News
On July 25th, Genevan microchoir Alice releases Châteaux Faibles via Bongo Joe. This art-pop album about resilience and communal strongholds is an audio tale of sisterhood. The title track embodies their core idea: building a space where vulnerability is transformed into a collective strength. The result is less about grandeur and more about the quiet, profound act of holding each other up with scraps of harmony and belief.
Noura Mint Seymali’s ‘Yenbett’ arrives after a nine-year studio hiatus, a testament to enduring growth. Co-produced by her longtime drummer Matthew Tinari and Mdou Moctar’s Mikey Coltun, the album’s first single, “Guéreh,” is a resurgent wedding dance from Mauritania’s past. Seymali, a griot and ardine master, breathes kaleidoscopic new life into this hidden gem; an electrifying reintroduction to an artist constantly pushing boundaries.
Oslo-based drummer, composer, producer and bandleader, Gard Nilssen has expanded his Acoustic Unity band with saxophonists Signe Emmeluth and Kjetil Møster for their new album, Great Intentions. Listen to their powerful lead single Ostronology – the magic of this new combination is clear from the outset.
Chris Staples has always possessed a knack for finding profundity in the mundane, but his latest offering, Don’t Worry (August 5th), elevates this skill to new heights. Settled into the stillness of Richmond, VA, Staples transmutes domestic tranquillity into a sprawling yet intimate landscape. The album’s lead single and video, “Doesn’t Matter Now,” serves as a gentle introduction to this introspective journey.
Dean Johnson isn’t new to the slow burn. For years, the Seattle songwriter was a local legend, a barman dispensing both libations and lyrical gems. His forthcoming Saddle Creek debut, I Hope We Can Still Be Friends, truly ushers The Melancholy Maestro of the Pacific Northwest into the muted, wistful spotlight he deserves. Check out the Ryan McMackin-directed video for his lead single, “Before You Hit the Ground”.
Anna Tivel has announced her seventh studio album, Animal Poem. This highly anticipated collection of original material was recorded live with friends and co-producer Sam Weber; the 10-track set was made “in conversation: everyone together in the room, listening and responding in real time…” Watch the video for the title track, “A meditation on the stories we tell ourselves and each other.”
Taken from his new album, I Love People (July 25th, Drag City), Cory Hanson’s latest single turns to the “bard of the Big Rotten Apple”, Lou Reed. He sings – “You were a prince and a fighter / and you were a tai chi master,” to form a tender elegy for Reed, an artist known for his wit, laughter, and affection for humanity.
Carson McHone announces her new album, ‘Pentimento’ on Merge Records, and shares her first album single ‘Winter Breaking’, the video for which features the art and work of ceramicist Alejandra Almuelle. She shared: “This project continues to be, really, a community effort. What began as a methodical structuring of personal artifacts kept speaking of collaboration, which allowed me to open up the process to others and bring it to life.”
Poor Creature, featuring Ruth Clinton of Landless, Cormac MacDiarmada of Lankum and John Dermody of The Jimmy Cake, share their latest single and video, ‘All Smiles Tonight’, the title track of their forthcoming debut album. “This song is about seeing your fella on the dance floor with another woman, except it’s 1879. The video, directed by Ruth & Cormac, was filmed in Las Vegas and Sligo.”
Jeremy Tuplin is set to release his new album, ‘Planet Heaven’, in mid-October. The first single, ‘Pigeon Song’, is out now, accompanied by a video featuring a cameo from Dominic Silvani. ‘Pigeon Song’, a jangly indie-pop tune, celebrates love and nature, a “soft defiance” against negativity. The album delves into the fleeting nature of things and Earth’s beauty and features some well-known guest vocalists.
Cass McCombs’ new album, Interior Live Oak, arrives August 15th via Domino Records. Watch the video for his latest single ‘Peace.’ The album features Matt Sweeney and Mike Bones, as well as early collaborators like Jason Quever (Papercuts) and Chris Cohen, crafting an album that navigates life’s extremes with resolve. UK dates Tour Dates in August 2025.
A vibrant testament to enduring love, Amadou & Mariam’s new single, “L’amour à la folie,” holds significant meaning, especially in light of Amadou Bagayoko’s passing on April 4th, 2025. Fusing Afro-rock and psychedelic blues, the track is the first from their highly anticipated self-titled album, finalised last winter.