News

Lucrecia Dalt’s new single “no death no danger” is a captivating final glimpse into her album A Danger to Ourselves, arriving September 5. The track, inspired by Jean Cocteau and the myth of Medusa, features Dalt’s distinctive speak-singing over a stormy wave of sound. Its abstract and visually striking video, directed by Tony Lowe, is the perfect mirror.

JJJJJerome Ellis has released the title track from their forthcoming album, Vesper Sparrow, out in November on Shelter Press. The single, a profound work of collaborative art, features Haruna Lee, James Harrison Monaco, Ronald Peet, and S T A R R (busby). It’s a compelling first listen that showcases Ellis’s ability to turn a simple musical piece into a vibrant, shared space of creative potential.

Damien Jurado is releasing his new album, “Private Hospital,” in an innovative book format. The album is the final instalment of his five-part “Reggae Film Star” pentalogy. Jurado is moving away from traditional physical formats like vinyl, citing environmental concerns and a desire to release music in more “constructive, fun, and environmentally conscious ways.”

Brooke Sharkey shares a live video for her new single “Guardian,” filmed at a unique artist collective in Norway. The song is from her upcoming album, Under Stones, which documents her journey of settling into a new country. The album, out September 4th, is a blend of musical collaborations and field recordings inspired by Norwegian landscapes and renowned poets.

Scottish folk duo Donald WG Lindsay and Alasdair Roberts announce their first duo album, Welcome Home My Dearie. Recorded live in Glasgow, the album features a unique blend of pipes, guitars, and vocals, with traditional and original songs. The duo is currently fundraising to cover production costs for a 500-copy CD run. Watch them perform a set of jigs and a bothy ballad, Jock Hawk’s Adventures in Glasgow.

Sam Carter’s new single, “Tubal Cain,” is a powerful take on a traditional song, exploring themes of responsibility and the consequences of our creations. Released ahead of his autumn tour, the single showcases the BBC Folk Award-winning artist’s signature intricate fingerstyle guitar and narrative-rich songwriting. His tour starts on September 12th.

Folk musician Jon Wilks is releasing his fifth album, Needless Alley, on September 19th (Grizzly Folk Records). His third single, Montagu Whaler (a boat used by the Royal Navy from the 1900s to the 1960s), is the only non-original song on the album and is released tomorrow, ahead of which, you can watch the accompanying music video.

Oakland duo The Saxophones announce their new album, No Time For Poetry, out November 7th on Full Time Hobby. Listen to their first single, “Too Big For California,” with its evocative imagery of “trampling the lupine” and “the shanty towns are burning,” which paints a picture of a modern California grappling with deep-seated issues like homelessness and wildfires.

Midlake returns with their sixth studio album, A Bridge To Far, on November 7th. Produced by Sam Evian, the album features the new single and video “The Ghouls,” a song born from a period of uncertainty that ultimately inspired the band to move forward. The record is a profound meditation on hope, featuring guest vocals from Madison Cunningham, Hannah Cohen and Meg Lui.

Newcastle legend Nev Clay shares “I flew a flag” – “I’m mindful that it’s a topic that’s been in the news, but the song’s about something else entirely. I’ve been thinking a lot too about my friend and local musical hero George Welch, who passed away last week.” Nev also has a Newcastle show on September 4th with The Burning Hell and Jon McKiel…this will be a bit special.

American musician and intermedia artist M. Sage has released a new single and video, “Wading the Plain,” from his upcoming album Tender / Wading. He directed the accompanying video, which he calls a form of “excavation.” Through arranging objects and light, he seeks a “congress” between things that creates a logic “beyond human.” He has several US tour dates planned with and without Patrick Shiroshi.

Thirty years ago this month, Will Oldham released his third full-length album, Viva Last Blues, under the moniker Palace Music. Oldham proved that a DIY aesthetic could be married with American folk traditions to create something new and profound. The album’s lasting impact is not about its specific sound but about its radical artistic ethos: a record doesn’t need to be pristine to be a timeless masterpiece.