- Folk Canada is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2025 Ontario Folk Music Awards, in recognition of the outstanding work and contributions of Folk artists and musicians from across the province of Ontario.
- Presented in partnership with the National Arts Centre, the 31st annual Ontario Folk Music Awards will take place on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at the National Arts Centre and will formally launch the Folk Music Ontario Conference. The event will feature performances by a select number of nominated artists and special guests, and for the first time in 2025 will include two brand new categories, Music Video of the Year and the Culture in Climate Award, which recognizes an individual, organization, or company in Canada’s Folk music sector that has demonstrated outstanding commitment to climate action and environmental responsibility. Still to be announced are the Estelle Klein Award recipients, the first ever Culture in Climate recipient, the laureate for the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award and the Taylor Mitchell Bursary recipient.
- Tickets to the award ceremony are available by RSVP to those who have already registered for this year’s Folk Music Ontario Conference. Please click here for more information and to reserve your ticket.
- The 2025 nominated artists come from all across Ontario, including Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto Mississauga, Guelph, Windsor, Peterborough and more.
- Established in 1987 and now in its 38th year, the 2025 Folk Music Ontario Conference will take place October 15-19 in Ottawa, Ontario at the Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre and welcomes attendees from across the country to the event.
- To learn more, Folk Canada invites interested parties to visit the website and sign up for their newsletter. You can also register for the 2025 Folk Music Ontario Conference here.
- The 2025 Ontario Folk Music Award Nominees are:
- Song of the Year
- “Weighing Down” by Julian Taylor (Julian Dean Taylor, Tyler James Ellis)
- “There is a Power” by Larry Folk (Lawrence J Folk)
- “Just A Little Bit” by Lynne Hanson (Lynne Hanson, Blair Michael Hogan)
- “Only the Strong Survive” by Sam Drysdale (Sam Drysdale, Ally Sou, Tal Vaisman)
- “Best Remembered” by Savannah Shea (Savannah Shea)
- “Train Coming” by The Angelique Francis Band (Angelique Francis, Kiran Francis)
- Album of the Year
- “Anniversary” by Abigail Lapell
- “Precious Diamonds” by Adrian Sutherland
- “Kanzafula” by Ahmed Moneka
- “Ghoyoum” by Kazdoura
- “Slice of Life” by Larnell Lewis
- “Azadi” by Tamar Ilana
- Recording Artist of the Year
- Abigail Lapell
- Jessica Pearson and the East Wind
- Julian Taylor
- Steven Taetz
- The Angelique Francis Band
- Tragedy Ann
- Performing Artist of the Year
- Bruno Capinan
- Gal George Gjurin
- Irish Millie
- Jessica Pearson and the East Wind
- Sultans of String
- Tennyson King
- Music Video of the Year
- “Precious” by Adrian Sutherland
- “Khayal” by Kazdoura
- “Only the Strong Survive” by Sam Drysdale
- “Every Morning” by Tragedy Ann
- “Waltz of the Birds and the Bees” by Willowbrook
Folk Canada Announces 2025 Ontario Folk Music Award Nominees
Roger Eno Announces New Album ‘Without Wind / Without Air’ Out October 31 via Deutsche Grammophon Featuring Grace Davidson and Family Collaborations
British composer and multi-instrumentalist Roger Eno has recorded Without Wind / Without Air, his third solo album for Deutsche Grammophon. Following on from the success of The Turning Year (2022) and the skies, they shift like chords (2023), the new album includes both solo piano pieces and tracks orchestrated for various combinations of clarinet, guitar, bass, strings, synths, percussion and electronics. There are guest vocal appearances from soprano Grace Davidson and Roger’s daughters Cecily Eno and Lotti Eno, with Roger himself singing on The Moon And The Sea. Jonathan Stockhammer conducts the Scoring Berlin strings on three tracks, while Eno’s friend and producer Christian Badzura arranged and plays on several tracks as well as having co-written the opening and closing numbers, Forgiveness and After Rain.
Without Wind / Without Air will be released digitally and on vinyl on 31 October 2025. A first digital single, Forgiveness, will be shared on 5 September, with Alembic Distillation out on 19 September and There Was A Ship on 10 October. A limited-edition LP version includes a signed artcard of an image created by Roger Eno. Though abstract in origin, an experiment with pen and ink, it suggests insects in flight or mayflies dancing above water. The mayfly, long a symbol for the brevity of life, also features on the album cover, designed by Cecily Eno.
The album title comes from the lyrics of Doubled by the Sun, by Italian band The Doubling Riders. “My friend Pier Luigi Andreoni and I worked on various projects together in Italy in the 1990s,” says Eno. “He kindly gave me permission to use this line, which has a wonder-filled, late-summer atmosphere of almost motionlessness and peace.”
The sheer poetry of the lyric was enough for him at first, but has recently taken on a new meaning, as he explains: “I was forced to look at the fragility of species and climate, and their dependence on ‘turns of chance’ and carelessness. This alters ‘without wind, without air’ into a warning, a vision of a terribly bleak future – if any future at all.”
