The Bats - Abertooth Lincoln - Indigo Syndicate - Kolton Moore & The Clever Few

Photo - Martin Sagadin

The Bats - The Gown.

The Bats return with their third single of 2025, ‘The Gown’. With their 11th album, 'Corner Coming Up' on the horizon, the legendary indie rock band are giving us another taste of what’s to come.

The Bats' music has been recently described as "a perfect blend of bittersweet beauty and deceptive simplicity, and the band has a phenomenal ability to create melodies that linger long after the record has stopped spinning."

'The Gown' is not typical Bats, but fits perfectly with the above description and Martin Sagadin’s beautiful video sympathetically represents the emotions and symphonic vibes expressed in the song. Martin's gorgeous new video was shot on location at Grubb Cottage in Ōhinehou, Ōtautahi Grubb, and features band members Paul Kean and Kaye Woodward, as well as film-makers and musicians Annabel Kean (Sports Team) and Callum Devlin (Sports Team, Hans Pucket).

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Abertooth Lincoln - Mother is God.

Dayton, Ohio’s feral art-punk heavyweights Abertooth Lincoln return with new single ‘Mother is God’, a haunting ballad of abandonment, delusion, and the wreckage cults leave behind. Available to stream now on all major platforms via Golden Robot Records. 

‘Mother is God’ marks a bold evolution for Abertooth Lincoln. Their first true ballad, the song is a slow-burning meditation on cult leader Amy Carlson - told from the imagined perspective of the child she left behind. It wrestles with the devastating contradiction of a woman who claimed to love the world but couldn’t love her own kid. 

Musically, the track stretches Abertooth’s dynamic range: down-tempo and restrained in moments but laced with dissonance and tension that builds to a gripping, cathartic conclusion. 

Lyrically, it’s intimate and unflinching - capturing the pain of being cast aside while exposing the seductive, hollow nature of cults and the narcissists who lead them. Like many songs on Abertooth’s upcoming album, ‘Mother is God’ explores how self-styled prophets often cloak self-interest in spiritual rhetoric, leaving real damage in their wake. 

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Indigo Syndicate - Moonstruck.

Indigo Syndicate’s newest single, “Moonstruck,” plunges into the mind of a schizophrenic narrator, spiraling through the darkness of the voices in their head. Weightlessly dancing between an airtight rhythm section reminiscent of Mark Ronson’s work with Amy Winehouse, the song charts the narrator’s progression from denial to bargaining before ultimately succumbing to the voices.

In the opening verse, the warning is clear: “You’ve been looking far and wide but you dug too deep now you’re lost in your mind / paid the price (paid the price) for looking in places I know I shouldn’t be but I’m lost anyway.” The inescapability deepens in the chorus: “You can’t run from it, you can’t hide from it / but you still gotta choose your poison / you can’t change the game you were made to play / and you can’t beat them, so join them.”

By the second verse, the narrator admits defeat: “But there’s nothing wrong with falling for the voices in your head / I can’t cut them off, so I’ll write these songs until they give the go-ahead.” One last refrain drives the point home: “You can’t beat them, so join them.”

Musically, “Moonstruck” fuses soul, pop, and blues-rock with a modern edge. Its combination of classic yet modern production and silky Bruno Major–like vocals creates a sound both timeless and fresh. It’s a track built for fans of Scary Pockets, The Revivalists, and Glass Animals.

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Photo - Brian Andrews

Kolton Moore & The Clever Few - Brave the Weather.

Kolton Moore & The Clever Few have shared their new single “Brave the Weather,” the latest preview of their upcoming sixth album A Place That I Call Home, out September 26. The introspective new song finds Moore exploring the importance of taking care of one’s mental health, especially during life’s more challenging moments.

Moore on the new song: “This song is about navigating through the hard times in life and realizing that you aren’t the only one who struggles with those hard times. ‘There’s nothing wrong with being scared of the storm, you just learn to brave the weather,’ as the song says. This is something I have to remind myself of often. No matter how tough something may seem, it’s okay to be intimidated, but if you push through it, there is always something better on the other side.”

