Anika Louise - Isabel Rumble - Tom Emlyn - St.Arnaud - Ava Claire - PUNCHBAG - The Falls

Photo - Lizzie Wilkie

Anika Louise - Thorns.

Anika Louise is learning where the roses end and the thorns begin. On her new single ‘Thorns’ (out yesterday, April 10), she captures that realisation in something both tender and cutting. A painfully raw track shaped by contemplative lyricism and lilting melodies, ‘Thorns’ is a soundtrack to a familiar kind of heartbreak.  

Following her 2025 debut release ‘Pearl’, the Boorloo/Perth-based indie-folk singer-songwriter has already seen an array of local support, including performing on national television for Telethon at RAC Arena, earning a WAM Song of the Year nomination in 2019, and opening for the Perth Symphony Orchestra at the Pop'N'Rock Symphony Concert.  
  
Now, on just her second single, ‘Thorns’ opens with softly strummed acoustic guitar, laying a gentle, intimate foundation for Anika Louise’s dulcet voice and confessional lyricism. The first verse introduces the recurring image of thorns and roses, tracing the slow realisation that someone is not who they first seemed. Elaborating on the track, Anika Louise says:  

“Thorns is about realising someone you trust isn't who you thought they were and learning to let go of the version of them you believed in. I used roses as a metaphor for that experience, something beautiful on the surface that was hiding thorns underneath.” As the song unfolds, it begins to open out. Warm electric guitar lines come forward, paired with twanging banjo and subtle piano, all anchored by the steady pulse of the drums. The arrangement swells and softens in turns, making ‘Thorns’ a powerful yet vulnerable journey that cries out softly and lingers in the heart. 

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Photo - Kyle Dobie

Isabel Rumble - Patience Peaceful Breathing Slow.

After the release of her second album ‘Hold Everything Lightly’, followed by a national tour last year, Australian indie-folk songstress Isabel Rumble returns with ‘Patience Peaceful Breathing Slow’, a delicate and meditative new single out this weekend. The new track arrives ahead of an extensive international run, with Isabel Rumble set to take her album on tour across the UK, Ireland and Europe following a series of Western Australian dates and festival appearances in April.

With this run of shows for her second album, it feels only fitting to share ‘Patience Peaceful Breathing Slow’, a song written and recorded during the same period, shaped by the uncertain space she found herself in as her debut album was released into the world in 2023.

“‘Patience Peaceful Breathing Slow’ was written as I began to make my peace with winter,” Rumble says, describing the uncertainty she experienced after releasing her debut album. But it was when she came across a story in Women Who Run With the Wolves about “sitting with an idea and gently rocking with it until clarity returns” that the meaning of that in-between period began to shift. She continues: 

"This song was my permission to tend to the parts of myself I’d neglected in the busyness of releasing my debut album. It feels appropriate to let this one into the world now at the completion of my second album." 

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Tom Emlyn - A series Of Misunderstandings.

Swansea Singer-Songwriter 'Tom Emlyn' returns with a brand new single on 10th April 2026. 'A Series of Misunderstandings' will be his third single taken from forthcoming new album which is out in summer. One of the oldest songs on the album - I wrote this originally over ten years ago. It's about cycling through personas, exploring the ways in which difficult or disappointing experiences can change who you are as a person. Making the most of all the unfortunate events, misunderstandings and false starts. Making poetry from the humdrum, banal annoyances of the everyday, the average let-downs and miscommunications. 

One thing leads to another; before you know it you're a tired old gunslinger, selling stolen jewellery to make ends meet, sorting through memories you'd rather forget. Touring empty open mic nights with cliched phrases, more half-baked than hard-boiled, hoping something sticks. I was thinking of the band Kings of Convenience when I wrote this, as well as Elliott Smith's album XO. 

Evan added some lush slide guitar and played banjo with a violin bow. The final solo was played in one take, with a brittle Hank Marvin Stratocaster tone and a gorgeous real spring reverb tank. Described by Adam Walton (BBC Radio Wales) as a "peripatetic musical genius", Tom Emlyn crafts honest, swirling songs. Tall tales laced with dark jokes and words that cut straight to the bone. His current solo work maps an alternative Southwalian landscape, a hallucinated community drawn from psycho geography built on local history. Anthropological observations shaping poetic lyrics and simple 60s-folk influenced melodies that explore what it means to belong toa place.Bitterness, love, and humour peep through the cracks of this multi-layered, ethereal music.

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St.Arnaud - St.Arnaud (Album).

Edmonton's St.Arnaud, the indie pop project of Ian St.Arnaud, released their third studio album, St.Arnaud, this weekend via Cordova Bay Records, a record that turns grief into groove and cynicism into celebration. The self-titled album represents a significant evolution for St.Arnaud. What began as a solo songwriting outlet following the 2017 passing of close friend and collaborator Luke Jansen has blossomed into a full-band effort brimming with drums, bass, keys, electric guitar, horns, pedal steel, and electric pianos. This is the project's third record, but the first to truly capture the spirit of a live ensemble—where spontaneity and chemistry take the wheel.

