The Pursuit Of Pleasure - The Spongetones - Wynona Bleach - EYRE LLEW - The Jaws of Brooklyn - Maria Taylor feat. Conor Oberst

The Pursuit Of Pleasure - Smash My Heart to Ash.

The Pursuit Of Pleasure have now finished recording their second album and are gearing up to release & tour in the first half of 2026. The new album adds grungier guitars and a 90's indie-influenced sound to the alt-folk, country-tinged Americana of their debut.

The Pursuit Of Pleasure released their debut album "Songs Mostly in Waltz Time" via Chufty Badge Records back in April 2025. The band also performed at several major festivals in 2025 as well as releasing a standalone single "Lava on Snow" in December.

Today the first single "Smash My Heart to Ash" from the forthcoming album has been released. 'Smash My Heart to Ash' is veering a little towards indie rock, with a hint of alt folk and some beautifully powerful dual vocals, collectively it really works and is a fabulous taster for the eagerly awaited second album.  

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The Spongetones - So Long.

Power Pop Hall Of Fame inductees The Spongetones, fresh off the success of their acclaimed live album The 40th Anniversary Concert... And Beyond, return to make good on the promise of that album's trio of new studio bonus tracks by kicking off an on going series of standalone singles with “So Long,” an all-new track featuring all three founding members and showcasing the songcraft and pitch-perfect retro stylings that have made them mainstays on the indie pop and power pop scene for decades. The single is out today March 13.

The Spongetones are singer-songwriters Jamie Hoover (guitar), Steve Stoeckel (bass) and Pat Walters (guitar), joined in recent years by full-time drummer/vocalist Eric Willhelm have been crafting, recording and performing neo-classics in the British Invasion mold together since well before their iconic 1982 debut album Beat Music. 

They've maintained that legacy across the decades on a series of well-received studio albums (nearly ten, depending on how you count them, the most recent being 2009's Scrambled Eggs) and built a catalog of new pop rock classics brilliantly captured with all the band's esteemed onstage prowess and energy on the live album released last year. The real treasure for longtime fans was the inclusion of three brand new studio tracks, also released as singles: “Lulu's In Love,” “Help Me Janie” and “Honest Work,” all hits on global indie radio and tantalizing signs that the album was not just a career summary but a step forward for The Spongetones as well.

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Photo - Anna Burnett

Wynona Bleach - Religion.

Belfast quartet Wynona Bleach share ‘Religion’ taken from the anticipated upcoming sophomore album Animal Style - May 29th via Fierce Panda Records (UK - Coldplay, Placebo, Ash) and Propeller Sound Recordings (US, & UK Retail stores).

Capturing the band’s raw intensity and distinctive alt-rock style, the single delivers relentless energy through punchy drums, fuzz-drenched guitars, and biting lead vocals. Merging grungy guitar riffs with pop-rock melodies and a visceral grit that adds a punk edge, ‘Religion’ showcases the band’s ability to channel the raw power of their live performances while maintaining radio-ready musicality.

Speaking about the single, the band explain: “It’s less a love song, and more a “lust” song. It's about when you meet someone that makes you feel like you’d do anything, even if it was to lie to your true self. It also calls out fake people, fake society, organised religion and how everything made out to be “cool” is usually just a con.”

Produced by Wynona Bleach’s own Jonny Woods alongside Andy Bradfield (Bjork, Rufus Wainwright, The XX, Manic St Preachers, Spice Girls), and Avril Mackintosh (Bryan Adams, Marillion), the upcoming album showcases some of the band's most complete and incisive work to date.

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EYRE LLEW - Miningsby.

EYRE LLEW, the Nottingham-based alternative-rock trio hailed by BBC Radio 6 Music's Chris Hawkins as "Britain's answer to Sigur Rós," released their new single "Miningsby," two days ago on March 11th.

