Big Little Lions - Hannah Scott - Hurtsfall - Les Flâneurs - Laura Adeline - Alex Hall - Astari Nite

Big Little Lions - Finish What You Started.

Multi award winning cross border duo, Big Little Lions are going to be releasing monthly singles, which is good news for Beehive Candy as they have been consistently delivering creative and exceptional songs for over a decade.  Big Little Lions are a duo who were born out of a collaboration that won them a JUNO Award in 2014. Since then they have been cranking out infectious folk pop songs that are jam-packed with emotion and tight harmonies that sound like the product of two people working side-by-side instead of living in different countries. 

They have released 7 albums to date, which have garnered them awards and nominations including the CFMA Ensemble of the Year, Independent Music Awards Americana Sing of the Year and John Lennon Songwriting Competition Song of the Year. Their critically acclaimed music has appeared on the CBC’s Top 20 and featured on shows like q and Vinyl Cafe. The duo consists of Paul Otten and Helen Austin, both hugely prolific songwriters - their music has been placed in hundreds of movie trailers, ads, network TV shows.

Their live show is quite the spectacle with Paul playing drums, bass and keyboard all while singing lead vocals. Helen, who is no slacker either, sings, plays guitar and foot percussion. They use every limb, and then some, to make two people sound like a full band.

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Hannah Scott - Sitting In The Dark.

Some background on this notable (to say the least) song from Hannah Scott "I wrote this song in early 2022 about my experiences of renting in London over a fifteen-year period. The song captures the final two weeks I spent in a studio flat in Ealing without working lights - just one example of the challenges I faced despite spending well into six figures on rent."

Some background: “Your music moved me to tears.” This is the refrain contemporary folk artist Hannah Scott regularly hears as she leaves the stage. The best stories make us feel deeply and in the 15 years she has been writing and performing, Hannah has become an exceptional storyteller. Her music is shaped by human connections, with family, in all its chaos and glory, sitting at the heart of her work. Her lyrics are powerful and poignant, and her voice feels strangely familiar, though you can’t quite put your finger on why. Her writing may be deeply personal but her music has a universal appeal that goes beyond the melodies you catch yourself humming in the days after listening to her songs.

The connection she builds with her audiences is most evident in the stories shared by audience members after her performances: the woman whose elderly mother lost a sibling in childhood and is moved to tears by Boy In The Frame; the young father who, upon hearing My Dad & I, realises he wants to spend more time with his small children; the adoptive parents who, like Hannah as a step-parent, may not have been the first person to hold their child, but Love You Like I Did. A deep-rooted desire for this connection has always been the driving force behind her songwriting and live performances.

Hannah Scott · Sitting In The Dark

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Hurtsfall - Memento Mori.

Memento Mori, is the new single from Nottingham darkwave/post-punk trio Hurtsfall (out 1 May). Built around a driving post-punk bass line and brooding synth textures, Memento Mori explores the tension between intimacy and impermanence, that moment where connection is overshadowed by the awareness that everything is temporary. With a vocal that moves between restraint and release, it balances gothic atmosphere with a direct emotional edge.

Hurtsfall write and produce independently in Nottingham and have become a recognised presence on the UK alternative scene, with recent performances at Dot to Dot Festival, Whitby Goth Weekend, and Infest. They have shared stages with Ghost Dance, Skeletal Family, Miranda Sex Garden, and Aurelio Voltaire. Upcoming shows include appearances alongside Pink Turns Blue and The March Violets, as well as a festival slot at Darker Days.

With Memento Mori, Hurtsfall continue to refine their blend of darkwave atmosphere and emotional immediacy — a sound rooted in tradition but reaching toward something more immediate and human.

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Les Flâneurs - Pretty in the Dark.

'Pretty in the Dark' the new single for producer Alessandro Marchetti's project Les Flâneurs is a nocturnal synth-pop track about trying to feel beautiful even when everything inside and around you feels unstable. Moving through dim lights, crowded rooms, and quiet inner tension, it captures the fragile balance between confidence and vulnerability. Beneath its shimmering synths lies a subtle resistance: a way of holding onto yourself while the world blurs, judges, or pulls you down. It’s about finding a personal light in the dark because not everything is perfect, and in spite of it.

For Pretty in the Dark video, Marchetti choose and obtained to syncronize Night Market, a 2023 2D animated short film created by Yingyu Zhu, Chenyi Zhu, and Xinyu Sun from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in the USA. They are a three-person director team, Chenyi Zhu is responsible for animation, Yingyu Zhu and Chenyi Zhu are responsible for character design, Xinyu Sun and Yingyu Zhu is responsible for the scene design. The film tells the story of a young girl with cancer who finds escape from her isolated hospital life by following glowing butterflies into a magical, vibrant night market. The short explores with delicacy and dreamlikeness themes of illness, imagination, and hope.

