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Slacker-Pop Newcomer Melanie Baker Laughs In The Face Of Expectation On New Single “HAHA!”

Eric Alper
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Slacker-Pop Newcomer Melanie Baker Laughs In The Face Of Expectation On New Single “HAHA!”

Melanie Baker is having the last laugh. The Newcastle-based slacker-pop specialist has shared her new track “HAHA!,” the latest reveal from her debut album ‘Somebody Help Me, I’m Being Spontaneous!,’ out now via cult Danish indie label Tambourhinoceros.

Flipping the script on feeling stuck, “HAHA!” turns the Truman Show gaze of social norms into liberation, riding a mischievous wave of momentum. It builds toward a chorus driven by a signature guitar line and Baker’s gleeful chant of “HAHA!,” laughing straight at expectation. The playful, confident indie-rock offering digs deeper into her trademark style, sharpened by witty lyrics and magnetic vocals.

Baker is candid about what the song means to her. “I’m not trying to be liked anymore. This song is literally me laughing in the face of my oppressor. It’s a middle finger to anyone who tries to deny you the right to be yourself,” she explains. “I’ve found so much freedom and liberation in allowing myself to be silly and have fun again despite living in a world that still doesn’t want to accept Queer joy. I stopped masking my own emotions and let myself feel fully. Suddenly after many years of not knowing who I was, I felt like I was looking in the mirror and seeing myself for the first time.”

Recorded in a small, feverish cabin in rural Wales, the album is a wily exercise in cartoon realism, tapping into grunge, glam, riot grrrl, and indie rock inflections throughout. Baker has earned early plaudits across the press landscape and major support from BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, and KEXP, and she’s already shared stages with the likes of Maximo Park and The Wytches. It’s a riotous, magnetic debut from one of the year’s most exciting new voices.

Melanie Baker LP Tracklisting:

  1. AAAAAHHHHHHHHH
  2. Sad Clown
  3. HAHA!
  4. Bored
  5. Why Would I Want To Be Like You?
  6. Cabin Fever
  7. My Head Fell Off Last Night
  8. Real Life
  9. City Strange
  10. Bye Bye, Loser Blues
  11. Slugs
  12. You’ll Get Better

Melanie Baker Live Dates:

June 26 – Leeds, UK @ Hyde Park Book Club

June 27 – Coventry, UK @ Central Library

July 9 – Gloucestershire, UK @ 2000trees Festival

July 24 – Cumbria, UK @ Gadabout Festival

Oct 23-25 – Rotterdam, NL @ Left Of The Dial

Punk Supergroup ULTRABOMB Featuring Members Of Hüsker Dü, Social Distortion And Soul Asylum Unveil New Single “no cap”

Eric Alper
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Punk Supergroup ULTRABOMB Featuring Members Of Hüsker Dü, Social Distortion And Soul Asylum Unveil New Single “no cap”

ULTRABOMB are cutting through the noise. The punk power trio have unveiled their melodic, driving new single “no cap,” an anthem that balances urgency with hook-heavy punch. The track is a preview from their full-length album ‘The Bridges That We Burn,’ out now via DC-Jam Records / Virgin Music Group.

Built on soaring guitar lines, driving rhythms, and a chorus that lands with real force, “no cap” shows off the band’s knack for fusing melody with muscle. The song channels frustration with the modern noise cycle into something focused and forward-looking, less about shouting over the chaos and more about cutting through it. “There is a lot of noise to keep us distracted. Everyone has an opinion, informed, and not informed,” says Greg Norton. “I’m at capacity with all the bs, let’s start real conversations.”

The trio brings together underground legends and alternative stalwarts, with Greg Norton of Hüsker Dü on bass, Derek O’Brien of Social Distortion, Agent Orange, and Adolescents on drums, and Ryan Smith of Soul Asylum on lead vocals and guitar. Together they channel decades of punk and alternative history into music that feels immediate rather than retrospective. As Magnet observed, ULTRABOMB delivers “a swift blow to the sternum that harnesses both the speedy energy of Norton’s early Minneapolis days and the ragged hard-rock sensibility of Twin Tone-era Soul Asylum.”

