Dubmones - Scott C. Park - Emily Hines

Dubmones - Dubmones (Album).

This takes me back to Dread Zeppelin and in a good way. Rather than trying to be clever, the mixing of The Ramones and Dub actually breathes new life into both dimensions, it's subtle & in your face at the same time & like the aforementioned D.Z. works at all levels.

Inspired by theory: what if a punk rock band like The Ramones would have met at another part of the globe, but at a similar decade?

Inspired by theory: what if a punk rock band like The Ramones would have met at another part of the globe, but at a similar decade? What if they wouldn’t have formed in NYC but Kingston, and how would they had expressed their anti-stance while being inspired by Toots & The Maytals and King Tubby instead of MC5 and the Stooges? A probably bizarre theory – even though they all share a common origin that just took different paths at different parts of the globe: Rock’n’Roll.

But bizarre theories and creating a musically vision are nothing new to the Dubmones: emerged from the entourage of 2008’s dubXanne (The Police In Dub), this latest project does give an insight how it might have sounded if The Ramones would have created their songs in a different way, by still keeping its original attitude and band’s message.
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Scott C. Park - Rose Pink Sky.

Scott C. Park’s debut full-length, Crossing the Line (due 23 May 2025), is a raw, deeply personal body of work that lands with quiet confidence and undeniable authenticity. Scott allowed this record to unfold organically, creating an eclectic yet focused indie rock album, unburdened by genre expectations. There's a warmth and looseness here - think Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and early Pavement, but with a melodic sensibility that pulls from Nirvana and early Sheryl Crow.

Each track feels lived-in, performed with the synergy of a well-oiled live band rather than a polished studio machine. And while Scott cites influences ranging from John Frusciante to Courtney Barnett, the record feels distinctly his own, rooted in personal stories and shaped by a willingness to follow musical instinct rather than trend.

The album title Crossing the Line carries multiple layers, each explored with lyrical nuance. The first half of the album deals with the pragmatic slog of daily life and human experience, crossing the line from youth to adulthood, while the second half deals with the transition from faith to skepticism. It’s deeply autobiographical, but never alienating, Scott’s reflections are specific yet universally resonant.

One of the more poetic threads comes from his familial maritime tradition. “Crossing the line” refers not just to personal thresholds, but also to an old merchant navy ceremony for sailors crossing the equator, where roles are reversed and traditions are honoured.

Opener and last single ‘Rose Pink Sky’, is a meditation on the soul-crushing routines of adulthood, working a day job, chasing funding, holding onto creative dreams through the haze of fatigue. The lyrics are filled with wit (a huge ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ joke in verse two) and the guitar solo is, in Scott’s words, “like a slingshot rollercoaster launch”, exhilarating, explosive, and deeply satisfying.

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Photo - Ellie Carr

Emily Hines - My Own Way.

Nashville-based songwriter Emily Hines announces her debut album These Days, out August 1 via Keeled Scales. Today she shares the lead single "My Own Way." "This is the last song I wrote for the record. I wrote it on my porch in Nashville. I felt stuck in place and needed to sing myself out of it."

"This recording ended up playing an important role in shaping the sound of the album. At first, we weren’t planning to track any live drums on the record. We enjoyed playing with drum machines, and the cassette presented some challenges to recording live drums. But we got in an experimental mood one day and asked our friend John-Ruben Medina to play on it for us. We were so happy with how it sounded that it inspired us to record live drums on some of the other songs as well."

A self-described chronically-sincere farm girl, Hines grew up on a farm in rural Ohio before moving to Nashville where she played in other songwriters’ projects before recording her own songs on a 4-track cassette recorder.

Hines worked with producer Henry Park. Together they drew inspiration from acts like Duster, Laura Marling, and Karen Dalton to record simply and add layers one at a time.

Emily Hines · My Own Way

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Monday’s Monsoon - The Salt Collective - The Gentle Good

Monday’s Monsoon - Sink/Swim/Fly (Album).

As albums go, this is one of those that needs to be heard in full, rather than the odd track peppered in a playlist somewhere. Monday's Monsoon have delivered a standout album in the crowded market place of modern folk and indie music. In fact trying to put them in any one or two genres is difficult they cover far more than that, doing so with some beautiful, thoughtful songs and lyrics. Highly recommended by Beehive Candy.

About the band: Monday’s Monsoon are a London-based band weaving together dreamy, folky indie rock with introspective lyricism and soulful songs that traverse hope and longing. Drawing influence from artists like Elbow, Fink, John Butler, and Radiohead, the band has carved out a sound that feels both grounded and ethereal — built for deep introspection yet filled with roaring moments of triumph that demand to be shared.