Les Flâneurs is the project of the musician and producer Alessandro Marchetti. His first album A Long Season (2020) was played in countless nations around the world and got rave reviews and appreciation. Afterwards, the project entered a phase of exploration. The new album Afterglow, to be released in 2026,  arrives after six years of research, experimentation, and collaboration — a slow process shaped by mood, instinct, and artistic necessity rather than industry timing. Alex Marchetti is the creative mind behind the project. He writes, records, arranges, mixes, and produces the music, shaping every detail of the sound. Les Flâneurs is not conceived as a live act, but as a studio-driven project, in which atmosphere, texture, and emotional depth are central.

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Photo - Jordenne Mills

Laura Adeline - Acquainted.

Like slipping into a soft-focus daydream you don’t want to leave, Naarm/Melbourne-based artist Laura Adeline creates a sweet escape in her new single ‘Acquainted’, out Friday, May 1. Silky and smooth, this tune is Laura's latest addition to her velvety and intimate R&B catalogue. With her vulnerable storytelling, interlaced with textured beats and smooth synthesisers, Laura Adeline remains authentic and vibrant. Receiving considerable endorsement from Triple J, Triple J Unearthed, and Apple Music for previous singles 'Curbside' and '501s' and included in publications The AU Review, AAA Backstage, Stereofox and more, Laura is back with a more stripped-back and experimental version of herself. 

‘Acquainted’ draws from a mix of studio-written lyrics and journal entries pulled from years of personal notes, tracing the lingering confusion, anger, remorse and regret that can follow long after a relationship ends. Speaking on the track, Laura shares: 

“Acquainted is about looking back on something and thinking that I wish this person the best… but I’m actually still mad. But then they probably have the right to be mad at me, too… but I've changed. Have they changed? I don’t want to ever see them again, but if I do… I hope I can find out. And then this process repeats itself.”
  
Intoxicatingly lustrous, ‘Acquainted’ drifts through a floaty, daydream-like haze, supported by a fusion of R&B and alternative pop threaded together with modern funk sensibilities to offer a refined, minimalist sound. Underpinned by subtle electric drums, laid-back bass and reverb-soaked guitar parts, Laura's rich, mesmerizing vocals stand out beautifully.

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Photo - Robert Chavers

Alex Hall - Turn This Love Around (EP).

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Alex Hall has released his star-studded new EP Turn This Love Around. Boasting collaborations with Vince Gill, Tenille Townes and Mae Estes, the five-song collection finds Hall embracing creative freedom as an independent artist, with vulnerable love songs that don’t shy away from the turmoil of everyday life.

“The Turn This Love Around EP is a project about love, growth, the highs and lows of it all, and everything in between,” says Hall. “It touches on my experience with sobriety, the work it takes to build a strong marriage, and stepping into a different side of myself as a songwriter. When it came time to record, I went in a different direction – rather than bringing in the usual top session players in Nashville, I made the record in the studio with close friends I’ve shared the stage with over the years. I think that gave it more of my own fingerprint. It was also really special to have friends like Mae Estes, Tenille Townes, and Vince Gill be part of it. I’m a huge fan of all three, and I’m grateful to make music alongside them.”

Townes, who teamed up with Hall and Gill on the uplifting title track, says: “I love this song so much and I will always smile looking back at the day at Vince’s studio when we all wrote this. The stories shared and the time together talking about the heart of music is something I’ll always carry with me. So glad this song found us that day, and what a joy to be a part of this release! Alex is one of my favourite voices to sing with and a friend I’ve known in this community for a long time, and having a song with the legendary Vince Gill is an absolute dream.”

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Astari Nite - Medications In Bloom (EP).

Astari Nite has just announced the release of their new EP, Medications In Bloom. With themes of validation, self-preservation, romance, glamour and decay running throughout the release, Astari Nite encourages the listener to wear the brightest lipstick, laugh the loudest, be brave and find courage to stand up for yourself. Find positivity in negativity. Open the door and say good morning to strangers. Medications In Bloom inspires and motivates acceptance. Everyone deserves to be loved.
 
Commenting on the Ep's title, vocalist, Mychael Ghost reveals: “My mother has not been doing well for quite some time. My life for the past four and a half years consists of doctor visits, chatting with nurses, buying her flowers that make me sneeze, my mind wandering about childhood memories while holding her hand. Nevertheless, whenever her prescription is re-filled, I’m quickly notified. One day I received that reassuring alert and thought to myself, YAY, “Medications In Bloom” again.”

Medications In Bloom is available on limited edition compact disc and on all major digital outlets worldwide. Astari Nite is known for blending elements of alternative, post-punk and new wave, resulting in a distinctive dark / glam alt sound. Their style is reminiscent of classic alternative bands like Clan of Xymox and Placebo.


