Hélène Barbier - John Witherspoon - Home Counties

Photo - Dominic Berthiaume & Delphine Snyers

Hélène Barbier - Lapin.

We are told that - Hélène Barbier seeds melodies that ferment in her head, pairing hummable lines with alien tunes conjured in someone else’s psyche across time and space. Siamese fragments. She creates an imbalance through juxtaposition. Four simple notes become evocative alongside four disorienting, different notes, and this simplistic rule has become a basis for complex play. In Beehive Candy terms, this is something worth checking out and based on 'Lapin' we can't wait to hear more.

Joy and anxiety come together on Panorama, Hélène Barbier's new album due Nov 14, 2025. Characterized by haunting melodies, stripped-down choruses, and a subtle layer of nonchalance that reinforces the magnetism of the songs, this avant-pop album was crafted over a period of three years. Born in response to the stress caused by certain events that disrupted the daily life of the Montreal singer and bassist, these nine tracks sound as if they were postcards sent at different moments in life, even if their intriguing lyrics leave room for interpretation.

Though it is a very personal album, Panorama is also a collective effort. After taking the time to refine her songs and remove elements she felt were superfluous, Hélène Barbier called on Ben Lalonde and Joe Chamandy (Retail Simps), with whom she has been making music for many years, as well as Claire Paquet, Thomas Molander, Samuel Gougoux (Corridor, Trafic des Airs, Victime), Wes MacNeil (Night Lunch), Mélanie Venditti, Alexandra Levy (Ada Léa), Meg Duffy (Hand Habits), and producer Emmanuel Éthier.

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John Witherspoon - My Baby.

Liverpool's John Witherspoon delivers his most emotionally complex single yet with 'My Baby', released a couple of days back, as the final preview of his third studio album One Of Them, due October 31st. 

Serving as the album's closing track, this deeply personal composition showcases a masterful balance between intimate vulnerability and musical ambition. Opening with delicate, lullaby-like qualities ‘My Baby’ immediately draws listeners into Witherspoon's tender sonic world. Recorded live with a band, the track's gentle opening belies its eventual transformation into an anthemic statement, building organically from whispered to triumphant. Witherspoon's vocals echo the sultry croon of Arctic Monkeys' recent work, lending the track a contemporary sophistication that bridges nostalgic romance with modern appeal.

What appears on the surface as a sweet romantic ballad reveals layers of complexity beneath. Born during a period of writer's block, Witherspoon turns his creative struggles into art, and the self-referential line,
 "Did the dreaded verse one where the writer is blocked." “I had the whole structure and melody down before I had a single lyric, which is very rare for me," he explains. This meta-textual breakthrough opened the floodgates for what would become his most nuanced exploration of human connection.

The song's emotional core draws inspiration from a moving story about a mother and son's reconciliation, which Witherspoon combined with his own experiences of familial relationships. The song's ambiguity allows for multiple interpretations. "It ends up being about 3 or 4 different people, but for the listener they've amalgamated into one," he explains. The track also features a callback to the album's opening song 'True Love', creating satisfying bookends for the overall piece.

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Photo - Luca Bailey

Home Counties - Meet Me In The Flat Roof.

London sextet Home Counties today unveil new single 'Meet Me In The Flat Roof', a tongue-in-cheek homage to London's flat roof pubs - the latest preview of the band's eagerly awaited second album 'Humdrum', out 24th October via Submarine Cat Records - produced by Al Doyle (of Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem). The band have also announced a new in-store tour to celebrate the release of the album, with stops in Liverpool, Oxford, Kingston, Southsea and Southampton.

Both love letter and self-critique, new single 'Meet Me In The Flat Roof' calls out the smugness of bragging about “authentic” haunts while inevitably fuelling their gentrification. With lines that swing from knowing humour (“Can’t believe you’ve not been here before / Your friend’s been? I bet I’ve been way more”) to surprising tenderness (“Red wine on the crimson carpet / Accidental but unnoticed and it feels like love”), the track captures the cultural superiority complex hidden inside taste and habit.

