Country artist Drew Baldridge has announced the upcoming release of his earnest new song, “Deserve Her,” available everywhere August 22nd via Lyric Ridge Records/Stoney Creek Records. Written by Baldridge alongside Harper Grace and Kyle Schlienger, the track reflects the sensitivity and deep appreciation for the women in his life that have become hallmarks of his music.
“When I wrote this song, I knew it would be such a great message for boys and girls to hear,” says Baldridge. “It talks about knowing a woman’s worth and that you can’t just ‘want her,’ but you gotta ‘deserve her.’ The second verse might be one of my favorite verses I’ve ever written. The words are so powerful, and it’s a message I look forward to sharing with my fans.”
“Deserve Her” follows Baldridge’s recent release, “Get Me Gone,” featuring Emily Ann Roberts, which the duo performed live for the first time together for a sold-out crowd at Red Rocks Amphitheater last month. It also comes on the heels of his second consecutive Top 10 country radio hit, “Tough People,” further building on his momentum and ongoing partnership with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville.
In addition to a run of summer tour dates supporting Bailey Zimmerman and fall dates with Cody Johnson, Baldridge was recently announced as a performer at the NSAI Songwriter Awards, taking place at the Ryman Auditorium on September 23rd. Internationally, he will join Jelly Roll and Shaboozey on the Down Under Tour 2025 before launching his first overseas headlining trek, the Country Born Tour 2025, in the UK and Europe this winter.
The Cribs return today with the announcement of their first new album in five years. Selling A Vibe will be released on January 9 via Play It Again Sam. Also revealed today is the album’s lead single, “Summer Seizures”, which arrives with a video and lands ahead of the band’s first North American dates in eight years.
For the three Jarman brothers, The Cribs has always been a heart-on-sleeve endeavor, documenting a realness and honesty, imbued with a raw spirit and a love for pop melodies, that winks with a healthy skepticism at a world increasingly weighed down by quantity over quality, style over substance. You need only look as far as the new album title for evidence of that. It can be argued though that with Selling A Vibe, that honesty is increasingly turned in the direction of each other, the first time they have so openly done so on one of their records.
With a feeling in the camp that the band were getting stuck on the release-tour-release-tour treadmill, and with the brothers living apart across three timezones, they knew they needed to revive the essence of their relationship as family, and get away from solely feeling like band members. A summer spent together with no music, no writing, just reconnection proved the perfect place to start that process, something they say they’re grateful for the opportunity to do after 20 years together making music.
In the same way that Selling A Vibe was written quickly, with the aim of anchoring things a specific moment, lead single “Summer Seizures” acts as its own timestamp. It was the first song they wrote together in the album sessions, and set the band on the way to Selling A Vibe.
Guitarist and vocalist Ryan Jarman comments on the single: “Lyrically, I was in the kitchen in my apartment in NYC one morning and I could feel that summer was starting. All the major events in my life seem to have happened in the summer, the good and the bad and so when I could feel it coming around again it was a way of marking time and looking at where I’m at now and trying to tie it all together. It’s a song about love, tragedy and learning to live with yourself, all set during summertime in NYC.”
Expanding about the video, he says: “We wanted it to be no gimmicks, done to a really high quality and just let the band and the song do the talking, so we spoke to our old friend Andy Knowles (who happens to be an amazing director) and decided to shoot on 16mm film and just present us as we are. In an age of digital and infinite options, shooting on film meant that it had to be quick, spontaneous and most importantly, natural. Of course those guys spent ages making sure it’d look amazing before the cameras started rolling, but we got exactly what we were looking for: the band as we are now, in our natural environment on celluloid.”
If behind the scenes Selling A Vibe became about a return to truer relationships, the goal with producer Patrick Wimberly was very much about not reverting to type. Having worked with some bucket-list producers on previous albums – Edwyn Collins, Alex Kapranos, Nick Launey, Dave Fridmann, Steve Albini, and Ric Ocasek to name a few – the appointment of former Chairlift man Patrick Wimberly for Selling A Vibe came from a place of continued curiosity, possibility, and adventure. They wanted to work with someone who operated in a more contemporary way, and Wimberly’s list of production credits (Solange, MGMT, Lil Yachty) more than caught the eye. For The Cribs, it wasn’t about recapturing lightning-in-a-bottle moments of yore, it was about breaking the bottle entirely and seeing what could be inside. That meant a slower, more considered recording process, and time in the studio to indulge their love of melody. Selling A Vibe becomes a record not only anchored in reconnection, but one put together to illicit that same response.
