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Belfast Post-Punk Noise-Makers Makeshift Art Bar Sign to Heist or Hit and Drop Lead Single ‘Chocolate’

Eric Alper
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Belfast Post-Punk Noise-Makers Makeshift Art Bar Sign to Heist or Hit and Drop Lead Single ‘Chocolate’

Makeshift Art Bar arrive with noise, nerve, and a label deal that makes complete sense. The Belfast quartet sign to cult indie heavyweights Heist or Hit, home to Westside Cowboy and Her’s, and announce their ‘Marionette’ EP, due June 26, launching it today with lead single ‘Chocolate.’ Produced by Daniel Fox (Sprints, MELTS, Psychotic Monks), the track is a post-punk, grunge, and electronica collision about crippling social anxiety and the strange warmth of choosing loneliness anyway. Listen here.

‘Chocolate’ opens on a synth line as slippery and hyperactive as anything Aphex Twin has produced, with crispy offbeat electronic cymbals playing against atonal guitars and pugilistic drumming before collapsing into a nauseating cacophony of euphoria. The band describes the character at its centre as someone who “screams the paradox of saying everything, yet having no desire for anything in return.” It’s dissonant, arch, and completely gripping, a track that earns its chaos.

The single follows their acclaimed 2025 debut EP ‘Lackluster Writing Makes Fundamental Reading’ and arrives with real momentum behind it. Makeshift Art Bar already hold a BBC 6 Music playlist spot and live session, alongside praise from So Young and DIY Magazine. Joseph Sweeney, Callum McGuigan, Alleyah Boulaich, and Callum Sweeney are four musicians operating with a fearlessness that most bands spend years trying to find.

They’re also about to prove it live. The group are currently supporting Chalk on a European tour before their own headline dates in Derry and Dublin, and a 3Olympia show alongside Just Mustard on May 1.

Live Dates:

April 10 – Botanique Rotonde, Brussels, BE

April 11 – Trabendo, Paris, FR (w/Chalk)

April 13 – L’Amperage, Grenoble, FR (w/Chalk)

April 15 – Santeria Toscana, Milan, IT (w/Chalk)

April 16 – Bogen F, Zurich, CH (w/Chalk)

April 18 – Lido, Berlin, DE (w/Chalk)

April 20 – Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam, NL (w/Chalk)

April 23 – Sandinos, Derry, NI

April 24 – Whelans Upstairs, Dublin, IE

May 1 – 3Olympia, Dublin, IE (w/Just Mustard)

Atlanta Hip-Hop Rising Star Dess Dior Drops Sophomore Album ‘Note To Self’ With Video for “Missin You”

Eric Alper
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Atlanta Hip-Hop Rising Star Dess Dior Drops Sophomore Album ‘Note To Self’ With Video for “Missin You”

Dess Dior arrives fully formed on ‘Note To Self,’ her sophomore album and most realized statement to date. The Savannah-born, Atlanta-rooted hip-hop artist drops the 15-track project today alongside a music video for focus track “Missin You,” featuring YFN Lucci. From the opening moments of “Too Blessed” through the unapologetic closer “Ms Put It On,” the album moves with the kind of self-assurance that only comes from an artist who knows exactly who she is. Listen here.

The album builds on her previous EP ‘Take Notes’ and pushes considerably further. Dess frames the project with precision: “Note To Self is a love letter to myself in all senses. It’s me reminding myself who I am, how far I’ve come, and where I’m headed.” That clarity runs through every track, from the bold, high-energy “Come Correct,” “Fine AF,” and “Pop Out” to the more introspective “Different Pages” and “Missin You,” where she pulls back the curtain on emotional complexity and the difficulty of letting go.

Sonically, ‘Note To Self’ is rooted in Atlanta’s signature sound and elevated with a polished global sensibility, including a feature from Jamaican dancehall artist Valiant alongside collaborations with Belly Gang Kushington, BJRNCK, Chalynn, and YFN Lucci. The range across 15 tracks is impressive, shifting between assertive and intimate without losing the throughline of confidence that anchors everything. It’s a seamless, dynamic listening experience that finishes as strong as it starts.

With over 4.5 million followers and a growing presence across music, fashion, and culture, including her role on BET+’s The Impact Atlanta, Dess Dior is building something that extends well beyond any single release. ‘Note To Self’ is the clearest picture yet of where she’s headed.