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Moonriivr - Easy Honey - Drakulas - Floyd Nation - Vera Ellen - Ally Row - The October Effect

Moonriivr - Force of Habit,

Toronto-based duo Moonriivr return with “Force of Habit,” an upbeat yet emotionally charged indie rock single that blends 60s-inspired kraut rock textures with surf and indie sensibilities. Equal parts nostalgic and explosive, the track traces a path from loss and desperation toward release, building into a cathartic, noise-driven finale that refuses to look back. It’s the second single to be shared from their forthcoming album, Moonriivr Vol. 2, out later this year, and follows November 2025’s “You Get Me By.”

At its core, “Force of Habit” is “...about letting go of the past and searching for a new way forward,” the band explains. That emotional arc drives the song’s momentum. What begins as reflective and restrained gradually unravels into beautiful, noisy chaos.

What sets the track apart is its tension between mood and movement. While the instrumentation leans bright and energetic, drawing from vintage rock and surf influences, the emotional undercurrent remains heavy. That push-and-pull gives the song its distinct character, capturing the feeling of being caught between holding on and letting go.

As “Force of Habit” progresses, that tension reaches a breaking point. Layers begin to collapse into a flurry of distortion and movement, mirroring the internal chaos that comes with change. The result feels both controlled and unpredictable, rooted in classic songwriting but unafraid to unravel. 

MOONRIIVR · Force of Habit

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Photo - Edwin Keeble

Easy Honey - Plaid (EP).

Charleston, SC-based indie-rockers Easy Honey have released their rapid-fire five song EP Plaid on the newly-formed Third Brother Records (via Atlantic Records’ 10K Projects). Written and recorded over a three-day session at an isolated cabin in snowy Marble, Colorado and mixed by the legendary Tony Hoffer (Beck Phoenix, The Kooks, Air, M83), the tremendous creative power between Easy Honey’s members Selby Austin (vocals, guitar), Darby McGlone (vocals, guitar), Charlie Holt (drums, vocals) and Webster Austin (bass, vocals) is on full display on this EP. 

While the quartet is celebrated for their heartfelt, nostalgic sound, this versatile collection finds them deepening their musical exploration with a more refined and expansive approach; reflecting a creative concept they’ve dubbed “tilting the cone.” It’s a sampler platter of styles that leaves the listener wanting more, tethered together by their classic song structures, instantly memorable hooks and relatable, raucous yet sentimental lyrics about love, wistfulness and life’s big moments.

Easy Honey is a Charleston, SC based indie rock band that infuses its singer-songwriter folk roots with an original mix of nostalgic East Coast surf-rock. Originating at The University of The South: Sewanee over a cooler filled with freshman year college punch, the dynamic of this group is one of their strongest elements, existing with an electricity and a true sense of comradery both on and off stage. Easy Honey, like so many of their mutual rock heroes, cut their teeth on the road and have built a devoted following of daydreamers and night seekers through extensive touring and sold-out gigs.

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Drakulas - Midnight City (Album).

Austin, Texas synth-punk lifers Drakulas return with Midnight City, their third full-length, out today May 1 via Dirtnap Records (Wild Honey Records in Europe/UK). Built from proto-punk grit, garage rock urgency, and the synthetic pulse of early new wave, the record pulls from the worlds of Devo, Gary Numan, Grauzone, Kraftwerk, and the weirder edges of Neue Deutsche Welle, landing in a tight, off-kilter pocket where jagged guitars and cold synth lines push against each other without ever settling. It plays like a lost transmission from a strip mall arcade in 1982. Not nostalgia, not revival, more like something unearthed and reassembled, flickering but fully alive.

Formed by Savage Lord Mic, Sam Francisco, and Pink Rick, with members of Riverboat Gamblers and Rise Against, Drakulas began as a conceptual project but quickly took on a life of its own. The band operates inside a fictionalized late-70s metropolis, a stylized world built from analog textures, early video-era aesthetics, and a long-running interest in character-driven songwriting. Over time, that concept has sharpened into something more cohesive, less of a backdrop and more of a system the band fully inhabits.

After a few years away, Midnight City marks a clear step forward. The songs feel more connected, the pacing more deliberate, and the overall arc more immersive without losing immediacy. “Going Going Gone Gone” sets the tone early, balancing tension and release with a sense of height and risk, while “White Off Your Nose” leans into a darker, late-night pull. At the center, “Singin’ With My Tongue Cut Out” strips things down to something direct and performative, equal parts wired and unhinged. The band’s approach to sound remains rooted in imperfection as a choice, not a limitation. 