"Starting an album for me feels like fumbling around in a dark room, feeling around for anything to grab onto," Ian reflects. "I think at one point I wrote something that resembled bad jazz? Ever so slowly, from an old notebook, something materializes when I struggle hard enough."

Lyrically, St.Arnaud explores "finding movement in times of stillness" and "capturing snapshots of transient times when you have time to reflect on them." The collection toggles between narrators stuck in the undertow of unresolved feelings—tracks like ‘Strange Collection’, ‘Better Than Fine’, and ‘Pretend Like You Do’—and others desperately trying to find contentment in the present, such as ‘How Lucky’, ‘Your House’, and ‘Sunshine’. 

"I think looking back at the songs as a group now, it's funny to see two distinct song types appear: a series of narrators talking about unresolved past feelings, or trying to be content in the present," Ian notes. "Maybe there's a third category too: where I'm trying to just crack a joke and lighten the mood. Those songs are usually my favourite in the end. I prefer to sandwich harder emotions between a few lighter topics."

Cordova Bay Records · St.Arnaud

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Ava Claire - The Sound.

Singer-songwriter Ava Claire returns with “The Sound,” an upbeat and captivating track that reveals a vibrant, energetic side of her artistry while maintaining the emotional depth that defines her songwriting. “The Sound is essentially about the noise in our minds,” says Ava. “The noise changes as you grow up, age, and have more life adventures.”
 
Drawing from the lyrical depth of Jason Isbell and Phoebe Bridgers, paired with the melodic instincts of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, Ava crafts smart, authentic narratives that resonate deeply with listeners. Her talent has earned her three yeses and a trip to Hollywood Week on American Idol, as well as selection as one of only 11 students nationwide for the Songwriter Track at GRAMMY Camp.
 
Her previous release, “Salt Mine,” has already surpassed 70,000 streams across platforms and earned top-playlist support from Spotify, Apple Music, and more, further building momentum for her growing presence in Nashville.
 
Now a songwriting student at Belmont University, Ava regularly performs at iconic Nashville venues, including The Bluebird Cafe and The Listening Room. Beyond the stage, she is a passionate advocate for music education, dedicating five years to a Nashville non-profit teaching songwriting and refurbishing instruments for underserved youth, work that was recently featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show. With “The Sound,” Ava Claire continues to expand her artistic range, pairing thoughtful storytelling with an infectious energy that highlights both her growth as a songwriter and the exciting momentum surrounding her next chapter.

Ava Claire · The Sound

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Photo - Sophie Webster

PUNCHBAG - I Am Obsessed (EP).

South London sibling duo PUNCHBAG (Clara and Anders Bach) now release their second EP 'I Am Obsessed' via Mute. PUNCHBAG embark on their first UK / European headline tour later this month, culminating in a show at The Lexington in London on 9th May. The new EP is marked by the release of focus single 'Playing God'.  Inspired initially by a Hinge date gone awry, the track is a cathartic highlight from the band's renowned live sets.

"Playing this song live so many times over the last year or so, it has taken on a new meaning - one that is deeper and darker than we originally intended," Clara explains. "Thereby we would like to kindly dedicate this song to the many men in power who are wonderfully running this ship aground. When there’s so much power being abused all the time, we don’t want to become numb to that and forget about it.”

Offering further proof of their status as one of London's most compelling emerging pop acts, new EP 'I Am Obsessed' is a volatile, hyper-saturated expansion of their self-described "aggressive hopecore" world - where everyday life is pushed to breaking point.

Driven by pounding percussion, snarling guitars and soaring synths, singer Clara’s instantly recognizable vocal cuts through the chaos; moving between sugar-rush pop hooks and moments of defiant release, she zooms in on the smallest details until they become grotesque and impossible to ignore.

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The Falls - Open Fire.

Manchester-based indie-rock group The Falls are excited to unveil their new single ‘Open Fire’, via Revo Pro. Since their formation in 2023, The Falls have hit the UK music scene with remarkable momentum, rapidly building a reputation both in Manchester and nationwide. 

The band have cultivated a strong live presence, playing key venues UK wide, whilst consistently selling out venues in their hometown of Manchester. February 2026 saw The Falls undertake their biggest hometown headline to date, this time stepping it up a notch at the city's iconic Manchester Academy. Their upcoming November hometown headline at Manchester’s Gullivers sold out in under 24 hours, leading them to add a second, more intimate date due to demand, at The Castle Hotel.

Drawing inspiration from classic and contemporary indie influences like The Courteneers, The Kooks and Jake Bugg, their sound combines energetic guitar hooks with sharp lyrical storytelling. Their debut EP ‘Viva La Falls’ was released in September of 2025, already amassing over 100,000 streams and earning early praise from Radio X’s John Kennedy.

Produced, mixed and mastered by Luke Owens (SHADE, Montello, The Sprats), their new single ‘Open Fire’ is a sub-three-minute powder keg of energy from start to finish. The track blends explosive drums, melodic bass lines, frenetic guitars and urgent vocals, musically and lyrically encapsulating a loss of control.

