Editors' Picks

Enigmatic country music star Orville Peck is hard to unravel. From his decision to wear a tasselled mask at all times – it’s claimed he’s never shown his face in public – to his intriguing back story that takes in ballet and musical theatre, it’s hard to know where the artist ends and the man behind the mask begins. Orville Peck, itself, is a pseudonym. He is a riddle, a puzzle, a mystery.

Wakefield indie-rock trio The Cribs have confirmed details of their first new album since 2017. Out on 13 November, it’s titled Night Network and is preceded by lead single Running Into You, which is available now and is accompanied by a video co-directed by Andy Knowles and Nick Scott.

In his thirty-nine short years on this Earth, Jason Molina was unbelievably prolific. Between his output as Songs: Ohia and the transition into Magnolia Electric Co., as well as his solo work, Molina released sixteen albums, eight EPs, and a large volume of singles.

It’s been a busy few months for American indie-folk ensemble Bon Iver. After dropping their single PDLIF (Please Don’t Live In Fear) in April, with all proceeds from the track going to Direct Relief, a company that is providing resources during the Coronavirus pandemic, they popped up again in July on exile, the second single from Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore, scoring their biggest hit in the USA to date as the song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

Dublin indie-rock outfit Somebody’s Child have been attracting followers with their steady slew of single releases over the last few months, songs taken, for the most part, from 20-Something, this debut EP release which landed in early August.

If you’ve not heard of singer-songwriter-producer-actor-global superstar Finneas, I can guarantee you will at least of heard of his sibling: Bille Eilish.

Aussie pop-punk party starters Stand Atlantic are back with their second album, Pink Elephant, the sequel to 2018’s immensely enjoyable Skinny Dipping.

Pop and RnB mainstay Brandy has dropped her first studio album in eight years, and it is her most personal and reflective offering to date. Her seventh release, the aptly titled “B7,” tackles some very real and deep issues. The singer has spoken of the album being cathartic, and almost a form of therapy for her own mental health challenges.

You’ve probably heard about Catrin Vincent’s voice by now, even if you haven’t actually heard it. Since her band Another Sky emerged onto the scene, critics and music fans have been falling over themselves in amazement at the frightening, devastating, all-consuming highs and lows she reaches. The Guardian music critic Caroline Sullivan described it as “the strangest, most haunting voice I’ve heard in ages.” It is as otherworldly as you can imagine a human voice can be.

Sam Smith’s latest single ‘My Oasis’ featuring Nigerian artist Burna Boy stands by its title; it is the perfect representation of the emotional ‘oasis’ that is found in the wake of love. Sam Smith’s voice is one of the most impassioned in the industry — moody, light, yet aching with emotion.

Irish indie outfit The Coronas don’t have the most marketable of names given the current global situation – something they addressed in their recent interview with us – but that hasn’t stopped them from releasing their sixth studio album True Love Waits this week.Whether that’s a PR disaster or an ingenious bit of brand strategising, only time will tell.

Everywhere you go, Billie Eilish’s name seems to be projected on every street corner, and talked about by just about everybody.

Jon Anderson remains one of the most iconic voices and songwriters in prog rock. His more than forty-year history with Yes yielded some of the genre’s defining tracks, and saw the band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Yet throughout his career, Anderson has constantly sought out other creative channels for his music, from working with the likes of King Crimson, Tangerine Dream, and Vangelis, to his own prolific solo career.

Loveable West Coast punk troubadours NOFX and English folk-punk poet Frank Turner aren’t the most unlikely of bedfellows, but even so, a Frank Turner / NOFX split covers record must have turned some heads when it was announced.

Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro have further whet their fans’ appetites for the upcoming release of their new album A Celebration Of Endings – due out on August 14th – by dropping a new single from the record, titled Weird Leisure. It’s a typical Biffy track, with rapid tempo changes, and a dizzying array of guitars and drums tunnelled out by frontman Simon Neil’s trademark voice.

Jagged Little Pill took Alanis Morissette from the middle of the road dance-pop and ballads of her first two albums and made her one of the 1990s defining female voices. It was a sardonic, yet melody-driven behemoth of a record that has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and paved the way for a whole new generation of women in music.