Their music explores nostalgia, trust, and the quiet strength of human connection, wrapped in warm guitars and soaring melodies. Whether through headphones or on stage, Monday’s Monsoon create space for their audience to feel part of something both vast and comfortingly close.

Their recent album launch at The Amersham Arms marked a milestone in the band’s journey, cementing their reputation for captivating live performances — shows that crackle with energy, sincerity, and a sense of belonging.

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The Salt Collective - Last Day That We’re Young.

The international super group the Salt Collective returns with a six-song EP of fresh recordings due for release May 23. 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."

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The Gentle Good - To Be in Summer.

Written in an off-grid cottage during a year- long residency in the Cambrian Mountains, The Gentle Good’s new album ‘Elan’ is a psychedelic portrait of the Elan Valley in Powys, Wales. Featuring songs in both Welsh and English, ‘Elan’ explores the landscape, history and politics of the valley, which was flooded at the end of the Victorian era to create a series of reservoirs for drinking water.

The third single from the album, ‘To Be in Summer’ is about the romantic notion of the rural idyll, how we are drawn to such places and fantasise about a never-ending summer. The song is partly inspired by the famous romantic poet Percy Shelley, who was so enchanted by the scenery of the Elan Valley he tried his best to move to there to live.

The title comes from the Welsh word ‘Hafod’, which translates literally as ‘to be in summer’. A ‘Hafod’ is a summer dwelling, linked to the traditional practice of moving livestock to the upland pastures in summertime. The practice, known as Hafod and Hendre (old town), was common for centuries in Cwm Elan. The new album ‘Elan’ will be released on the May 16th 2025.

The Gentle Good · To Be in Summer

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Penny & The Pits - The Boneshakers - Kacimi & Initials MB - Skinny Lister

Photo - Nicole Cecile Holland

Penny & The Pits - Pool Party.

Penny & The Pits is the new project from Maritime stalwart Penelope Stevens. Perhaps best known as one third of the feverish art rock band Motherhood, Stevens is also a vital organizer, collaborator and visual artist in New Brunswick’s weird art and music underground.

Liquid Compactor (album due out on June 27), the debut statement from Penny & The Pits, is the result of Stevens putting their voice front and center for the first time. It’s a gritty, adventurous punk-rock album that processes feminist joy, rage and revenge. Across the album’s ten tracks, Stevens tears through a series of personal and collective traumas with a pulpy sense of exuberance. “I spent a lot of time making challenging work that would test both myself and the listener,” they reflect. “Now, I’m trying to make music that feels good; music that connects the heart to the body.”

That connection is felt immediately on lead single ‘Montenegro On Ice’, a rollicking song about the lure of hard memories and the lengths we go to avoid them. It’s a heady number with a buzz on–confidently skewing the line between vintage Deerhoof and present-tense St.Vincent. ‘Pool Party’, the second single, is an allegorical surf-punk banger about solidarity. It portrays a badass group of femmes who ‘crew up in the deep end’ and ‘shave their heads like Sinead’.

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The Boneshakers - I’ll Kick A Brick (For My Man).

The Boneshakers are back with “Live To Be This”, their 11th studio album and their most electrifying release to date, dropping on July 18, 2025, via renowned Blues Label Gulf Coast Records.

The pair recently signed to Gulf Coast Records and have this to say: "This album is a love letter to the music that shaped us, gritty, soulful, and alive. In a world of digital perfection, Live To Be This is all about real musicians playing with feeling, and we couldn’t be more excited to have some of our favorite artists joining in on the fun as special guests.” – Jenny Langer. "Little did I know that Jenny and I would find ourselves in such great company via Mike Zito’s very cool Gulf Coast Records. Just beautiful, positive energy pouring from all involved, living for music and the musicians. A great new home for the Boneshakers! - Randy Jacobs

The new album follows the band’s previous chart-topping success with “One Foot In The Groove”, which dominated the US Soul Blues radio charts and reached #1 on the UK Blues radio charts. “Live To Be This” vows to bring a raw, electrifying energy that harks back to the band’s original sound, fueled by the emotive vocals of Jenny Langer, who joined as lead vocalist in 2020. Langer, an International Blues Challenge (IBC) winner (Best CD), brings her powerhouse vocals to the forefront, delivering standout performances across every track. Fans won’t have to wait long for a taste of the album, the first single, "I’ll Kick A Brick (For My Man)", just dropped on April 25, 2025.