That shift of meaning is audible in the dissonances of the title track, which call to mind an impending storm. Roger’s subtle, slowly moving piano line is joined by the dark sounds of low strings, synths and electronics; high, wordless vocals from Grace Davidson; and the piercing wail of Alexander Glücksmann’s clarinet. There is a similar feel to The Final Year Of Blossom, again featuring the pure tones of Davidson’s voice, a track inspired by the fear that one day the Japanese cherry trees will fail to bloom.
Happier days are conjured by There Was A Ship, a folk ballad about reunited lovers, sung by Cecily Eno. She performed this song with both her father and her uncle in the amphitheatre of Herodes Atticus in Athens, as part of the acclaimed and first-ever joint concert given by Roger and Brian Eno (available to stream on STAGE+). In There Was A Ship’s mournful counterpart, The Moon And The Sea, Roger tells a tale of unrequited love – his poignant vocal line was captured in one take.
Without Wind / Without Air is punctuated by three magical tracks for Roger’s solo piano. Spell offers another folk-influenced flowing melody, in contrast to the more classical Alembic Distillation, with its echoes of the keyboard music of Bach and Scarlatti, while the softly resonating Saudade (“Nostalgia”) lives long in the memory
Lang Lang Announces ‘Piano Book 2’ Out October 17 Featuring Classical Favorites Film Themes and Gaming Soundtracks
Six years after the release of his celebrated Piano Book album, Lang Lang returns with Piano Book 2. Set to be released on digital and physical formats on 17 October 2025 via Deutsche Grammophon, this new volume of short and accessible piano works offers a fresh selection that ranges from iconic classical compositions and contemporary pieces to music from TV, film, and gaming soundtracks. Liszt’s Consolation No. 2 is the first track from the album to be released, out on 5 September and available to stream/download on all platforms.
Lang Lang’s Piano Book has become his highest-streaming album to date, surpassing one billion streams worldwide, and remains one of the biggest-selling classical albums from 2019. It went platinum in China, charted in the Top 10 in the German pop charts, and peaked at No. 1 in the classical charts across the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Australia.
The release of Piano Book 2 is further proof of Lang Lang’s commitment to inspire pianists of all ages, levels and backgrounds, amplifying the message that classical music is for everyone. It continues the vision established by Piano Book, his efforts led by the Lang Lang International Music Foundation (LLIMF), and his engagement with the millions of fans who follow him on social media. The so-called “Lang Lang effect” has already encouraged tens of millions of children in China and beyond to learn the piano and other instruments, supported by the LLIMF’s unique educational programmes, masterclasses, mentoring schemes, and additional initiatives.
Lang Lang refers to the 32 tracks on his new album as “miniature masterpieces”. They were carefully selected based on messages from fans, school syllabus content, and his own teaching experience – as well as works especially close to his heart – with subtle nods to modern media and streaming culture.
Famous works by Bach, Mozart, Satie, Debussy & co. sit alongside new arrangements of themes from the anime TV series Naruto, films La La Land, Amélie, and Cinema Paradiso, and the video game Black Myth: Wukong. Aware that gaming is a key source of inspiration for younger listeners, composers, and performers today, Lang Lang also plays excerpts from Nobuo Uematsu’s score for Final Fantasy X and Yu-Peng Chen’s Genshin Impact soundtrack.
His program also embraces internet-born favorites: Andrew Wrangell’s Rush E and Tony Ann’s Icarus, which he and the composer perform in a brand-new four-hands version created by Ann for Piano Book 2.
Other tracks in this wide-ranging mix include jazz standard I’m Confessin’, popularised by Thelonious Monk, and numbers from two of today’s best-known pianist-composers, Joe Hisaishi (Spring) and Ludovico Einaudi (Fly).
There is something for everyone in Lang Lang’s latest thoughtfully curated anthology. He concludes a message to his fans by saying, “I hope this collection helps you discover new favourites, reconnect with familiar melodies, and find renewed inspiration at the piano.”
Piano Book 2 will be available digitally and on 2 CD and 2 LP formats, including a marbled vinyl edition and CD/LP versions with signed art cards available from the DG Store. A limited-edition CD offers access to downloadable sheet music and select tutorials via an NFC chip.
Lang Lang starts the 2025-26 season with tour dates in Canada/the USA (19-29 September & 4/7 December), the UK (3-10 October), Germany (13 October-8 November), France (11 November) and Hong Kong (11/13 December) – full details here.
Carter Faith Shares New Single “Arrows (Die For That Man)” from Forthcoming Debut Album ‘Cherry Valley’ Out October 3
Rising Nashville star Carter Faith, who was named Music Row’s 2025 Breakthrough Artist of the Year earlier this week, shares her new song “Arrows (Die For That Man)” today—listen here and watch the visualizer here. Her highly anticipated debut album, Cherry Valley, is set for release October 3 via Gatsby Records/MCA—pre-order/pre-save here.
“I wrote ‘Arrows’ after meeting a man for five minutes and developing an unhealthy and delusional crush on him,” says Carter. “As the song goes, I truly felt like I would die for that man. I’ve said before that I’m a girl who’d die for love but would never let it kill me. That’s what this song is about.”
“Arrows (Die For That Man)” follows the release of “Bar Star” and its music video starring Academy Award-winner Billy Bob Thornton – watch here. The video, which debuted last week, received enthusiastic acclaim from Rolling Stone, Billboard and Entertainment Tonight, among many more.
