Alex Gallacher

Our ten selections for this month Subscriber Exclusive (one of the perks for those who support our work) include releases from New England’s Old Saw, a remastered “holy grail” of psychedelic Latin-funk, Mélanie Pain, Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, Thomas Dollbaum, a landmark collaboration that brings together two generations of South African guitar mastery, Lady Queen Paradise, Dartmoor-raised artist Dominie Hooper, Jessica Moss and the incredible singer-songwriter Daudi Matsiko.

Natalie Jane Hill announces her new album, Hopeful Woman, arriving March 6th on Dear Life Records. She has shared the lead single “Never Left Me,” featuring aching pedal steel by Mat Davidson. Recorded live in Texas and North Carolina, the album is described by Nathan Salsburg as a “wise and humane hopefulness” built of “slender songs, life-sized,” with Hill’s voice “closer to the earth.”

Acclaimed Icelandic singer Ólöf Arnalds’ new album Spíra is out on December 5th via Bella Union. Watch the video for her new single “Heimurinn núna”, a love song that is playful on the surface but touches on deeper themes of faith, responsibility, and neurodiversity, all set against the scenery of midsummer.

King Hannah have announced a new, limited-edition 7″ single via City Slang, led by the vulnerable A-side “This Hotel Room.” The timeless and nostalgic country-folk track is out now with an accompanying video. Limited to 500 copies, each 7″ features a unique, hand-designed sleeve by the band and is backed by a Gillian Welch cover.

South London saxophonist, singer-songwriter, electronic producer, and field recordist Laura Misch has shared an ethereal rework of her single ‘Alchemy’ by ambient artist KMRU. It’s the first track from her forthcoming ‘Ambient Reworks EP’ (out Nov 27), which also features Isobel Waller-Bridge. Misch has also announced her biggest headline show to date, a performance at The Barbican on July 3rd, 2026.

José González has released “Pajarito,” a playful, Spanish-language single written for his son, Mateo. The tender acoustic track is a companion to a previous song written for his daughter. González says it’s a “timeless, simple, and carefree” song about “growing up, learning things, and eventually becoming independent,” drawing inspiration from Simon & Garfunkel, Silvio Rodríguez, and children’s music.

Cat Power is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her landmark album, The Greatest, with a new Redux EP, out January 23, 2026. Recorded with her Dirty Delta Blues band, the EP features a newly finished James Brown cover, “Try Me.” A special anniversary tour, performing The Greatest in its entirety, will reach the UK and Ireland in November 2026, including a show at London’s Roundhouse and Dublin’s Vicar Street

Erik Hall announces his new album Solo Three, out January 23rd on Western Vinyl. It’s the final entry in his acclaimed trilogy reimagining minimalist composers. The new LP tackles works by Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, and Laurie Spiegel. He shares the first single, a kaleidoscopic adaptation of Steve Reich’s “Music for a Large Ensemble,” created by performing every intricate part himself.

Whitney have released “Evangeline,” a gorgeous new single featuring GRAMMY-winner Madison Cunningham. Accompanied by an animated video, the track serves as the final preview of their fourth album, Small Talk, which arrives this Friday, November 7th. Hailed as their “best and most affecting” record yet, Small Talk marks a return to form, recorded by the Chicago duo without an outside producer. The band also announced a 2026 world tour.

London’s queer trad-folk quartet Goblin Band have shared their new single, the “quintessential English drinking song” ‘Rosin The Beau’, alongside a live video. It’s taken from their debut live album, ‘A Loaf of Wax (Live at MOTH club)’, due 14th November via Broadside Hacks Recordings. Praised for their “rowdy, flamboyant folk,” the band is currently on a UK tour.

Tashi Dorji announces his new album, ‘low clouds hang, this land is on fire’, out January 30th on Drag City. He turns to the electric guitar for a “disarmingly gentle musical drift,” a major shift from his previous acoustic work. Watch the video for lead single “gathering,” directed by Robert Beatty, which exemplifies this new meditative and melancholy sound—a political “quiet fire” and an anthem for resistance.

The Wave Pictures will release their new album, Gained / Lost, on 27th February 2026 via new label Bella Union. They’ve shared the first single, “Alice,” a “swooning beauty” inspired by the dream journals of William Burroughs. The band says that if the song were a movie, it would have been directed by David Lynch.