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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Lily Frost - Bird Streets - Mathis Akengin ft. Claire Passard - The Steel Wheels

Lily Frost - Cure For Loneliness.

Since the late 1990s, Toronto singer/songwriter Lily Frost has built an impressive body of work that spans pop in nearly all its forms, from vintage to contemporary. On top of that, Lily’s dynamic performing skills and impeccable personal style have cemented her status as one of Toronto’s most beloved musical artists.

Lily is now excited to announce that she has partnered with New York-based KMG Distribution and The Royalty Network to reissue two of her recent acclaimed independent albums, 2019’s Retro-Moderne and 2022’s Decompression. As well, she is sharing the single “Cure For Loneliness,” a jaunty western swing ditty, co-written with Eleni Mandel, and featuring Toronto twang master Nichol Robertson. Lily is celebrating all of this news with a Toronto show on Wed. Sept. 24 at Sauce on Danforth.

Lily’s new partnerships will bring greater international exposure to Retro-Moderne and Decompression, while generating further opportunities for song placements, an area in which she has enjoyed great past success. In 2001, Lily’s song “Who Am I?” appeared on the Crazy/Beautiful soundtrack, and in 2009 she was nominated for a Gemini Award for co-writing “All I Ever Wanted To Be,” the theme for the CBC television series Being Erica. Lily’s songs have also been heard in the shows Grey’s Anatomy, Charmed, Felicity, Stargate SG-1, Workin’ Moms, as well as in commercials for Chevrolet and Hudson’s Bay.

However, Lily is thrilled by the prospect of audiences (re)discovering Retro-Moderne and Decompression, two collections that display the full range of her songwriting abilities. The former shines with infectious hooks, while the latter is grounded in heartfelt alt-country.

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Bird Streets - Run For Our Lives.

Brooklyn's Bird Streets (John Brodeur) is thrilled to present the latest single from their forthcoming album The Escape Artist. "Run For Our Lives" is pop-rock in the classic sense, overflowing with vocal and guitar hooks, and sporting a chorus that will stick in your frontal lobe for days to come. Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Jason Falkner, "Run For Our Lives" is the third single in advance of the new record, following the introspective folk-pop of "It's A Start," and the driving rock noir of "Mistaker."

Brodeur says, “Run For Our Lives has roots in the late ‘90s. I had the first few verses but could never figure out where to go from there–I tried probably a dozen different choruses over the years. I showed it to Jason when we were auditioning material for the record, and he offered up some chords and a melody. It was one of those chocolate-and-peanut-butter moments–his chorus was exactly what the song needed."

The vibrant "Run For Our Lives" music video prominently features members of New York-based theatrical dance troupe The Love Show. Shot in the troupe's own Hidden Jewel Box Theater–a performance space constructed inside a defunct Mrs. Field's Cookies shop at Manhattan's Port Authority–the clip finds Brodeur and his band coming face to face with a merry band of kooks. Viewers may notice subtle nods to one or more George Harrison videos.

The Escape Artist, out October 17, is a self-described paranoid guitar-pop record, that "runs the gamut from claustrophobic folk to angular indie-rock to power-pop to punk-rock freakout." Written and recorded during and after the global pandemic, the album touches on themes of fear, isolation, and existential dread, while serving up the indelible melodies and arrangements that have made Bird Streets one of indie-rock's most underrated artists.

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Photo - Hugo Horsin

Mathis Akengin ft. Claire Passard - Mer d'hiver.

There are seas that no longer make waves. In his new single ‘Mer d’hiver’, Mathis Akengin lends his voice to that very sea, joined by the delicate voice of Claire Passard. A winter sea slowed down, dense, almost frozen, where everything seems to be holding its breath. In winter, the sea becomes a metaphor for suspended time, for life slowed down, for what seems asleep yet continues, silently, to transform.

An old sailor whispers: ‘As-tu vu passer l’orage?’ (Did you see the storm pass by?), the question lingers, simple yet devastating. Did we notice the moment when everything shifted? Was it already too late? The piece moves with restraint, between silences and resonances, like a memory one hardly dares to touch.

At the age when his peers were learning to read and write, Mathis Akengin discovered a passion for a different form of expression: the piano. Like many early talents—often referred to as ‘prodigies’ due to their rarity—the young musician entered the Conservatory at the age of six, where he would study for fifteen years, later adding a stint at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Lausanne. His exemplary path confirmed his natural talent.

However, the youngling from Franche-Comté (France) didn’t want to limit himself to classical music. Contemporary music quickly caught his attention. At the age of twelve, he formed his first band and started his first tours. Little did he know that, a few years later, he would join the blues-rock duo Catfish, a band he had once opened for. Projects multiplied. By the age of twenty-five, his list of collaborations was already impressive. Mathis’ keyboards, both in the studio and live, resonate in a variety of formations with sounds ranging from Dead Chic (rock), Eméa (world-soul), Alexandrie (pop), to Neptune Quartet (oriental jazz). Eclectic, Mathis is also a versatile artist. He’s often sought after to arrange albums, always finding new ways to develop his creativity and skills.

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Photo - Monik Geisel

The Steel Wheels - Chase It All Away.

Today, Virginia-based Americana pioneers The Steel Wheels announce the release of their new self-titled LP to coincide with their 20 year anniversary as a band. The LP will come out on CD + vinyl on Oct. 31, but won’t be released to streaming services until next year on March 14, 2026, emphasizing the fan first mentality that has been a hallmark of the band’s since their inception. Today, they’ve also shared new single “Chase It All Away,” which combines a pop melody, a New Orleans style jazz piano, frontman Trent Wagler’s twangy vocals and an expansive fiddle solo for a commentary on the hustle of modern-day life. 

