Marketplace - Dubblestandarts - Dad Of The Year

Photo - Rob Irish

Marketplace - Contact Sports.

Hartlepool rising 5-piece Marketplace announce the upcoming EP Marketplace Mean Business (June 6th) and share the radiant new single Contact Sports. Produced by Chad Rodgers (Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Cape Cub), ‘Contact Sports’ is a high-energy ode to the exhilarating uncertainty of new romantic escapades. The track blends a dynamic alt-pop-indie-rock aesthetic with vibrantly catchy melodies and an infectious guitar led backdrop to create a track which is colourful, bright and euphoric.

Vocalist Evie Rhodes explains: "‘Contact Sports’ is about budding romances, where everything is touch and go, and where you know you really like someone but you’re still trying to convince yourself it’s not that serious.

We took a lot of inspiration for this song from bands like The Beths and their style of scrappy love songs that are just so unapologetically sincere without being too serious. The song kind of reads like I’m just crashing out and riding through a train of thought, so I think that balance of lighthearted sincerity was something we tried to capture.”

Drawing influences from a wide range of artists, including Alvvays, Declan McKenna, Pulp, and Talking Heads, the band—consisting of Evie Rhodes (vocals/guitar), Joel O’Beirne (vocals/bass), Jack Purcell (guitar), Matthew Short (synth/vocals), and Ross Dixon (drums)—brings their own individual tastes to the table to create the signature Marketplace sound.

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Dubblestandarts - Bass 4 A Nervous Planet (Album).

And here we find ourselves in today’s shaken world. Bass 4 A Nervous Planet, Dubblestandarts 16th full length album, aims to balance the vibes.12 new tracks with a focus on filtered impressions from the world around Vienna, homebase of the team. Dub music’s philosophical side: “The Bottom Half”,  “Chomsky Dub”, “ Dub Mentalny Fitness” or “People From Western Europe”: Audible reasonings for the fellow listeners. This is music in hi-definition, thoughtful and energetic.

Black Cherries & Burnt Bridges feature Bristol based Arta Ardens unique voice and thoughtful lyrics on 2 downtempo/triphop tracks, leaving the dub genre for very inspiring up to the time reasons! Then there is Evil Empire 2025, Dubblestandarts take on the current POTUS, a reenvisioned version originally featured on Dubblestandarts legendary 2005 release “Heavy Heavy Monster Dub”. Questioning the status quo.

“Bass 4 A Nervous Planet” also includes a dubby remake of the legendary Third Man movies’ famous Harry Lime theme. Shot in Vienna 1947, Carol Reeds iconic film, features Orson Welles & Joseph Cotton. Post war atmospheres of undercover diplomacy and underground businesses, still present in many ways in today’s Vienna.

“In dub we trust”, a legendary line from Echo Beach’s founder Nicolai Beverungen, leads the way: This is music you can listen, dance and contemplate to. While Dub is still considered very much to exist inside the Reggae Music niche, the reality is quite different. What once was developed by the grand old fathers of dub reggae music, Lee Scratch Perry or King Tubby, has made its way around the world into today’s universe of contemporary dub producers. Incorporating sonic inspirations from 5 continents. Dubblestandarts Eurotopian sound does exactly that. Here is new music for 2025 for conscious people, inspired to make our world a peaceful sustainable place to live.

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Dad Of The Year - There's No Rule.

Change Underground had the following to say about Dad Of The Year's There’s No Rule (and that's all we could find out about this amazing track & remix so please give them a visit).  Following the delicate and textured debut EP by Landhouse, D.O.T.Y. Records continues its journey into downtempo and cinematic electronica with Dad of the Year at the controls. There’s No Rule is a warm, slow-burning piece where organic percussion meets ethereal pads, combining subtle grooves with introspective melodies.

The remix by Thea & Schtu elevates the track into more hypnotic territory, emphasizing intricate rhythms and adding a touch of playful tension. This second release cements the label’s commitment to organic and emotive club music. (change-underground.com).

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The Tisburys - Kacimi & Wendy Martinez - Brye - better joy

Photo - Olivia Kirchner

The Tisburys - A Still Life Without You.

