Ashley Monroe - Syante - Bliss My Heart

Photo - Erika Rock

Ashley Monroe - Magnolia.

Singer/songwriter Ashley Monroe has released “Magnolia,” the latest single from her forthcoming album Tennessee Lightning due out August 8 via her label Mountainrose Sparrow. Co-written with Waylon Payne and Brendan Benson, the new single arrives with an official video shot in Muscle Shoals, AL directed by Erika Rock. 

“Waylon Payne, Brendan Benson and I wrote this song back in 2015. It’s haunted me ever since. We were on a Bobbie Gentry train-of-thought that day… musing as to what she might be up to these days and talking about how much her music affected us. We let ourselves get deep into the Mississippi Delta. I definitely honed in on that part of my own soul. I like sleeping on sheets of satin too... but you sure can’t hide my gingham soul,” Monroe explains about the new single. 

About the video, she adds: "From the day we wrote this song, I saw the scenes I was singing about in my mind. And when it finally came time to shoot the video, I knew we had to go to the Delta. We didn't have time to go all the way to Mississippi, but we went to Muscle Shoals and with a little help from our friends, we were able to create exactly what I had envisioned."

Next month, Monroe will celebrate the 10th anniversary of her GRAMMY-nominated 2015 album The Blade with a one-night-only show at Nashville’s The Basement East on July 25, where she will perform the record in its entirety. In August, she’ll celebrate the release of Tennessee Lightning with a performance at The Grand Ole Opry on August 8 before heading to the UK and Europe for a run of co-headlining shows with Fancy Hagood.

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Photo - Chris Jensen

Syante - Save Ourselves.

Indian-American artist Syante is proud to unveil her solemn new single, “Save Ourselves”. Serving as her fourth ever single, the new track is now available on most streaming platforms via Future Youth Records. 

Underneath a glistening soundscape Syante sets the melancholic tone with her heavy lyrics, “It’s such a shame / paradise ablaze”. “Save Ourselves” was inspired by the recent wildfire tragedies that gripped LA, invoking a poignant message about treating our environment with more care. With mellow yet unwavering vocals, she delivers an earnest plea for listeners to wake up and realize the gravity of our situation. 
 
Syante speaks in greater depth behind the new single’s inspiration: “The inspiration for Save Ourselves began with a single moment that shook me: waking up in Los Angeles during the wildfires to a city blanketed in ash, the sky an eerie gray, and the air heavy with smoke. It felt post-apocalyptic — almost like waking up after a bomb had dropped. That experience made something click. It wasn’t just about climate change in the abstract anymore — it was here, now, and undeniably personal. That moment became the lyrical and emotional seed for the song. There’s a collective sense of apathy — a belief that someone else will deal with it, or worse, denial that there’s even a problem. This album is a direct response to that. It’s a call for accountability and awareness. It's about shaking people out of complacency.”

Created this May, “Save Ourselves” features a legendary contribution from Dr. Fink from Prince and the Revolution, with a majority of the production handled by his son, Maxwell Fink. Throughout the process of producing the new track, it was imperative that the soundscape mirror the haunting and emotional lyrics. As a result, the sonic outcome blends dreamy textures with haunting undertones, creating a delicate, yet beautiful track that contains a subtle darkness lurking underneath. 

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Bliss My Heart – Sinner Sinner.

A low pulse, a raw voice, a tension that simmers beneath every beat. In “Sinner Sinner”, Bliss My Heart delves into the murky space between desire and self-control, where vulnerability becomes a hidden strength.

Blending gritty rock energy with sleek electro textures, the track walks a tightrope between power and fragility — intense, haunting, and strikingly cinematic.

It doesn’t just play — it lingers, it breathes, it burns slow and deep.

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From the Dirt - Juliet Lloyd - Chwaer Fawr - Mollie Elizabeth

From the Dirt - Colored Edge of Memory (Album).

From the Dirt is an Americana band from central Maryland fronted by Daniel Kenny, with Jeff Karn (Mandolin), Megan Leigh (harmony vocals), and Eddie Dickerson (fiddle). Their harmony-soaked songs reveal Bluegrass, Celtic, Americana and rock & roll influences. The songwriting is imagery and wordplay, with songs of heartache, addiction, love, loss, and loneliness.

The new Album, Colored Edge of Memory  was produced and recorded by Jerry Brown (Doc Watson, Lucinda Williams, Watchhouse / Mandolin Orange, Steep Canyon Rangers) at The Rubber Room studio in Chapel Hill, NC. Guest musicians include Joseph Terrel (Mipso) on guitars, Joe MacPhail on drums and keys, Rick LeFleur (banjo), and Robbie Link (Townes Van Zandt) on upright bass.

