The iconic and enduring figure in American music, Mavis Staples, has delivered her soulful and profound new solo album, Sad And Beautiful World, available now via ANTI- Records! Highlighting this stunning collection is her powerful rendition of Kevin Morby’s “Beautiful Strangers,” where her voice, embracing vulnerability, draws the listener into an unforgettable presence. The album, produced by Brad Cook, magnificently spans seven decades of the American songbook, featuring reinventions of timeless classics alongside original music, and boasts incredible cameos from legends like Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy, and Derek Trucks. Morby himself shared the immense honor of the recording, stating that hearing Mavis sing his song is “hands down the greatest moment and highest honor of my career,” and emphatically declared, “her version is better.” This album truly showcases Mavis Staples—the lone surviving member of the Staple Singers—carrying her family’s gifts and knowledge as a living heritage!
DAVID CULTURA Releases New Single “Murga” From Debut Album ‘Cultura’
The acclaimed saxophonist and Panamanian native David Cultura has released “Murga,” the latest single from his full-length debut album, Cultura, available now on Devon Allman’s Create Records. “Murga” is Cultura’s vibrant sonic homage to one of Panama’s most beloved musical traditions—a form of popular musical theatre performed during Carnival season. With its syncopated brass lines and celebratory spirit, the track captures the energy and soul of the street parades that inspired it, serving as a musical bridge between Panamanian heritage and modern musical expression. Cultura states, “I wanted it to be a jazz record that was accessible, that brought people into the music,” and with Cultura, he delivers a danceable, melodic journey through the sounds and stories of Latin America, reimagined through a modern jazz lens.
GOING OFF Releases New Single “Mourning” From EP ‘Kill List II’
The unwavering force of the U.K. hardcore scene, Going Off, has just delivered their powerful new single, “Mourning,” which is taken from their brutal new EP, Kill List II. The song is a raw and deeply sensitive track centered around the story of a mother’s devastating loss of her firstborn son to extreme violence, demonstrating Going Off at their most emotionally heavy. Since bursting onto the scene in 2020 with their self-titled and Destroy EPs, the band has quickly cultivated a following due to their high-impact shows and relentless DIY mentality, proving they are a force that gets out there and inspires.
Kill List II is the ferocious follow-up to their 2024 record Die Fast, which Kerrang! praised as “speedy and savage hardcore that feels live in a dive bar.” This new EP confronts the rawest of human experiences with brutal musical intensity, channeling grief, rage, and resilience into a sonic powerhouse. Lyrically, the album is an unapologetic exploration of loss—of loved ones, of limbs, and of past versions of yourself. After spending the past few years tearing up stages on an extensive UK tour with Employed To Serve and Pupil Slicer, this new release confirms that Going Off continues to bend the elements of frantic hardcore under the weight of emotional magnitude.
Kill List II Track Listing:
- Change My Life
- Brain Melter
- Mourning
- To Lose a Limb
- Scum Friend
- Salvation
OVERMONO and HIGH CONTRAST Unleash Highly Anticipated “If We Ever” Reimagining Single
Electronic music sensation Overmono—brothers Tom and Ed Russell—have solidified their biggest summer yet by releasing their widely anticipated reimagining of High Contrast’s legendary drum & bass anthem, “If We Ever.” This definitive summer sound, which became a viral highlight following their ecstatic Glastonbury set and was first unveiled at their headline Love Saves The Day show, is now receiving a global digital release via XL Recordings’ iconic housebag series. The brothers shared that the original track was an anthem they were “all battering” back in the day, and after creating their own version “just for fun,” the reaction was so wildly enthusiastic that it ended up becoming a staple in every set they played this year.
CAPITAL CITIES Releases New Single “Late For School” From Album ‘Making Up The Rules’
The high-energy, alt-pop architects Capital Cities have just dropped their newest single, “Late For School,” a relentless high-tempo romp that serves as a thrilling preview of their new full-length album, Making Up The Rules. Moving beyond the globally recognized grooves of “Safe And Sound” and “Kangaroo Court,” this track is a blistering declaration of independence—a rallying cry for the delightfully unapologetic outsider. It’s a masterclass in controlled chaos, packed wall-to-wall with the band’s signature twisted hooks, brilliant brass arrangements, and an infectious, high-octane energy that dares you to sit still. Following swiftly on the heels of the “groundbreakingly groovy” “F*k It,” Capital Cities proves once again why they remain the ultimate purveyors of sophisticated, synth-driven pop genius.
Saku Mantere Releases Ambitious New Album ‘Divine Apology’
Acclaimed vocalist, composer, and bandleader Saku Mantere has released his ambitious new album, Divine Apology, worldwide on Orchard of Pomegranates. This poetic work weaves together jazz, literature, and philosophy into a profound meditation on memory, grief, resilience, and love. Featuring an all-star Canadian jazz ensemble, the album unfolds as a journey through the liminal space between life and afterlife, inspired in part by poet Norman Cristofoli’s metaphysical play The Pub.
With lyrics drawn from Cristofoli, Dylan Thomas, Finnish folk song, and Mantere’s own pen, Divine Apology invites listeners into a sonic realm where sorrow, resistance, memory, and redemption intertwine. Mantere explains that the title carries a dual meaning—both a gesture of regret and a defense of the human condition—as the music “questions, consoles, and connects,” imagining what a divine apology for the suffering in the world might sound like.
