Originating from Asheville, North Carolina and now based in Los Angeles, Adriana McCassim introduced her distinctive brand of folk rock back in 2020 with the EP Quiet Sides. It was a release equal parts visceral and ethereal which looked for sparks of beauty and solidarity amid difficult circumstances. With debut full length See It Fades coming next year, McCassim has shared the new single ‘TOUCH’. A track which builds upon the previous releases, stripping out all excesses to place the vocals front and centre, left to work through unreciprocated desire with nothing to hide behind. “This song is about finally allowing myself to take up space,” McCassim explains. “To be naked, ugly and loud.”

Arima Ederra – Steel wing

Discovering the Ethiopian spiritual music mezmur in a Las Vegas Ethiopian Orthodox Church during childhood, Arima Ederra was convinced of the power of music from an early age. Her work since 2016 debut Temporary Fixes has been geared towards capturing this joyous, healing force, and latest album An Orange Colored Day feels like the most confident yet, applying everything learned from a life steeped in music to process any and every pressing issue at hand. Single ‘Steel wing’ is a good place to start for a window into what this entails, its inventive and relaxed style imbued with an infectious, toe-tapping rhythm, inviting you in to sit a while and leave your concerns at the door.

Credit Electric – summit sipper

Fresh from single ‘here 4 u‘ on the Royal Oakie Records tenth anniversary compilation, Bay Area outfit Credit Electric have released their latest full-length record, out of love in the face of a shadow. Germinating within the limitations imposed by the global pandemic, the album represents a new era for the Credit Electric style, their moves to adapt to the novel conditions opening up new avenues of inquiry. Which is how the liner notes can describe the album as one drawing from acts as diverse as Hiroshi Yoshimura, American Football, Dire Straits and Magnolia Electric Co. Single ‘summit sipper’ is just one snapshot of this style, a laidback yet affirming pop number penned after a hike in the Sierra Nevadas, overcoming mountains both figuratively and literally to delve into themes of resilience and recovery.

Denitia – My Weakness

We’ve previewed Highways, the new album from Denitia, a few times in recent months, first with the title track in April and then ‘All the Sweet Tea‘ a little later. Wrapped in a wistful atmosphere, the latter “tap[ped] into bluegrass sensibilities to evoke the American landscape in all its nostalgic idealism,” we explained, and served as an introduction to the bittersweet tone of the album and Denitia’s quest to reimagine the concept of home. Final single ‘My Weakness’ sits at the heart of the record, another track of conflicted moods which possesses real depth beneath its controlled burn.

Grace Hellen – Bubblegum Pink

Hailing from the coast of North Carolina and now based in Nashville, singer-songwriter Grace Hellen cut her teeth in jazz and bluegrass but is now turning toward a more indie pop/rock style. Latest single ‘Bubblegum Pink’ is a great introduction to this aesthetic. A combination of psych and surf sensibilities laid over pop tones sweet enough to live up to its title, though the sugary energy belies the tension beneath the surface. “Bubblegum pink when you spit in the sink this morning,” Hellen sings, twisting the tone. “Flash forward, last night’s an empty dream.” Because this is a song “about fighting depression with hyper-femininity and candy-coated optimism,” as Hellen describes it. As though to keep moving is to stay ahead, no matter how exhausting.

‘Bubblegum Pink’ is out now and available to stream from the usual places.

h. pruz – what a long way i’ve come to be destroyed

h. pruz is the recording alias of Brooklyn-based Hannah Pruzinsky, who will soon release debut EP again, there via oof records. Lead single ‘old car’ introduced the style, which finds emotional power in a gentle, intimate hush. Now h. pruz has unveiled the record’s second single, ‘what a long way i’ve come to be destroyed’, another folk-slash-bedroom-pop song that burns with quiet intensity. Lyrically sparse, the song captures one of the EPs main themes—of recognising life’s cycles and rhythms and the feeling of uncertainty experienced after breaking out of them and moving on.

Jenny O. – The Natural World

Following on from ‘Prism‘, a single we described as allowing “us to see fine cracks in a seemingly unscalable wall of disempowerment, and begin to realise we might not be completely helpless after all,” Jenny O. is back with a brand new single on Mama Bird Recording Co. No less ambitious and heartfelt, ‘The Natural World’ confronts the ecological emergency from a new angle. Turning away from the usual visions of doom and destruction to instead offer a vision of what might be. “This is a declaration of wonder and reverence for the living Earth,” Jenny O. explains. “As we phase out fossil fuels, the way through the climate crisis is by the regeneration of this planet’s incredible natural systems. This song is for alignment with life on Earth (including one another). The future requires us to consider everything and everyone; love and curiosity are key.” Check out the suitably celebratory video filmed and edited by Sam Gezari below:

‘The Natural World’ is out now via Mama Bird Recording Co. and available from Bandcamp.

Joe McCarthy and the Faders – Hey Dom

With new release Outpost Truck Stop out later this week, Joe McCarthy and the Faders have unveiled new single ‘Hey Dom’ to raise the anticipation. An ode to friendship, the track captures the road trip spirit of the EP. One following in the footsteps of Craig Finn or The Boss himself, built on a togetherness and camaraderie which faces down life’s difficulties through equal parts compassion and momentum. The result is bittersweet but undeniably joyous, and better yet its triumphant energy invites the listener along for the ride. Check out the video edited by Zach Pulls below:

You’re just as dumb as me
And we’re as thick as thieves when we can stand
Hey dom!
Why don’t you take my hand

Outpost Truck Stop is out on the 21st October and you can pre-order it now.

