Juniper Honey - Ivan Moult - Kassi Valazza

Juniper Honey - Looking at You.

Born out of an all-too-common tale, Juniper Honey’s brand new single “Looking At You” details a story of unfulfilled potential and opportunities squandered. With an upbeat vibe and colorful lyrics, the indie rock band describes the experience of falling in love with a stranger you see out in public and never gaining the courage to approach them. Haunted by this lost chance at love, the track feels painstakingly relatable to those who have experienced a similar struggle. “Looking At You” is streaming now on digital platforms worldwide.

Written with the pieces of a story in mind, Juniper Honey describes the feeling of longing for a person they have never met. “Looking At You” perfectly articulates how these lost connections can stick out in one’s mind for much longer than anticipated. In an artful fusion of silky vocals, enchanting guitar riffs, and energetic drums, the track feels almost dreamy, depicting a romanticized recount of this stranger that the artist has painted in their head. “This one was really fun to work on in the studio,” lead vocalist Jake Hesse claims. “I can perfectly remember us jamming to this one as we were creating it and just being thrilled with what we were hearing.” With the help of producer Stefan Mac (Wallows, Young the Giant), “Looking At You,” alongside Juniper Honey’s other releases, is just as vivid in its storytelling as it is relatable in its subject matter.

While Juniper Honey’s origins can be found in Southern California, they have recently established new roots in San Luis Obispo. Kicking off in 2020, original members Jake Hesse (lead vocalist and guitarist) and Donovan Hess (drums) began their journey by playing gigs across Southern California and up the central coast with their previous band. In 2022, the pair joined forces with guitarist Cason LeSueur and bassist Josh West to officially form the alternative rock foursome that they are today. In the short time span of their career, Juniper Honey’s sound has developed into something unique to their craft. Dynamic, emotionally charged, and vibrant, they balance whimsical, hazy indie, and bombastic, vintage rock. They touch on themes that hit home with younger generations, such as the growing pains of coming-of-age, romance and heartbreak, and other eclectic ideas. Their music has been praised by Grimy Goods, The Luna Collective and Wolf in a Suit.

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Ivan Moult - Songs From Severn Grove (Album).

Indie folk singer-songwriter, Ivan Moult, releases his third album 'Songs From Severn Grove' via Welsh record label, Bubblewrap Records. The Cardiff-based artist has received support from BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales and Folk Radio UK, with over 100k plays on Soundcloud. His 2018 album Longest Shadow earned him festival slots at Cornbury Festival, Festival of Voice and Swn, as well as support slots with This Is The Kit, Becca Mancari, and Willy Mason.

This new album showcases Ivan's versatility as he wrote, played, recorded and mixed all the songs at his home studio in Cardiff, with mastering polished off by Charlie Francis (REM, Robyn Hitchcock, Adwaith). Songs From Severn Grove chronicles Ivan's journey of growth, beginning in lockdown during the 2020 pandemic, and continuing through the challenges and joys of becoming a father.

His signature sound, combining 1960s/70s folk and blues with a contemporary touch, is on full display as he showcases his strongest work yet. Influenced by artists like J.J. Cale, Nina Simone, and Tim Buckley, Ivan's original and unique voice is at the centre of the soundscape, layered with harmonies and delay-soaked electric guitars.

Ivan Moult · Songs From Severn Grove

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Kassi Valazza - Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing (Album).

Portland, Oregon-based artist Kassi Valazza’s second full-length, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing, is out now via Loose (The Handsome Family, Margo Cilker). Valazza's first album on Loose, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing is a spellbinding collection of songs, calling to mind greats like Sandy Denny and Karen Dalton and follows her brilliant self-released 2019 debut Dear Dead Days.

Of recording the acclaimed 10-song set, Valazza offers, "On this album, everything was recorded live, all the vocals and instrumentation. We recorded in a room together with [fellow Portland-based band] TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, who hadn't heard any of the songs before we went into the studio. You're rarely going to find a songwriter that writes and composes every single song; it's a combination of people working things out together, of what I want and what the band hears. When people don't know the songs, it’s a lot looser and more magic can happen. You don't overthink it.”