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Beth Lucas - Emory Duncan - Strange Plants - Aldous Harding - Nic Panken - Desperately Seeking Suki - Eleyet McConnell

Beth Lucas - What I Deserved.

Australian Country artist Beth Lucas has released her deeply personal new single ‘What I Deserved'. Written eighteen years after the experience of her first love, the track is a candid reflection on the complexities of young adulthood and the mistakes made on both sides of a first serious relationship - a song she never expected to write. Though the track was already written, Lucas refined the key elements during the recording process alongside producer James North. 

Through her trademark confessional storytelling, Beth explores her own shortcomings and the lessons learned from a formative romance she once thought she’d never revisit. After surfacing subconsciously, years after Lucas had “pushed it down and moved on”, ‘What I Deserved’ has evolved into a form of therapy - transforming a suppressed memory into a moment of growth and resolution. 

“This is easily one of the most vulnerable songs I’ve ever written and I know it’s finally the right time to share this part of my story. Like a lot of my songs, the lyrics eventually found their way out in the middle of the night, and when I sat down the next day, the song basically wrote itself. It feels good to finally release it”.
 
Beth Lucas creates confessional modern country with an alt-edge, blending “sad girl country” vulnerability with the vocal power of Sara Evans. Her sound is a deliberate evolution - originally rooted in the emo and alternative scenes, Beth returned from a brief hiatus with a refocused devotion to raw, honest storytelling.

Beth Lucas · What I Deserved

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Emory Duncan - Semicircles.

Emory Duncan has shared the second single from his forthcoming EP Semicircles and Half Written Songs, produced by Jamie Mefford (Gregory Alan Isakov, Nathaniel Rateliff). Duncan’s soft, gauzy vocals float over an elegant tangle of violin, piano, and slide guitar, as he examines the power of real love to pull us out of self-sabotaging cycles. 

Duncan shares: “Semicircles” is about the rhythms we find ourselves in, patterns that we fall into and define us, and the cold realization in hindsight that the agency to change was ours all along. We become victims of our choices, stuck in our little loops despite our awareness of them. Semicircles, at its core, is a lack of self-control. It’s reconciling regret and emotional distance with a love that’s powerful and real. That’s the tragedy, that honest love is no match for self-destruction, although they both exist in a messy complexity of internal struggle. 

Originally from Houston, Duncan now lives and writes from a log cabin tucked beneath the Redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, crafting pastoral Americana as dreamy, foggy, and serene as the setting he inhabits. He released his debut EP For Someone I Don’t Know in 2024 followed by a string of singles. Duncan’s music has independently racked up millions of streams and landed in tastemaker compilations by Alexrainbird, Indie Folk Central and more.  

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Strange Plants - Ground Falls Away.

Strange Plants return with “Ground Falls Away,” an energetic rock single that blends kinetic grooves with the band’s signature analog warmth. Driven by pulsing rhythms, vintage textures, and an undeniable forward motion, the track captures the restless feeling of pushing through life’s daily pressures and refusing to stand still. Following up on February’s “Lay Your Mind,” it’s the second release to be shared as part of a collection arriving throughout the year.

The inspiration for “Ground Falls Away” came from a candid conversation between friends. “I was speaking with a friend over drinks one night and he was really going through it,” explains songwriter Matt Brannon. “He was hustling day to day just to stay ahead, and it felt like if he ever stopped moving the ground would just swallow him up. Despite all this pressure, he remained hopeful and willing to keep soldiering on.”

The song first began with a riff from songwriter Travis Flint, an acoustic figure that weaves through the verses and anchors the driving momentum. Though written several years ago, the band initially set it aside after recording the foundational tracks during a transitional period. Returning to it later gave the song new life. “We had recorded the bed tracks but shelved it for a while,” Matt says. “Coming back to it now, it feels like it was meant to be. It’s so much better and we couldn’t be happier.”

One of the most distinctive elements of “Ground Falls Away” lies in its rhythm section. The bass lands on the upbeat against the kick drum’s downbeat, creating an unusual push-and-pull groove that fuels the song’s sense of motion. The chorus then expands dramatically, culminating in an instrumental back half that delivers emotional impact without relying on additional lyrics.

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Aldous Harding - Venus In The Zinnia.

Aldous Harding has dropped a second single from her upcoming fifth album Train On The Island, which lands on 8 May. The track, 'Venus In The Zinnia' got its first spin last night on Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6Music show.

On the song, Harding teams up with H. Hawkline—who handles bass, guitar, and backing vocals—while John Parish jumps in on drums, Wurlitzer, and percussion. Keeping up her streak of striking visuals, the new video features both Harding and H. Hawkline, and was made with the support of NZ on Air Music.

The 10-track Train On The Island was co-produced by long-time collaborator John Parish (PJ Harvey, Dry Cleaning) at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, where the pair recorded the New Zealander’s previous bodies of work, Party (2017), Designer (2019) and Warm Chris (2022). Joining Harding and Parish on Train On The Island were pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte, harpist Mali Llywelyn, synth artist Thomas Poli, drummer Sebastian Rochford (Polar Bear) and Huw Evans (H. Hawkline) on bass, vocals, acoustic/electric guitar and organ.

