Alex Gallacher

Bill Callahan arrives with the new single, “Lonely City,” from his upcoming album, My Days of 58. A profound meditation on the familiar, ever-changing relationship we have with our cities. The stunning music video showcases over 15 years of photography by street photographer Daniel Arnold.

Welcome to another Monday Morning Brew Playlist. This selection leans heavily into UK and US folk traditions, featuring artists like Steeleye Span, Lal Waterson, John Jacob Niles, and contemporary torchbearers such as Jake Blount and Lisa O’Neill. There’s a nice emotional resonance between some of those featured, including Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, and Sufjan Stevens, as well as some newer inclusions from the likes of Ganavya & Sam Amidon.

It’s that time of year again: Our End-of-Year Album longlist is finally here. 100 meticulously selected top albums that shaped the year, covering a vast sonic landscape—from intimate folk and boundary-pushing jazz to the dense topography of ambient and experimental works. Dive in now, read the essential review highlights, and listen to the music that made 2025 unforgettable.

Acclaimed artists ganavya and Sam Amidon share two new songs, “Would Be Better” and “Willow Street (feat Sam Gendel),” recorded at LEITER’s Funkhaus Studio. The double single traces a tender dialogue between distance and belonging, finding a way home through chosen siblinghood. Amidon’s experimental folk meets ganavya’s devotional depth, joined by Sam Gendel’s distinct ambient jazz.

French-Algerian icon Souad Massi returns with “Samt” (Silence), the hypnotic first single from her upcoming album Zagate, out March 6, 2026. Produced by Justin Adams, this Afrobeat-infused track redefines silence as a spiritual refuge rather than resignation. Accompanied by a video from Yann Orhan, “Samt” paves the way for Massi’s most liberated and outspoken work to date.

Multi-instrumentalist Colleen (Cécile Schott) announces her new album Libres antes del final, arriving March 20, 2026, on Thrill Jockey. Inspired by her journey overcoming a 30-year water phobia, the record serves as an ode to movement and resilience. Schott shares the euphoric lead single “Antídoto,” a “whirlwind of synthesis” acting as the album’s joyful centrepiece, alongside upcoming US and EU tour dates.

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.”