News of the record arrived earlier this year with lead single “Watching Planes Go By” as the opening track on UNCUT’s Sounds of the New West Vol 6 disc, which sees Valazza leading a list of breakout roots acts including Allison Russell, Nikki Lane, Sunny War, Margo Cilker, Plains, and more. Within a curious and cosmic atmosphere of psychedelic folk-rock, Valazza reflects on the dangers of standing still in life, "Autumn leaves turn to yellow / and green turns to jealousy / Watching days go by."

The second single “Corners” sees fingerpicked acoustic guitar dancing with bounding bass and twinkling piano, as a gentle backing choir flows behind Valazza like a stream through a lonesome vista. “The clouds move slower than they ever seemed to / Still, they find a way to pass me by,” she sings on her breezy lament about the longing that comes with an unhealthy love, “My friends, though, they wonder what I’m used to / To love a man who never treats me right.”

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Caitlin Rose - CHVRLI BLVCK - Awkward Branches - Kassi Valazza - Dutch Uncles

Caitlin Rose - Lil' Vesta.

Acclaimed singer/songwriter Caitlin Rose announced today a new batch of tour dates this spring. The full-band shows will be co-headlined with fellow Nashville favorite Andrew Combs.

They’ll kick off on May 30th in Louisville followed by stops in Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, DC, New York City, and Philadelphia among others. Rose will also be out on the road next month supporting The Old 97’s for several dates across the west coast.

Last fall, Rose made her long-awaited return with the release of CAZIMI, her first new album in nearly a decade. Co-produced with Jordan Lehning (Andrew Combs, Caroline Spence, Rodney Crowell), it earned widespread critical acclaim including NPR Music, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The Guardian, Paste, Slate, Nashville Scene, and Stereogum who named it as their Album of the Week upon release.

 
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CHVRLI BLVCK - Why Did You Go.

CHVRLI BLVCK is a London-born singer-songwriter living in the New Forest, known for his vocal prowess and emotionally raw style. His music reflects his personal struggles with mental health, with an eclectic but immediately recognizable sound, influenced by artists such as Jeff Buckley, The Maccabees, and Fiona Apple.

He began releasing music in mid-2022 and has quickly developed a dedicated online following, with over a quarter of a million streams, positive reviews, podcast interviews, and regular airplay on independent radio stations. He has also entered the live arena with some success performing small shows, and is fast becoming a fixture of the local scene.

His single, "Why Did You Go?", is released today, in conjunction with End of The Trail Creative, is a poignant and deeply personal account of the aftermath of a breakup. It begins as a gentle ballad, "People are already walking in my house", builds to a pleading refrain, "Why did you go?”, and concludes with the pain of acceptance, “Feel like I missed my train”.

"Why Did You Go?" blends simple acoustic guitar with layered vocals and retro-inspired synths to create a hauntingly beautiful soundscape, which rises and falls in harmony with the emotional journey it imparts.

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Awkward Branches - In That House.

Awkward Branches, the new project of singer, keyboardist and former Fiction frontman Mike Barrett and close collaborator and guitarist Phil Swan, announce their debut EP Melody for a Friend due out May 4th via Tip Top Recordings. This weeks announcement comes with the release of their new single ‘In That House’, the second single to be released from the duo, following on from tranquil sun-flecked number ‘A Frame (Not A Window)’ which came out in the winter of 2022. ’In That House’ is an alt-folk number, which began life in the Welsh countryside. The track combines widescreen guitars, winding synths and breezy vocals that speak to the curious boundary between humans and animals.

Beginning as a few tender sketches some years ago, Awkward Branches' new EP Melody for a Friend has grown, unhurriedly, into a set of six lovingly crafted alt-pop songs. From the acoustic opener and debut single, ‘A Frame not a Window’; the balearic dream-pop of ‘Summer of the Pine’; to the nostalgic title-track which closes the collection, this EP showcases Awkward Branches knack for weaving melody texture and lyricism into compelling and rewarding songs.

Mike Barrett and Phil Swan aka Awkward Branches appropriately first met standing under a much-beloved tree in the gardens of an old wedding chapel where they both worked. While waiting for ceremonies to run their course, talk would often turn to music. United by a shared appreciation for ambient soundscapes and buoyant melodies, they tentatively began recording sketches; ideas which grew over several years, without hurry, into a handful of fully formed songs. Ever since then, they have been writing and performing with each-other in numerous other projects - including a 6-piece experimental collective (Holy Island Sketchbook), gothic trio (Sweet Heave) and as part of Mike’s dream-pop project (Brand New Moon) - they felt it was finally time to put a name to their own project, and thus Awkward Branches was born.

