the refrain that launched a thousand t-shirts. “The Punks Are Writing Love Songs” introduced bratty punk to hummingbird twee. "Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend’s Too Stupid to Know About" encapsulated an entire music scene in a single song. And yet despite this, for most, the band exists somewhere near the edges of obscurity. Occasionally, they receive a nod (like when their album 'Old Traditions, New Standards' was featured on Pitchfork's list of the 25 Best Indie Pop Albums of the ’90s) but these spotlights don’t tend to happen as frequently as one might think.

While the mainstream has largely ignored Tullycraft, their status in the indie pop underground is undeniable. Formed in Seattle in 1995, they are considered to be one of the bona fide pioneers of the American twee pop movement. Touring relentlessly during the last gasp of the truly independent indie-underground, they influenced countless young bands. They were once called “the Johnny Appleseed of Indie Pop — making their way across the country, leaving new bands, zines, and record labels to sprout up in their wake."

Indie pop icons Tullycraft are back! After six years of whatever bands do when they’re not making albums, legendary troublemakers Tullycraft are back with a new studio album, Shoot the Point.

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The Altons - Love You Like That.

The Altons return with a one-two punch of sublime summertime sounds. Featuring the ever-soulful Adriana Flores on lead vocals, "Love You Like That" finds the group exploring a funkier, crossover sound that masterfully blends the infectious hooks of classics like Foster Sylvers "Misdemeanor" with the feel-good bounce of contemporary R&B. On the flip is "I Try I Try" - a floaty, mid-tempo banger off of their smash debut LP on Penrose, Heartache in Room 14.

The Altons are a soul rock group with a twist of Latin inspired flavors and rhythms. Their music is driven by intense grooves from the rhythm section that will bring you to your feet, while soulful leads inspire lovers to dance a little closer. When they take control of any stage you can always expect a fun and energetic time.

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Photo - Mckenzie Reive

Rogan Mei - Lefroy.

Drawing from a life spent between wild northern landscapes and intimate moments of reflection, Rogan Mei returns with “Lefroy,” a hopeful and heart-pulling indie folk track about self-discovery, resilience, and return. Anchored in quiet emotion but expansive in imagery, the song is part meditative memoir/part mountain summit.

Inspired by a painting of Mt. Lefroy by Lawren Harris – viewed during a visit to the McMichael Gallery on the anniversary of his mother’s heart transplant – “Lefroy” emerged as a metaphor for personal reckoning. “As we stood looking at this mountain, I imagined myself climbing it,” says Mei. “The first line and melody just popped into my head, and I wrote the rest in the days that followed.”

The track’s evolution mirrors its lyrical arc. Originally longer and more subdued, “Lefroy” was restructured for live performance as part of Canadian Musicians Co-operative’s Showcase tour before being recorded for his upcoming Dickies Green Plaid Jacket EP. Rather than opt for a studio, Mei and his band recorded it in the house he grew up in – immersed in nature, memory, and intention. “Everything (except the female vocals) was recorded in the same room, by people I know, playing real instruments,” he says. “Very few records are made that way anymore.”

Rogan Mei · Lefroy

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Pony Gold - Impossible Dream.

After a run of well-received shows and growing attention across Canadian radio and press following the release of “Big In The City,” alt-country artist Pony Gold returns with “Impossible Dream”, out now via Neon Moon Records. She has also announced her upcoming album High Road Reverie, set for release on October 3rd.

Written in the early stages of her sobriety, “Impossible Dream” feels like someone surfacing for air, only to find the world above just as suffocating. Over steady, unshowy instrumentation, Gold reflects on the quiet grind of survival; where rent, debt, and disappointment circle like clockwork. It’s not a plea for sympathy so much as a hard-won admission: sometimes, even hope feels out of reach.