‘The Bridges That We Burn’ was recorded at Creation Audio in Minneapolis and produced, engineered, and mixed by John Fields, with mastering by Justin Perkins. The album broadens the band’s dynamic range while keeping the tight, high-impact songwriting that defines them. With “no cap,” ULTRABOMB prove that conviction doesn’t require chaos, just melody and the willingness to say what matters.

Acclaimed London Trio Ebbb Share Euphoric New Single “Home Ground” Via Ninja Tune

Eric Alper
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Acclaimed London Trio Ebbb Share Euphoric New Single “Home Ground” Via Ninja Tune

Ebbb are back with their first new music of the year. The London-based trio have shared “Home Ground” via esteemed independent label Ninja Tune, continuing to build a catalogue that’s as addictive as it is innovative. It follows November’s “Book That You Like,” which earned B-list rotation at BBC 6 Music.

The new single finds the band mining richly melodic ground. Building from Will Rowland’s contemplative, starkly adorned vocals, it blossoms into an early-hours banger that captures the euphoric high of the trio’s acclaimed live show, which So Young Magazine famously called “an almost religious experience.”

Rowland traces the song’s roots back a few years. “The lyrics explore overthinking and regret, contrasted with someone who lives free of shame or self-doubt,” he explains. “It actually started life as an instrumental we wrote a couple of years back. It never quite made sense back then but we revisited it recently and rebuilt the song from the ground up and suddenly everything clicked. It felt like a bit of a eureka moment where we unlocked what the song was always meant to be.”

Emerging from the same London scene that spawned Squid and black midi, Ebbb have landed on something singular. Fusing pulsing rhythms, immersive electronic production, sparkling melodies, and layered vocal harmonies with beats that veer from ambient to industrial, they’ve built an idiosyncratic hybrid the group themselves describe as “Brian Wilson meets Death Grips.” Comprised of producer Lev Ceylan, vocalist Will Rowland, and drummer Scott MacDonald, they’ve earned a coveted slot in NME’s 100 Essential Emerging Artists for 2025 and shared stages with the likes of The Smile, Shame, and PVA. It’s a thrilling taste of one of the UK’s most exciting new bands.

Ebbb Tour Dates:

Aug 9 – Neukirchen, DE @ Skandalos

Theatrical Indie Misfits Balancing Act Unleash Swaggering New Single “Loaded With Pearls”

Eric Alper
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Theatrical Indie Misfits Balancing Act Unleash Swaggering New Single “Loaded With Pearls”

Balancing Act are turning up the drama. The Manchester-via-London theatrical misfits have unleashed “Loaded With Pearls,” a high-octane new single slathered in swaggering bravado, off their debut album ‘Who’ve You Come As? (Part 2),’ out now. The record follows Part 1, released in October 2025 to critical acclaim from tastemakers across the board.

The band knew exactly what they were chasing. “We wanted to achieve something very rhythmic and dynamic with this track,” they explain. “It started out as a sort of blues tinged desert rock groove that was inspired by Kai taking a drive from LA to Palm Springs, the verses stutter and strut their way along before you get a punch in the face chorus that we hoped would stick in people’s heads for a while. In a nutshell, it’s Trip Hop meets Stadium Rock all packed into under 3 minutes.”

Vocalist Kai Jon Roberts describes this second half as “a Jack Russell on a lead that has no patience,” pulling the sound in a new direction at an unsettling pace. Part 2 sees the band at their most playful and personal, refusing to be confined to one sonic space while keeping their tongue-in-cheek charm front and center.

Since forming in 2022, Balancing Act have built a world of nonsensical grandeur, basking in Tim Burton’s gothic allure while drawing on Father John Misty, The Marías, Richard Hawley, and The Walkmen. Most of both album halves were created at Allouette, a writing retreat studio in the western French countryside, with Kai’s lifelong musical partner Joe Woolf, before being shaped into a grander product by Dave Bardon and Oscar ‘Sholto’ Robertson of SFJ in East London.

Theatrics run through the band’s DNA, and that untamed energy bleeds into their live shows, which have seen them support The Amazons and Bad Nerves and sell out headline gigs across London, Manchester, Paris, and Amsterdam. Tipped across BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music, Clash, Dork, and DIY, they’ve earned their spot atop plenty of ‘Ones to Watch’ lists, and there’s nothing they won’t do to make a show momentous.