Bassist and vocalist Gary Jarman says: “I think as time has gone by our albums have become more and more open – and as such the songs on “Selling A Vibe” feel very personal. So it can be nerve wracking releasing them because they matter so much to us. I know that may sound overly romantic or idealistic, but ultimately – it’s the only thing that matters when all is said and done. Did we connect with people? We don’t want this to be seen as an “indie rock” record or a “punk” record or whatever – all those things that used to seem to matter to us – our only hope is that people enjoy and connect with the songs and lyrics for what they are. We want them to be for everyone, really. And as such, I suppose you could say that makes it our most ambitious album, as we have fully given ourselves over to that. In short, we sincerely hope you enjoy it.”
Key to the band’s creative output is that they only release music when it feels like have something new to contribute. A new record needs to add something to their, and their fans lives. In this case, the renewal of treasured relationships seems as good a reason as any for their return after a five-year absence.
North American Tour Dates Sep 19 – Reggies Chicago, Chicago, IL (Riot Fest Late Night) Sep 20 – Riot Festival, Chicago, IL Sep 23 – Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON Sep 25 – The Sinclair, Cambridge, MA Sep 27 – Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY
Laura Veirs today announced that a new live album, Laura Veirs And The Choir Who Couldn’t Say (Live In Angouleme), will be released digitally on October 10, 2025, via her own label Raven Marching Band.
The recording documents Veirs’ May 2025 performance of 14 of her songs-as well as one by case/lang/veirs (Veirs’ 2016 collaborative album with kd lang and Neko Case)-alongside a French school choir composed of 32 students (30 girls and 2 boys, ages 12-18) and featuring arrangements by their director, Patrice Cleyrat.
She has also shared one of the tracks, “I Can See Your Tracks” (from her 2010 album July Flame) alongside a video. Gorgeous, sparse and deeply moving, Laura Veirs and the Choir Who Couldn’t Say (Live In Angouleme) captures the intensity, soulfulness and hard work of school children in a middle class community in France collaborating with a renowned American singer-songwriter, and is a hopeful demonstration of international artistic collaboration during dark times around the globe.
“Hearing their brave and soulful renditions of my songs and performing with them was a career highlight,” recalled Veirs “I’m so glad we were able to capture the magic of this performance and can share it with the world in the form of this new album.”
“I’m really proud of the choir and of this absolutely unique experience. I worked very hard all year to make it happen,” says Cleyrat. “I hope this experience will help them become great adults and to have faith in the future and in real relationships between differing countries. Music is my passion; I try to transmit it.”
Laura Veirs And The Choir Who Couldn’t Say (Live In Angouleme) is the Portland, Oregon-based Veirs’ second live album in two years, and a surprising collaboration. The choir and Cleyrat practiced for nine months before Veirs joined them on stage for a recorded live performance in Angouleme on May 24, 2025. Veirs accompanied the choir on vocals and guitar on most songs; Cleyrat played keyboards on many as well. The recording was a community effort, co-produced by Veirs and Cleyrat, captured live by Etienne Jouanneau, mixed in Paris by Edouard Bonard, and mastered in Portland, OR, by Jon Neufeld. Veirs created the cover art and an accompanying show poster in her backyard art studio in Portland.
A longtime fan of Veirs, Cleyrat previously also organized a concert of her songs with another children’s choir (the “Young Rapture Choir”) in 2006. While Veirs attended that concert but did not perform, the show was also recorded and she released it as a limited edition CD on her label. A deep music fan, Cleyrat has also taught his choirs over the years the works of Nirvana, Granddaddy and other American rock bands.
Austin, Texas based singer-songwriter RJ Mendoza just dropped his first release of the year, “A.W.O.”, a warm, guitar-driven track with a touch of moody, gothic flair. It’s the first taste of his full length album slated to drop early 2026.
The new song lives on a steady acoustic rhythm, with vocals that feel honest, raw, and relatable. Mendoza recorded it himself in his home studio, leaning into a style that mixes folk storytelling with darker, at times, almost medieval vibes. And the cover art—cupped hands—fits the theme, symbolizing an offering.
Lyrically, “A.W.O.” is a love song, but not in the conventional way we think of love. Its imagery is a bit mythical—golden embers, sacred temples, and candle flames. The words paint a picture of someone who inspires not just attraction, but creativity and a sense of awe. As Mendoza puts it, “It’s a simple song that is catchy and joyful with a deep level of intimacy.”
Mendoza’s sound has been compared to that of Fleet Foxes or Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. So if you feel at home listening to them, you will feel right at home with “A.W.O.”.
Mendoza also isn’t slowing down. His next single, “Forever”, arrives August 29 as he builds towards his full length album release later this year.
Blending biography and archival history, After the Flood asks of Bob Dylan, “If your dreams are fulfilled at twenty, what do you do with the rest of your life?”
A prevailing narrative goes: Bob Dylan, the voice of Sixties counterculture, disappeared in the 1970s, then released arguably the worst music of his career in the 1980s—only to be resurrected in 2016, when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Dylan’s concerts once began with an announcer intoning a deadpan version of just such a narrative. That is not this story.