Musically, it’s one of the album's most lush and memorable moments. Dreamy guitars and stacked harmonies bloom into a soaring middle eight - a section Doyle pushed the band to write after what had originally been an instrumental gap. The result is a song that turns the resolutely mundane into one of the album’s most unexpectedly moving highlights.

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Rachael Sage - Victoria Staff - Joel Cusumano - Kashena Sampson - Nick & June

Photo - Jenny He

Rachael Sage - Belong To You [feat. The Sequins & Will Wilde].

Beloved folk-pop singer-songwriter Rachael Sage and her longtime band The Sequins have released their new single “Belong To You” from their upcoming studio album Canopy, out October 24 via MPress Records. 

“I wrote ‘Belong To You’ as a gospel ballad and it was really meaningful that so many of The Sequins ended up singing on it, versus just me singing all the harmonies myself,” shares Sage on the new single. “The Hammond organ and harmonica – played by Kevin J. Killen and Will Wilde, respectively – add so much and Dave Eggar’s cello playing grounds the arrangement so beautifully. The devotion and loyalty of our friendships expressed in the lyrics is something I know we all genuinely feel for one another, and in that sense it’s a very emotional song for me to sing. It’s probably the most universal song on the record and it’s been really gratifying to have live listeners at shows come up and share their own interpretations of it.”

A much-needed musical reprieve from our current cultural upheaval, Canopy is equal parts emotional exhale and invitation to a more compassionate future, as well as a masterclass in radical inclusivity and self-acceptance. “Creating safety and inclusivity in times of divisiveness can be a radical and powerful act; it takes courage to stand up for justice and for our fellow human beings,” Sage adds. “Acceptance, inclusivity and safety are big themes on Canopy.”

RachaelSage · Belong to You

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Victoria Staff - Love Should Feel.

Toronto's Victoria Staff returns with "Love Should Feel" – a bright, romantic indie-pop single that soaks in the joy of love when it's simple, easy, and right. The track beams with warmth, capturing that rare kind of connection where everything else fades into the background.

"For a long time, I thought love was something that was supposed to be difficult. It was supposed to be chased and fought for," Staff says. "Turns out, it's supposed to be easy. 'Love Should Feel' is about just basking in how simple good love is."

That sense of playful ease even made its way into the single artwork – though not without chaos. The idea was simple: a dive into a lake surrounded by sunflowers. The execution? Not so much. "We had about 75 sunflowers, but the stems were too heavy and started sinking, so we were frantically cutting them down in the boat. Every time I jumped off, the boat moved, the flowers scattered, and we had to rearrange them again," Staff explains. "Then the seagulls started circling, thinking they were food," she laughs. "And all of this was on film so we didn't even know if we had the shot until we got home."

With its buoyant melodies and heartfelt lyricism, "Love Should Feel" showcases Staff at her most joyful. "This song is special to me because there are no bad memories tied to it. From writing to recording to releasing, it's been easy, and that's exactly how love should feel."

Victoria Staff · Love Should Feel

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Joel Cusumano - Two Arrows.

Dandy Boy Records has announced the fiery debut power pop LP from a Bay Area underground mainstay, Joel Cusumano. The album comes out on October 24th, but you can get a taste with the lead single, "Two Arrows" Joel Cusumano has played a huge role in the Bay Area underground scene for years—as songwriter and/or lead guitarist in a wide-ranging lineup of bands such as Sob Stories, R.E. Seraphin, and Body Double.

Cusumano began writing the music that would become his first solo album, WaxWorld, after a stint in a mental hospital treating his debilitating OCD: “It was bleak. For a year I could barely function, barely leave the house. After [the hospital] I recovered pretty rapidly. But instead of feeling relief, there was dread, like, ‘Well, what now’? You spend over a year falling off the deep end and you’re a different person when you hit the ground … I needed to write differently than I had before. I was looking around the world and not recognizing what I saw. 

The songs had to reflect that alienation. I was done with the ‘angry young man’ jilted lover stuff I’d been doing in Sob Stories. I was bored with that kind of boilerplate rock’n’roll topography.” A painful breakup at the end of writing process further sharpened Cusumano’s eye towards material reflecting his growing unease in a world in unrelenting flux.

