Los Angeles supergroup SML have shared “Chicago Four,” the latest single (accompanied by a video) from their highly anticipated second album, How You Been, set for release on November 7th via International Anthem. Continuing their unique method of sculpting studio albums from live improvisations, the track uses a recording from Chicago’s legendary Empty Bottle as its foundation.

Steve Gunn has released “Morning on K Road,” the second single from his forthcoming album, Daylight Daylight. The track is a warm, reflective piece inspired by a real-life chance encounter with an old friend in Auckland, New Zealand. The single arrives with a video featuring atmospheric footage Gunn recently shot while in Mexico City, creating a visual counterpart to the song’s intimate and slightly hazy feel.

Chicago trio Glyders have released “Moon Eyes,” the latest single and video from their forthcoming Drag City LP, Forever, and announced a full US tour. A meditation on time and fate, the accompanying video, directed by Sean Pierce and Karen Schmitz, captures the band on a glowing trip to a fire pit.

In his latest release, Archipelago of Shadows, Belgian composer Lieven Martens presents a work of profound gravity. The album, a five-track suite of field recordings and electronics, is directly shaped by his experience as a humanitarian aid worker in eastern Congo, where he interviewed survivors of sexual violence—a practice deliberately used as a weapon of war to shatter communities.

Chinese-born American composer Lei Liang’s new album, “String Quartets: Live”, offers a compelling window into his deepest sources of inspiration. The collection features five distinct works performed live by four of today’s most acclaimed ensembles: the Brentano, JACK, Mivos, and Formosa Quartets.

Australian guitarist D.C Cross has released a live album, a recording of a recent gig at Red House in Earlwood, Sydney, a venue run by Nick Shimmin, who also ran People’s Republic. As the notes to this release reveal, recording a live album always comes with some trepidation, but this gig went without a hitch. Take a listen to ‘No Old Man’.

Our Song of the Day is A Raga Called John, the new single from Indiana-raised, Manchester-based Etta Helfrich, aka Black Brunswicker. Fans of John Fahey and Pelt will appreciate this, as it is they who inspired the song. Also, watch an intimate documentary on Black Brunswicker’s background, music, and creative journey.

Our latest Off the Shelf guest is American singer-songwriter and musician Madi Diaz, who has just released her new album, Fatal Optimist, via Anti-, her most stark and haunting collection to date. In this series, we ask artists to present objects from a shelf or shelves in their homes and discuss them, a form of storytelling through objects.

Welcome to another Monday Morning Brew Playlist, featuring Caoilfhionn Rose, Jessica Pratt, Sun Kil Moon, Will Oldham, Sibylle Baier, F.J. McMahon, Fred Neil, Geckøs, Blue Lake, Ora Cogan, Ohtis, Jonathan Richman, Demi Spriggs, Magnolia Electric Co., Arthur Russell, Loudon Wainwright III, Billy Bragg & Wilco, Mazzy Star, Pete Molinari, Jim James & Calexico, Bill Callahan, and Turner Cody.

Cerys Hafana’s relationship to the Welsh language is defined by deep-rooted knowledge and appreciation of Welsh folklore, and it’s this immersive attitude to culture, music, language and myth that gives her new album, Angel, its eerie, swooning, dreamlike quality.   

The ten selections for this month’s Subscriber Exclusive include The Thorn, Joseph Shabason and Thom Gill, Toby Hay, Walter Hus, Teppana Jänis & Arja Kastinen, The Owl Service, Why Horses?, Great Lake Swimmers, Lando Manning and Norma Dream.

In a moment defined by global upheaval and the ever-present threat to the fundamental concept of “home,” a diverse assembly of respected artists have united for a vital cause. The upcoming compilation album, Passages: Artists in Solidarity with Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers, sees the likes of Dirty Projectors, Lambchop, Daniel Lopatin, and Bonnie “Prince” Billy contributing exclusive home-recorded tracks to benefit two Texas-based organizations: American Gateways and Casa Marianella.