No Terror in the Bang have built their identity on the collision of fragility and fury, and ‘Existence’ pushes that tension further than anything they’ve done before. The French progressive metal outfit’s new EP arrives as a 5-track exploration of humanity’s downfall across cosmic, physical, social, environmental, and mortal dimensions, each track exposing a distinct layer of collapse with dark atmospheres and narrative depth that demands full attention from the first second to the last.
At the centre of everything stands Sofia Bortoluzzi, whose shape-shifting vocal performance remains one of progressive metal’s most compelling instruments. She moves between ethereal clean melodies and visceral, gut-level screams with a seamlessness that feels entirely natural rather than technically calculated. It’s the kind of vocal range that doesn’t just serve the music but defines it, anchoring the band’s cinematic sound in something deeply human even as the themes push toward the cosmic and catastrophic.
The band’s approach to progressive metal has always been built on tension and contrast, restraint giving way to eruption, intimacy expanding into something overwhelming. ‘Existence’ reinforces that language while expanding it, blending technical precision with emotional volatility across a record that provokes as much as it overwhelms. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Sébastien Langle, the production gives every dynamic shift the weight and clarity it needs to land.
Following 2021’s ‘Eclosion’ and 2024’s ‘HEAL,’ ‘Existence’ marks another significant step forward for a band that has been building one of progressive metal’s most distinctive catalogs. This is music that interrogates destiny, purpose, and the self-destructive impulses that define the human condition, and it does so without flinching once.
Jesper Lindell had a mission and he saw it through. The Swedish singer-songwriter packed up his band The Brunnsvik Sounds in 2024 and made the pilgrimage across the Atlantic to record at 2 of American music’s most hallowed spaces: Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama and Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. 4 days, 2 studios, and enough material for 2 albums. The first of those is ‘3614 Jackson Highway,’ out now via Yep Roc Records, and it’s a deeply felt tribute to the classic American songbook delivered with genuine reverence and real musical command.
Lead single “If Love Was Money” is a cover of a Dan Penn track discovered during the 3-day drive from Boston down to Alabama. “The closer we got to Alabama, the more I realized that I kept coming back to songs written or co-written by Dan Penn,” Lindell explains. He discovered Penn’s 1972 solo album on that drive and immediately felt the connection. “The last track, ‘If Love Was Money,’ felt 100% like something me and my band could really sink into. And we did, didn’t we?” The answer, on the evidence of the recording, is an emphatic yes.
The Muscle Shoals sessions came with their own drama. Flight delays cut the band’s planned 2 days in the studio down to a day and a half, but the compressed timeline produced something unexpected: a creative rush born from pent-up energy, jet lag, joy of playing, and genuine wonder at standing in the same room that hosted the Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Duane Allman, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart, and so many more. Lindell is reflective about the decision to cover songs that already exist in iconic versions. “To dive deep into the material, to actually play and sing the songs instead of just listening to them, that was an invaluable experience for us, one we learned a lot from.”
Born and raised in Ludvika, Sweden, Lindell came up through local bars and rehearsal rooms developing a reverence for classic American songwriting and the warm, analog textures of the 60s and 70s. His breakout EP ‘Little Less Blue,’ recorded with members of First Aid Kit, revealed a strikingly emotive voice and a natural instinct for blending retro soul with contemporary Americana. Subsequent albums ‘Twilights’ and ‘Before the Sun’ cemented his reputation as a craftsman capable of turning personal stories into widescreen, roots-steeped soundscapes. ‘3614 Jackson Highway’ is the natural extension of that journey, an artist following his influences all the way to their source and coming back with something unmistakably his own.
Eva Under Fire have never made comfortable music, and “Murder Scene” is their most unflinching statement yet. The Detroit hard rock quintet release the new single via Better Noise Music, a sonically fierce and lyrically razor-sharp track that confronts eating disorders, body dysmorphia, self-doubt, and the particular cruelty of public scrutiny head-on. Singer and songwriter Amanda Lyberg doesn’t soften a single edge of it, and that honesty is exactly what makes the track land with such force.
