Emily Popli - Natalie Holmes - The Indie Pea

Photo - Tyler Core

Emily Popli - Alight.

Singer-songwriter Emily Popli releases her new single Alight, the track is a powerful duet featuring the prolific vocals of Matt Giraud.

Written from the perspective of a partner struggling to make ends meet in their relationship, “Alight” carries out an emotional mantra that packs a punch. The soulful vocals of Emily Popli and Matt Giraud accompanied by the melodic electric guitar give the track a passionate feeling. With production styles mixing pop, folk and soul, the vocals of Emily Popli can be compared to those of Kacey Musgraves or Adele. Overall, "Alight" holds out hope for clearer waters ahead, as Emily Popli insists that the flames in her relationship will never burn out.
 
What makes the upcoming album Lilith Fair Kid unique is its unapologetic honesty, as Emily Popli shares true stories of struggles she’s undergone and relationships that have changed her. Emily Popli named the album after the women who helped shape her as a musician. Taking bits and pieces from Sheryl Crow’s vocal style and Sarah McLachlan’s songwriting, the songs display a heartbreaking yet brave vulnerability as she details an ongoing struggle with depression. Emily Popli has something she needs to get off her chest, and “Alight” provides the perfect platform for that.

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Natalie Holmes - To Be A Woman.

Natalie Holmes has quickly gained the attention of Beehive Candy with the brand song (and video) To Be A Woman once again impressing us again in a big way. 

The song is a raw and honest reflection on the beautifully tangled experience of womanhood. It's laughable how drastically our perception of ourselves and the world’s perception of us can shift from day to day. This is not a song about being feminine, it is a song about having to navigate the word ‘woman’ and everything it holds.

The rules are always changing, yet the pressure to follow them remains constant. Natalie honours both the frustration and the quiet, surprising joy within. Lilting, angelic, and swimming in sarcasm, this other-worldly piano ballad is scattered with playful percussion, strings and harp, as well as interesting harmony and vocals that’ll stir your insides like soup.

Lilting, angelic, and swimming in sarcasm, this other-worldly piano ballad is scattered with playful percussion, strings and harp, as well as interesting harmony and vocals that’ll stir your insides like soup. To Be A Woman is ahead of Natalie’s next studio album “Opposite Day” due out Friday 17th October.

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The Indie Pea - Mirrored Days.

The Indie Pea raises the bar once again with “Mirrored Days” a shimmering follow-up that leaves no doubt about the strength of their upcoming EP.

If previous single Echoes And Answers felt like a breakthrough, Mirrored Days is a full-blown arrival. Lush, melodic, and emotionally precise, the track balances clarity and complexity with stunning ease. Strings swell, guitars shimmer, and Campbell Anderson’s vocals cut right through — reflective yet resolute.

The Indie Pea first turned heads with their debut EP The Questions, a rich and thoughtful collection of songs that introduced their unique blend of atmospheric indie rock and orchestral pop. That release laid the groundwork — but this new material shows a band coming into full focus.

With Mirrored Days, The Indie Pea proves their debut was no fluke. This is the sound of a band confidently stepping into its next phase, crafting songs that echo long after the final note.

TCBYML · The Indie Pea - Mirrored Days

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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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