The track continues a string of previously unveiled songs, including “If I Had Never Lost My Mind…,” “Grudge,” “Sex, Drugs and Country Music,” Together, these songs have helped tide fans over since the arrival of The Aftermath EP last fall, which featured a duet with Alison Krauss and debuted to praise from Billboard, The Tennessean, American Songwriter, and others.
Cherry Valley is a document of Carter’s time in Nashville, working chronologically through her breakout successes and gut-punching breakups, new loves and family dustups. It’s named for an imagined place, a road sign Carter once saw that came to signify her creative home, a sweet spot where her old school influences like Tammy Wynette, Nancy Sinatra, Pet Sounds and Revolver meet today’s country. The album synthesizes all that into a signature Carter Faith sound.
The songs on Cherry Valley span Carter’s journey from her North Carolina hometown to Nashville, with all the heartbreak, triumph and hazy nights in between. Carter and longtime producer Tofer Brown spent two years crafting tracks for the album before finally entering the studio in 2024 to lay it down. All the while, Carter was working relentlessly to climb the ranks of country music, signing to MCA and Universal Music Publishing Group, gracing the Opry stage a dozen times, sharing stages with idols like Willie Nelson, and racking up hundreds of millions of streams.
Her time on the road with Little Big Town draws to a close tomorrow, following her Stagecoach debut and runs with Ella Langley and Carly Pearce. Carter recently joined Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild on the stage of the 18th Academy of Country Music Honors for a duet of “Lies Lies Lies” written by ACM Songwriter of the Year, Jessie Jo Dillon. She’ll head back out to join Noah Cyrus next week and will finish off the year supporting Marcus King and Kelsea Ballerini this winter. See below for full routing.
CARTER FAITH—CHERRY VALLEY
1. Cherry Valley
2. Sex, Drugs, and Country Music
3. Arrows (Die For That Man)
4. Bar Star
5. Betty
6. Grudge
7. Six-String
8. If I Had Never Lost My Mind…
9. Misery Loves Company
10. Drink Up, Baby
11. Burn My Memory
12. Sails
13. So I Sing
14. Changed
15. Still A Lover
CARTER FAITH LIVE
September 5—Chula Vista, CA—North Island Credit Union Amphitheater*
September 6—Mountain View, CA—Shoreline Amphitheater*
September 12—Santa Ana, CA—Observatory†
September 13—San Diego, CA—House of Blues†
September 15—San Francisco, CA—The Regency Ballroom†
September 18—Vancouver, B.C.—Queen Elizabeth Theatre†
September 19—Seattle, WA—Showbox SoDo†
September 20—Spokane, WA—Knitting Factory†
September 21—Portland, OR—McMenamins Crystal Ballroom†
September 23—Salt Lake City, UT—The Union Event Center†
September 24—Denver, CO—Fillmore Auditorium†
September 26—Kansas City, MO—Uptown Theater†
September 27—Minneapolis, MN—The Fillmore Minneapolis†
September 29—St. Louis, MO—The Pageant†
September 30—Chicago, IL—Riviera Theatre†
October 2—Detroit, MI—Masonic Temple Theatre†
October 4—Montreal, QC—MTELUS†
October 7—Boston, MA—Citizens House of Blues†
October 8—Brooklyn, NY—Brooklyn Paramount†
October 10—Philadelphia, PA—The Fillmore Philadelphia†
October 11—Silver Spring, MD—The Fillmore†
October 13—Charlotte, NC—The Fillmore Charlotte†
October 15—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium†
October 17—Atlanta, GA—Tabernacle†
October 18—St Petersburg, FL—Jannus Live†
October 20—Houston, TX—House of Blues Houston†
October 21—Dallas, TX—House of Blues Dallas†
October 22—Austin, TX—Emo’s Austin†
October 24—Phoenix, AZ—The Van Buren†
October 31—Little Rock, AR—The Hall‡
November 2—Corpus Christi, TX—Concrete Street Amphitheater‡
November 5—Lubbock, TX—Cook’s Garage‡
November 6—Albuquerque, NM—Revel‡
December 6—Sydney, AU—ICC Sydney Theatre§
December 7—Melbourne, AU—Margaret Court Arena§
December 11—Melbourne, AU— Margaret Court Arena§
December 13—Brisbane, AU—Brisbane Entertainment Centre§
*with Little Big Town
†with Noah Cyrus
‡with Marcus King
§with Kelsea Ballerini
Flowerovlove Drops New Single “I’m Your First” via Capitol Records Ahead of Haim and Khalid Support Dates and ACL Fest Debut
Named as a 2025 artist to watch by Rolling Stone and InStyle, flowerovlove continues to prove herself worthy of these accolades with her new summer banger “I’m your first,” released today by Capitol Records. From first steps to first kiss, life holds many memorable firsts – but none quite compare to one’s first “baddie.” She sings enticingly, “it’s exciting baby u should come own it / It’s a milestone it’s ur big moment / in your crush career you got promoted / I’m your trophy / come hold it.” Listen HERE.
She gives a winsome performance of “I’m your first” from atop a pedestal in the accompanying video, directed by Matty Peacock (Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande).
The 20-year-old UK artist will open for Haim on select dates in September, including opening night at the TD Pavilion at the Mann in Philadelphia (September 4). See below for itinerary. Tickets are available HERE. She will open for Khalid at the Washington State Fair on September 11 and make her Austin City Limits Festival debut next month, performing on October 5 and 12.
