Rosscoe Frantz - Serena Rose - Eidetic Dreams - Hrishikesh Hirway - Kyle Morgan - bauhofer

Photo - Emily Preston

Rosscoe Frantz - Raw and Bitter.

There is something acutely uncomfortable in being human, in loving and learning to let go, and WA-based indie folk-rock artist Rosscoe Frantz masterfully captures those sentiments in his latest single, ‘Raw and Bitter’, out yesterday Friday, March 20. In 2025, Rosscoe Frantz released his debut EP 'Share House', adding another notch to his belt. He has supported the likes of Sarah Blasko, Boy and Bear, and Pete Murray, performed at Blues at Bridgetown Festival, sold out his EP launch at 459 Bar in Perth, and landed on Spotify and Apple Music playlists.

Building on that momentum, ‘Raw and Bitter’ sees Rosscoe Frantz further the terrain he has already begun to map out. Softly strummed guitar with a healthy dose of reverb and grit open the track, as the sleepy arrangement wakes up, bringing in elements of percussion and lead guitar. Rich vocals cut daggers with Frantz’s emotive lyrics; the refrain ‘everything turned raw and bitter’ sings out across the musical room, breaking like a teenage heart losing their first lover. 

Elaborating on the meaning behind the tune, Rosscoe Frantz says: "‘Raw and Bitter' is a stark, intimate reflection on the parts of love people rarely talk about. The moment when a relationship is strong, the feeling is real, but the future isn’t necessarily aligned. The song explores the tension between deep affection and quiet doubt, where love coexists with confusion, and staying means asking the hardest questions. It’s a song about holding something precious in your hands and not knowing whether to fight for it or let it go."

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Serena Rose - Wild One.

Australian cinematic-psychedelic artist Serena Rose shares her new single “Wild One.” Drawing on her background in film scoring and composition, Serena’s music is led by mood and texture rather than conventional narrative, focusing on atmosphere, stillness and emotional detail.

Before launching her solo project in 2021, Serena studied Music and Audio and began working within film and screen composition — an influence that continues to shape her sound. Her recordings favour space and tone over density, combining slow-burn guitar work with restrained arrangements and a strong visual sensibility. Often compared to Mazzy Star, her work also reflects the expansive dynamics of artists such as Radiohead, John Frusciante and All Them Witches.

“Wild One” was written while living in the Byron Bay hinterland of eastern Australia and reflects the physical environment that surrounds her. Built around drifting guitar lines and minimal percussion, the track captures a quiet moment of reflection rather than a traditional song structure, prioritising feeling and place. Serena explains: “For this song I kept seeing the same setting — creeks, wet forest, fog after rain. It’s a calm, solitary space and I feel the music as being inside that landscape rather than describing it.”.

Written in a single burst of inspiration, the recording leans into natural space and restraint. Guitars stretch across the stereo field while subtle rhythmic movement anchors the arrangement, allowing the production to create a sense of physical environment rather than performance. With “Wild One,” Serena Rose continues to develop a sound that sits between psychedelic songwriting and cinematic composition, positioning her as a quietly distinctive voice within Australia’s emerging atmospheric and dream-leaning alternative scene.

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Eidetic Dreams - Eidetic Dreams.

Helsinki-based dreampop duo Eidetic Dreams released their fifth single “Eidetic Dream” yesterday March 20 via All That Plazz. Building steadily from the Nordic indie underground, the band has gained traction through YleX support (including Nosteessa), praise from Soundi, and growing streaming visibility — their previous single “The Truth About My Fall”was featured on Spotify’s Breakthrough 2025 playlist and the global Fresh Finds editorial playlist.

Over the past year, Eidetic Dreams have performed at Finland’s leading showcase festivals, including Lost In Music and Mars Festival, while expanding their live audience beyond Helsinki. The new single further marks the band’s upward trajectory as they move towards their debut album, set for release in 2026.