Lyberg’s statement about the song deserves to be read in full context. “The dream of being on stage comes with a spotlight on my personal flaws,” she explains. “Anxiety is a liar in my head. It tells me I’m not good enough to be here. So, I fight it.” That fight is audible in every second of “Murder Scene,” a track that channels genuine psychological weight into hard rock with real therapeutic purpose. It’s not a coincidence that Lyberg brings her credentials as a licensed psychotherapist, specializing in trauma work, grief and loss, and addiction recovery, to every recording session, fostering open dialogue among band members throughout the process.
Her personal story gives everything Eva Under Fire does additional weight. Lyberg graduated with a Master of Arts in Psychology in 2018 and went to work at a Detroit mental health clinic that same year, the year she also lost her father to a fentanyl overdose. Her mother survived the same batch and has been sober for 6 years. That history became the 2023 short film ‘My Rockstar,’ which used Eva Under Fire music throughout and won over 20 awards across film festivals including Orlando Film Fest and the Toronto WILDfilm Festival.
The band’s catalog already reflects the depth of that lived experience. Their 2022 debut album ‘Love, Drugs & Misery’ earned critical acclaim and Sirius XM’s Ones to Watch recognition, while “Blow (feat. Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills)” has amassed over 41.6 million global streams. Eva Under Fire have toured with Bush, Bad Wolves, Pop Evil, Skillet, and Finger Eleven, and appeared at Aftershock, Inkcarceration, and Rock Fest. This summer they step up to their biggest stages yet, joining Five Finger Death Punch’s 20th Anniversary World Tour alongside Cody Jinks across amphitheatres from coast to coast through October.
If this is a sensitive topic that’s affecting you personally, support is available. Reaching out to a mental health professional or a trusted person in your life is always a valid first step.
2026 Tour Dates (with Five Finger Death Punch and Cody Jinks):
July 20 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
July 22 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater
July 23 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
July 25 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
July 26 – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview
July 28 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion
July 30 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
August 1 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell
August 2 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
August 4 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
August 5 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
August 7 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
August 8 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
August 10 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
August 11 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
August 13 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater
August 15 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater
August 16 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
August 18 – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater
August 19 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
August 21 – Saint Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
September 8 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
September 11 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
September 12 – Ridgefield, WA – Cascades Amphitheater
September 14 – Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre
September 16 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
September 18 – Long Beach, CA – Long Beach Amphitheater
September 19 – Las Vegas, NV – Michelob ULTRA Arena
September 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
September 24 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre*
September 25 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater*
September 27 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
September 28 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
September 30 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
October 2 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
October 3 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater
October 5 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
October 7 – Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheater
October 8 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
October 10 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
October 11 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
October 13 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
October 14 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
October 16 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater
October 17 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
October 19 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Ashland Craft’s “Momma Don’t Pray Like She Used To” already carried real emotional weight when it appeared on her 2025 album ‘Dive Bar Beauty Queen.’ The new duet version featuring Chase Rice takes it somewhere deeper. Paired with Rice’s rugged delivery alongside Craft’s raw, lived-in vocals, the reimagined track becomes a shared reflection on change, gratitude, and the roads that shape us, with an accompanying music video directed by Quinton Cook now available following its exclusive premiere with People.
The pairing makes complete sense once you hear it. Both Craft and Rice come from Carolina upbringings, both have built careers on honest, road-worn storytelling, and both bring personal truth to a song that was already universal in its themes. “Momma Don’t Pray Like She Used To is a universal anthem for all of us growing up and figuring out life,” Craft explains. “With both of us having Carolina upbringings, it felt like the perfect fit.” Rice is equally direct: “This song is her story, but it’s mine too. I know my mom did more than her fair share of praying raising 3 boys.”
Craft has been one of country music’s most compelling voices since her acclaimed 2021 debut ‘Travelin’ Kind,’ a CMT Next Women of Country honoree whose ‘Dive Bar Beauty Queen’ features current radio single “Kick Rocks Cowboy.” She’s shared stages with Zac Brown Band, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Brothers Osborne, and Marcus King, and her fearless, soul-bearing approach to storytelling has drawn comparisons to Chris Stapleton and Bonnie Raitt. American Songwriter put it plainly: “there’s a new country badass in town, and her name is Ashland Craft.”
Rice brings his own formidable resume to the track. A 10x Platinum artist with 2 number 1s at Country Radio, over 3 billion streams, and Diamond certified songwriter credits on “Cruise,” he’s shared stadium billing with Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney. His most recent album ‘ELDORA,’ written in Colorado and inspired by a hidden mountainside town, signals an artist fully committed to his own creative terms. Together, Craft and Rice deliver a duet that honors the song’s origins while expanding its reach considerably.