After touring the U.S. with Halsey earlier this summer, flowerovlove opened for Olivia Rodrigo at London’s Hyde Park, where she arrived onstage in a giant shoe. She recently achieved a new milestone, making her debut at Lollapalooza. There, flowerovlove climbed out of an enormous purse and performed “I’m your first” live for the very first time. The props are a nod to her inimitable style and the song’s reference to how the mini skirt warrior likes to “match my shoe with my bag.” Rolling Stone said, “Flowerovlove put on a colorful set, literally.” Atwood Magazine observed, “flowerovlove stole the show, not once, but twice with her performances at the Bud Light stage and Toyota Music Den…[She] made an effort to connect with listeners on a deeper level…”
“I’m your first” is the follow-up to “new friends,” which she released in June. Clash Magazine said, “A carefree summer single, ‘new friends’ is packed with vivacious energy…Lyrically, flowerovlove is the ultra-relatable girl-next-door aiming to embrace positivity in her life.” Winner of a Music Week Women In Music award and nominated for a MOBO, flowerovlove has amassed over 123 million combined global streams in her career to date, including 35 million streams for “breaking news” and nearly 20 million for “a girl like me.” She recently teamed up with Louis Vuitton on the LV Style Diary.
flowerovlove – U.S. Tour Dates
Supporting Haim
9/4 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at the Mann
9/5 – Boston, MA – The Stage at Suffolk Downs
9/6 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
9/9 – New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl
Supporting Khalid
9/11 – Puyallup, WA – Washington State Fair
Festivals
10/5 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Festival
10/12 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Festival
The Last Dinner Party Share New Single ‘The Scythe’ from Forthcoming Album ‘From The Pyre’ Out October 17
The Last Dinner Party are pleased to share ‘The Scythe’, our second preview of forthcoming album From The Pyre out 17th October 2025 via Island Records.
First conceived as a breakup song in Abigail Morris’ teens, the poised slow burn of ‘The Scythe’ exhibits the considerable songwriting range possessed by The Last Dinner Party, who first caught worldwide attention through their brand of potent theatrical rock.
Abigail on ‘The Scythe’:
“This song began 9 years ago, like a prophecy. I wrote it before I had known anything of grief or heartbreak, how a relationship ending feels exactly the same as that person dying. Once you know how it feels to lose someone you enter a new realm from which you can never return. You’re trying to reach them telepathically through psychics or song lyrics (sometimes those two become the same) and sometimes they give you a reply. It can take 9 years to realise you’re even grieving at all but once you do you see them everywhere – in a robin, in a street fox, in a Wim Wenders film. The Scythe comes for everyone and you shouldn’t be afraid about what’s on the other side.”
“The music video for ‘The Scythe’ is one of our proudest and most intimate. From one angle it’s a celebration of all the relationships that make it so far you both feel like you can live forever, from another it’s the fantasy of imagining what it would look like if your parents had been able to grow old together.”
‘The Scythe’ is the second track to be lifted from The Last Dinner Party’s forthcoming second album From The Pyre, following the July release of western-flecked earworm ‘This Is The Killer Speaking’ – listen here.
The London five-piece headed into the studio early 2025 with Grammy Award winning producer Markus Dravs (Wolf Alice, Florence & The Machine, Bjork) to start work on the follow-up to their number 1 debut album, 2023’s Prelude to Ecstasy. From The Pyre is the sound of a band having a lot of fun rather than feeling any innate pressure to follow-up on what was an explosively successful debut record. It’s also the sound of a young band developing and maturing their songwriting together, as tight a unit as the endless months out on the road pay testament to.
The Last Dinner Party on From The Pyre:
“This record is a collection of stories, and the concept of album-as-mythos binds them. ‘The Pyre’ itself is an allegorical place in which these tales originate, a place of violence and destruction but also regeneration, passion and light.
“The songs are character driven but still deeply personal, a commonplace life event pushed to pathological extreme. Being ghosted becomes a Western dance with a killer, and heartbreak laughs into the face of the apocalypse. Lyrics invoke rifles, scythes, sailors, saints, cowboys, floods, Mother Earth, Joan of Arc, and blazing infernos. We found this kind of evocative imagery to be the most honest and truthful way to discuss the way our experiences felt, giving each the emotional weight it deserves.”
“This record feels a little darker, more raw and more earthy; it takes place looking out at a sublime landscape rather than seated an opulent table. It also feels metatextual and cheeky in places, like a knowing look reflected back at ourselves.”
With two BRIT Awards to their name (including Breakthrough Artist earlier this year), and having sold out virtually every show they played right across the globe (including three sold-out hometown shows at London’s Eventim Apollo), The Last Dinner Party’s arrival and subsequent worldwide success was one of the most thrilling introductions to a new British band in decades, and From The Pyre’s opening introduction suggests that unparalleled success story shows no signs of relenting.