“Eidetic Dream” is also a defining moment for the duo by name and intent — a song that reflects the band’s core themes of memory, desire and uncertainty, captured in the line: “Was it all a dream, just an eidetic dream?” The track was mastered by two-time Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum mastering engineer Ryan Schwabe. Eidetic Dreams will next perform live at Kult, Kulttuuritalo Helsinki, on March 27 with Tinyhawk & Bizzarro.

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Photo - Elisha Christian

Hrishikesh Hirway - Rollercoaster feat. Fenne Lily & Uwade.

Songwriter and podcast host Hrishikesh Hirway releases second single "Rollercoaster" (ft. Uwade, Fenne Lily) from his upcoming record In the Last Hour of Light, due out April 24 on Keeled Scales. The album is his first full-length release under his own name, marking his return to making records after more than a decade focused on audio storytelling through his acclaimed podcast Song Exploder. 

“Rollercoaster” is a meditation on longing and displacement, built from two images that lodged themselves in Hirway’s imagination: the buffalo of Catalina Island, brought there by ship in the early 20th century and stranded ever since, and the vision of someone riding a rollercoaster alone. Co-written with Fenne Lily and Uwade, the track finds Hirway placing himself back in Massachusetts, feeling out of place and full of dreams he can’t yet name, asking whether you can miss somewhere you’ve never been. Both Lily and Uwade contribute vocals, as does Ken Pomeroy, their combined voices lifting the song toward a feeling of lightness and air, a counterpoint to the loneliness at its center.

“I started to think of the image of a person riding a rollercoaster on their own,” says Hirway. “It struck me as terribly lonely because of its juxtaposition against a supposedly fun thing, and that juxtaposition felt deeply, painfully familiar.” Hirway has also confirmed the special guests who will join him on a set of upcoming tour dates, including Adam Scott in New York, Jason Mantzoukas in Los Angeles, Samin Nosrat in San Francisco, Josh Malina in Chicago, Min Jin Lee in Boston, and more. 

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Kyle Morgan - Where To Start.

"I never stopped to think it through / I just got into the car"... Opens "Where to Start" - the first single from Kyle Morgan's upcoming LP Ghost of a Problem and drops us right into the uncertainty of and resignation to a fate largely out of our control. Morgan imbues his characters, even when sung in first person, with a lived in familiarity that reminds me of some the best instincts of John Prine and Tom Waits. The relatively slow back beat builds in an unhurried pace, stopping to luxuriate on the baritone sturdiness of Morgan's main guitar melody.  It's a beautiful intro to the record. Would love to hear your thoughts and coordinate coverage of the single or the album out 22 May. 

""Where to Start" is an expression of resignation in the face of the uncertainty of life and what the future holds.  When your longing for clarity is met with complete silence, but for the whining of tires on mile after mile of an empty highway.  And when having come to a dead end, the only choice is to keep driving, hoping this time the road will lead somewhere new."

Sharing new music during times like this feel like a relief. Some kind of tangible proof that the world keeps spinning amidst the ongoing insanity of the first 2 full months of 2026. I am happy to share the newest album by Kyle Morgan - a record that after a single spin feels thoroughly lived in. The first solo follow up after 2022's Younger at Most Everything (Team Love Records) and on the heels of the well-received 2025 collaboration with Tamar Korn ("pitch-perfect acoustic performances" - Bandcamp Daily). 

Kyle Morgan's world-weary delivery imbues the characters, missed connections and snaphots of uncertainty with a ghost of a possible optimism - even in the midst of an OCD spiral. Baroque strings, straight-forward rock and sturdy folk are replete Ghost of a Problem - haunting bathrooms, dive bars and close calls that populate this record.

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bauhofer - Move Mountains. 

“Move Mountains,” is the new single by bauhofer from Wollerau, Switzerland. On this track, the singer/songwriter embraces a more melancholic and gospel-inspired tone.

With the EP “The River Seine,” released last autumn, and his distinctive Southern-rock blend of rock, blues, and country, bauhofer achieved international success. The title track reached a top position in the Euro Indie Music Charts—the charts of Europe’s most played and most popular indie music—and was broadcast for weeks by radio stations across Europe, the UK, the USA, and as far as Brazil.