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Kacimi & Initials MB - Dernier invité.

French chanson meets psych-pop elegance in “Dernier Invité”, the brand new collaboration between Kacimi and Initials MB. Just released (April 25) this bittersweet track blends vintage textures, lyrical storytelling, and timeless flair. A hypnotic invitation into their singular sonic world. his is the first of two joint singles, to be followed by “Aquarelle” on May 23rd. 

Both tracks were recorded in the heart of the French countryside, in Initials MB’s lair – an enchanting 18th-century house nestled in Nord-Isère. The music carries the aura of a life outside of time, blending cinematic pop, psychedelia, and garage rock, much like the two artists’ respective solo productions.

Kacimi and Initials MB go way back – to the buzzing Lyon rock scene of the late 2000s, with their bands The Rebels of Tijuana and The Small Ties. Now reunited, they’ve crafted two songs that started as instrumental compositions by Initials MB and were transformed into haunting lyrical pieces by Kacimi, sung in the language of Ronnie Bird and infused with his signature fuzz-driven sound.

“Dernier Invité” (Last Guest) is a fuzzed-out garage track that pays tribute to soldiers on the battlefield – a powerful and timely anthem in today’s troubled world. Here, the fuzz guitar returns as a sonic weapon for peace. Stay tuned for the second single, “Aquarelle” – a nostalgic English-style country folk song, where pedal steel and swirling organs evoke a faded memory from the late 60s.

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Photo - Josh Massie

Skinny Lister - Song From The Yonder.

Skinny Lister step into Spring with their chest-swelling new single "Song From The Yonder". With Lorna and Dan digging deep to channel their inner Kirsty MacColl and Shane MacGowan, the title-inspiring track of their upcoming new album, ‘Songs From The Yonder’, is a striking duet to stir the soul.

Set to a score of swaying celtic arrangements that lift and lilt the listener along their journey, the song acts as an open and earnest conversation between the couple about love, life, and longing.

Opening-up about "Song From The Yonder", Dan Heptinstall says: “‘Song From The Yonder" is a proper conversational duet between Dan and Lorna. It’s a song about longing and returning from distant travels to where the heart is. It’s also a song about looking beyond petty disagreements, putting things in perspective and embracing the things that connect us.

We’ve not properly explored this duelling vocal approach since "George’s Glass" from our album ‘Down On Deptford Broadway’, and it was a lot of fun to return to writing and recording a track with this kind of dynamic. It’s also a good companion to a track like "Six Whiskies" - with its ‘end of the night’ ‘drunken waltz’ feel.”

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North Mississippi Allstars - St. Catherine's Child - Fast Followers - Alexandra Alden

Photograph by Michael Emanuele

North Mississippi Allstars - Stay All Night.

North Mississippi Allstars return with Still Shakin’ on June 6, 2025 via New West Records. The 11-track album was produced by Luther & Cody Dickinson. Still Shakin’ follows their acclaimed 2022 album Set Sail, which No Depression said was “their most soulful, funky creation to date.”

To make their twelfth album, the North Mississippi Allstars went back to the beginning—namely, their 2000 debut, Shake Hands with Shorty. Luther Dickinson says, “Still Shakin’ is a celebration of our life-changing first album, which we released 25 years ago, and a love letter of appreciation to everyone who supported us and kept us in the game all these years. In the spirit of our debut, we recorded Mississippi classics that despite inspiring us to start the band in 1996, we have yet to record.  We also wanted to feature our fantastic band mates Joey Williams and Rayfield “Ray Ray” Hollman who inspire us to no end.

Their contributions elevate NMA to new heights.” Still Shakin’ is a daringly inventive expansion of that album, showing how much the Dickinson Brothers have grown in the last 25 years. The point wasn’t to re-create the sound of Shake Hands with Shorty, but to recapture that spirit of invention and excitement. Back in the day, the Allstars came up with the phrase "Modern Mississippi Music" to describe their collision of styles and attitudes: an obsession with Mississippi Hill Country and Sacred Steel cross-bred with their punk/psychedelic jams. Still Shakin’ embodies that idea with every note and incorporates wild explorations, weird experiments, and unexpected influences into their sound.

“Though always a Junior Kimbrough favorite, NMA has never recorded 'Stay All Night' until now, featuring Junior’s son Robert Kimbrough on vocals and guitar (recorded at Duwayne Burnside’s Juke Joint, just down the road from Junior’s old spot) and NMA bandmate Joey Williams (Blind Boys of Alabama) as well Jojo Hermann (Widespread Panic).”

