The Fat Angel Sings

Johnny Marr approaches his 63rd birthday and will celebrate with his fifth solo full-length, “The Age of Everything“, this autumn. The project arrives October. 2nd from BMG and is led by the single “Spin” .

The 10-track effort was written in London, workshopped on tour in North America last year and recorded in the former Smiths guitarist’s hometown of Manchester, England. “Spin” and fellow album tracks “It’s Time” and “Ophelia” were frequently played during that run.

“This is the record that’s been the most cathartic,” Marr says of the follow-up to his 2022 double LP “Fever Dreams Pts 1-4“. “The title came to me early in the process and became an inescapable idea. It seemed to sum up the way I think a lot of people are feeling. It’s all encompassing, but it’s not necessarily a negative statement. There’s a sense of overwhelm in the culture brought about by technology, but looking at it with a different light, there could also be a sense of possibility.”

In the fall of 2024, Marr said he was working on ideas on the road, which adds “a certain energy. My early songs were on a two-track tape recorder that I was able to trick into bouncing tracks together, and then I upgraded to a Teac Portastudio. I’ve kept up with technology, because it’s usually interesting and sometimes fun. Right now, I’ve gone right back to getting guitar ideas down on a looper and layering them without looking at a screen. I’m bored of looking at screens when I’m making music. It’s a long subject.”

Marr will also play a handful of shows in the U.K. and Europe through July in Granada, Spain. The lone gig on his fall agenda is Oct. 24 at OVO Arena Wembley in London.

The Mountain Goats are releasing a new album, “Days”, on August 7th on the band’s own Cadmean Dawn Records via Thirty Tigers. Now they have released its second single, “Shallow Grave.”

The band has also announced a six-show residency in San Francisco at The Fillmore, where each night will have a different theme and set list.

Previously the band shared its first single, “Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds,” The band’s core lineup is John Darnielle, Matt Douglas, and Jon Wurster.

“I got the idea for ‘Shallow Grave’ at a stoplight and recorded the first bits of it a capella into my phone,” John Darnielle said of the sprightly new single from the Mountain Goats’ new LP “Days”. “Came home and blazed through the rest old school style. Got very excited! Sent it to friends! Everybody bopped! Carrie White’s mom, or Carrie White’s arm? The jury is still out! Poetic license strikes again! Please enjoy what has already been called, by me, ‘the song of the summer’: Shallow Grave! Shallow Grave! Shallow Grave!”

Darnielle had this to say in a previous press release: “This album began life as “Grunges“, a sequel to “Goths“, after I made a joke on social media about writing a song called ‘Contemplating Pearl Jam in the Carolina Dawn.’ A few months later my wife left town for a two week residency in Virginia. My wife leaving town to play hockey in Banff is how All Hail West Texas happened. These songs are loosely about the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, which is to say they’re about the accumulation of days, each one a little further back than the next, sometimes miraculously seeming clearer as they recede and sometimes blurring into unrecognizable shapes which are sometimes pleasant and sometimes troubling. Most songs here are in major keys but don’t let that fool you. If you do let that fool you I have a bridge to sell you; there is nothing on the other side of the bridge. Still, you shouldn’t let that deter you. Who am I to tell you what kind of bridge you need, or where the bridge you need should lead? Nobody, really. Nobody at all.”

distributed by Thirty Tigers Released on: 2026-06-10

Pulp have announced a new live album, fittingly and simply titled “Live!”, and an accompanying concert film, Pulp: “What Do You Do For an Encore?2. They have also shared a live video for “A Sunset,” from both the album and film, and the audio of “Disco 2000” from the album. 

“Live!” is due out August 28 via Rough Trade and Pulp: What Do You Do For an Encore? will stream on MUBI this autumn.check out “A Sunset” and more details of both the live album and film.

Pulp released “More”, their first new album in 24 years, last year via Rough Trade Records. The album and film were both captured at the band’s shows in June 2025 at the O2 Arena in London, the same week that “More” was #1 on the UK album charts. Garth Jennings directed the film, having first worked with the band in 1997 directing their “Help the Aged” music video. He helped design the staging for Pulp’s tour.