In “Silver Maple Spinners” we hear a dream of a lost love - back as a ghost - set against a tense Celtic rhythm. “Afterwards, on the Greyhound” is an atmospheric tale of strangers, together in their loneliness, with a crescendoing outro of fiddle virtuosity. Bluegrass songs such as “Angeline” and “Trainwreck at the Bluegrass Jam” pick up the tempo and reduce the tension, while “Quitter” and “Trick of the Dark”, songs of addiction and loss,  raise it up again. “Luthier” is a tour-de-force anthem about the joy of playing music together, the beauty of woodworking, and the threads that tie us to those who have come before. 

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Juliet Lloyd - Reno Cure.

Ahead of her first ever UK tour starting next week, acclaimed US singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd just launched a new single ‘Reno Cure’. Written with and produced by Todd Wright (Lucy Woodward, Butch Walker, Toby Lightman), ‘Reno Cure’ is an epic, emotionally packed, Americana-tinged track that sees Juliet once again dealing with the ending of her relationship.

“I thought I was done writing about divorce,” says Juliet. “My last album, Carnival, was full of songs inspired by the experience of going through it, the aftermath, and moving on. Turns out I wasn’t quite done with the topic. Last year, I read a book about the famous “divorce ranches” in Reno, Nevada in the 1950s. At the time, Nevada had the loosest divorce laws in the country. All you had to do was reside in the state for six weeks, and you could get a no-fault divorce.”

Shortly after releasing her sophomore album in 2007, US-based singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd walked away from music completely for more than 10 years, feeling burned out and unhappy with her career progression like so many other independent artists. After going through a divorce in 2019 and in the midst of a global pandemic, she found herself pulled back toward the siren call of songwriting and again making the leap to pursue it full time. Her latest album ‘Carnival’, released in 2024, is in many ways the culmination of those decisions, and the reintroduction of an artist who now has the wisdom of experience.

There’s an unmistakable urgency you can feel when a song is written and performed from a place of complete honesty. That feeling permeates ‘Carnival’. “I’ve always been envious of writers who say they write songs because they have to, because they had these things they just had to get out of themselves,” Juliet says. “I had never really felt that way until this album. I’ve become someone who writes because they have to.”

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Chwaer Fawr - Diwedd (Album)

Chwaer Fawr is the solo project of 'Mari Morgan', known for her time with Rogue Jones, Bitw and Saron. Her debut album (released this weekend), oxymoronically titled Diwedd ('end'), is a quiet turning point marking both a conclusion and a beginning. Written and recorded slowly, at home and with friends, Diwedd grew organically and patiently. After years of playing in other people’s bands, this time it's her own quietly defiant voice that's front and centre.

Sung entirely in Welsh, Diwedd explores the tension between innocence and responsibility, between personal vulnerability and quiet resistance. It hints at the duality between the wonder of new motherhood and the anxiety of the modern world, threading in themes of peace, hope, and the urge to rise above it all. Birds and flight are recurring images throughout as symbols of freedom, fragility, and defiance. The album doesn’t seek resolution, but offers space to sit with discomfort, wonder and change.

Musically, Diwedd lives in a wonky, artful corner of alt-pop. It balances off-kilter textures with melodic clarity, gentle warmth and sharp detail. The record features contributions from a reliable circle of collaborators, including Llŷr Pari (Gwenno, Omaloma), Alex Morrison (Cate Le Bon, H. Hawkline), and Gwion Llewelyn (Aldous Harding, Villagers), with production from Gruff ab Arwel (Bitw, Y Niwl), who helps shape its tender strangeness.

Despite it's title, 'Diwedd' isn’t a full stop; rather, it’s the exhale after a long breath in. It marks the end of the slow, steady making of a debut, and the start of a more personal musical chapter. The album is both a personal journal and a quiet protest, not against one thing, but against forgetting what matters. It might not shout, but it stays with you. Sometimes, an ending is the most powerful way to begin.

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Mollie Elizabeth - Dirty Blonde (EP).

This weekend, the 21-year-old Washington State-based artist Mollie Elizabeth released her debut EP, titled Dirty Blonde via Neon Gold / Virgin Music. Known for her whimsical, melancholic, and empowering songs, the Pacific Northwest artist describes her music as “tiny worlds”, a refuge shaped by her upbringing in the Washington woods, suffused with old-Hollywood elegance and emotional depth. 

Mollie co-produced her newest song, “Doe Eyes”, along with her Dirty Blonde EP with Dean Reid (Lana Del Rey, Marina) and co-written with Reid and GRAMMY-nominated Casey Smith (Olivia Rodrigo, Ashe, Benson Boone). 

Mollie Elizabeth about her debut EP: “I always knew my first collection of work that I put out would have a story to it, a through line that connected all of the songs together. “Dirty Blonde” represents the tale of most every relationship I've ever experienced, romantic or otherwise - it starts out with a story of self love and discovery, taking yourself out for dinner and gathering crushes on the beach, before galavanting into the riptides of love and loss. I hope you can find your story in it too!”

