Alex Gallacher

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.

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.

NYC experimental pop duo Water From Your Eyes (Nate Amos, Rachel Brown) announce their ambitious new album, It’s A Beautiful Place. Watch the Brown-directed video “Life Signs,” the disorienting first single blending a nu-metal backbeat with soaring choruses. The band cites a diverse palette, invoking “Blade Runner with a touch of WALL-E…Kubrick and Asimov with a hint of Jay and Silent Bob,” to describe the album’s looming, wide-eyed scope.

James Yorkston has announced his new album, Songs for Nina & Johanna, featuring collaborations with Nina Persson (The Cardigans) and Johanna Söderberg (First Aid Kit). The Scottish songwriter’s sixteenth LP for Domino arrives on August 22nd. Recorded in Stockholm with members of The Second Hand Orchestra, the album is previewed by two new songs and videos, “A Moment Longer” and “Love / Luck,” which are available to stream now.

Editrix announce their third full-length and Joyful Noise Recordings debut, The Big E. Arriving with the news is the album’s title track, a maelstrom of galloping fretwork from guitarist/vocalist Wendy Eisenberg, anchored by the stuttering, intricate interplay of bassist Steve Cameron and drummer Josh Daniel. Named for its foundational, recurring E chords, the track operates with a jittery precision, inching them ever closer to the centre of the avant-rock constellation.

BC Camplight has released the powerful new video for “A Sober Conversation,” the title track from his anticipated new album, out June 27th on Bella Union. The single sees frontman Brian Christinzio confront past trauma and sobriety. The release comes ahead of a major tour, including his biggest headline shows at London’s Roundhouse and the O2 Apollo in Manchester.

Taken from his forthcoming new album, The End, watch the Ellius Grace-Directed video for ‘Welcome to My Mountain’, the latest single from Junior Brother, one of Ireland’s most distinctive voices. Built on a hypnotic whistle riff, the track lurches through unpredictable time signatures, a sprawling beast mirroring modern unease and ancient myth, a headlong plunge into a darkly surreal topography.

Modern Nature are set to release their new full-length, The Heat Warps, on August 29th via Bella Union. Accompanying the announcement is the release of “Pharaoh,” a track that immediately distinguishes itself as a potent, motorik throb, hinting at a sharpened focus from a band increasingly unafraid to push their own boundaries.

Liverpool’s five-piece band The Shipbuilders return with their latest single, Hills of Mexico, drawing inspiration from the Spanish Civil War and Ernest Hemingway’s ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’. Matty Loughlin-Day explains: “Whilst reading the book, so many powerful lines and images jumped out at me…I wanted to capture the sense of drama, adrenaline and anticipation that comes across in the text…”