“I wrote this song in the early days of my recovery when I was just beginning to navigate life without substances. It came from a place of anger, and reflection on how I had been living, where I was headed, and the deep frustration I felt with the state of the world,” she says. “These days it feels like no matter how hard you work, you cannot get ahead. The cost of living is relentless, and for many of us, survival means choosing between groceries, rent, or something to numb the pain. The weight of debt, the fear of bills, the sting of realizing a hundred bucks barely gets you through the checkout line - it can all feel hopeless.” 

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Other Lives - Lydia Luce - The Hello Crows - strongboi

Other Lives - Show Us Some Love.

Following the announcement of their 5th studio album Volume V (out October 10 via Play It Again Sam), Other Lives come back with new song "Show Us Some Love". It’s a love song of sorts, with all the passion and complexities that a relationship contains, in this case, it’s evoked by dialogue between the Gods and man: “about why the other won’t give enough love,” lead singer Jesse says.

Other Lives is an American band formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma, by multi-instrumentalists Jesse Tabish, Jonathon Mooney, and Josh Onstott. Known for their cinematic sound and orchestral arrangements, the group emerged with a distinct musical identity that blends classical influence, emotional depth, and sweeping melodies. With roots in the windswept prairies of the Midwest, they’ve built an international following through their expansive live performances and richly layered studio recordings. 

Now a five-piece band, the group includes vocalist and songwriter Kim Tabish and producer-percussionist Danny Reisch, adding new textures and creative collaboration to the fold. Across five albums, Other Lives has continued to evolve, expanding their sonic palette while staying grounded in their original spirit of experimentation and storytelling. Their music is both intimate and epic, drawing on a range of influences that span from chamber music to post-rock and modern folk. Whether on stage or in the studio, Other Lives remains dedicated to crafting immersive soundscapes that resonate deeply and endure.

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Photo -  Katie Silvester

Lydia Luce - Mammoth.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lydia Luce has announced her new album Mammoth, is due out October 31st. Produced with longtime collaborator Jordan Lehning (Kacey Musgraves, Joy Oladokun, Caitlin Rose), the new record documents Luce’s triumphant journey of self-discovery and finding a sense of peace. Along with the announcement, she shares the album’s sweeping opening title track, which was inspired by her winding road back to physical health after a period of debilitating chronic pain that forced her to step away from music. Arriving with a dreamy music video filmed in the great outdoors, “Mammoth” also sets the tone for the upcoming album, which incorporates nature recordings into the soundtrack for this current chapter of tranquility.

About the new song, Luce says: “‘Mammoth’ was written with Jake Finch and Collin Pastore, two incredible producers/songwriters. I loved writing this with them, we kept the guitar parts from the day we wrote it because they are so incredible! The music video was created with Jason Lee Denton and Aliegh Shields. We hiked over 30 miles on the Rocky Mountains with my husband Ryan assisting. It was an incredibly magical time in nature with buds. Grateful that we have this time capsule of a video to remember it.”

In 2023, Luce was diagnosed with a herniated cervical disc, bilateral carpal tunnel, tennis elbow and an inflamed bone. At one point, the pain was so bad she could barely hold her instruments. She was medically advised to stop playing at the time but music is her life, quite literally, as an artist and session violinist, and she continued until the pain was so bad she finally had no choice. Surgery, plus a newfound understanding of her body, has left her in a much better place. “I had never asked for so much help,” she says. “I couldn’t open or carry anything. But now I’m happy to say I’m stable, strong and playing my instruments again.”

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Photo - Kelly Baker

The Hello Crows - Red Flag.

Castle Records, Atlantic Canada’s only Indigenous run label, is announcing the label’s first album release from Wabanaki-based band The Hello Crows and sharing the new single “Red Flag.” 

The band's self-titled debut is set for release on September 30th, coinciding with Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Day—a fitting moment for such a resonant and heartfelt record. The album is a bold and clear take on heartland rock that centers indigenous stories and incorporates the native musical traditions of the Wabanaki band, composed of Dylan Ward, Judie Acquin, Emilio Quinn Bonnell, & Mattie Comeau.

