The Milk Carton Kids
On their seventh studio album, *Lost Cause Lover Fool* (due April 24 on Far Cry/Thirty Tigers), The Milk Carton Kids offer nine songs that, more than ever, invite listeners to lean in close and linger inside the small moments the record quietly magnifies. When Los Angeles–based singer-songwriters Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan first emerged in 2011, they did so with a sound as unassuming as their “marketing” plan. They recorded their ten-song debut, *Prologue*, with just their two guitars and two voices. They posted it online as a free download, sending the link to friends via email. Even amidst the foot stomps and hand claps carrying Folk into the mainstream, hundreds of thousands of people managed to find *Prologue* in that first year. From the beginning, The Milk Carton Kids were more interested in precision than volume. “We were very conscious back then of trying to make our two voices sound like one thing,” Ryan recalls. “And we wanted our guitars to sound like one instrument too.” That instinct toward unity and understatement became the foundation of a career that steadily expanded without ever losing its center. Fast-forward fifteen years, through chaotic world events, a global pandemic and its aftermath. Through Ryan’s two children and Pattengale’s move to Nashville then back to LA, his bout with cancer. The pair went from darlings of the Americana Music Association Festival to hosting its annual awards show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. They started their own Sad Songs Summer Camp, helping songwriters dig deeper and darker through an intense workshopping process. They also founded the Los Angeles Folk Festival, spotlighting musicians and comedians in the broader Folk community. (In its first two years, the festival has featured performances by Emmylou Harris, Waxahatchee, Sierra Ferrell, Willie Watson, Valerie June, and more.) Along the way, the duo has received four Grammy nominations and their songs have been featured in numerous film and TV projects, from Gus Van Zandt’s *Promised Land* to Tina Fey’s goofball comedy series *Girls5Eva*. They’ve collaborated with a who’s who of players from Joe Henry and Rosanne Cash to Sara Bareilles and Josh Ritter. Through all of it, The Milk Carton Kids have remained committed to a deceptively simple idea: music can help turn down the volume on a chaotic world and make room for what matters most. *Lost Cause Lover Fool* is the clearest distillation of that idea yet. With roots-leaning arrangements and a deep trust in space, the album expands the duo’s signature minimalist sound while somehow making it even more focused. “This album is, at its core, a collection of songs about transformation,” Pattengale explains. “About the shifting terrain of consciousness and the stories we build to understand who we’ve been, who we are, and who we’re becoming. Each song takes a single moment, sometimes examined with microscopic closeness and sometimes viewed from a great distance, and lets it expand until it becomes an entire world. By enlarging small feelings until they’re inhabitable, the record looks for eternity not in the sweeping or monumental, but in the intimate specifics that usually pass too quickly to notice.” The record opens with “Blue Water,” led by the lonesome pluck of a banjo. Handled with restraint, the instrument feels less like traditional bluegrass and more like morning light cast across a stretch of grass. Lyrically, the song captures a fleeting image: a man walking along a river, thinking about the child who once lay on his chest and now shares his worried mind. Website
Happy Landing
Happy Landing is an American band formed in Oxford, Mississippi in 2020 by Matthew Hendley (lead vocals, guitar), Keegan Christensen (vocals, keys), Jacob Christensen (drums, vocals), Andrew Gardner (fiddle, vocals), and Wilson Moyer (bass/guitar, vocals). The group pioneers a new wave of folk music, captivating audiences internationally with their energetic live shows and fresh sound, blended from the roots of southern rock, punk and folk. After debut festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Summerfest, the band’s sophomore album, Big Sun, comes in 2026 paired with a major headline tour of the US & Canada. Website · Facebook · Instagram · YouTube
Black Country, New Road