“Brave the Weather” follows the tender “Strawberry Thief” and the anthemic “When We Were Young,” which have garnered praise from Holler, Whiskey Riff and Glide Magazine who praised the band’s “big-hearted twang and songwriting chops.” Produced by GRAMMY-winner Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price), the Texas five-piece’s forthcoming album A Place That I Call Home finds them navigating adulthood while taking stock of hard-earned life lessons along the way. The end result is an album about redefining the meaning of home from a road-warrior band that used to play 250 shows a year when they debuted in 2012.

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Soft Hearted Scientists - Frog - The Last Time - Coloured Paper Shapes - Jesse Harris feat. Norah Jones

Soft Hearted Scientists - Wonder Girl.

Taken from the new album “The Phantom of Canton”. Soft Hearted Scientists are a Cardiff based band who can loosely be described as psychedelic, in the sense that they create a technicolour sound using a huge variety of instruments and sound effects, whether guitars or vintage keyboards. The idea is to transport the listener to a better place, whether that’s on a 3-minute action packed single, or a 10-minute multi section epic. 

Their influences include everything from The Beatles, Beach Boys and Kinks to The Beta Band, Super Furry Animals, 1940s big band music and electronic music. Nothing is out of bounds. It all gets thrown into the SHS blender. The band has had great press reviews and radio play on BBC 6 music shows such as Cerys Matthews, Gideon Coe, and Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone.

“Wonder Girl” A lovestruck song featuring half an album’s worth of hooks, Motown and surf guitars, celestial humming choirs, a sudden mood change middle section, and the whole thing bounces off the walls with energy. 

There are shades of The Beach Boys, The Kinks, ancient Disney film songs, and circus and vaudeville music in this track as well as many obscure 1940s songs (singer Nathan falls asleep every night to such tunes so they must be having a subconscious effect). It crams 80 years of musical genres into just over 3 minutes 30 seconds. The Wonder Girl in question may be real, an ideal, a ghost from an old photograph, or she might just be a product of wishful thinking.

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Frog - BITTEN BY MY LOVE VAR. XI.

Today August 29th, Cult New York-based band Frog announce ‘The Count,’ their seventh album, with the “BITTEN BY MY LOVE VAR. XI” single. The new record will be released on September 19th.

Following February’s ‘1000 Variations on the Same Song,’ Daniel Bateman and brother Steve (drums/percussion) offer another ten variations, locking into a style and sound, stretching its limitations and exploring the possibilities.

The eleven variations released six months ago brought Frog back to the Indie Rock and Alt Country sounds of previous albums like ‘Kind of Blah’ and ‘Count Bateman,’ earning them Stereogum’s Album of the Week, sessions for KEXP and WFMU, as well as praise from Pitchfork, FLOOD Magazine, KLOF Mag, and airplay from stations like KCRW, WFUV, WKDU, and WNYU, which saw them reach the top 30 of the NACC 200 chart, on top of national airplay in Europe from FM4, Kosmos, and the BBC.

However, ‘The Count’ takes a left turn from even Frog’s most idiosyncratic past material, with Bateman assuming the titular role of a mysterious New Yorker turned piano man for one impromptu and unforgettable performance. While Bateman’s skill for penning songs about love, loss, and lust remains unchanged, this is a Frog album like no other.

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The Last Time - She Says She's Lost Her Glow.

After 25 years of existence, The Last Time, a Power Pop group from the island of Yeu, France, has finally recorded 4 compositions at the legendary Blackbox studio. The release date is September 20th, 2025 @ Truly Yours Records. 

It's also the new band of Olivier Popincourt. (For the benefit of the uninitiated, Olivier Popincourt is a stylish French Mod, a musical Anglophile, an accomplished songwriter, and a big fan of Paul Weller - Acoustic Egg Box, 2020). Here is what Jean-William Thoury (lyricist notably for Bijou, Marie-France and Daniel Sani, sound producer, journalist and rock'n'roll critic) thinks of it:

"An arpeggio, a voice in the third, a roll on the toms between the different parts of the song and, abracadabra, the magic happens, you just have to know it and, above all, love it... The Last Time have always loved it. Verse, chorus, bridge, solo, nothing is missing from their songs which have the elegance of never reaching the fateful three-minute mark. Everything here breathes grace and sincerity. With a shared passion for so-called pop music in the Small Faces or The Jam meaning of the term, The Last Time is also one of the best songs of the Rolling Stones golden age period (1965). It also evokes a certain awareness, that of time passing. "Let's be brilliant before it's too late" is what Olivier Popincourt (vocals, guitar), Olivier Cha (guitar), Pierre Borny (bass) and Daniel Le Bris (drums), who have been playing together for 25 years, seem to have said to each other. But this is the first recording!”