‘Note To Self’ Tracklist:

  1. Too Blessed
  2. Tell Me Now featuring Belly Gang Kushington
  3. Come Correct
  4. Single Summer
  5. What U Need featuring Chalynn
  6. IDC featuring BJRNCK
  7. Missin You featuring YFN Lucci
  8. Different Pages
  9. Fine AF
  10. Spoil Me featuring Valiant
  11. M4
  12. Spinnin’
  13. Go
  14. Pop Out
  15. Ms Put It On

JUNO Award-Winning Canadian Pop Artist Preston Pablo Drips Confidence on New Single “Selfish”

Eric Alper
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JUNO Award-Winning Canadian Pop Artist Preston Pablo Drips Confidence on New Single “Selfish”

Multi-platinum pop artist Preston Pablo unveils the new pop anthem, “Selfish” out today via 31 East and Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company. The new track features Preston’s unequivocally smooth vocals layered through an addictive beat and dynamic soundscape. “Selfish” propels Preston further into his new era that embraces his creative artistry and undeniable charisma. Listen here.
 
On the new single, Preston notes: “This is one of those songs I’ve been trying to make for a long time. I’ve always loved bassline-driven records, and for a while I’ve been chasing my own version of that sound. At its core, ‘Selfish’ is a simple song. The production is stripped back, but everything is intentional the melody, the pocket, the swing of the drums. That’s what makes songs like this surprisingly hard to get right.”
 
At its core, “Selfish” is a song about confidence. It sounds like the feel of a luxury sports car, or tailored suit that fits just right. The foundation of the song is the infectious bassline that ties everything together with the perfect amount of attitude. The lyrics tell a story of someone with ‘main character energy.’ Someone who unapologetically knows what they want, and fixates until it becomes theirs.

“‘Selfish’ carries a confident, moody, almost cocky energy,” Preston continues, “It’s about wanting something or someone so deeply that nothing else really matters. It’s that moment where logic goes out the window and all that’s left is the end goal. The day we wrote it, it instantly became one of my favourites. That’s why I knew it had to be one of the first songs I released after taking some time away from music.”
 
“Selfish” features production by Keith “Ten4” Sorrells and Oscar Linnander. Sorrells notably co-wrote and co-produced on John Legend’s Grammy-winning album Bigger Love, while his Demi Lovato collab “I Love Me” hit #1 on Billboard Digital Song Sales, crossed 180M Spotify streams, and won a 2022 BMI Award for Most Performed Song of the Year. He also co-wrote and co-produced Lovato’s entire eighth studio album Holy Fvck. Linnander is a producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumantalist with credits including Charlotte Sands, Jessie Murph, Kehlani, Demi Lovato, and Jamie Fine among others.
 
“Selfish” arrives on the heels of the latest single, “Cause I Do,” his first new music of 2026. The two tracks are the first original releases from Preston since his 2024 debut EP Anywhere But Here, home to the viral hit “Dance Alone.”
 
Preston Pablo is best known for his chart-topping single “Flowers Need Rain,” which earned him the 2023 JUNO Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and was the #1 most Shazamed song of Summer 2022 in Canada. His follow-up smash “Dance Alone” cracked the Top 10 at Canadian radio across all formats and has since inspired over 450,000 user-generated TikTok videos, further cementing his reputation as one of Canada’s most compelling pop voices.
 
With “Selfish” Preston Pablo continues to take a confident step forward, offering a taste of the new sound and creative direction he’ll continue to unveil throughout 2026.

Norwegian Folk-Rock Act MÍO Heads to SPOT Festival After Standout Inferno Metal Festival Set

Eric Alper
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Norwegian Folk-Rock Act MÍO Heads to SPOT Festival After Standout Inferno Metal Festival Set

MÍO keep building momentum. Following a high-energy performance and overwhelmingly positive reception at this year’s Inferno Metal Festival, the Norwegian folk-rock outfit heads to Aarhus, Denmark for SPOT Festival, one of Scandinavia’s most influential showcase events for new music. As part of the Roots program, MÍO closes the Radar stage at 23:15 on Saturday, May 2.

