featuring @matt_lang_music @iamabbiecallahan @cassiemarin @lynnhollyfield @apollobrown @joudy.joudy.joudy @jhartmusic @gryffin @bleachedxcross @cartel.band
CASANDRA returns today with her new album ISLA TRANQUILITA. Expanding upon theISLA TRANQUILITA EP released in May, the 13-track LP invites listeners deeper into CASANDRA’s richly imagined world, transforming a deeply personal story of heritage, healing, and remembrance into a cinematic musical journey.
Translating to “little island of peace,” her new album ISLA TRANQUILITA is a love letter to her Cuban roots and late great-aunt Teresa who helped keep those traditions alive throughout her childhood in Miami. A constant source of comfort, Teresa would remind CASANDRA to “tranquilita” whenever life felt overwhelming, encouraging her to find stillness and peace amid chaos. Years later, CASANDRA carries that message forward through music, creating a sanctuary where family memories, hidden truths, and reclaimed roots can exist in harmony.
Blending contemporary R&B with Cuban soul, alt-pop, and electronic influences, ISLA TRANQUILITA unfolds like a dreamlike escape, where vibrant rhythms meet intimate storytelling. Written in both English and Spanish, the album moves fluidly between moments of joy, longing, grief, and healing, with CASANDRA’s ethereal vocals guiding listeners through a world inspired by the landscapes, sounds, and emotions of her upbringing.
The full-length album expands the original EP with seven new tracks, including “MUÑEQUITA,” “FELL FROM A TREE THEY SAID,” “HOURGLASS,” “BUENA SUERTA,” “SUMMON FIRE,” “RESERVED 4 ME,” and “TEARPROOF,” each offering another glimpse into the expansive universe CASANDRA has created.
Blend a beautiful alto voice, crisp acoustic guitar, and a heartfelt perspective on the world, and you have Lynn Hollyfield. Known for her warm stage presence and emotionally rich songs, she connects effortlessly with audiences. Writing in a contemporary folk style, Lynn weaves in jazz-influenced chords and bluesy guitar alongside passionate vocals, think Mary Chapin Carpenter meets Bonnie Raitt with a touch of George Gershwin. The result is her own distinctive voice, witty, soulful, and reflective.
Lynn has been writing songs since her teenage years, growing up on Staten Island, NY, surrounded by a wide range of musical influences, from jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to artists like The Beatles and Neil Young. She began performing locally at a young age and later gained recognition as part of the duo Hollyfield & Spruill, appearing at festivals such as the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.
After launching her solo career, Lynn released several acclaimed albums, including LAYERS (2010), IN THE BALANCE (2014), and LOOK UP (2024), earning national and international airplay along with multiple songwriting awards including being listed in the Top Artists/ Top Albums for the International Folk Alliance. During the pandemic, she also published a children’s book, The Tree, The Ship and Me, with its accompanying song recognized as a finalist in the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest.
Lynn has released her fourth album, Diving In, produced by Grammy-nominated Seth Glier. A Spring Songwriting challenge and a Summer Songwriter’s retreat led to a serendipitous meeting with Seth, that resulted in recording 11 songs in 5 days, at Ghost Hit Recording Studios, West Springfield, MA, a week before Christmas, 2025. Snow falling, blessing the first day, they played in a circle, in a historic New England Church turned studio, with these incredible artists: Seth Glier, Abbie Gardner, Reed Sutherland and Rob Griffith. Kelly Halloran joined mid-week. Diving In is a collection of songs revealing the twists and turns in lives, our humanness, loss, love, the times we were in and the path we choose to go through it. There’s a range of styles on this album, mostly contemporary folk, a few with a little bit of traditional feel and timeless vibe. “There’s a quiet beauty in tradition. A delicate sacred space in folk music where songs can paint landscapes. Where melodies and arrangements sit comfortably inside the roots of Americana without ever feeling dated. Instead, they feel like a reminder. A breath. A return to something real in a world that constantly forces us to live too fast, want too much, and never be satisfied.”
Lynn continues to perform and tour along the East Coast while supporting the music community as a host for the Songwriter’s Association of Washington open mic and as Music Director at the Celebration Center for Spiritual Living in Falls Church, VA.
U.S. indie rocker Jonny Couch presents ‘Where The Sidewalk Ends’, his first album in seven years and his most ambitious work to date. Created with four acclaimed producers working across four different studios, the album expands on the melodic craftsmanship and emotional honesty that have become hallmarks of his songwriting while bringing a distinct character to each chapter of the record.