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Coloured Paper Shapes - Playtime.

Coloured Paper Shapes is the genre-fusing project of South London-based artist-producer Richard James Jakubowski. Blending jangly guitars, rich storytelling, and subtle experimental touches, his sound finds a sweet spot between indie pop and alternative rock. Honest, human, and emotionally expansive.

Drawing on a lifelong reverence for David Bowie and the stylistic quirks of acts like Metronomy and Japanese Breakfast, Jakubowski crafts songs that speak to people caught somewhere between reflection and release—what he calls music for extrospective introverts. His writing delves deep into the quiet thoughts that live behind loud nights out, exploring the blurry intersections of identity, routine, and connection.

His current body of work forms part of a wider concept project titled Flamingos, a narrative-rich album that plays out like the soundtrack to an imaginary film or musical. Set against the backdrop of an all-night dive bar (based loosely on a real spot once frequented by Jakubowski and his friends), Flamingos follows a group of 30-something co-workers caught in the familiar loop of post-work drinks, blurry weekends, and existential stasis—until one of them starts to see the cycle for what it is.

His upcoming single “Playtime” began life as something separate from the Flamingos arc, originally inspired by a scene from Sean Baker’s The Florida Project. The artist shares, “I was watching The Florida Project, and there’s a scene where these kids are running around a motel parking lot, laughing and causing mayhem. That moment really stayed with me — the way the film captures innocence and joy even in tough circumstances.” He continues, “I wanted to write a song about that feeling of being able to let go — how, whether we’re kids or adults, we have certain people or places that let us tap back into that carefree sense of play.” 

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Photo - Logan White

Jesse Harris - Having a Ball (feat. Norah Jones).

"Having a Ball" is the new love song from Grammy Award-winning songwriter Jesse Harris and features him in a duet with his longtime collaborator and friend Norah Jones. Wrapped in a lush orchestral arrangement by Brazilian composer Maycon Ananias, the song blends classic elegance with emotional intimacy. It’s the second glimpse into Harris’s forthcoming orchestral album, If You Believed In Me, out this fall: a sweeping, cinematic journey from one of today’s most quietly iconic songwriters from NYC.

"Since I first met Norah in 1998, she has always brought magic and energy to every song she sings. It had been years since we'd recorded together, and ‘Having a Ball’ seemed to cry out for her to harmonize with me. Once she got in the studio, her improvised ad libs and scats added so much, so I asked her to do two separate takes of it, which you can now hear throughout the song" says Jesse Harris.

If You Believed In Me began with an unexpected offer: “If you ever need an orchestra…” Jesse Harris’s friend and arranger Maycon Ananias had extra recording time with an Estonian orchestra and invited Harris to send a song. That first experiment, Dolores, sparked something new. Though Harris - a Grammy winner and longtime collaborator of Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, and Cat Power - had released over twenty albums, he had never recorded with an orchestra.

Inspired, Harris wrote eight more songs in five weeks, crafting intricate compositions designed for symphonic arrangement. Recorded between New York, Rio, and Tallinn, the album features guest appearances from Norah Jones, Brazilian guitarist Guilherme Monteiro, Jake Sherman, and Marine Quéméré of Nouvelle Vague.

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Leanne Gallati - Selve - Oslo Twins - Us and Them

Leanne Gallati - Villain 2.0.

Leanne Gallati proves that she can belt her heart out on new single “Villain 2.0”. If you’re a fan of Lake Street Dive or Sammy Rae & the Friends, then the powerhouse vocals of Leanne Gallati will surely catch your attention. The synopsis of the new track is about looking within and recognizing that you can be the bad guy in a relationship sometimes, making it an introspective and relatable number.