Before “More”, Pulp’s previous album was the Scott Walker-produced “We Love Life“, released in 2001. Since then the band went on hiatus, reissued their old albums, returned to touring from 2011-2013, put out the unreleased song “After You” in 2013, went back on hiatus, and reunited again in 2022 for a well-received tour that stretched from 2023 to 2024. The band’s bassist Steve Mackey sadly died in March 2023 at only 56, so he did not take part in the last reunion or the new album. 

Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker had this to say in a press release: “A concert is an event where songs come back to life. That’s why this album is called “Live!”. It’s both a statement of fact (it’s a recording of a live band) & a challenge (come on! Everyone come alive!).”

“Live!” Album Due Out August 28th via Rough Trade; Pulp: “What Do You Do For an Encore?” Film

The new issue of Uncut has candid interviews with Mick, Keith and Ronnie as they launch The Rolling Stones’ 25th album, “Foreign Tongues” and every print copy comes with a FREE Ambient Americana Vol 2 CD. It’s on sale Friday.

Inside the mag: An Audience With U2 and Dylan producer Daniel Lanois; The Kinks relive their explosive 1966; Beastie Boys’ Mike D returns; Siouxsie Sioux entrances; John Coltrane astonishes; King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard untangle their prodigious discography…

The amazing story behind McAlmont And Butler’s ‘90s anthem “Yes”; friends and former bandmates salute Southern rock pioneer Gregg Allman; Philly country punks Florry get messy; White Denim reveal their music inspirations…

Plus! Kraftwerk, Paul Simon, Martha Reeves, The Waterboys, John Lennon, The Durutti Column, Shearwater, Rodney Crowell, Lenny Kaye, Styrofoam Winos – and Roger Daltrey on Eddie Cochran! Find it in shops from Friday or pre-o

Big World lives up to its name. Slated for release on August 14th, it arrives on the heels of Hovvdy’s 2024 self-titled album with a palpable sense of expansion – songs that stretch outwards and fill every room that they’re played in – while still being rooted in the close, unguarded intimacy characteristic of the Texas duo. It’s a progression that underscores how Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, now over a decade into their collaboration, continue to refine a shared language without losing the sincerity that has come to define it.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Hovvdy is the indie rock duo of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, who were both touring drummers when they first met at a baseball game a decade ago. Combining their solo songwriting efforts, they put out their debut LP, “Taster”, in 2016, gradually sharpening and layering their warm, low-key sound with a series of heartfelt releases, including 2018’s “Cranberry” and their 2019 breakthrough “Heavy Lifter“.

This time, all four were present for each session, giving Martin and Taylor the space to hone their collaborative craft while finding ways to honour their lo-fi origins. The result is a 19-track double LP of sprawling intimacy, one that allows big choruses to jump out and quiet moments to linger longer than you might expect. It’s a gorgeous record about the passage of time that keeps you hooked, ensuring no amount you spend with it feels wasted.

Hovvdy have shared another new single, ‘Blast’, from their forthcoming album Big World. For a track called ‘Blast’, it’s quite bleary, which fits into Hovvdy’s overall aesthetic. Still, the hook worms itself into your brain. Check out director Michael Rees’ video for it below.

Their new self-titled album, out Friday on Arts & Crafts, sees them continuing their collaboration with producer Andrew Sarlo and multi-instrumentalist Ben Littlejohn, who worked with the duo on 2021’s “True Love” and 2022’s “billboard for my feelings” EP.

“Big World“, which was led by the single ‘Try Try Try’, is set for release on August 14th via Arts & Crafts. 

This week, Wishy also announced a new album, “Nature’s Pill“, and released its first single, “Lovesick.” They have also announced some new tour dates. 

Wishy’s “Nature’s Pill” captures a world where life feels unpredictable and overwhelming, yet full of possibility. On their vibrant sophomore record, Wishy entertains the madness–capturing romantic frustration, neurotic desire and the melodrama that ensues from simply being human in a jubilant remix of the past.