With his latest release, “Move Mountains,” an emotionally charged track, the artist returns to piano and vocals alone. The song expresses the longing for a loved one who is far away, and the determination to overcome all obstacles to reach that person. The single was produced by Slade Templeton (Crimer, Crying Vessel) at Influx Studios in Bern.

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Empire Child - Thomas Csorba - Kenny Shore - Special Friend - Fine Night Elements - Jeniffer Lima

Empire Child - Negativity Be Gone.

Empire Child is the new musical project of Ruth Rothwell. Having spent decades shaping music culture from the inside out, Ruth—formerly a senior A&R manager at MCA/Universal—was a key figure in the UK dance music explosion of the 90s, starting out as a club promoter before becoming label manager at BCM Records, the most successful UK dance label of the era. During this time, she helped launch Digital Underground in the UK, worked closely with Andrew Weatherall, and later went on to manage and develop artists including Dina Carroll, Carleen Anderson, and Juan Atkins. At MCA Publishing, she signed and nurtured globally influential acts such as Zero 7, Basement Jaxx, and Air. Alongside artists, Ruth also nurtured key songwriters, most notably Rob Davis, during whose time with her he went on to co-write era-defining hits including Spiller’s “If This Ain’t Love” and Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”. While looking after Eg White she put him forward for a co-write with newly signed Adele. This resulted in the song “Chasing Pavements”.

Despite her success behind the scenes, songwriting was always her true calling. “Songwriting is really my calling and I could no longer ignore that fact,” Ruth says. That pull eventually led to Empire Child, her long-form artist project, with the forthcoming record produced by Madrid-based jazz professor and producer Mariano Diaz.

Her debut single “Trace the Race” introduced the project with a deeply personal reflection on identity, ancestry, and belonging. Inspired by her heritage—her mother Indo-Jamaican, part of the Windrush generation, and her father from Cape Town, South Africa, who fled apartheid—the song explored migration, legacy, and the reminder that “your ancestors were immigrants once.”

Now Empire Child returns with her new single “Negativity Be Gone”, a song about reclaiming control over the thoughts and influences that shape our lives. Rooted in the idea that what we think every day affects our mood and outlook, the track is a call to push away self-doubt and destructive thinking. “I’m trying to get the message across that we have choices,” Ruth explains. “Choices about what we think and who we surround ourselves with. There are so many wonderful people in the world that you’ve yet to meet. Find the good people.” 


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Photo - Alex Csorba

Thomas Csorba - You Think You Know Someone.

Texas singer-songwriter Thomas Csorba has shared "You Think You Know Someone," a heart-on-your-sleeve-style song detailing the never ending discovery of a lasting love. From sweet notes tucked into jean pockets to a deep unspoken understanding, there’s always a layer to peel back and new ways of loving to uncover. This is the latest single from Csorba's new album Tender Country, which is out May 22 as the first release on the newly-launched Turtlebox Records. 

“If there is anything I have learned in five years of marriage, it is that someone you know so intimately can still genuinely surprise you," says Csorba. "Growing old alongside someone is not for the faint of heart; it requires a tender spirit to recognize that, while our lives are intertwined, we are still individuals evolving along the way.” 

He continues, "This song documents that perspective. It acknowledges that neither my wife nor I are the same people we were when we met about a decade ago. Over the past year, I have been moved by her depth and thoughtfulness as I watched her become a mother to our two boys, build her art business from the ground up, and navigate being married to a (sometimes-neurotic) artist of a husband. I am grateful to have a front-row seat to watch her life unfold, and I'm even more grateful to be a part of it." 

Thomas Csorba · You Think You Know Someone

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Kenny Shore - Happiness & Misery (Album).

North Carolina’s Kenny Shore is back with a new full length album, Happiness & Misery The album runs the gamut of emotions and sounds and once again focuses on Shore’s ability to distill the human experience into song.