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Photo - Rakel Stammer

Nic Panken - Near Divine or Merely Rhyme (Album).

Nic Panken understands the perseverance of art and its intentions to ground and inspire us. He sees how melodies ruminate deep in the belly of uncertainty, blossoming to bring fresh clarity and a whispering optimism. Over the years, the Brooklyn-born songwriter has endeavored to spread the invigorating presence of song, initially through fronting the Americana-folk group Spirit Family Reunion and now, through his own evolution as a solo artist. Panken strives for equilibrium and purpose, and it's through his gorgeously sensitive yet gutsy delivery that an exhale can be found, away from our amplified anxieties and collective mourning. 

Now residing in Kingston, NY, Panken divides his time outside of music-making between working as a puppeteer, hosting his weekly radio show, and mixing sound at beloved local venue Tubby's. By immersing himself in the restorative power of the arts, every day is decorated with the potential to be present; to find new meaning and community through his various, purposeful practices. After years of relentless touring with Spirit Family Reunion, Panken found solace in staying still, and it’s in this shift that he began crafting what would become his new body of work.

His debut solo album Near Divine or Merely Rhyme is the result of trusting your gut and the process, no matter how unexpected the outcome. The foundation of these songs were spurred on by a wink from the universe, when Panken met multi-instrumentalist Jared Samuel (Kevin Morby, Aldous Harding) while performing at a local Hudson Valley house show. Samuel and his partner Sarah La Puerta run the small recording studio Pale Moon Services in Cambridge, NY, with core beliefs that music making is for all, and that to say yes to one instant is to say yes to all of existence. 

“As soon as I walked into that space I knew I wanted to make music there,” Panken says, citing Samuel’s “encouraging yet patient,” energy that served as a catalyst in the album’s tapestry. The previously stripped-down arrangements of Panken’s songs soon morphed into an expansive landscape, as the pair’s chemistry propelled the sonic direction. “I learned to just allow it to be what it wants to be.”

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Photo - Eshe Taylor

Desperately Seeking Suki - Suki.

Desperately Seeking Suki, are an exciting duo made up of siblings Natassa Zoë and SIG SALI (Danny Pugh), based in Australia and the UK. They introduce you to their world with their impactful debut single 'Suki' out on the 10th of April, lifted from their forthcoming EP.

‘Suki' is a love song about life’s messy, beautiful bits, the good, the awkward and the real. It’s about meeting someone who truly sees you and being free to be completely yourself.  Standing on the dancefloor in the eye of a carousel of glimmering synths and infectious beats, Natassa’s evocative and literate spoken word puts you into her mind's eye. Bursting into synth-dapped, earworm alt-pop choruses. ‘Suki’ embodies the ups, the downs, the laughs and the big feelings, love with an open heart, even when it’s messy. A rushing and cinematic song built for 2026: relatable yet universal, it burrows into your head and won’t let go. Desperately Seeking Suki will take you by the hand and take you for a ride.

Natassa says: “Suki is about embracing the light and dark in yourself and finding love that holds through the chaos.” Natassa Zoë, who lives between Australia and the UK, and Danny Pugh, based in Bristol, started Desperately Seeking Suki by sending tracks back and forth across continents before reuniting to launch their debut EP. Together, they craft a sonic tapestry that fuses melodic indie pop, art pop, and dynamic synth pop.

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Eleyet McConnell - The Ledge.

Award-winning husband-and-wife duo Eleyet McConnell return with their gripping new single and video, “The Ledge,” available worldwide on April 10th, 2026. The track is the latest release from their critically praised sophomore album, The Journey, which debuted March 6th across all major digital platforms.

Written by Angie and Chris McConnell, “The Ledge” stands as one of the album’s most emotionally charged and sonically intense moments. Driven by raw vocals, urgent instrumentation, and unflinching honesty, the song captures the breaking point in a toxic relationship—where silence, manipulation, and emotional weight collide with the need for liberation.

Opening with stark confrontation—“One of these days you’re gonna realize you needed me”—the track builds into a defiant chorus that declares independence and self-worth: “Standing on the edge of the ledge / I need to break free from here.” The imagery is vivid and immediate, placing listeners at the brink of a personal reckoning. It’s a song about reclaiming control, shedding emotional chains, and choosing truth over illusion.

Musically, “The Ledge” leans into the duo’s evolving rock-forward sound, blending driving guitars with dynamic rhythms and powerful vocal delivery. It reflects the broader sonic direction of The Journey, an album that expands Eleyet McConnell’s palette while staying rooted in their signature authenticity.

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Bea Elmy Martin - Deer Tick - Eauclaire - Susto Stringband - Georgian

Bea Elmy Martin - Written On Me.

Bea Elmy Martin is carving out a vital space within the UK alternative landscape. London born and bred, her music is defined by emotional precision, blending ethereal vocals, orchestral intimacy and brooding electronics. Raised on the sounds of classic soul artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway, Bea developed an early understanding of melody and feeling, using songwriting as a way to process life, love and loss from a young age. She describes songwriting as her journal, a way of breaking overwhelming emotions into something tangible and manageable, allowing moments of beauty, pain and connection to surface naturally.

