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Ireland’s Riptide Movement Mark 20 Years Together With Anthemic New Single “Owe You A Lot”

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20 years in, The Riptide Movement are still finding new ground. “Owe You A Lot,” out now, is the first taste of the Irish band’s 6th studio album, due later this year, and it arrives with a genuine sense of occasion. Recorded at Orphan Recording Studios in Curracloe, Co. Wexford and co-produced with Gavin Glass, the track has everything the band are known for, big guitars, surging drums, anthemic intensity, and a melodic instinct that’s carried them through 2 decades of serious work.

The most notable shift is a first. Lead guitarist JPR Dalton steps up to lead vocals, marking a real evolution in the band’s creative dynamic. It works. Built on driving rhythms and soaring melodies, the track builds toward a euphoric crescendo that earns every second of its emotional payoff. “Reaching 20 years as a band makes you reflect on everything you’ve shared,” the band says. “It feels familiar but also completely new for us, especially with JPR taking on vocals for the first time. It’s about honouring where we’ve been while still feeling excited about where we’re going.”

Gold-certified and Choice Music Prize-nominated, The Riptide Movement have spent 2 decades building one of Ireland’s most durable rock catalogs, blending indie, folk, blues, and classic rock into something entirely their own. Chart-topping album ‘Getting Through’ and fan favourites like “All Works Out” and “Elephant in the Room” cemented their reputation long before they shared stages with The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, and Neil Young, or collaborated with both the BBC Orchestra and RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

“Owe You A Lot” is the sound of a band that’s earned their 20th anniversary and isn’t remotely done yet.

Multi-Instrumentalist Willie Dowling Closes Out ‘The Simpleton’ Album Cycle With Timely New Video “Under The Gaslight”

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Willie Dowling wrote and recorded “Under The Gaslight” in a single day, start to finish at the piano, no studio prep, no safety net. The result is the final single and video from his critically acclaimed album ‘The Simpleton,’ and it arrives with a lyrical directness that feels entirely suited to the moment it was made in.

Dowling doesn’t soften the message: “In a post truth world where social media delivers the headlines and AI manipulates our emotions, none of us can be truly certain if information is 100% reliable, deliberate disinformation, or just plain lies.” The song takes that lived-in frustration and channels it into one of the sharpest pieces on an already strong album. Piano-driven, pointed, and built in a day with the kind of instinct that only comes from decades of serious craft.

The animated video was created by film director Sam Riddlestone, who first brought an animated Dowling to life for ‘The Simpleton’ track “Sadie Goldman.” It’s a fitting visual companion for a song this stripped back and direct. ‘The Simpleton’ was released in November 2024 to widespread critical acclaim, and Dowling has spent the time since touring extensively across the UK, including support slots with The Quireboys, Cats In Space, Luke Morley, and Hillbilly Vegas.

A multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and frontman of Honeycrack, The Grip, Jackdaw4, and The Dowling Poole, Dowling has also recorded and toured with Dr Hook, Midge Ure, Hot Chocolate, The Wildhearts, and Shane McGowan among many others. “Under The Gaslight” is a strong final statement from an album that deserved every bit of praise it received.

UK Hard Rockers Molly Karloff Drop Groove-Heavy New Single “Faceless”

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Molly Karloff aren’t interested in excess. “Faceless,” their new single out now, makes that clear from the first riff. Built around thick, hypnotic guitars and a relentless vocal hook, the track sits squarely in the space between modern grunge and desert rock, muscular and focused, letting groove and atmosphere carry the weight rather than reaching for polish or production gloss. It sounds like Queens of the Stone Age and Royal Blood left in a room together with something to prove.

Vocalist Simon Gee is direct about where the song comes from: “The song is about that feeling of being used, dismissed or talked over, when people try to put you down and keep you small. ‘Faceless’ is the moment you decide you’re done being pushed around and written off.” That defiance runs through every bar of the track, and the delivery backs it up with real conviction.

The single arrives with a stark, film-noir style monochrome performance video that mirrors the track’s tension and stripped-back aesthetic perfectly. No distractions. Just the song and the attitude it carries.

For a band operating in one of rock’s most competitive spaces, “Faceless” is a confident, well-aimed statement. Heavy without excess, grooved without losing its edge, and built to move in a live room.

Melbourne-Based Indie Folk Artist MUKI Makes a Quietly Stunning Debut With “Gasoline”

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Mukul Jiwnani has been building toward this moment for years, and “Gasoline,” his debut single under the MUKI moniker, arrives with the kind of quiet confidence that only comes from an artist who knows exactly what he’s doing. Born in Dubai with Indian roots and now based in Melbourne, MUKI has spent his career as a full-time performer, writing, refining, and waiting for the right moment. “Gasoline” makes clear the wait was worth it. Listen here.

The track unfolds with deliberate restraint, finger-picked electric guitar sitting against a spacious kick drum and hypnotic echoed snare, with piano drifting through the arrangement and warm bass lines adding colour without crowding the song. MUKI’s vocals do something genuinely impressive, moving from wispy intimacy through impassioned cries and airy falsetto before opening into a chorus lifted by layered, choir-like harmonies that wrap the whole thing in warmth. It’s emotionally immersive in a way that draws you in and holds you there.