Like the 1950 film noir “Where the Sidewalk Ends”, which inspired this album, Couch channels a sense of mystery and shadowy city streets. its verses carrying a subtle detective-like atmosphere, the lyrics follow a lone figure moving through cold nights in search of connection and resolution. The cover artwork was created by renowned NYC artist Anne Muntges, who has exhibited internationally with work also featured in the book “Women Who Rock: Bessie to Beyoncé, Girl Groups to Riot Grrrl”.
Between infectious rockers and ballads, Couch’s music draws its origins directly from the power pop and new wave greats of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Featuring jangling guitars, a propulsive rhythm section, and undeniable melodic hooks, Couch is back with renewed focus and a collection of songs rooted in timeless songwriting, strong melodies and rock-and-roll energy.
After nearly two yearsof silence,Albuquerque alternative/pop-rock outfitSavingsreturn with their newest single and musicvideo,”Stressed Out,”arrivingJuly 23, 2026viaGraveboy Records. The release is morethan a reintroduction–it serves as a catalyst for a complete artistic reinvention, introducing thenext chapter of a band fundamentally pivoting their art and reclaiming ownership of theircreativity.Coalescing anthemic alternative rock with polished pop hooks, and hints of hip hop influences,“Stressed Out”defines a new beginning for Savings. While the single shovesthe groupintouncharted territory, it remains grounded in sincere songwriting and emotional authenticity thathave become their staple.”This was a step into new territory for us,”SamWilmot [Vocalist] expressed, “It’s a steptoward where we’re headed sonically while still giving a nod to our past and who we areat our core. We truly feel like this is some of our best work creatively…”
There are certain truths in life that are simple enough to fit into a few words, but powerful enough to shape entire careers. “No Pressure, No Diamond” is one of those truths. Four words that carry the weight of struggle, perseverence, sacrifice, pain, discipline, and ultimately reward.
We live in a world that loves outcomes, but often ignores process. We admire the trophy, but forget the training. We celebrate success, but overlook the sleepless nights. We applaud the finished masterpieces while paying little attention to the countless imperfect drafts that came before it.
Everybody wants the shine of the diamond, but not everybody wants the uncomfortable pressure and time it takes to create this most precious gemstone.
Think about that while you listen this album for the first time. The color isn’t perfect. The cut is not close to symmetrical. The clarity might be a little cloudy. But, the process is tried and true.
No Pressure, No Diamond.
Joudy release their unvarnished and love-torn album Permanent Maintenance on Trash Casual. Set aside, for now, are the evocative lyrics and lush soundscapes of their earlier releases. In their place, lyrical and sonic directness is embraced, finding Joudy distilling their soaring rock into something heavier, hot-blooded and cathartic — Stream.
Taking their album title from a mechanic shop of the same name, there is a throughline of machine-made elements across the record. Frontman Diego Ramirez recognized he had existed in survival mode for so long, this album was the first time he stopped to process. Mirrored by a political climate that banks on our constant burnout, Permanent Maintenance is a record of personal stories that reach across an entire society.
“‘Permanent Maintenance’ is about accepting that we’re never finished—that healing, love, resistance, and self-discovery are all part of a lifelong process of becoming,” says Ramirez.
Originally formed in their hometown of San Cristobal, Venezuela, in the mid 2010s, before the band members fled the intense political climate that was brewing in their home nation, Joudy’s journey has taken a long road from from South America to the east coast of the United States. “A frustrated dream that we’ve carried for years” is how Ramirez refers to it. The band is rounded out by Hulrich Navas (drums) and Carlos Rey (bass).
Following the recent release of his emotionally resonant single “Memories,” today, GRAMMY-winning, multi platinum-selling singer-songwriter and seven-time Billboard No. 1 hitmaker JHart returns with his most personal work to date, “Bby Blue.” The track serves as both a love letter and a thank you note to the younger version of himself. Inspired by the piercing blue eyes he had as a child, the song reflects on the journey of growing up, losing parts of yourself through fear, shame, and societal expectations, and ultimately finding your way back.
“I wrote ‘Bby Blue’ as a love song to my younger self and a reminder that the purest version of who I am never left,” says JHart. “Everything I’ve become, I owe to that flamboyant, free-spirited kid.”
Dance music powerhouse GRYFFIN, German hitmaker BUNT., and rising songstress Inéz today release their anticipated collaboration ‘World Away’ out now via 10K Projects. ‘World Away’ is the latest single to arrive as part of GRYFFIN’s highly-anticipated fourth studio album ELEMENTS I due out this Fall.
‘World Away’ is a collaboration eight years in the making between GRYFFIN and BUNT. The two are long time friends – GRYFFIN an early champion of BUNT. for nearly a decade, where BUNT was an early support act on GRYFFIN’s Gravity Tour eight years ago. He also notably played on GRYFFIN’s back-to-back sold-out nights at Red Rocks in 2023.