After the release of her 2021 debut single “Blue Escape”, which earned early BBC tastemaker support from Jack Saunders and Lauren Laverne, Bea began a slow, intentional creative journey alongside her producer Dominick J Goldsmith (HÆLOS). That collaboration led to Under The Yew (Vol. 1), released in May 2025, a luminous meditation on loss, healing and renewal. She has continued that emotional thread through subsequent releases from Under The Yew (Vol. 2), including “Lost”, “Born To Fly”, “Unscarred” and more recently “Anouk”, each one deepening the world of the project ahead of the arrival of her upcoming album Under The Yew (Vol. 2).

“This project has been a personal excavation,” says Martin. “Under The Yew transforms loss into light, each track a step toward resilience.” The record draws comparisons from Air and Portishead to Billie Marten and Adrianne Lenker, all anchored by Bea’s raw emotional clarity. Her new single “Written On Me” offers another intimate chapter in that journey, this time turning toward love, closeness and the ways another person can become part of you. The track captures the feeling of falling in love and becoming deeply intertwined with someone over time. “I wrote ‘Written On Me’ at home one night,” Bea says. “I remember going in without too much of a plan, just a feeling I couldn’t shake. I started playing around with a few ideas and this one just sort of fell out naturally. It didn’t feel forced at all, which I think is why it ended up being such an honest song.”

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Photo - Rich Ferri

Deer Tick - Everything Born.

On 5th June, Providence’s Deer Tick will release their ninth studio album, 'Coin-O-Matic', via ATO. This week, they tease the album with a new single, the intimate 'Everything Born', which touches on the LP’s underlying theme of impermanence. The band’s guitarist/singer Ian O’Neil shares: “‘Everything Born’ was written quickly about the tenuousness of life and the precious time we have to spend with the people that come into our lives. It’s about family, friends, neighbors, strangers and how these thoughts burrow a little deeper the older we get. I was thinking about my son and the people of Providence, RI while writing it.” 

Deer Tick recently went into Rhode Island’s Big Nice Studio and filmed the song live. 'Coin-O-Matic' 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.       
 
The follow-up to Emotional Contracts (hailed by Uncut as one of 2023’s best albums), Coin-O-Matic takes its title from a cigarette-vending-machine company that served as the headquarters of Raymond Patriarca—a legendary mobster who ran one of the most ruthless crime families in U.S. history. “If you grew up in Rhode Island years ago, you’d see all these mobsters on the news and then run into them at a restaurant on Federal Hill,” says McCauley, referring to Providence’s version of Little Italy. “They were criminals but also very colorful characters, and I wanted the album to partly reflect a certain nostalgia for that kind of seediness.”

Deer Tick · Everything Born

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Eauclaire - Heaven On Earth.

“Heaven On Earth” is Eauclaire’s (pronounced “ō-claire”) latest indie-rock anthem, born not in a studio, but in the open desert. Written at the Heaven on Earth Music Festival in Moab, Utah, right beneath the Looking Glass Arch, the song captures a moment where awe meets the ordinary. With driving guitars, heartfelt vocals, and a chorus that feels both intimate and expansive, “Heaven On Earth” wrestles with getting out of your head and back into the present—back into the beauty that’s been there all along.

The bridge takes that idea literally: the gang vocals were recorded live on top of the Looking Glass Arch, with voices echoing across the canyon as the sun dipped low. It’s a song about noticing—wildflowers, starlight, golden hour, morning light—and realizing that heaven isn’t somewhere distant or abstract. It’s here. It’s now. And it’s found in the everyday moments we’re so tempted to rush past.

Formed by college friends Bryant Urich, Kyle Kicker and Justin Barnett in 2010, Eauclaire (pronounced “ō-claire”) released their acclaimed debut, Océan Bleu, in 2019, followed by 2022’s Timber, the latter of which chronicles a deeply personal season of loss and rediscovery for the band. Eauclaire’s single “Depths” was showcased in the CW and Netflix series All American, and their music has also been featured on MTV, MTV2, and in various international advertising campaigns.

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Photo - Chris Brennan

Susto Stringband - Hands In The Dirt.

Susto Stringband, led by frontman Justin Osborne of the highly lauded alt-country band Susto, just released their new single “Hands In The Dirt.” The track comes from their upcoming Susto Stringband (Volume 2) LP, which is out on May 29 via Missing Piece Records. The album features bluegrass and old-time reworkings of Susto favorites alongside a couple tracks that have never been released including today’s new single, which Osborne wrote before Susto began to take shape. Built around a mournful fiddle, the song reminds the listener to literally touch grass in times of turmoil and despair.

“‘Hands In The Dirt’ is an older tune of mine that actually predates Susto,” says Osborne. “I wrote it based on some advice my dad gave me in my 20s, when I was feeling burned out from DIY touring, and ready to give up on the dreams of writing and performing that I’d been pursuing. His advice was basically to work harder (lol) which over time has proven to be sound advice. 

