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Rising Alt-Rock Trio People I’ve Met Prove Their Range with Infectious New Single “For Hire” via Interscope

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People I’ve Met made their recording debut just months ago, and they’re already demonstrating serious range. “For Hire,” out now via Interscope Records, follows their debut single “Promise,” which earned praise from NME for its euphoric chorus, and takes the trio somewhere entirely different. Same emotional territory, completely different energy. That kind of creative confidence this early in a career is worth paying attention to.

The trio of vocalist/guitarist Moses Martin, drummer Orlando Wiltshire, and bassist Andrew Suster built this sound from the ground up, literally. Wiltshire and Suster have played together since middle school jazz band, eventually moving into Wiltshire’s garage during high school before bringing Martin into the fold. That history shows in how naturally the three move together. “For Hire” was produced by the band alongside Noah Conrad, who has worked with Chappell Roan and Role Model, and the production reflects that caliber of collaboration.

Where “Promise” processed a painful breakup with poetic elegance, “For Hire” captures the raw, conflicting emotions that follow. Buoyant melody, layered vocals, and a lyric built around reclaiming personal space. Martin frames it directly: “The lyric ‘you’re not getting us for hire’ conveys the sentiment of ‘you can’t just have me when you want me.'” It lands with the kind of melodic punch and emotional clarity that turns new listeners into committed fans.

Two singles in, People I’ve Met are already showing they know exactly what they’re doing. “For Hire” is out now, and this is a band building something worth following from the very beginning.

Country Rocker Frankie Ballard Steps Into a New Chapter with Honest and Gritty New Single “Money Runs Out”

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Frankie Ballard has a new single out, and “Money Runs Out” arrives with the kind of grounded, lived-in conviction that has always defined his best work. Released via By Design and BMG, the track was written by Ballard and Dave Barnes and produced by Grammy Award-winner Tyler Bryant. It’s a clear-eyed look at loyalty, the people who stay when circumstances strip everything else away, and the ones who don’t. Rooted in gritty country charm and delivered with real personal weight, this is Ballard at his most direct.

The song reflects a man who has done some living since his debut run of back-to-back-to-back Billboard No. 1 singles. “It’s honest, lived-in and truly where I’m at in life,” Ballard shares. “This song reflects some of the lessons I’ve learned, paired with the country sounds I love to make.” Faith, family, and hard-won perspective sit at the center of “Money Runs Out,” and the music earns every word of that framing. The accompanying video captures his timeless charisma and the high-energy performance style that made him a fan favorite from the start.

Ballard’s track record speaks clearly. Nearly a billion global streams, the gold-certified “Helluva Life,” the platinum-certified “Sunshine & Whiskey,” and “Young & Crazy” established him as one of country’s most reliable hitmakers. His 2025 record ‘The Messenger’ showed a deeper, faith-rooted side of his artistry, drawing on gospel, blues, and rock. “Money Runs Out” threads both worlds together with ease.

More new music and upcoming shows are on the way in 2026. A hitmaker reconnecting with his roots, and making it sound effortless.

Country Legends Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Announce Final Tour Dates Capping 60 Years of Dirt

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Sixty years is a remarkable run by any measure, and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band are closing it out with the full weight it deserves. The legendary Grammy-winning country group has unveiled the final leg of their All The Good Times: The Farewell Tour, now fittingly subtitled 60 Years of Dirt, with dates running through June and wrapping at Denver’s Mission Ballroom on June 18th. The centerpiece of the run is a special 60th anniversary celebration at the Grand Ole Opry on May 13th, exactly six decades to the day from the band’s formation.

Founding member Jeff Hanna leads the group through this final chapter alongside bandmates Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter, Jaime Hanna, and Ross Holmes. The new video for “Nashville Skyline,” a whiskey-soaked tribute to the Nashville of another era, arrives alongside the tour announcement. The song was written by Hanna, his son Jaime, and celebrated songwriter Matraca Berg, a family affair that captures exactly what this band has always been about.

Their recent ‘Night After Night EP,’ produced by Grammy-winning dobro master Jerry Douglas, stands as one of the finest late-career statements in country music. Douglas appears on lap steel alongside guest Viktor Krauss on acoustic Tic-Tac bass, and the five-song collection sounds like a band fully at peace with their legacy and still fully engaged with the music.

Tickets are on sale now. This is the last time Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will trek across the country, and every remaining date is a chance to be part of one of country music’s great final chapters.