Born from frost-lit January mornings and the quiet weight of bearing witness to a loved one's struggle, the track marks a profoundly intimate moment in the band's evolution. "Miningsby" is not a song about fixing or saving—it's about staying. Written as vocalist Sam Heaton watched a loved one navigate a period of anxiety, the track forgoes grand gestures in favour of something far more difficult: the simple act of being present when someone feels cold inside.

"Rather than trying to dramatise that experience, 'Miningsby' is about something quieter and harder: staying, listening, and offering warmth," the band explains. "It's a love letter to emotional endurance, grounded in small moments and the hope of better days ahead."

The title itself emerged from beautiful happenstance. When the original demo files were saved in an old rural Lincolnshire studio, they were geolocated to Miningsby, a tiny nearby village. The name became an unintended marker for a place and time that no longer exists but continues to resonate through the music—much like the fleeting moments the song memorializes.

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Photo - Jason Griego

The Jaws of Brooklyn - Lie To Me.

The Jaws of Brooklyn have shared their new single “Lie To Me,” the next offering from their upcoming EP Unstoppable, out May 15. Effortlessly channeling ‘60s girl-group glitter and garage grit, the cheerful tongue-in-cheek song grapples with a relationship that’s falling apart while clinging to the comfort of denial.

Guitarist Bryan Cohen on the new single: “‘Lie To Me’ is about a long distance relationship that is not working – at all. It's the otherworldly feeling of knowing that you and your person aren’t connecting anymore and are stuck miles apart. The protagonist knows they are not getting what they need but it's too painful to confront or end it. Instead, they keep kicking the can down the road and continuing the illusion that the relationship will work out. Who hasn’t been there? The music is inspired by Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).’ The idea was always to have lots of vocals and keep the music sparse but groovy and danceable.”

“Lie To Me” follows the shimmering call-to-the-dancefloor “Where Are You?”, which also appears on the upcoming EP. Co-produced with Grammy-winner and Alabama Shakes keyboardist Ben Tanner, Unstoppable finds the Seattle five-piece blending Motown melody, Muscle Shoals soul and West Coast rock & roll for their signature melting pot sound, which has earned praise from American Songwriter and Billboard over the years. These songs delve headfirst into the human experience, vulnerably writing about love triangles, relationships and ride-or-die friendships, all anchored by frontwoman Gretchen Lemon’s powerhouse presence.


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Photo courtesy of  Maria Taylor

Maria Taylor - Sorry I Was Yours” (feat. Conor Oberst).

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Maria Taylor just released “Sorry I Was Yours” featuring Conor Oberst, the final pre-release single from her first album in more than 7 years, Story’s End, that will be released on April 3 via Oberst’s Million Stars Records. She will celebrate the album with release shows on April 10 at Sid The Cat Auditorium in Pasadena, CA and on April 15 at Night Club 101 in New York City. 

About the new single, Taylor reflects: “I met Conor close to 30 years ago. Music has always been such a strong part of our connection. As soon as we met, I started periodically touring with Bright Eyes as either the keyboard player or the drummer. Our friendship turned into a romantic love that lasted 7 years which eventually morphed into the love we have now, which feels like family.

A couple of years ago we decided we wanted to write a song together, so I went over to his house with my guitar and computer. I was playing him songs that I was working on and when he heard this one, he perked up and ran inside to grab his pen and notebook. Hours later we finished the song and even made a demo. So many beautiful contributions from these friends that made the song better than I could have imagined: Brad Armstrong, Mike Mogis, Macey Taylor, Ben Brodin, Nate Walcott, Tiffany Osborn, Hannah Murray, and Paul Cartwright.” Conor Oberst added, “Writing this song was a full circle moment. We’ve made so much music together over the years, it was just like going home.” 

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The Orielles - Emily Nenni - Birds Flying Backwards - Hunter Morris / Mountain of Youth

The Orielles - Only You Left (Album).

