Wednesday, 10 September 2025

Natalie Holmes - Home Front - Emily Hines - Blue Loop

Natalie Holmes - Alone Time.

Natalie Holmes just dropped a new music video for "Alone Time" ahead of her studio album "Opposite Day" due out Friday 17th October and it's another superb track that raises expectations even further for the new album. We have also added the tracks shared so far that are available on Bandcamp.

A nod to that ‘you always want what you can’t have’ feeling, ‘Alone Time’ is a sonic self-confrontation wrapped in shimmering pop meditation. 

Where the rest of the album roams, this track stands its ground, providing a steady and unwavering foundation for an eternal tug-of-war between craving solitude and needing connection, coupled with the haunting sense that you might be too tangled to harmoniously share life with another. Melodic keys based synths pair with a heartbeat 808 kick and addictively silky, catchy vocals, building subtly throughout.



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Photo - Lyle Bell
Home Front - Light Sleeper.

Home Front holds on to a particular kind of passion. The sort of thing that guides you - like a climbing vine steadily blanketing your bests and worsts, cutting through changes and impasses; victory and loss. This passion, their drive, is what makes a record like Watch It Die, their latest full-length for La Vida Es Un Mus, feel just right. 

For decades the duo’s Graeme MacKinnon and Clint Frazier have embedded themselves in grass roots music making, community building, and the overpowering ebbs and flows of diy punk. With Home Front, formed in 2020, they’ve given their lifetime of experience a chance to distill and then power into this musically omnipotent project which equally conjures textured Tangerine Dream sounds in a film montage, or the pummelling soundtrack to the first steps taken towards winning the fight of your life.

Its lead single “Light Sleeper” sends energy waves rattling through speakers with all the urgency and volume of post punk/new wave/street punk. The track is available today alongside a video which features a cast of characters including Home Front touring members Brandi Strauss (bass), Ian Rowley (guitar), and Warren Oostlander (drums). The new album 'Watch It Die' is coming on November 14 via La Vida Es Un Mus Discos.


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Photo - Ellie Carr
Emily Hines - These Days.

Last month Nashville-based songwriter Emily Hines released her debut album These Days via Keeled Scales. This month she releases her cover of the Jackson Browne classic by the same name. 

Emily writes, "I first heard 'These Days' about ten years ago while I was on the road opening for Corey Kilgannon. Jackson Browne was my on ramp into the folk rock that guides much of what I make.'These Days' quickly became a song I returned to over and over. Its meaning to me only expands over the years. I’m honored to offer my rendition of such a timeless work."

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.


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Blue Loop - Luxury Chords.

Last month, London-based electronic artist Blue Loop, the moniker of Merseyside-born producer and performer Emma Hall, announced her debut album Cycles would be released on November 7th. Crafted during the treatment for stage 3 breast cancer in summer 2023, Cycles weaves together analogue synths, layered vocals, and found sound to trace a raw, non-linear path through illness, identity and transformation.

Hall announced the album in July via the sharing of the its title-track. Early praise from CLASH called the single “a beautifully sonorous excursion into analogue electronics.” New single ‘Luxury Chords’, out today, showcases a different side of Blue Loop’s repertoire. A woozy, love-soaked ballad written for Hall’s partner during the bleakest days of chemotherapy. Of the track, Hall says: 

"I wrote 'Luxury Chords' deep into chemo, about the love that can arise out of deep grief and sorrow. By that point everything felt so bleak – yet me and my partner had reached this weirdly beautiful, isolated place that it felt like only we could understand. One of his favourite songs is 'If I Am' by My Bloody Valentine, which he loves for its “luxury chords” – it has a kind of janky, soulful chord progression. The best gift I could think of was to write him a track with some more luxury chords just for him.

The track features a beautiful, James Bond-esque string arrangement from Amy Chalmers (who also wrote the strings for Bill Ryder Jones’ album Iechyd Da). Amy was my first music teacher at school, and when I was diagnosed she got in touch to offer me a string arrangement - the most amazing gift! When this song emerged I knew it would be the perfect fit.


