Ontario shoegaze outfit One Hundred Moons continue their slow-burn ascent with the release of “The Architect,” a dark and immersive new single arriving ahead of their upcoming album ‘Black Avalanche’. Anchored by a resonant bass line and layered with ominous textures, the track unfolds patiently, building tension through atmosphere and momentum before collapsing into stark stillness. The song wrestles with self-imposed pressure, overthinking, and personal accountability, framing its narrative around the idea that control and consequence often originate from within.
Built on dynamic contrast, “The Architect” leans into unease as a creative force, using sound to mirror spiraling thought patterns and internal reckoning. It offers a focused glimpse into the terrain explored across ‘Black Avalanche’, where mood, melody, and tension remain tightly bound.
Southern History Remixed by Michael T. Bertrand is out now, examining how popular music shaped and reflected the social history of the United States South from the late nineteenth century through the rise of rock ’n’ roll. Moving from jazz and barn dance radio to gospel, Black radio programming, and rhythm and blues, the book positions music as a central force in the region’s cultural development rather than a sidebar to political history.
Bertrand traces a long-running struggle over southern identity, showing how music both reinforced and challenged white supremacy as the region wrestled with race, class, and change. Rock ’n’ roll emerges as a working-class, biracial form that heightened racial anxieties while cutting across entrenched cultural lines, culminating in a close examination of Elvis Presley’s popularity within a segregated society. By treating music as an active participant in history, the book reframes how cultural expression intersects with power, resistance, and social transformation.
South London quintet Ain’t continue a relentless run with their expansive new single “Long Short Round,” arriving after a sold-out London headline show, a packed UK tour with THUS LOVE, and a string of high-profile showcases across the UK festival circuit. The release follows earlier singles “Pirouette” and “Jude” and lands as the band’s most ambitious statement yet, extending their reputation from feverish word of mouth into fully realized recorded form.
Recorded with Ali Chant, “Long Short Round” unfolds across just over six minutes, weaving together post-punk bite, shoegaze haze, and the stranger edges of 90s guitar music. Fuzz-laden guitars and harmonized hooks drive the opening stretch before the song opens into a more reflective movement that nods to New York guitar lineage and early-2000s Midwest indie-rock emotional weight. Built around the idea of small rituals that comfort without curing, the track rewards patience and close listening, marking Ain’t as a band willing to let songs breathe, sprawl, and leave a lasting impression.
Byron Bay pub punks Mini Skirt return swinging with their new single “Squeeze Down,” a jagged blast of garage punk intensity released ahead of their second full-length album ‘All That We Know,’ out now via Bad Vibrations. Written in the aftermath of the band’s first EU and UK tour, the track channels isolation, defensiveness, and a sharpened sense of identity, driven by urgent vocals, skin-splitting drums, and dirty guitar tones that lock straight into the lineage of Australian pub rock.
‘All That We Know’ follows five years after debut album ‘Casino’ and expands Mini Skirt’s raw, melodic approach into a tightly packed set of songs rooted in modern Australian life. Mixed and mastered by Mikey Young, the album balances grit and clarity, with Jacob Boylan’s lyricism cutting cleanly through the noise. Paying homage to the spirit of X and Radio Birdman while carving their own lane, Mini Skirt deliver a record that moves fast, hits hard, and rewards close attention from start to finish.
Folk Music and Song in the WPA Ex-Slave Narratives by John Minton is out now as the first complete account of the music, song, and dance documented in the WPA ex-slave narratives. Drawn from interviews conducted between 1937 and 1940 with roughly 3,500 formerly enslaved people, the book examines one of the most significant bodies of African American folklore ever assembled. Minton situates these musical traditions within the lived realities of slavery, the Civil War, Emancipation, Reconstruction, and the rise of Southern apartheid, grounding every song and practice in its social and historical setting.
