News

Black Duck and Elena Setién share “Funeral in My Brain,” the final single from “Black Duck with Elena Setién,” their collaborative debut out August 28th via Thrill Jockey. The track draws on Emily Dickinson’s 1862 poem. The quartet came together on shared Spanish tour dates in early 2025 and recorded at Palisade Studio in Chicago.

Steven R. Smith will release “Half Light Unfolding” on September 4th via Eiderdown Records. A departure from three decades of dense psychedelia and layered overdubs, the album is built around Spanish guitar and piano — ten tracks recorded at his Los Angeles studio. Music journalist Marc Masters calls it “a true landmark” in Smith’s career.

Nick Jonah Davis will release “Rose Delta Rising” on 4th September via Eiderdown Records and Cardinal Fuzz Records. His most collaborative album yet, it opens solo guitar pieces to drums, bass and strings, recorded at Black Bay Studio in the Outer Hebrides. Some compositions date back years, finding new life in the company of fellow musicians.

Babehoven share “Three Reds,” the latest single and video from their third album “I See Them, I See Me,” due September 18th via Double Double Whammy. The Hudson, New York duo opened up their process this time, recording across four studios and live-tracking with a six-person ensemble. The album follows 2024’s “Water’s Here In You.”

Joshua Van Tassel’s “Yearner” is a standalone single on which, alongside the composer’s much-loved Ondea, a modern Ondes Martenot, features Afie Jurvanen (of Bahamas) on bass, Joseph Shabason on woodwinds and Rose Cousins on wordless vocals; the piece moves through feelings of loss, yearning, memory and beauty.

Sam Sweeney and Grace Smith announce “Morning Of May”, their debut duo album on Hudson Records, out 9th October. Exploring the possibilities of two fiddles in conversation within the English instrumental tradition, the pair drew on manuscript collections and obscure tune sources alongside original compositions. Listen to “Round Hill Wood / The Rowling Bet” now.

Laura Cortese announces “Lucky Water,” her first studio album in six years, due October 9th on Compass Records. Recorded at Sylvan Esso’s Betty’s studio and produced by LOLLIES, the album finds the Ghent-based fiddler navigating motherhood and belonging across borders. Lead single “Face the Rain” builds from plucked fiddle into a warm sweep of brushed drums and woodwinds. Watch the accompanying live video.

Margo Cilker has announced Little White Cross, her third album and first release on Fossil Records, due October 9th. Recorded to tape in Lockhart, Texas, with Bruce Robison, it follows the widely acclaimed Valley of Heart’s Delight. The title track — a Christy Hays cover — is out now, its stark roadside imagery setting the tone for an album born out of darkness.

BJ Cole and Secondson announce “There is Wonder Here,” a collaboration pairing pedal steel guitar with the rare Cristal Baschet — believed to be the first recording devoted to the interplay between the two instruments. First track “A Place You Could Never Leave” is out now, ahead of the album’s September 18th release via Centripetal Force and Geology Records.

Macdara Yeates announces “Mudlark Ballads,” his second album, due September 4th. Produced by Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox, the album wraps centuries-old Irish folk songs in strings, found-sounds, drones and handclaps. A central figure in Dublin’s folk scene and former Skipper’s Alley member, Yeates follows a debut that earned a MOJO Top 10 and RTÉ Folk Award nominations.

Hollow Hand shares the video for “Heavy Metal T-Shirt,” the final single from fourth album “Wish Road South,” directed by Mega Bog’s Erin Birgy and shot in Dublin. The rowdiest thing on the record, it was tracked live in a studio corridor in Brighton — feedback in the cracks, a singalong chorus, and no shortage of heart.

Jules Reidy shares “Clerestory Windows V,” the final movement of the solo suite from their forthcoming album “Clerestory,” due September 25th via Thrill Jockey. Performed on hex electric guitar with Euclidean sequencing, it is the most pared-back piece on an album that sets a JACK Quartet commission against solo refractions of the same material.