“Levi and I have an incredible history that I’ve always cherished. It’s marked most heavily in being proud to watch my friend turn into one of the biggest dance acts in the world today. There is no one kinder and more deserving than Levi, and there is no better time for us to celebrate our history together than with this song which we’ve talked about doing for as long as I can remember. I’m so grateful Inez was the one to deliver on that!” – GRYFFIN
Chicago blackened dark-wave band Bleached Cross are excited to share their new album, Wrath, available today via New Morality Zine. Wrath is the four-piece at their most punishing and most human, ten tracks that turn grief into both psychological horror and spiritual reckoning. Recorded with Andy Nelson at Bricktop Recording, the album trades raw volume for atmosphere and tension, building a sound that swings from suffocating dread to moments of massive, fragile clarity. It’s a record about what survives loss: not the person you were before, but proof that love and pain can be carried together.
On the new record, the band shares, “With this record it sometimes felt more like we were scoring a horror movie than writing punk songs. We intentionally pulled back on guitars and really focused on sound design and texture. It was a new approach for us, but the result is probably our darkest and emotionally heaviest work yet.”
LISTEN TO WRATH
Emerging experimental pop artist personalheartbreaker returns with her second single, “Personal Casino,” a haunting, atmospheric, electro-infused pop track that explores the intoxicating pursuit of fulfillment and the quiet destruction that can come from never feeling satisfied. Suspended between dreamlike beauty and emotional unrest, the song transforms personal reflection into a vivid portrait of selfhood shaped by chaos, ambition, and the endless quest for meaning. “Personal Casino” is available now on all major streaming platforms, and the official visualizer can be watched on YouTube.
Major League is back with new music for the first time in over 12 years. The band has today released their new single “Heavenly Hell”, an amalgamation of thrashy riffs and pounding drums topped with a dual vocal performance between two best friends leaving the past behind them and clearing a path for the future ahead. Stream the new track now, here: https://orcd.co/heavenlyhell and watch the lyric video here.
When singer Nick Trask and singer/songwriter Brian Anthony Joyce first began talking again after nearly a decade of no contact they had one intention – to show up as transparent as possible with one another. They laid it all out on the table. The prospect of new music wasn’t even on the horizon but transparency breeds authenticity, and within the first month back together new music found itself in the Dropbox of the band’s long-time friend and previous booking agent turned producer, Gary Cioni.
Alternative rock band Cartel has announced their highly anticipated fifth studio album, Learning How To Cope, set to be released September 18 via Field Day Records. Featuring previous singles “Oxy Moron” and “Give Or Take”, Learning How To Cope marks the band’s first full-length release since 2013’s Collider. Fans can pre-save Learning How To Cope here, with physical copies available for pre-order starting at 12pm ET here.
Pugh shares: “This music saved me. It helped me reconnect with empathy, with community and with the idea that everybody belongs. That ethos – honesty, openness, and taking care of your people – is what this record is built on. It feels different, but it still feels like Cartel.”
Along with the album announcement comes new singles “Deadbeat Drag” and “Shirts & Skins”, a musical Molotov cocktail the group previously unveiled in the wake of Minneapolis ICE murders. Stream the new tracks now here.
“We’re way past the point of being able to sit back and just provide the safe space that people can go and get away from everything,” Pugh says, referencing “Shirts & Skins“. “Society has been doing that long enough and not having difficult conversations – and that’s just kind of over. If you’re not going to say something now, when are you ever going to fucking say something?”
Waterparks have released their sixth studio album JINX out now. The album, which includes features from Mark Hoppus of blink-182, Eric Nally of Foxy Shazam and Dillon Francis, is available to stream in full and be purchased physically with signed and special colored vinyl variants offered.
On JINX Waterparks turn inward and outward at once, unpacking existential dread, the disorienting cost of visibility, and all-consuming relationships to expose a world where nothing quite makes sense, but the desperation to find meaning, connection, or even escape never lets up.
The album opens with cinematic flair juxtaposed with emotional intimacy: “TELL ME WHY” is a story of death, purgatory, confrontation, and return. That deliberate juxtaposition runs throughout JINX, with each song asserting its purpose rather than blending into a palette. “PROWLER” is a study in isolation and reckoning. “RED GUITAR” snaps in the opposite direction, with swaggering hooks. “IF LYRICS WERE CONFIDENTIAL” folds cutting internal commentary into a song that thrives on tension. Even at its most aggressive or surreal, JINX remains tightly composed, its chaos less accidental than thoughtfully curated.