The new video for “Villain 2.0.”  is a playful, old-fashioned perception of a “damsel in distress” gone wrong. Filmed with a camcorder and a green screen, the video leans into the old time-y vibes and whimsicality of the overall story the video portrays. Halfway through the video, the script is flipped with Gallati’s lover acting as the damsel, and Leanne turning into the perpetrator. Throughout the video and track, the duality of humankind unfolds, as we see an imperfect version of the narrator owning up to her flaws while simultaneously embracing the positive parts of herself. 
 
Leanne Gallati shares a few words about the inspiration behind the new track: “Villain 2.0” came out of an instance, where I realized that I was actually the bad guy in a relationship, not the man. This songwriting process was very cathartic for me, because it is essentially about me accepting the ugly parts of my personality, and how I became self aware of my actions and how they affect others.”

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Photo - Joshua Tate

Selve - Friday Night. 

Australian band Selve share the final teaser of forthcoming album 'Breaking Into Heaven' before its release on the 12 September, the new single 'Friday Night' lands ahead of Selve's album tour spanning dates in so-called QLD, NSW & VIC across Sep-Nov, set to bring their (and we sort of quote) "lively" (Rolling Stone) singular blend of "mystery, intrigue and damn good rock & roll" (Scenestr) with "levels of throwaway fun right on the money" (Paul McBride); and to a New Year's appearance at Lost Paradise alongside names like Underworld, Channel Tres, Confidence Man, Dameeela, Marc Rebillet and more and a support for Winston Surfshirt.

A deeply earnest love song evoking a drive-in-cinema romance with sweeping string sections, lofty duet vocals via Liddle and Creation Saffigna, 'Friday Night' was written during the band's time in France, with Liddle going through a difficult time that "warranted the melancholic nostalgia" of the track's irrepressible pop hooks - with the song's creation taking on a journey reflective of its joyous post-nihilism. 

Loki Liddle explains: "'Friday Night' is song coming from a sad time that transformed into something beautiful and redemptive - a Cadillac by the river, Bonnie and Clyde romance. It was the hardest song to get across the line. We couldn't find a chorus and were in the studio for 2-3 hours ad-libbing shit, we were about to give up hope - then I found it: 'If nothing matters / then why do you matter to me' - and we knew that was it, a skin of our teeth kind of moment! We hope you feel washed by its gentle waves of healing, redemption and real love."

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Photo - Veronica Maier

Oslo Twins -All In Your Mind. 

London-based indie-dance outfit Oslo Twins return today to announce a new A/B side, led by electrifying new track ‘All In Your Mind’, out digitally today via Half-Normal Records. Following the semi-viral success of their 'Tresor' EP earlier this year, with lead track 'I Wake Up Slowly' now approaching a million streams and gaining extensive radio airplay across Europe, 'All In Your Mind' builds on that breakthrough moment, and will be released on limited 7" vinyl with its B-side 'Sirens' on 15th October.

New single 'All In Your Mind' cements Oslo Twins' evolution from their Bristolian indie roots and plants them firmly in London’s after-dark orbit. Their hypnotic, industrial-tinged electronica feels more alluring than ever - led by Claudia Vulliamy’s conversational vocals, and the kind of nocturnal melancholy that belongs to rainy streets, flickering night-bus lights and post-club detours.

Recorded and produced by band member Eric C. Davies at his east London studio, the track rides on kinetic beats and gleaming synths, its intimacy heightened by Vulliamy’s vocals, recorded on her phone in a park, giving them a grainy, half-remembered texture. 

On the release of 'All In Your Mind', Claudia Vulliamy said: "I approached the song with ideas of nostalgia and our blurred images of the past. This got me looking at a corner of the internet where people curate photos that are eerily reminiscent of a childhood memory, often low-res photos of empty spaces from the 2000s, as well as the similar ‘liminal’ aesthetic. I was interested in how we construct vague fantasies from incomplete memories or narratives. Vocally, I wanted it to feel like a conversation caught on record and turned into a song."

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Us and Them - Get in the swing.