Quote from the band on "Red Flag" - “A soulful reflection on red flags in love, this song stands as an allegory for the deep-rooted warnings, betrayals, and unresolved tensions between the Government of Canada and the Mi’kmaq Nation.”

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Photo - Daklis

strongboi - one thing.

This week, strongboi share their latest single ‘one thing’ as they head off on tour with ‘Men I Trust’ around the US. Radiant and full of joy, the release of ‘one thing’ offers a much-needed dose of respite from the world’s darkness. Guided by Alice’s angelic vocals, the track delivers an encouraging moment of quiet self-assurance amongst the buoyant keys and joyous melodies.

The upcoming tour with Canadian indie greats ‘Men I Trust’ will be taking strongboi across North America. ‘one thing’ is the third single to be teased from strongboi’s upcoming new EP and follows on from ‘special’; a blissful offering that arrived back at the end of May. tmrw magazine described it as ‘a stand out example of strongboi's signature playful passion’ and today’s new single looks to be a stellar next step.

strongboi is a passion fueled project of long time friends & collaborators Alice & Ziv. They began with a super lo-fi vision of using mainly casio keyboards & toys, but today they have filled out and evolved as a full band project.

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Tiberius - The Outers - Living Hour - Bunnygrunt - Texas Headhunters - The Bats

Photo -  Zoe Hopper

Tiberius - Sag.

Boston’s Tiberius have announced their new album, ‘Troubadour,’ for release via Audio Antihero on November 14th. "Sag" is taken from ‘Troubadour,’ the label debut of Boston’s Tiberius. Originally a solo outing for songwriter Brendan Wright (they/them), the lineup has evolved into a catchy and cacophonous four-piece. With a sound that blends Indie Punk, Alt Country and Psychedelia with confessional but conversational lyrics, Tiberius have dubbed their sound “Farm Emo.” 

After a series of self-releases, which received great praise and support from New England-based press like Allston Pudding and Penny Mag, ‘Troubadour’ sees Tiberius make their label debut with Audio Antihero (Frog / Avery Friedman / CIAO MALZ). 

Artist Statement for "Sag": "Sag is about this dreaded ‘Allston to Bushwick’ pipeline we have in Boston. A lot of musicians end up using Boston to cut their teeth before heading off to New York or LA to pursue their music careers. I wrote ‘Sag’ when I was really playing the ‘comparison game’ in my head and asking myself what role I wanted music to play in my life. It was the first in a batch about looking at yourself in relation to the others around you and trying to decipher who you are without that context.“ – Brendan Wright.

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The Outers - Wishy Washy.

The Outers Channel Gritty Glamour and Sonic Edge in New Single “Wishy Washy” Has the time come for another classic London band? The type that bring a uniquely British slant to indie pop and somehow call to mind the entire city’s heritage of catchy personality led guitar pop from X-Ray Specs & The Bellestars to Lush & Echobelly To The Libertines & The Noisettes. Well, here come The Outers to fill that void for the modern audience with their perky new summer single Wishy Washy.

“Wishy Washy” opens with a sharp bass-line and tight dance groove rhythm section before erupting into a chorus packed with raw emotion and biting delivery. The lyrics chart the downfall of a character fuelled by selfish ambition and surface-level charm, exposing the cracks beneath a carefully curated façade. There is a real sense of narrative tension here, told with both sonic swagger and lyrical edge.

As chirpy as the tune may be, the lyrics actually deal with dark subject matter: “It is about a character driven by disguised self interest always trying to take advantage of people and situations, despite permanent efforts to project a glamorous appearance and chase popularity, actions guided by circumstances and greed will clash with his narrative. Acting behind closed doors to gain power by isolating others or pinning them against each other, the character does not realise his intentions show.” - Ade (Singer).

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Photo -  Devonte Johnson

Living Hour - Wheel.

Winnipeg band Living Hour releases "Wheel" this week, the first single from their fourth album Internal Drone Infinity, out October 17 via Keeled Scales. 

