Apryll Aileen - Bandits on the Run - Taxi Girls - American Blonde

Apryll Aileen - Call Me Anytime.

Canadian singer-songwriter Apryll Aileen shares “Call Me Anytime,” a warm and uplifting pop/alt-country single that captures the quiet strength of unconditional love across distance. Rooted in storytelling and emotional clarity, the track follows a grandfather supporting his grandson as he leaves home to pursue a rising soccer career, balancing pride, longing, and the enduring promise of connection.

At its core, the song is written from the perspective of a grandfather speaking to his grandson as he begins to find success in the Canadian soccer world. Through simple yet deeply resonant lyrics, he reminds him that no matter how far he goes, he is never alone. “Call Me Anytime” becomes both a message and a mantra; a steady reassurance that love remains constant, even as life pulls people in different directions.

That sense of connection extends into the song’s visual world. Filmed in Toronto during JUNO week, the accompanying music video features rising youth soccer talent Malakhai Eaton, one of the top defensive players in the GTA (12 and under). The video captures the emotional tension between ambition and home, reflecting the reality of leaving behind familiarity to chase something bigger, while still holding onto where you came from.

The creative process behind the song unfolded organically. “I was actually on a flight to the UK when I heard the chorus melody in my head,” Apryll shares. “I didn’t want to lose it, so I recorded a voice note right there in my seat. As soon as the plane touched down, I grabbed my friend’s guitar and the song grew naturally from there; it wrote itself.” The track was later brought to life in collaboration with UK-based producer Danny Lafrombe, blending simplicity with dynamic shifts that mirror the emotional arc of the story.

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Photo -  Hunter Brown & Lucy Werner

Bandits on the Run - lostlostlost.

Continuing to build excitement for their highly anticipated full-length album, Rough Magic, out on June 12, 2026, NYC-based indie-folk-pop trio, Bandits on the Run, just released the new single, “lostlostlost.” With rotating lead vocals and varied instrumentation, Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn combine to evoke the 60s and 70s spirit of bands like Fleetwood Mac while also carrying the sonic inventiveness of the modern folk power pop acts like First Aid Kit and Bonnie Light Horsemen, and trios like I'm With Her, featuring impeccable harmonies and elevated songwriting so good they make the balancing act seem simple. 

Grown from theatrical roots Enscoe and Shepherd have appeared on Broadway, while Strayhorn has a successful career in casting - they are also writing several original musicals, including a stage musical adaptation of the novel What's Eating Gilbert Grape with actor-musician-longtime-friend Christopher Sears and newfound friend, Academy Award Nominee Peter Hedges. This summer, after a tour supporting Alan Doyle and the release of Rough Magic, Enscoe, Shepherd, and Strayhorn will perform their musical based on William Shakespeare's As You Like It, the basis for their 2025 EP, The Shakespeare Tapes, at the Chautauqua Institution, from August 10 - 15th, as well as two Bandits on the Run shows surrounding that production on August 9 and 12.
 
The new single, “lostlostlost,” was written “off the map,” during an increasingly rare moment when none of the band members were working on anything Bandits-related. Shepherd was starring in the world premiere of a show in Minneapolis, Strayhorn was working on a casting job and starting up a film portrait business, and Enscoe was cast in a TV show. Shepherd and Enscoe - who are married - were also moving, and Enscoe found themselves traveling between NY and Minneapolis, as well as visiting friends in other states. 

“It was a lot of being alone, and without the context of Bandits and our other collective pursuits, it got me in a meaningless-ness state of mind,” Enscoe reflects. “When I don't have Sydney to sleep next to, my circadian rhythm drifts, and soon I was staying up almost to sunrise and sleeping in the middle of the day. My life as a quasi-drifter lacked context. Much as I tried to find some pursuit to latch onto, I never stayed anywhere too long, so no shape took hold.”

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Taxi Girls - Say It!

Montreal’s Taxi Girls kick off the next chapter with “Say It!”, the electrifying new single and video which arrived May 1 on Stomp Records. Formed in 2022, the all-female garage punk outfit has quickly emerged from the city’s underground with a sound rooted in punchy hooks, raw edge and rock ’n’ roll swagger, nodding to The Donnas, Joan Jett and Nikki Corvette.

