Bill Baird shares “Karma Loan,” the latest single from forthcoming album “Life Creates Itself,” due September 25th on Royal Oakie Records. Recorded at Sear Sound in New York City in a single day, produced by Jasper Leach and mastered by KRAMER, the album draws on Doug Sahm, Roky Erickson, Arthur Russell and Captain Beefheart, marking Baird’s return to San Antonio after years of wandering.

Black Duck and Elena Setién share “Funeral in My Brain,” the final single from “Black Duck with Elena Setién,” their collaborative debut out August 28th via Thrill Jockey. The track draws on Emily Dickinson’s 1862 poem. The quartet came together on shared Spanish tour dates in early 2025 and recorded at Palisade Studio in Chicago.

Steven R. Smith will release “Half Light Unfolding” on September 4th via Eiderdown Records. A departure from three decades of dense psychedelia and layered overdubs, the album is built around Spanish guitar and piano — ten tracks recorded at his Los Angeles studio. Music journalist Marc Masters calls it “a true landmark” in Smith’s career.

Nick Jonah Davis will release “Rose Delta Rising” on 4th September via Eiderdown Records and Cardinal Fuzz Records. His most collaborative album yet, it opens solo guitar pieces to drums, bass and strings, recorded at Black Bay Studio in the Outer Hebrides. Some compositions date back years, finding new life in the company of fellow musicians.

Babehoven share “Three Reds,” the latest single and video from their third album “I See Them, I See Me,” due September 18th via Double Double Whammy. The Hudson, New York duo opened up their process this time, recording across four studios and live-tracking with a six-person ensemble. The album follows 2024’s “Water’s Here In You.”

Our latest Monday Morning Brew playlist is out, featuring new music from The Furrow Collective, MF Tomlinson, Sir Richard Bishop, a new Blaze Foley tribute album, Margaret Glaspy, Kam Franklin and more, along with a stack of new music recommendations ranging from English Psych Folk to an album inspired by Southern Africa’s indigenous guitar traditions.

Joshua Van Tassel’s “Yearner” is a standalone single on which, alongside the composer’s much-loved Ondea, a modern Ondes Martenot, features Afie Jurvanen (of Bahamas) on bass, Joseph Shabason on woodwinds and Rose Cousins on wordless vocals; the piece moves through feelings of loss, yearning, memory and beauty.

This week’s Mixtape opens with our Artists of the Month, Mama’s Broke. We’ve also got new music from Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Julia Holter, BJ Cole & Secondson, Sir Richard Bishop, Blake Hornsby, Mcdara Yeates, Eliana Glass, Julia Holter and more, plus archive gems from Joanna Newsom, Harvey Lord, Alasdair Roberts & James Green, Olivia Chaney, Amiina, The Memory Band and more.

Sam Sweeney and Grace Smith announce “Morning Of May”, their debut duo album on Hudson Records, out 9th October. Exploring the possibilities of two fiddles in conversation within the English instrumental tradition, the pair drew on manuscript collections and obscure tune sources alongside original compositions. Listen to “Round Hill Wood / The Rowling Bet” now.

Laura Cortese announces “Lucky Water,” her first studio album in six years, due October 9th on Compass Records. Recorded at Sylvan Esso’s Betty’s studio and produced by LOLLIES, the album finds the Ghent-based fiddler navigating motherhood and belonging across borders. Lead single “Face the Rain” builds from plucked fiddle into a warm sweep of brushed drums and woodwinds. Watch the accompanying live video.

Margo Cilker has announced Little White Cross, her third album and first release on Fossil Records, due October 9th. Recorded to tape in Lockhart, Texas, with Bruce Robison, it follows the widely acclaimed Valley of Heart’s Delight. The title track — a Christy Hays cover — is out now, its stark roadside imagery setting the tone for an album born out of darkness.

BJ Cole and Secondson announce “There is Wonder Here,” a collaboration pairing pedal steel guitar with the rare Cristal Baschet — believed to be the first recording devoted to the interplay between the two instruments. First track “A Place You Could Never Leave” is out now, ahead of the album’s September 18th release via Centripetal Force and Geology Records.