featuring @popetheband @stuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu @jpegmafia @gryffin @ike.dweck @boyinspace @valleyboysucks @laneylebo @girl.tones
New Orleans, LA rock band Pope is excited to share their first new album in over eight years, BFM, available everywhere now via Houston’s tastemaking Rite Field Records. Channeling their characteristic blend of the melodic and the melancholy, songwriters Alejandro Skalany and Matt Seferian, along with bandmate and hometown friend Atticus Lopez, spin tales of optimism, grief, and growth across thirteen new tracks. BFM captures a band embracing a new era of life, equipped with their addictive, soaring riffs and lyrics that linger long after the record ends.
About the album release, Matt Seferian says, “This is our first big release in a while, and a lot of life has happened since the last one. We’ve grown up, we’ve moved, we’ve moved back, gotten married, broken up, lost friends and family, gained new friends too, and some of these songs predate COVID. It feels cathartic to finally let go of some of these songs and be able to take a step back and look at all of these moments in time and move on from them. It feels like starting over for us, too, in a lot of ways. Sonically, there are some sounds that longtime listeners will feel at home with, but we’ve also explored some new territory to show how we’ve grown as songwriters and music lovers. There’s a little bit of everything we love here.”
Minneapolis-based artist and producer student 1 announces his fourth record truant out June 19 and is available for pre-save now. Alongside the announcement, the artist shares the first taste of the project with laid-back, bright “kevinkevinkevin” out now with its accompanying video. The forthcoming introspective project by student 1 is a raw, experimental exploration of the difficult, messy parts–feeling absent, distracted and avoidant–while continuing the search for joy, freedom and hope.
The official album release show is set for release day, June 19, at Chicago’s Book Club with punk band Champions and support from hip-hop artist CRASHprez. Get more information here.
Entirely written, mixed and mastered by student 1, the twelve tracks on truant focus on personal, specific moments of aimlessness, feeling mentally absent, avoidance, and addiction, and how these moments inform who he’s become in both good and bad ways, while additionally feeling like the dysfunction these moments create is part of something bigger.
It was during the making of the project that the artist dug himself out of a creative funk. Student 1 shares, “It’s inspired by the problems these moments create and have created (as well as the desire to solve them), the headspace I was in, drugs, and not being able to articulate important feelings and thoughts. There isn’t a substantial focus on this aspect outside of some subtle mentions, but I do mention the loss of a parent, as my father passed away during the making of the album.”
JPEGMAFIA continues to push his creative evolution with “babygirl,” an adrenaline-fueled fusion of rap, rock, and punk [Listen/Watch]. As a singular visionary who writes, produces and mixes his own material, JPEGMAFIA uses the track to channel the chaos of modern culture and social tension while commanding his place at the forefront of the experimental space.
The track serves as the lead single from the pioneering producer’s upcoming album EXPERIMENTAL RAP, arriving May 21 – Pre-Save Album. The era-defining magnum opus is a masterclass in left-field innovation, blending rap, punk, rock, industrial and gospel music with his signature “no-rules” production and sharp lyricism. Challenging the boundaries of the experimental genre, this record acts as both a display of power and a gauntlet thrown to the industry, proving once again that JPEGMAFIA is one of modern rap’s most fearless and consistent innovators.
Alongside the new single, JPEGMAFIA has announced The Experimental Rap Tour, a 20-date North American run with support from redveil and matt proxy kicking off September 22 in Spokane, WA. Fans can expect his signature high-energy and intimately engaging live performances that have come to define his stage presence and captivate audiences at festivals including Coachella, Rolling Loud, Primavera Sound, Governors Ball and Lollapalooza. Full tour dates are listed below. Tickets are available for purchase on Wednesday, May 6th at 10AM local, however fans can sign up for pre-sale access to purchase on Tuesday, May 5th at 10am local HERE.
Dance music powerhouse GRYFFIN today announces the final installment of his “Ten Years of Music. One Night.” concert series, set to take place at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO on November 13, 2026. Concluding the four-part run, the show marks both a return to one of his most significant venues and the closing chapter of a concept that reflects the full scope of his career.
Built as a one-night retrospective, the series pulls from across GRYFFIN’s catalog and reshapes it into a continuous live experience that moves through different phases of his career, blending early material, breakout records, and more recent releases. The Red Rocks date will follow stops at Under the K Bridge Park in New York City and Exposition Park in Los Angeles, with the run beginning at Cow Palace in San Francisco. High demand has already sparked second shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco, underscoring the scale the series has quickly reached.