Musician, entrepreneur, and wife of Perry Farrell, founder and creator of Lollapalooza, Etty Lau Farrell continues the creative evolution that has defined her recent work with the release of her latest single, “Butterfly,” out today and produced by pioneering electronic artist DJ Rap. Through the combination of Etty’s ethereal vocals with DJ Rap’s iconic house-inspired production, the track unfolds as a euphoric dance-pop anthem rooted in timeless vocal house. Driven by soaring melodies, hypnotic rhythms, and an undeniable sense of release, “Butterfly” captures the beauty of transformation, embracing change, finding freedom, and stepping into a new version of yourself.
Following her recent collaboration with electronic artist VNSSA on “Step Into My Light,” “Butterfly” continues Etty’s ongoing celebration of the women shaping dance music today. The release with DJ Rap marks another chapter in Etty’s evolving musical story, one rooted in connection, creativity, and fearless self expression..
“I am really happy to have the opportunity to lend my vocals to the song ‘Butterfly.’ DJ Rap has written a beautiful song. This song is very apropos not only to my personal journey, but also to women around the world,” says Etty Lau Farrell “We are often confined in our cocoons, but there comes a day when we break out of our chrysalis. The world will see us with our beautiful wings, and we will fly freely.”
Furthering a string of emotionally rich releases, Scarlett Macfarlane shares “Ever After,” a warm, cinematic pop single that explores the quiet struggle of staying present in a life that always feels one step ahead. Uplifting, nostalgic, and gently anthemic, the track turns introspection into something expansive and hopeful, capturing the beauty of learning to slow down and simply exist inside the moment.
At its core, “Ever After” reflects Scarlett’s tendency to move quickly through life, always looking toward what comes next before fully arriving in the now. The song becomes a personal reminder to pause, breathe, and actually inhabit the experiences she’s spent so long chasing.
“I often feel like I’ve never ‘done’ anything because by the time I finish something I’m already thinking about the next thing,” Scarlett explains. “This song is meant to be a gentle reminder to stay in the present.”
While most of Philadelphia’s current rap scene has gravitated toward drill, Surf7 distinguishes himself through introspective writing and undeniable momentum. Built around his rapid-fire lyricism and vivid street storytelling, “GOOSE COAT” is a triumphant account of survival, ambition, and the realities of his come-up. Together with his first release, “FRM DA JETZ,” the two songs generated more than 600K plays in their first month, transforming Surf7 from a rising local artist into one of the most talked-about new voices in Philly rap. As he prepares to bring his music to DSPs for the first time, the young rapper is poised to convert the grassroots momentum behind “GOOSE COAT” into lasting commercial impact.
Surf channels the spirit of hometown legends like Meek Mill and Cassidy while carving out a lane entirely his own, fusing rapid-fire lyricism with vivid storytelling of the streets. At a time when much of the city’s rap scene has gravitated toward drill, Surf has distinguished himself through introspective writing and triumphant narratives that chronicle survival, ambition, and the realities of his come-up. Off the mic, Surf’s relentless energy has become an integral part of his identity. An avid runner who starts each day before sunrise, he has built a reputation for discipline, positivity, and an unbreakable drive. That tenacity has fueled a wave of fan-generated content across TikTok, where tens of thousands of videos have helped transform Surf from a local phenomenon, into one of the most exciting emerging rap artists in the country.
ABBIE CALLAHAN
“Circus”
• Rising Americana artist Abbie Callahan invites listeners into the emotional spectacle of her mind with her new single, “Circus.”
• “I wrote ‘Circus’ about how my mind feels at times, especially while pursuing a career in music. I’m navigating this unfamiliar territory, things I’ve never seen and feelings I’ve never felt so deeply. The circus can still be fun though. It’s entertaining, worth watching to see what happens next and can keep you on the edge of your seat. I think everyone has felt that way before and it’s worth shining a light on, even if it’s a spotlight.” – Abbie Callahan
• Abbie recently announced the OptiMYSTIC Tour, her first ever headline tour, followed by a run of shows supporting Willow Avalon and Orville Peck. Tickets here.
MATT LANG
“Stoned On You”
• Matt Lang releases “Stoned On You,” the fourth single off of his upcoming concept album, Ain’t That Bad, pairing a country-rock late-night diner twist with its own short film chapter.
• “’Ain’t That Bad’ is not just any album. It’s a concept album inspired by ‘The Hangover’ movie. Everything happens over one crazy night out and every song is a key moment in the timeline. Stay tuned, you’ll know how this wild evening starts very soon.” – Matt Lang
• Matt will celebrate the album launch with a show at MTELUS in Montréal on August 23rd, plus stops at the Festival Western de St-Tite, supporting Jordan Davis, and more. Get tickets here.
- Email: neill@outloudculture.com
- Socials: @frazer.live
- @neill.outloud