As they put it, “We Drakulas continue to evolve our sonic mastery of lo-fi instrumentation. Midnight City is the result of a dirty basement, menthol cigarettes and the warm glow of a cathode ray TV. We spilled kerosene on the keyboards to make them sound uglier. Not for squares.” That philosophy runs throughout the record, shaping a sound that feels tactile and immediate without losing focus.

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Photo - Jessica Brothers

Floyd Nation - Watching The Sunrise.

U.S.-based Pink Floyd tribute band Floyd Nation has released their new original single “Watching The Sunrise” alongside the announcement their debut album, Inner Light, will be released on Friday, May 29th. Pushing boundaries and viewpoints, Inner Light meticulously covers the entirety of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here before closing the album with a brand-new point of view, reimagining and furthering its narrative with carefully crafted original tracks while retaining a powerful reverence for the multi-million-selling masterwork. 

The new single “Watching The Sunrise,” the album’s final track, is an expression of hope for a better tomorrow that turns isolation into togetherness, sadness into wonder, mourning into the promise of future connections, and transitions from waving goodbye to the “Crazy Diamond” to gathering together to watch a new beginning. “‘Watching the Sunrise' is about what comes after the darkness,” shares Floyd Nation’s John Conrath. “When the world starts to glow again and you feel a little bit of healing return.”

“The album Wish You Were Here spoke of absence, loss, and longing,” adds guitarist and vocalist Brendon McDonnell. “We wanted to close the album with a new point of view. ‘Watching the Sunrise’ is about hope and that quiet moment when you realize the inner light was there all along. No matter how long the night feels, we can always find our way back to the light by opening our eyes and watching the sunrise.”

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Vera Ellen - Heaven Knows What Time (Album).

The day has finally come! Vera Ellen's latest album Heaven Knows What Time is out today and available digitally, on vinyl and CD. In addition to the album, Vera has dropped a new video for ‘Walking In Vegas’, which joins previously released album tracks: the lush alt-pop of ‘Thaw’, the joyous anthem ‘Gayfever’, and the sophisti-pop Hemi Hemingway duet ‘When It’s Over’.

Vera Ellen describes ‘Walking In Vegas’ as “An exploration of artifice in the entertainment industry. The many selves, the lack of self. Identity within identity without identity.” She uses Las Vegas as a symbol for blurred reality - especially in the age of AI - adding: “I visited there a few years ago and felt like I was in the belly of the beast. When you can't decipher what is real in the world or in yourself, there's a true tragedy in that.”

Alongside the album release, Vera Ellen (set to embark on a 27-date tour of the UK and Europe supporting Flying Nun label-mate Aldous Harding) returns to Aotearoa in July for a six-date national tour in celebration of Heaven Knows What Time.


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Ally Row - Tail Lights.

Off the back of what can only be described as a meteoric rise, Gippsland duo, Ally Row kick off an exciting new era with the stunning new single, “Tail Lights”. For many years, Alice and Rowan would drive to South Australia for weddings to witness their friends and family members begin the new chapter of their lives. It began to feel like some force was guiding them to the City of Churches and their future would only manifest itself once they got there.

“Tail Lights” was written on the long drive from Gippsland - past Adelaide - to Western Australia late last year. It was recorded, in all its rawness, over two days with award winning producer, Dylan Olliviere (Siobhan Cotchin/Harry Foxton/Joan and The Giants). “When life feels grey and stale and like the world has nothing left to give, often something new and exciting is just around the corner, if we stay open to these possibilities”, says Alice Fitzgerald.

“When you feel lost, the best thing to do is try and remember that losing your way is often part of the journey. You can’t find yourself driving down someone else’s road”, added Rowan Sizer. The bittersweet track takes a folky turn down the backstreets of Ally Row - featuring the duo’s signature heartwarming vocals, velvety banjo, melancholy harmonica and a sweet as sugar chorus.

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The October Effect - Self Portrait.

Self Portrait – Is a reflective song about identity and self perception, tracing doubt, acceptance and emotional honesty across a lifetime. Formed in 2023 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, UK, The October Effect is the brainchild of songwriter and guitarist Laurence (aka Loz) Collins. Laurence's songs blend elements of jazz and pop with a reflective, atmospheric edge - a very real 'October effect'. 

With an award-winning background in musical theatre, vocalist Cath Back adds depth and nuance to the band’s understated, emotionally-driven sound. The band is completed by its latest member, Mike Gutsell (bass and backing vocals), who has been collaborating musically with Laurence since they were teenagers.

The band's debut EP, Paint Yourself a Picture, was recorded at 13 Sound Studios, Weston-super-Mare and released in January 2026. The EP introduces The October Effect’s distinctive approach, thoughtful songwriting, emotionally resonant lyrics and a quietly confident sound.​

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Alicia Waller - Black Swan Network - Canned Pineapple - Paperback Trash

Photo - Kendra Irene

Alicia Waller - Tempo 120.

