Alex Gallacher

We catch up with Grace Stewart-Skinner, a clàrsach player from the Scottish highlands based in Glasgow, who recently released her debut album, Auchies Spikkin’ Auchie. The album not only seeks to preserve the fading Avochie dialect for future generations but also celebrates the spirit, humour, and resilience of the community that shaped it. Grace provides a deep insight into the album’s creation and the cultural history of the Avoch community.

Several years after his last release, folk and blues artist Jason Steel returns with Studies Volume 1. This intimate 6-track collection was recorded live to a single microphone in East London, blending original songs with traditional arrangements. Rooted in folk and country blues, the album explores themes of memory and resistance, drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as Elizabeth Cotten, Cormac McCarthy, and Paul Klee.

Portland’s Strange Pilgrim has released “Through the Branches,” a contemplative new single from their forthcoming album, Too Bright Planet (via Royal Oakie Records). Led by Josh Barnhart and featuring a new lineup with members of Rogue Wave and The Dandy Warhols, the track is a shimmering piece of jangle-pop reflecting on the surreal stillness of the early Covid era with bright, layered guitars.

The new documentary, “IT’S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY,” offers a poignant look into the musician’s life. Directed by Amy Berg, the film draws on unseen archives and intimate interviews with Jeff Buckley’s mother, former partners, and bandmates. It chronicles his meteoric rise and enduring legacy, shaped by his only studio album, “Grace.” The documentary features never-before-seen archival footage, watch the film trailer here.

Acclaimed Aotearoa musician and New Zealand Arts Laureate Ariana Tikao will bring the ancient sounds of taonga puoro (traditional Māori instruments) to London’s Cafe OTO on July 27th. A renowned composer and practitioner, Tikao will collaborate with the Rothko Collective to perform newly commissioned works based on Māori chants, blending composed music with improvisation, spoken word, and video art for what promises to be an immersive experience.

Chicago duo Whitney have announced their much-anticipated fourth album, Small Talk, arriving November 7th. To celebrate, they’ve shared the shimmering new single “Dandelions,” a heartfelt track built on Julien Ehrlich’s signature falsetto and Max Kakacek’s plaintive guitar. The announcement comes as the band wraps up a tour with Caamp and prepares for their own North American headlining tour in summer 2025.

Carson McHone unveils “Downhill,” the latest single from her new album Pentimento, out September 12th on Merge Records. The propulsive track, which recalls early Velvet Underground, is accompanied by a self-directed video filmed in Barcelona. It offers a compelling preview of the new record’s themes of memory and lineage, arriving just as McHone kicks off her European tour with Daniel Romano’s Outfit.

Steve Gunn’s new single, “Sky (debesis),” is the transportive opening track from his upcoming solo instrumental album, Music for Writers, out August 15th. The album offers open, textured soundscapes designed as a companion for thought and reflection. Recorded in various locations from Brooklyn to Latvia, the music uses guitar, synths, and field recordings to create small, immersive environments—a quiet observation of the world, embracing both its anxiety and peace.

From director Athina Rachel Tsangari, Harvest is a spellbinding, folk horror-inflected tale. Over seven hallucinatory days, a remote village’s traditional way of life is upended by the arrival of outsiders and the trauma of modernity. Led by a striking performance from Caleb Landry Jones, this atmospheric and deeply immersive film chronicles a community on the brink of irrevocable change, crushed by forces that masquerade as progress.

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Josh Ritter has unveiled ‘Truth Is A Dimension (Both Invisible And Blinding),’ the contemplative new single from his forthcoming album, I Believe In You, My Honeydew, out September 12. The track, recorded in a single take, came from what Ritter describes as a “daydream of a night drive through the desert.” In support, Ritter has also announced a new run of autumn tour dates.

Glasgow’s Iona Zajac confronts a toxic past on her raw new single, “Anton.” A stark contrast to her recent joyous indie-rock, the track is a brave, unflinching reflection on formative experiences with toxic men. Following sold-out tours supporting Alison Moyet and a stint with The Pogues, Zajac channels her rage and newfound power into a heart-wrenching anthem of visceral, poetic defiance.

Visionary duo Pino Palladino and Blake Mills announce their second collaborative album, That Wasn’t A Dream, out August 22. Following their acclaimed debut, the new record delves deeper into their unique synergy of spontaneous, leaderless composition with a refined, minimalist philosophy. The lead single, “Taka,” offers a dynamic glimpse into the project’s intricate soundscape, showcasing the instrumental prowess of these two celebrated musicians.