Babylon A.D. Frontman Derek Davis Goes Solo With Funk-Driven Rock Anthem “Running Man”

Eric Alper
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Babylon A.D. Frontman Derek Davis Goes Solo With Funk-Driven Rock Anthem “Running Man”

Derek Davis is channeling his creative energy into something all his own. Fresh off the back-to-back Babylon A.D. albums ‘Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day’ and ‘When The World Stops,’ the frontman has released an explosive new solo single, “Running Man,” out now via Apocalypse Records.

The funk-driven, hard-hitting rock/metal track delivers the angst and vocal punch Davis is known for. Lyrically and musically, it speaks to the frustration and passion of the forgotten man in a fast-changing world, with the AI evolution and political divide that shape our lives explored through Davis’s cinematic storytelling.

It’s a rock anthem at its core, built on an uptempo, fist-pounding, funkified bass line and searing guitar riffs where the hooks never stop. Davis’s blend of hard rock, old-school R&B, and funk is awe-inspiring and leaves you wanting more. Even more impressive, he played every instrument, mixed and produced the track, and edited and created the accompanying video himself, proving once again that he’s a true visionary force.

Davis has packed serious mileage into his career, with six studio albums, three live albums, and two EPs alongside Babylon A.D., plus solo records including ‘Revolt,’ ‘Revolutionary Soul,’ and ‘Resonator Blues.’ He’s amassed a catalogue of more than 200 original compositions and toured the United States, UK, and Greece. “Running Man” is the first taste of his next solo effort, another soul-inspired funk-rock album set for release in the fall.

Teenage Bluegrass Phenom Asher Brinson Debuts ‘Midnight Hurricane’ With Sierra Hull, Sam Bush And Jason Carter

Eric Alper
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Teenage Bluegrass Phenom Asher Brinson Debuts ‘Midnight Hurricane’ With Sierra Hull, Sam Bush And Jason Carter

Asher Brinson is making one of bluegrass’s most promising debuts. The left-handed guitar picker, singer, and songwriter from Newport, North Carolina has released his first album ‘Midnight Hurricane,’ a record that feels timeless yet lived-in, shaped by coastal rhythms, everyday stories, and a rare blend of youthful perspective and old-soul instinct.

The 11-track album collects eight originals, one cover, and two traditional instrumentals, and the supporting cast is remarkable. The core group features Brinson on lead vocals and guitar, Cory Walker on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle, and producer Christopher Henry on bass and mandolin, with further contributions from Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Justin Moses, Smith Curry, David Grier, and Lindsay Lou.

Music has surrounded Brinson his whole life, but things truly clicked in 2023 when his family caught the Doc at 100 show and saw Billy Strings for the first time. He dove headfirst into bluegrass and songwriting, soon crossing paths with legendary flatpicker Wayne Henderson, who became a mentor and even built him a rare left-handed guitar. Since then he’s shared stages at MerleFest, IBMA, and the Wayne C. Henderson Festival. In spring 2024 he began lessons with Christopher Henry, and within months had written seven songs and an instrumental, heading into the studio that December.

His mentor doesn’t hold back the praise. “Very few times in life have I been struck with the feeling that a young person has come onto the scene with as much heart, talent, and authenticity as Asher Brinson,” says Henry, calling him “a special part of the Carolina lineage of Doc Watson” and the album “one of the best of 2026 for sure.”

The songs are personal throughout. The title track captures the late-night intensity of coastal hurricanes, “And Why Is That?” honors a late family friend, and “Jesus Delivered Today” tells the dramatic story of Brinson’s own birth. The album closes full circle with a cover of Billy Strings’ “Seven Weeks in County,” the spark that started it all. As Jason Carter puts it, “Asher is a triple threat,” a great singer, guitarist, and songwriter, all by the age of 16.

Blues-Rock Guitar Heroes Joanne Shaw Taylor And Orianthi Join Forces On Fiery New Single “What Good Is My Love?”

Eric Alper
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Blues-Rock Guitar Heroes Joanne Shaw Taylor And Orianthi Join Forces On Fiery New Single “What Good Is My Love?”

Two of modern blues-rock’s most formidable guitarists have joined forces. Joanne Shaw Taylor teamed up with acclaimed Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter Orianthi on the stirring single “What Good Is My Love?,” out via Journeyman Records. The emotionally charged track pairs two powerhouse players for a dynamic, deeply personal collaboration.