There are few contemporary bands who can do musical reinvention quite as consistently as Black Country, New Road. From their Mercury Music Prize-nominated debut For the First Time, which touched upon everything from jazz to post-rock via klezmer music, to the art-rock meets chamber pop follow up Ants From Up There (both top 5 charting albums). Then when singer Isaac Wood amicably left shortly after, they wrote an entire set of new songs to tour which ended up on Live at Bush Hall, an album The Guardian claimed was a “magical resurgence” in a triumphant five-star review. Now, on studio album three, the band are once again building from the ground up in yet another miraculous musical transformation. “Bush Hall was a really fun project to find our feet in,” says Charlie Wayne. “But we toured it to death and we were done with those songs. This album is a new statement of intent for us as a six-piece.” The band have now settled into a new shape in which vocal duties – and most of the songwriting – is split between Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery, and May Kershaw. “It created a real through line for the album, having three girls singing,” says Ellery. “It’s definitely very different to Ants From Up There, because of the female perspective – and the music we’ve made also compliments that.” The band’s ability to respond to changing circumstances is not only down to their close-knit friendship but due to their talent, adaptability and long-standing relationship together as musicians. A mix of classically trained and self-taught, the multi-instrumentalists gathered steam as a band in the late 2010s, regularly playing The Windmill in Brixton alongside friends and peers such as Squid and Black Midi, and soon found themselves being labelled “the best band in the world” by The Quietus. Despite moving swiftly on after each record, and never having conventionally toured in support of a studio album, the band’s fervent following has only grown and grown regardless. By the time they found themselves in front of an ecstatic audience to record their live album, they were singing songs that reflected on the profound friendship that had steered them this far through an unpredictable journey, as they hollered in unison: “look at what we did together / BC,NR, friends forever!” That deep-rooted attachment and connection are the foundations of their latest. And it’s also a hugely ambitious and singular record, which is glisteningly produced by James Ford (Fontaines D.C., Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Blur). “It’s pretty big and bold,” says Wayne. “There’s a lot of very full and rich creative decisions that went into it. Making this we were considering every single option and really opening up every possibility as we figured out how to operate in a totally different framework.” It’s a framework that includes everything from folk to prog via baroque pop and touches of alt rock – with nods to a variety of artists such as Joanna Newsom, Randy Newman, Fiona Apple and Janis Ian – yet all the while retaining that unmistakably unique sound that only this combination of musicians can come up with. Although hugely varied and expansive, the album also feels deeply cohesive and focused, as it takes three distinct voices and styles and seamlessly intersperses them into a new collective sound. “At the beginning, it was very random,” says Hyde. Website · Instagram · Facebook · Bandcamp
Kevian Kraemer
Carried by breezy waves of live instrumentation, buoyant production, and instantly infectious choruses, Kevian Kraemer’s music sounds a lot like an endless summer. His bright mix of alternative, indie, and pop alternates between the kind of excitement usually brought on by June’s final school bell, sparks of energy perfect for a July night sky, and a fleeting longing typically reserved for August’s last days. Growing up in New Jersey, music surrounded him from every angle. Taking drum lessons at Lakehouse Music Academy in Asbury Park, NJ, he recognized his calling. His arsenal expanded to include piano, saxophone, bass, and ukulele. In high school, he finally opted to write and record original tunes of his own on GarageBand. He initially gained traction with releases such as “Rug,” “Sweater,” and “Buddy.” In 2024, a snippet of “Fly” went viral on TikTok, leading to over 2M global streams. 2024 also saw the release of Kraemer’s debut EP, Seventeen, highlighted by his breakthrough hit single, “Attention,” which quickly amassed more than 15M worldwide streams and counting. Kraemer further continued the momentum in 2025 with the release of his sophomore EP, Jersey or Mars, and a sold-out debut headline tour—catching the attention of outlets like PEOPLE, which touted him as one of its “Talented Emerging Artists for Your Fall Playlist.”Now, with his recent single, “i just get worse,” and upcoming EP, only if it matters, Kevian Kraemer shows no sign of slowing down, captivating fans everywhere with an undeniable and unshakable style all his own. Website
WXYC Presents Give Me the Aughts: A 2000’s Dance
$5 w/ OneCard, $8 without.Buy tickets online, or pay at the door.