The Swedish-based duo Us and Them have a penchant for vocal harmonies and strong melodies in combination with elements of folk, psychedelia and baroque pop. The songs can be introspective and based on personal experiences, but also expressing timeless and universal stories. They first recorded for Fruits de Mer Records back in 2009 and have been regular visitors to the label since then, most recently with the first CD in our retrospective series ‘An Introduction to’ – it was a sell-out release. But now it’s time for a new album released on FdM’s ‘Friends of the Fish’ label.

In the autumn of 2022, Us and Them's third album. “…and I observed the blue sky” was released, an album that broadened Us and Them musical styles and was born from the isolation that the covid pandemic enforced, as well as the focus that arose from this time. Since then, the duo has released a covers EP, a few singles and collaborated with other artists.

The duo's fourth album scheduled for release on September 15 is “The Lights and the Shadow”, Britt and Anders explain... "While working on it, the songs were pulling in two directions, partly towards the pastoral and idyllic - a kind of escape from reality and a denial of the world that is going on outside of us - and partly towards a darker, more atmospheric sound; it was as if the album as a whole described the different sides of life - the light that is at best the starting point but with the shadow that is always there and risks falling over our lives at any time, hence the album's title."

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False Futures - Risley - A Better Place - Crystal Jacqueline and friends

False Futures - Under The Same Sun.

Just days ahead of their debut UK headline tour, London-based indie quartet False Futures return with their third ever single 'Under The Same Sun' today August 26th. Bathed in sunlight, the track is a reflective meditation on youth, ambition, and the timeless search for belonging—marking the band’s transition from underground darlings to a rising power in the indie scene.

Recorded in a cramped 9ft x 9ft room in North London, 'Under The  Same Sun' belies its humble origins with an expansive sound that recalls the angular precision of Television and the lo-fi authenticity of Pavement. Self-produced with the kind of DIY ingenuity that echoes Mac DeMarco's bedroom recording ethos, the track transforms spatial limitations into sonic intimacy. The track's stripped-back musicianship allows frontman Mathew Conner’s distinct Northern tinged tones to permeate every line, delivering lyrics that speak to anyone who's ever felt the pull between conformity and self-expression.

The song began life eight years ago as an instrumental demo, written during Conner’s first summer in London when he was "obsessed with The Beach Boys" and experiencing the intoxicating freedom of city life. But it wasn't until a moment of inspiration at Peckham Plex cinema that the words finally came together, transforming a long-dormant idea into a fully-fledged anthem.

"This track is a pat on the back to my younger self; a reminder to do as you please with your time on earth," he explains "The good, the bad, the alright, everything that has ever happened has done so, under the same sun, and that's all the guarantee you're getting."

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Risley - Halah.

Portland, Oregon's Risley is a four-piece band that can be described as dreamy and nostalgic indie-rock with a twist of 80s British influence. A web of guitar melodies often sit atop a driving rhythm section to stage the backdrop for soaring vocals and thoughtful lyrics. As such, you can imagine the band is heavily influenced by Mazzy Star, and to pay homage to them they have covered Mazzy Star's "Halah" and will release it nationally on all streaming platforms today August 26th. 

Of the song, frontman Michael Deresh says: “We had learned ‘Halah’ to play at a show, with the intention of it being a one-time thing, like most songs we cover and occasionally throw into a set. What can I say? We grew attached and didn’t want to say goodbye, so quickly. It felt like we had really reminded a lot of people of a song that they loved but had forgotten. So, we decided to record it and share it more widely. We’ve never released a cover song as a single, but it just felt right. Why not? It's such a wonderful song and singing Hope’s parts is like putting on a velvet robe. I just want to stay there and linger.”

Risley released their latest album, Umbra Penumbra, this spring at Mississippi Studios (Portland, Oregon). This June, the band was honored and thrilled to share their live session in the KEXP studios, where they had charted for six weeks. The record also notably features a guest appearance on the song "Walls" by Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam) on drums.

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A Better Place - Don't Mind.

On their third single Don’t Mind, A Better Place drifts into dreamlike territory—led by a hypnotic guitar line and a slow-burning build that erupts into a hazy indie rock climax. Clocking in at just under two minutes, the track captures intimacy, longing, and fleeting connection in one tight, powerful swoop. 

