Fiona Lucia’s Phoenix Waltz is a strikingly intimate debut, blending folk, soul, and jazz with the adroit orchestration of Bjork or ANOHNI. Her voice—reminiscent of Billie Holiday’s restraint and Aretha’s punch—navigates themes of trauma and transcendence. From D’Angelo-esque harmonies to soaring, self-recorded strings, this is a heart-wrenching, hypnotic journey that pulses between quiet yearning and powerful, analogue soul.

This week’s Brew opens with Cape Verde’s “Barefoot Diva,” Cesária Évora, bringing the melancholic soul of morna. We also feature Lhasa de Sela’s haunting blend of folk and ranchera. New highlights include Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore, Jana Horn, and Lande Hekt, plus L.Y.R. and The Notwist’s vibrant, percussive reimagining of “How the Story Ends.” Dive in.

John Blek’s tenth album, The Midnight Ache, is a sublime, lo-fi journey into vulnerability. The record balances melancholic “insomniac hours” with a hopeful move toward the light. Featuring lush strings and dreamlike arrangements, it’s a beautifully crafted transition from past shadows into a brighter, more domestic musical landscape.

UK songwriter Lande Hekt returns January 30th with her third album, Lucky Now. Produced by Matthew Simms, the record fuses her signature indie-pop with 80s jangle-pop influences. The title track and video, filmed in Scarborough, serve as a moving exploration of personal freedom—marking a shift toward a more grounded, grateful perspective for the underground staple.

Anna McLuckie’s ‘The Little Winters’ is a profound exploration of Cianalas—a deep, Gaelic sense of displacement. Her lead single, “Bitten Winter Skin,” serves as the record’s intellectual and emotional anchor, traversing the seasonal frosts of the soul and transforming the bitterness of transition into a resilient botanical metaphor.

Patience and elegance define Laura Baird’s “Under Blue,” a poignant exploration of loss and grief following her father’s passing. Utilising banjo, woodwind and his classical guitar, Baird crafts a minimal, deliberate soundscape that entwines with her serene vocals. It is a masterclass in restraint—a stripped-back, beautiful celebration of life that balances the innocence of nature with the inevitability of loss.

London art-rock outfit Modern Woman will release their debut album, Johnny’s Dreamworld, on May 1st via One Little Independent Records. Fronted by Sophie Harris, the band fuses post-punk and folk into a cinematic exploration of “the strange poetry within the ordinary.” New single ‘Dashboard Mary’ is out now, accompanied by a 16mm film, self-directed by Harris and arriving just as the group embarks on a European tour with Ezra Furman.

The Notwist return with “How the Story Ends,” a vibrant, percussive reimagining of the Lovers’ folk original. Taken from their upcoming album, News from Planet Zombie, the track balances the tension of our modern era with a warm, collaborative spirit. By blending indie-pop energy with thoughtful guest arrangements, the band transforms a simple cover into a profound meditation on time and resilience.

Composer and puppeteer Tristan Allen returns with Osni the Flare, a mythic sequel exploring the origins of fire. Through “Act I: Garden,” Allen weaves an intricate tapestry of ocarinas and wordless vocals. The accompanying video documents a haunting “puppet ballet” filmed at La MaMa, bringing the mortal Osni’s transformation to life through experimental sound design and the ancient art of puppetry.

Jana Horn’s music creeps up on you; she occupies an in-between world where she works with such restraint and such a keen ear for the space at the centre of a song that it renders genre practically meaningless. She has the gift for breathing life and lived experience into her words, and this muted, wandering album is her best yet.   

David Moore of Bing & Ruth unveils “Offering,” a mesmerizing preview of his solo piano debut, Graze the Bell. The track’s meditative, flickering keys explore the “human condition” through a trance-like ritual. The accompanying video, directed by Nick Vranizan, is a technical marvel that eschews generative AI in favour of human impulse.

L.Y.R. announce their third album, Dark Sky Reservation, out 3rd April via Real World Records. Featuring Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Patrick J. Pearson, and Richard Walters, the project explores the “messed-up weather” of our modern world. New single “Blah! Blah! Blah!” is out now, ahead of an extensive UK tour including a headline performance at London’s ICA this May.