Red Rocks brings the series into an environment defined as much by its surroundings as its legacy. Carved into the Colorado landscape, the venue has become one of live music’s most recognizable stages. Marking his fifth time headlining the iconic amphitheater, Red Rocks holds a special place in GRYFFIN’s live history, having backdropped each of his album eras.
Supported by Oliver Heldens and AR/CO, the Red Rocks finale continues the “Ten Years of Music. One Night.” concept as a one-night-only experience built as a full-scale celebration of GRYFFIN’s catalog. Designed as an all-encompassing set spanning a decade of music, the show is elevated through expanded production and special guest moments throughout the night. Previous Red Rocks appearances have featured Julia Church, Calum Scott, Calle Lehman, and Zohara, showcasing the emotive songwriting of his defining records through intimate on-stage moments.
Register For Pre-Sale
https://laylo.com/gryffin/fXsZMT
9X JUNO Award winners Arkells release their highly anticipated new studio album, Between Us.
“Between Us is about connection –– not the hollow online kind we get when we’re scrolling –– but about the feeling we get in a shared space, appreciating the little gifts we offer one another, simply by existing with others, explains frontman Max Kerman. “Friends or strangers. A band and an audience. It’s a call to remember that connection.”
Arkells’ most recent tour dates previewing Between Us have largely gotten up-close and personal, striving to create unique experiences in a variety of settings. Win-to-get-in fan-forward experiences have seen shows in an alley-way garage, a fallsview-suite overlooking one of nature’s greatest wonders, and a neighbourhood ice cream shop. Upcoming tour dates have scaled into wide ranging and nostalgic venues that bring the band and audience that much closer.
Starting in the late ‘1970s, Richard Franecki stayed busy gigging in punk bands. His acts often harkened the prime of CBGBs, but he quietly channeled kosmische experimentation. Following years spent in The Drag, The Shemps, and Surfin’ Führers, he founded F/i. Occasionally joined by Drag compatriot Greg Kurczewski and saxophonist Lars Kvam, the project was fluid and forward thinking. Straying from lofi terrain, they gradually morphed into a more traditional space rock vessel. Later in the 80s, F/i would morph into Vocokesh continuing their space rock explorations.
As a link between Throbbing Gristle and the Spacemen 3, this period of F/i has been woefully forgotten, until now.
F/i’s upcoming reissue on Birdman Records, Invisible Men, is the product of freewheeling, genre-averse tangents. Now pressed to vinyl, after decades in obscurity, the double LP includes the ultra-rare Air. The reissue is set for a June 26th release date.
It was conceptualized around the same time as 1985’s Illuminati, borrowing its title from a quote by William Bennett in the magazine Unsound. “We walked past the police who were checking everyone against the wall, but me and Kevin — as if we were invisible men — walked downstairs through all the police, out into the street, down to the tube station and home as if we hadn’t even existed,” the Whitehouse member said.
rising indie-folk artist Ike Dweck reveals his new single, “The End of Me,” arriving just ahead of his first-ever headline US tour.
On “The End of Me,” Dweck turns his attention to the uneasy aftermath of a breakup, zeroing in on the emotional limbo that comes when two people struggle to fully let go. Rather than revisiting the initial heartbreak, the song lives in the tension that follows, where boundaries blur and old patterns resurface. It’s a raw portrait of how messy it can be to move on when you’re still holding on.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Dweck has quickly built a name for himself through his introspective songwriting and genre-blurring sound, weaving together elements of folk and alternative rock. He began writing music at the age of 23, translating a lifelong connection to poetry into strikingly honest songs that explore mental health, relationships, and personal growth.
Since debuting in 2023, he has developed a devoted and fast-growing audience through a string of independent releases. Now boasting over 1.6 million monthly Spotify listeners and more than3.1M followers on TikTok, he has emerged as a standout new voice in the indie-folk space.
Dweck will embark on his first headline run, the Safe With Me Tour, kicking off May 10 in Seattle. Due to demand, he’s added new dates across the U.S. and Canada for later this year. Tickets are on sale now.
Swedish pop sensation Boy In Space announces his debut album ‘The Man Who Lost It All’, arriving this October, alongside new single ‘Sex, Drugs & Money’, out now.