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Photo - Jon Karr

Kashena Sampson - Phases.

Nashville-based singer-songcrafter Kashena Sampson has released “Phases,” the latest from her forthcoming LP, Ghost Of Me, out on October 3. “Kashena Sampson describes ‘Phases’ as ‘a spell of self-reflection, a way of honoring all sides of myself - the light and the shadow.’

 “Like the moon, we all go through phases, and I’ve come to see how always trying to please everyone and never rocking the boat only leads to self-abandonment,” Sampson told Magnet Magazine. “I finally grew brave enough to say, ‘I’m done with that charade. I’m done giving myself away just to keep the peace.’” “The song is a ritual and affirmation for letting go of what no longer serves me. It’s OK to get mad, to say no, to change your mind, to walk away. It’s not only OK—it’s empowering.”
 
Ghost Of Me is structured like a ritual under the phases of the moon, a cycle of letting go, calling in, and rising again. That arc is felt across both the tracklist and the album’s release timeline, which intentionally aligns key singles and events with lunar milestones. Today, “Phases” emerges ahead of a rare September 21 convergence of the solar eclipse, new moon, and International Day of Peace, a moment echoed in the song’s psychedelic swirl and lunar howl. September 22 is the Fall Equinox, bringing with it a powerful time of reflection, growth, and new beginnings. “Rear View Mirror” arrived on July 25, just after the July 24 new moon. Built around crashing cymbals and guitarist B.L. Reed’s power chords, the song drives forward with the force of personal reckoning. The title track landed in time for new moon intention-setting on August 23, embracing the theme of transformation at the heart of the record. The full album will be unveiled on October 3, just ahead of the full moon on October 6, which culminates the record’s lunar journey.

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Nick & June - Husband & Wife (feat. Owen Pallet).

Berlin duo Nick & June will release their new album 'New Year's Face' on 5th December. Produced by Grammy-winning producer Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Sharon Van Etten,) and recorded in Bridgeport, Connecticut, 'New Year's Face', which includes collaborations with Owen Pallett, The National’s Kyle Resnick and Ben Lanz, The Antlers and others, will be released on CD, vinyl and digitally. 'New Year's Face' is the duo's first release since 2023's 'Beach Baby, Baby EP', which enjoyed over 30 million streams, widespread critical praise and led to sold-out shows across Europe. To accompany today's announcement Nick & June have today unveiled a video to new single 'Husband & Wife'.

At the end of a long relationship, you don’t usually find yourself sitting at a studio piano with your ex, writing songs. Or do you? In this case, you pack a suitcase, get on a plane, decamp to the small and melancholic harbour town of Bridgeport, Connecticut and begin work on a new record. 'New Year’s Face' is the outcome of this strange experiment: two ex-lovers, one studio, months of work and discovery. Together with Grammy-winning producer Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Sharon Van Etten, Stars), they settled in and shaped ten songs that feel at once intimate and expansive, fragile and resilient.

Nick & June drift through a shimmering haze of reverb-soaked guitars, vibrating synths and gently pulsing beats and drums. Their voices merge into a hypnotic mélange, guiding listeners through a delicate balance of euphorically staged restraint and intricate, winding thoughts. Their sound is an eclectic fusion of indie folk, evoking Bon Iver, Velvet Underground and Big Thief, blended with the dream-pop textures of Beach House and Lana Del Rey and the alternative rock of The National, St. Vincent and Mazzy Star.

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The Happy Fits - Great Lakes - BirdBelly - Howling Bells

The Happy Fits - Lovesick (Album).

Indie/rock darlings The Happy Fits have released their anticipated new album Lovesick, which is available everywhere now. Their first full-length album in over three years, Lovesick arrives in the wake of an emotional maelstrom of events that turned the band’s world upside down in every way imaginable. Rather than let it break their stride, the quartet leaned into the turmoil, transforming all the heartbreak and uncertainty they experienced into their most exhilarating, adventurous, and cathartic record yet.