Lyrically, “Gasoline” sits in the tender, complicated space between acceptance and lingering feeling. “I wanted to capture the tension of a relationship that wouldn’t survive despite every effort,” MUKI says. “It’s a breakup song, but one about acceptance and moving on.” That emotional precision runs through every production choice on the track, nothing is there by accident.

As debuts go, “Gasoline” sets a high bar. It’s the work of an artist with a fully formed point of view stepping out for the first time, and it signals plenty more to come.

Essex-Suffolk Indie Pop Singer-Songwriter Grace Calver Shares Witty New Single “twenty-six days”

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Grace Calver has a gift for turning personal chaos into sharply observed indie pop, and “twenty-six days” is the clearest demonstration yet of exactly what makes her tick. Out now on all streaming platforms, the single tells the story of 26 days of nonstop texting and FaceTime with someone who turned out to be considerably less single than advertised. The red flags were there. The lyrics make sure you know she saw them. She just chose to ignore them anyway.

The track is loaded with specific, lived-in detail, including a reference to Catfish and the Bottlemen’s “Soundcheck,” which the person in question actually sent to Calver. “Something positive came from the experience after all,” she’s noted, which is exactly the kind of wry self-awareness that makes her songwriting land. The guitar solo is the work of producer Jos Shepherd, Alfie Templeman’s guitarist, who recorded, mixed, and mastered the whole track. Calver is happy to credit him as the far superior guitarist.

Influences like Lily Allen, Kate Nash, Beabadoobee, and Britpop staples Sleeper, Pulp, and Suede give you a clear sense of the sonic world Calver operates in, tongue-in-cheek indie pop with a rock edge and lyrics that reward close listening. BBC Introducing’s Jess Iszatt played her previous single “Milk” on Radio 1 as part of a For Fans Of Lily Allen feature, her first-ever Radio 1 play, and the comparison is one Calver has earned.

“twenty-six days” was originally released on a limited run of 200 CDs in November 2025, available exclusively in physical form. Around half of those have already found homes. Now the rest of the world gets to hear it.

Buckcherry Hit the Road This Spring Behind Their 11th Album ‘Roar Like Thunder’

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Buckcherry have been one of hard rock’s most dependable live acts for decades, and their spring 2026 run makes a strong case for why that reputation holds. The tour kicks off May 2nd at the M3 Festival in Columbia, Maryland and runs through May 31st in Oklahoma City, hitting 21 dates across the South, Northeast, and Midwest along the way.

The run includes Buckcherry’s first-ever appearances at both Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach and Sonic Temple in Columbus, 2 festival slots that put them in front of some of the biggest hard rock audiences on the continent. Alongside those marquee moments are stops at landmark rooms including the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, and the Orange Peel in Asheville.

The tour continues to support ‘Roar Like Thunder,’ their 11th studio album, which has kept the band firmly in the conversation as one of hard rock’s most consistent outfits. The band has also just released a live concert video for the album’s title track, filmed during their 2025 tour, giving fans a taste of what this live show delivers.

Tickets are on sale now for all dates across the monthlong run.

Buckcherry 2026 Tour Dates:

May 2 – Columbia, MD @ M3 Fest

May 3 – Charlotte, NC @ Amo’s

May 5 – Savannah, GA @ Victory North

May 7 – Daytona Beach, FL @ Welcome to Rockville

May 8 – Columbia, SC @ Ground Zero

May 9 – Myrtle Beach, SC @ Suck Bang Blow

May 11 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel

May 12 – Gainesville, GA @ The Hall At Bourbon Brothers

May 14 – Salem, VA @ Salem Civic Center

May 15 – Columbus, OH @ Sonic Temple

May 16 – Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall

May 18 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Jergel’s

May 19 – Allentown, PA @ Archer

May 21 – Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

May 22 – Portland, ME @ Aura

May 23 – Springfield, MA @ Symphony Hall

May 26 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s

May 27 – Lansing, MI @ Grewall Hall

May 29 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium

May 30 – Little Rock, AR @ The Hall

May 31 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom

Dutch Punk Four-Piece Real Farmer Drop Spellbinding New Single “Run By Animals” Ahead of Sophomore Album

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Real Farmer have been one of Europe’s most compelling punk acts in the making, and “Run By Animals” is the clearest signal yet of where their sophomore album is headed. The new single is out now via Strap Originals, and it arrives with a twist. Bassist Marrit Meinema steps to the front, taking full vocal duties while frontman Jeroen Klootsema steps back, revealing a slower, more ethereal side of the band that’s just as arresting as their rip-roaring punk output.