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Tuesday, 9 September 2025

Wyldest - Manic Pixxies - Fred Brown - Saintseneca

Photo - Tom Gaiger
Wyldest - Old Flame.

We have been massively impressed with Wyldest who this week shares new single 'Old Flame' the latest single from her newly announced album 'The Universe Is Loading' out 14th November via Hand In Hive. 'Old Flame' follows the album's previous tasters 'All It Would Take Is A Phone Call' and 'After The Ending'. Based on what we have heard so far, Wyldest (
Zoë Mead) is an artist to listen out for, the album  is eagerly anticipated!

Written after visiting California’s Sequoia National Park in the aftermath of wildfires, 'Old Flame' parallels nature’s cycles of destruction with human trauma. Opening like a spark on dry earth, guitars crash and shimmer while Wyldest’s voice cuts through the incandescent indie rock backdrop, pulling imagery from scorched forests and collapsing relationships, where destruction becomes the very condition for growth. The accompanying video, filmed in Connemara on Ireland’s west coast, follows Mead chasing (and ultimately releasing) a vision of her past self against the region’s surreal coastal landscapes.

Speaking more on the release of her new single, Wyldest said: "Old Flame was written after a small run of US shows, when I had the pleasure of visiting Sequoia National park in California. The forest fires had been running rife there and I learnt about the ecology of the area and how the trees up on the mountain grow to be the largest in the world. The trees there grow in a particular altitude and climate and the forest fires are natural to their ability to thrive in the environment. This got me thinking about trauma in the human world and how it could have the same natural tendency to occur and help with personal growth. 

The song reflects on the loss of a relationship ‘I’m longing to be with you again’ and then jumps between the wider context of the turbulent environment our planet is currently in. It re-frames the idea of going through trauma as being natural and something we might (in hindsight) be able to embrace. The idea that you’re letting go of an old version of yourself and leaving it behind in a less progressive time, in order to develop and grow - much like the trees in Sequoia."


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Manic Pixxies - Bluecarpet.

Manic Pixxies are a six-piece band from Switzerland channeling riot energy with a modern indie edge. Since forming in 2020, they’ve built a reputation for raw, emotional songwriting that blends the grit of 90s alternative with the experimentation of today’s DIY scene. Their music thrives on contrasts — fierce and delicate, chaotic and melodic, unpolished yet unforgettable.

Their latest single, Bluecarpet, showcases this intensity with driving basslines, sharp guitar riffs, swirling synths, and vocals that move between softness and fire. Early listeners have called it “good alternative indie rock with punk influences… powerful percussion rhythm, catchy lyrics, and beautiful vocals”, highlighting the 1:40 mark with double vocals as a standout moment. The track has already been added to playlists spotlighting European and Swiss alternative music.

On stage, Manic Pixxies are explosive and cathartic — turning shows into a release of energy where audience and band feed off each other. With Bluecarpet and more releases on the way, they’re carving out their place in the alternative scene as a band that embraces honesty, noise, and emotion in equal measur
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Fred Brown - Distraction.

Acclaimed singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Fred Brown has announced his debut EP and released the title track ‘Distraction’. Recorded at Louis Grace’s studio (renowned for his work with the likes of Mura Masa & kaeto), the new single features Brown himself on drums, Joey Crouch on bass and engineering duties, and Henry Arrowsmith on piano. 

Blending muted guitar tones, delicate keys, unhurried drums, and fragile, heartfelt vocals, Distraction exudes an emotional sincerity and intimacy, wrapping its melancholic warmth around a rich, downtempo soundscape. As comparable to Elliott Smith as it is to Duster, Teethe and even early Bon Iver, the track showcases the indie-folk writing that stylises the upcoming EP. 

