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Singer-Songwriter Amanda McCarthy Faces the Past and Chooses Growth on Sophomore Album ‘Looking For The Light’

Eric Alper
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Singer-Songwriter Amanda McCarthy Faces the Past and Chooses Growth on Sophomore Album ‘Looking For The Light’

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.

‘Looking For The Light’ Tracklist:

Vodka

Normal

Fine.

I’m Not Fine (But I’m Okay)

Every Bar Downtown

LOL WTF

Lifeline (Healed)

Sunset

Don’t Stop Me

The Last Word

Waste of a Heartbreak

Texas Country Hitmaker Hayden Haddock Romanticizes the Cowboy Life on New Single “Heaven On Horseback”

Eric Alper
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Texas Country Hitmaker Hayden Haddock Romanticizes the Cowboy Life on New Single “Heaven On Horseback”

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.

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Jim Lauderdale Delivers His 38th Album With ‘Country Super Hits Volume 2’

Eric Alper
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Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Jim Lauderdale Delivers His 38th Album With ‘Country Super Hits Volume 2’

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*

September 7 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

September 11 – Bristol, TN – Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

October 5 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

November 2 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

December 7 – Nashville, TN – Skinny Dennis

*with Emmylou Harris

Genre-Blurring Rock Project The Elem Tackles Paranoia, Faith, and Ego on New Single “Could It Be Me?”

Eric Alper
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Genre-Blurring Rock Project The Elem Tackles Paranoia, Faith, and Ego on New Single “Could It Be Me?”

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.

Indie Favorites Tigers Jaw Deliver a Bittersweet Masterwork on New Album ‘Lost on You’

Eric Alper
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Indie Favorites Tigers Jaw Deliver a Bittersweet Masterwork on New Album ‘Lost on 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*

June 11 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile*

June 12 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre*

June 13 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater*

June 15 – Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall*

June 16 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater*

June 18 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s*

June 19 – St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall*

June 20 – Whitefish Bay, WI – The Argo*

June 21 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall*

June 26 – Manchester, UK – Outbreak Fest

*w/ Bleary Eyed, Pool Kids

Singer-Songwriter Zachary Mason Brings 80s Rock Warmth and Romantic Heart to New Single “Sweetheart”

Eric Alper
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0
Singer-Songwriter Zachary Mason Brings 80s Rock Warmth and Romantic Heart to New Single “Sweetheart”

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.

Hard Rockers Break Even Channel 80s Power and Modern Grit on New Single “Chameleon”

Eric Alper
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Hard Rockers Break Even Channel 80s Power and Modern Grit on New Single “Chameleon”

Break Even make their intentions clear from the first riff. “Chameleon” is a hard rock single built on driving guitar work, powerful vocals, and a neo-classical guitar solo that earns every second of the buildup leading into it. The track calls back to the energy and melodic ambition of 80s hard rock while adding a modern compositional edge that keeps it from feeling like a simple nostalgia exercise.

The production choices are deliberate and effective. Drums provide a constant, propulsive presence throughout, bass lines move with purpose beneath the riff structure, and the arrangement gives the vocals enough space to breathe during the verses before the intensity builds toward a soaring high note that releases everything the final moments accumulate. The bridge in particular hits differently, almost atmospheric, before the track surges back into its hard-hitting final stretch.

The message running through “Chameleon” is self-improvement and constant evolution, the idea that growth is ongoing and transformation is something to embrace rather than resist. Break Even deliver that message not just through the lyrics but through the music itself, a track that shifts and builds and resolves in ways that mirror the theme directly. “Chameleon” is out now.

Indie Rock Five-Piece The Rogues Dream Bigger on Wistful New Single “New York”

Eric Alper
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Indie Rock Five-Piece The Rogues Dream Bigger on Wistful New Single “New York”

The Rogues have hit the ground running in 2026 with “New York,” a track that strips back the instrumentation and lets the vocals do exactly what they need to do. The Newport, South Wales 5-piece deliver their most wistful and emotionally direct single yet, a swing-influenced indie rock track about restlessness, routine, and the dream of something bigger and freer waiting somewhere else. The whistled melody in the chorus alone is worth the price of admission.