All The Good Times: The Farewell Tour 2026 Dates:

Mar 20-25 — Outlaw Country Cruise, Miami, FL

Apr 9 — Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown, NY

Apr 10 — State Theatre Center for the Arts, Easton, PA

Apr 11 — The Cabot, Beverly, MA

Apr 12 — American Music Theatre, Lancaster, PA

Apr 14 — The Paramount Theatre, Rutland, VA

Apr 16 — Plymouth Memorial Hall, Plymouth, MA

Apr 17 — Nashua Center For The Arts, Nashua, NH

Apr 18 — Fallsview Casino Resort, Niagara Falls, ON

Apr 19 — The Egg Center For The Performing Arts, Albany, NY

May 7 — Lincoln Theatre, Washington, DC

May 8 — Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Bristol, VA

May 9 — The Carolina Opry Theater, Myrtle Beach, SC

May 10 — Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington, NC

May 13 — Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville, TN (60th Anniversary Celebration)

Jun 5 — United Wireless Arena, Dodge City, KS

Jun 6 — The Astro, La Vista, NE

Jun 7 — The Monument, Rapid City, SD

Jun 9 — Jackson Hole Center for the Arts, Jackson Hole, WY

Jun 10 — Jackson Hole Center for the Arts, Jackson Hole, WY

Jun 11 — Helena Civic Center, Helena, MT

Jun 13 — Alberta Bair Theater, Billings, MT

Jun 14 — Sandy Amphitheater, Sandy, UT

Jun 16 — Dillon Amphitheater, Dillon, CO

Jun 18 — Mission Ballroom, Denver, CO

Bruno Mars Named 2026 Record Store Day Ambassador Ahead of Massive ‘The Romantic Tour’

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Bruno Mars is the 2026 Record Store Day Ambassador, and the timing couldn’t be better. With his album ‘The Romantic’ out now via Atlantic Records, and independent record stores across the country already having hosted listening parties in celebration, Mars brings genuine enthusiasm to the role. His message lands with the warmth you’d expect: “Nothing is better than sitting on your couch putting on a record and just listening to music like that. It feels like a lost art.”

Record Store Day 2026 falls on Saturday, April 18th, marking the 19th year of the movement that began in 2008 to protect independent brick-and-mortar record shops worldwide. The full release list is still forthcoming, but Mars’ involvement as Ambassador signals the kind of mainstream attention that keeps the day relevant and drives real foot traffic into stores that need it.

‘The Romantic’ arrives as Mars prepares for his first full headlining tour in nearly a decade. The Romantic Tour generated the largest single-day ticket sales in Live Nation history across North America, Europe, and the UK, moving 2.1 million tickets worldwide in a single day and setting a new Ticketmaster record in the process. Seventy-two stadium shows. Mars’ first-ever full stadium tour. One of the largest global tours of the year by any measure.

The last time Mars headlined a world tour, the 24K Magic World Tour became one of the highest-grossing runs in music history. The Romantic Tour is already outpacing it at the starting line. Record Store Day has the right Ambassador this year.

Indie Rockers BilloBuckers Tackle Male Depression Head-On with Powerful New Single “It’s OK Not To Be OK”

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BilloBuckers have always written with purpose, and “It’s OK Not To Be OK” is their most direct statement yet. Out now via Deadly Records, the new single from the Leicester/Nottingham five-piece tackles male depression with empathy, nuance, and the kind of melodic force that makes difficult subjects feel genuinely approachable. This is a band that knows how to wrap real weight inside a song that moves.

The track addresses how men mask depression, how isolation compounds it, and how support can break through when it’s offered with understanding rather than judgment. Vocalist Billy Buckler leads with soul-stirring delivery over rich guitar riffs and dynamic rhythms, the band’s signature blend of rock grit and indie introspection fully intact. Drawing from Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, The Stone Roses, The Libertines, and The Jam, BilloBuckers wear their influences openly while carving out something that is unmistakably their own.

The momentum behind them is real. Their debut EP ‘Eloquently Common’ and three subsequent singles have crossed 60,000 streams combined, earning praise from outlets including This Is The Music, Upcoming Bands, and RGM. This Is The Music called them “a melting pot of everything that’s good about the UK music scene past and present,” and RGM described them as “a fast-rising indie band to watch out for.” Both assessments hold up on this new single.

A band built on human experience, honest lyrics, and the kind of rock energy that connects immediately and lingers long after. “It’s OK Not To Be OK” raises the bar again, and BilloBuckers keep delivering.

Welsh Indie Rockers The Bambees Unleash Ferocious New Single “NOEYES//NOLOVE” via Flip Flop Records

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The Bambees have built their name on high-energy chaos, and “NOEYES//NOLOVE” delivers exactly that. Out now via Flip Flop Records, the new single from the Merthyr Tydfil five-piece is loud, groovy, and built for sweaty rooms. This is a band that turns raw Welsh grit into something that hits you physically, and this track is one of their sharpest and most urgent to date.