Happiness & Misery is an album of ups and downs, thus the title. As they were finishing the recording, Jerry Brown and Kenny reflected on the themes brought forth on this album and realized that the title from the song "Happiness & Misery" fit perfectly. It captures the back and forth throughout... from the fun bounce of "Roller Coaster Ride" to the grieve- filled angst of Nail It To the Wall. This didn't happen as planned. It was through looking back at what had happened organically, that made them sure of the album title.

As in the case of Kenny’s last album with Jerry, they had a real blast recording this. Maybe it's the "requirement" that was established with recording the last album, Time Stands Still - to start things off with a well told joke. This helped set the tone for each session. They tried (and succeeded) not to take each other, or this whole process, too seriously. Kenny says, “I think it worked and helped us make sure we were having a good time, doing what we love.”

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Special Friend - Clipping (Album).

Paris-based duo Special Friend release their third album “Clipping” today. Special Friend have become the masters of weaving elegant and sophisticated pop musical webs while staying true to their DIY roots.  The French/American duo (Guillaume Siracusa on guitar and vocals, Erica Ashleson on drums and vocals) manage to create a sound like no other band.  When they play live, audiences marvel at the huge, intricate structures the band construct, while falling in love with the crystal-clear vocal melodies that are threaded in between the shards of guitar and the rattle of the drums.  How can a duo achieve so much?  UK audiences will be able to ponder this question in March: Special Friend are coming over from France to do a substantial tour of the UK. 

The new album is more diverse that the last, with the high-tempo indiepop of first single ‘Breakfast’, the majestic, Yo La Tengo-like dreampop of ‘Clipping’ and the country-ish, gentle, homesick melancholy of ‘Isolation’.  Final track ‘OOO’ is a bold piece of Krautrock-inspired experimentation; ‘Mold’ is a beautiful slice of slowcore and opener ‘Paint A Picture’ is modern pop at its catchiest and most direct.  

‘Clipping’, the album title, refers to the discipline of pruning growth back, removing dead wood to create a perfectly shaped tree with abundant blossoms: an accurate description of the album, and of the songs that hang from its elegant branches.  The album artwork is by Erica: Special Friend are in control of every aspect of this elegant artefact.

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Fine Night Elements - Around This Sun.

Who are Fine Night Elements? Fine Night Elements are a working-class band from the North East of England, formed in 2021. Blending alt-rock energy with electronic textures, melodic hooks, and cinematic atmosphere, the band refuse to sit neatly in one genre. Fine Night Elements make music that feels grounded, ambitious, and unmistakably their own.

Around This Sun began as a simple, sombre acoustic idea that reflected on the state of the world with themes of war, homelessness and addiction. It steadily builds in intensity, each section lifting higher into atmospheric and reflective choruses, a soaring bridge and guitar solo, before closing on an expansive, ethereal, crescendo.

Commenting on the new single the band say "We’re so proud of this one, and it’s a song that feels so relevant in today’s world." 

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Jeniffer Lima - Pour Me A Drink.

A promising new voice in Swiss pop music is emerging from the vibrant heart of Winterthur: Jeniffer Lima. With her new single “Pour Me A Drink,” the multilingual musician ushers in a new era. She has turned away from Swiss-German pop and instead discovered modern English-language country pop. It is no surprise that the rising artist has been discovered by renowned producers. Together with Manuel Egger and Dave Demuth, she created her first songs, which quickly found their way onto Swiss radio. Her single “90s Vibe” has already secured a coveted spot on the rotation playlist of Radio TOP.

As a songwriter, Jeniffer Lima tells autobiographical stories that resonate far beyond a young audience. With catchy melodies and honest, profound lyrics, she creates music that touches listeners across generations. After her first releases in an acoustic singer-songwriter style, Jeniffer Lima quickly evolved under the guidance of producer Dave Demuth and found her place in the modern pop genre. Despite this musical development, one thing remains central: authenticity on stage. 

With “Pour Me A Drink,” Jeniffer Lima once again shows her instinct for contemporary pop and emotional storytelling—confirming her potential as one of the exciting new voices from Winterthur (Switzerland).