The Tisburys share new single “A Still Life Without You” from upcoming album A Still Life Revisited out April 25 on Double Helix Records and SofaBurn Records.

“A Still Life Without You” leans back into the band’s alt-country roots with twangy instrumentation, a folk story style of songwriting, and a guest appearance by Philadelphia lap steel legend Mike Brenner (of Marah, Songs: Ohia, & Wild Pink).

”I wanted to write a story song for this record”, says singer-songwriter Tyler Asay. “It’s about two people finding each other after a series of disastrous relationships & the appearances of fate”. The music video uses archival footage shot while the band was recording the album and was edited by Asay’s wife, Kathleen.

While their last album (2022’s Exile On Main Street) channeled '90s radio rock such as Gin Blossoms and The Replacements, A Still Life Revisited pushes into the aughts with the rustic bombast of millennial indie such as Frightened Rabbit and The Hold Steady. With themes that tackle memory & chosen family, A Still Life Revisited overflows with songs that find home in both packed dive bars and stadiums. It’s about looking back at your life, the choices and decisions you’ve made, and celebrating where you ended up today. The album was mixed by Phil Joly (The Strokes, Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey), mastered by Ryan Schwabe (Beach Bunny, Slaughter Beach Dog, Hop Along). A Still Life Revisited by The Tisburys is out Friday, April 25 on Double Helix Records and SofaBurn Records.

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Kacimi & Wendy Martinez - Lune Noire.

Recorded by François Serin at Le Gatillon (Haute-Savoie) during a marathon session with La Mécréance as the backing band, Kacimi presents a series of collaborations with various artists. After working with Joel Virgel and Nick Wheeldon, Kacimi invited Lyon-based singer Wendy Martinez (Gloria) to lend her voice to a garage- and fuzz-infused track.

A sort of repetitive rock’n’roll trance, where Wendy Martinez delivers her prose in the psychedelic tradition of French icons Brigitte Fontaine and Catherine Ribeiro. “Lune Noire” was mixed by Léo Persoz (Le Roi Angus, Magic & Naked) in Geneva and is published by Tweny.

If you're a fan of 60's inspired music and pop psychedelic proposition, don't miss this beautiful collaboration!

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Brye - Body Back.

Indie pop singer-songwriter and producer Brye releases the anticipated new single "Body Back," her first new music since her debut full-length RECOVER and 2024's follow-up EP Growing Through It. Written, recorded and produced entirely on her own, Brye's deeply personal and vulnerable confessional reflects the experience of coercion in a relationship and what it means to reclaim your autonomy. She shared a snippet of the song on TikTok at the end of last year, garnering millions of views and empowering fans to share their own stories.

"'Body Back' was born from a deeply personal moment of anger and rawness," explains Brye. "At the time, I didn’t expect it to resonate with so many people—it was a reflection of my own experience, not something meant for an audience. But as I’ve seen how many people relate to its themes of reclaiming autonomy, it’s become clear that this song matters, and it deserves to be heard."

She continues, "I wrote, produced, and recorded 'Body Back' entirely on my own, pouring every bit of vulnerability into it. The song explores the power of saying 'no' and what it means to finally put words to something so nuanced. This track isn’t just about personal healing—it’s a reminder that we’re not alone in our experiences. That’s why I’m releasing it: to offer the same comfort and validation it gave me while writing it.

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better joy - heading into blue (EP).

After teasing her debut body of work with a series of singles, Manchester-based Bria Keely, better known as better joy, has today shared her first EP ‘heading into blue’ alongside focus track ‘couldn’t run forever’.
 