The concept is as direct as the music. “The track plays with the idea of a parasite living inside you,” the band explains, “a negative part of yourself that drains you and can’t be removed. It’s handled with a raw, aggressive edge rather than anything overly dark.” That balance of self-awareness and sonic aggression is exactly what makes The Bambees compelling. Influences like IDLES, Soft Play, and Amyl and the Sniffers run through the DNA, but the energy here is entirely their own.

The Bambees have been earning their reputation the hard way, headline shows across South Wales, BBC Introducing Wales airplay, and support slots alongside The Blackout at Chepstow Castle, GANS, Panic Shack, and Coach Party. Five singles and an EP deep into their catalog, they arrive at “NOEYES//NOLOVE” with real momentum and a growing audience that keeps showing up for the noise.

Merthyr Tydfil has always produced people who work hard and push back. The Bambees carry that spirit into every performance and every record. A community-rooted, riff-driven band with something genuine to say, and the volume to say it.

Melbourne Rockers Stonetrip Release New EP ‘The Fight’ with Grit, Melody, and Restless Energy

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Stonetrip have arrived with something worth hearing. The Melbourne five-piece have released ‘The Fight’ EP on CD independently, with the digital release via Golden Robot Records on March 20th. Five tracks of dust-inspired, melody-driven rock from a band that has spent years building a live reputation as intense and immersive as anything on record.

The title track “The Fight” sits at the emotional core of the release. It’s a song about the tension between longing and inertia, the space between who you are and who you’re trying to become, where the horizon pulls hard but timing keeps pushing back. Mark Ritchie, Mick Malusa, Simon Croft, Sebastian Barahona, and Brett Spicer lock into a sound that is raw, reflective, and built to last. Driving guitar hooks, pounding rhythms, and vocals that move between anthemic and introspective without losing either quality.

Stonetrip draw from classic rock sensibilities and modern indie grit in equal measure, crafting songs that feel equally at home in festival crowds and intimate laneway shows. Their catalog speaks to travel, struggle, hope, and escape, universal themes delivered with the kind of specificity that makes them stick. This is a band that writes from experience, not from trend.

‘The Fight’ EP is out now on CD. The digital release lands March 20th via Golden Robot Records. Five tracks that confirm Stonetrip are one of Australia’s most compelling rock acts working right now.

Black Metal Artist Këkht Aräkh Announces New Album ‘Morning Star’ via Sacred Bones with Lead Single “Three Winters Away”

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Këkht Aräkh has announced ‘Morning Star,’ due March 27th via Sacred Bones, and the lead single “Three winters away” signals exactly where this record lives. Recorded between Berlin and Stockholm, the album blends aggressive black metal passages with immersive, melancholic soundscapes shaped by analog tape warmth and lo-fi immediacy. This is a deeply personal record from an artist arriving at a truer version of himself, and it sounds like it.

Dmitry recorded nearly all instruments himself, with drums contributed by Jonathan (Spira Me, Vanskapth, Olycka). Sound design and mastering on tape Portastudio were handled by VS-55 and Varg2â„¢, with final mastering by James Ginzburg of Emptyset and Osmium. The result has a distinctive grain and analog character that gives every track its own tangible weight. On the album’s creation, Dmitry is direct: “This album was created at a point where I’m more skillful as an artist, with a much clearer sense of my own sound than in my earlier work. On this record, I feel more like myself than ever before.”

The most unexpected collaboration on ‘Morning Star’ is also one of its most compelling. Bladee appears on “Eternal martyr,” co-writing lyrics and contributing vocals. The pairing may seem unlikely on paper, but both artists share a commitment to world-building, emotional directness, and carving a singular path outside their respective genres. It works precisely because neither artist forced it.

“Three winters away” sets the emotional tone for everything that follows, reflecting on three years of change since his previous album ‘Pale Swordsman’ with a lyric that deliberately withholds judgment. “Three winters away from my old life, I look back, and I smile,” Dmitry explains, “it doesn’t reveal whether those changes were for better or for worse.” That kind of open emotional honesty, filtered through black metal tradition and lo-fi warmth, is what makes ‘Morning Star’ worth every bit of anticipation.