The band also shared their brand new music video for “Lovesick #1 (Misery),” a scathing kiss-off anthem that begins deceptively as a melancholic, heartsick ballad before exploding into an emphatic, rock-fueled scream-along. Frontman Calvin Langman stated, “‘Lovesick #1 (Misery)’ is probably the most accurate depiction of what it’s like for me when I become limerent for someone. I bask in the desperation. I become melodramatic over everything. I can’t sleep at night. There’s a great irony in how much I truly love how painful it all feels to not have something I want so badly. I am all the characters in the full album of ‘Lovesick’ but I am most like the one in ‘#1 (Misery).’”

“The making of the video was greatly inspired by teen rom-coms of the early 2000’s,” Langman continued. “We really wanted to play into troupes of that miserable, besotted feeling we can have when you love someone but it’s completely unrequited. So what do you do? Invite your best friends over to scream, dance, and thrash around your bedroom decorated in all of your favorite things. The set decorating was one of the best parts about making this video because I had a trunk filled with all of my teenage and childhood memories that we meticulously displayed all over the guest bedroom in my apartment, along with some amazing eBay and thrift store finds. 

In a sense it felt like healing some part of my youth because I could look at this collection of stuff, like my Paramore fan club card, old family photos, and talent show awards, and be so grateful for the things I was obsessed with at the time. We made sure to include every band member’s interests as well, like video games, old summer camp pennants, albums that impacted us as musicians, a lava lamp, and fun action figures all placed throughout the bedroom in an eye-spy like way. There’s a few Happy Fits easter eggs in there too if you keep your eyes peeled.”


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Great Lakes - Don't Swim Too Close.

The new single and title track from the upcoming Great Lakes album Don't Swim Too Close was released a couple of days back. Great Lakes is Ben Crum with an all star cast on this album which also features Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby), Jmes Richardson (MGMT), David Gould (Cardinal), and Kyle Forester (Woods). The album is out on November 7th, 2025 from HHBTM Records. 

Background on the song - "I wrote it while recovering from a severe concussion that left me depressed and questioning my future. I honestly didn't know if I was going to come back from it, and it scared me. Luckily, I did get better, and the song ended up being an ironically uplifting country/rock toe-tapper; with heavy lyrics ("I was feeling hopeless, but also helpless and alone / and more than a little dangerous to my soul") set to a groove reminiscent of Doug Sahm, Jerry Jeff Walker, or CCR". 

Over 25 years and eight records, Crum has built a reputation for sharp songwriting and interesting stylistic shifts. Don’t Swim Too Close is no exception, as Crum draws from a classic rock tradition, echoing both the Americana spirit of Neil Young and The Band and the proto-indie rock of Television and the Velvet Underground. 

HHBTM Records · Don't Swim Too Close

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Photo - Karly Ford

BirdBelly - Desert Khaki.

After Alberta-based singer/songwriter Cynthia Hamar unveiled her new identity BirdBelly last month with the single "Black Horses," this weekend she is sharing "Desert Khaki," the second preview of the debut BirdBelly album The Wind The Wood, set to be released on October, 17. Both songs are featured below.

"Desert Khaki" adds more atmospheric vibes to BirdBelly's stellar production values—imagine Stevie Nicks collaborating with The War On Drugs. As Cynthia describes, “'Desert Khaki' is a meditation on moving through a season of unknowns—on the pause, the quiet space we hold when the world is loud and divided. In that waiting, we can feel invisible and insignificant, like a pebble on the beach getting hammered by waves—hidden, yet still part of the whole. It’s about holding that space long enough to understand before we speak, so that when we finally answer, what comes out is love.”

BirdBelly marks the latest stage in Cynthia Hamar’s artistic evolution that began in her teens with homemade cassettes and later, two albums comprised of raw, personal folk-pop.


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Photo - David Titlow

Howling Bells - Unbroken.