Debut EP ‘heading into blue’ was produced by Mike Hedges (The Cure, U2, Manic Street Preachers) and the 6-track collection features previous singles ‘waiting on time’, ‘carnival’, ‘what a day’ and ‘quiet thing’, as well as two brand-new tracks, the brooding ‘couldn’t run forever’ and the stripped-back ‘can I land the plane?’. A frank and deeply personal set of songs that focus on themes of self-love and self-belief, the EP is Bria’s true self-expression of herself, with the title ‘heading into blue’ referencing the colour blue being the exact shade of self-expression.  As the first full-length project, it is both a perfect introduction to better joy’s alt-pop sound and an exciting taster of more to come this year. Thoughtful lead track ‘couldn’t run forever’ balances both lightness and darkness in true better joy style, as a melodic and upbeat pop song, backed by a gritty edge with fuzzy guitars and reflective, wide-open lyrics.
 
Bria says, “At its core, ‘couldn’t run forever’ is about running away from things and the notion that you can’t run away from those things forever. I find it fascinating that tiny decisions can steer your life in weird and wonderful ways, but also sometimes there’s that feeling of well “what if” it went that other way? And sometimes these feelings are hard to run away from. In the same breath, I do believe life steers you in ways that are meant for you which is also something you shouldn’t be running from. It’s one big contradiction!”
 
When better joy launched in late 2023, her vivid songs brought comparisons to The Cure, The Smiths and Phoebe Bridgers. A solo project led by Bria Keely and backed up by her band, Bria has an upfront and centre voice as colourful as Debbie Harry and a knack for effortless storytelling. Ringing, complex riffs winding around Bria's vocals, dancing bass lines, characterful drumming and vulnerable lyrics: this is the sound of better joy.

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The Yesters - Steph Cameron - St. Catherine's Child - The Yagas

The Yesters - Billy Blue.

Dynamic classic rock duo, The Yesters, has released their latest song and music video titled Billy Blue. This evocative project takes viewers on a journey through history, weaving together impactful vignettes that explore how past events continue to shape our present and future. “Billy Blue” tells the story of a forgotten veteran spanning the 1960s to the present and dropped yesterday Friday, March 28th.

While the team behind The Yesters has long been recognized for their work as a film making duo, Billy Blue marks an exciting new direction for them, blending their visual expertise with their musical craft in a powerful new way. The track itself is a classic rock anthem, rich with raw emotion and thoughtful lyricism that speaks to inter generational reflection and resilience.

The music video for Billy Blue combines archival footage from pivotal moments in history, including JFK's funeral, decades of protests, and striking news clips. By grounding the video in these powerful visuals, The Yesters underscore the lasting influence of historical events on society today. Reflecting on figures like Billy Blue, our shared history, and current circumstances, the music video gave us an opportunity to voice and underscore how our past influences the present, affecting not only our children—the Billys of today—but all of us, says Alyssa Rallo Bennett, one half of the duo.

“Billy Blue” was written by Gary O. Bennett and Alyssa Rallo Bennett, composed by Ed Kuri, recorded and mixed by Mariano Flores, and mastered by Stephen Kellner at The Burn Room. The song features vocals by Alyssa Rallo Bennett, guitar by Ed Kuri, bass by Graham Orbe, drums by Liam Kerekes, and flute by Gary O. Bennett.

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Steph Cameron - Whatever Questions You’re Asking / Summer Song.

Keeping up with the momentum garnered by the release of her latest single "Rain," which received press accolades from platforms like Great Dark Wonder and songlode, Polaris Music Prize nominee Steph Cameron doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. She now unveils her new double singles, "Whatever Questions You’re Asking" and "Summer Song," bringing her third studio album BLOOD MOON even closer.

One thing central to Steph Cameron’s music is her ability to bare her emotions, crafting songs that resonate with raw honesty and vulnerability. She doesn't shy away from this on "Whatever Questions You’re Asking," a contemplative piece that weaves together vivid natural imagery and introspective lyricism. With lines like "There’s something dark in you that I cannot explain," Cameron invites listeners into an intimate dialogue about trust, understanding, and the mysteries that linger between people.  On the flip side, "Summer Song" embraces the cyclical beauty of nature, calling on the imagery of cedar-scented air, rising suns, and the quiet magic of seasonal change. The chorus, with its repeated invocation to "Shine, Rising Sun," feels both like a celebration of renewal and a deeper spiritual awakening.