LIPS OF STRANGERS Releases Sophomore EP ‘Too Long For Lovers’
The New Jersey-based indie dream-pop outfit Lips of Strangers has released their sophomore EP, Too Long For Lovers, marking their second release this year. Though newly formed, the band’s members are no strangers to the stage, having toured with acts like Hot Chip and Ra Ra Riot. The five-track EP showcases the talents of the quintet, fronted by Spencer Miles, who also produced the record.
Too Long For Lovers features four new songs that were tested and refined on stage before being brought into the studio, allowing the live performance energy to shape the recordings. The fifth track, the title song “Too Long For Lovers,” now serves as the EP’s lead single—a dreamy, synth-driven, and emotionally charged pop moment that glows with warm 1980s nostalgia while remaining firmly planted in the present.
Too Long For Lovers Track Listing:
- Too Long For Lovers
- On and On Forever
- Your Heart Is a Winding Road
- Burn It Down and Start Over Again
- We Never Dance
LOWSUNDAY Returns After Three Decades With New EP ‘Low Sunday Ghost Machine – White EP’
Projekt Records artist Lowsunday has emerged with their latest record, the Low Sunday Ghost Machine – White EP, comprising all-new material for the first time since 1999, bridging three decades of a distinct sonic legacy. The Pittsburgh-based act, now a duo featuring Shane Sahene (vocals, guitar, synth, bass, drums) and Bobby Spell (bass, guitar, drums), is making a welcome return with their retro-futurist daydream, blurring the lines between post-punk, shoegaze, dreampop, and darkwave.
Laced with a counter-balance of escapism, dreamlike sounds, drones, and feedback, the five-track EP features melodic hooks and classic song structures that explore emotional isolation. This confident return to form demonstrates a connection to the band’s history while showcasing a natural expansion into darker yet more expansive sonic territory, at times pushing atmospheres to the limits of noise and, at other times, into a dream pop air of deeper melancholia.
This release follows the extended 30th anniversary remaster of their debut album, Low Sunday Ghost Machine, and the 25th anniversary remaster of their sophomore album, Elesgiem, both released via Projekt. The band has also shared the new video for “Love Language,” one of the five tracks available on the EP.
‘Low Sunday Ghost Machine – White EP’ Track List:
- “Nevver”
- “Call Silence”
- “Soft Capture”
- “You Lost Yourself”
- “Love Language”
GORE. Drops Cinematic Video for “Wrath” From Latest EP
Texas metal quartet GORE.—vocalist Haley Roughton, guitarist Alex Reyes, bassist Devin Birchfield, and drummer Wills Weller—recently dropped their latest EP, titled IF YOU DO NOT FEAR ME…. To celebrate, the band has shared the gripping cinematic video for “Wrath,” which sees singer Haley Roughton in an epic medieval battle moment, which she notes is “fully leaning into the ‘Disney Princess Metal’ vibe that the song brings.” The vocalist explains that the video showcases a “damsel in distress that gives her soul to a man that was supposed to save her,” but ends up causing his madness and the demise of his comrades, calling it one of the coolest music videos she has ever seen.
The new EP follows GORE.’s acclaimed A Bud That Never Blooms EP (2024), which earned them recognition as a “Band You Need To Know” by Revolver and praise from NME for their “cutting-edge modern metal at its most vulnerable.” According to the band, “Wrath” is the culmination of resentment, cynicism, and fear resulting from the experiences explored in their debut EP. Haley Roughton leads the charge, bringing a distinctly feminine perspective to the heavy music scene with an emotionally raw and unapologetically vulnerable sound that is poised to continue challenging norms within the industry.
IF YOU DO NOT FEAR ME… EP TRACK LISTING:
- “Wrath”
- “Sepsis”
- “Orbiting”
- “Like You Meant It”
Apple TV+ Reveals Premiere Date and First Look at ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’
Today, Apple TV revealed the premiere date and a sneak peek at its highly anticipated series “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” starring and executive produced by Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee Elle Fanning and Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Michelle Pfeiffer. The renowned ensemble cast is also led by Emmy Award winner Nick Offerman and Thaddea Graham, with Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Nicole Kidman, who also serves as an executive producer. Hailing from A24 and multi-Emmy Award winner David E. Kelley, and based on Rufi Thorpe’s bestselling novel of the same name, the eight-episode Apple Original series will premiere globally on Wednesday April 15, 2026 with three episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through May 20, 2026.
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” is a bold, heartwarming and comedic family drama following recent college dropout and aspiring writer, Margo (Fanning), the daughter of an ex-Hooter’s waitress (Pfeiffer) and ex-pro wrestler (Offerman), as she’s forced to make her way with a new baby, a mounting pile of bills and a dwindling amount of ways to pay them. The series also stars Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Greg Kinnear, Michael Angarano, Rico Nasty and Lindsey Normington.
“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” is produced for Apple TV by A24. Kelley serves as showrunner and writer, and executive produces alongside Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning and Brittany Kahan Ward for Lewellen Pictures; Kidman and Per Saari of Blossom Films; and Matthew Tinker for David E. Kelley Productions. Pfeiffer, Thorpe, Eva Anderson and Boo Killebrew also executive produce. BAFTA and Emmy Award winner Dearbhla Walsh directs the pilot and serves as an executive producer. Additional directors include Kate Herron and Alice Seabright.
The series marks the most recent collaboration between Kelley and Apple TV, following the hit, Emmy Award-nominated drama “Presumed Innocent,” which is now in production on its second season.