Howling Bells return with their first new music in over a decade, a single, 'Unbroken', out now on Nude Records. A brooding yet soaring anthem, 'Unbroken' sees weighty guitars and sweeping melodic pay-offs wrap around singer Juanita Stein’s unmistakable voice, carrying lyrics full of dreamy persistence that still aim skywards: “Always been lost in a big dream”. As Stein says, “You can either call it childlike or stupidity, but you have to have that in order to believe that something greater can happen. Surviving as a band for over two decades requires extraordinary grit and, to some degree, irrationality. None of it really makes sense, except for the will and the love of the music itself. Unbroken is very much a testament to all of this.” 
 
The band’s first release since their 2014 album, ‘Heartstrings’, 'Unbroken' was recorded with Howling Bells’ long-time friend and collaborator, producer Ben Hillier (Blur, Depeche Mode, Elbow) at his Agricultural Audio Studios. The single comes with a performance video that sees Stein, her brother and guitarist Joel and drummer Glenn Moule reunited on stage once more.

'Unbroken' marks a powerful re-entry for a band that helped shape the mid-2000s alternative landscape. Formed in Sydney and relocated to London, Howling Bells first captured ears and imaginations with their self-titled debut in 2006 - a noir-rock classic that fused moody atmospheres with melodic bite. Influenced by the likes of Tom Waits and Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Fleetwood Mac and Bjork, their recipe created a heady, submersive stew - equal parts sepia-toned romance and gritty rock’n’roll thrills.  They continued to develop over three more albums - 2009’s ‘Radio Wars’, 2011’s ‘The Loudest Engine’ and 2014’s ‘Heartstrings’. 

There was no dramatic dissolution or even an announcement of an intended hiatus but, as Juanita explains, “life just happened”, and the Bells rang silent for a decade. In the interim, all have continued with various projects: Juanita releasing four acclaimed solo albums; Joel making music as Glassmaps, and both he and Glenn intermittently playing in Brandon Flowers’ solo band. Most crucially, all three also continued to be firm friends who always left the door open for more.

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Maygen & The Birdwatcher - Lera Lynn - Greg Jamie ft Josephine Foster - Life Aquatic Band - Anna von Hausswolff

Photo -  No Aesthetic Stills

Maygen & The Birdwatcher - Hat Man Blues.

Minnesota-based group Maygen & The Birdwatcher are releasing “Hat Man Blues,” the final pre-release single from their upcoming LP The Americana Dream, out October 10 via Yellow House Music Collective / Missing Piece Records. The upbeat track captures the feeling of emotional limbo – sometimes feeling great but other times feeling low – and addresses the inevitably of that if you want to forge connection in your life. 

On the new track, the band shares: “This song takes a look at how sometimes the things you love the most can become your burdens. Some days they make you want to dance and other days they give you those blues. It speaks to the complexity of feelings that arise when you're tethered to something that's both beautiful and destructive. There’s a restless tension in the way the days shift — from sunlight to sorrow, from triumph to defeat — revealing the inner conflict of someone who’s trying to move forward, but inevitably has bad days along the way. It’s a portrait of someone stuck in the middle — searching, unraveling, and somehow still standing in the fire.” 

The new LP reimagines the traditional definition of the American Dream by shifting away from the aspirational nature of the concept itself and moving towards a full embrace of the literal definition of Americana – the vast geographical, historical and cultural expanse that reflects Maygen & The Birdwatcher’s roots as well as this country as a whole.

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Lera Lynn - Beige / Cherry Tree.

Lera Lynn's Comic Book Cowboy (album released yesterday) feels like an anthem for anyone wrestling with their own mythology, striving for authenticity in a world of expectations. It plays with contrasts—gritty realism vs. idealized heroism, and the absurdity of living up to “the dream” that inundates us all. It’s self-aware and a little tongue-in-cheek, making it a standout choice for an album full of layered, introspective themes. With lush production and deeply introspective lyrics, Comic Book Cowboy marks a bold evolution in Lynn's musical journey. Here, on Lynn's 9th and most exposing studio album, her dedication to song craft and album production is on full display. “I finally quit caring about the outcome and perception and freely poured all of my hidden feelings into a record,” says Lera. 