The Orielles new album Only You Left is officially released today March 11 via Heavenly Recordings. “You’ve got to die and be reborn between albums,” begins Henry Wade, guitarist for The Orielles, describing the foundations of the band’s fourth studio album, Only You Left. “It comes naturally,” adds singer and bassist Esmé Hand-Halford, “it’s not something we consciously do.” Through this process of creative renewal, the Manchester-based trio – completed by drummer Sidonie Hand-Halford – have managed to weather a pandemic, defy the fickleness of a trend-led music industry, and emerge, phoenix-like, with something familiarly Orielles, yet altogether different.

Recorded in two locations – Hydra and Hamburg – over the summer of 2024, the 11 tracks of Only You Left sees the band consolidate the bold experimentation of their previous LP, Tableau (2022), with a return to the more stripped-back, song-led approach of their early origins. “There’s nothing more trad than a three-piece,” quips Henry, in reference to the band’s decision to return to their roots as a trio. Originally from Halifax, the Orielles first came to recognition in 2018 with their debut album, the indie-rock Silver Dollar Moment, which is approaching its eighth birthday in February 2026. “These things come in like seven year cycles. So we've come in like a full circle back to a familiar place, just as different people.”

According to Henry, the first ideas for Only You Left came in May 2023. Esmé had bought a freeze pedal, which allowed her to play around with sustained notes on her guitar – these heavy drones would later form the basis for the tracks ‘Wasp’ and ‘Three Halves’. In the lulls between touring, the band began to meet up and record their practice room sessions, later analysing the voice notes to the finest detail. “We recorded everything on our phones, every snippet,” explains Henry. What each song needed or what we wanted to hear from it.”

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Photograph by Emilia Paré

Emily Nenni - Not a Winner.

Emily Nenni will release Movin’ Shoes on May 1, 2025, via New West Records. The 13-song set was produced by John James Tourville (of the Deslondes) and recorded and mixed by Matt Ross-Spang (Margo Price, Jason Isbell) at Southern Grooves in Memphis. Movin’ Shoes is Nenni’s follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2024 album Drive & Cry. Rolling Stone named it one of “The Best Country Albums of 2024” and called it "the most exciting hard-nosed honky-tonk record of the year,” while Bandcamp said, “In a genre overstuffed with craggy male singing voices, Emily Nenni is a breath of fresh air.” Saving Country Music said, “Emily Nenni has released a fun, infectious, twangy, diverse, and career-defining album that will renew your spirits in the state of country music.”  
 
Movin’ Shoes eloquently and wryly blends southern soul from Memphis and Muscle Shoals with southern rock from Macon and outlaw country from Austin. In addition to some of her most incisive lyrics, the album features some of her most powerful vocal performances. These songs percolate with new sounds, like the Rhodes organ that kicks off the supremely funky title track and the Lone Star harmonica that weaves throughout her bluesy cover of Paul Simon’s “Tenderness.” Nenni cites Sly Stone and Linda Ronstadt’s Motown covers as specific influences, but the old styles sound fresh and current because her personality and charisma come through in every note. “This isn’t strictly honkytonk like my former records, even though it’s still all the same influences,” Nenni explains. “I’m just drawing from more artists and genres than I have in the past.” 
 
Yesterday, the album standout “Not a Winner” was shared with Nenni saying, “There’s a song on an early Diana Ross solo record, Surrender, called ‘I’m a Winner.’ It got me thinking how I’d technically never ‘won’ anything in my life, except a dragon-shaped bong in a raffle at a show about ten years ago. Winning looks different to everyone. For some, it’s the accolades. For others, it’s getting to do what you love. It can also just be making it through another day. I’m genuinely grateful for this life, it isn’t easy, and we all work so hard to stay afloat it seems. I just want the chance to try, that’s all I ever wanted. It’s even better when you’re alongside your friends, watching them get after it, too. That’s a win.” 

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Photo - Dessy Baeva

Birds Flying Backwards - Lovebirds (Album).