Bastille is back and better than ever in their latest single ‘What You Gonna Do’. In the last couple of years, the English band has dabbled in mostly light pop with strokes of alternative thrown in.

Sam Fischer’s latest number ‘The Usual’ is a sombre melody that doesn’t hold back from the damning matters of the heart.

Ava Max’s latest single ‘Who’s Laughing Now’ is a delightful, infectious tune that showcases the artist as one of the most empowering singers in her generation.

The world has been blessed once again with another song from Jacob Collier, Straight Outta Love his fifth and final single from his upcoming album Djesse Vol. 3.

Often, when bands or artist release demo compilations or albums, it can feel a bit like trying to cash in. Such compilations tend to offer little to the uninitiated, but can be treasure troves for dedicated fans, who want nothing more than to see deeper inside the genesis of some of their favourite songs.

Lori Mckenna is a huge name within American country music. As a songwriter, she won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2016 for co-writing Little Big Town’s hit single Girl Crush, which was also nominated for Song of the Year.

It’s impossible to review any of the work of Steven Gene Wold – better known as Seasick Steve – without viewing it through the lens of his own enigma. How much, or otherwise, you buy into his well-publicised and analysed back story probably influences what and how much you take from his music, but at surface level at least, he continues to specialise in incredibly accessible blues rock with a big old slice of Americana on the side.

Kiwi electronic duo The Naked and Famous, now comprised of just Alisa Xayalith (vocals, keyboards) and Thom Powers (vocals, guitars), are back with their fourth studio album, Recover, their first full-length release since 2016’s Simple Forms.

Arizona native Courtney Marie Andrews has already packed an awful lot into her career, despite being just 29 years old. From touring at the age of 16, to working as a session musician and backing singer for acts including Jimmy Eat World and Damien Jurado, and all the way up to 2018’s critically acclaimed solo album May Your Kindness Remain, she has transcended styles and genres, with often spectacular results.

As one half of Moon Duo and the frontman of west coast psychedelic rockers Wooden Shjips, Ripley Johnson must be a busy man. Add to that, he’s now released his second album as Rose City Band, his almost one-man show of hazy, dreamy country rock.

Ask any Metallica fan what their least favourite album is from the metal titans and you will inevitably get the same answer. “St Anger,” which dropped in mid-2003, has not earned the same favour as any of their other releases. Likewise, critics have often offered low reviews, and few have had good things to say about it.

London-based singer, songwriter, artist and producer Anna Straker has released a stirring new track, accompanied by a beautiful video. “London Knows” is a masterfully constructed piece of music that will tug at your heartstrings and fill you with a sense of hope and desire to heal. 

Vastly reminiscent of times past in multiple genres, such as post-rock and hardcore, while also looking ahead in sound and style, Honeyspider’s latest single Marbles is a treat to listen to.

Manchester-based rockers The Blinders are back with their second studio album, the superbly titled Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath, which was produced by Rob Ellis, released through Modern Sky UK, and is available to buy and stream now.

As if this song wasn’t epic enough when it first dropped in April, Florida metal titans Trivium have gone and outdone themselves. An acoustic version of “Bleed into Me” has just landed, available on all streaming platforms and it truly is something special. 

Lancaster rockers Massive Wagons have been writing killer rock songs and enjoying doing it for over a decade now, nurturing a reputation for high energy shows mixed with a healthy dose of high jinks along the way.

David Bowden, otherwise known as Pink Sweat$, has been gaining momentum at a frightening rate for an artist whose debut album is yet to be released. His upward trajectory has been propelled in large part by his hit song Honesty, which racked up an incredible two million streams on Spotify in less than eight weeks when it was released in 2018, and currently has more than 35 million plays on YouTube.

Anne-Marie and Doja Cat team up for their laid-back, slice-of-life number ‘To Be Young’. The former has built a reputation out of creating playful, charming tunes that encapsulate what it’s like to be a young millennial in this day and age.

Picture the corniest dramatic scene from a romantic movie in your head: the rain’s gently sizzling on the window, all the while the couple on the screen are slow dancing to themselves with a hazing tune playing on a cheap radio. Well, that tune very well might be Someday, Somewhere, Palace’s wonderful, heart-tugging new single.