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Austel - Telos Vision - Fantastic Cat

Photo - Artemis Szekir-Rigas

Austel - Hotel Room Window View.

Today artist and producer Austel (Annie Rew Shaw) returns with her soul-stirring new single ‘Hotel Room Window View’. The track is here ahead of her upcoming headline show this Friday (20th) at The Harrison in Kings Cross and a brand new album on the way in June. 

Nostalgic and sun-soaked, ‘Hotel Room Window View’ is a delicate offering that gently builds and blossoms into something beautifully expansive. Originally inspired by a dream, the track is an opportunity to reflect and evoke introspection. Sharing more, Austel explained; ‘This song is based on a surreal dream. I was trapped in this place I thought I wanted to be - on the surface, it was beautiful, but underneath, the woodwork was rotten, the view not so great, the company even less so. 

 I wrote it during the 2020 lockdown when I was back  in Devon - being in my childhood hometown resulted in revisiting lots of forgotten/buried memories, alongside distance from my London life and some of the chaotic relationships I’d been embroiled in. It weaves into memories from being a teenager, early experiences of intimacy that never sat quite right, a loss of innocence, and how echoingly heartbreaking that can be - even years later when you’ve gained some perspective on it all.’

‘Hotel Room Window View’ is taken from Austel’s forthcoming second album ‘Mirror To Mine’ which will be out later this year, on the 5th of June. Listeners can expect a meticulously crafted record that looks to be a significant milestone in Austel’s rise, marking great progression. Self-produced, the album presents a gorgeous display of ethereal alt-folk, anchored in nylon-string guitar, subtle ensemble arrangements and evocative, delicately placed field recordings. 

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Telos Vision - Walk Away feat. Goatman.

Following a year of growing national momentum and a steady stream of acclaimed releases, Gothenburg-based multi-instrumentalist Telos Vision (the alias of Teodor Boogh) returns with his most explosive collaboration to date. Out March 18 via Icons Creating Evil Art, the new single — featuring Goatman, founder of the masked psych-rock phenomenon GOAT — marks the final release before Telos Vision’s second full-length album Decisions, arriving April 24.

Where recent singles from Decisions have explored introspection, intimacy, and emotional nuance, this latest track leans into something more visceral. Gnarly fuzz guitars, wild saxophone bursts, and even an epic triangle collide in a raw, high-energy meeting between two distinct but spiritually aligned sonic worlds.

“This song is a collaboration with the founder of the mighty, masked rock band GOAT – Goatman,” says Boogh. “I helped the band build their new studio, and in return I asked for a feature. I love GOAT, and I often look to their music for inspiration. So it feels special to get the gnarly fuzz, wild saxophone and epic triangle on one of my songs. The lyrics comment on the way it feels arguing with some people – just like you’re arguing with a wall.”

The track captures that exact frustration — the circular, immovable tension of trying to break through to someone who won’t budge — and transforms it into a surging, psychedelic rock statement. It’s Telos Vision at his most outward-facing and sonically bold, without losing the emotional core that defines his songwriting.

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Image - Vivian Wang & Fikri Abdurakhman

Fantastic Cat - Elevator.

Hot on the heels of lead single “Donnie Takes The Bus” cracking the Top 40 at AAA radio, Fantastic Cat returns today with “Elevator,” a piercing take on class warfare, existential dread, and late stage capitalism that’s way more fun than a song this dark has any right to be. Mixed by D. James Goodwin (Goose, Kevin Morby, The Hold Steady), the track marks the final preview of the band's third studio album, Cat Out Of Hell, which releases April 10 via Missing Piece Records.

"Everybody at the bottom wants a shortcut. Everybody at the top wants to pull the ladder up behind them," says Fantastic Cat's Anthony D'Amato. "'Elevator' is a reflection on commercialism and class consciousness at a time when every aspect of our lives (our bodies, our privacy, our attention) is up for sale. Politics, religion, Elvis, this one’s got it all!” 