London-based six-piece Birds Flying Backwards today release their anticipated debut album Lovebirds (March 11th via Real Love Recording Co.). Building a reputation for their blend of alt-country, indie-folk, psychedelic rock and timeless 70s aesthetic, Birds Flying Backwards have quickly established themselves as one to watch. Lovebirds captures the band’s warm, organic sound through rich acoustic instrumentation, worn-in textures. Moving fluidly between folk, Americana and psychedelia while maintaining their stylistic, tightly locked dual vocal harmonies, and reflective yet uplifting tone throughout.

Mixed by Joe Wyatt at Abbey Road Studios (The Smile, The Beatles Anthologies) and mastered by Timothy Stollenwork (Kevin Morby, Drugdealer, Arthur Russell), further enhancing its earthy, timeless feel, the album was recorded entirely live over four days in early 2025. The 10-track album foregrounds intimacy and immediacy, allowing the band’s chemistry and emotional clarity to shine. From the melancholic whimsy of ‘One Heartbreak To Another’ and ‘All I Need’, to the emotive sweller, ‘Moving On’, to the driving Fleetwood Mac-esque approach of ‘If There’s Any Justice’ the album showcases the band’s Diversity and feel for beautifully arranged, melodic songcraft. 

Speaking about the album, “Lovebirds is an ode to love in all its forms — romantic love, love for friends, familial love, heartbreak, and the process of learning to love yourself. Love feels more important than ever to us. Love, compassion and solidarity are powerful tools with which to oppose oppression, dehumanisation and a political elite intent on dividing us. Recorded entirely live over four days in early 2025, Lovebirds stands as a testament to the unifying power, enduring beauty and the profound but life-affirming sadness that love, in all its forms, inevitably brings.”

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Photo - Sam Johnson

Hunter Morris / Mountain of Youth - Automatic Days.

Hunter Morris / Mountain of Youth will release the debut album, Nowhere, NW, on May 15, 2026 via Strolling Bones Records. The 10-track set was produced by the multi-instrumentalist Ben Hackett (Patterson Hood, Craig Finn) and recorded at Chase Park Transduction in Athens, GA. The remarkable debut emerges as a sort of equilibrium state, balancing Morris’s breezy heartland and lo-fi garage influences with his ‘70s singer/songwriter and ‘90s grunge sensibilities. 

The songs are mature and reflective, reckoning with loneliness, regret, and mortality, and the performances are raw and vulnerable to match, with lean, muscular arrangements. It’s an honest, empathetic meditation on purpose and impermanence delivered by a keen observer of the human condition, one who’s only just begun to truly understand himself. “When I started writing these songs as Mountain of Youth, it felt like I’d finally found my voice,” Morris reflects. “For the first time, I felt comfortable saying what I needed to say.” 
 
Born and raised in Georgia, Morris didn’t begin taking music seriously until college. After a brief stint in Wyoming, he returned east to settle down in Athens, where he found work as a fly-fishing guide and launched various rock bands. After a few years, he was then ready to strip things back to their barest, most essential elements. The material he began penning was deeply autobiographical, but often filtered through the perspectives of characters at various crossroads in their lives. “All the characters on this record are choosing their path up the slope or looking back on the route they took and wondering what life would be like if they’d done things differently.” 

The characters are also contemplating the passage of time and the loss of innocence, which he suspects is deeply intertwined with his work as a fly-fishing guide and conservationist helping protect and restore the streams and forests of North Georgia. “There’s a youthfulness and a joy and a curiosity that comes with being out in nature,” he explains, “and I always find myself trying to go places that have been left undisturbed by man. There’s a purity and a beauty in those ecosystems that I think we’re all searching for in ourselves.”

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Cello - Jessie Altman - Deer Tick

Cello - Vitamins.

A post-punk mantra wrapped in biting wit and restless energy, “Vitamins” introduces Cello as a singular new voice: confrontational, playful, and uncomfortably honest. Built on hypnotic repetition and deadpan delivery, the track skewers modern expectations of femininity, wellness culture, productivity, and obedience — turning self-care into something transactional, absurd, and quietly furious.