Tickets for The Last Dinner Party’s UK/EU tour are available here
15th October – Pryzm, Kingston (w/ Banquet Records) *Matinee* – SOLD OUT
15th October – Pryzm, Kingston (w/ Banquet Records) *Evening* – SOLD OUT
17th October – The Level, Nottingham (w/ Rough Trade) *Matinee* – SOLD OUT
17th October – The Level, Nottingham (w/ Rough Trade) *Evening* – SOLD OUT
19th October – 1865, Southampton (w/ Vinilo Records) – SOLD OUT
20th October – HMV Empire, Coventry (w/ HMV) – SOLD OUT
22nd October – Live House, Dundee (w/ Assai) – SOLD OUT
23rd October – The Dome, Liverpool (w/ Rough Trade) – SOLD OUT
UK Headline Tour:
14th November – 3Arena, Dublin
17th November – Corn Exchange, Edinburgh
20th November – O2 City Hall, Newcastle
23rd November – Bridlington Spa, Bridlington
26th November – Aviva Studios, Manchester
29th November – The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
30th November – The Prospect Building, Bristol
2nd December – Utilita Arena, Cardiff
4th December – Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth
5th December – Brighton Centre, Brighton
7th December – O2 Academy Brixton, London
8th December – O2 Academy Brixton, London
2026
10th January – Red Hill Auditorium, Perth
13th January – AEC Theatre, Adelaide
15th January – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
17th January – ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney
19th January – Riverstage, Brisbane
22nd January – Spark Arena, Auckland
8th February – Colisieu dos Recreios, Lisbon
10th February – Sala La Riviera, Madrid
11th February – Razzmatazz, Barcelona
13th February – Fabrique, Milan
14th February – The Hall, Zurich
16th February – Zenith, Munich
17th February – Forum Karlín, Prague
19th February – Gasometer, Vienna
20th February – COS Torwar, Warsaw
22nd February – UFO im Velodrom, Berlin
23rd February – Palladium, Cologne
25th February – Le Zénith, Paris
27th February – Forest National, Brussels
1st March – AFAS Live, Amsterdam
3rd March – Vega, Copenhagen
4th March – Fållan, Stockholm
6th March – Sentrum Scene, Oslo
Good Neighbours Share New Single ‘People Need People’ from Forthcoming Debut Album ‘Blue Sky Mentality’ Out September 26
Good Neighbours return this week with stirring new single ‘People Need People’ – the final preview of their debut album Blue Sky Mentality, out September 26th via Polydor Records.
Premiering on Wednesday night as BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record, ‘People Need People’ is a widescreen anthem centered on friendship, solidarity and the moments we lean on each other most. With luminous synths, pulsing percussion and a soaring chorus made to be sung shoulder-to-shoulder, it’s a rousing reminder that no one has to go it alone.
Speaking about the track, the band share: “The title is everything the track is about. When we started this band, we were in and out of jobs and struggling with staying afloat. Luckily, we had an amazing group of mates around us who we’ve seen laugh and cry when the going gets tough. The song should be an arm around the ones you love.”
‘People Need People’ follows the euphoric rush of recent singles ‘found u/me’ and ‘Suburbs’, as well as the duo’s radiant cover of The La’s ‘There She Goes’ for Amazon Music. Together, the tracks showcase the depth and range of Blue Sky Mentality – a debut album that smuggles big feelings into even bigger choruses, uniting listeners in moments of catharsis, joy and release.
The announcement comes alongside exciting news of the duo’s biggest UK & Ireland tour to date, set for February 2026, with shows across the UK and Ireland. Full itinerary below, tickets available HERE.
Over the bank holiday weekend Good Neighbours took to the Main Stage at Reading & Leeds Festival, bringing their anthems to huge crowds – a landmark moment that further cemented them as one of the UK’s most exciting new live acts.
It followed the real sense of homecoming that was the announcement of Blue Sky Mentality, where Scott and Oli marked the moment with a sweat-soaked, sold-out show at London’s Sebright Arms – the very venue where they played their first ever gig just 18 months ago, in November 2023.
Written across a whirlwind year of long-haul flights, tour buses, hotel rooms and emotional highs and lows, the album captures the tension between distance and belonging – the pull of community, the need for connection, and the journey back to yourself. It’s a record that wears its heart loudly and proudly: a 14-track burst of euphoric indie-pop that smuggles big feelings – grief, love, hope, resilience – into massive choruses and sun-streaked synths. From their viral debut ‘Home’ to fan favourites ‘Keep It Up’, ‘Ripple’ and ‘Starry Eyed’, Blue Sky Mentality is both a document of their meteoric rise and a rallying cry for openness, optimism and togetherness.
Speaking on the album, the band share:“Blue Sky Mentality has been our motto since day one. Our band began as a kind of light relief – a creative outlet to break from jobs that we couldn’t stand and some tough personal times. Over the last year, we ran with that feeling, writing our debut album on the road – in the back of tour buses, hotel rooms, and scattered corners of the world. That’s what Blue Sky Mentality means to us – finding light, friendship and a sense of escapism wherever you are.”