Speaking about the track, Fred explains: “The song is about seeing myself as a distraction for others around me. In a both positive and negative way. When writing the words this wasn’t clear to me at first, and I then found it to be that entertaining others also distracts myself from bigger things inside. The things I want in life, and being afraid to try my hardest at them.”

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Photo - Leticia Wiggins
Saintseneca - Viridian Moon (suite of five songs).

Today, Saintseneca released a suite of five new songs from their forthcoming album Highwalllow & Supermoon Songs that will be released on October 31 via Lame-O Records. The band’s first album in more than seven years consists of a ten-song landscape (tracks 1-10) orbited by two sonic “moons,” named for the colors bandleader Zac Little experienced through synesthesia while writing. Out today is the entire Viridian Moon (tracks 11-16), consisting of “Burnt Hand Hymn,” “May Day,” “Battery Lifer,” “Green Ink Pen,” and “Long Winter.”

Saintseneca have also announced a fall album release tour that will kick off on November 5 in Pittsburgh, PA and make stops in New York City, Philadelphia, Asheville, Chicago and more. The tour will culminate in a hometown album release show on November 21 at the Athenaeum Theatre in Columbus, OH. Tickets will go on sale this Friday, September 12. Find a full list of tour dates and ticket information at their website.

The album was born from a period of personal struggle when Little hit a years-long stretch of burnout and found unexpected healing and a creative spark in painting. What began as a meditative artistic practice grew into a collection of paintings that became the basis for a solo exhibition in a hospital gallery and ultimately the hand-painted gatefold jacket that houses the new album. Longtime collaborator Glenn Davis helped shape the recording sessions, while producer Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) brought the songs into full focus with expansive, layered mixes. 


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Monday, 8 September 2025

Gal Musette - Serious Child - Tamar Berk - The Grahams - Rob Smith (a.k.a. RSD) & Ammoye

Gal Musette -Broken Clock. 

Gal Musette is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles whose upcoming third album, Our Day in the Sun, marks a quiet rebellion and a coming-into-self. Known for her delicate, introspective sound, Gal steps into new power with this record, an intimate ode to loss, endings, and the unraveling of old ideals. Vulnerability becomes a strength here, as she sheds the need to please and embraces a raw, unfiltered voice. The album also features a collaboration with Aaron Marsh (of Copeland), who composed the lush string and woodwind arrangement for one of its most poignant tracks.

Her latest single "Broken Clock" is a stunning folk embrace featuring blissful harmonies and delicate acoustic rhythms. She shares, "‘Even a broken clock is right twice a day’ is an old saying that caught my attention when an old boyfriend called me ‘blind.’ I thought then—even with my blind spots, I knew my gut was right in leaving that relationship behind."

In recent years, she’s toured and recorded with artists like Vacations, Jazzie Young, and Georgia Gets By (of Broods), released music with her trio Tin Angel, and opened for Rufus Wainwright and Gaby Moreno.


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Serious Child - First Tattoo.

Serious Child, aka Alan Young, is pleased to announce the release of his fourth album ‘What Lies Beneath’ for 7th November 2025. Hailing from an old wood in West Sussex (England), Young draws from a wide range of influences to explore the world around us with a poet’s ear for emotion and a comedian’s eye for everyday detail.

For the new record, Young has drawn from a wide range of sources of inspiration- from Tony Harrison’s sonnet “Book Ends”, to Rob McFarlane’s brilliant book “Underland” and Georgian traditional lullaby “Iavnana”. The album sees him joined by classical composer and violinist, David Grubb, bass clarinettist, Anna Perry, vocalist and touring partner My Girl The River, and long-time collaborator and producer Chris Pepper.

‘What Lies Beneath’ is a collection of musical stories about what’s underneath the surface of our everyday lives, from a woman quietly riding the bus all day to keep warm, to the prickle of fear exploring an ancient burial chamber and to the joy of a midlife tattoo on the album’s first single ‘First Tattoo’.