Recorded entirely analog to a 16-track tape machine at Far Out Sound Studios in Rotterdam and mastered by Mikey Young (Amyl and the Sniffers, The Chats), the track is driven by hypnotic bass and angular guitar, with Meinema’s lyrics cutting directly to the heart of societal indifference toward victims of violence and oppression. “Run By Animals is about society not listening to victims of violence, oppression, femicide,” she says. “Comfort is only afforded to those who are distanced far from these things. It’s hard to get people to listen, because it involves unlearning many wrong ‘truths’ that are deeply ingrained in the western world.” The video, directed by the band and Dylan Hayes, sees Meinema set fire to a handcrafted anarchist symbol in a cloak. It’s exactly as striking as it sounds.

The single is the 2nd preview of their upcoming album ‘Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right,’ due spring 2026 via Strap Originals. Previous single “Missing Link” earned spins from Craig Charles and Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music, John Kennedy on Radio X, and Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1. Pan M 360 has already compared frontman Klootsema to Joe Talbot, Grian Chatten, and Amy Taylor. Louder Than War called him “a revelation, raw and powerful.”

Real Farmer spent 2025 tearing through Europe with headline tours and festival slots at Primavera Sound, Pitchfork Paris, The Great Escape, and The Libertines’ Gunnersbury Park festival, alongside support slots with Babyshambles and Protomartyr. Their signing to Peter Doherty’s Strap Originals says everything about the calibre of people paying attention.

Carly Rae Jepsen Finally Gives Fans the Official Release of Fan-Favourite “Disco Darling” for Record Store Day 2026

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Carly Rae Jepsen’s fans have been asking for this one for years. “Disco Darling,” the beloved outtake from the ‘Dedicated’ sessions, gets its official release on April 18th as an exclusive Record Store Day 2026 vinyl single, pressed on baby blue 7″ with a disco ball etching on Side B, limited to 2,000 copies at independent record stores.

The song has a history worth knowing. Originally written with Tavish Crowe in 2016 and later rewritten and produced by Mike Wise for ‘Dedicated,’ it was cut from the album twice, missing both the original release and ‘Dedicated Side B.’ A demo leaked online in December 2020, and the full track surfaced in February 2021, turning “Disco Darling” into one of the most requested unreleased tracks in Jepsen’s catalogue. Earlier this year, Jepsen sent a cryptic newsletter teasing the song’s lyrics before confirming the release with characteristic wit: “Thank you for bullying me into this.”

The track is pure Jepsen at her most effervescent, a shimmering, disco-inflected pop song built around the kind of chorus that lodges itself immediately and refuses to leave. “Disco Darling” rewards the years fans spent campaigning for it.

Singer-Songwriter Dove Ellis Brings His Acclaimed Debut Album ‘Blizzard’ to New York, Los Angeles, Dublin and Manchester

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Dove Ellis announced a run of Spring headline shows spanning Dublin, Manchester, Los Angeles, and New York, and it’s the next logical step for an artist who arrived seemingly out of nowhere with one of last year’s most quietly impressive debut albums. ‘Blizzard’ was self-produced and recorded in London and Liverpool, with mixing by Sophie Ellis and Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Dijon, Mk.Gee, Bon Iver), and it drew broad acclaim on the strength of a single preview single. The shows follow his North American debut opening for Geese. Tickets are on sale now.

2026 Tour Dates:

May 18, The Workman’s Club, Dublin, Ireland

May 20, Band On The Wall, Manchester, UK

May 28, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA

May 30, Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY

K-Pop Meets Brit-Pop Hitmaker Shao Hao Turns His Dating Chronicles Into the Euphoric New Single “Thursday”

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Shao Hao has spent years writing hits for some of East Asia’s biggest artists. Now he’s putting that same craft to work on his own story, and “Thursday” makes a strong case for why that’s worth paying attention to. Listen here.

The new single fuses K-pop’s forward-thinking melodic energy with hints of 80s Brit-pop instrumentation. Sparkling synths and propulsive beats drive a chorus built to linger, while the lyrics bottle the excitement and vulnerability of falling for someone new. It’s bright, energising, and effortlessly catchy, the kind of track that feels like a late-night confession wrapped in neon. “Thursday” was written and produced with a team from BLACKPINK’s label YG and recorded in Seoul, where Shao also took K-pop performance classes ahead of the release.

The video leans into the fun, setting Shao inside a fictional retro TV dating show called Thursday Night, where he plays three different alter egos navigating a love quest. Drag icon Bitchtrice hosts the whole thing, a deliberate and celebratory nod to self-expression and freedom. “‘Thursday’ reflects a new way of loving,” Shao says, “one that’s more honest, playful, and unafraid of being seen.”

The backstory here is considerable. Shao broke through as a songwriter after winning a competition at London’s Roundhouse, which led to a publishing deal in Taiwan. Since then, he’s crafted number ones across China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan, written for Mandopop superstar Stefanie Sun (whose latest Asia tour used his song as its theme, reaching half a million audiences), and scored anime and Netflix series across Japan and Taiwan. He was also nominated for Best Original Song at Taiwan’s Golden Bell Awards.

“Thursday” is a taste of a forthcoming EP arriving this spring, and it signals an artist stepping confidently into his own spotlight after years of defining other people’s.