Driven by a slow-burning groove and soaring guitar interplay, the song explores the painful uncertainty that arrives when love is no longer returned. Taylor’s soulful vocals and Orianthi’s stunning guitar solo carry the weight of the central question, capturing the vulnerability of realizing that even the deepest devotion may not always be enough.

“We’ve probably all been in the position at some point in life when the love we had and give isn’t returned,” Taylor shares. “Whether it’s unrequited or simply fades. I wanted to write a song for those of us who have had to question, ‘What good is my love if it’s not enough?'” The track simmers before erupting into electrifying exchanges between the two, blending raw blues grit with soaring melodic leads into an anthemic moment of catharsis.

The single is a preview of Taylor’s forthcoming studio album, due later this year. It follows “Hell Or High Water,” a blues-gospel anthem about perseverance that’s been gaining momentum on streaming and radio. The album builds on the success of her critically acclaimed ‘Black & Gold,’ which earned a 9/10 from Classic Rock and praise from Guitarist Magazine for cementing her place “in the firmament of today’s brightest stars.”

Blues Powerhouse Stacy Mitchhart Recruits Gretchen Wilson, Kenny Neal And Charlie Musselwhite For New Album ‘No Rhyme or Reason’

Eric Alper
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Blues Powerhouse Stacy Mitchhart Recruits Gretchen Wilson, Kenny Neal And Charlie Musselwhite For New Album ‘No Rhyme or Reason’


Stacy Mitchhart is gearing up for one of the biggest releases of his career. After more than three decades of electrifying stages with his soulful guitar work and commanding vocals, the blues powerhouse has announced his new album ‘No Rhyme or Reason,’ arriving April 17, led by the new single “Good One Time,” out now.

His 17th album was produced by multiple Grammy winner Tom Hambridge, known for his work with Buddy Guy, George Thorogood, and Susan Tedeschi, and features guest turns from Gretchen Wilson, Kenny Neal, and Charlie Musselwhite. “I wanted to work with an outside producer for the purpose of creating a fresh sound,” Mitchhart explains from his Nashville home. “I also wanted to collaborate with people that I truly admire and write new original music.”

Recorded largely on Nashville’s storied Music Row, the album shows off Mitchhart’s range. The edgy “Bad As You” digs into the human habit of projecting faults onto others, while the swaggering title single “Good One Time” piles on big guitars, organ, and punchy horns beneath a vocal he nailed in just a couple of takes. Louisiana blues stalwart Kenny Neal joins him on “Mean Bad Wrong” for a classic New Orleans flavor, fulfilling a longtime wish to record together.

The album also includes the rollicking duet “Sure Looks Good To Me” with Grammy-winning vocalist Gretchen Wilson. “Gretchen and I have talked about recording a duet since she was a waitress at the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar in 1996,” Mitchhart recalls. “She used to get up and sit in with us.” Best known for her chart-topping country hits, Wilson brings a gritty, roadhouse energy to the track.

A virtuoso guitarist who weighs melody, storytelling, and groove equally, Mitchhart first made waves in the early 1990s. Raised in Cincinnati, he became a standout on the regional club circuit before relocating to Nashville by 1996, where his fiery sets as the house act at the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar turned legendary. “My sound is a gumbo of musical styles,” he says. “My philosophy is that the music has to feel good first, and then it has to mean something to me.” It’s a genuinely soulful, wide-open record from one of the blues’ most dynamic live performers.

No Rhyme or Reason Tracklisting:

Good One Time

Bad As You

Sure Looks Good To Me

Once You Leave

Flip To The Other Side

We Blew It

Long Way Down

No Rhyme Or Reason

Mean Bad Wrong

Never Gonna Get Me Back

She’s Just Right

On My Dying Day

Singer-Songwriter Walter Egan’s Columbia Years Get The Box-Set Treatment On ‘The Album Collection 1977-1980’

Eric Alper
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Singer-Songwriter Walter Egan’s Columbia Years Get The Box-Set Treatment On ‘The Album Collection 1977-1980’

Walter Egan’s most celebrated stretch is getting a proper reissue. Edsel Records has announced ‘Walter Egan – The Album Collection 1977-1980,’ a 4-CD set due June 26 gathering his four Columbia studio albums, ‘Fundamental Roll,’ ‘Hi Fi,’ ‘Not Shy,’ and ‘The Last Stroll,’ together for the first time.