Extensively quoted, fully annotated, and carefully indexed, the volume traces spirituals, hymns, work songs, ballads, minstrel songs, ring plays, dances, lullabies, and more, offering detailed references for every musical item mentioned in the narratives. With 134 illustrations and a clear overview of how the narratives were collected and preserved, the book opens this vast archive to both scholars and general readers. Recently honored with the 2025 Wayland D. Hand Book Prize and a Special Award for Scholarly Excellence and Cultural Impact from the American Folklore Society, the work stands as a definitive resource on music, memory, and African American cultural history.
Nashville indie-rock singer-songwriter Tommy Womack has released his new single “Just Another Shooting,” produced by Eric Roscoe Ambel and taken from his album ‘Live a Little,’ out now. Written in the aftermath of the 2023 Covenant School shooting, the song leans hard into irony, adopting the voice of a hardcore gun owner to expose the emotional numbness and cultural stalemates surrounding American gun violence. The writing cuts sharply, pairing sardonic observation with a delivery that refuses to soften its message.
Recorded at Ambel’s Brooklyn studio Cowboy Technical Services, ‘Live a Little’ unfolds as an eleven-track portrait of perspective gained through time, humor, and hard experience. The sessions brought together a tightly focused band including Jeremy Chatzky on bass and Kenny Soule on drums, with Womack handling guitars, harmonica, and mandolin alongside Ambel’s guitars, keys, and backing vocals. “Just Another Shooting” stands as the album’s most arresting moment, using wit and discomfort as tools to force attention and reflection, and reaffirming Womack’s reputation for writing songs that stare directly at the parts of life many would rather avoid.
Pittsburgh metal quintet 156/Silence have announced their signing with Pure Noise Records and mark the moment with the release of their new track “Our Parting Ways” alongside an official music video. The song arrives as their first new material since the 2024 full-length ‘People Watching’ and leans into the band’s signature emotional weight, pairing stark lyricism with a controlled, heavy-handed build that lingers long after each section lands.
The band describe “Our Parting Ways” as a meditation on memory, distance, and shared history, written with an eye toward reflection rather than closure. The signing signals a new chapter for 156/Silence, aligning them with a label long associated with boundary-pushing heavy music and artist-driven growth. With a new partnership in place and fresh material already surfacing, the band step forward with clarity and momentum, grounded in connection and ready to expand their reach.
Toronto-based singer, songwriter, and producer Kyle Wildfern has released his debut album ‘What a Life,’ a ten-track statement that moves freely between intimacy and scale while threading love, loss, faith, and fate into sharp focus. Raised playing bass in his local church before expanding into songwriting and production, Wildfern brings that foundation into a record that jumps from stripped-back confessionals to full-bodied anthems with ease. Songs like “Sin in the Nude,” “Top Rope,” and “Day Drunk” highlight his knack for pairing emotional directness with adventurous sound choices, while his background as a producer and international collaborator including work with GOT7 gives the album a wide-angle sense of ambition. ‘What a Life’ lands as a confident introduction, built on range, momentum, and a willingness to chase big emotional turns.
Award-winning singer-songwriter Donovan Woods marks the ten-year anniversary of “Portland, Maine” with a newly recorded version featuring multi-platinum and Grammy Award winner LeAnn Rimes. Originally co-written with the late Abe Stoklasa, the song followed an unlikely path, first recorded by Tim McGraw in 2014 before Woods released his own demo version in 2015, a move that helped define his career and introduce the song to a wide and devoted audience.
The new recording brings added depth and gravity, pairing Woods’ intimate delivery with Rimes’ unmistakable vocal presence. Her contribution broadens the song’s emotional scope while honoring its quiet storytelling core, creating a version that carries memory, history, and renewed connection in every line. The collaboration stands as a meaningful tribute to the song’s journey, its creators, and its lasting place in Woods’ catalogue.