Emerging soul and jazz vocalist Alicia Waller this week releases “Tempo 120”, an  epic R&B odyssey off her debut album Louder, Then, out May 29. Conceived in dialogue with a variety of musical idioms within the African diaspora, the release defies gender stereotypes from the perspective of a woman making no apologies for following her muse. A classically trained singer with a masters degree in international relations and music diplomacy, the release finds Waller using her cross-cultural expertise to create tapestries; ranging from her renowned plush, dreamlike sound, to contemporary soul bangers.

“I think a lot about the sound of a Black woman in conversation with the world,” Waller says. “With ‘Tempo 120’ I wanted to write a song that would capture the story of a woman freeing herself from societal expectations of ‘femininity.’ Instead, I wanted to play with a driving sound that is often more associated with masculinity, while telling a story that is, ironically, utterly feminist. The howl at the top says it all.”

Co-produced by bassist/arranger Marcos Varela (Gary Bartz, Billy Hart and Geri Allen), Alicia Waller’s debut album is an unapologetically ambitious introduction to her musical world. Steeped in her love of contemporary R&B and jazz, and filtered through a global array of influences, the release represents the culmination of years of creative evolution and collaboration. Following her 2020 EP, Some Hidden Treasure, the duo’s partnership deepened, aiming to replace traditional songwriting with “world building”. The result is filled with rich, diverse textures that emphasize the density and conversation between parts.

Beyond her influences, Waller’s music aims to defy the false stereotypes of a female artist, opting for a sound that is heavy, driven and rebellious. Defying the patriarchal boundaries of feminine expression and forged from a conviction for deep development and introspection, Louder, Then is a declaration to herself and the world that her voice will be heard. 

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Black Swan Network - The Shell.

This week we have an unreleased Will Cullen Hart (Olivia Tremor Control / Circulatory System / Black Swan Network) track "The Shell. The song is from the upcoming HHBTM Records / Elephant 6 release The Early Music Vol. 1 by Black Swan Network. HHBTM Records will be doing the vinyl LP and Elephant 6 will be handling all the digital. 

The release will be coming out on June 5th, 2026.  This project was in the works for about a year before Will suddenly passed away on the day after Thanksgiving in 2024. The record sat there for a while as it was hard to work on the project without Will there to fully sign off on everything as we had a lot of ideas floating around about the record. Thankfully in true Elephant 6 fashion the community came together and Will's wife Kelly said how excited he was about the project and it should get finished. 

Ron Kwasman helped select the final track listing down to something that wasn't going to be a box set. (Will's home recording archive is massive). Jason Nesmith prepped the audio as he had been working with Will to digitize and coordinate the archives for most of 2024. Kelly put together the artwork and did the layout and  then production of the sleeves and other ephemera was handled by Eric Hernadez and Keyboard Ape. This record is just the first of many of Will's vast musical projects that was in some stages of being reconstructed that will be coming out over the next year, but you'll see more on that soon from Elephant 6 official. 

The Elephant 6 Recording Co. · The Shell

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Canned Pineapple - Little Things.

Brighton risers Canned Pineapple return with the new single ‘Little Things.’ Produced with now long term collaborator Tom Rees (of Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, credits including: The Bug Club, Panic Shack, Do Nothing, Half Happy), the new single captures the essence of the band's high-energy live sound with a wall of gritty guitars, driving drums and grounding bass under the charismatic and effortlessly catchy lead vocal melodies. Capturing both a garage-rock edge whilst leaning into the band’s love of '60s rock, the track carries an anthemic core among its gritty production. The track shifts at the midpoint to a reflective middle eight before building back up to a frenzic, high-octane finale.

Speaking about the track, the band explain: “After almost a year since their last release, Canned Pineapple return with more miles and hours under their belts. ‘Little Things’ is a cut and dry sign of what’s to come in their new era of scuzz. Recorded once again with guru Tom Arthur Rees, the band hit a stride of conviction stronger than ever. Nothing is out of sight for Canned Pineapple in 2026, same rock, different roll.”

Fronted by charismatic, Cork native lead vocalist Seán Drury, alongside guitarist Oakley Gardiner, guitarist Gabe Rice (Grass-Fed Stallion) and drummer Charlie Pringle, Canned Pineapple's rise has been marked by both critical acclaim and a fast-growing, passionate fanbase. Canned Pineapple have rapidly built a reputation as one of Brighton's most exciting new bands with a series of renowned live performances appearing at the likes of New Colossus Festival, Truck Festival, Y Not, The Great Escape, Left Of The Dial and Wilderness Festival as well as touring across the UK and Europe.

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Paperback Trash - Vague Nation.

