Following a huge tour with Alison Moyet and The Pogues, Iona Zajac shares “Bang,” a joyful single and brilliantly fun video celebrating female pleasure. A departure from her haunting folk sound, Zajac says, “A good bang at the end of a boring day won’t fix your life, but it might help.” It’s a testament to her unflinching honesty and musical evolution.

Brooklyn’s Pegg and the legendary Van Dyke Parks share “No Dice,” the new single from their three-song suite, Presque Tout. A complete reimagining of an earlier track, its rock foundation is replaced with Parks’ stunning, post-baroque string arrangements. The result is a “fleet and festive springtime fantasia”—a gorgeous Gershwinian piece of slapstick accompanied by a baseball-themed visualizer.

On his latest album 〽, Japanese folk experimentalist KASAI masterfully weaves traditional minyo into the fabric of contemporary labor. The album culminates in “Piling-up Garbage Song”, a celebration of manual work. Over a clanging, worklike beat and chants from his real-life workmates, KASAI playfully rhymes “piling up garbage” with “accumulating virtue.” The track reclaims the physical unity and dignity of a job often rewarded with neither status nor high pay.

For the first time, this comprehensive anthology collects Gábor Szabó’s Hungarian recordings from his return visits in 1974, 1978, and 1981. This isn’t just another archival dig; it’s the sound of an artist reconnecting with his roots. The music navigates the space between his American cool and his Hungarian soul, creating something both familiar and profoundly new.

Start your week with The Monday Morning Brew playlist, featuring Mimi Gilbert, Heron, Floating Action, Toby Hay, Faith Eliott, James Yorkston, Little Mazarn, Big Thief, Tuxis Giant, Caamp, Ty Segall, Julie Doiron & Chris Sheppard, Duo Ruut, Michael Nau, The Weather Station, Cate Le Bon, Dana Sipos, Joe-Harvey-Whyte & Bobby Lee, Farran Orriols, Gwenifer Raymond, BC Camplight, Ghostwoman, Dana Gavanski, Jørgen Træen & Stein Urheim, Duke Garwood and more.

Cate Le Bon’s seventh album, Michelangelo Dying, is born from the ashes of unanticipated heartbreak. Watch the H. Hawkline-directed video for the lead single, “Heaven Is No Feeling,” on which the Welsh artist trades her signature cerebral detachment for raw, visceral emotion, creating a sound that is a tender photograph of a wound before healing and an iridescent exploration of love’s chaotic aftermath.

The Norwegian duo of Jørgen Træen and Stein Urheim return with “Entrance/Exit,” the first offering from their forthcoming album, Galant Galakse. The track is meticulously constructed, and, in under three minutes, they manage to playfully and patiently craft a soundscape that feels both ancient and from a distant future. It’s a compelling first taste and a testament to their shared experimental vision.

Boston and NYC-based Tuxis Giant have announced their new album, You Won’t Remember This, arriving August 15th via Worry Bead Records. To celebrate, they have shared the poignant new single and animated video “Silver Cup.” Penned by frontperson Matt O’Connor, the personal track explores early experiences with gender dysphoria and the “magic, euphoric spell” of transformation, even if only temporary.

Toby Hay’s New Music for the 6 String Guitar is a beautifully restrained work—just player and instrument—inspired by nature and the outdoors. It stands as a perfect sibling to his earlier 12-string album; while the instruments differ dramatically in timbre and character, both albums offer a deeply immersive, rewarding experience. The contrast between them highlights Hay’s versatility, yet a shared sense of purity, warmth, and meditative focus unites them.

Brighton’s Welsh guitar virtuoso Gwenifer Raymond announces Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark, a cosmic leap from her folk-horror roots. The new album and its fiery single, “Jack Parsons Blues,” meld ancient mysticism with astrophysics, translating the unfathomable equations of the cosmos into intricate, otherworldly fingerpicked melodies. Prepare for a journey beyond the terrestrial.

Ron Sexsmith announces his 18th album, Hangover Terrace, sharing lead single “Don’t Lose Sight.” Recorded in London, the new record moves away from recent pastoral contentment to explore a more wounded and introspective space. Sexsmith frames it as grappling with the “emotional residue” of the pandemic years—a collective headache set to his signature, impeccably crafted melodies.

Lavinia Blackwall’s ‘The Making’ is a masterwork of the acid-folk form, full of confidence and devoid of weak spots. From the title track’s seductive melange of medieval breakdowns to the Midlake classic-sounding backdoor reverie of ‘We All Get Lost’, featuring some marvellous descending vocal phrases that bring Annie Haslam of Renaissance to mind, the highlights are plentiful throughout this exquisite new album from the former Trembling Bells multi-instrumentalist and vocalist.