In finest pop tradition, ‘First Tattoo’ is literally a three-chord song, centred around a nursery rhyme riff, but played on a kalimba (thumb piano), with loads of lovely texture and interplay from Annie Perry on bass clarinet and David Grubb on violin. “I wanted to write something simple and joyful, without a care in the world”, explains Young. “On vocals, it was a family affair, with daughter Rosa providing backing a-has in addition to My Girl The River, and partner Kate donating her laugh at the whole silliness of it all. And yes, I am getting a tattoo”, he further adds.


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Tamar Berk - ocd (Album).

Tamar Berk released her fifth album ocd across music platforms last Friday, unveiling her most personal and sonically ambitious work yet. The record is a fuzzed-out, reverb-soaked exploration of looping thoughts, emotional spirals, and the strange beauty of overthinking.

Following wide indie acclaim for the first single “stay close by,” Tamar turns the spotlight to the album’s title track and focus single, "ocd", whose music video arrives alongside the full release. A groovy and dizzying layering of Wurlitzer, trumpet, and lyrical repetition, the song is both beautiful and claustrophobic. Teasing synths drift like sirens over an ocd-like refrain: “over and over and over.”

“It’s about the chaos I live with internally, the constant loop of anxiety, memory, control, regrets, and perfectionism,” Tamar says. “But it’s also about trying to find the humor and beauty in it, too.”

Across ocd, Tamar blends fuzzed-out guitars, dreamlike synths, warm piano, and intimate vocals into songs that examine identity, anxiety, memory, and the patterns we cannot escape. The album’s 12 tracks move between loud catharsis and quiet confession, capturing the absurd, messy, and sometimes hopeful loops of the mind. Each song connects like a fragment of a larger story, both personal and cinematic. With distorted guitars, dreamy piano lines, and diary-level confession, ocd is as melodic as it is mentally spiraled. It is Tamar’s most vulnerable and self-aware work, while also being her catchiest.


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Photo - Julian Gross
The Grahams - The One Who Remembers.

Acclaimed Americana-pop duo The Grahams have released their new single “The One Who Remembers.” The deeply personal piano ballad from married couple Alyssa and Doug Graham is a heartbreaking tale about a loved one struggling with Alzheimer’s and the impact it has on an entire family. “The One Who Remembers” is the latest offering from the group’s fourth studio album, The Bridge, out October 10th via 3Sirens, following the releases of their singles “Only New York” and “Found It In Us.”

“This song is the most personal song we’ve ever written,” shares Alyssa. “It is an authentic, unfathomable, and devastating look into a life story and struggle. Ultimately, I think it is a song about acceptance and remembrance.” - “‘The One Who Remembers’ is a small glimpse into a long and arduous battle,” adds Doug. “The unimaginable reality of memory loss and the realization that love is never forgotten.”

The Bridge marks the first time The Grahams are giving listeners an honest glimpse into their personal lives within their music. The 11-track collection, named after the George Washington Bridge, which transported the New Jersey natives to New York City during their formative years, is inspired by their everyday lives. For the album, The Grahams found themselves embracing the collaborative Nashville co-write by collaborating with GRAMMY-nominated producer Dex Green, singer-songwriter Kate York, and GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan. Alyssa (vocals) and Doug (guitars/vocals) credit these three creative ambassadors with helping them write about their lives honestly and vulnerably, diving deep into their childhood love affair that has lasted over 37 years.

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Rob Smith (a.k.a. RSD) & Ammoye - Walking In The Rain.

Rob Smith is a true producer legend, he produced the first Massive Attack single Any Love in 1988 together with Ray Mighty. They had the project “Smith & Mighty” going on which was huge and successful on K7! Records. 

They formed and created the melting pot of Bristol Sound with trip hop, breakbeat, dub, jungle, drum and bass, soul and jazz unfluenced vibes. ROB SMITH and Smith & Mighty remixed Neneh Cherry, M People, Beats International, Fine Young Cannibals and many more.