Blue Sky Mentality tracklist:
1. Keep It Up
2. Skipping Stones
3. Ripple
4. found u/me*
5. Walk Walk Walk
6. Kids Can’t Sleep
7. Home
8. Small Town
9. Starry Eyed
10. People Need People
11. Left Hand Man
12. Suburbs
13. Wonderful Life
14. The Buzz
*Vinyl edition includes ‘Somebody’ instead of ‘found u/me’
UK Indie Store tour dates:
22/09 – Rough Trade, Bristol
23/09 – HMV, The Vault, Birmingham
25/09 – Banquet / Pryzm, Kingston
26/09 – Jacaranda, Baltic, Liverpool
27/09 – Crash Records, Wardrobe, Leeds
29/09 – Assai, Caves, Edinburgh
30/09 – Rough Trade, The Saltbox, Nottingham
UK & Ireland Tour Dates 2026:
Tue 10 Feb – Dublin, The Academy
Thu 12 Feb – Glasgow, SWG3
Fri 13 Feb – Manchester, New Century Hall
Sat 14 Feb – Sheffield, The Foundry
Mon 16 Feb – Birmingham, O2 Institute
Tue 17 Feb – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town
Wed 18 Feb – Brighton, CHALK Live
Fri 20 Feb – Bristol, The Electric
Sat 21 Feb – Oxford, O2 Academy 1
Lola Young Unveils Gut Wrenching Single ‘Spiders’ from Forthcoming Album ‘I’m Only F**king Myself’ Out September 19
Ivor Novello Rising Star Winner and BRIT Award-nominated South London artist Lola Young unveils her gut-wrenching new single ‘Spiders’, from her highly-anticipated album, I’m Only F**king Myself, due out 19th September.
An emotional anchor on Lola’s upcoming album, ‘Spiders’, is a blistering build of a ballad. Incorporating 90’s-style grunge production, which intertwines seamlessly with Lola’s raw, unbridled emotion, conveyed through her lyricism and vocal performance, ‘Spiders’ unlocks a deeper level of Lola’s artistry.
“Sometimes you want to kill what you’re most scared of in life, but when you actually face up to it, it’s really not as scary as you thought it would be.” says Lola
Arriving later this month, I’m Only F**king Myself encapsulates Lola’s emotional and musical growth. It’s a bright, touching body of work that often dives into the dark and raw but is counterbalanced by Lola’s uncompromising attitude, unafraid to get candid with exactly how she feels. Co-written and produced with frequent collaborators Manuka and SOLOMONOPHONIC (Doja Cat, SZA), I’m Only F**king Myself explores themes of self-sabotage and Lola’s attempt to pull herself out of it. The upcoming album features recent offerings, ‘d£aler’, ‘Not Like That Anymore’ and ‘One Thing’.
Lola is the recipient of the ‘Rising Star’ accolade at this year’s Ivor Novello Awards, following her ‘Best Pop Act’ nomination at this year’s BRIT Awards. She has collaborated with Tyler, The Creator (‘Like Him’), and Lil Yachty (‘Charlie’) and continues to make a global impact with her music and compelling personality. Following her debut appearance at Coachella earlier this year, Lola opened for Billie Eilish in Paris during her Hit Me Hard and Soft headline tour and gave standout festival performances at Glastonbury, Lollapalooza in Paris, Way Out West and Lowlands.
In celebration of I’m Only F**king Myself, Lola will head out on a nationwide record store tour, kicking off later this month and will then embark on her biggest UK headline shows to date in October, with all dates sold-out. She will perform two nights at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse, the O2 Academy in Birmingham, and two nights at London’s O2 Academy Brixton, before an anticipated return to North America for headline shows in November as well as a headline European run in 2026 – full dates below.
Boasting over 1 billion all-time streams globally across her catalogue of releases, Lola Young continues to achieve tremendous success. Her platinum-certified #1 single ‘Messy’ from her acclaimed 2024 album, This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, held the top spot in the UK for four consecutive weeks, making Lola one of only two British female artists to reach #1 in the UK Singles Chart within the last year.
Lola Young – Upcoming Live Dates
* Headline Show
Monday 15th September – Rough Trade x The Level – Nottingham, UK [Record Store Tour]
Wednesday 17th September – Banquet x Prysm – Kingston, UK [Record Store Tour]
Saturday 27th September – All Things Go Festival – Queens, New York
Sunday 28th September – All Things Go Festival – Columbia, MD
Monday 6th October – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK * – SOLD OUT
Tuesday 7th October – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK* – SOLD OUT
Thursday 9th October – O2 Academy – Birmingham, UK * – SOLD OUT
Friday 10th October – Rough Trade x The Dome – Liverpool, UK [Record Store Tour]
Sunday 12th October – Assai x Queen’s Hall – Edinburgh, UK [Record Store Tour]
Monday 13th October – HMV x Boiler Shop – Newcastle, UK [Record Store Tour]
Wednesday 15th October – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK * – SOLD OUT
Thursday 16th October – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK* – SOLD OUT
Saturday 18th October – VINLO x 1865 – Southampton, UK [Record Store Tour]
Sunday 19th October – Rough Trade x Electric – Bristol, UK [Record Store Tour]
Saturday 1st November – History – Toronto, ON *
Sunday 2nd November – History – Toronto, ON *
Tuesday 4th November – Roadrunner – Boston, MA *
Wednesday 5th November – Terminal 5 – New York City, NY *
Thursday 6th November – Terminal 5 – New York City, NY *
Saturday 8th November – The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA *
Sunday 9th November – The Anthem – Washington, DC *
Tuesday 11th November – The Pinnacle – Nashville, TN *
Wednesday 12th November – Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA *
Saturday 15th November – Corona Capital, Mexico City
Wednesday 19th November – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater – Austin, TX *
Friday 21st November – The Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX *
Monday 24th November – The Salt Shed – Chicago, IL *
Tuesday 25th November – Palace Theatre – St. Paul, MN *
Friday 28th November – The Fillmore Auditorium – Denver, CO *
Saturday 29th November – The Union Event Center – Salt Lake City, UT *
Monday 1st December – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre – Vancouver, BC *
Tuesday 2nd December – WAMU Theater at Lumen Field – Seattle, WA *
Thursday 4th December – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA *
Saturday 6th December – Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA *
Sunday 7th December – Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA *
2026
Tuesday 12th May – 013 Poppodium – Tilburg, The Netherlands *
Wednesday 13th May – 013 Poppodium – Tilburg, The Netherlands *
Friday 15th May – Uber Eats Music Hall – Berlin, Germany *
Sunday 17th May – K.B. Hallen – Copenhagen, Denmark *
Tuesday 19th May – Palladium – Cologne, Germany *
Thursday 21st May – De Roma – Antwerp, Belgium *
Tuesday 26th May – TonHalle – Munich, Germany *
Wednesday 27th May – The Hall – Zurich, Switzerland *
Friday 29th May – Fabrique – Milan, Italy *
Sunday 31st May – Le Radiant – Lyon, France *
Monday 1st June – Olympia – Paris, France *
Justin Bieber Drops 23 Track Album ‘SWAG II’ Following Global Chart Topping Success of ‘SWAG’
GRAMMY Award-winning global superstar Justin Bieber, is back with SWAG II, out now via Def Jam Recordings. Just weeks after the release of his critically acclaimed, chart-topping album SWAG, Bieber continues his creative momentum with a bold new body of work, amplifying the energy, creativity and cultural impact of its predecessor. The new 23-track project features production by Justin Bieber in collaboration withCarter Lang, Dylan Wiggins, Dijon, mk.gee, Daniel Chetrit, Eddie Benjamin, Mike Will, Camper and more.
Upon release in July, SWAG debuted as the most consumed album worldwide, landing at #1 on the Top Streaming, Pop and R&B Album charts, marking the 10th Billboard 200 Top 5 album of Bieber’s career and his 50th Billboard Global 200 hit. The album topped both the Spotify andApple Music Album Charts, reaching #1 over 100 territories globally. Standout track “DAISIES” claimed the #1 spot on Spotify’s U.S. and Global Song charts and continued to top the U.S chart for 7 days post-release. It also peaked at #1 on Apple Music Top 100 Global chart and has remained there since, making it the top consumed song globally.
SWAG II TRACKLIST:
1. SPEED DEMON
2. BETTER MAN
3. LOVE SONG
4. I DO
5. I THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL
6. MOTHER IN YOU
7. WITCHYA
8. EYE CANDY
9. DON’T WANNA
10. BAD HONEY
11. NEED IT
12. OH MAN
13. POPPIN’ MY S***
14. ALL THE WAY
15. PETTING ZOO
16. MOVING FAST
17. SAFE SPACE
18. LYIN’
19. DOTTED LINE
20. OPEN UP YOUR HEART
21. WHEN IT’S OVER
22. EVERYTHING HALLELUJAH
23. STORY OF GOD
Joni Mitchell Releases Career Spanning Collection ‘Joni’s Jazz’ Featuring 61 Tracks Across 8LP and 4CD Editions
Joni Mitchell releases Joni’s Jazz, a passion project years in the making. This career-spanning collection features recordings chosen by Mitchell that reflect jazz’s profound influence on her music.
The release is available now as an 8LP vinyl box set, a 4CD edition, and across all digital and streaming platforms. Both the vinyl and CD versions include liner notes with rare and previously unseen photos and original artwork by Mitchell. Order HERE.
An exclusive Joni Mitchell Archives fine-art print is available as a gift-with-purchase exclusive from jonimitchell.com.
Spanning 61 tracks, Joni’s Jazz includes studio recordings, live performances, rare alternate takes and previously unreleased demos, and material drawn from multiple decades and record labels. Listen to today’s release day focus track, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Live at the Santa Barbara County Bowl, September 9, 1979)” HERE.
The set features contributions from some of Mitchell’s most important collaborators in jazz, among them Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, and Charles Mingus. Mitchell, who calls Shorter her favorite collaborator, dedicates the collection to him following his passing in 2023. “It was a joy to play with him,” she writes. “He will be missed, but he will remain alive for me in this music.”
Covering nearly every era of her recording career, the collection includes selections from Songs To A Seagull, The Hissing of Summer Lawns, Hejira, Mingus, Turbulent Indigo, Both Sides Now (a 2001 GRAMMY Award winner), and more. It also features her guest appearances on projects like Hancock’s GRAMMY Award-winning album, River: The Joni Letters.
Across the collection, the music follows Mitchell’s artistic growth — from the rhythmic layering of “Harry’s House / Centerpiece” to the bold experimentation of “The Jungle Line,” the narrative scale of “Paprika Plains,” and the airy, improvised feel of “A Chair In The Sky.”
It draws from more than five decades of Mitchell’s recordings, going back to 1968 for “Marcie,” from Song To A Seagull. The most recent is her performance of “Summertime,” recorded live at the 2023 Newport Folk Festival. It marked Mitchell’s first full-length concert in over two decades — a powerful return that resonated around the world.