“‘Whatever Questions You’re Asking’ was made to capture the magic of being on the land with someone you love,” says Cameron. “I wanted to share the sense that love is looking to find you. Love sits with you at the fire and dances with shadows along the tree line behind you. Love is alive in the night and on the wind. And for 'Summer Song,' it’s about losing yourself on the land and letting your spirit go free. It is about the magic hiding in the forest and creek, the bird’s song and the moon’s light—the mossy stone, the arching branch. There is a sense of a spell in every word.”

Steph Cameron · Whatever Questions You're Asking

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St. Catherine's Child - Negative Space.

Transatlantic indie folk/Americana artist St. Catherine's Child (Ilana Zsigmond) is set to release her powerful new single ‘Negative Space’ on March 28th, the first taste of her highly anticipated debut album This Might Affect You.

Co-written with acclaimed singer-songwriter Toria Wooff, 'Negative Space' was born from a place of shared grief, as both songwriters had recently experienced devastating personal loss. Layered with lush indie folk textures and carried by her distinctive and wistful voice, St. Catherine’s Child plunges into the abyss of human emotion, exploring how grief can transform a person into something unrecognisable, even to herself.

"Negative Space was written about the funny place in the grieving process where you can't stand to be alone, the kind of manic edge that utter despair can take on when you're doing everything in your power not to think about it," St. Catherine's Child explains. "In the end, it came down to this idea that you're there, but you're the impression of yourself. I was the negative space where a woman would be. I wanted to write this song about this depression that felt as manic as I did."

The single will be accompanied by a heartfelt music video that captures the isolating paradox of being surrounded by loved ones while still feeling alone. "I wanted the video to feel the way every party and get-together felt in that time — I was in my own bubble, ruminating alone, while the beautiful friends and family around me did whatever they could to make it easier," she adds. "The people in this music video are some of the friends who got me through that time, patiently bringing me drinks and giving me hugs. And just like at the end of the video, in a dogpile on the couch, I am grateful for them and their love every single day."

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Photo - Franco Vogt

The Yagas - Life of a Widow.

Alt rock band The Yagas, fronted by Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress Vera Farmiga, has officially announced the details for their debut full-length album, Midnight Minuet, out independently Friday, April 25th. Alongside the album news, The Yagas – also featuring Renn Hawkey of Deadsy (keys), Jason Bowman (drums), Mark Visconti (guitar) and Mike Davis (bass) – have released their new single “Life Of A Widow,” an explosive yet luminous portrait of anticipatory grief, sparked from an oddly hypnotic beat constructed by Hawkey after awaking from spinal surgery. Midnight Minuet, produced by Hawkey, includes the previously released singles “The Crying Room” and “She’s Walking Down.”

“‘Life Of A Widow’ is a song of searing lament. It’s a song of embodying that ol’ prodigious saying, ‘Why has thou forsaken me?’,” shares Farmiga. “The song is aching to feel the presence of a deceased loved one. It’s a soul’s journey of yearning, pleading to crack the unbearable silence of solitude, that Vantablack void, just to hear your love’s voice once again, to feel your love’s touch again. The protagonist in our song wanders through her misery, she navigates through mad midnight moments of throbbing despair. She begs to feel less alone. She demands to feel the presence of her lost love. And she won’t stop wailing until he’s there. It’s about taking those sudden, violent jabs of red-hot grief, feeling pummeled and clobbered by desperation and crying out to the dearly departed for help and reconnection.”

“Producing Midnight Minuet was very cathartic for me,” adds Hawkey. “I felt the need to prove to myself that I could make great music outside of Deadsy, which, for the past 25 years, had been my only writing/recording partnership. This was a very different creative experience for me. I often felt in Deadsy like I was playing in someone else’s playground – I knew the rules, I mastered the slide and the monkey bars, but I felt like a visitor. Midnight Minuet just felt different. The Yagas built a new playground together, made up of our respective life experiences with equal ownership. We are the sum of our parts. When this kind of synergy exists, you grab it, nurture it, and give it a life.”

The Yagas · Life of a Widow

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Bedolina - Melys - Avery Friedman - Hallelujah The Hills

Bedolina - We Are the Clock Ourselves Again.