Lera Lynn is an acclaimed singer-songwriter and producer known for her haunting vocals and cinematic soundscapes that blend Americana, indie rock, folk noir, and art pop. She gained widespread recognition for her music featured on HBO’s True Detective (Season 2), where her atmospheric songs and on-screen performance left an indelible mark on viewers. ​Earlier this year, she released True Sessions, an EP of songs from True Detective newly recorded, live in the studio. 

A fiercely independent artist, Lynn has built a career on thoughtful songwriting, poetic lyricism, and meticulous production, all while nurturing a direct relationship with her fans through her own independent label, Ruby Range Records. Beyond her own albums, she has composed and produced music for video games, podcast theme songs, and films, collaborated with a vast array of artists, and produced records for others. Her music has been placed in numerous films and television series, further cementing her ability to create evocative, cinematic soundscapes. She has completed multiple world tours, as far east as Asia, to the west coast of the US and many places between. 


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Photo - Paige Jamie Bedard

Greg Jamie ft Josephine Foster - Beautiful Place.

This week, weird art lifer Greg Jamie shares "Beautiful Place," the second single from his forthcoming full-length, Across a Violet Pasture. The song features the illustrious Josephine Foster on vocals. Maine is a beautiful place with an enviably thriving underground art and music scene, gorgeous, occasionally unforgiving coastlines, and ghosts in spades. In my mind, Greg Jamie occupies a central role in all of this, having been, seemingly for forever, a significant figure in that underground arts scene and an insignificant human form against that forbidding landscape, wandering among the ghosts. Jamie's second full-length solo record, Across a Violet Pasture goes a long way to support this impression.

Photo - Mark Borthwick

An established devotee of dark weirdness, Greg Jamie brings forth his second solo album on Orindal, Across a Violet Pasture. Over ten songs, Jamie journeys to the strange, enchanted center of his personal vision. This is a space between sleeping and waking, where Jamie’s woodsy, weary voice guides us forward.

It’s no surprise that the latest from the Maine-based musician and visual artist aims to haunt, but this experimental folk pop does it in a way that’s more playful than funereal. It lays a shimmering floor over the abyss.

Across a Violet Pasture evokes, on different tracks — a sea shanty, a cowboy song, and lounge music for a David Lynch film. A beaten-up vintage drum machine provides the pulse for one song, while another conjures the cavernous panic of Suicide. But the album doesn’t adhere too strictly to any gesture or influence. This is Jamie’s unique blend.

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Life Aquatic Band - Summer Rain.

Sheffield dance-punk quintet Life Aquatic Band return with Stuck in the Mud, a four-track EP produced by three-time Mercury-nominated Shuta Shinoda (Hot Chip, Ghostpoet, Spiritualized), out February 20th, 2026.

Known for their high-energy, genre-hopping live shows, LAB have honed their sound into something tighter, darker and more dancefloor-focused, drawing on the energy of acts like DEVO, The B-52’s, LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip and Fat Dog. “We were really chasing the early 2000s electro clash movement with this, with also a lot of the New York No Wave movement of the 1970s,” the band explain. “For the first time we decided not to use any guitars - or at least not in a traditional sense. The only guitar is on ‘Buggin Out’ and it was resampled a million times until it became noise rather than guitar.”

The EP’s title reflects its central themes: “It’s about feeling stuck and frustrated, but also discovering relief in unexpected ways, probably inspired by learning different types of therapy. We’ve always wanted to make positive music that helps people find happiness, and this time we explored a darker palette while making sure there’s still plenty of light and release running through it.”

Lead single ‘Summer Rain’ was first written by synth-player and vocalist Jazmine Kelly in Japan during monsoon season, its shimmering synths and pulsing beats capturing both the exhilaration and unease of cycling through torrential rain. Initially demoed on basic home recording gear, the track later took on new life in the studio under Shinoda’s direction.

Life Aquatic Band (L.A.B) · Summer Rain

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Photo - Phiilp Svensson

Anna von Hausswolff - Facing Atlas.