The Kilans
Billy Allen + The Pollies
There is a ferocious Southern engine inside of Billy Allen + The Pollies’ debut album Black Noise. It thrums to life atop a classic rock chassis and expertly weaves in and out of gospel, grunge, funk and soul along its eleven-song journey. From the explosive top of the album (a liberating anthem of self-worth called “All of Me”) to the spiritually haunting final track (the wurlitzer fueled “Go on Without Them”) Black Noise is a genre-defiant haymaker that lands. The band is a hybrid of four piece rock outfit The Pollies and fellow Alabamian, and frontman, Billy Allen. The story of what fused Allen and The Pollies is one that begins in a bar 8 years ago. This particular bar was on Allen’s gig circuit and it just so happens to be where Jay Burgess (founder of The Pollies) was having a drink that evening. While there was intrigue and potential in that first chance meeting, the two would remain ships in the night, each building their own careers, until years later when the stars would align at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals. As the story goes, both Allen and The Pollies, who were all occasional session musicians at Fame, were finally in the room together and the track on deck was Little Richard’s “Greenwood, MS”. To hear Allen retell this part of the story is to hear a man talk about the beginnings of a priceless friendship. “There was an immediate romantic musical connection,” Allen said. “This is my band.” To hear Burgess tell it, the feeling was mutual. Over the subsequent year, the two groups rehearsed, toured, wrote, and gelled together under the moniker Billy Allen + The Pollies. The joining of Billy and Jay (along with the other charter members of The Pollies: Spencer Duncan, Jon Davis & Clint Chandler) was like the clicking of a dislocated bone back into true. Named after a theoretical sound bomb with the power to destroy whole cities, Black Noise was written almost entirely during the pandemic, beginning as voice memos between Burgess and Allen. With the lockdown in full swing, the musicians became each other’s micro-community, and voice memos progressed to writing sessions in Jay’s garage, and continued to full band rehearsals at Jay’s Greenhill, Alabama, sanctuary Studio 144. When the time to cut the record arrived, they tapped long-time friend and Grammy winning musician Ben Tanner to produce and engineer. Tanner (co-owner of Single Lock Records and former Alabama Shakes keys player) brought the band to Sun Drop Sound in Florence where the bulk of the recording was done. The band was so deeply meshed that the album they captured between April and November of 2021, other than a small overdub section, was recorded fully live, without a click, and 3 takes or less per song. Listening to Black Noise feels like walking on the alien terrain of a new genre. It sounds like garage grunge by way of Jackie Wilson. The very same kerchief Billy Allen uses to wipe sweat from his brow on stage could be carrying DNA from Wilson Pickett, Joe Cocker, D’Angelo, Ziggy Stardust, or any of the Spiders from Mars. Theirs is a gritty and trailblazing sound. They are a band full of smiling time travelers, able to visit and draw from a multitude of eras and styles. Black Noise is an album that devastates you to the point of remembering why you love music. This is the type of band you root for. You can’t help it. They’re that damn good. Website · Facebook · Instagram · TikTok
Aaron Lee Tasjan
Aaron Lee Tasjan was experiencing the worst bout of imposter syndrome of his career when he sat down and wrote Todd Snider a vulnerable email asking for advice. Tasjan, despite writing and recording some of the most astute Americana rock songs of the last decade and being nominated for a Grammy, just didn’t see a future for an independent singer, songwriter, and guitarist like himself. Snider read Tasjan’s email and immediately replied: “I think I have some ideas. I’ll write you back tomorrow.” The next morning, Tasjan awoke to a signature Todd Snider missive for how to move forward as an artist. It was a novel-length email that read like the battle plans for the Invasion of Normandy. Do this, Snider wrote. Then this. But never that. The specifics don’t matter—besides, that’d be giving away the secret—but Tasjan devoured his mentor’s words and took them to heart. He began writing feverishly, unbothered by expectations and immune to any pressure to match his acclaimed albums like *In the Blazes*, *Karma for Cheap*, or his most recent, 2024’s *Stellar Evolution*. When he was through, Tasjan had *Get Over It, Underdog*, his most inspiring LP to date. Produced by Tasjan and his longtime sound engineer Mark Miller, the album is a celebration of the power of songwriting, the unbreakable bond of friendship, and the determination of the dark horse. “I went to the ultimate oasis for a singer, songwriter, and troubadour: Todd Snider. And he said, in very Todd fashion, ‘You can find your path forward by going backwards,’” Tasjan says with a laugh. “But he was right. I set aside my ego, played shows solo without my band, and wrote a lot of songs. In that process, I found my confidence again.” Tragically, however, he lost his mentor. Snider died shortly after *Get Over It, Underdog* was finished, leaving a void in the folk-rock scene that will prove nearly impossible to fill. But Tasjan is committed to carrying on Snider’s unbridled spirit and lifting up underdogs everywhere. Over 11 tracks, Tasjan’s new album kills sacred cows and pokes holes in the