Like a snowy cab ride down Saint-Laurent after last call, their music carries the texture of late-night dépanneur runs, sesame bagels eaten on the curb, a Labatt 50 sweating in hand and a DuMaurier burned down to the filter. That feeling fuels a mix of garage rock cool and punk urgency, with infectious energy and a clear sense of identity. Big hooks cut through blown-out guitars, while the dual-vocal dynamic between Jamie Radu and Vera keeps everything shifting, trading lines, colliding and snapping into focus without losing control.

“Say It!” serves as the first glimpse of the band’s forthcoming debut LP Static, set for release on June 26. The single lands alongside vinyl and digital pre-orders for the album and sets the emotional and sonic tone for what’s to come. A second single, “Secret Handshake,” follows on June 5, with “Midnight Mixtape” spotlighted during release week.

“Say It!” captures Taxi Girls at their most immediate and unapologetic. The band’s dual-vocal dynamic shifts effortlessly from sweet to scathing, mirroring themes of resilience, self-realization and the courage to speak plainly. As the band explains, these ideas carry through Static: “This record is very real and very raw, exploring themes of love, loss, struggles with mental health, postpartum depression, and being caught in endless loops of nostalgia. The light at the end of the tunnel is stepping into your power, owning it, feeling it and truly understanding what that means deep down. We felt this was the perfect way to showcase Taxi Girls and share how we really feel.”

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American Blonde - Mississippi Moonshine.

American Blonde returns with their first release in nearly 18 months. This is a bold new chapter as a full band produced by Grammy-nominated Lincoln Parish (Cage the Elephant).

Swampy guitars, slide-driven grit, and a vocal that cuts, “Mississippi Moonshine” leans into Southern Rock roots with a modern edge. “Mississippi Moonshine captures the direction we’ve been moving, leaning into our roots while pushing toward a more rock-driven, live-energy sound. Delta born. Rock raised. Country at heart. This feels like the truest version of who we are as musicians.”— Nata & Tinka Morris

Mississippi-born, Nashville-based band blending Country, Rock, and Soul. Fronted by sisters Nata & Tinka Morris. International touring artists with multiple European runs. Ryman Auditorium artist program finalists. Known for high-energy live shows and a growing national footprint.

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White Birches - Best Bear - Baldy Crawlers - Libby Ember - Crow and Gazelle

Photo - Ekaterina Iakiamseva

White Birches - Solace.

White Birches released their third album A New Reign last November. The album was praised for its balance of precision and vulnerability and was featured on several “best of 2026” lists. On May 1 (2026) they return with Solace, the third single from the album. Solace was the last song written for A New Reign. It captures a fleeting shift — the first sense of life returning after a period of darkness. Brief, uncertain, but impossible to ignore.

Many of the album’s songs revolve around enduring grief. Solace moves in a different direction — toward being present, even if only for a moment. “We needed to close the album with something reminiscent of hope and light,” says Jenny Gabrielsson Mare. “We tend to stay in darker spaces, and that matters. But there also has to be room for something else, for solace”.

Alongside the single, Fredrik Jonasson of White Birches has created a video. The release also includes a B-side: a cover of Invincible by Pat Benatar, originally featured in The Legend of Billie Jean a song about holding your ground in the face of injustice.


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Best Bear - Bare Minimum.

Philadelphia, Pa emo pop band Best Bear have signed to HHBTM Records, and announced a mini east coast tour along with a debut new video for "Bare Minimum." This band was a big discovery for the label in late 2022, but timing just didn't work out. Fast forward a few years later and the band are working on their follow up record and things just connected. 

First hearing Best Bear was like first seeing Bad Banana before they became Swearin and Waxahatchee blew up, or when first getting to hear Snail Mail when a friend passed me a demo. There are bands you just know are gonna hit the moment and I feel like Best Bear has that same potential. Gut wrenching heart on the sleeve honesty through the lyrics, pop sensibilities for crafting hooks, and a voice so fragile but so strong from the emotional depth of what is be sung. The new Best Bear album won't be out until early 2027, but the band are doing some shows through the east coast and they are debuting a new video directed by Jay Miller titled "Bare Minimum."