Amanda McCarthy has lived enough life to fill several albums, and ‘Looking For The Light’ channels all of it into 11 tracks that move between pop, country, pop-punk, and quiet reflection with the ease of someone who stopped worrying about genre a long time ago. Produced in Nashville by Kristian Veech, the sophomore full-length is honest, grounded, and unmistakably hers, a record about confronting the past, processing the unprocessed, and choosing to thrive again on the other side.
McCarthy puts it plainly: “‘Looking For The Light’ encapsulates leaving the most triumphant era of your life to thrive, crash, burn, and thrive again in a new city while battling undiagnosed ADHD and years of unprocessed trauma. We are embracing the good, the bad, and the LOL WTF. We’re choosing forgiveness over anger, peace over revenge, and connection over alienation.” That clarity of intention runs through every track, from the Nashville-toned “Vodka” and “Every Bar Downtown” to the pop-punk energy of “I’m Not Fine (But I’m Okay)” and the quiet closing reflection of “Waste of a Heartbreak.”
The press response has been immediate and strong. Music City Melodies praised her growth as an artist, noting the music “still carries that touch of angst we all crave, now delivered with a new level of sophistication.” Laurelanne Media reached for a memorable comparison: “Wilson Phillips meets Taylor Swift in group therapy deciding laughter beats crying.” Nashville Socialite highlighted her effortless genre-blending as a genuine standout quality. All 3 assessments land.
McCarthy’s resume is already substantial. She’s shared stages with Steven Tyler, Train, Natasha Bedingfield, Hall & Oates, Imagine Dragons, Styx, and Rob Thomas, performed a nationally televised National Anthem on ESPN, earned Grammy ballot entries, and won Singer/Songwriter of the Year at the New England Music Awards. The story of how she got to Nashville, singing an Aerosmith song directly to Steven Tyler in a local bar before packing up and moving within the year, is exactly the kind of origin story that makes sense once you hear how fearlessly she performs.
‘Looking For The Light’ is the work of an artist who has processed the hard stuff and come out the other side with something genuinely worth sharing.
Hayden Haddock has a clear gift for finding the romantic image at the heart of a Texas country song, and “Heaven On Horseback” is one of his sharpest yet. Written with Caden Gillard and Dan Hutson and produced by Drew Hall, the neo-traditional single paints a vivid picture of a restless wrangler transformed by the right woman’s presence, his version, as he puts it, of “Cowboy Take Me Away” from a guy’s perspective. The fiery guitar opener comes in hot, pedal steel and fiddle licks escalate the cinematic setting, and Haddock’s laid-back vocals carry subtle echoes of Tracy Lawrence and Zach Top into a high-powered chorus that earns every note of its buildup.
The single follows “Keep Me Up” and “Hell Or High Whiskey,” 2 2025 releases that together have amassed over 123,000 cumulative Spotify streams. Add those to a catalog that has crossed 12 million total streams, 6 tracks on the Texas radio charts, 3 Top 10 finishes, and a #1 on the Texas Country Music Chart in 2025 with “Front Porch In The Rain,” and the momentum behind Haddock becomes very clear, very quickly.
The 27-year-old Texas A&M graduate started building his following in 2018 when a dorm room video surfaced online and racked up over 1.4 million YouTube views. Since then he’s built a road warrior reputation performing nearly 100 dates a year across the US, sharing stages with Randall King, Steve Wariner, Kevin Fowler, and Jon Wolfe among others. Billboard, Taste of Country, The Boot, and Texas Lifestyle Magazine have all spotlighted his work, and the Texas Regional Radio Music Awards named him New Male Vocalist of the Year in 2021.
Beyond the music, Haddock has been a vocal advocate for Breakthrough T1D, the international non-profit dedicated to diabetes research, bringing real purpose to a career already built on hard work and authentic storytelling. “Heaven On Horseback” is the next step forward for one of Texas country’s most compelling rising voices.