Lyricist Sam Sarty writes: "The story of 'Wheel' begins with buying a car off Facebook Marketplace in BC. Turns out the car was junk, but I had no choice but to drive it home to Winnipeg. It took 3 days. I was driving through the mountains, and the headlights were so dim, and for a stretch there was nowhere to turn off. It felt like a weird, horrific video game–navigating the road and dodging danger and trying not to die. I also felt so deeply betrayed by all the men involved in the whole thing."

The song captures a certain powerlessness involved in the affair: the car salesman handing over the keys, the cops interrogating from the side of the road, the ex arguing from the passenger seat. Sarty continues: "In this song, I was able to imagine an alternate reality where I’m a vengeful spectator in these men's lives. What if I had died on the road, and what if I came back and plagued them all with my powerful essence that they so easily dismissed, contorted and took advantage of in order to sell me a fucked up car?"

Anchored by Sarty’s vivid lyricism, shaped by years as a projectionist conjuring stories in a dark theater, the band explores the quiet magic hidden in everyday life. With wistful vocals, textural distortion, and poetic detail, Living Hour capture the ache of memory, the mess of feeling, and the beauty in what remains.

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Bunnygrunt - Eggy Greggy.

St Louis, Missouri's favorite indiepop nerds Bunnygrunt are to return with a 30th Anniversary reissue of their long out of print cuddle-core classic 'Action Pants.' The band dug deep and unearthed lost recordings that were left off of the album due to last minute line up changes way back in the day. The album will now finally be heard in the way it was meant to way back 30 years ago adding three never before heard tracks. The album comes out on August 8th on HHBTM Records and the band's own Sillymoo Records label.

 St Louis e’er-do-wells Bunnygrunt sprung fully formed into the Great Indie Pop Underground of the early 1990’s, when gas was cheap, 7” singles grew on trees, and every zine had a reader. After a hugely successful turn at 1994’s YoYo-A-GoGo festival and a steady stream of 45’s, the band hit the studio in early 1995 to record their full length debut Action Pants for LA scene makers No Life Records. 

Unfortunately, the band lineup shifted and the track list contracted between recording and release, leaving a few songs on the cutting room floor. Now is the time to re-introduce the world to the Action Pants it needs now more than ever. Alongside the breezy perfection of Just Like Suppertime, the clattering feedback frenzy of GI2K, the jangle motorik of Open Up And Say Oblina, and the other hits you know and love, faithful Bungalos can now feast their ears on the shambling glory of Eggy Greggy, the transmission from another planet of Maude (in two parts!), and originally planned pre-release single Inanimate Objects. 

Meet Action Pants: The Thirtieth Anniversary Director’s Cut! A split release between Georgia’s Happy Happy Birthday To Me & St Louis’s Silly Moo, it’s just like the old one, only, like, better…

HHBTM Records · Eggy Greggy

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Photo - Ray Redding

Texas Headhunters - Gimme Some Love.

Texas Headhunters aren’t here to play it slick; they’re here to play it real. This week, the trio of Johnny Moeller, Ian Moore and Jesse Dayton, drop “Gimme Some Love,” the third single from their self-titled debut album, out August 22 on Hardcharger / Blue Élan Records.

This time, it’s Johnny Moeller stepping out front. Long known for his razor-sharp guitar work with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Moeller shows a new side of his artistry here -- cool, sly, and soaked in Texas groove. Think Ray Wylie Hubbard swagger meets Delbert McClinton soul, with a little Billy Gibbons grit for good measure.

“This one came together real quick in the studio,” says Moeller. “I’m playing rhythm and singing while Jesse and Ian laid down the ‘ancient art of guitar weaving,’ Texas style, all in one live take. The song’s about looking at this crazy world and realizing we all just need a little more love. I was stuck on the third verse, and my wife said, ‘write something about your dog.’ So, ‘my little sweet Talullah’ made the cut.”