Mollie Elizabeth · Dirty Blonde

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Abbey Lane - Freedom Fry - Rodney Crowell - Briscoe

Abbey Lane - Burning Out.

‘Burning Out’, is the latest dulcet single from Abbey Lane, out this week. With 13 years of experience behind her, Abbey Lane has developed a distinct voice marked by smooth instrumentals and masterful vocals, a combination that continues to turn heads.

Now, in her first-ever self-produced track, Abbey strips things back with ‘Burning Out’, crafting a gentle, intimate soundscape. Guided by soft synths and a subtle electronic beat, her delicate vocal delivery leads listeners through a song that is both minimal and emotionally layered  deep in its simplicity.

This meditative track allows the lyrics to take centre stage. Written for anyone feeling overwhelmed or unsure of their place in the world, ‘Burning Out’ offers solace and a moment of stillness in a chaotic world. As Abbey shares:

"This track is for anyone having a quarter life crisis. I wrote it in a confused time of feeling lost in my twenties, where some friends are getting married and having kids, others are living day to day travelling the world, and I was conflicted between knowing what I should want and where I should be."

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Photo - Michelle Shiers

Freedom Fry - Best Friend (Album).

French American indie-pop duo Freedom Fry has released their fourth studio album, Best Friend, along with the official music video for the album’s lead single and title track. Featuring chilling synths, psychedelic beats, and hypnotic vocals, “Best Friend” is a moody dance track about a toxic friendship. The spellbinding chorus features the playful children’s rhyme “cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye” setting the tone for the rest of the album. The accompanying video features paper mâché versions of the group’s members Marie Seyrat and Bruce Driscoll kidnapping the real versions of themselves a la the film Coraline.

“The album came together as we started setting old poems like Poe's ‘The Raven’ to music, exploring timeless themes through a darker lens,” shares Freedom Fry. “The title track ‘Best Friend’ perfectly captures that shift.”

Best Friend is an exploration of timeless themes like friendship and nostalgia through a darker lens, offering a slightly different vibe than the indie-pop Freedom Fry have become known for. The 8-track independent collection also includes the dreamy single “A Farewell,” which has been featured in Apple Music’s New In Alternative playlist. Full track listing below.

Based in Los Angeles, Freedom Fry is comprised of the married duo of the Paris-born Seyrat and U.S.-born Driscoll. Since the release of their 2018 debut album Classic, Freedom Fry has created their own musical universe – writing, producing, and recording their vastly growing catalogue. Freedom Fry’s songs have been remixed by the likes of Sofi Tukker and Penguin Prison and championed by KEXP, WXPN, the BBC, SiriusXM’s Alt Nation, Howard Stern himself, Billboard, Clash, Flaunt Magazine, NYLON, Vice, and more. The duo’s songs have also appeared across television and films, with their 2021 single “Le Point Zéro” featured in the film M3GAN. They also scored the music for the BAFTA Award-winning TV show Lovely Little Farm (available on AppleTV+) and wrote the show’s theme song “Animals.” Whether it’s an emotional folk ballad or a fun pop banger, Freedom Fry has an unquestionable knack for melodic mastery and catchy, timeless tunes.


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Rodney Crowell - Sometime Thang.

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.” 

This week, album highlight “Sometime Thang.” has been shared. Crowell says, "Once upon a time a famous movie star made a move on my girlfriend. The mis-title (and spelling) came to me right away. The girlfriend and I have been married over three decades and once in a while the actor shows up in television commercials. No doubt the dude was handsome. But I never thought he was much of an actor. I'm just saying." 

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Photo - Justin Crook

Briscoe - Roughnecks.

Texas duo Briscoe announced the release of 'Heat of July', the bold new album, out on 19th September via ATO Records. Celebrating the great outdoors and their flesh-and-blood roots as husbands and family men, Heat of July marks a major sonic leap for lifelong friends Philip Lupton and Truett Heintzelman, the Austin-based duo known for their signature intertwined vocals and relentless touring alongside acts like Noah Kahan and Dave Matthews Band. 
 
Produced by Grammy-nominated Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats) and featuring a “folk supergroup” featuring Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) and studio musicians who have performed with artists including Bon Iver, Houndmouth, and Hiss Golden Messenger.  With sweeping arrangements and vivid storytelling, the album elevates Briscoe’s raw, rootsy foundation into a polished folk-rock masterwork.
 
This week, Briscoe released 'Roughnecks', a song inspired by a photo of Truett’s great-grandfather, who made his living working gas lines and in the oilfields of Texas. “The song tells the story of a man who spends his long and strenuous hours of work in the fields reflecting on his past decisions and the girl he left behind, with instrumentation and lyrics that pay homage to the trades that are so integral to our Texas heritage”, stated Truett.

