Bro. Stephen – The Shape

First up is a brand new double A-side single from Bro. Stephen. The follow up to 2012’s excellent Baptist Girls, these two tracks address the strain of long-distance friendship, transient life and uncertainty of the future. This may sound a little sad, and it is in parts, but the songs also manage to find a sense of hope, a glimmer in the storm clouds. You can buy the single right now via Crossroads of America Records.

Nate Hendricks – Neon For No One

Out on the excellent Crash Symbols, Nate Hendricks’ Neon For No One defies any clear genre. Opening track Dead Fox Waltz is a clear example of this, the sprawling ten minute epic having a little bit of everything, from experimental glitches, to folky, psychedelic guitars and even sleigh bells. The artwork is relevant for this EP, a crazy, colourful collage the holds fine details. Buy it on cassette here.

Sad Souls – ‘Rain, Window’

Ann Arbor’s ambient outfit Sad Souls released a new song back in March. ‘Rain, Window’ is a wistful instrumental track that would be perfect for, well… watching from a window as rain falls. Check out the rest of their music on Bandcamp, it is all just as lovely.

Thom Byles – Y.O.Y.O (You’re Only Young Once)

Back in April we featured English/Mexican singer-songwriter Thom Byles. Well here he is again, back with a brand new single, ‘Y.O.Y.O (You’re Only Young Once)’. The track is excellent, a gentle, airy, nostalgic little indie pop song. Perfect for these bright early-Summer mornings.  You can get the track for however much you like over at Byles’s Bandcamp page.

Johan Hedberg – Kickar grus

Johan Hedberg, who you may know from Suburban Kids with Biblical Names, is releasing a solo album Paradiset this September on Labrador Records. The first single, ‘Kickar grus’ is coming out 25th June, and you can hear it below.

Born Standing Up – S/T

Finally we have Born Standing Up from Oxford, Mississippi. Their S/T album, out March this year, is a great alt-folk/country record that sounds like The Wooden Sky covering country songs. It’s as good as it sounds. You can get the album on a pay-what-you-can basis here.

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You can buy a digital copy of the compilation via Bandcamp, and you can also get a download code plus a themed Christmas card from the Flannelgraph Records website. If you like what you hear, I would also recommend checking out the two previous volumes (Volume 1 and Volume 2), which feature bands such as Dolorean, Dirty Beaches, Drekka and Sleeping Bag. This really is a good cause and certainly a very good way of making someone else’s holidays a lot less rotten.

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