DIY songwriter and producer Chris Roberts is pleased to announce the release of his upcoming EP, Seasons of Dust, set to arrive on all streaming platforms on 25th June 2026. His debut single, ‘Drifter Sleeps,’ has also received a remix from Glastonbury-performing artist and DJ producer Dope Ammo.

Following the release of their 2024 album “Silver Moon City Blues" which garnered over 250k streams, this five-track collection continues to explore themes of alienation and the confusion of modern living. However, while the outlook remains bleak on planet Earth, Paperback Trash has tongue in cheek and a jealous eye on the dance floor, as distorted guitars blend with gurgling synths to take you on a journey from dive bars to a rave up in a nuclear winter.

Paperback Trash is a songwriter/ producer based in South London. Taking influences from noise, prog, punk and many other types of music, he has created a solid catalogue of original music as a DIY, solo musician.

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The Bernedette Maries - Ellie Heath - Levi Taschuk - The Veils - JunkHeap - Hunter Morris / Mountain of Youth

The Bernedette Maries - ESO.

The Bernadette Maries, poised on the edge between dream and reality, drift into disembodied spaces to capture fleeting images. Released today “ESO,” a nested track, unfolds in several sequences, like successive snapshots of a dream. From a nugaze texture, it lifts off into an intoxicating liquid drum’n’bass. Like Julie or TAGABOW, the band is part of a generation of musicians creating a post-digital rock, digesting their idols to better uncover the present.

The Bernadette Maries are constantly on the edge between dream and reality, escaping into disembodied spaces to capture distorted images and give them meaning. The music video for “ESO,” the second single from their debut album Soft, is proof of this, multiplying scenes drenched in artificial light, from the neon glow of a warehouse to flashlights aimed into the night. Following the duality of the track, which takes off from a nugaze texture filled with heavy guitars into a liquid drum’n’bass, the visuals move from a direct, front-facing view of the band and gradually dissolve into a more abstract, vaporous substance, attempting to convey its nocturnal poetry.

The Bernadette Maries is a band from Brussels, established in 2024, with members Daria, Guy & Romain. Their sound merges post-punk energy, shoegaze’s dreamy textures, and indie rock hooks. TBM’s music is about love and existentialism, melancholy & meaning of our lives in a world that is slowly falling apart. It is inspired not only by music, but society, books, and movies as well. 

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Ellie Heath - Sick of Myself.

Building on the momentum of recent releases Canadian singer-songwriter Ellie Heath shares “Sick of Myself,” a bold and emotionally charged new single from her upcoming album Pushing Forty, set for release on May 29th, 2026. Blending introspective songwriting with an explosive, danceable chorus, “Sick of Myself” captures a deeply personal turning point. The track explores the shift from independence toward partnership, reflecting on the moment when life stops being solely self-focused and begins to open outward toward connection, care and shared purpose.

“This song was inspired by a moment of transition in my life. After many years of being single and living alone, I found myself moving into a stable relationship and building a shared life with my partner,” Ellie explains. “It made me reflect on how much of my early adulthood was centered on independence and self-reliance. As I get older, I’m feeling a strong pull toward community, partnership, and caring for others. ‘Sick of Myself’ captures that shift; from being the main character in my own story to wanting to invest my energy in love, connection, and building something meaningful with someone else.”

What begins as a self-reflective realization unfolds into something more expansive. A desire to move beyond isolation and into something meaningful with another person, it’s a sentiment that feels both deeply personal and widely relatable.

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Levi Taschuk - Benefit of the Doubt.

Levi Taschuk is a 28 year old singer-songwriter currently based in the small town of Salmon Arm in Canada. His songwriting practice developed a little later in life, beginning in his early twenties, but he’s been a life-long and obsessive listener which has helped him make up for the lost time . 

His influences range from Bach to Brahms; Chet Baker to Stevie Wonder; Nick Drake to Sibylle Baier; Coldplay to Radiohead and too many others to name. In 2024 he had the opportunity to spend a week in New York, recording a three-track EP with producers Miles Hewitt and Karl Helander, a project for which he managed to recruit violinist Jake Falby (Julie Byrne, Mutual Benefit). 

Taschuk then began work on his forthcoming, debut LP, Dyna Dyvest, in May 2024 with co-producer/performer Connor Mead, finishing the recording process about a year-and-a-half later. He also recorded two songs on the upcoming album with co-producer/performer Evan Cheadle.

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The Veils - Aurora.

The Veils have shared a music video for their newest single “Aurora”. “Aurora” is an introspective, deceivingly stripped-back track with stunning depth. Driven by an unwavering piano and haunting layered vocals from Finn Andrews, who explains “This song was written as it was being recorded, which is a very rare thing for me. The day we made it, there was a huge geomagnetic storm over parts of New Zealand, and the pictures of the aurora that followed were in all the papers. Sometimes things are so beautifully simple.”