The lyrics move like a checklist from hell: “I’ll do my homework… I’ll be a good girl… I’ll do the housework… I’ll do your therapy… I’ll do my workout…” Each line lands with increasing tension, exposing the invisible labour demanded of women — emotional, domestic, physical, and aesthetic. When Cello asks, “Why don’t you give them to me?” it becomes less about supplements and more about validation, agency, and control.

There’s humour here, but it’s sharp-edged. “Vitamins” dances between satire and sincerity, capturing the exhaustion of trying to be everything at once: healthy, productive, sexy, compliant, resilient. Its chant-like chorus — “Vitamins, vitamins, yeah yeah” — feels both euphoric and hollow, mirroring the endless cycle of self-improvement sold back to us.

Cello’s background gives her sound an unexpected depth. Nicknamed for her classical roots, she trained as a cellist at the Junior Royal College of Music in London before tearing up the rulebook and moving toward post-punk minimalism. That classical discipline still pulses beneath her work — not in ornamentation, but in control, tension, and dramatic pacing. Every repetition is intentional. Every silence is loaded.

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Jessie Altman - Sleepwalking (EP).

In Jessie's own words: “Sleepwalking” is about moving through life on autopilot - staying in the haze because it feels easier than waking up. It captures that period when you’re going through the motions of your life without being present, and the moment you start to wonder how long you can keep drifting.

Voxwave's Helena Lynch had this to say in summarizing the release  "After her debut album “Aftermath,” which received recognition, the new EP “Sleepwalking” by Jessie Altman demonstrates growing artistic depth and emotional nuances. 

The four tracks of the EP are united by the mood of soft morning light. The singer does not moralize, does not call for “awakening” in the name of something great; she has caught the moment between illusion and consciousness and has managed to distinguish feigned clarity and sincere bewilderment. The EP is for those who are finally ready to open their eyes and see reality in all its complex beauty."

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Photo - Richard McCaffrey

Deer Tick - Mary Singletary.

Providence’s Deer Tick have announced the 5th June release of their ninth studio album,  'Coin-O-Matic', via ATO. The LP casts a bright light on a little-known facet of the American mythos: the hidden histories of the band’s home state of Rhode Island, where the everyday dramas of working-class families long collided with the menace of the mafia underworld. 

As they tapped into their infinite fascination with that strange duality, singer/guitarist John McCauley, guitarist/singer Ian O’Neil, drummer/singer Dennis Ryan, and bassist Christopher Ryan assembled a batch of songs exploring desperation, grief, redemption, and resilience with both cinematic detail and lived-in emotionality. A sharp new turn from one of indie-rock’s most enduringly vital forces, Coin-O-Matic arrives as a complicated love letter to a way of life slowly slipping from the collective memory.   
 
'Coin-O-Mati'c is deeply informed by the singular experience of growing up Irish-Catholic. That is exemplified by the album’s lead single, the ramshackle jangle-pop “Mary Singletary”, which Deer Tick share today. It tells a tender yet irreverent tale of interfaith teenage lust. “Most of the stories on the album are from my parents’ generation and the generation before that, when the idea of a Catholic and a Protestant getting together was very scandalous,” says McCauley. “With that song in particular, I liked the idea of writing about Catholic guilt and pre-marital sex and adding in a little bit of Looney Tunes-style violence—sometimes as a young Catholic boy, I did imagine a vengeful God cutting me down in a cartoonish kind of way.”

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Hook - Black Hats - SONS

Hook - Blackline / I'm Your Man.

Based in Dublin, Ireland Hook are described as new wave indie rock which may seem a bit of a conundrum until you hear them, then each aspect falls into place.

Hook comprise of Eoin O’Donnell - vocals, guitars. Niamh Carmody - vocals, bass. Morgan O’Brien - drums, and like many other three piece bands pack a punch when needed, however with this comes some well crafted songwriting, and the ability to blend together contrasting and effective styles.

