Following on from recent single ‘Lucky Again’, Lykke Li has today shared the brilliant Knife In The Heart, taken from the forthcoming album The Afterparty, arriving May 8 via Neon Gold Records/Futures. Speaking on the song, Lykke Li shares: “This is my brutalist nursery rhyme anthem — the emo girl in me, fully unleashed. I had my son and his friend sing the choruses because the juxtaposition of their voices against the EBow just created such a powerful sonic landscape, somewhere I've never really been before. A world totally collapsing in front of us and all we really have left is our humanity. My dream is to hear a whole football stadium chanting: ‘This Life This Life is a Knife in the Heart.’ To me, a pretty accurate description of what it feels like to be alive right now.” Take a listen below.
Not Gon Cry
Happy Now
Lucky Again
Famous Last Words
Future Fear
So Happy I Could Die
Sick Of Love
Knife In The Heart
Euphoria
LIVE DATES
10th April - Coachella Music Festival – Indio, CA
17th April - Coachella Music Festival – Indio, CA
22nd May - Vivo Rio - Rio de Janeiro
24th May - Parque Ibirapuera - São Paulo
19th June - Metronome Festival, Prague
5th July - Finsbury Park – London^
10th July - Pohoda Festival - Slovakia (Headline)
19th September - Palacio de los Deportes – Mexico City, MX*
* w/Robyn
^Wolf Alice
THE AFTERPARTY - Track List
Ahead of her forthcoming album 'Cruel World', due out April 10th, Holly Humberstone has today shared the record's title track. Written about the push and pull of long-distance love through pain and euphoria, the track's soaring pop tones and lilted vocals give another exciting taste of what lays ahead. Sharing more detail Holly explains, ““Cruel World” comes from the euphoria and pain of long-distance. Your perception of the world around you can be completely distorted without that one person in it. There’s no fun in going out solo when the only place you want to be is wherever they are. Loving someone that much is always going to hurt a little. This is the dichotomy of pain and pleasure. Love is so painful at its core and this is the throughline of my record. This is my favourite song I’ve ever written!”.
Take a watch of the video below, directed by Silken Weinberg (Ethel Cain), which takes place on a Victorian theatre set, following Holly as she quietly attempts to sabotage the unfolding production.
TOUR DATES 20 March – Liverpool, Rough Trade SOLD OUT (IN-STORE) 21 March – Nottingham, The Level (OUTSTORE) 22 March – Oxford, O2 Academy 1 (OUTSTORE) 24 March – Birmingham, O2 Academy 2 (OUTSTORE) 25 March – Brighton, Chalk (OUTSTORE) 26 March – Kingston, Circuit SOLD OUT (OUTSTORE) 29 March – Glasgow, Old Fruitmarket SOLD OUT 30 March – Manchester, New Century Hall SOLD OUT 01April – Bristol, Electric SOLD OUT 02 April – London, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire SOLD OUT 12 April — Coachella, California 24 May — Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Sunderland 07 June — Governors Ball, New York City 10 July – Madrid, Mad Cool Festival 14 July – Athens, Ejekt Festival 23 Aug – Darmstadt, Golden Leaves Festival
With her second EP ‘Every Woman’ set to arrive April 17th via Gravity/Capitol Records, Fiona-Lee has today shared the emotive Not My Friends. Exploring the quiet vulnerabilities of loneliness, the track pairs towering pop sensibilities with gripping vocals to deliver a pristine slice of pop that brings a sense of warmth and comfort to darker moments. Explaining in more detail, Fiona-Lee shares: “Not My Friends is about trying to fill an emotional void at any cost to avoid feeling alone. It came from a time when I was investing in the wrong relationships with the wrong people and accepting less than I deserved because of the “something is better than nothing” mindset. That fear of loneliness can be a hard cycle to break, even when you’re fully aware of it. At its heart, Not My Friends is about self-awareness, recognising misplaced attachments, and having self compassion for when you fall back into those habits.” Take a listen for yourselves below.
Live Dates 25 APR - The New Adelphi Club, Hull (UK) 29 APR - Paper Dress Vintage, London (UK) 30 APR - Deaf Institute, Manchester (UK) 23 MAY - Neighbourhood Weekender, Warrington (UK) 17 JUL - Ludlow Castle, Shropshire (UK) w/ Paul Weller 31 JUL - Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds (UK) w/ The Maccabees 28 AUG - Big Feastival, Kingham (UK) 30 AUG - Victorious Festival, Cornwall (UK)
Returning with his first new music since last year’s critically acclaimed sophomore album man oh man !, Martin Luke Brown has this week unveiled the sentimental back of my mind. Written about the memories we carry with us, the track’s twanging guitars and soft, lo-fi vocals gently lean into its nostalgic pull. Speaking about the track, MLB explains: “’back of my mind’ is about how love can linger after a relationship has ended. it’s about the emotional clutter we carry with us as we age - the first date cinema tickets in the back of the drawer or old scribbled confessions in journals. it’s about all the people that were once important and therefore always will be.” Take a listen below.