“Nature’s Pill” is the band’s sophomore album, the follow-up to 2024’s “Triple Seven” and 2025’s “Planet Popstar” EP.

“Nature’s Pill” bears all of Wishy’s trademarks: zany lyrics transfiguring melancholia into freedom, choruses set to become instant classics, and an unholy fusion of sugary grunge, indie rock and dream-pop. Wishy’s genesis has been a prolific burst powered by the band’s musical synergy: the “Mana and Paradise” EPs in 2023, debut LP “Triple Seven” in 2024, and a follow-up EP “Planet Popstar” in 2025. After those releases met acclaim and the band’s stature rose, the conception of “Nature’s Pill” was fundamentally different. Written more collaboratively than past releases, the group reconvened with “Triple Seven” co-producer Ben Lumsdaine in Los Angeles, where the quintet packed into a tiny studio and tracked half the songs live in the room, imbuing the album with the immediate energy of a band in sync after heavy touring.

It gave them the ability to synthesize an even greater array of touchstones this time around, with the ‘90s dream-pop and alt-rock of “Triple Seven” fusing with ‘80s college rock and ‘00s indie.

Wishy is vocalist/guitarist Nina Pitchkites, vocalist/guitarist Kevin Krauter, guitarist Dimitri Morris, bassist Mitch Collins, and drummer Conner Host. The Indianapolis shoegaze/dream-pop band recorded the album in Los Angeles .

Krauter had this to say in a press release: “Being in an indie band feels bizarre when the world is on fire. What can you do at the end of the day other than carve out some space—at the very least I have my imagination and I can invite others to join me there. At a certain point you need to say fuck it and roll with it.”

Of “Lovesick,” Pitchkites says: “There’s not much more that needs to be said about yearning in 2026, but here it is anyway. Kevin and I are stupidly romantic people who like twee pop so that combination alone was a recipe for a cheeky ‘main character’ song. We really leaned into the overzealous lyrics here because 1) we’re allowed, 2) can do whatever we want and 3) it’s fun 🙂 yay!”

“Nature’s Pill” is due out October 2nd via Winspear.

Anna Graves is an alt-folk artist whose music casts spells through storytelling. Raised on a farm in Minnesota, she left home chasing big dreams and bright lights, only to return years later and rediscover the magic that first sparked her songwriting. Her sound weaves cinematic pop melodies with folk intimacy where vulnerability transforms into power, and heartbreak alchemizes into healing.

“America’s Greatest Burnout” is Anna Graves’ deeply personal autobiography, tracing the last ten years of her life with unflinching honesty and heart. The singer-songwriter seamlessly blends elements of pop, country, and folk to create a sound that feels both timeless and immediate. Brought to life by producer Davis Naish (Maggie Rose, Eric Church), the album features A-list musicians including John Humphries (Kacey Musgraves), Rob McNelley (Luke Combs), Marty Rifkin (Bruce Springsteen) and more.

This record was born from some of the most transformative years of my life. It came from asking difficult questions, sitting with uncomfortable truths, and learning that what feels like the end is only the beginning of something new.

I don’t know where I’d be without these songs, as they helped me find my way home.

releases August 21st, 2026

With only two albums out, Slow Pulp are one of the defining bands of the generation that grew up on ’90s alt rock radio and came of age with the 2000s indie wave.

Their new album, “Melodie”, out on September 18th was produced by Elliott Kozel (whose credits include SZA, Lizzo, Jean Dawson, and Rosalia) and was co-written by Emily Massey and Henry Stoehr in the band. “Melodie” sees the band exploring beyond their shoegaze roots into new sonic territory with pop-tinged hooks and melodies. 

“Melodie” is the follow-up to their acclaimed sophomore album Yard. With resounding praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Pitchfork, Billboard, The FADER and Stereogum, with Variety declaring it “one of 2023’s best rock records”.

Releases September 18th, 2026

Slow Pulp is Alex Leeds, Emily Massey, Teddy Mathews, and Henry Stoehr

Alex Leeds – Bass
Emily Massey – Vocals, Guitar
Teddy Mathews – Drums, Percussion
Henry Stoehr – Guitar