The band describes the song plainly: “It captures a restless urge to disappear and chase a belief that you’ll find real happiness and freedom waiting elsewhere.” The swing-inspired rhythm carries the magic and hope that New York City represents as an idea, while the guitar work in the mid-section runs with real confidence before a final verse that hits with genuine emotional weight. Recorded in Tredegar, South Wales with engineer Nick Brine and mixed and mastered by Richard Jackson in Newport, the production gives every element the space it needs to land.

The credentials behind The Rogues are already substantial for a band formed in 2022. Their single “Skinny Dipping” hit the BBC Radio Wales A-List for 3 consecutive weeks and appeared on Match of The Day. Their debut EP ‘1963 (Live at Rockfield Studios),’ produced by Nick Brine (Oasis, The Stone Roses, Bruce Springsteen), entered the Official UK Physical Singles Chart at number 3 within a week of release. “Oh Gena” spent 2 weeks on the BBC Radio Wales A-List in late 2025, with ASBO Magazine calling it a track “that feels like one of your all time favourite tracks from the very first listen.” Nick Brine himself declared them “one of the best Welsh bands I’ve heard in a long time.”

“New York” is already featured on Bethan Elfyn’s Wales Mix on BBC Radio Wales and lands on the BBC Radio Wales A-List this week. This Feeling named them one of their Big in 2025 picks, and the momentum behind this band keeps building. Their debut UK headline tour, presented by This Feeling, runs through May with festival appearances alongside.

2026 Tour Dates:

May 2 – Manchester – Off The Square

May 22 – London – Stags Head Hoxton

May 23 – Monmouthshire – Devauden Festival

May 24 – Margam Park – In It Together Festival

May 30 – Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach

Guiltera Turn Social Pressure Into Sonic Power on Bold New Single “They”

Eric Alper
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0
Guiltera Turn Social Pressure Into Sonic Power on Bold New Single “They”

Guiltera don’t do subtle, and “They” doesn’t ask for it. The new single from the cinematic hard rock act confronts judgment, social pressure, and the fight for individuality with raw intensity and zero apology. Built around the reality of being told who you should be and how far you’re allowed to go, the track captures the emotional tension of standing against conformity with a haunting atmosphere and a hard-hitting core that doesn’t let up.

What makes “They” land is the arc it follows. The song moves from vulnerability to strength, transforming frustration into empowerment without skipping the messy middle part. The message is direct: no matter how much others attempt to imitate, sabotage, or diminish you, authenticity can’t be replaced. Guiltera channel that conviction into a sonic presence that feels both personal and immediately relatable to anyone who has ever been underestimated or pushed to conform.

Cinematic lyricism and fierce production define Guiltera’s artistic identity, and “They” sharpens both qualities into something that hits harder than anything they’ve released before. This is a band with a clear sense of what they want to say and the musical firepower to say it on their own terms. “They” is out now.

Edmonton Country Artist Jeremy Grey Lights Up Canadian Radio With Debut Single “Neon Lights”

Eric Alper
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Edmonton Country Artist Jeremy Grey Lights Up Canadian Radio With Debut Single “Neon Lights”

Jeremy Grey announced himself to Canadian country radio with “Neon Lights,” and the response has been immediate. The Edmonton singer-songwriter’s debut solo single debuted at number 6 on Yangaroo’s Top 10 CANCON Download chart and number 4 on Yangaroo’s Top 10 Active Indies, while landing as the number 1 lead track on Amazon Music’s “Just North of Nashville” playlist. For a debut single, that’s a genuinely strong start.

The track combines classic honky-tonk energy with modern roots rock in a way that connects across both traditional and contemporary country audiences. Grey’s instinct-led approach to songwriting gives “Neon Lights” an unpolished honesty that feels lived-in rather than manufactured, a Saturday night anthem rooted in Americana and raw emotion. Its feature on CBC/Rogers Sportsnet’s Hockey Night in Canada captured exactly that spirit, putting the track in front of one of the biggest national audiences a Canadian artist can reach.

Produced by John Mullane of Future Dad Music and mastered by Kristian Montano of Montano Mastering, “Neon Lights” serves as the lead single from Grey’s debut album ‘Wildfire,’ out now via Royalty Records. The full-length introduces an Edmonton-based storyteller drawing from the soul of roots rock with a sound that’s both timeless and distinctly his own.

Grey has been quietly building the kind of momentum that radio programmers notice and audiences remember. “Neon Lights” is the opening statement of an artist with real staying power, and ‘Wildfire’ gives that first impression a full body of work to stand on.

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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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