On “Facing Atlas”, Swedish Musician and composer Anna von Hausswolff’s breaks open the gates into a warm sound world. Her ethereal vocals meld with echoing drums, a murmuring church organ alongside reverberating guitars and a swirling saxophone as she herself becomes one figure in this fluttering aural space. “‘Facing Atlas’ is about the risks of commitment; to be bound to something until you no longer feel control over yourself and your direction in life. A destiny can feel like a prison if it's not chosen by heart's desire,” von Hausswolff reveals.

It’s the latest single from her forthcoming album Iconoclasts due October 31 via YEAR0001, her first with the label. Throughout the years von Hausswolff’s releases cemented her as an artist of unpredictable and vast creativity – always moving forward, always fusing tradition with experimentation in unimaginable ways. On Iconoclasts, her sound evolves again, bringing a poppier and more vibrant element to her moving songs. 

Produced by von Hausswolff and longtime collaborator Filip Leyman, it is an opus of stirring movement, anthemic ritualism, and maximalist composition, marking a new chapter in von Hausswolff's music and featuring appearances from Ethel Cain, Abul Mogard, Iggy Pop and Maria von Hausswolff.

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Katy Guillen & The Drive - Maddie Lenhart - Los Armadillos - Ruby Gilbert - Takeda

Photo - Lava Dreams

Katy Guillen & The Drive - Goodbye Charlie.

Kansas City duo Katy Guillen & The Drive, that's Katy Guillen (vocals/guitar) and Stephanie Williams (drums) release the third single “Goodbye Charlie” today, about grief and loss, more specifically of a beloved pet, Charlie. “Pets become family, and losing Charlie was a major blow that left a heaviness in my heart. I was genuinely surprised at how hard it was to process his passing, but writing this song helped me find some peace.”

They dropped their first EP, Dream Girl, right before the 2020 lockdown, leaving them without opportunities to perform live. In their basement rehearsal space, they spent the year learning home recording and pre-production techniques, gradually crafting a collection of songs from the ground up. With producer/engineer Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Heartless Bastards, Ray LaMontagne) at Invisible Creature Studio in Los Angeles, they emerged with a batch of 15 songs. 

At the end of 2021, the band released the four-track Battles EP. Ten more would comprise their full-length debut Another One Gained in 2022. The Pitch (Kansas City) called it “a living, breathing testament to how life continually changes against your own will, whether you’re ready or not.” While Uncut Magazine raved, “Guillen & The Drive hit the sweet spot with a mix of spiky garage rock and soulful country torch songs.”  Make That Sound will be their sophomore full-length album, available on Are and Be Recordings, October 17, 2025.

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Maddie Lenhart - Make It Up to You.

Maddie Lenhart’s new single, “Make It Up to You,” is a tender promise carried through grief, regret, and hope. Written in memory of someone she lost six years ago, it plays like a letter left unsent — one filled with the words we wish we’d said and the time we wish we’d made. From the opening scene — “I was supposed to make the trip to Virginia Beach / See your new apartment on the Chesapeake” — Lenhart describes something incredibly raw in just the first moments of the track alone.

Releasing today, during Suicide Prevention Month, the song carries an even greater weight, offering a place of comfort for those walking through loss, and a reminder of how vital it is to hold each other close while we can. The chorus swells into a vow that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant to those who have loved and lost: “I won’t waste a minute / Tell you face to face / How much I love you / You won’t have to wait / It’s the first thing that I’ll do / When I make it up to you.”

Holler has already captured what makes Lenhart’s music so essential: “Heartfelt, dreamy and vulnerable, these are the kind of warm and comforting country songs that you'll want to turn to like a best friend when the world gets too much for you.” That intimacy rings especially true here. “This song is the one that finally captured what I’ve been trying to say for years,” Maddie shares. “For anyone who’s lost someone too soon, I pray it makes you feel less alone.”

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Los Armadillos - Another Monday Morning.