Out today March 28th, "We Are the Clock Ourselves Again" is an indie rock hymn about perceiving life through your own innate sense of right and wrong. Highlighting the importance of self-reliance, Bedolina encourages those listening to march to the beat of their own "clock". Featuring keys and drums laid down by Robbie Bennett and Charlie Hall (both of The War On Drugs), the new track is the first offering from the upcoming LP Sun and Flamingos.

Bedolina is spearheaded by the Philadelphia-based Ken Gould, who crafts eerie experimental rock that furthers the band's artistic evolution. Gearing up for the release of their second album Sun and Flamingos, Bedolina once again enlisted the collaborative efforts of Miner Street Recordings producers Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey (The War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, Sharon van Etten) and engineer Joe Lambert (Thievery Corporation, The Black Crowes, Cracker) Throughout the upcoming LP, themes of surrealism, the ever-lurking future, and modern contradictions are studied in depth, creating a palette of diverse and digestible tracks.

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Melys - Sgleinio.

Ahead of their Record Store Day UK album release, Melys launch their new single "Sgleinio" (Shine) on Friday, March 28th. The synth-infused indie pop track is the next single from their upcoming album "Second Wind," arriving on April 12th.

In the glare of the modern online world, "Sgleinio" (Shine) explores the pressures of online life and social media and the need for self-acceptance. In true Melys style, Sgleinio begins with stripped back verses that feature the old art of finger clicks and claps before its chorus bursts into life with lush layered vocals, crashing guitars and analogue synths.

“Sgleinio' came from seeing the difficulties of comparing ourselves with others online. We all have some experience of this, either personally or seeing someone close to us struggle. We put too much pressure on ourselves to project the perfect image, and I wanted to create a song that reminds us that we're enough just as we are.” Andrea.

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Avery Friedman - New Thing.

Today Brooklyn's Avery Friedman releases the final single from her April 18th debut album. Featuring: James Chrisman (Sister. / Ciao Malz) and Felix Walworth (Florist / Told Slant).

“I wrote ‘New Thing’ in one sitting after riding the subway home alone at night for the first time since being mugged at knifepoint months prior. I was shocked and disoriented by the anxiety I experienced doing something so routine—I felt foreign to myself. It’s one of the first of my songs that I truly loved, which is part of why I chose it as the title of my upcoming record. I’m grateful for how this song continues to bring me back into my body.” – Avery Friedman.

After writing her first few songs and feeling a sense of completeness that she hadn’t felt since she was a kid in choir practice, she knew that music wasn’t something she would want to turn away from again. “I am the type of person where, when I see something and identify it, I cannot really look away or put up a wall,” she says. “I made a really conscious choice to make a practice out of songwriting and just try.”

Avery Friedman · New Thing

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Hallelujah The Hills - Fake Flowers at Sunset (Featuring Cassie Berman).

Boston legends Hallelujah The Hills are back with their ambitious new project, DECK - a four-album endeavor featuring a who's who of indie rock. The first single, “Fake Flowers at Sunset,” featuring Cassie Berman, drops today March 28th ahead of the album’s full release on June 13, 2025.

“Fake Flowers at Sunset” is a folk song with a disco beat - a love song that remains wary of love’s intensity - breaking away from nature as an easy metaphor for human emotion. It’s a striking preview of DECK, a project that was two and a half years in the making, featuring collaborations with Craig Finn, Ezra Furman, Patrick Stickles, Sadie Dupuis, Tanya Donelly, Clint Conley, and many more. Funded independently through a dedicated fan Patreon, this is a passion project of epic proportions.

With a career spanning nearly 20 years, Hallelujah The Hills have earned praise from Pitchfork, Spin, and Aquarium Drunkard for their anthemic, genre-blurring rock. Their last album, I’m You, was called "one of the best American rock albums of recent years” by Exile Magazine, declared “a lyrical masterpiece” by Metro, and their live shows continue to draw fans from across the country.

Hallelujah The Hills · Fake Flowers at Sunset (Featuring Cassie Berman)

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