Known for their emotionally direct songwriting and dynamic, slow-building arrangements, the project centers around songs written by Blue Barnett, with a rotating lineup of collaborators shaping the live band. “Bare Minimum” captures the tension of giving everything you have in a relationship while being made to feel like it still falls short. The video mirrors that emotional arc, pairing performance with cinematic, narrative-driven visuals that emphasize isolation, imbalance, and eventual release.

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Baldy Crawlers - On Those Who Starve Children.

Baldy Crawlers release the deeply insightful new single “On Those Who Starve Children”.  Written in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the track is now available on all streaming platforms. 

Blending West Coast soul with East Coast grit, “On Those Who Starve Children” hits as much like a curse as it does a song. Baldy Crawlers leaves nothing unsaid, creating a bold, yet incredibly relevant track that is meant to have you spiraling. Written and directed at those who weaponize hunger against youth, "On Those Who Starve Children" forces the listener into the perpetrator's conscience—one victim at a time, forever. 

Recorded earlier in the year, “On Those Who Starve Children” was co-produced by Barry Wood and engineered by Jon Crawford at Village Tracks. In addition to the haunting lyrics, the track would be incomplete without the mesmerizing, yet soul-crushing vocals of Elizabeth Hangan. Sonically taking inspiration from Bob Dylan or Tom Waits, the track may sound quiet, but its message has never been louder or clearer.

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Libby Ember - I'll Stand in the Doorway.

Following the releases of acclaimed singles “Let Me Go” and “News at the Party” earlier this year, both of which garnered Spotify Editorial support, Montreal singer-songwriter Libby Ember returns with “I’ll Stand in the Doorway.” Amidst heart-sinking melancholy, it captures the emotional limbo of moving through a breakup while remaining tethered to someone’s world. Wrapped in dreamy, bedroom pop textures, “I’ll Stand in the Doorway” explores longing, proximity, and the quiet tension of being emotionally outside looking in.

Inspired by a real experience following a breakup, “I’ll Stand in the Doorway” reflects the strange emotional state of navigating a shared neighbourhood with an ex. Libby describes walking through familiar streets while on edge, bracing for the possibility of unexpected encounters and the resurfacing of memory in everyday spaces.

At its core, the song’s title becomes a metaphor for emotional boundaries and lingering attachment. It reflects the feeling of not being able to step back into someone’s life, while still holding space for reconnection. “I can’t actually step back into the room, someone’s life,” Libby explains. “But I’m telling them that I’ll never be far away and if they ever want to let me back in, I’ll be ready.”

Sonically, the track leans into a fuller, more immersive production style than Libby’s earlier releases. Built from layers of electric guitars, synths, and drums, the arrangement mirrors the intensity of crowded thoughts and unresolved emotion. Rather than stripping things back, the production embraces density to reflect how sadness can feel amplified rather than simplified.

Libby Ember · I'll Stand in the Doorway

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Photo - Myriam Riand

Crow and Gazelle - Belly of the Beast.

Texas-based duo Crow and Gazelle share their new single “Belly of the Beast,” the latest offering from their forthcoming album Truth Be Told, out this June. The band has also announced a run of shows throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas to celebrate the album’s release. Truth Be Told is a sweeping, spiritually charged concept record that explores love, power, survival, and the truths buried beneath generations of fear, told through the voices of a woman and a man navigating a collapsing world.

Where lead single “Fall How It Will” introduced the album’s emotional and philosophical foundation, “Belly of the Beast” marks a turning point, where reflection gives way to confrontation. With doubled vocals and a driving, almost incantatory rhythm, the song unfolds like a spell, calling into question the systems we’ve been taught to accept as inevitable.

At its core, “Belly of the Beast” wrestles with the entangled forces of patriarchal religion, capitalism, and colonization, reframing them not as divine or natural orders, but as constructs built to dominate and divide. Through the lens of the album’s central heroine, a woman aligned with nature, memory, and resistance, the song imagines a path toward dismantling those systems from within.

“It’s a deeply spiritual war we’re under,” the band explains. “With violence, exploitation, and environmental destruction becoming normalized, we’re being asked to forget who we are and where we come from. This song is about remembering and about believing that love, not domination, is the force that will ultimately undo what’s been built.”

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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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