Marking their firm arrival midweek with a new single, NYC-based outfit Lip Critic have unveiled the affirming Jackpot. Taken from their forthcoming album Theft World, out May 1st via Partisan Records, the track's pulsating basslines and chest rattling rhythms give another exciting taste of what's to come. On the song the band say, “Jackpot is a song about risking it all, and winning it all, betting the house, and ending up with two houses, then waking up with nothing at all.” Take a listen below.
Tour Dates: Mar 21st | Brooklyn, NY - Theft Saga @ Yong Xin Tan Laundromat $ Mar 26th | New York, NY - Theft Saga @ Spring Bar (Basement) * Apr 9th | Brooklyn, NY - Theft Saga @ 148 Frost St Boxing Ring # May 25th | Troy, NY - No Fun % & May 26th | Boston, MA - The Rockwell % & May 27th | Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa % & May 28th | Toronto, ON - The Garrison % & May 29th | Detroit, MI - The Sanctuary % & May 30th | Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen % & June 2nd | Denver, CO - Hi-Dive % & June 4th | Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court % & June 5th | Reno, NV - Holland Project % & June 7th | Seattle, WA - Barboza % & June 8th | Vancouver, BC - Wise Hall % & June 9th | Portland, OR - Polaris Hall % & June 11th | Sacramento, CA - Cafe Colonial % & June 12th | San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill % & June 13th | Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon % & June 14th | Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar % & June 17th | Austin, TX - 29th Street Ballroom % & June 18th | Dallas, TX - Dada % & June 19th | Hattiesburg, MS - Fat Cat % & June 20th | Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (Altar) % & June 21st | Durham, NC - Pinhook % & June 23rd | Pittsburgh, PA - Little Giant @ Bottlerocket Social Hall % & June 24th | Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA % &
$ support from Pop Music Fever Dream * support from Balaclava # support from mx lonely % support from Bejalvin & support from Flatwounds
Ahead of their debut EP It’s a Pleasure Of Mine, to Know You’re Fine, released Friday 13th, ladylike have today shared the extended player's latest cut, Sour Carol, I. Through its tranced guitar loops, and droning basslines comes another brilliant effort from the Brighton quartet as the track slowly lilt's in to life. Speaking further on the arresting simplicity of ‘Sour Carol, I’ they explain: “Sour Carol, I’ is quite direct in message, compared to the rest of the EP. It’s for someone. It feels good for it to exist outside of the live show, and it’s fitting to head into EP release with lyrics that title the project.” The four-piece tread the gossamer bridge between folk and post-rock, revelling in the push and pull of dynamic shifts. There’s an organic feeling to their music, which stems from the creative process - as they outline: “We’re constantly writing and rewriting what we play live. Creation is a long, methodical process of constant tweaking, performing and arranging until we arrive at something we’re really proud of.” Take a listen for yourselves below. A special Dinked Edition Vinyl will follow on April 24th.
LIVE DATES
MARCH 2026 Fri 20th - Brighton - Green Door Store Sat 21st - London - George Tavern Thurs 26th - Leeds - Hyde Park Book Club Fri 27th - Glasgow - 1990 Sat 28th - Manchester – Mood Swings @ YES Basement
APRIL 2026 Sat 11th - Bristol - Outer Town Festival
MAY 2026 Sat 9th – Reading – Are You Listening? Festival Thurs 14th - Paris, France - Supersonic Block Party Fri 15th - Brighton - The Great Escape
Brighton via Aberdeen-formed trio The Xcerts have today shared their brilliant new single in your eyes. A soft, tender piece at its core, the track steadily gathers momentum before blossoming into a cathartic finale, where a surge of instruments swells into a powerful rush of energy. Speaking about the track, Macleod says: "in your eyes” is without question the most raw and personal song we’ve ever written. Fundamentally, it’s about loss. The loss of what I deemed to be forever love and the cruelty of cancer. The closing lines of the song are ‘this isn’t goodbye, this is I’ll love you forever’ which serves as a full stop but also has an open-ended feel to it. It’s a desperate grieving cry, but while writing the words, I also thought, well, if this is the last thing we ever create then that’s the message I want to ring out in Jordan, Tom and our fan base’ ears. I’m aware it’s overly sincere, but it’s true, and the truth is all we wanted to convey. The song finishes with Jordan’s mum blowing a kiss and saying “I love you” which is extremely emotional, but it was important for her to close out this song as it belongs to her." Take a listen below.
Coinciding with the news of their second album Resistance, due for release on 22nd May, CQ Wrestling have made their very welcomed return with their latest single, Pacifico. Lifted from the forthcoming record, the track’s charging guitars and towering, infectious melodies offer an exhilarating glimpse of what’s still to come. "As a band, we’ve been through every obstacle going; grief, covid destroying releases and tours, the stop button being forced on, probably everything you could imagine to see a band collapse. But we’ll never stop. 'Pacifico' is the song that epitomises this journey we’ve been on and what it means to us to have music and friendship as our own act of Resistance. It’s our song to find a path to change."