The band tell us that they have attracted comparisons with Pixies, The Smiths, Big Thief and the Velvet Underground, which until you actually listen to them is a pretty encouraging description for starters. In their words "They play direct, honest music about the small moments, the brutality of love and finding the beautiful in the simple".

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Black Hats - Witness To Everything.

Black Hats are an indie/new wave band from Oxford, UK.  Constructed around solid grooves, that are built on deft, reggae-infused bass lines and skittering drum beats. These grooves are then welded to razor wire guitars with an anxious energy and melodies with the same sharp and melodic punk edge that also served the likes of The Jam so well. Finish it all off with witty and catchy lyrics and you have all the ingredients for a great band.

Part of a four track single release for 2026, “Witness To Everything” is a tack sharp song, with an energy built on hope and then despair and a need for change in a world gone mad. 

Black Hats are Mark, Budd & Nick and have worked with Grammy Nominated producer Sam Williams (Supergrass and Plan B) on their first single, “Kick In The Doors”.  They’ve supported named acts including; Reef, Dodgy & Stornaway and have played top UK Festivals and venues, including;  Wychwood Festival, Truck Festival & the 02 Academy Oxford. Their second single,  'No More Smoke’ featured in both Shameless and The Magicians on US TV.

Black Hats · Witness To Everything

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SONS - Surfin'.

Following the success of 3rd album Hallo, Belgian 4-piece SONS deliver an electrifying ode to the dizzying high of new love. That moment when everything feels brighter and you’re simply riding the wave. "Surfin’" kicks off with a sharp surf guitar riff before locking into a tight groove. 

The chorus captures the breathless euphoria of falling hard and fast. It’s lean, punchy and undeniably danceable and produced again by Dave McCracken (Depeche Mode, dEUS, A$AP Rocky). The video was written and Directed by Romy Water, Jules van Eijs with cinematography and DOP again by Romy Water.

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Odd Marshall - Bill Kirchen - Jenn Grant - The Corner Laughers

Odd Marshall - Seconds (Album).

Odd Marshall has officially released his sophomore album Seconds, an eight-song roots rock extravaganza, with the emphasis on rock. Seconds expands Marshall’s sonic palette, blending indie rock, folk-rock, and alt-country while leaning into a distinctly ’90s-influenced sound. The album features Blind Melon guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn—who also produced and mixed the record—along with contributions from Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee, Mathias Schneeberger of The Afghan Whigs, drummer Denny Weston Jr. (KT Tunstall) and bassist Jon Ossman (Chris Botti).

When planning Seconds, the follow-up to his 2024 debut Sand & Glue, Odd Marshall was turned down by a prominent Canadian producer, prompting him to ask, “Who else did I like when I was 14?”

The answer that immediately sprang to mind was the band Blind Melon so, with nothing to lose, he found a contact, sent a cold email with demos attached, and in no time he was chatting with Thorn who agreed to take the reins and bring in his six-string partner Stevens, marking the first time they have worked together outside of Blind Melon. What was initially intended to be an EP quickly blossomed into a full eight-song album once Odd Marshall dug into his song bag and pulled out a few more that could showcase the immense talent in the room.

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Photo - Bob Minkin

Bill Kirchen - Cat Out Of The Bag.

To let a cat out of the bag supposedly means letting something slip, like a secret. But for Bill Kirchen, it means escape, as in freedom — from confinement, convention … even gravity. Freedom to hit the road and play rock ‘n’ roll. That’s the energy driving the title track of Kirchen’s new album, Cat Out of the Bag, which showcases the six-string master — dubbed Titan of the Telecaster by Guitar Player magazine — at his gusto-grabbing best. “That's a good-to-be-alive song,” says Kirchen of the album’s opening track. “It’s a celebration of getting through the worst of the pandemic unscathed, getting back on the road and affirming our belief that the kids are alright.”

The Austin-based guitarist, singer and songwriter confirms his lust for life — and offers up his lyrically referenced “rock ’n’ roll soul” — in several songs exhibiting the rockabilly-meets-honky-tonk style that earned him his “titan” status (as well as a Best Country Instrumental Performance Grammy nomination for the chicken-pickin’ song, “Poultry in Motion”). 