‘Morning Star’ Track Listing:

  1. Wänderer
  2. Castle
  3. Lament
  4. Genom sorgen (ft. VS-55)
  5. Angest
  6. Mörker över mörker
  7. Three winters away
  8. Drömsång
  9. Raven king
  10. Vigil
  11. Eternal martyr (ft. Bladee)
  12. Trollsång (ft. Spöke)
  13. Land av evig natt l
  14. Land av evig natt ll
  15. Gates
  16. Morning star
  17. Outro (ft. Varg2â„¢)

Indie Rockers Linkwells Deliver Emotionally Charged New Single “Pushing Me Away”

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Linkwells have been building something real, and “Pushing Me Away” is the clearest proof yet. The Malvern four-piece released the new single via Nick Brine’s Flip Flop Records, adding another strong entry to a catalog that has already reached listeners across Britain, Europe, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, and the US. Five singles and an EP deep, this is a band finding its stride with real confidence.

The track is melodic, anthemic, and emotionally grounded. Linkwells describe it as an exploration of emotional distance and the vulnerability required to break through it, “the transformative power of vulnerability in building trust and healing relationships.” That kind of lyrical weight, delivered through a sound that draws comparisons to The Stone Roses and Oasis, lands with the warmth and directness that defines their best work. “Pushing Me Away” earns every one of those comparisons without leaning on them.

BBC Introducing called them “an incredible band,” and CatorWeb Radio noted that “Linkwells masterfully create songs that capture the essence of the human condition.” The praise is warranted. Keith Forde, Mike Bannister, Andy D, and James Elliot-Williams write with the kind of Britpop-rooted melodic instinct that feels both timeless and urgently contemporary.

Recently signed to Flip Flop Records, Linkwells are ramping up their recorded output over the coming months. A band this focused on melody and emotional honesty, with a live reputation to match, is one worth following closely right now.

Swedish Fuzz Rock Legends Truckfighters End a Decade of Silence with New Single “The Bliss” and Album ‘MASTERFLOW’

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Ten years is a long time to wait. Truckfighters have broken that silence with “The Bliss,” the first single from their forthcoming album ‘MASTERFLOW,’ due April 10th via Fuzzorama Records. The Swedish fuzz rock duo of Niklas ‘Dango’ Källgren and Oskar ‘Ozo’ Cedermalm built their reputation as desert rock essentials over two decades, and this return lands with exactly the raw, groove-locked energy their global fanbase has been holding out for.

The band put it plainly: “The Bliss symbolizes everything the new album Masterflow is about, fuzz groove and melody. We can’t believe it’s the first track we release in 10 years.” That enthusiasm translates directly into the music. “The Bliss” hits with the warm, pummeling weight of a band that never lost the thread, just took the time to make something worth returning for.

‘MASTERFLOW’ is built around balance, discipline and freedom, heaviness and melody, crushing riffs and expansive psychedelic passages. The album moves between earth-shaking low-end and soaring melodic builds, a sonic monolith designed for packed clubs and speakers pushed past their limits. Josh Homme called them “the best band that ever existed” back in 2011, and ‘MASTERFLOW’ sounds like a direct answer to that kind of legacy, earned, confident, and fully alive.

A major European tour kicks off April 11th in Cologne and runs deep into the festival summer, including stops at Desertfest Berlin, Desertfest London at The Roundhouse, Hellfest in France, and Mystic Festival in Gdansk. ‘MASTERFLOW’ is available for preorder now at Fuzzorama Records’ Bandcamp.

2026 Tour Dates:

Apr 11 — Sol Sonic Ride, Cologne, DE

Apr 15 — Parkteatret, Oslo, NO

Apr 16 — Hulen, Bergen, NO

Apr 17 — Folken, Stavanger, NO

Apr 18 — R.I.P., Porsgrunn, NO

Apr 28 — Grünspan, Hamburg, DE

Apr 29 — Vera, Groningen, NL

Apr 30 — Melkweg, Amsterdam, NL

May 1 — Bibelot, Dordrecht, NL

May 2 — Headbanger’s Ball Fest, Izegem, BE

May 8 — A Colossal Weekend, Copenhagen, DK

May 11 — Arena, Vienna, AT

May 14 — Desertfest, Berlin, DE

May 17 — Desertfest, The Roundhouse, London, UK

May 25 — Stummsche Reithalle, Neunkirchen, DE

May 26 — Im Wizesmann, Stuttgart, DE

May 27 — Gaswerk, Winterthur, CH

May 28 — Sedel, Luzern, CH

May 29 — Backstage Halle, München, DE

May 30 — Beatpol, Dresden, DE

Jun 4 — Mystic Festival, Gdansk, PO

Jun 18 — Hellfest, Clisson, FR

Jun 27 — Sonic Ride IV, Wiesbaden, DE

Jul 26 — Magnolia Stone Fest, Milan, IT

Aug 14 — Angeliter Open Air, Taarstedt, DE