Lyrically, “Gimme Some Love” is a gritty gospel-blues plea for redemption, cut with humor and heart. It’s a song about breaking bad habits, riding the soul train out of trouble, and shining a light in the darkness. Musically, this track rides a low-slung groove. With the swampy pulse of Little Feat, the grit of a Chess Records session, and the laid-back cool of a late-night Austin jam, captured live at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio with producer Steve Chadie.

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The Bats - Lucky Day.

New Zealand indie rock royals, The Bats, have recently had their heads down recording new music and have today announced their 11th full-length album, ‘Corner Coming Up’, out on October 17th via Flying Nun Records. The new album strikes a very distinctive and familiar chord that exists in the fuzzy-loving hearts of fans all round the world. Throughout their 40 plus years of existence, and now with 'Corner Coming Up' ready to share with the world, The Bats have stayed true to their roots, creating timeless music that continues to resonate with fans old and new.

The Bats are Robert Scott, Kaye Woodward, Paul Kean and Malcolm Grant. Since their inception in Christchurch in 1982, The Bats’ music has earned a devoted following around the world, and they remain one of New Zealand’s most cherished and enduring exports. The band has a phenomenal ability to create melodies that linger long after the record has stopped spinning.

This week the band have also shared their brand new video single ‘Lucky Day’. Shot out of a suitcase by Marc Swadel, Julian Reid and Kermath, while on work trips, the accompanying lo-fi psychedelic video was shot in Florence, London, Tokyo, Doha, Taipei, Liverpool, Zagreb, Manchester and Hong Kong with the band filming themselves in Christchurch. This is the fourth Bats video by director Marc Swadel (who has previously worked with Crowded House, Thurston Moore, The Datsuns, Jonathan Bree, Sparks, Liam Finn, Duran Duran, Head Like a Hole and The Chemical Brothers).

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LAWN CHAIR - Wyldest - Bird Streets - Emmett Jerome

LAWN CHAIR - War Machine.

German-American indie punk outfit LAWN CHAIR is set to make waves with their highly anticipated debut album, You Want It! You Got It!, slated for release on September 5th, 2025. Today the Berlin-based outfit share new single ‘War Machine’, accompanied by a new live video, the single is a poignant tribute to front woman Claudia Schlutius’ father.  

Over the past three years, the Berlin-based band has carved out a reputation as one of Germany’s most vital and uncompromising new bands. Formed around Seattle-born vocalist and lyricist Claudia Schlutius, the five-piece have brought their exhilarating live energy to festivals like The Great Escape, Reeperbahn and Fusion, toured the UK and Germany, and shared stages with Sleaford Mods, Primal Scream, Getdown Services, Deadletter, and more. With two EPs produced alongside Olaf Opal (The Notwist) and Chris Coady (Beach House, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), they’ve already made serious noise. But You Want It! You Got It!! marks their most expansive and self-assured work to date.

Written during a time of personal and creative transition (as Schlutius and guitarist Eric Haupt relocated from Cologne to Berlin), You Want It! You Got It!! was crafted between November 2023 and September 2024, with extensive pre-production shaping its unique sound. The album’s title, a lyric drawn from ‘The Next Big Thing’, is a tongue-in-cheek response to the relentless demands of the music industry. Lyrically and sonically, the album draws inspiration from the absurdities of late-stage capitalism, fragile male egos, the never-ending quest for inner peace - and Schlutius’ own complicated relationship with both her family and her U.S. origins.

Their new single ‘War Machine’ is a tribute to her aging father, a Vietnam veteran and commercial fisherman in Alaska, whose fiercely independent spirit left its mark on her. “You’re a War Machine” becomes a line directed both outward and inward, a recognition of inherited restlessness and the fragility of the people we admire.

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Photo - Tom Gaiger

Wyldest - All It Would Take Is A Phone Call.