Arriving just over a year after their critically acclaimed ‘Asphodels’, ‘Fragile World’ marks a striking shift in tone and energy for the band. Recorded live to tape in New Zealand by Paddy Hill, with production by Tom Healy (Folk Bitch Trio, Tiny Ruins, The Chills), ‘Fragile World’ captures The Veils in an urgent and instinctive mode.

The Veils' Finn Andrews shared on the album: “I make each album, generally, as a kind of atonement for the last. Asphodels was so quiet and introspective, I think I just wanted to make something strident and full of life for a goddamn change.” The album’s title is both a reflection of the present moment - a time in which many institutions appear to be crumbling before our eyes - and a metaphor for the act of creation itself. The process of making music, Andrews notes, is a delicate and fragile undertaking where thousands of small decisions gradually coalesce into a finished whole. 

“We went into the studio with a lot of songs, but very little idea of the arrangements or instrumentation. It was truly exciting having no idea what this record would sound like and only a few weeks to figure it out. It’s mostly Tom and I playing everything, with Joseph McCallum coming in at times. It was all very instinctual, quite full-on, and scary at times - but a good kind of scary, not scary like the real world out there.”

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JunkHeap - We All Have To Grow.

We need to grow mentally as we age; no excuses. Learn more about ourselves, our world – micro to macro - and our universe. Without enough knowledge and understanding we can be easily manipulated or deceived, and it's easy to blame others and live within misdirected anger. It’s best to find a way forward together as well-informed and intelligent individuals. Whether we do or not only time will tell.

Located in Ottawa, Canada, JunkHeap’s Dave Turnbull is a solo singer/songwriter/producer, who has been writing music since his teens. Feels like eons ago to him. First on guitar and then he started to learn drums. He played in bands as a drummer but kept writing with the guitar.

His dad played jazz piano, which no doubt built his ear for melodies in the early years. As he grew into his teens musical tastes broadened into the rock sounds over the decades, New wave synth 80s music, and a bit of punk. JunkHeap aligns more with the sounds of Stone Temple Pilots, XTC, Talking Heads, Bush, Blue Oyster Cult, David Bowie, Robbie Robertson among others. Influences include Genesis, The Beatles, Harlequin, Styx, The Jam, The Police, Led Zep, Supertramp, April Wine, Pearl Jam, among others, and also various jazz and classical sounds. The JunkHeap sound falls within the pop-alternative rock genre.

Back to the story! As the decades went by and technology improved JunkHeap was formed. It happened because after having played in several bands the next logical step was to play solo, but JunkHeap became more than a guy with a guitar. Technology allowed for Dave to build entire songs and be the entire band. “It was a good feeling, finally being in full control of the music creation process” he said one time. With each successive album his sound develops and matures, including the production quality. Dave is working with a band to play some of the JunkHeap tunes live in the near future, though no dates have been set yet.

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Photo - Sam Johnson

Hunter Morris / Mountain of Youth - Everything Falls Apart.

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.” 

Today the album standout song “Everything Falls Apart” has been shared. Morris says, "Quite often, the people who have constructed a picture book life are actually living a lie and are very unhappy in that life. I just liked using the imagery of a house that someone has constructed to show how perfect their life is and then the house eventually comes crashing down." 

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Oddfellows - Thin Lear - Wynona Bleach - Eugene McGuinness

Oddfellows - The Burden.

Mark Ryan (Marked Men, Mind Spiders) resurrects Oddfellows for a new LP on Dirtnap Records & Wild Honey Records, Oddfellows are back with a new song and upcoming LP, out on June 12th. Before The Marked Men, Mind Spiders, O-D-EX, High Tension Wires, hell, even before The Reds,  there was Oddfellows.

In December 1994 Chris Pulliam, Mark Ryan, and Mike Throneberry played their first show in Denton, Texas. That original lineup was short-lived and mostly played locally, but its members went on to spawn a hundred bands you have heard of.

Fast-forward thirty years to December 2024: Oddfellows reform. In three months they wrote and recorded a new album, added guitarist Peter Salisbury (also of Mind Spiders), and hit the road again.

The 2026 Oddfellows are tight, punchy, and immediate — short pop songs (most under two minutes) that feel like the raw blueprint of a sound later honed across many bands/decades. Thirteen new tracks plus a reworked Reds classic, this LP will prove to be an eye-opening experience for die hard fans and new listeners alike.

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Photo - Anna Rhody

Thin Lear - Many Disappeared (Album).

Thin Lear's sophomore album ‘Many Disappeared’ is out now on First City Artists (Coco, Alexa Rose, Pearla). Matt Longo grew up writing short stories; that narrative instinct pervades his music. He tends towards tragedies—some true, some imagined, and some stuck in between. “I’ve always gravitated to bizarre tales to access my own grief and pain,” says Longo. 