Awkward Branches · In That House

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Kassi Valazza - Corners.

Portland, Oregon-based artist Kassi Valazza recently announced her sophomore full-length, Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing, which is set to release on May 26 via Loose (Margo Cilker, The Handsome Family).

Now, Valazza has shared the second single from the album, ‘Corners’, which is premiering now over at Brooklyn Vegan. Throughout the track, fingerpicked acoustic guitar dances with bounding bass and twinkling piano, as a gentle backing choir flows behind Valazza like a stream through a lonesome vista. “The clouds move slower than they ever seemed to / Still, they find a way to pass me by,” she sings on her breezy lament about the longing that comes with an unhealthy love, “My friends, though, they wonder what I’m used to / To love a man who never treats me right.”

Of recording "Corners," Valazza offers, "On this album, everything was recorded live, all the vocals and instrumentation. We recorded in a room together with [Portland-based band] TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, who hadn't heard any of the songs before we went into the studio. You're rarely going to find a songwriter that writes and composes every single song; it's a combination of people working things out together, of what I want and what the band hears. 

When people don't know the songs, it’s a lot looser and more magic can happen. You don't overthink it. One thing I really loved about recording 'Corners' in particular was watching the guys do the four-part harmonies. It finally felt like the song was coming together. I also made a point to have no electric guitar to add to those breezy Eagles sounds, making it the only track on the album without electric guitar."

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Dutch Uncles - In Salvia.

Dutch Uncles have shared new single “In Salvia", the final taste of the band's long-awaited sixth album, True Entertainment, out on 10th March via Memphis Industries.

Showcasing a new sonic palette for the band, new single "In Salvia" blurs the lines between synthesised and acoustic instrumentation, all laser focused around a jaunty "ode-to-Outkast" 808 beat. Accompanied by an all star cast of musical apparatus; Triton horns, bouncing arpeggiators, synth flutes and EBows, the band once more enlisted the help of Metronomy's Anna Prior, further elevating the track with some ethereal ad libs and ASMR additions.

The band have also revealed details of a special launch event for new album True Entertainment. On 11th March, West Didsbury & Chorlton play Ascot Utd in the FA Vase. Dutch Uncles will be taking out an advert in the matchday programme, playing album tracks out on the stadium's tannoy and running a pop up merch stand with discounted tour tickets, vinyl, t-shirts etc. The band have also teamed up with The Beagle in Chorlton, and will continue the album celebrations later that day with the addition of an exclusive new pizza to The Beagle's menu for one night only, the True Entertainment Pizza - a normal pizza, but with chips on top, in reference to their popular Podcast 'Chips Of Chorlton'. The band will also be DJ'ing at the venue.

Dutch Uncles are masters of the unique album launch. For 2017's Big Balloon the band invited fans to join them go-karting beneath the Manchester Arena and for 2013's Out Of Touch In The Wild they worked with chefs at Manchester burger restaurant Almost Famous to develop a burger in honour of the record.

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Logan Springer & the Wonderfully Wild - Kassi Valazza - H.C McEntire

Logan Springer & the Wonderfully Wild - Greenbacks and Gold.

Logan Springer & the Wonderfully Wild released their Americana Rock single, “Greenbacks and Gold” a couple of days ago. It’s off the album “Crow” due out March 3. A take on the anti-work movement, the song revolves around the idea of no longer dedicating your life to working for “the man” without being able to get ahead or partaking in the fruits of one’s labor.

“Greenbacks and Gold” tells the story of a blue-collar strip mine/gravel pit worker who is fed up with breaking his back for the profits of “The Man” who only takes from his town and keeps the workers on the verge of destitution. Romanticizing stickin’ it to the man, the narrator plans to rob the bank the strip mine uses to hold their profits. Springer says, “Growing up, I heard a lot of conversations like this; a lot of laborers are disillusioned by working their lives away for a big corporation but realized they have no other options.”

“Greenbacks and Gold” centers itself amongst the seasonal imagery and rural Midwest landscapes that can be found on the album. “Crow” navigates life in an uncertain world, telling the untold stories of rural, blue-collar life – the real problems Springer, his family, and neighbors have had.