The band has earned a serious reputation as one of the underground’s most exceptional live experiences, with hundreds of festival and venue performances across Norway and abroad. Their concerts are explosive, unpretentious, and genuinely engaging, the kind of show that converts first-time listeners into devoted fans on the spot. SPOT Festival is exactly the stage they deserve right now.

Northern Sámi Folk Single “Giđa ávašta” by Emil Kárlsen and Elina Ijäs Carries the Sound of a Language Returning

Eric Alper
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Northern Sámi Folk Single “Giđa ávašta” by Emil Kárlsen and Elina Ijäs Carries the Sound of a Language Returning

Emil Kárlsen and Northern Sámi artist Elina Ijäs release “Giđa ávašta,” a folk single whose title translates to “one senses spring,” and the timing is exact. Released during the season of giđđadálvi, spring-winter, the song arrives as polar darkness gives way to returning light in the coastal region of Gáivuotna, where both artists have family roots and where the assimilation of the Sámi people once came closest to erasing the language entirely.

The metaphor at the song’s core is both simple and profound. Rays of sunlight reaching further down between tall mountains represent the return of the Sámi language to communities where it was nearly lost. “Giđa ávašta is a very symbolic song with many layers,” Kárlsen says, “telling our story from the past while upliftingly leading us toward the present and onward into the future.” It’s enchanting, grounded, and carries real cultural significance without ever feeling like a lecture. The music video, filmed by Marakatt Media and edited by Sverre Simonsen, matches its beauty.

The single previews Kárlsen’s first solo debut album ‘Nannámii,’ due September 25.

Norwegian Metal Pioneers Einherjer Unleash “Bloodborn” and Announce Tenth Album ‘Lifeblood’

Eric Alper
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Norwegian Metal Pioneers Einherjer Unleash “Bloodborn” and Announce Tenth Album ‘Lifeblood’

Einherjer have been at this for over thirty years, and “Bloodborn” sounds like a band that hasn’t lost a single step. The Norwegian metal pioneers release the first single from their upcoming tenth studio album ‘Lifeblood,’ out June 19 via By Norse Music, and it arrives with the force the title promises. Driven by imagery of the sea, wolves, and serpents, the track taps directly into the Norse idea that humans are never fully separate from the wild powers of nature.

Founder Frode Glesnes frames the song with clarity: “I wanted to explore that hidden fire beneath the skin.” That fire runs through every second of “Bloodborn,” a track about instinct, inheritance, and the untamed side of humanity that refuses to be civilized away. It’s both a warning and a celebration, and it sets a powerful tone for what’s coming.

‘Lifeblood’ represents a decade-marking reflection on belonging, heritage, and roots, for the band as individuals and as a collective. After thirty-plus years of making music, the four-piece look back at the forces that shaped them and follow those threads forward into their most considered album yet. The result is a record with genuine weight behind it.

Diamond-Certified R&B Soul Superstar Teddy Swims Launches New Era With “Mr. Know It All”

Eric Alper
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Diamond-Certified R&B Soul Superstar Teddy Swims Launches New Era With “Mr. Know It All”

Teddy Swims opens his next chapter with a song about knowing too much for your own good. “Mr. Know It All,” out today via Warner Records, is an instantly hooky, moody soul cut built on vintage grooves, eighties rock hook-craft, and lush modern production, the kind of track that sounds effortless and cuts deep at the same time. It arrives just in time for his Coachella mainstage performance this weekend, and it signals a new era with real confidence.

The song tackles romantic self-sabotage with unusual intellectual precision. Swims frames it around Robert K. Merton’s concepts of self-destroying and self-fulfilling prophecy, what he calls “The Prophet’s Dilemma.” “When you believe you already know how it ends, you protect yourself by holding back,” he explains, “and that distance becomes the reason it fails.” The brutal honesty of that idea runs straight through the chorus, delivered with the kind of vocal authority that made him one of the most talked-about live performers on the planet. Reuniting with co-writers and producers Julian Bunetta, Ammo, and John Ryan, with additional contributions from Eskeerdo and first-time collaborator Ed Drewett, the production perfectly frames everything Swims is saying.