On the new track, Wagler shares: “Hold it all at once. The diagnosis, the beautiful beach, the hard work coming, the lazy afternoon. How do we measure the need of the day? Is it in widgets moved, checklists marked, or in winding paths taken? How do we keep our inner fire burning to keep curious and passionate, without breaking down when life hits us with the unexpected?” 

Their ninth studio album, The Steel Wheels was co-produced by D. James Goodwin (Goose, Bonny Light Horseman, I’m With Her), who mixed the band’s 2019 album Over The Trees. The project was recorded at Goodwin’s new Shenandoah Valley studio during a snowy Virginia winter, and the process was fluid and swift. Sessions were punctuated by peals of laughter and occasional tears as the group embraced vulnerability and leaned into every emotion as it came. The album that resulted captures a band at its creative apex: honoring their roots as a harmony-centric acoustic ensemble but fully leaning into the folk rock that they’ve grown into over the last 20 years. 

On the LP, in typical Steel Wheels fashion, Wagler’s lyrics pose big, philosophical questions that he realizes have no answer. The sneakily profound earworm “Easy” they released last month is a perfect example of that – asking if in this age of technology and accessibility, is everything really easier? 

The Steel Wheels · Chase It All Away

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Indigo Fire - Wilder Maker - Living Hour

Indigo Fire - Gone Away.

Indigo Fire have returned with a synth rock beauty entitled 'Gone Away.' Gone Away draws upon events that happened years ago. But it could have been yesterday. Or it could be tomorrow. The emotions would be the same… a mix of hurt, bewilderment, frustration and anger that comes with the loss of something important. Heavy on the synths and vocals with a punchy drum line and more subtle guitar, Indigo Fire has tried to craft a catchy but poignant song.

ndigo Fire was formed in 2025 when old school friends, Guy Martland and Pete Burdon, finally put their heads together and started writing and recording their own songs.  Although they never pursued music professionally, they have both played in various orchestras and jazz/blues bands over the years. 

With Indigo Fire, they are venturing into a new genre (for them) as they try to create their own sound, drawing upon the various bands and artists who influenced them growing up, such as Depeche Mode, The Cure, New Order and Pink Floyd. With mixing and post-production help from their friend, Dan Skinner, they released their first single, Lyrics for a Song, in May 2025. Gone Away is the second single from Indigo Fire's forthcoming debut album, Incipient.

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Photo - Keegan Grandbois

Wilder Maker - The Moon Says / Darkness Leaning Like Water Against the Windows.

Wilder Maker have shared two more songs from The Streets Like Beds Still Warm before the full record is out next Monday. The two tracks are "The Moon Says" & "Darkness Leaning Like Water Against the Windows". Those who visit us even occasionally will have probably picked up on the fact that Beehive Candy loves original, creative and unpretentious new music, Wilder Maker have ticked all those boxes for us, we are very impressed.

Band member Gabriel Birnbaum tells us, “The Moon Says” is a love song for someone who begs for help and refuses it at the same time, for someone who can’t love themself. It contains a beautiful saxophone contribution from Joseph Shabason, rhythm guitar/piano parts that slowly warp and bend as the song progresses, and a title that references one of my all time poets, Frank Stanford.

Brooklyn band Wilder Maker’s principal songwriter, Gabriel Birnbaum says that the group’s latest full-length, The Streets Like Beds Still Warm follows “an overall formal asymmetry, like dream logic.” It is richly textured, moody, and deep and is as distinctly narrative as it is literally experimental. To call it a concept album, as big as that term is, would actually be to sell it short. It is, in fact, only the first part of a concept trilogy that tells the tale of one long night in the city, from dusk to dawn.

The Streets Like Beds Still Warm follows a lonely narrator as he drifts down avenues and in and out of bars and hospital rooms. He thinks on big questions and bigger questions, gets into some trouble, worries about his sick father, grapples with rivals and competitors who could be his friends but are not; he orders cocktails, dreams he is a genius, thinks about God and fate and so on. The record closes out at around 1:15am, leaving the story to be continued. If this sounds a bit noirish, that’s because it is. “Film noir detectives always start out looking immaculate, but by the end of the film they have a torn collar, a black eye, their slacks are stained, and they’ve started slapping people around in desperation,” Birnbaum says. “Are they the good guy anymore? I find this fascinating and I love the visual cues reflecting the internal landscape.” While there are no visual cues, per se, on The Streets Like Beds Still Warm, the record owes a great debut to cinematography.


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Photo - Lucas Pingitore

Living Hour - Best I Did It.

Winnipeg band Living Hour releases "Best I Did It" today, the third single from their new album Internal Drone Infinity, out October 17 via Keeled Scales. Lyricist Sam Sarty writes: "In the end, the song is about confronting a lot of dark feelings head-on, and not just driving by or looking for a distraction. I really like singing the line 'I’m just out here to try my medicine,' because that’s truly all I can do. All I can do is try to prioritize all the forms of medicine at my disposal."

Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Living Hour experiences long winter seasons characterized by thick, grey sky and a colourless cityscape. A lot of the lyrics in this song are built around this colour landscape, and how Sarty confronts these intensely grey feelings.

Despite the gloom giving birth to the song, Sarty says the chorus is a hopeful reminder to herself. "I imagine myself 10 years from now looking back at this song and thinking of all the ways I’ve tried to heal myself, and saying I did the best I could. I’m doing the best I can." 

Living Hour worked with engineer/producer Melina Duterte (Jay Som), who previously worked with boygenius, Whitmer Thomas, and Lucy Dacus. Living Hour's combination of hushed lyrics and fuzzed-out guitar calls to mind artists like Squirrel Flower, Soccer Mommy, and Slow Pulp.

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