From “The Mothman” event of 1960s West Virginia which inspired “Silver Bridge,” to the “Mad Gasser” mass  hysteria of 1940s Illinois that backdrops “Mattoon,” Longo collects peculiar lore and studies it for insights into humanity. He pairs odd plots with placating melodies, his voice as pure and holy as a bell. 

The effect is uncanny—lyrics like a nightmare delivered through a lullaby. “I need something supernatural to wrestle with, just to understand my own earthly troubles,” he says. “I write to access a feeling and get past it.” Longo may summon the ghosts to dispel them, but Thin Lear’s music remains vibrantly haunted, full of eerie figures loping along, human or otherwise, hoping to heal.  

Influenced on a fundamental level by the likes of David Bowie and Karen Dalton, Longo builds a kind of sonic bridge between the two—his emotive folk pop aches and articulates from a strange, starry place.

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Wynona Bleach - Not Cool With It.

Belfast, UK trailblazers Wynona Bleach unveil their highly anticipated second album, Animal Style, due May 29th via Propeller Sound Recordings and Fierce Panda Records (Ash, Placebo, Death Cab for Cutie/UK). Displaying the band at their most colorful and vibrant there final single, ‘Not Cool With It’ blends the band's murky Alt-Rock tendencies with a bright and memorable melodic shimmer-pop flair. Bridging the band’s garage-rock, shoegaze, and alternative-pop elements, the track balances its driving, distorted guitar-led core with radiant dual vocals and colorfully melodic choices.

Crafted with long-time collaborators Andy Bradfield (Bjork, The XX, Rufus Wainwright, Manic Street Preachers) and Avril Mackintosh (Bryan Adams, Marillion) and co-produced by guitarist/vocalist Jonny Woods, Animal Style finds Wynona Bleach pushing their alt-rock roots into wider, more atmospheric terrain. “Be Positive” marries crunching guitars, punchy rhythms and grounding bass with swirling harmonies and soaring lead vocals that blend the relentless grit of alternative rock with the dreamy expansiveness of shoegaze and grunge. From its commanding chorus to its mysterious, reverb-soaked textures, the track signals a band both confident in their past and eager to push beyond it.
 
Described in the press as a fierce and vibrant force in UK alt rock, riffing somewhere between Smashing Pumpkins, Wolf Alice, The Joy Formidable and Curve, Wynona Bleach have carved out a distinctive sound that fuses alt rock, shoegaze, pop hooks and raw, emotional power. From early singles like “Eyes Burning” to the lush sublimity of their debut album Moonsoake, the band’s music has won nods from tastemaker radio outlets including BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Introducing NI, KEXP, Amazing Radio and more, along with Spotify editorial interest, and has been praised for its energetic hooks and immersive melodic landscapes.

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Eugene McGuinness - Versus the Universe (Album).

Eugene McGuinness had accepted his career in music was over. The end of his deal with Domino Records, followed by a difficult self-released album, fatherhood, and just life generally, saw his personal dreams and ambitions slowly slip towards the horizon. A period of great change, McGuinness had embraced his new work and family life, happy to leave the ugliness of the ‘music biz’ behind him. However, the absence of making music - and the joy the process brings - left a noticeable hole.

A decade on from Domino, an evolved McGuinness is back. His brand-new album, ‘Eugene McGuinness Versus the Universe’, has just been released (April 2026), following the release of his affecting comeback single ‘Seascape’ and follow up track, the beautiful widescreen romance of ‘London’. The album was recorded at Liverpool’s Docklands Speed Shop with friend and producer Gajo Paco. Encouraging spontaneity, Eugene, Gajo and a host of old friends and acquaintances were ‘feeling it out’ along the way, trusting the process and welcoming a series of ‘happy accidents’ to contribute to the record’s warm and organic sound.

Of Irish heritage, the idiosyncratic McGuinness began crafting songs in his teens and gained recognition with debut EP ‘The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness’ - released in 2007. His self-titled debut album was released in 2008 on Domino Records followed by ‘Glue’ (2009, as ‘Eugene and The Lizards’), ‘The Invitation to the Voyage’ in 2012 and ‘Chroma’ (2014). ‘Suburban Gothic’ (2018) was released independently and marked his departure from Domino Records.

‘Eugene McGuinness Versus the Universe’ picks up where ‘The Early Learnings of Eugene McGuinness’’, left off. A return to playfulness, rawness, and mysterious off-kilter pop from a more mature Eugene McGuinness, the album is another fine addition to McGuinness’ discography and reflects his evolution as an artist - unafraid to experiment and never playing to the gallery, following a tradition of songwriters - Bob Dylan, Shane MacGowan, Randy Newman, Rufus Wainwright - with voices and interior universes that are all their own.

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