He’s earned the right to open a new era on his own terms. “Lose Control” spent 112 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, set the record for the longest-running entry in the chart’s history, topped the Hot 100 and five radio formats, and surpassed 5 billion global streams on its way to Diamond certification. Last year he released ‘I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Complete Edition),’ a definitive 32-track collection that completed the full vision of his two-part debut album with six previously unheard tracks. He also teamed with David Guetta and Tones And I on “Gone Gone Gone” and joined Summer Walker on “Allegedly.”

“Mr. Know It All” is the first move in what’s shaping up to be Swims’ most ambitious year yet. After Coachella, he hits Stagecoach, BottleRock, and New Orleans Jazz Fest before launching East Coast headline dates in June and a massive European festival run through July, wrapping as a headliner at Bonnaroo. He’s the only artist playing both Coachella and Stagecoach mainstages this April.

Teddy Swims Tour Dates:

April 10 – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Indio, CA

April 17 – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Indio, CA

April 25 – Stagecoach Music Festival, Indio, CA

May 3 – New Orleans Jazz Festival, New Orleans, LA

May 22 – BottleRock Festival, Napa, CA

June 4 – Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

June 5 – CMAC, Canandaigua, NY

June 7 – Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, PA

June 9 – Chartway Arena, Norfolk, VA

June 10 – North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, SC

June 12 – District Park, Easley, SC

June 13 – Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Manchester, TN

June 19 – Pinkpop Festival, Landgraaf, Netherlands

June 20 – Isle of Wight Festival, Isle of Wight, UK

June 22 – Belsonic, Belfast, Northern Ireland

June 23 – Malahide Castle, Dublin, Ireland

June 25 – Powderham Castle, Exeter, UK

June 26 – Blackweir Fields, Cardiff, UK

June 28 – Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, UK

June 30 – Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, UK

July 1 – TK Maxx presents Lytham Festival, Lancashire, UK

July 3 – Rock Werchter, Werchter, Belgium

July 4 – Open’er Festival, Puck County, Poland

July 7 – JazzOpen Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany

July 9 – Mad Cool Festival, Madrid, Spain

July 11 – Nos Alive, Oeiras, Portugal

July 15 – Gurtenfestival, Bern, Switzerland

July 16 – Electric Castle Festival, Bontida, Romania

July 18 – Colours of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia

July 19 – Lollapalooza Berlin, Berlin, Germany

July 22 – TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Scarborough, UK

July 23 – TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Scarborough, UK

July 25 – Latitude Festival, Henham Park, Suffolk, UK

Kehlani and Missy Elliott Team Up on R&B Single “Back and Forth” Ahead of Self-Titled Album

Eric Alper
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Kehlani and Missy Elliott Team Up on R&B Single “Back and Forth” Ahead of Self-Titled Album

Kehlani closes out the lead-up to her self-titled album with her strongest move yet. “Back and Forth,” featuring Missy Elliott, drops today as the final single before ‘Kehlani’ arrives April 24, her birthday, and the pairing is exactly as electric as it sounds. Kehlani’s soulful vulnerability alongside Missy Elliott’s unmatched charisma produces a track that bridges generations of R&B without making it feel like a history lesson. Listen here.

The collaboration matters beyond the music itself. It signals where Kehlani stands right now, confident enough to share a record with one of hip-hop and R&B’s most untouchable figures, and grounded enough to let the song do the talking. “Back and Forth” sets the emotional and sonic tone for the album, a fearless, intimate body of work built on clarity and creative freedom. A self-titled album is a statement, and this one arrives at exactly the right moment in her career.

That moment has been building fast. Her 2025 single “Folded” surpassed 800 million global streams, peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, held number one at Urban Radio for nine weeks, and topped both Rhythmic and R&B Radio. It inspired the “Folded Homage Pack,” featuring Toni Braxton, Brandy, JoJo, Mario, Ne-Yo, and Tank. Kehlani took home Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song, adding to seven total nominations across her career, and she’ll receive the Impact Award at the upcoming Billboard Women in Music.

With more than 5 billion career streams, over 20 gold and platinum RIAA certifications, and an album arriving on her birthday, Kehlani is operating at the peak of her powers.