The track is a perfect introduction to the new sound from a fully-formed duo chasing down a broader horizon. An album written while on the road, as they travelled across North America, playing everywhere from Canada to Cancun. "We learned how to write music from behind the wheel," Philip says, thinking back to the show-filled schedule that helped transform Briscoe from Texas' best-kept secret into national torchbearers of timeless American Roots. Adding, "Coming up with melodies in our heads, without a guitar or piano nearby, was a necessity for us during those tours. We were on the road so much that we had to become more mobile with the creative process." 

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Jeanines - Haunted Like Human - Michael Lane

Jeanines - How Long Can It Last (Album). 

This is a gorgeous album that we had the pleasure of receiving a couple of months back. For Beehive Candy this ticks so many positive boxes, therefore without any further words lets skip to the background and we hope you get to love at least some of these songs: Skep Wax Records are delighted to be teaming up with Slumberland Records (US) to release a new album from New York indiepop heroines (and hero) Jeanines, How Long Can It Last. 

Over the course of nearly a decade making music, Alicia Jeanine and Jed Smith have charted a distinctive course through the history of pop, evoking influences as varied as the 60s folk of early Fairport Convention and Vashti Bunyan, the sunshine pop of Margo Guryan and Laura Nyro, and indiepop touchstones like Dear Nora, Marine Girls and Dolly Mixture.

The new album finds Jeanines grappling with themes of personal upheaval and self-excavation, adding weight to their finest set of songs yet. With Alicia’s lyrics incisively interrogating connections, ruptures, and time and its reverberations, songs like "Coaxed a Storm," "What's Done Is Done," and "On and On" combine rich melody with co-composer Jed’s crisp arrangements (along with contributions from longtime live show bassist Maggie Gaster) to stellar effect.

Where How Long Can It Last really shines is, as always, in the songs.  While the themes are sometimes heavy, the melodies and harmonies are simply heavenly, elevating these economical songs to give each the feeling of a lost classic.  From the first notes of opener "To Fail" to jaunty closer "Wrong Direction," this album announces itself as the work of a band in full command of their art (and craft).

Jeanines · How Long Can It Last

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Haunted Like Human - Married in Savannah.

Mythology evokes images of gods, titans, demons, and beasts of every kind. Yet, it’s the spark of humanity that keeps us telling and retelling myths. It’s these stories of seduction, inheritance, and hubris that Nashville-based folk duo Haunted Like Human rekindle in the 14 songs on their third album American Mythology, out October 17th. 

Since the release of 2021’s Tall Tales & Fables, Dale Chapman and Cody Clark have been refining their sound rather than departing from it.The result is a shapely set of songs that borrow from universal lore in order to reveal intimate truths. “I feel like it’s my background in fiction that really started us down the path of centering storytelling. It’s what I know and instinctually reach for, and we’ve found a way to make that a cornerstone of what we do,” says Chapman. 

Take lead single “Married in Savannah,” out today June 27th. It’s a bittersweet folk-pop number about watching someone close to you change. The themes are universal whether describing a lover, a friend, or anyone else. “What a shame to see a wild thing be tamed,” Chapman sings, their voice akin to Florence Welch’s mezzo-soprano. Grounded in the context of Southern religion, the song offers rich details about the chapel’s blue stained glass and the groom “shining like his family name.”

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Photo - Melissa Lane

Michael Lane - Lovely.

Lovely" is a song born from a rain-soaked silence — a tribute to the unseen, the abandoned, and the tender grace of those who keep believing in love, even when the world forgets their name.

At the heart of this piece is Lovely, a soul with a scarred past and gentle eyes, rescued not only from the storm but from the long ache of being unwanted. Diggersworld, a haven nestled in the quiet countryside, becomes more than a refuge — it becomes a poem of belonging. A place where weary paws find soft earth, and where trust, like spring, slowly blooms again.

This song is a lullaby for the broken, a homecoming hymn for all creatures who have waited too long. It's a reminder that every being — no matter how small, how weathered — deserves to be held, to be cherished, and to finally sleep without fear. "Lovely" is not just a song. It is a soft promise. A doorway. A wag of the tail in the dusk. A heartbeat that whispers: You’re safe now. You’re home.

Successes such as two top 50 songs in the German charts, four albums, international tours and the single "Liberty" as the official song of the Four Hills Tournament 2015/2016 made the German-American famous. Several songs have already found their way onto Spotify, Apple Music and TIDAL editorial playlists, and are featured by well-known tastemakers such as Alex Rainbird Music, Starbucks Playlists and Double J Music. In addition to his work as a musician, Michael Lane is currently also active as a songwriter for Production Music and as a music producer in his remote "Studio Waldblick“.

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