DONOVAN WOODS TOUR DATES:
^Supporting The Paper Kites
May 1, 2026 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Austin^
May 2, 2026 – Dallas, TX – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall^
May 4, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville^
May 6, 2026 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club^
May 7, 2026 – Boston, MA – Royale^
May 8, 2026 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts^
May 9, 2026 – New York, NY – Webster Hall^
May 10, 2026 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS^
May 12, 2026 – Toronto, ON – History^
May 14, 2026 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues Chicago^
May 15, 2026 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue^
May 17, 2026 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre^
May 19, 2026 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom^
May 20, 2026 – Vancouver, BC – The Centre for Performing Arts^
New Order have released a series of newly expanded 2 CD and Blu-ray formats across their studio album catalogue, out now via Rhino. The rollout includes 2 CD editions of ‘Movement’, ‘Power, Corruption & Lies’, ‘Low-Life’, and ‘Brotherhood’, each pairing a newly remastered original album on disc one with bonus material on disc two. These editions mark the first time the remasters and additional tracks appear on CD outside of the Definitive Edition box sets and arrive with booklets featuring liner notes and archival photography.
Select albums also receive Blu-ray Audio releases, with ‘Movement’, ‘Low-Life’, and ‘Brotherhood’ presented in Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD 5.1 surround sound, 2024 stereo mixes, and instrumentals by Steven Wilson. While multitrack master tapes for “As It Is When It Was” and “Broken Promise” are no longer available, those tracks have been carefully upscaled from the 2024 stereo remasters to closely match the immersive Atmos and surround experience. The result offers a detailed and expansive new way to hear New Order’s early catalogue, balancing technical clarity with the band’s unmistakable emotional charge.
Movement (Expanded Edition)
CD 1: Original Album, 2019 Remaster
Dreams Never End
Truth
Senses
Chosen Time
ICB
The Him
Doubts Even Here
Denial
CD 2: Extras
Dreams Never End (Western Works Demo – Take 2)
Homage (Western Works Demo)
Ceremony (Western Works Demo)
Truth (Western Works Demo)
Are You Ready For This? (Western Works Demo)
The Him (Cargo Demo)
Senses (Cargo Demo)
Truth (Cargo Demo)
Dreams Never End (Cargo Demo)
Mesh (Cargo Demo)
ICB (Cargo Demo)
Procession (Cargo Demo)
Cries And Whispers (Cargo Demo)
Doubts Even Here (Instrumental) (Cargo Demo)
Ceremony (1st Mix – Ceremony Sessions)
Temptation (Alternative 7” Mix #2)
Procession (Rehearsal Recording)
Chosen Time (Rehearsal Recording)
Power, Corruption & Lies (Expanded Edition)
CD 1: Original Album, 2020 Remaster
Age of Consent
We All Stand
The Village
5 8 6
Your Silent Face
Ultraviolence
Ecstacy
Leave Me Alone
CD 2: Extras
Age Of Consent (Writing Session Recording)
The Village (Writing Session Recording)
5 8 6 (Writing Session Recording)
Your Silent Face (Writing Session Recording)
Ecstacy (Writing Session Recording)
Leave Me Alone (Writing Session Recording)
Turn The Heater On (John Peel Session)
We All Stand (John Peel Session)
Too Late (John Peel Session)
5 8 6 (John Peel Session)
Too Late (Instrumental Rough Mix, John Peel Session Outtake)
Thieves Like Us (New York demo #1)
Thieves Like Us (Writing Session Recording)
Murder (Writing Session Recording)
Blue Monday (Writing Session Recording)
Blue Monday (1982 Writing Session Recording)
Blue Monday (Instrumental Outtake, Album Session Recording)
Low-Life (Expanded Edition)
CD 1: Original Album, 2023 Remaster
Love Vigilantes
The Perfect Kiss
This Time Of Night
Sunrise
Elegia
Sooner Than You Think
Sub-Culture
Face Up
CD 2: Extras
Love Vigilantes – TV Pitch Instrumental Edit (mono)
The Perfect Kiss – Writing Session Recording
Untitled no. 1 – Writing Session Recording
Sunrise – Instrumental Rough Mix
Elegia – Full Length Version
Sooner Than You Think – Album Session Unedited Version
Sub-Culture – Album Session Early Instrumental Version