Now into his sixth decade as a working musician, Egan has long been the definition of a songwriter’s songwriter. He’s been a protégé of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, a songwriter for Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, and a near-bandmate of the Eagles and Jackson Browne. Between 1977 and 1980 he cut these four records with the cream of L.A.’s golden-era players and producers, with ‘Fundamental Roll’ produced in its entirety by Buckingham.

The Fleetwood Mac connection runs deep on these sessions. The collection boasts vocal arrangements by Stevie Nicks, with both Nicks and Buckingham lending backing vocals right around the time ‘Rumours’ sent their own band into the stratosphere.

The era’s highlights include the 1978 US Top 10 hit “Magnet and Steel,” Egan’s enduring calling card, which later turned up in films like ‘Boogie Nights’ and ‘This Is 40.’ “Hot Summer Nights” has been covered by artists in France, Denmark, and Japan, and was sampled by Dr. Dre for Eminem’s 2009 single “We Made You.” It’s a diverse body of work rooted in Egan’s dedication to following his creative instincts.

The set comes in deluxe 7-inch packaging with a 12-page illustrated book, plus sleeve notes from music writer Jason Draper drawn from a new interview with Egan reflecting on his career. A special signed edition, limited to 1,000 copies, will also be available.

Five-Time Grammy Winner Mary Chapin Carpenter Joins Forces With The Mountain Goats For A Two-Song Covers EP

Eric Alper
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Five-Time Grammy Winner Mary Chapin Carpenter Joins Forces With The Mountain Goats For A Two-Song Covers EP

Two beloved acts have come together for a small but heartfelt release. Five-time Grammy winner Mary Chapin Carpenter has unveiled a two-song collaboration with John Darnielle’s acclaimed indie folk band The Mountain Goats, out now via Cadmean Dawn. The EP pairs two cherished covers: “Put the Message in the Box” by World Party and “Migrations” by Christine Fellows. Both tracks are available digitally now, with a limited-edition 7″ vinyl, pressed in Tar and Clear variants, up for pre-order.

The collaboration grew out of a long friendship. “John Darnielle and I have been friends for many years now, he’s been a dedicated correspondent and ally in all topics connected to song writing, recording, touring and the balancing act that a life involving these pursuits requires,” said Carpenter. “To have collaborated on these two favorite songs with John and the Mountain Goats has been a joy and a gift, joining our voices, singing these words from other favorite artists, and feeling the music deeply.”

Darnielle was just as enthusiastic. “I’ve looked up to Mary Chapin Carpenter for half my life. Getting to know her over the past few years has been such a pure pleasure, so when she asked about doing a split single where we pick songs to cover and help each other out on the effort, what could we say but ‘hell yes’?” he said. “Mary Chapin picked a World Party song I’ve always loved and I picked out a Christine Fellows song I can barely sing without crying. But I did it! Matt arranged it!”

The release was produced and engineered by Matt Douglas at his studio in Raleigh, North Carolina, mixed and mastered by Chris Boerner, with Carpenter’s vocals recorded at Bias Studios in Springfield, Virginia, by engineer Bob Dawson. The 7″ runs an exclusive 500 copies of each color.

The EP follows Carpenter’s 2025 album ‘Personal History,’ which drew acclaim from Americana Highways, Music Row, UNCUT, and more, with The Arts Desk naming it the year’s best and calling Carpenter “a rare treasure.” She toured the record alongside fellow Grammy winner Brandy Clark, with stops at New York’s Town Hall, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, and the Newport Folk Festival. This summer, she joins American Tunes: Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing alongside Rhiannon Giddens, Mavis Staples, and Hurray for the Riff Raff, a run of outdoor shows beginning June 26 in Seattle.

EP Tracklist:

Side A: Put the Message in the Box (Karl Wallinger)

Side B: Migrations (Christine Fellows)

Mary Chapin Carpenter Live:

June 26 – Seattle, WA @ Venue TBA

June 27 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater

July 30 – Bentonville, AR @ The Momentary

August 1 – Asheville, NC @ Hellbender by The Orange Peel

August 2 – Pelham, TN @ The Caverns Outdoor Amphitheater

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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