Hot on the heels of last year’s EP ‘The Butterfly Affect’, the long awaited debut album finds Robin Lundbäck pulling back every curtain – uncovering messy truths through relatable lyrics and hard-won clarity. At the heart of the record is ‘Sex, Drugs & Money’ – Boy In Space in a lighter mode, swapping introspection for something more playful. A cheeky serenade – “You’re unplowed snow when I’m driving stick / A trip down south if you catch my drift” – and the words of a man happily engaged.
Boy In Space: “I’ve spent my whole life thinking I knew what it meant to be in love, only to be completely humbled by the complexity of it. Recently, I’ve experienced love in a whole new way, and I wanted to express it differently than I have before. I feel very fortunate to soon be married to the muse of this song and hope it can be an expression for the lovebirds out there who have a hard time putting their feelings into words.”
On ‘The Man Who Lost It All’ the singer-songwriter leaves nothing on the table, navigating newfound love alongside the long journey back to solid ground and arriving, finally, exactly where he is meant to be. Recorded live with a full band over just a few days, the album is built to sound intimate, close and immediate. For Robin, making it became as much about learning to open up as it did about the music itself; a chance to let songs carry stories and experiences he had never previously shared with anyone. The result is an album that doesn’t just invite you to listen, but to step inside:
“This album kind of feels like a beginning. Like letting go of a version of who I was, and starting over in a way that feels more honest. I wanted this album to sound like it belonged to one room so that when you press play, it feels like you’ve stepped into it with me. I hope that comes through when you listen – that it feels close and that it lets you into the room and the parts of me behind it.”
Valley Boy (James Alan Ghaleb Amaradio) has released his debut album Children of Divorce. The record weaves together stirring vignettes from his childhood and the people who shaped it, after he became a child of divorce at age 12. In the time since, he’s had to morph, adapt, shrink and stumble while navigating this title thrust upon him with no handbook provided. Children of Divorce isn’t the definitive guide, but the agonizingly intimate stories of some kids who grew up, and some who never got the chance — Stream.
After spending the early part of his career lending his writing and production skills to artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Troye Sivan and Dua Lipa, Valley Boy felt a tether pulling him back to his own story. The record clocks in at a purposefully unlucky 13 tracks; stories of his life, and those of other children of divorce, who have always felt like magnets to him. Most of the songs address individual characters, but the stories are oftentimes more far-reaching than he would have hoped.
Valley Boy was surprised by how difficult it was to trim down the stories he wanted to share on this record. “Making a concept album about children of divorced parents at first put a lot of pressure on me to write every story I remembered and there were honestly an astounding amount of them because I seem to have been a lodestone for other children of divorce romantically for most of my life.”
The album opens with the sober note-to-self, “James, age twelve.” Valley Boy shared, “It tells the story of my entrance into the cult of broken homes, when my father abruptly abandons my family, and how the shock of sudden trauma freezes part of the psyche forever in that moment. It’s sung by that shocked twelve-year-old, numb before emotion has time to set in, with an intentionally rudimentary melody and sparse acoustic instrumentation to further embody the fragility of that tender age.”
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Laney Lebo reveals her new single “Bitch.” The track marks a bold step forward, sharpening her voice as both a writer and performer. The single arrives alongside the official music video, a fun, baroque-inspired visual.
Blending playful, razor-sharp lyricism with soulful melodies and driving instrumentation, “Bitch” captures Lebo at her most self-assured yet. “‘Bitch’ is written from the perspective of someone who refuses to apologize for who they are,” she shares. “It’s both a declaration and a celebration of stepping fully into yourself.”
Written during her time at Berklee College of Music and recorded at Lula Lake Sounds in Chattanooga, the song represents a moment of creative clarity. Tracking the record in the mountains alongside her band deepened their connection as collaborators and helped crystallize Lebo’s artistic vision, resulting in a track that feels both uninhibited and intentional.
Raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Lebo’s childhood was soundtracked by bands like The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, and Steely Dan. Surrounded by the improvisational spirit and rich storytelling of classic rock and jam bands, she absorbed those influences early on. As a teenager, she began putting those inspirations into practice, joining an afterschool music program where she learned how to perform with a band and command a stage.
Southern California garage rock band The High Curbs release their new album HIGH SPEED, out now via Lauren Records.
LISTEN: https://lr-d.ffm.to/high-speed
Produced by guitarist Taylor Hecocks, HIGH SPEED marks a defining moment for The High Curbs, delivering their most focused and fully realized work to date. For the first time, the band recorded the album as it was written, allowing the songs to take shape with intention and care rather than live-tracked sessions shaped by time and budget constraints.