dam, while leaning hard into the idea of perseverance. In the talking-blues of “Science Friction,” he tells an abridged origin story of civilization that culminates with humankind editing itself out of its own picture. “Man made machines/putting man out of business,” he sings with a knowing wink. “Lost & Alone,” meanwhile, finds him feeling like a “stranger in this town.” It’s a compact blast of indie-rock with a sing-along chorus that underscores Tasjan’s gift for writing infectious hooks. In “Twilight Zone Blues,” a shot of gritty T. Rex glam-rock, Tasjan wonders why we’re compelled to press the mysterious button just to find out what happens. “In society today, all this bad shit can become tempting, especially as the situation feels more and more dangerous as time goes on,” he says. “‘Twilight Zone Blues’ builds to that tension of, ‘What happens if I just give in to this or succumb to that?’” Website · Facebook · TikTok · Youtube · Spotify
Temples
Temples’ name has become synonymous with a band with an adventurous spirit; constantly exploring new ideas. On their fifth album, Bliss, they shake up the perception of the Kettering-formed four-piece with a record that ventures into electronic territory while staying true to their core DNA. Euphoric and melancholic melodies of late ‘90s dance music blend with psych-tinged riffs and loops to create something fresh. After the 2023 release of Exotico felt overlooked, the band – James Bagshaw (vocals/guitar), Thomas Walmsley (bass), Adam Smith (keyboards/guitar), and Rens Ottink (drums) – hit a creative standstill. “There’s so much more to us as a band and as a group of people,” says Walmsley. “We’re completely reconnecting with why we started and who we’re making the music for – which is ourselves.” Reinvigorated, Temples signed with V2 Records and returned to working together in person. Unlike Exotico, Bliss was produced entirely by the band. Bagshaw explains: “It was very freeing. It felt like you could just improvise.” The album features self-sampling, creating a shared palette of sounds that could be lifted, reversed, or reimagined across tracks – “building up audio Pantones,” as Bagshaw puts it. Sonically, Bliss reinterprets dance music in Temples’ style. Lead single Jet Stream Heart captures the thrill of being drawn into music, while Vendetta merges scuzzy riffs with lasering synths and dance melodies. Blue Flame, drawn from a chorus Smith had in his pocket for some years, explores disconnection with a slower, icier sound. Revelations nods to Gregorian chants, blending spiritual and matter-of-fact elements. Megalith tackles frustrations, surrender, and the fear of being stuck amidst a moving world. Though the band missed the late ‘90s rave culture firsthand, Bliss channels that era’s bittersweet euphoria, drawing inspiration from Faithless, Underworld, Prodigy, Air, Röyksopp, Moby, Massive Attack, Orbital, Portishead, and more. Psych and dance share a natural lineage, with repetition, loops, and trance-like states forming the album’s foundation. For Temples, Bliss represents creative freedom and a shared sense of joy in making music. “We’ve just done exactly what we want to do in a purely selfish way, and that becomes not selfish when people connect with it,” says Bagshaw. Forward-looking yet aware of its roots, the album is unmistakably Temples: “People should throw out whatever they thought we were – this is what we are.” Website · Facebok · Instagram · TikTok · YouTube · Spotify
Eleni Mandel and Dawn Landes
Eleni Mandell is a Los Angeles–based singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose quietly influential career spans more than three decades. With over ten acclaimed solo albums, Mandell has carved out a singular lane blending folk, noir jazz, roots rock, and literate pop — music defined by emotional precision, dry wit, and an unmistakable sense of place. A true Los Angeles institution, Mandell is widely regarded as a songwriter’s songwriter and a cornerstone of the city’s independent music community. Her work has been praised by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and NPR, with critics consistently highlighting her sharp lyrical intelligence, understated authority, and timeless, lived-in voice. Mandell is also a founding member of The Living Sisters (with Becky Stark and Inara George), the beloved harmony-driven trio whose releases on New West Records reflect a deep reverence for classic songwriting and communal music-making. The Living Sisters appear on Mandell’s forthcoming album, further reinforcing the collaborative spirit that has long defined her work. On May 29, 2026, Eleni Mandell will release a new solo album, Tailspin, via School Kids Records — a label celebrated for championing enduring, artist-first careers and thoughtfully curated releases. Tailspin finds Mandell expanding her expressive range while staying rooted in the lyrical clarity and emotional depth that have made her catalog so enduring. Website · Spotify · YouTube · Facebook · Instagram · TikTok Dawn Landes is a Chapel Hill, NC based singer-songwriter who’s penned original songs for TV, film, and musical theater (ROW on Audible). Landes has toured internationally and supported Nick Lowe, Mary Chapin Carpenter and many more. She was a touring member of Sufjan Stevens band and the orchestral folk ensemble Hem. Her newest album The Liberated Woman’s Songbook was produced by Josh Kaufman (Bonny Light Horseman) and highlights women’s activism throughout history. Website · Instagram · Facebook · YouTube · Spotify