Like a half-remembered dream or a whispered confession, Don’t Mind leaves its mark before slipping away. Catch them live, because once you do, you’ll be hooked. 

Even amidst the success of HALF CAB, Joris Ras, singer and guitarist, felt a burning desire to create something different. Less pop-punk, more indie rock. That’s when A Better Place was born. What started as a side project quickly took center stage after HALF CAB came to a close, and with that shift, the creative energy skyrocketed. New songs are flowing in at a rapid pace, and the band wasted no time hitting the studio.

TCBYML · A Better Place - Dont Mind

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Crystal Jacqueline and friends - Elven Boy.

Crystal Jacqueline and The Honey Pot have been Fruits de Mer ‘regulars’ for many years – as close as you can get to being the label’s ‘house band’; their blend of psychedelia, folk, originals and covers has made them firm favourites of followers of the label; ‘Smoke Road’ is Jacqui’s new project – a double LP (on sale September 15th) containing all original songs. Featuring guest appearances from Leo O'Kelly, Icarus Peel and Mark McDowell amongst others, 'Smoke Road' has lyrics by David Greygoose, which have dark, gothic undertones, so expect a mysterious rural psychedelia-meets-acid folk feel to the music
Over to Crystal Jacqueline to explain….

“During the summer of 2023 there was some conversation evolving between myself, Icarus Peel and the author David Greygoose; he had been following our music and supporting us for a while, sending us a few of his books and some poems to read so that we could write some cover notes for his next book ‘Crow Dark Dawn’. It soon became clear that there were similarities in the style and subject matter between his lyrics and Icarus’s, so the idea of a collaboration between us was all but inevitable. Many of David’s poems reminded Icarus of Mervyn Peake’s ‘Gormenghast’ in style and thought; the words would lend themselves to his music very well. We were, in fact, equally impressed with one another’s qualities and that would go on to contribute to this rather special album. We arranged a few songs to start with and all agreed that the sound was good, so we kept the project going and invited some friends along...

The first musician we approached was Leo O’Kelly from Tír na nÓg, with whom we had been planning to work for a while, but hadn’t quite got a suitable set of songs together; his playing brings an exciting, atmospheric dynamic especially to ‘The Tides That Turn’. We had also been looking for an excuse to work with Mark McDowell for some time, and this was the perfect opportunity. He does a fine job singing on ‘Smoke Road’ and ‘The Grey Light’. Icarus was already working with Rob Gould and Jay Tausig on other projects and they were happy to join in with this. Jay plays drums and also sings as well as contributing some wonderful flute. Rob contributes his excellent keyboard playing on ‘The Greygoose Lament’ amongst others. Equally impressive is the Mellotron playing from Mordecai Smyth, which can be heard to best effect on ‘Dreamwalkers’. Dick Terry, drums and vocals, and Django Manglunki, glissando guitar, both members of The Honey Pot Collective, contributed beautifully along with Maria, Irish whistle, and Phil Townsend who played jaw harp. 

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Maple Mars - Tullycraft - Rachael Sage & The Sequins - Kashena Sampson

Maple Mars - Couldn't Have Been A Better Time / Tidal Wave.

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of LA pop-psych titans Maple Mars, Big Stir Records have just released an all new two track single from the band: “Couldn't Have Been A Better Time” and “Tidal Wave”, a one-two punch demonstrating both the power and the pop that have made them longtime favorites onstage and on record. 

It seems impossible that it's been a quarter of a century since Maple Mars rose from the ashes of front man Rick Hromadka's beloved '90s outfit Double Naught Spies, and the new songs presented here are as full of youthful rock and roll energy as ever. But it's a reality worth celebrating, and the current lineup of the band Hromadka on vocals and guitar, Steve Berns on guitar and vocals, longtime drummer Ron Pak and returning bassist Jeff Legore do so in their customary bracing rock style. 

The songs presented here display the band at the absolute top of their game, too. The A-side “Couldn't Have Been A Better Time” is a pure guitar-pop delight, with soaring hooks and a sense of palpable joy permeating the performance. The title telegraphs a look back at the band's history, but there's more going on here, however coy Hromadka may be about it. “I gave away too much personal info about some of the songs on the last Maple Mars album,” he says of the personal journey detailed in music on Someone's Got To Listen. “Gonna keep this one a secret. Although listeners can probably figure out that it's about someone special in my life.” The song simply radiates warmth, and the blend of trippy touches and Beach Boys like glee are pure Maple Mars.