Ammoye – is a Jamaican-Canadian reggae musician, most noted as a seven-time Juno Award nominee for Reggae Recording of the year - on lovely vocals appearance and Rob Smith on production, they both bring us back to the time as Flash & The Pan and later on Grace Jones were doing 'Walking In The Rain' as their big and huge hits in the 80ties.

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Sunday, 7 September 2025

Kathryn Williams - Nicki Bluhm - Adam and The Hellcats - Ally Row - Regina Brury & ask Robin

Kathryn Williams - Goodbye to Summer. 

Kathryn Williams, the folk singer-songwriter long celebrated for her emotional depth and lyrical precision, releases her 15th studio album ‘Mystery Park’ via One Little Independent Records on September 26th. A deeply personal, intimate collection, ‘Mystery Park’ marks 27 years of making music. It’s a reflective, textured work shaped by time’s shifting tides.

Known for her delicate, moving voice and poetic songwriting, Williams rose to prominence in 2000 with ‘Little Black Numbers’, the self-released album that earned her a Mercury Prize nomination and became a touchstone for a new generation of British folk. Over the decades since, her output has been both prolific and shapeshifting. She’s written a novel (The Ormering Tide), hosted a podcast (Before the Light Goes Out), worked as a visual artist, collaborated with a wide array of musicians from John Martyn and Paul Weller to Ed Harcourt and Withered Hand, and released celebrated projects across genres, including her Christmas album, ‘Midnight Chorus’, with Dame Carol Ann Duffy. Her most recent release, ‘Willson Williams’ was SAY and Americana Award-nominated as well as receiving critical praise.

New single ‘Goodbye to Summer’, co-written with Polly Paulusma during an Arvon retreat, is breezy and bittersweet, a song suffused with colour. Kathryn tells us they were “outside on two wooden chairs watching the dying sunlight tip off the wings of the swallows and the swifts. The last hurrah of summer before they fly away. The seasons begin to mark more and more. How many summers do we have in one life? Will the birds fly back home? Polly writes in open tunings so the new paths to melodies felt giddying and fresh.”


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Photo - Lauren Massie
Nicki Bluhm - Tumbleweed.

Nicki Bluhm has shared her new single “Tumbleweed,” the next preview of her forthcoming album Rancho Deluxe, out October 3. Featuring infectious guitar riffs courtesy of American Aquarium’s Shane Boeker, the new song is about embracing life's unpredictable twists and turns and was inspired by the memories of Bluhm’s rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Atwood Magazine praised the track, calling it “a song of sweet surrender, celebrating the beauty and wonder of being fully present.”

About the new song, Bluhm says: “The guitar riff and tone by absolute shredder Shane Boeker (American Aquarium) kicks this song off and just puts a huge smile on my face, makes me wanna turn it up. Lyrically, ‘Tumbleweed’ is about letting go and trusting in what you cannot see. When I was writing, I had strong images of my time floating down the Grand Canyon. The overhanging cliffs are so imposing and the blind bends in the river are so vast, all you can do is wait and see what is revealed around each turn. You are at the mercy of nature’s pace; the wind, the current, the weather. There is no use in worrying or trying to control the situation, you surrender and appreciate the ride.”

“Tumbleweed” follows the stomping “Cumberland Banks" and the feel-good “Simple Side of Me”, which had Magnet Magazine raving that it “embodies all that’s refreshing about the new Nashville.” A musical patchwork quilt that captures Nashville’s collaborative spirit, Rancho Deluxe finds her reflecting on well-earned lessons from nearly two decades in the music business. Joined by her co-writer, producer and partner Jesse Noah Wilson and other first-rate musicians like Kai Welch (Kacey Musgraves), Jess Nolan (Jenny Lewis) and Cameron Neal (Elle King, Shakey Graves), they pulled from a swirl of influences, including folk-rock, western psychedelia and ‘60s West Coast soul. The end result features songs that are rooted in resilience, relaxation and the relationships she's built with like-minded collaborators.