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St. Catherine's Child - New Eden.

Transatlantic indie folk/Americana artist St. Catherine's Child (Ilana Zsigmond) released her touching new single ‘New Eden’ on April 25th, the second single off her highly anticipated debut album This Might Affect You, (out June 15th) following the release of ‘Negative Space’ last month.

Approaching the difficult perspective of romantic love in the face of grief, St. Catherine’s Child’s latest offering is a heartfelt piece which explores the chasm between crushing sorrow and joy from one’s partner. The suddenness of her father’s passing was the creative motivation for the single, stemming from the realisation that in spite of the anguish and pain, life has to move on no matter how dark. In a touching reflection, her signature wistful voice floats above tender indie-folk instrumentation as she navigates the importance of the people who helped her hope and dream while still grieving.

“New Eden is about meeting my partner mere months before I lost my father, about the uncomfortable dissonance that formed between such incredible happiness and utter sadness,” Zsigmond explains. “Life doesn’t ask you if you’re ready before it moves on, but that does mean hope and love spring absolutely eternal, no matter how dark it gets on the journey.”

‘New Eden’ will be the second offering from 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."

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Fast Followers - Figure It Out.

This really is a fine song, where creativity and natural talent combine. The lyrics engage, the band have the hallmark of session musicians making it all seem easy, the final result however is as mentioned a fine, no make that delicious and captivating song.

Emerging from the sonic chambers of DC's vibrant music scene, Fast Followers materialized in 2024 when a group of session players gathered in the studio during what witnesses describe as "the most fortuitous power outage in District history." This shape-shifting collective blends keyboard-driven melodies with an alchemical fusion of alt, prog and classic rock DNA, somehow managing to sound like the love child of a 70s radio station and a time-traveling indie band from tomorrow.

Their debut EP—birthed during a feverish weekend of instrument-swapping and triangle solos that the recording engineer claimed "didn't just fill the room, it transformed it." —captures the raw electricity that happens when classically-trained fingers meet garage band hearts. Fast Followers doesn't just cross decades; they fold the musical timeline into an origami crane and then teach it to play synthesizer. This is their invitation: tune in, turn up, and follow them down the rabbit hole.

"Figure It Out" by Fast Followers We've figured it all out: Chemistry, Telecommunications, Biology... Nothing's impossible anymore. Or is it? Will we ever reach our limit? This keyboard-driven track on the debut EP from Fast Followers has a bouncy vibe that hints at the fusion of musical influences that come together when this band powers up.

Fast Followers · Figure It Out

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Alexandra Alden - magnolia.

Malta-born indie artist Alexandra Alden returns with her evocative new single, ‘magnolia,’ a song that delicately explores themes of vulnerability, resilience, and cultural identity. The single is the first glimpse into her upcoming album When is it too late?, set for release this autumn.

The song’s genesis can be traced back to a romantic dawn encounter with magnolia blossoms in a small Welsh town, followed by a spontaneous night on Brighton beach during The Great Escape Festival. Just as the magnolia flower blooms before its protective leaves appear, ‘magnolia’ captures the fragile yet unwavering strength of stepping into the unknown. ‘magnolia’ celebrates beauty breaking through the cracks.

The accompanying music video is a collaboration with animator and director Gideon van der Stelt, the ŻfinMalta National Dance Company, and Malta’s Museum of Archaeology. Van der Stelt, whose work explores liminal spaces and isolation, developed a visual narrative that blends historic frescoes with contemporary movement, creating a dreamlike meditation on the anticipation before a performance. Shot during the 2024 edition of Intimate Żfin - coinciding with the inaugural Malta Biennale - the video showcases choreography by ŻfinMalta’s Artistic Director, Paolo Mangiola, illustrating the tension between stillness and transformation.

Alden’s upcoming album, When is it too late?, takes inspiration from Sylvia Plath’s fig tree metaphor, exploring the weight of choices and the paths left untaken. This deeply introspective collection follows her previous albums, Wild Honey (2018) and Leads to Love (2021), and represents her most fully realised work to date. Drawing on her multicultural upbringing and nomadic experiences, the album’s sonic landscape is a fusion of indie and ambient influences where British and American new-wave folk meets Mediterranean warmth, appealing to fans of artists like Laura Marling, Billie Marten, Adrianne Lenker, and Weyes Blood.

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