My dad passed away back in 2020, and since then I’ve enjoyed bringing this one back into the sets from time to time, because it really reminds me of my dad and makes him feel closer. It was a blast to work up this Susto Stringband version of the song for Volume 2, and I’m really proud to finally be re-sharing a song that I’ve had such a personal connection to for many years.”

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Photo - Aaron Farrimond

Georgian - Crackled Grounds.

Manchester-based Georgian begin a fresh chapter today with the release of their new single ‘Crackled Grounds’ and the announcement of their first full body of work with the ‘Crackled Grounds EP’ out on 12th June via Heist or Hit (Westside Cowboy, Her’s).
 
Formed in 2024 and with three previous singles in their musical catalogue, Georgian are a five-piece outfit comprising Georgia McKiernan (vocals, acoustic guitar), James Poole, James Polglase (both lead and rhythm guitar, BVs), Connor Alder (drums) and Harry George (bass). Together Georgian have an expansive sound that reflects each of the band’s tastes, retaining a modern approach, but keeping the sound of their influences alive. Wrangling ‘60s pop, country, folk, shoegaze, psychedelia and further-flung traditional styles, their songs tell tales of navigating harsh emotional environments and lived experiences.
 
The debut ‘Crackled Grounds EP’ was laid down with producer Arno Stols at Magenta Studio in the peaceful Amsterdam countryside. Taking a leaf from Brian Jonestown Massacre’s melodic revivalism, Georgian began emulating the warm, unsettling, mysterious 60s-70s production of artists to which they had mutually become accustomed. Lyrically taking the listener to a place of escapism, the songs tell of battling the elements, female empowerment, and deep-rooted nostalgia.
 
The first introduction to their forthcoming EP is the alternative Western-inspired title track and new single ‘Crackled Grounds’, which atmospherically recalls a barren apocalyptic landscape where the sun is blazing and rain feels like a distant past. Blending haunting imagery with beautiful instrumentation and poignant vocals, it is a mournful song that also inspires reflection and hope. The band says; “This song was probably a result of watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and listening to Nancy & Lee within the same week. We got the opening riff and then it blossomed very quickly from there. It feels like the ultimate culmination of our journey so far.”

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Rachel Carmen - Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - Sparkle Blood - Darryl Scotti and Big Yard - Lala Hayden

Rachel Carmen - Whole Again (Live Acoustic).

Good things take time. Rachel Carmen also took this saying to heart, allowing her music to mature. The singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from the idyllic Swiss village of Muotathal earned her stripes, among other things, with the cover band Coverstreet. From the snow-covered peaks of Switzerland to the sunny beaches of Spain, she also won over audiences as a singer and bar pianist.

In 2014, she won the Prix Walo “Sprungbrett” (breakthrough award). This was followed by radio appearances, a duet with Piero Esteriore and the Esteriore Brothers on Donnschtig-Jass, a performance at the KKL Lucerne, and a spontaneous jam session with Büne Huber of Patent Ochsner.

It is therefore high time for a new beginning—for stepping into the wider public eye—with her own single “Whole Again.” The soulful, danceable electropop anthem marks the start of a series of further singles as well as an EP set to be released next year. Rachel Carmen’s sound matured in Los Angeles, where she spent considerable time a few years ago gathering new creative impulses and further developing her style.

As a songwriter, Rachel Carmen is active internationally: she regularly takes part in songwriting camps and sessions in Switzerland, Norway, and London, where she collaborates with other artists to create new songs. In 2025, Rachel further expanded her artistic expression through acting training, strengthening her stage presence and emotional depth even more.

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Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature - Already Dead.

Thomas Duxbury and New Mother Nature continue to ride the momentum of previously released singles “Istanbul” and “She Never Knows” with “Already Dead,” a brooding and deeply introspective blues-tinged garage rock track that captures the disorienting weight of sleepless nights and spiraling thoughts. Built around eerie guitar textures and restless energy, the song finds Duxbury grappling with isolation and exhaustion while searching for some glimmer of light beyond the darkness. It arrives as the latest single from the band’s forthcoming album, set for release on May 19th, 2026.

“I was lying awake in bed, anxiously stuck in my thoughts and unable to sleep,” Duxbury explains. “It felt like I had been awake for weeks and was losing touch with reality. In my mind I kept picturing myself driving my old red Ford Ranger down a dirt road at dusk, trying to clear my head. I wanted to try and fight my way back to some sort of light and hope that I could cling to.”

“Already Dead” sits in the uneasy space between awareness and detachment. Duxbury describes moving through crowds and conversations while carrying a private internal battle no one else could see. “There was a war going on in my mind that I was alone in and the people around me were completely unaware,” he says. “I didn’t want to talk about it. I just wanted to keep it to myself.”

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Photo - Angeline Simon

Sparkle Blood - In Real Life.

Sparkle Blood is the kind of band that gets in, says exactly what they need to say, and gets out—no wasted time, no excess, just sharp, punchy songwriting delivered with total conviction. The trio, Tyler Stewart on guitar and vocals, Bailey Kate on bass and vocals, and Bre Day on drums, lock into a sound that feels both scrappy and impossibly tight, balancing sweetly fuzzy guitars with driving rhythms and melodies that hit instantly. 