Drawing on thousands of pages of archival materials, After the Flood reveals Dylan’s output during the last three decades as his most ambitious yet. Across an abecedarium of chapters surveying his albums, performances, films, and books since the early 1990s, celebrated poet and biographer Robert Polito shows how Dylan evolved a late musical style that has embodied and resisted its era—interweaving Ovid and Americana, film noir and the Civil War. Imaginatively researched, After the Flood is both an essential revision and continuation of the Dylan saga.
Burls Art and Packard transformed stacks of newspaper into a striking electric guitar. Using 1,600 sheets pressed in a fiberglass mold, they created a star-swirled body. Sanded and shaped with care, the instrument was finished with a custom burled wood neck. The result is both playable art and recycled innovation.
Kings of Leon will release a new single, “We’re Onto Something,” featuring Zach Bryan, on August 22nd via Love Tap Records, the band’s imprint distributed by Virgin Records. Over the weekend, Bryan joined Kings of Leon on stage during their set in front of a sold-out Golden Gate Park show for a surprise preview performance of their new collaboration.
“We’re Onto Something” follows the massively successful collaboration “Bowery,” recently released with Bryan on August 8th. The song debuted at No. 1 on Spotify in the US.
After debuting “We’re Onto Something,” Caleb Followill later joined Bryan’s set in a new performance of “Bowery,” which had the crowd on their feet. The pair made the performance debut of “Bowery” earlier this month at Bryan’s sold-out Red Rocks Amphitheater show.
New Orleans-based bassist and composer Noah Young has released a new single, “Fly on the Wall,” giving listeners their second preview of his forthcoming studio album Noah, due out September 26, 2025.
“Fly On The Wall” captures the golden-hour magic of cruising down an open road, windows down, as the day fades into night. Further showcasing Young’s prowess for composition and bass dexterity, the lyrical melody played by Young’s electric bass glides over frequent Naughty Professor collaborator Sam Kuslan’s lush keyboard textures, complementary synth bass work by Shea Pierre, and Alfred Jordan’s steady drum pulse. The track also features John Maestas on guitar who takes the track to its peak with an assertive solo before its conclusion. Produced by GRAMMY Award-winner, Jamison Ross, “Fly On The Wall” blends warmth and motion into a sonic snapshot of pure freedom.
“I decided to call this song Fly On The Wall because it gave me the feeling of patiently watching and observing, say Young, “When I brought the demo to my producer Jamison Ross it was only one section. We scheduled a pre-production session with keyboardist Shea Pierre and Jamison and Shea quickly and effortlessly wrote the B section and the outro. Some of my favorite moments from this song are the rippin’ solo John Maestes takes on the outro, and the sparse and deeply groovy key bass that Shea Pierre plays on the B sections.”
“Fly On The Wall comes off the heels of the first single release, “Early Morning” that brought together layered upright and electric bass performances from Young and virtuoso bassist Martin Masakowski, with all percussion drawn directly from the upright bass itself, including a backbeat created by dropping car keys onto its body. “I think in total there are 6-7 tracks of Martin on upright, and 4-5 tracks of me on electric bass,” Young explains. “The layers of bow, harmonics, and percussion he laid down really put it over the top for me.”
With fine-tuned production by GRAMMY Award-winner Jamison Ross, Noah showcases Young’s evolving voice in the world of modern instrumental jazz. Blending soulful groove, improvisational nuance, and atmospheric production, the album draws inspiration from boundary-pushing works by Derrick Hodge and Pino Palladino. “Jamison’s production on Mykal Kilgore’s A Man Born Black made me want him to produce this album,” says Young. “He has a unique touch as both a drummer and a conceptualist. I knew he could help shape the album I was hearing in my head.”
A bold and deeply personal statement in sound, Noah was created as a catalyst for introspection and daydreaming. “I wanted this record to be felt more than analyzed-to create a space for reflection, movement, and emotional honesty,” Young says.
Known for his muscular groove, melodic sensibility, and genre-bending versatility, Noah Young has long been a fixture in New Orleans’ dynamic music scene. A founding member of the acclaimed jazz/funk outfit Naughty Professor, he’s also toured and recorded with artists including The Revivalists, Marcus King, Ivan Neville, and George Porter Jr. His work as both a solo artist and collaborator has earned him repeated nominations for OffBeat Magazine’s “Best Bassist” and brought him to festival stages around the globe.
Spinal Tap return in over-the-top fashion with a new version of “Stonehenge.” Joined by Elton John, the band delivers a straight-faced performance that feels both epic and hilarious. The track will appear on the upcoming soundtrack for ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.’ Could it be an Oscar contender?
Marc Martel joins forces with producer Warren Huart to take on one of rock’s greatest challenges. Together, they recreate Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” with stunning precision. Martel’s Mercury-like vocals soar across every section of the track. The result is a powerful tribute that channels the magic of the original.
