“Invasive Species” is the second advance single from Paco Cathcart’s new album Down on Them (out 2nd May) and it’s streaming everywhere now.
The song is a snapshot of Paco’s life in NYC working to make rent while sharing the city with fellow invasive species like the Spotted Lantern Fly.
The absolute wrecking crew that Paco put together to record Down on Them is on full display on “Invasive Species.” The band comprises Miriam Elhajli (Guitar, Vocals), Ellie Shannon (Synth, French Horn, Piano, Vocals) and Fantasy of a Broken Heart’s Bailey Wollowitz on drums.
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Singer-songwriter Paige Barnard has released yet another gut-punch single, ‘What Else’, gripping the minds of its listeners for four minutes and forty seconds. The track is a preview of her upcoming debut album, 'Find Your Way Back', set for release on June 4. In her second release of 2025, Paige gives it her all in yet another showcase of her talents, showing why she’s earned praise from Triple J Unearthed, Aus Music Scene, Milky, and more, and why she’s received recognition from the Darebin Songwriters Judges Award 2020 and the AIR Women in Music Mentor Program.
Though this single encapsulates her iconic emotive sound and the grandeur of her storytelling, 'What Else' breaks from her usual style with its country twist, through the pedal steel guitar, slow drums and bed of piano the track is laid upon. The heart of the track is the vocal performance of Paige Barnard, adventuring the emotional and literal highs and lows of the track in truly showstopping form. ‘What Else’ is a ballad reminiscent of a song at the emotional peak of a musical, its incredible vocal range paired with immersive storytelling.
This song explores the stage of a relationship where the same arguments repeat, the threads wear thin, and love feels like a cycle of unresolved problems—no matter the effort, both sides are always in the wrong. Paige describes the inspiration as,
"Having the same disagreements play on repeat, feeling guilty for how I react but still trapped in the cycle, like nothing will ever change. This song was me screaming out in desperation to find a way to change the narrative. But at the end of the day, it’s unconditional love, so we always find a way to forgive each other."
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Jont - Fingers Crossed.
Nova Scotia via London, UK singer-songwriter Jont's new single, "Fingers Crossed," is a powerful and emotionally charged anthem that dives deep into the complexities of forgiveness, accountability, and the transformative process of taking control of one's own emotional freedom. The song offers an unflinching exploration of the personal struggle to let go of anger and pain, turning them into liberation rather than allowing them to fester into resentment.
Jont's music has always carried a sense of introspection, and "Fingers Crossed" is no exception. It comes from a place of yearning for release—release from waiting for someone else to acknowledge their wrongdoing. The song highlights how we often find ourselves trapped in the prison of unspoken grievances, waiting for apologies that may never come, all the while neglecting the fact that we have the power to release ourselves from this self-imposed captivity.
Sometimes we need to see the truth, to be shocked by the unrelenting truth of how things are, so that we can make a change. And that change invariably needs to happen in us, not in someone else. "Fingers Crossed" is about that realization. It's about forgiveness, and how it's often not about the person we are waiting to apologize, but about us choosing to forgive and move on. – Jont
The song's music video, directed by Annaka Gale and Dario Lozano-Thornton, is a visual extension of its themes. "We knew we had the opportunity to create something deeply connected to the shadow realms," says Jont. "The moments in the video are shocking but playful, and the intense, graphic re-enactments of toxic relationship dynamics are designed to be visceral, dark, and most importantly, true to the nature of those deeply painful moments that so many experience."
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| Photograph by Char Klein |
Esther Rose will release Want on May 2, 2025 via New West Records. The 11-track set was produced by Ross Farbe (of Video Age) and recorded live-to-tape at the Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN. Want is the anticipated follow up to 2023’s Safe to Run which was met with wide acclaim from The New York Times, Pitchfork, Stereogum, No Depression, and more. The album features appearances by the singer songwriter Dean Johnson as well as members of Video Age, The Deslondes, and Silver Synthetic.
Following the wide-open serenity of Safe to Run, Rose now leans toward confrontational arrangements full of distortion and full-band spontaneity, never sacrificing a classicist’s gift for melody that makes each song instantly memorable. “For me, these songs felt like revelations,” she explains, comparing the record to a memoir, alive with kinetic storytelling and personal insight. Ranging from stark solo performances to grungy blowouts, the album maintains a steady focus while never staying too long in one place. Vivid and bracing, she has made the most adventurous, hardest-hitting record of her career.
Now Rose shared the album standout “The Clown.” Rose says, “This song is about self-acceptance, gender identity, and being turned on. Clothing and how it makes me feel is a huge part of my process. I heard that David Bowie would dress up in the studio when he was making records. The band caught on to my process, and it was fun to surprise them each morning with a lewk. Nothing too wild, but alluding to a vibe that would carry into the music. For ‘The Clown,’ I wore my favorite outfit: a blazer with huge shoulder pads and low-rise leather pants.”
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ork risers Ways Of Seeing share the atmospheric yet buoyant new single ‘Idolise’. Taken from the band's upcoming sophomore album, The Inheritance of Fear the single displays the band’s blend of shoegaze and alt-rock elements.
‘Idolise’ was brought to life with Christian Best (Susan O’Neill, Mick Flannery, O Emperor) at the helm of production, with additional production and mixing by Daniel Fox of Gilla Band (Sprints, Lambrini Girls, Silverbacks). The result is a textured, immersive listening experience that continues to build on the band’s growing reputation.
Highlighting the band's evolution towards a rawer, darker and more foreboding sound, ‘Idolise’ marks a bold departure from their debut album, End Comes To Light. Danceable and driven thanks to the up tempo drums and pulsing bass, the tracks intricate guitar work, which shifts between fuzzy lead lines and the twinkling modulation tinted verses. Topped with commanding, theatrical and expressive vocals throughout, the track is at once haunting and subtly hooky.
Speaking on the track the band explains: “This song explores the dangers of idolisation in a relationship or any other realm of society for that matter. It has the potential to lead to a loss of identity, a power imbalance and the hindrance of growth. Putting anyone on a pedestal means there is a good chance that you might miss the red flags attached which can lead to an unravelling into chaos and destruction. Sometimes only seeing the good in something or someone can tear you apart more than acknowledging and tackling the messy parts of life.”
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