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Adam and The Hellcats - Go Easy.

Adam and The Hellcats are an unstoppable six-piece rock ‘n’ roll band from Bristol. The powerhouse act will release their eagerly awaited third album, 9 Lives, on Friday 3rd October. Prior to the release, the band have just unveiled their emotional new single and video, Go Easy'.

The Hellcats have carved out a fierce reputation on the UK rock circuit, earning their stripes by touring and supporting a host of established acts. They hit the road as special guests of Jackie Chambers (Girlschool) with her band, Syteria, and opened the first night of The Wildhearts’ UK Tour. Since then, they’ve toured with U.S. rock heavyweights, Hearts & Hand Grenades, and rising UK favourites White Raven Down.

Their festival presence has been just as commanding, with high-energy sets at Station 18, Dementia Aware Fest, Crazy Cowboy Festival, Rockin’ by the River, and many more. In November 2024, they headlined the second stage at the prestigious HRH Festival in Great Yarmouth to a packed crowd. That buzz secured them a slot at HRH Road Trip Ibiza 2025, where they opened the festival for none other than Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons.

Founded by frontman and guitarist Adam Feasey, the band features two lead vocalists — Adam and the formidable Cirwen Costa — bringing power, versatility, and emotional depth to their sound, which is made even more distinctive by the inclusion of a keytar, adding flair and rich texture to their explosive live performances.


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Ally Row - Something More.

Hot on the heels of the hits ‘Hold Me Now and ‘Middle of The Road’, comes the stunning new single from Gippsland duo, Ally Row, ‘Something More’, the title track from their forthcoming debut album.

This high energy track blends distorted electric banjo, punchy drums, strong smoky lead vocals and rebellious spirit into a thunderous rallying cry for anyone who’s ever felt invisible, unsupported or just sick and tired of playing nice. It’s where folk meets punk to channel their frustration, burnout and existential angst into this fierce cry for recognition.

Known for their introspective alt-country storytelling, Ally Row take a sharp turn towards punk sensibilities on ‘Something More’, taking inspiration from as far field as The White Stripes and Florence and The Machine and even Aussie icons The Bushwackers.

Recorded, mixed and produced by Spud Thompson at Elusive Creative Studios, it also features Alex Keser on drums and was mastered by Nick Franklin (Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys/ Ocean Alley/ Custard). The duo announces their ‘Something More’ debut album for Friday 19th September and will support Irish duo, DUG, at Meeniyan Town Hall VIC during their first Australian tour.

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Regina Brury & ask Robin - My Callback.

With airplay on Swiss indie radio stations, such as Radio Munot, as well as on more than 50 stations worldwide and with their previously released singles, Regina Brury & ask Robin from Zurich and Brazil have built up a rapidly growing fanbase both at home and abroad. Now it’s time to release their debut “My Callback EP.” Anyone who recognizes echoes of the big pop-rock melodies of Avril Lavigne and Pink is right on target. If you like the single you will love the EP, unfortunately we don't have the release date yet.

To celebrate this cultural connection and to honor her Brazilian roots, Zurich-based Regina Brury will travel to her homeland of Salvador, Brazil, in October. There she will give an exclusive concert—a symbolic act of respect and gratitude toward the culture that has shaped her art.

In short: Regina Brury & ask Robin once again demonstrate that musically and thematically, they masterfully bridge global indie rock, pop melodies, and cultural heritage. Their early successes have not gone unnoticed: in October the band will perform, among other places, at X-TRA Zurich—a milestone for a project that only went public with its first single this spring.


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Rachael Sage & The Sequins - Amber Hotel - Clover County - Dead Chic

Photo - Anna Azarov Rachael Sage & The Sequins - Kill The Clock (New Video). Beloved folk-pop singer-songwriter Rachael Sage and her ...