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Tullycraft - Tarrytown / Love On the Left Bank.

Seattle, Washington's own indie pop pioneers Tullycraft are back with two new singles "Tarrytown" & "Love On the Left Bank" off their new album Shoot the Point out now on HHBTM Records. 

Over the years, Tullycraft has penned a handful of songs that practically define the twee movement in America. The chorus "fuck me, I'm twee" was the refrain that launched a thousand t-shirts. “The Punks Are Writing Love Songs” introduced bratty punk to hummingbird twee. "Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend’s Too Stupid to Know About" encapsulated an entire music scene in a single song. 

And yet despite this, for most, the band exists somewhere near the edges of obscurity. Occasionally, they receive a nod (like when their album 'Old Traditions, New Standards' was featured on Pitchfork's list of the 25 Best Indie Pop Albums of the ’90s) but these spotlights don’t tend to happen as frequently as one might think.

While the mainstream has largely ignored Tullycraft, their status in the indie pop underground is undeniable. Formed in Seattle in 1995, they are considered to be one of the bona fide pioneers of the American twee pop movement. Touring relentlessly during the last gasp of the truly independent indie-underground, they influenced countless young bands. They were once called “the Johnny Appleseed of Indie Pop — making their way across the country, leaving new bands, zines, and record labels to sprout up in their wake."


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Photo - Anna Azarov

Rachael Sage & The Sequins - The Best Version.

Beloved folk-pop singer-songwriter Rachael Sage and her longtime band The Sequins have released their uplifting new single and video “The Best Version” alongside the announcement of their new studio album Canopy, out October 24 via MPress Records. Standing as Sage’s most soulful and thought-provoking work to date, Canopy confidently spans Americana, pop, and neo-folk while exploring themes of living a purposeful and joyful life rooted in inclusiveness and equality. The new single is a lyrical, piano-pop confession that grapples with social media surrealism and imagines a blissful, unplugged state of being.

“‘The Best Version’ is a pretty different flavor musically from the rest of the album,” shares Sage on the new single. “Over the last few years, I’ve witnessed more and more people throwing up their hands and feeling so continually misunderstood on social media that they’ve had to go on ‘social media fasts’ just to feel sane. 

This gave me the idea of imagining a sort of blissful, off-the-grid state of being where you might gaze into a night-sky, imagine your soulmate(s) living in other parts of the world, and feel simultaneously tiny and huge. In these chaotic times, I personally find a lot of solace knowing from being on tour that I have kindred spirits in many places now and this song expresses the gist of why I love touring so much. I think this is among the most hopeful tracks on the record and we worked really hard to reflect the hopeful, expansive feeling of the lyrics in the string arrangement.”

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Photo - Jon Karr 

Kashena Sampson - Ghost Of Me.

Nashville-based powerhouse Kashena Sampson has unveiled the title track of her forthcoming LP, Ghost Of Me, out on October 3. Kashena tells us “Besides being a musician, I have also been a bartender at a music venue for the past 10 years to pay my bills. It’s a great job, but there are some nights that feel like my heart is breaking,” Sampson told Chorus.fm. “Watching others live out the exact dream I’m still chasing, night after night. Having to put a smile on my face and serve industry people who’ve passed on me can be rough, and I can get real down on myself about it sometimes. 

‘Ghost Of Me’ is about those moments. The times when I question my worth, and the internal struggle of not being where I would like to be in my music career,” she added. “It’s about not giving up on my dreams even though at times it feels like it’s killing me.”

“Stuck in the same place, same routine,” she sings, before a swell of gorgeous, nocturnal noise, full of swooning keyboards and atmospheric guitars, like a long-lost Roy Orbison classic reborn for a film noir soundtrack. “Ghost Of Me” follows lead single, “Rearview Mirror,” a song born of intuition and shadow work, a spiritual shake-up designed to clear the path for truth. 

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