Crow extends the theme of misunderstood animals that first occurred on Springer’s solo album, “Coyote – ‘kī-yōte.” Crows are thought to be dirty, trash birds when, in reality, they are incredibly intelligent and capable of learning. Springer says, “Your typical country song is like the social media of music; it only shows the good parts. I want to show what life out in the middle is really like, without all of the polish.”

The band recorded the album at Flat Black, a studio built in a 100-year-old barn on a farmstead in rural Iowa, as an homage to Springer’s home growing up. 

Logan Springer & The Wonderfully Wild · Greenbacks and Gold

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Kassi Valazza - Watching Planes Go By.

Portland, Oregon-based artist Kassi Valazza has signed with Loose (Margo Cilker, Jim White) for her forthcoming new album Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing set to release on May 26. Now she is sharing the first single from the 10-song set, “Watching Planes Go By,” which UNCUT calls a “slow-burning mix of Americana and Paisley Underground psych” as the opening track on their Sounds of the New West Vol 6 disc.

There has been a cult-like fascination growing around Valazza since the self-release of her 2019 debut album Dear Dead Days, which she followed with a surprise digital EP called Highway Sounds last year. She is seated squarely at the vanguard of new American songwriters strengthening and broadening the sound of country and western, both bearing the torch and bending the arc of roots music.

On Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing, the singer-songwriter uses the physical world around her to paint metaphors from the soul, carrying us through her mind and heart as an effortless narrator. Her gutsy and graceful vocal poetry is backed by swirling Western psychedelia created by multi-instrumentalists from Portland band TK & the Holy Know-Nothings. Though the music plays country cousin to British folk, calling to mind greats like Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention) and Karen Dalton, a Southwestern American streak carves its way through these solemn, sweetly sung melodies like a canyon.

"Watching Planes Go By” spins a cautionary tale about the dangers of standing still in life and accepting one's own fate. The song sets a curious and cosmic atmosphere of psychedelic folk-rock as Valazza reflects on the struggles of moving on, "Autumn leaves turn to yellow / and green turns to jealousy / Watching days go by." Valazza captures the romanticism of country crooners with the intuition of a realist poet, exploring themes of love and longing through metaphors from the natural world.

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H.C McEntire - Shadows.

H.C. McEntire releases her celebrated new album Every Acre via Merge Records. Along with the release, she shares a music video for “Shadows” feat. S.G. Goodman, a quiet rumination on surrender and loss, reminiscing and moving on.

“Like several of the songs on Every Acre, ‘Shadows’ is a result of a steady and balanced assembling of instincts between me and Luke,” explains McEntire. “We slowly and remotely wove together loose threads until we had something that resembled squares of cloth, eventually collecting enough of them to start stitching a quilt. He would send me instrumental voice memo recordings of chord progressions or guitar riffs—giving them funny titles we could remember, like ‘Boy Orbison’ and ‘Swamp Creature’—and I would take those and start building a world around them, adding vocal melodies and establishing some structure and eventually lyrics. ‘Shadows’ was the first of these collaborations, and it’s a great example of how Luke and I worked together on this album.”

Co-produced by McEntire, Missy Thangs and Luke Norton, Every Acre explores the acres of our physical and emotional homes, as she grapples with existential themes of grief, loss, and links to land and loved ones with an unwavering honesty. The album has received widespread acclaim from press including Rolling Stone, Guitar World, Under The Radar, BrooklynVegan, Our Culture, The Boot, No Depression and more. Pitchfork named it one of their “Most Anticipated Albums of 2023,” and Stereogum called “Rows of Clover” “a hell of a song, a soulful folk-rock outpouring.” McEntire is currently featured on the cover of INDY Week, and her single “New View” was recently hailed by NPR Music as “a song that evokes the winsome austerity of autumn via understated instrumentation reverberating with a warmth and sonic expansiveness reminiscent of Daniel Lanois' Acadie.”

Raised in the Blue Ridge foothills of rural Appalachia before earning her B.F.A. in Creative Writing, H.C. McEntire first established a reputation for her raw, soulful voice as frontwoman of Mount Moriah and later as a backup singer in Angel Olsen’s band. Her third solo effort, Every Acre is the follow-up to McEntire’s 2020 release Eno Axis and 2018 solo debut LIONHEART.

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