38 albums in and Jim Lauderdale sounds more energized than ever. The recent Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee delivers ‘Country Super Hits Volume 2,’ a 13-track honky-tonk statement loaded with pedal steel, country piano, and telecasters that finds one of Nashville’s most beloved and prolific songwriters leaning hard into the American music spectrum he’s spent decades defining. “I feel like I’m writing and recording more than ever, and that’s such a favorite thing of mine,” he says. No constraints, no limits, just pure Jim Lauderdale.
Lead single “Everybody’s Got A Problem” captures the album’s spirit with disarming simplicity. “One thing we all have in common,” Lauderdale describes it. The opening verse sets the table plainly: “Everybody’s got a problem / Most have more than just one / There’s no easy way to solve ’em / Or they already would be done.” The payoff comes in the refrain, tight harmonies delivering a genuinely comforting realization: “It helps to know you’re not alone with what you’re going through.” Simple, true, and purely Jim Lauderdale.
‘Country Super Hits Volume 2’ follows his 2006 album of a similar name, 2 decades apart but cut from the same cloth. Since his major label debut in 1991, Lauderdale has released 37 albums under his name, each one reflecting the same unwavering commitment to craft and storytelling that has made him a fixture of Nashville’s finest rooms and stages. This record is no different, universal stories told in a singular voice, with an ace band that knows exactly how to serve the songs.
The touring schedule that accompanies the album is equally ambitious. Lauderdale plays a string of intimate US dates before heading to Europe this summer and fall, opening and closing the season alongside Emmylou Harris across major concert halls in the UK, Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Belgium. Regular appearances at Nashville’s Skinny Dennis run throughout the year. For a songwriter who says he has no constraints and nothing limiting what he can do, the calendar reflects exactly that freedom.
‘Country Super Hits Volume 2’ Tracklist:
I’ve Still Got You
People Get Hurt Sometimes
Hope Springs Eternal
You Had To Be There
Artificial Intelligence
I’m Waggin’ My Tail
Everybody’s Got A Problem
While We Learn To Break Each Others Hearts
Neighbors
I Can’t Get Around It
You’re My Honest To Goodness
Making A Believer Out Of Me
We Don’t See You Anymore
2026 Tour Dates:
April 23 – Wilkesboro, NC – Wilkes Community College
May 2 – Pinewood, SC – Wildlife Education Center
May 4 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis
May 11 – Liverpool, ENG – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic*
May 13 – Birmingham, ENG – Symphony Hall*
May 15 – Bristol, ENG – Bristol Beacon*
May 17 – London, ENG – Royal Albert Hall*
May 18 – Sunderland, ENG – Sunderland Empire*
May 20 – Rotterdam, NL – De Doelen*
May 21 – Eindhoven, NL – Muziekgebouw*
May 23 – Groningen, NL – De Oosterpoort*
May 24 – Amsterdam, NL – Het Concertgebouw*
June 1 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis
June 13 – Broken Bow, OK – Beavers Bend State Park
July 6 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis
August 3 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis
August 21 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Konserthus*
August 22 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Konserthus*
August 24 – Helsinki, FI – Allas Live*
August 26 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena*
September 3 – Bruxelles, BE – BOZAR*
September 4 – Antwerpen, BE – Stadsschouwburg Antwerp*
September 6 – Monheim Am Rhein, DE – Kulturraffinerie K714*
The Elem operate without borders, and “Could It Be Me?” proves exactly why that approach works. The project of primary songwriter and producer M.L. Leichter brings together a rotating cast of remote collaborators to create something cinematic, psychologically charged, and impossible to pin down. Produced and mixed by the legendary Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Metallica), the single arrives with real sonic authority behind it.
Set against the surreal backdrop of a rave unfolding in the countryside, “Could It Be Me?” interrogates one of the defining tensions of the current cultural moment: the thin line between paranoia, self-importance, and faith. The narrator moves suspended between reality and delusion, questioning whether they’re chosen for something greater or simply trapped inside their own fears. It’s a premise that could easily tip into abstraction, but Leichter grounds it in specific, vivid detail that keeps the emotional stakes immediate.
The production unfolds with deliberate cinematic control. Rolling toms open a brooding, ethereal atmosphere before guitars lock into a powerful melodic foundation. The chorus builds slowly, its long aching notes pulling deeper with each return. A stark, menacing bridge strips everything back before the final chorus erupts with wailing, expressive vocals and an epic outro that lingers well after the track ends. Fraser’s mix gives every element exactly the space and weight it needs.
