The Strokes have made a welcome return with the release of ‘Going Shopping’ ahead of seventh studio album ‘Reality Awaits’ on 26 June via Cult Records/RCA Records. Opening in more mellow fashion than you may expect, there are some trademark scuzzily retro guitar hooks before Julian Casablancas starts to ramble – in the most delightful…
Manchester-based trio thistle. have shared ‘Pylon’ ahead of the release of their ‘Backflip’ EP via REX RECS on 29 May, 2026. They’ve also announced an extensive run of live dates, including slots at the Alternative Escape, Bearded Theory and 2000trees Festival. Powered by a glug load of Monster Energy drink, ‘Pylon’ is a wiry slice…
Singer-songwriter Daniel Bateman, also known as Frog, releases eight studio album ‘Frog for Sale’ on 17 April, 2026. An album about ‘how money sometimes gets in the way of love’, it finds Daniel taking inspiration from Buddy Holly and Paul McCartney . The album opens with ‘Bad Time to Fall in Love Again’, a subtle,…
Following shows with Sweet Pill and The Callous Daoboys, Leeds act Love Rarely are set to release their debut album ‘Pain Travels’ via Big Scary Monsters (BSM) on 10 April, 2026. ‘Will’, the opening track on the album mixes Minus the Bear-style guitar work with Tigers Jaw-esque melodies to start with before things take a…
Recorded in Los Angeles with John Congleton (Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent), Good Kid’s new album ‘Can We Hang Out Sometime?’ centres around the importance of connection and how anxiety, miscommunication and self-doubt can strain relationships with friends, lovers, family and yourself. ‘Rift’ opens the record in woozy and melodic fashion, the catchy hooks backing…
Norwich four-piece The Danphes have shared their debut single, ‘Heartbreak High’, a breezy slice of hook-laden indie-pop with a touch of romance – and fond memories of a Nissan – running through its Lemon Twigs-meets-Real Estate melodies and pining lyrics: ‘I don’t hear a single word they say, I check my watch and I just…
Bristol post-punks Mould have shared new single ‘Lists’ ahead of the release of their debut album ‘Hoping as a Coping Mechanism via 5dB Records on 10 July, 2026. Having already established a fearsome live reputation, ‘Lists’ is a fists-in-the-air anthem that blends the surreal with the sublime in under 2 and a half minutes. As…
Cheekface have shared new single ‘Black Site’ ahead of the release of their sixth album ‘Podium’ on 28 July. A song that takes aim at America’s CIA black sites, where music has been weaponised as a tool to annoy or coerce detainees. They’re essentially turning a sense of dread into something more communal, with Greg…
Fronted by the ex-Black Peaks singer Will Gardner, Every Hell have shared new single ‘Let Me Go’. There’s no waiting around with this song. The riffs come almost immediately and don’t stop as Will sings about ‘being stuck in a loop of guilt and self-loathing until eventually giving into depression and anxiety instead of fighting…
Tori Amos has shared ‘Shush’, the second song to be taken from forthcoming album ‘In Times of Dragons’ (out on 1 May via Universal/Fontana). Each song on the album follows the life of one of 10 interconnected characters and in ‘Shush’ we get to meet a battle-hardened ‘lizard demon’ billionaire, who embodies the end result…
Spectral Nights - alternative music, indie music, music reviews, new music, music blog 