Alex Gallacher

Animal Collective have unveiled “Buddies On the Blackboard,” the dreamy, dub-influenced B-side to their recent single “Love On the Big Screen.” Arriving with a trippy chalk-animation visualizer by Abby Portner, the track will be featured on a limited edition 7-inch vinyl out this Friday via Domino. The new music follows the band’s lengthy and acclaimed 2023 studio album, Isn’t It Now?.

Tuxis Giant have shared “Days,” the final single from their upcoming album You Won’t Remember This, out August 15th. Inspired by Hayao Miyazaki, the buoyant track is an ode to the liminal space between work and rest. It arrives with a beautiful animated video by collaborator Louis Roe, which ties together the album’s visual universe and pays homage to the band’s own creative evolution.

Me Lost Me – the project of Newcastle-based artist Jayne Dent – delights in experimenting with songwriting, creating a beguiling mix of soaring vocals and atmospheric electronics that playfully push the boundaries of genre. Today, she shares tour dates in support of This Material Moment, which she describes as “emotionally raw” and deems her most honest and vulnerable album yet.

Tom Skinner, the dynamic drummer for The Smile and Sons of Kemet, has announced his new solo album, Kaleidoscopic Visions, arriving September 26th via Brownswood and International Anthem. The intricate title track is available now, previewing a record featuring collaborations with Meshell Ndegeocello and Portishead’s Adrian Utley. Skinner will support the release with US tour dates this October and a London show in November.

M. Sage and Fuubutsushi bandmate Patrick Shiroishi have announced a joint US tour this autumn and shared a new single, “Tender of Land (Patrick’s Version).” On the track, Shiroishi’s signature saxophone craft transforms Sage’s composition into a slower jazz ballad. It’s a variation from Sage’s upcoming album, Tender / Wading (out September 26), a serene vision inspired by his Colorado homeland.

Watch North Carolina’s Joseph Decosimo, joined by Stephanie Coleman on fiddle, Matthew O’Connell on drums, and Jay Hammond on guitar, performing “Billy Button,” the vibrant final preview of his new album Fiery Gizzard, arriving August 15 via Dear Life Records. Filmed at Fuzzy Needle in Durham, NC, the session perfectly captures the song’s intimate and collaborative spirit.

Following a landmark year that saw his seminal 1980s band, The Loft, finally release their debut album, Everything Changes Everything Stays the Same, indie icon Pete Astor delves deeper into his personal archives with Unsent Letters (Home Recordings 1984-2024). Released on July 25th via Tapete Records, this new collection offers an intimate and unvarnished glimpse into a forty-year songwriting journey, a perfect companion piece to his band’s recent forward-facing return.

GECKØS, the new super-trio of M. Ward, Howe Gelb (Giant Sand), and Mark McCausland (McKowski), will release their debut self-titled album on September 26th. Born from an impromptu jam at a Tucson wedding; you can hear the band’s distinctive sound on their new single “El Techno.” The hypnotic track features a career-first for M. Ward, who takes the vocal lead entirely in Spanish.

This week’s Monday Morning Brew opens with Geckøs, a new project featuring Howe Gelb, M. Ward and Mark McCausland of The Lost Brothers, also in the mix: Msafiri Zawose, James Yorkston, The Barr Brothers, Orchestra Gold, Madi Diaz, Jeff Tweedy, The Mary Wallopers, The Innocence Mission, Nat Myers, Junior Brother, Joseph Decosimo, John Smith, Natural Information Society and more.

Pioneering British folk artist John Smith will celebrate his 20th anniversary in music with his new album, Gatherings, releasing October 17th. The record revisits and reimagines cherished songs from his early career with guests including Lisa Hannigan and The Staves. The first single and video, a beautiful new version of “Salty and Sweet” featuring Hannigan, is out now, offering a first taste of the celebratory project.

Indie rock stalwart Kurt Vile teams up with Nashville songwriter Luke Roberts for the new five-track EP, Classic Love, out today, July 25th. Released via Verve Records, the concise and infectious collaboration was heralded by a playful music video for its title track. The project is an unvarnished entry in Vile’s canon, embodying an energy he describes as “sad and funny at the same time.”

Italian sound artist Luca Formentini will release I Am Ghosts on October 10th via Curious Music. The album compiles his personal ‘Ghosts’ EPs, a journey through ambient, electro-acoustic, and experimental soundscapes that suggest rather than dictate. Exploring themes of absence and the unseen, the release will be available on vinyl and as an expanded digital collection featuring new immersive mixes by Robert Rich.