We still remember vividly (and fondly!) the mid-1980s, when authentic garage rock was celebrating a revival. As part of the sixties renaissance, bands like The Fuzztones, The Fleshtones, and The Cynics found their way onto the playlists of even the biggest radio stations. In Switzerland, groups like The Needles and The Maniacs enjoyed great success. And there were The Armadillos from Zurich – who have since renamed themselves Los Armadillos. Their influences: the aforementioned bands, as well as the legendary The Kinks.

Without getting lost in flashy effects or nostalgic retro mania, Los Armadillos aim straight for the essence of a good song – and leave the rest aside. The band was founded in 1985 in Zurich as part of the Swiss sixties revival scene. With Bernie Sprenger as songwriter, singer, and guitarist, and Dominique Muench on drums, the group found its musical foundation. Today’s lineup consists of Bernie Sprenger (vocals, guitar), Dominique Muench (drums), and Michael Herzig (bass, vocals).

In-demand support act for Died Pretty, Green On Red…With their infectious joy of playing, Los Armadillos have taken to numerous stages in and around Zurich – including as support for their heroes Died Pretty and Green On Red – and beyond. In September 2025, they are releasing their new single “Another Monday Morning” (with the B-side “Do it!”) – delivering a fresh dose of garage rock and a clear message: The party goes on!

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Photo - Catguts

Ruby Gilbert - Goddamn Fool.

Ruby Gilbert returns with ‘Goddamn Fool’, a brooding tale of karmic justice and emotional reckoning, arriving today Friday, September 19. With its slow-burning tension and cinematic grit, the track unfolds like a modern-day villain origin story, inspired by the cool stoicism of 60s and 70s Spaghetti Westerns and the lingering menace of southern gothic noir.

Gilbert’s storytelling cuts close to the bone, delivering lines with a twang and tension that feel pulled from a sun-scorched outback showdown. It’s the sound of someone who’s been outplayed, knows it, and walks away from the wreckage without asking for forgiveness or redemption.

A long-time favourite of Triple J, Double J, The Music, Music Feeds and beyond, Ruby Gilbert has spent years capturing the hearts of listeners with her rich, filmic take on country noir. From her 2018 EP 'Dearly Beloved' to syncs on Netflix and ABC, and appearances at Gympie Music Muster, BIGSOUND and TEDx, she’s carved a niche at the crossroads of dark folk and desert western storytelling.

In 'Goddamn Fool', banjo, gritty electric guitar and acoustic guitar tumble through the track with dusty swagger, painting wide skies and long roads. The arrangement is richly layered and cinematic, blooming with menace and melancholy. Drums propel the song with a hypnotic steadiness, grounding Gilbert’s performance as she sings with the poise of a femme fatale, assured, unflinching, and laced with the weight of consequence.

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Takeda - In Venus' Train (Album).

Norwich (England) quartet Takeda have signed with Drongo Records and this week released their anticipated debut album In Venus' Train. Thematically, In Venus’ Train channels mystical figures from folk-lore and biblical metaphors, writing songs about obsession, love and grieving a past life. Produced by David Pye (Szun Waves, Trudy & the Romance, Faithless, Dido), the album is a musically rich, at times intricate and thoughtful, at others explosive and intense journey through the band’s blend of melancholic, organic folk and sprawling, fuzzy alternative-rock. 

Drawing influence in equal measure from British folk revivalists Fairport Convention and alt-metal icons Tool, the album fuses melodic and emotional sensibility of folk with the noise and fuzzed guitar tones of grunge, ultimately making music that sounds something like if Nick Drake joined Pile. At times poetic, beautiful and complex, and at others, raw and explosive, the album is an unapologetic yet intimate journey through the band's musical identity, packing depth and innovative ideas into every track. 

Talking about the album, lead vocalist Josh Harrison explains: “I wrote the album during a period of massive change in my life, losing touch with my family and friends, and rediscovering my own inner self.

I began writing about characters and narratives that, on the surface, felt separate from me. Yet through them, I found a way to look deeper into myself. Some of these figures emerged from folklore, others from scripture, and others still from my own imagination. Despite their varied origins, they each carried a kind of inner light—one that helped me reflect, process, and better understand the truths I was writing about.”

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