As a self-portrait in sound, Joni’s Jazz captures an artist in conversation with jazz over a lifetime — never imitating, always inventing. Last year, in the liner notes for Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 4, she joked, “People ask me my favorite of my albums, it’s going to be Joni’s Jazz.” Now it is.
JONI’S JAZZ
8LP Track Listing
LP One
Side One
- “Blue”
- “Trouble Man” – Kyle Eastwood feat. Joni Mitchell
- “Moon At The Window” – Demo 2 *
- “Be Cool” – Demo 2 *
- “Harlem In Havana”
Side Two
- “Cherokee Louise”
- “Come In From The Cold”
- “In France They Kiss On Main Street”
- “Nothing Can Be Done”
LP Two
Side One
- “Sex Kills”
- “Edith And The Kingpin”
- “Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire”
- “The Jungle Line”
Side Two
- “Shades Of Scarlett Conquering”
- “Yvette In English”
- “Marcie”
- “A Bird That Whistles”
LP Three
Side One
- “Love”
- “Comes Love”
- “The Man I Love” – Herbie Hancock feat. Joni Mitchell
Side Two
- “At Last”
- “You’re My Thrill”
- “Sometimes I’m Happy”
- “Stay In Touch”
LP Four
Side One
- “The Crazy Cries Of Love”
- “Face Lift”
- “Sweet Sucker Dance” – Early Alternate Version
Side Two
- “You Dream Flat Tires”
- “Answer Me, My Love”
- “Love Puts On A New Face”
- “Both Sides Now”
LP Five
Side One
- “Harry’s House/Centerpiece”
- “Sunny Sunday”
- “Hana”
- “Last Chance Lost”
- “Smokin’ (Empty, Try Another)”
Side Two
- “Paprika Plains”
LP Six
Side One
- “Hejira” – Live at The Santa Barbara County Bowl (10/9/79)
- “Refuge Of The Roads”
- “Blue Motel Room”
Side Two
- “Black Crow”
- “Off Night Backstreet”
- “Just Like This Train”
- “No Apologies”
- “Not To Blame”
- “The Magdalene Laundries”
LP Seven
Side One
- “The Sire Of Sorrow (Job’s Sad Song)”
- “God Must Be A Boogie Man”
- “A Chair In The Sky”
Side Two
- “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” – Live at The Santa Barbara County Bowl (10/9/79)
- “The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms)” – Herbie Hancock feat. Joni Mitchell
- “Shine”
LP Eight
Side One
- “If I Had A Heart”
- “Impossible Dreamer”
- “One Week Last Summer”
- “Summertime” – Live at Newport Folk Festival (7/22/23)
Side Two
- “Stormy Weather”
- “Two Grey Rooms” – Demo 5
- “The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines”
- “Twisted”
- “If”
JONI’S JAZZ
4CD Track Listing
CD One
- “Blue”
- “Trouble Man” – Kyle Eastwood feat. Joni Mitchell
- “Moon At The Window” – Demo 2 *
- “Be Cool” – Demo 2 *
- “Harlem In Havana”
- “Cherokee Louise”
- “Come In From The Cold”
- “In France They Kiss On Main Street”
- “Nothing Can Be Done”
- “Sex Kills”
- “Edith And The Kingpin”
- “Cold Blue Steel And Sweet Fire”
- “The Jungle Line”
- “Shades Of Scarlett Conquering”
- “Yvette In English”
- “Marcie”
- “A Bird That Whistles”
CD Two
- “Love”
- “Comes Love”
- “The Man I Love” – Herbie Hancock feat. Joni Mitchell
- “At Last”
- “You’re My Thrill”
- “Sometimes I’m Happy”
- “Stay In Touch”
- “The Crazy Cries Of Love”
- “Face Lift”
- “Sweet Sucker Dance” – Early Alternate Version
- “You Dream Flat Tires”
- “Answer Me, My Love”
- “Love Puts On A New Face”
- “Both Sides Now”
CD Three
- “Harry’s House/Centerpiece”
- “Sunny Sunday”
- “Hana”
- “Last Chance Lost”
- “Smokin’ (Empty, Try Another)”
- “Hejira” – Live at The Santa Barbara County Bowl (10/9/79)
- “Refuge Of The Roads”
- “Paprika Plains”
- “Blue Motel Room”
- “Black Crow”
- “Off Night Backstreet”
- “Just Like This Train”
- “No Apologies”
- “Not To Blame”
- “The Magdalene Laundries”
CD Four
- “The Sire Of Sorrow (Job’s Sad Song)”
- “God Must Be A Boogie Man”
- “A Chair In The Sky”
- “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” – Live at The Santa Barbara County Bowl (10/9/79)
- “The Tea Leaf Prophecy (Lay Down Your Arms)” – Herbie Hancock feat. Joni Mitchell
- “Shine”
- “If I Had A Heart”
- “Impossible Dreamer”
- “One Week Last Summer”
- “Summertime” – Live at Newport Folk Festival (7/22/23)
- “Stormy Weather”
- “Two Grey Rooms” – Demo 5
- “The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines”
- “Twisted”
- “If”
* Previously Unreleased