Continuing about the album, they say: "This album is a collection of songs above all about trying to find joy and hope in dark times. We are so proud of this body of work, and have fought incredibly hard to get it done. Over the past two years writing and recording this album, this band has almost broken up from the madness and impossible nature of being an artist in the modern world, the cost of living has plummeted to new lows, mental health issues are impossible, and more conflicts are starting, pulling more people into crisis. Most significantly for us personally was the devastating loss of Jake’s father Gavin, who was a champion and original manager of this band, all the way back when we first met in school. Resistance is everywhere and it’s the simple explanation to how this album was made. We are so proud of this, and it’s a huge testament to keep the faith, keep the joy, and keep fighting through bleak times."
Take a listen below.
Live Dates March 14 – SXSW: Liift Showcase, Seven Grand
March 16 – SXSW: Rocknite, Hotel Vegas
March 18 – SXSW: BME, Two Palm
April 25 – Beautiful Ones Festival, Concorde 2, Brighton, UK
May 27 – The Crescent, York, UK
May 28 – Boileroom, Guildford, UK
May 29 – Waterfront Studio, Norwich, UK
May 30 – Cavern, Exeter, UK
June 2 – Rough Trade, Bristol, UK
June 5 – Sidney & Matilda, Sheffield, UK
June 6 – Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, UK
June 10 – Cluny 2, Newcastle, UK
June 11 – Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham, UK
June 12 – Polar Bear, Hull, UK
June 13 – Rough Trade, Liverpool, UK
Oct 21 – The Dome, London, UK
Oct 22 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
Oct 26 – G2, Glasgow, UK
Oct 27 – Yes (Pink Room), Manchester, UK
Oct 29 - Bodega, Nottingham, UK
Following last month’s release of his original version of Campus by Vampire Weekend, GRAMMY-winning artist, songwriter and producer Rostam has today unveiled details of his highly anticipated third studio album, American Stories, arriving May 15. Coinciding with the news is the widescreen epic Like a Spark, a scintillating melodic driven jam packed with character. Speaking about the album Rostam explains, “At some point in making this record I realised the album I wanted to make was one that reflected my identity as both Iranian and American. Pushing the most Iranian elements right up against the most American ones brought me a certain kind of joy. The first time I put microtonal saz melodies over Western guitar chords, I was thrown off by the way the two rubbed together. But the more I listened the more I became drawn to that rub. I became addicted to it.” Take a listen to Like a Spark below. The video is taken from American Stories: A Concert Film, premiering later this spring directed by Antony Muse, shot at the legendary Sound City Studio A.
Tour Dates May 27th | San Diego, CA - Music Box* May 30th | Los Angeles, CA - The Ford#* June 3rd | San Francisco, CA - The Chapel* June 5th | Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club! June 6th | Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater! June 7th | Seattle, WA - The Crocodile! June 9th | Boise, ID - Neurolux* June 10th | Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room* June 11th | Denver, CO - The Gothic Theater* June 13th | Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line KCMP/Electric Fetus* June 14th | Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall* June 15th | Toronto, ON - The Opera House* June 17th | Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair* June 18th | New York, NY - Webster Hall#* June 19th | Philadelphia, PA - Brooklyn Bowl* June 20th | Washington, DC - 9:30 Club! June 22nd | Saxapahaw, NC - Haw River Ballroom* June 23rd | Atlanta, GA - Terminal West* June 24th | Nashville, TN - Basement East* June 26th | Austin, TX - Mohawk* Sept 8th | London, UK - Village Underground^ Sept 9th | Paris, FR - La Maroquinerie^ Sept 12th | Amsterdam, NL - Bitterzoet Sept 13th | Berlin, DE - Berghain Kantine^ Sept 15th | Stockholm, SE - Nalen Klubb^
# = w/ Zsela * = w/ Henry Solomon ! = w/ Henry Solomon + Elori Saxl ^ = w/ Bad Actor
Taken from their forthcoming album, Nude descending staircase headless, due April 17th via Run For Cover Records, Teen Suicide have returned with their brilliant new single, Spiders. There’s a slow, deliberate swell to the band's latest effort with instrumentation that gathers weight beneath it, all before guitars creep in, percussion tightens its grip, until everything finally breaks open. Kitty discussed the new song, saying: "This song was written on a sunny day in Florida, with birds chirping at the sliding glass door. The brightness of the day made me weirdly angry and I needed to release some venom. I wanted to scream about a girl who tied knots in my mind, and I wanted the guitars to do a certain thing, so Sam and I stayed inside and plugged away at it. This is the first song I've written for a full band with a human drummer. I was absolutely terrified to sing it live when we started playing it in 2024--it used to come out of me weak, like a baby goat bleat. Since then the song hurts less and screaming has helped me find my voice. I feel like it turned out pretty cool!" Take a listen below.