Poolblood – shabby

Back in July we wrote about ‘twinkie‘ by Poolblood, their first single since signing with Next Door Records. Now the project (Toronto‘s Maryam Said) has announced their debut album, mole, which will release early next year. To celebrate the announcement, Poolblood has unveiled a brand new single ‘shabby’, a song which they says “celebrates the intimacy of friendship.” Fittingly then, the song is reflective and introspective, pairing bedroom pop sincerity with just the faintest hint of country twang. There is also a video featuring friends and collaborators Shamir and Drew Harmon, which you can watch below:

mole will be released on 13th January and you can pre-order a copy from the Poolblood Bandcamp page.

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The recording project of Boston‘s Doug Poppe, An Triangles works within a variety of styles to achieve its distinctively idiosyncratic sound. Think the emotion of Mount Eerie, the lo-fi energy of Pavement and Daniel Johnston-esque eccentricity. Ahead of debut album Triangular Life, Poppe has unveiled new single ‘Mother on You’. A slice of classic bummed-out bedroom pop which offers a glimpse into the inner child which drives the record’s curiosity and vulnerability. “And I know you got my bag / It’s got everything I have,” Poppe sings. “And I know you got my dues / It’s got everything I lose // I’ll call my mother on you.”

Blush Club – Ornamental Ponds

After the success of 2021 EP A Hill To Die On, Glasgow five-piece Blush Club are set to return later this year with a brand new EP, Ornamental Ponds. Ahead of the release, the band have unveiled the title track. It’s a song which adds a newfound catchiness to their hybrid pop/post-punk style, so while the leftfield jaunt and characteristically sardonic tone are still present, some of the frantic verbosity of the previous release is swapped for a slower, more confident flow. Which means we can now sing along with the cutting commentary on our rubbish-filled Anthropocene, pining for the sweet ignorance of the nineties.

Jacob Brodovsky – Night Baker

Winnipeg-based songwriter Jacob Brodovsky has shared brand new single, ‘Night Baker’, a character study of a figure facing long-hour loneliness amid the unseen ecosystem of a city at night. “The night baker leaves the lights on in the basement even though he never goes down there,” opens the song by way of introduction. “The night baker once a Christian now a Quaker leaves his shoes on when he walks down stairs.” Channelling the sincerity and wry humour of fellow Manitoban John K. Samson, Brodovsky presents the scene with equal parts playfulness and emotional resonance, our titular baker mocked by the sourdoughs and begged by the bagels as he pines after his lost love, the gluten-free flour asking if he is okay.

‘Night Baker’ is out now and available via various streaming services.

The Other Each Other – Heads

Apparently Joel Finch, frontman of Seattle punk rock outfit The Other Each Other, is not a real person. Their website has few details. There are no tour dates, no merch, no jazzy social media pages. Just a list of previous releases and the date of a forthcoming album, Mirror Memorials, coming later this summer. Single ‘Heads’ is the first taste of this new album, a conflicted track which struggles with the pandemic-era confinement while also appreciating the luxury of having a place to be stuck inside. Indeed the track has a twin, ‘Tails’, one of several count/counterpoint pairs on the record intended to more fully explore the nuances of living. “The truth is probably not just one perspective,” as Finch puts it, “but multiple.”

Mirror Memorials is out on the 19th August and you can find more info on their website.

Poolblood – twinkie

After releasing the EP Yummy back in 2019, Toronto-based artist Poolblood had only shared one single, ‘I’m Sorry’, a collaboration with Louie Short and Eliza Niemi. But signing to Next Door Records, this summer saw the first taste of a new phase of the Poolblood project with the single, ‘twinkie’. A rich and nostalgic sound lifting searching vocals, capturing a blend of fondness and uncertainty for the bittersweet summer croon we’re all craving. Check out the video directed and shot by Emma Cosgrove below:

‘twinkie’ is out now and available via the Poolblood Bandcamp page.

Pound Land – Bunker

Formed by lyricist Adam Stone (Future Bomb/Holy Ghost People) and multi-instrumentalist Nick Harris (Reverends of Destruction/ex-Dead Sea Apes), Pound Land is a self-described ‘kitchen-sink punk’ project based in Manchester. Their self-titled debut came out in 2020 on Misophonia Records, though Cruel Nature Recordings has recently put on Pound Land Plus, a repackaged version with extra material. Playing like The Fall meets Threads, new track ‘Bunker’ is as good an introduction to their pitch black style, a nine-minute noise punk behemoth ranting about dooms both future and present.

Thomas Stajcer – Building A Home (Yip Walla Wahoo)

Written on the back of a John Deere mower in Seaforth, NS, ‘Building a Home (Yip Walla Wahoo)’ is not the usual slice of American melancholy or heartbreak you might expect from a good old fashioned folk song. The latest release from Thomas Stajcer, the track instead celebrates life’s blessings, however big or small they might be, with the playful energy of John Prine or more recent compatriots like Doug Poole. The result is a lesson in looking forward in a genre that’s often all too ready to look back.

Tunnel – Lemonhead

The project of LA‘s Natasha Janfaza, Tunnel are readying the release of their debut EP, Vanilla on Washington DC label House of Joy. The record sees Janfaza joined by D Saperstein, Owen Wuerker and Fugazi drummer Brendan Cant, who come together to craft a sound that owes as much to 90s rock and alt pop as it does to contemporary acts like Snail Mail. ‘Lemonhead’ is the EP’s lead single, what the band describe as a “soft and cruel” song which introduces both the Tunnel sonic sensibility and their general sense of apathetic cool. Janfaza delivers her vocals with a sardonic edge (“Tell me the truth,” she sings in the opening line, “I’ll think you’re lying”), which transforms a tale of frustrated romance into something that feels fresh and raw.

Love is fine
Love is boring

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