Folk and Americana Singer-Songwriter Erin Lunsford’s “Call Me If You Need Me” Comes With Its Own Hotline

Eric Alper
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Folk and Americana Singer-Songwriter Erin Lunsford’s “Call Me If You Need Me” Comes With Its Own Hotline

Erin Lunsford wrote “Call Me If You Need Me” during one of the scariest moments a friendship can produce. When a close friend was in the middle of a mental health crisis, Lunsford channeled that fear into something lasting, a folk and Americana love letter to the people who show up when it counts. The single, out today, blends sweet country folk with spooky Americana, driven by a six-piece band and influences that sit somewhere between Noah Kahan and Kacey Musgraves.

The song is about female friendship at its most fierce and unconditional. “I wrote this tune about the power of friendship and the fierceness with which I love my friends,” Lunsford says. That ferocity comes through in every bar, a track that moves from fear into testimony, from worry into commitment. It’s emotionally honest without being heavy-handed, and it lands with the kind of warmth that makes it feel immediately personal.

Lunsford has gone a step further than the song itself. She’s launched a custom-built affirmation hotline, accessible by dialing 804-322-9317, where listeners navigate guided prompts offering encouragement, emotional support, and real connection. It’s an extension of the song’s core message and a direct reflection of how she approaches music, as a tool for community, not just consumption. Her band, which now features more women than ever, reinforces that same ethos.

The Richmond-based singer-songwriter has earned praise from NPR Music and built a reputation as one of Americana’s most compelling storytellers, with previous singles drawing comparisons to emotional time capsules and gut-punch breakup songwriting. Her single “Strawberries” inspired a regional tour that raised over $16,000 for local food pantries. “Call Me If You Need Me” is the second single of 2026, with a full-length album due this summer.

Spice Girls Icon Melanie C Drops Club-Ready Pop Single “Attitude” Ahead of ‘Sweat’ and World Tour

Eric Alper
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Spice Girls Icon Melanie C Drops Club-Ready Pop Single “Attitude” Ahead of ‘Sweat’ and World Tour

Melanie C arrives at her ninth studio album with something to prove, and “Attitude” makes the case immediately. The new single, out today, is a confident, club-ready pop track built on charisma and forward momentum, a direct preview of ‘Sweat,’ her most liberating record yet, due May 1 via Virgin Music Group. It’s the sound of an artist fully in command of who she is and exactly where she’s headed. Listen here.

The song draws from a specific emotional place. “It’s that electric moment when you walk into a room and know exactly who you are,” Melanie says. “Every night’s a Friday is that mindset of living boldly, unapologetically, and celebrating yourself.” There’s genuine joy running through the track alongside its defiance, a combination that makes it hit differently than a standard empowerment anthem. It’s playful, sharp, and built for a room full of people who came to move.

‘Sweat’ connects back to Melanie’s roots, specifically to her teenage years dancing through the Costa Brava rave scene in the early nineties, long before the world knew her as a Spice Girl. That raw, euphoric energy from those formative nights shapes the album’s entire creative vision, and “Attitude” channels it with a modern, club-honed production sensibility that feels current without losing any of the personality that’s made her a global icon for three decades.

The world tour runs from June through November, covering North America, the UK, Europe, Japan, and Australia. North American headline dates kick off in September, with stops at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre, New York’s Webster Hall, Chicago’s Concord Music Hall, and more. Tickets are on sale now.

North American Tour Dates:

June 5-7 – OUTLOUD Music Festival, Los Angeles, CA (DJ Set)

September 8 – Club Soda, Montreal, QC

September 9 – Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON

September 11 – 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.

September 12 – Webster Hall, New York, NY

September 14 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA

September 16 – Concord Music Hall, Chicago, IL

September 18 – Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC

September 19 – The Showbox, Seattle, WA

September 22 – The Castro Theatre, San Francisco, CA

September 23 – The Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

September 25 – House of Blues, San Diego, CA

UK & EU Tour Dates:

October 18 – 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

October 20 – Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, UK

October 21 – O2 Ritz, Manchester, UK

October 23 – O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK

October 24 – O2 Institute, Birmingham, UK

October 26 – Botanique, Brussels, Belgium

October 27 – La Machine du Moulin Rouge, Paris, France

October 29 – Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands

October 30 – Metropol, Berlin, Germany

Asia & Australia Tour Dates:

November 6 – EX Theater Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan

November 11 – Astor Theatre, Perth, Australia

November 13 – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne, Australia

November 14 – The Tivoli, Brisbane, Australia

November 15 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Australia

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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