The music flowing from Kirchen’s roots-loving heart to his ever-nimble fingers also blends boogie-woogie, jazz, jump blues, Western swing, country, folk and other idioms; yes, he was playing Americana before it had a name. In fact, he helped pioneer the genre, way back when he co-founded what he calls his “hippie country band”: Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Back in the ‘70s, Kirchen’s twangalicious, fret-sizzling guitar riffs drove that band’s version of “Hot Rod Lincoln” to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen Co-founder is to release the album Cat Out of the Bag on May 22, 2026 via Last Music, Co.

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Jenn Grant - Queen Of The Strait (Album).

This weekend acclaimed singer-songwriter Jenn Grant releases new album Queen of the Strait, and shares the heartfelt new video for her latest single, "Gonna Be Free," co-starring her beloved dog, Bird. "Gonna Be Free" was filmed on the frozen lake near her home in Lake Echo, NS, the video captures the stillness and quiet resilience that shape the song's spirit.

"Shapes and symbols have always held important significance to me," Grant shares. "I use them in my art when I'm painting, as well as in my daily life, to actively cultivate hope, magic and strength. My first postpartum story was all about me finding my feet again. It was a great challenge, but it also brought me growth and a new perspective on what really matters to me. This pattern of symbols revealed in the snow represents the values I hold dear. Deep thanks to tattoo artist Jason Francis at Super Rad Not Bad Tattoos in Bedford, NS, for gifting me this piece. Shout-out to Bird, my beautiful co-star and forever sweet baby girl. You are the queen of my life."

After a 20-year career, this marks the first time Grant has fully realized her dream production. The tour promises a cinematic, immersive experience featuring a live band, curated film sequences, and interpretive movement, bringing the emotional landscape of the album vividly to life. Jenn Grant's new album Queen of the Strait stands as her most personal work to date — a deeply cinematic exploration of love, loss, and transformation. 


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The Corner Laughers - Dusking.

Indie-pop darlings The Corner Laughers return with their first new album in over five years, Concerns of Wasp and Willow, on Big Stir Records out on March 27, 2026 The band's sixth full-length release and the keenly-awaited follow up to 2020's critically-hailed Temescal Telegraph, the new record balances sunshine and shadow in the band's distinctive style and resonates with wit, whimsy and bewitching melodies. Already previewed by the hit indie singles “Rainbow Cardigan” and last year's “Dark Matter,” the band released their third single, “Dusking,” this weekend.

The musicians on "Dusking" include Karla Kane (vocals), Khoi Huynh (bass, keyboard), KC Bowman (guitar, backing vocals, and Charlie Crabtree (drums).Karla Kane offers some insight into the song's inspiration: A little slice of life – of an evening scene, walking through San Francisco, awaiting public transportation, and taking a Caltrain journey down the Peninsula, watching and pondering the world going by in the fading light outside the windows. More literal and linear (maybe because it follows a path and then a train track!) than usual for me. It was a song started in situ, a stream-of-consciousness – I really just started singing the opening lines as they unfolded in real time (also the case with the second “dusking” song, “Larkspur Landing”). We’re big public transportation advocates, and it’s not always easy to get around that way. The Bay Area is also an incredibly expensive place to live, which makes things difficult for artists. There’s always a sort of wistful romance in train journeys and songs about trains. 

Khoi Huynh's input on "Dusking": Karla handed me a vocal-only demo of “Dusking” and asked me to add some instrumentation. To emphasize the train theme, I thought it should have a hypnotic rhythm track. I took inspiration from the music of my younger years, specifically the 1986 “Pretty In Pink” soundtrack. Some elements from my over-the-top 80s synth demo can be heard on the final recording. Still, Charlie’s precision drumming and KC’s sunset-over-the-Pacific-Ocean surf guitar really took it into another realm. 

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