There’s an easy chemistry between Stewart and Kate that calls back to the dynamic interplay of The Lemonheads and Pixies, while Day keeps everything grounded with a powerful, no-frills approach behind the kit. It’s hook-heavy, harmony-rich, and just rough enough around the edges to keep things interesting.

Their upcoming LP ZIP ZAP leans all the way into that energy, opening with “Mad About It,” a track that feels like a thesis statement, urgent, a little fed up, but still undeniably fun. From there, the band keeps things moving at a clipped, confident pace. 

“Totally Ignorant” barrels through in under a minute and a half, landing its punch with the kind of efficiency you’d expect from Ramones or Guided by Voices, while songs like “Burning Barrel” and “I Don’t Know” stretch things just enough to let the hooks breathe, pulling from the timeless melodic instincts of Buddy Holly and the punchy edge of Buzzcocks and Hüsker Dü. Across the record, Sparkle Blood strike that sweet spot between catharsis and celebration, pairing real-world frustration with undeniable charm. It’s the kind of album that sneaks up on you, quick, catchy, and quietly addictive after just a couple of spins.

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Darryl Scotti and Big Yard - State of Mind.

Lending 'acappella' Americana with a jazz nuance, echoing the warm atmospheres of Pentatonix pairing rich vocal harmony with open-road storytelling and an understated groove, State of Mind is an intimate, roots-driven track built for listeners who value authenticity, mood, and craft. With no heavy production, the voices carry the landscape, creating a cinematic vibe that feels grounded in a quiet uplifting reflective mood. 

Darryl Scotti is the creative force behind Big Yard, a sound grounded in rock, blues, and country soul - woven together with heartfelt storytelling. A veteran artist with authentic roots in classic Americana music and a pulse on today’s evolving scene, Scotti delivers songs that are raw, real, and deeply human.

With decades of experience as a performer, writer, and producer, his work continues to bridge generations - music that moves, inspires, and heals. Big Yard is where seasoned producers and one veteran singer songwriter collide to create a bold, genre-bending sound that fuses contemporary rock, pop, smooth jazz, big band, and R&B - all produced with a modern, hip edge.

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Photo - Hanna L Hayden

Lala Hayden - Goodthing.

London/Barcelona-based Lala Hayden today announces her new EP 'Queen of Midnight', out 8th May via Goldun Egg and shares new single 'Goodthing'. Produced by Jake Gosling (Lady Gaga, Paloma Faith), 'Goodthing' is a stark alt-pop examination of self-sabotage. Written during pregnancy and early motherhood, the track forms part of an EP that documents both the intensity of new life and the psychological shifts that accompany it, as identity begins to recalibrate.

Speaking on the release, Lala Hayden said: "I feel like I'm always one bad decision away from completely sabotaging everything in my life. It feels like most of the time I'm living in a bubble that can't last, constantly treading a fine line that could break at any moment. The sabotaging part in me is so loud, especially in times when I'm sleep deprived, hormonal, or feeling disconnected from my surroundings. Goodthing is a story of intimacy and absence, where love lingers in empty rooms, in memory, and in the quiet realisation that sometimes, the hardest thing isn’t losing something good but realising you’re the reason it never lasts."

Drawing inspiration from films such as The Dreamers, Blue Is the Warmest Colour and Paris, Texas - 'Goodthing' explores the tension of holding something real, while slowly pulling away from it.

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Brook Fox - Ryan O'Reilly - Grasstime - Plasma Driver - Frankie Archer

Brook Fox - Rome.

Brook Fox brand new single 'Rome' is released today April 7th 2026. Brook Fox is an indie-pop/rock artist from South-West Wales known for energetic live shows and emotionally direct songwriting. Brook quickly grew obsessed with songwriting throughout the 2020 pandemic, idolising the likes of Sam Fender and Catfish and the Bottlemen for both their ear-worm literature and working class lyricism.

Drawing inspiration from his personal experiences, his music combines down to earth lyrics with indie pop/rock influences, offering a fresh and authentic soundscape. Brook's five singles have surpassed over 250K streams in under a year, paving the way to BBC introducing, BBC Radio Wales and other media outlets. 

Brook has supported the likes of Liverpool’s “Keyside” and the Welsh Pop Sensation Mali Haf, and has also shared the bill with names such as; McFly and Kaiser Chiefs, at "Tunes on the Bay" and "In It Together Festival".

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Photo - Linda Esperanza

Ryan O'Reilly - Elizabeth.

Berlin-based songwriter Ryan O'Reilly releases the official studio version of “Elizabeth,” a reflective and memorable alternative folk gem written nearly 20 years ago. Originally penned in 2006 before a summer tour of Canada with future Dwayne Gretzky founders Tyler Kyte and Nick Rose, the song channels O’Reilly’s deep admiration for Gram Parsons into something more country and bluegrass-inflected than typically associated with Irish or English songwriters.