Yesterday, Wyldest returned with her poignant new single 'All It Would Take Is A Phone Call'. Out now via Hand In Hive, the track release follows her widely adored 2022 album 'Feed The Flowers Nightmares'. A delicate meditation on familial estrangement ("Now you’re just another memory / Locked away inside my veins / On your way to leave an everlasting stain"), 'All It Would Take Is A Phone Call' channels the quiet ache of a relationship defined more by blood than by real connection. 

The accompanying self-shot video, filmed by Wyldest on the moors of Connemara in Western Ireland, draws a poetic parallel between the song’s theme of lost connection and the birthplace of modern communication. “I came across a big egg-shaped monument called the Marconi and was fascinated by it. It was in the middle of nowhere – standing alone as a tribute to Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor of the first wireless telecommunication device. I thought, ironically, that was a great link,” Wyldest says.

Sitting at the intersection of ambient dream-pop and intimate singer-songwriter confessionals, Wyldest’s unmistakably weightless vocal is set against a backdrop of skeletal guitars and airy production textures - recalling the stillness of early Cat Power or the emotional incision of Sharon Van Etten. 

The song’s unhurried pace allows its emotional gravity to settle, drawing the listener into a space of painful reflection and quiet acceptance. Delivered with an almost terrifying emotional precision, Wyldest captures something rarely articulated in song: the quiet, slow ache of becoming strangers with someone you once called family. 

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Bird Streets - Mistaker.

Mistaker, the new single from Brooklyn's Bird Streets (John Brodeur) is a gritty minor-key rocker with enough hooks to last the rest of the summer. It has shades of solo Chris Cornell, the Shins, and the Stones, but overall this is very much a Bird Streets jam–lyric-forward, guitar-driven, and melodic to a fault. We think it's going to sound great on the air.

This is the lead track from the third Bird Streets LP, The Escape Artist, due October 17 on the Plastic Dreams label. The Escape Artist was produced by Jason Falkner (Beck, Daniel Johnson, St. Vincent) at his Los Angeles studio. It's a paranoid guitar-pop record, rife with themes of isolation and existential dread. Recorded over four years, beginning in the early days of the global pandemic, The Escape Artist runs the musical gamut from claustrophobic folk to anthemic indie-pop to punk-rock freakout. While largely a two-man affair, the album features guest spots by Gina Romantini (Wallflowers, Jayhawks), Zach Jones (Sting), and Oscar Albis Rodriguez (A Great Big World).

The Bird Streets sound has been described by The Deli as "rock music with mainstream potential that sounds timeless and honest." The 2002 album, Lagoon, featured contributions from folks like Pat Sansone (Wilco), Ed Harcourt, Aimee Mann, John Davis (Superdrag), and Jody Stephens (Big Star), while the self-titled 2018 release became something of a cult power-pop hit on the strength of single "Betting On The Sun." Bird Streets was selected as a Slingshot Artist by NPR Music, and has been featured by Paste, Magnet, Shindig! and many more.

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Photo - Poppy Morrish (photography)

Emmett Jerome - Nothing To Do.

With a weathered voice and a heart tuned to the truth, Emmett Jerome returns with "Nothing To Do," an upbeat, warm country-rock ode to growing up in a tiny foothills town. It's a wistful look back at carefree days, wild nights, and the bittersweet sting of outgrowing the place – and the people – you love.

Written about his own coming-of-age in Bragg Creek, Alberta, "Nothing To Do" pays tribute to sun-soaked river hangs, midnight highway drives, and stolen cases of cheap beer under prairie moons. "Growing up there meant a lot of freedom in the outdoors," says Jerome. "When I turned 18, I left for good and said goodbye to a lot of formative friendships. This song is about the loss of leaving not only that place behind, but the good people of Bragg Creek too."

The track was recorded live off the floor to hi-fi tape, capturing the raw energy of Jerome's band in the room, before layering in baritone guitar, harmonica, and Rhodes to flesh it out. "We wanted to use the same technology our favourite classic records were made with. Real analog gear and real musicians," Jerome says.

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