Produced by the band, Cat Out Of Hell elevates Fantastic Cat's trademark blend of craftsmanship and chaos to new sonic heights, capturing the freewheeling, lightning in a bottle energy of their must-see live show and channeling it into a ramshackle house party full of desperate romantics and barstool philosophers.

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Gitika Partington - Susto Stringband - Derby Hill

Gitika Partington - Call Your Name.

Gitika Partington just dropped a new lyric video for ‘Call Your Name’ from her record breaking ‘Twelvefold’ project. As a reminder: Songwriter and choral director/arranger Gitika Partington has released thirteen albums simultaneously, and without originally setting out to, she has broken the current world record for the most albums released in one day, which as of 2025 stood at twelve.

Comprising 130 original songs written and recorded over a five-year period, the project began with the idea of nine albums. Then ten. Twelve became the structure. Thirteen turned up anyway.

Thirteen albums, crafted over five years and released simultaneously, represent more than just a prolific outpouring of music. This act is not intended as a grand statement or a play for acclaim, but rather as an invite, open permission for everyone to embrace their creativity without having a critic in the room or in their head. It also feels like a proper ‘release’ akin to setting a huge flock of birds free all in one go in one sky, rather than drip feeding the algorithms. The simultaneous release encourages us all to let go of the need for approval or traditional measures of success, reminding us that art can exist purely for its own sake in whatever form we like. And that it is bloody good fun. One little piece of fun can turn into a volume of work if you just keep doing it regularly and steadily.

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Photo - Mia Al-Taher

Susto Stringband - Hard Drugs Ft. Morgan Wade.

Susto Stringband, the alt-country group led by frontman Justin Osborne, announces the release of Susto Stringband (Volume 2) on May 29 via Missing Piece Records. This LP follows last year’s Susto Stringband (Volume 1), which featured bluegrass and old-time reworkings of seven SUSTO favorites alongside two new compositions in collaboration with Asheville’s Holler Choir. The upcoming album continues this collaboration, with a solidified line up of Clint Roberts, Jackson Grimm, Nat Copeland, Helena Rose and Joey Brown plus with the added help of friends Morgan Wade, Joshua Hedley and Madeline Dieruaf.

To preview the project, the group has shared first single “Hard Drugs (featuring Morgan Wade)”, a heart wrenching reimagining of the classic Susto track.On the upcoming LP, Osborne reflects: “This album was so much fun to make over the last year. The band really came together on the road after the release of Volume 1, and this new record naturally came together too, along the way. Between shows we were writing songs in the van, and squeezing in studio time whenever we could. It was a really fun and natural process, and I’m really proud of the finished product.” 

About “Hard Drugs (featuring Morgan Wade),” he shares: “Having Morgan join us for ‘Hard Drugs’ was a dream come true. I’ve been a fan of her music and who she is as a person, for a long time, and I was so glad she was interested in collaborating for this project. She picked ‘Hard Drugs’ as the song to feature on, and I’m so glad she did, because her vocals brought that song to life for me in a whole new way, and I’m excited to finally be sharing this version with the world!”

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Derby Hill - Restless and Forgiven.

Derby Hill is a Detroit-born, Chicago-based singer-songwriter recognized for his "Neo Sincerity" approach to Americana and folk music. His work is deeply rooted in the imagery of blue-collar neighborhoods and the "grit and glitter" of everyday life. Hill’s music blends elements of folk, country, roots, and rock. 

Drawing inspiration from legendary storytellers like Steve Earle, Leonard Cohen, and John Prine, he focuses on narrative songwriting that explores themes of family, love, struggle, loss, quiet hope and redemption. Hill describes his artistic mission as documenting "ordinary lives with uncommon" observation, seeking to provide a sense of connection through unvarnished, truthful storytelling. 

Indie Dock Music Blog noted that his music "wears its working-class credentials not as affectation but as essential DNA," adding that he "understands that the most profound truths often emerge from the least adorned spaces". Illustrate Magazine wrote that "Derby Hill leans in close, as it reminds you that resilience often leaves you feeling, somehow, a little less alone".

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