Alex Gallacher

Irish folk duo Ye Vagabonds release “The Flood” from their upcoming album All Tied Together, out January 30, 2026. Recorded live in Galway with producer Philip Weinrobe, the track explores Dublin’s housing crisis. Its accompanying one-take video, directed by Ellius Grace and featuring dancer Jimmy Southward, portrays the struggle of urban survival through emotive movement.

As we wind down the year, in a new split series Mixtape, we look back at some of our favourite music releases of 2025, including Big Thief, Varo, Eve Adams, Lisa Knapp & Gerry Diver, Cynefin, James Yorkston, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Shabason, Krgovich, Tenniscoats, Quinie, Joshua Burnside, Erlend Apneseth, Joan Shelley, Ian Humberstone, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Sam Amidon, Màiri Morrison & Alasdair Roberts, Constant Follower, and many more.

North Carolina’s experimental folk collective Weirs have released a mesmerising live video for “Lord Bateman,” the centrepiece of their acclaimed album Diamond Grove. Captured at the FEAST festival, the performance features intricate shadow puppetry. This release coincides with the launch of their East Coast tour, which begins tonight in Washington, DC.

Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart unveil performance film for “Stone | Piece,” directed by Derrick Alexander at The Land School. Blending strings with analog tape loops, the video captures a fresh, ambient take on the composition. The release coincides with their sold-out support dates for Andrew Bird’s Gezelligheid shows in Chicago, teasing a new album for 2026.

Sounds From a Safe Harbour has long been regarded as more than just a music festival; it is a creative incubator, a space where the boundaries between artist and audience blur in the historic city of Cork, something that is beautifully captured in ‘Echo in the Future’, a poetic short film by filmmaker Derrick Belcham, featuring Efterklang, Peter Broderick, and author Max Porter.

Eve Adams presents Live at Studio Toute Garnie, a new digital EP and video session series featuring five tracks from her acclaimed album American Dust. Recorded in Montreal with a full band, these performances capture the haunting intimacy and vast landscapes of her “desert requiem.”

Analog Africa announces ‘Galaxia Tropical’, the second volume dedicated to Peruvian Cumbia legend Ranil y Su Conjunto Tropical, out February 6. Following the artist’s passing in 2020, this 14-track compilation captures the fearless, psychedelic energy of Iquitos. Featuring the new single “Gitanita,” it celebrates the larger-than-life legacy of a DIY pioneer who helped to define the sound of the Amazon.

Shane Cooper and Cara Stacey unite on “Mbuluzi / the flute song,” a mesmerising blend of traditional South African instrumentation and experimental tape manipulation. Remastered from Cooper’s jazz-concrète project Happenstance, the track features Stacey on the Umtshingo flute, woven into Cooper’s surreal, sequencing and 1/4″ tape manipulation. The results are engagingly surreal, bringing weightless, tiny ecosystems of sound into sharp focus.

We bring you another Monday Morning Brew playlist, one that is far removed from the commercial world of AI-music & payola. This isn’t background easy listening…it champions creativity and the diverse, challenging music that enriches our lives.

Bridget Hayden & The Apparitions share “Our Ship is Ready,” a haunting folk track originally recorded for her acclaimed album Cold Blows the Rain. Taught to Hayden by her mother, this digital exclusive arrives alongside a new live video filmed in their hometown of Todmorden, capturing the ghostly atmosphere of her distinct experimental sound.

Lambchop and Y La Bamba share poignant new singles from Passages, a benefit compilation out today – December 5th via Western Vinyl. Featuring home-recorded tracks from Dirty Projectors, Daniel Lopatin, and more, the album supports American Gateways and Casa Marianella. These raw recordings highlight the struggle for safe passage and the universal human right to feel at home.

Our latest Mixtape is a blend of folk and ambient textures featuring Matt Sweeney & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Jana Horn, Iona Zajac, San Fermin and Sam Amidon, Joe Westerlund, Isik Kural, Joseph Allred, The Early, Mutual Benefit, Great Lake Swimmers, Nina Nastasia, Emily A. Sprague, Black Decelerant, M. Sage, Steve Gunn & David Moore, Spencer Doran and more.