“Elizabeth” offers a preview of O’Reilly’s forthcoming album Native Companion, set for release on April 14th, 2026, his birthday. Inspired by David Foster Wallace’s essay collection A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, the album title nods to the collaborative spirit that defines O’Reilly’s journey from Toronto’s Dwayne Gretzky community to Berlin’s L.A. People. The record features contributions from Spencer Cullum Jr., classical cellist Anastasia Povekvechnykh, Jadea Kelly, Missouri songwriter Ian Fisher, and screenwriter Christopher Moynihan.

Lyrically rich and poetic, “Elizabeth” paints the portrait of an enigmatic, slightly troubled young woman who “steals the show” despite the darkness and loss that surrounds her. The song captures the beauty and unpredictability of young love and the feeling of standing mid-scene in a play, unsure of the ending but fully immersed in the moment.

Recorded at Dwayne’s World studio in Toronto, the track reunites O’Reilly with longtime collaborators Tyler Kyte and Nick Rose, alongside members of Dwayne Gretzky: Simeon Abbott (piano), Adam Hindle (drums), and Dave Dalrymple (bass). Engineering duties were handled by Ian Docherty, guitarist of July Talk.

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Grasstime - Waltz of Time.

The newest Grasstime single 'Waltz of Time' is rooted in the rich, dark soil and the quiet heartbreak of rural life, Grasstime’s upcoming album is a soul-stirring journey through love, loss, and memory. The collection blends timeless Americana with a raw emotional honesty that feels like a series of letters from a dusty backroad—intimate, weathered, and undeniably true.

The heart of the project is the title track, "Waltz of Time," written by Mike Richards and Laura Leigh Jones. Inspired by the personal experiences of Mike and his mother Pat’s journey. Mike mentioned “it came on quietly, almost unnoticed, or we pretended her minor lapses had no real meaning. One day she didn't show up to meet us at a place in town she had been a thousand times….no call, no show. It's hard on her, my dad and family. We are thankful we still have her”. The song draws from Mike’s personal reflections on memory loss, enduring love, and a shared dance.

“This song is so meaningful to me. 'Waltz of Time' resonated with me the moment Kristy sent it to me. I instantly knew I wanted to record it when I heard it. Because of what my family faced with my mother Deloris’s passing from Lewy Bodie and my grandpa Robert’s journey with Alzheimer’s. I know these horrid diseases impact so many people, and there are so many trying to figure out how to navigate them. In the song I could see my folks dancing in the living room in their earlier years throughout the later, and it really moved me. I sincerely hope this song brings back some joy and pleasant memories for folks, like it did me. ” Robbie Morris

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Plasma Driver - it.

We are catching up a little with the song 'it' which has been out for a short while however Plasma Driver have enough plus point's for Beehive Candy to happily feature their latest single, “it,”  It's described as "a thought-provoking and visually driven release that explores the absurdity of the human search for meaning through a uniquely playful lens." Some background: The band’s name came from lead singer Bryan’s early experiment with an Erica Synths modulator called a Plasma Drive... and so, Plasma Driver was born. 

Blending atmospheric indie rock with narrative-driven songwriting, Plasma Driver continues to carve out a distinct identity rooted in existential themes, dark humor, and cinematic world-building. Inspired by artists such as Interpol, Queens of the Stone Age, and Arctic Monkeys, the band pairs British influenced introspective lyricism with a creative approach that draws from film, anime, poetry and classic animation.

At its core, “it” examines the contradictions in how people and media attempt to define life’s purpose. Rather than presenting a straightforward answer, the track leans into ambiguity, personifying loneliness and cosmic indifference as characters within a surreal narrative. The result is a concept that feels both philosophical and oddly entertaining.

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Photo - Rob Irish

Frankie Archer - Death and The Maiden.

Northumbrian electro-folk musician and producer Frankie Archer shares new single 'Death and The Maiden' the latest taste of her debut album 'The Dance Of Death' - out 5th June via prrr of the bear. Frankie Archer will tour the album this autumn with dates in London, Liverpool, Gateshead, Bristol and Birmingham.

Drawing on a 1907 retelling of Death and the Maiden, the track centres on a young woman’s futile attempt to bargain her way out of mortality - a premise rooted in folklore, but delivered here with scale and urgency. What begins in stark, folk-led minimalism gradually unravels, expanding into a dense, unpredictable arrangement where traditional instrumentation is pushed into something far less contained.

Speaking on new single 'Death and The Maiden', Frankie Archer said: "The inevitability of death has haunted humans throughout history. In folklore, Death appears personified as a shadowy figure who comes to claim you when it is your time. There are countless tellings of people trying to bargain with death. In my version, based on one collected in 1907, a maiden offers death gold, jewels and expensive clothes, just for a few more years of life. But death is final and undeniable.

"When I was arranging my version of the song I did some research on the story of Death and the Maiden and I found a string quartet by Schubert with that name. The opening phrase floored me and it perfectly matched what I’d produced so far. I recorded the first few bars straight away at home, pitch-shifting my fiddle to mimic the cello and double bass, and that’s what you hear in the song. As the album opener I wanted it to hit hard so there’s voices in multiple octaves, huge drums and an unhinged guitar solo, which is my first time playing guitar on a recording."

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