Blending rock, alternative, new wave, indie, and pop into something genuinely its own, The Elem operate at the intersection of ambition and emotional honesty. “Could It Be Me?” is the project at full force, confident, searching, and built to stay with you.
‘Lost on You’ lands with the quiet confidence of a band that knows exactly who they are and exactly what they’re capable of. Tigers Jaw’s latest album, produced and engineered by longtime collaborator Will Yip (Turnstile, Movements) at his famed Studio 4 in Philadelphia, is everything their devoted following has come to love, pounding rhythms, melodic leads that shift fluidly between instruments, and the overlapping vocals of Ben Walsh and Brianna Collins that have defined the band’s sound since the beginning. Listen here.
Lead single “Primary Colors” captures the album’s emotional centre perfectly. Directed by Britain Weyant, the video recreates the mental space of being stuck between reflecting on what-ifs and finding the resolve to move forward. “It’s about being so wrapped up in the aftermath of something that it overwhelms your senses entirely,” Walsh explains. “We recreated that mental space in the music video as a performance space that had doorways to memories, journeying through a relationship from the very first sparks to the slow unraveling.” The duet format between Walsh and Collins gives the track a lush, bittersweet quality that hits harder for its restraint.
‘Lost on You’ follows singles “Ghost” and “Head is Like a Sinking Stone,” both of which drew praise from Kerrang!, The Line of Best Fit, BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, Rolling Stone’s Songs You Need to Know, Alternative Press, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, and The Needle Drop. The critical infrastructure around this album reflects a band that has spent years earning exactly this level of attention, and the record delivers on every expectation those outlets set.
The scene’s present moment owes a significant debt to Tigers Jaw. Their contributions helped pave the way for the entire world of melodic indie rock and emo that dominates the conversation today, and ‘Lost on You’ demonstrates they’re still operating at the very front of it. The band now sells out Philadelphia’s Union Transfer, a venue roughly 10 times the size of the Scranton spots where they built their name, and the music feels just as vital in either room.
An extensive North American tour runs through June, closing with a UK appearance at Outbreak Fest in Manchester on June 26.
‘Lost on You’ Tracklist:
It’s Ok
Primary Colors
Head is Like a Sinking Stone
Anxious Blade
Baptized on a Redwood Drive
BREEZER
Ghost
Staring at Empty Faces
Light Leaks Through
Roses + Thorns
Lost on You
2026 Tour Dates:
May 27 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick*
May 28 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop*
May 29 – Lexington, KY – The Burl*
May 31 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge*
June 2 – Denton, TX – Rubber Gloves Patio*
June 3 – Austin, TX – Mohawk*
June 5 – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater*
June 6 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park*
June 7 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theater*
June 8 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory*
June 9 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall*
Zachary Mason’s 11th single arrives with a clear sense of purpose. “Sweetheart” is a powerful rock track with unmistakable 80s DNA, built around the kind of romantic theme that speaks directly to the listener’s own memories and emotional experience. Mason recorded the track in his home studio in October 2025 before bringing in drummer Nate Barnes of critically acclaimed rock outfit Rose Hill Drive and bassist John Thomasson, who currently plays with Little Big Town and has credits on several platinum albums, Grammy-winning, and Emmy-winning recordings. Mix and mastering came from Hong Kong-based engineer Derrick Lin, whose work gives the single its polished, full-bodied finish.
At 28, Mason has built a remarkably prolific output since picking up a recording kit in spring 2021, producing between 200 and 250 demo tracks across multiple genres using acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards. That creative volume has sharpened his instincts considerably. “Sweetheart” is his 18th released song, and it carries the confidence of someone who has been honing his craft relentlessly behind closed doors before bringing it out into the world.
The results have been accumulating steadily. His single “I’ll Get Through” charted at number 41 and number 93 on indie radio charts in 2024. His music has been featured by Rolling Stone En Español, The Big Takeover, and SPIN Magazine, which published an interview with Mason in 2025. Songs have been accepted into the catalogues of sync companies including YTINIFNI Pictures and Brazilian film and TV company Relva Music. Influenced by Neil Young, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, and Leonard Cohen, Mason brings a songwriter’s sensibility to rock music that gives his work real staying power.