That shift in process is felt throughout the record. HIGH SPEED balances the raw energy that first defined the band with a more deliberate, refined approach to songwriting. Ed Moreno’s vocals and melodies weave through Taylor’s intricate compositions, creating a cohesive, emotionally resonant throughline from start to finish.
Across the album, The High Curbs explore themes of personal growth, relationships, and emotional friction – the push and pull between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming. Songs like focus track “TIL THE END” capture that tension directly, resulting in a record that feels immediate and reflective. The High Curbs aren’t just refining their sound, they’re redefining it, and HIGH SPEED signals a clear evolution for the band.
Bulldozing rock duo Girl Tones today release their newest song, “Stubborn Mouth” via Parallel Vision and Big Loud Rock. Fully aware of their tendency to jump the gun and self-sabotage, the band doesn’t care to be called out. Delivered in a taunting kind of singsong, the new single is a playful ridicule. Masters of turning conflict into instantly catchy rock anthems, Girl Tones prove time and time again how they can take a dig at themselves while still dishing it out — Stream.
The band shared that, “This song is a vulnerable reflection on being headstrong and how it can ultimately deteriorate your own well-being and others around you.”
Today’s single arrives in tandem with an official video directed by Austin Dickerson. Looking right at home performing inside the wood paneled walls of a retro house, Girl Tones can’t help but take a bite out of the forbidden fruit
Brooklyn-based independent alt-rocker Moon Walker shares his fifth record, WASTELAND COUNTRY, out today and available everywhere now. Moon Walker continues to viscerally reflect on the world around him with biting, guitar-driven anthems. After multiple sold out shows this past spring, the musician’s high-octane tour continues across the U.S. this summer for its final round. See a full list of dates below and find more information here.
Alternative gritty rock band NorthFork returns with their latest single, “I’ll Be Fine,” a heavy, power-driven track that combines acoustic, heartfelt lyricism with dynamic, radio-ready vibes. Building on the experience of emotional distance when a relationship has run its course, this adrenaline-fueled song captures the breakdown in communication when self-doubt begins to take control. Opting for independence over a stagnant connection, the internal conflict ultimately ends when clarity reveals that it’s okay to be set free. “I’ll Be Fine” is now available to stream and download on all major music platforms, with the music video dropping on May 15th via YouTube.
Blending country rock aura with grunge guitars, NorthFork’s “I’ll Be Fine” is a melodic rock single whose intensity breaks through the barrier of a strained connection. The intense weight of feeling disconnected from a partner is conveyed through the heavy guitars and hard-hitting drums, while the vivid lyricism explores the unraveling thoughts that appear when one chooses independence over familiarity. “This song was inspired by the dynamics of many modern relationships. A lot of times, people stay together because it is easier rather than cutting it off. People grow apart and endure a toxic relationship, but are too afraid to be alone. But the reality is you will be fine alone,” says NorthFork. Through their raw, unfiltered approach to songwriting, NorthFork is committed to creating music that conveys lived-in, honest emotions, rather than the shiny, polished, manufactured music often seen today. NorthFork consists of Cianan Brennan on lead guitar and vocals, Jaden Brocchini on guitar and vocals, Adam Coelho on drums, and Grant Deal on bass guitar and backup vocals.
In any band there is a constant push and pull. A state of tension and release between written music and improvisation, between leading and following each other. In the instinctive, unpredictable world of jazz, that push and pull can explode groups and compositions into entirely new forms, yet no matter how far each player might be stretched there is always something connecting them back to each other and back to the tune. A tether.
For New York-based saxophonist and composer Alden Hellmuth, that innate sense of connection between bandmates and between the dual states of form and freedom is a crucial aspect of her creativity. Following her German Jazz Prize winning 2024 debut album Good Intentions, Hellmuth now returns with the aptly titled Tether, an eight-track exploration of jazz, punk and freeform improvisation that centers on the notion that regardless of how loud and unruly her band might get, the tether always ties the players back to the listener and their invigorating experience. Tether will be released via LEITER, the label originally co-founded by Nils Frahm, on limited edition vinyl and all digital platforms on June 26, 2026.
Alongside the album announcement, she shares the new single “Face The Wall.” It smudges jazz and punk in clamorous, gripping ways.
- Email: neill@outloudculture.com
- Socials: @frazer.live
- @neill.outloud
