The Fat Angel Sings

Going by the alias of Searows, Alec Duckart the 23-year-old from Portland, Oregon, broke through last year with his groundbreaking debut ‘Guard Dog’ – an album that encapsulated his moving take on folk and indie.

Now, curled up on the sofa of his London Airbnb, a few hours before he takes to the stage as Abrams’ European support act, Duckart talks about the emotionally vulnerable themes on his new EP ‘End Of The World’ (released last November ). He also shares his his thoughts on being the first artist signed to Matt Maltese’s new label, Last Recordings On Earth – another accolade which has yet to quite sink in.

“I still have so much that I want to work on,” he says, sounding equal parts humble and determined. “I’m not at the stage where I’m releasing my first stuff into the world, but at the same time, it still feels like each thing I release is the first. I feel so new to everything still; I don’t yet feel like I am really seasoned in any of it.”

Still, as he delves into the deeply personal but fundamentally relatable inspiration behind his lyrics, it becomes obvious why his music is resonating with so many.

Searows, whose real name is Alec Duckart, is a 24-year-old singer/songwriter from Portland, Oregon. He describes his sound as “stereotypically Pacific Northwest,” and I must agree; there is a peaceful quality to his music that takes me back to the gorgeous forests of Washington State. Additionally, he cites Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver among his biggest inspirations, two artists whose sounds are heavily influenced by the Great Lakes region. 

Duckart’s music feels like it’s made for a Chicago winter, those days that start with the warmth of the sun on your face and end with a snowstorm. Searows’ unique blend of hope and melancholy reminds me exactly of those days. “I Can and I Will” is my favorite song from his 2023 EP “End Of The World“, and it’s the perfect example of this feeling.

Given the right moment, that song can break me into a million pieces. However, once he sings, “There are hands to be held and drinks to be spilled/And I can and I will,” I’m always left with a newly found sense of warmth. 

I’ve seen Searows’ music described as resembling early-career Phoebe Bridgers. While I agree that their voices are eerily similar, I think Duckart’s music has a certain tone of maturity that Bridgers’ early music lacked—and I’m saying this as a huge Phoebe Bridgers fan. As much as I’d like his music to replace what I’m missing in this Phoebe Bridgers/Boygenius hiatus year, Searows has managed to carve a unique space for himself in the indie-folk scene. For an artist who writes ‘sad music,’ his discography, remarkably, lacks angst. His music has a unique undertone of acceptance within the melancholy, which is refreshing to find in a genre that tends towards pure sadness without enough complexity.

released January 23rd, 2026

After their debut release, “Communion”, Suitor’s efforts went into sculpting a different sound with their newly expanded line up. A pared down selection of songs they wrote during this period would ultimately become “Saw You Out with the Weeds“. In the spring of 2024, the songs were recorded live in Lawrence, Kansas by Caufield Schnug and Lira Mondal of Sweeping Promises.

Suitor’s wide range of influences and exploratory ethos are on full display in this concise yet diverse set of tracks. The record is a push and pull between elements of noise pop, post-punk, and indie rock, balanced by densely worded vocal melodies and strong, captivating hooks. Embracing a larger wall-of-sound approach for the mix, “Saw You Out with the Weeds” is filled with sharp, layered guitars and driving rhythms that course through all of its shimmering textures.

“Factory” is featured on Suitor – Saw You Out with the Weeds. Available 20th on LP/digital from Feel It Records.

The five members of Suitor, one of the city’s best and most exciting bands since their formation in 2020. Guitarist Chris Corsi suggests that the horn signals the start of a warmup round for the serious pinballers in the house.

Suitor are Northeast Ohio heads through and through. Shepard grew up in Akron and Hudson and met her bandmates when they were attending college in Kent. Her mother and uncle played in Akron new wave bands (Unit 5 and the Bizarros, respectively), and her father owns Akron’s Time Traveler Records, a local staple for more than 45 years that’s still chugging along despite some health scares. Shepard met Corsi while working at a coffee shop in Kent, where they’d gab about early aughts indie rock bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Chris Corsi, his brother and bassist John Corsi, and guitarist Stephen Ovak all went to Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, where they’d run into each other at football games and yap about hair metal. Drummer Ryan Matricardi hails from Lakewood, and Shepard distinctly recalls their first meeting in Kent when Matricardi swapped her PBR for a Lady Bligh and Coke and simply quipped, “Turn up!”

“Saw You Out With The Weeds” is definitely gnarlier than its predecessor. Matricardi’s cymbals crackle and itch, and Shepard’s gauzy vocals bob above and below the mix with spooky mystique. Their dual guitars zigzag with delightfully fractured tones and thrash with newfound bluster. Meanwhile, John’s tactile, low-toned bass throbs and slinks, grounding the whole affair. Their driving, distorted eeriness recalls the Chameleons and more recently, Robber Robber. Their guitars have an Omni-like twistiness. And Shepard’s dynamic vocals allow them to shapeshift from floaty drone pop and talky punk to wailing, melancholic post-punk and noise-rock.

Written in snatches of time in hometown Bristol, recorded in London’s 5dB Studios and produced by Sean Oakley (Georgia, Scaler, Sorry), who flew in from L.A. especially for the project, “Hoping As A Coping Mechanism” is the strongest display of Mould’s talents yet. In their own words, it’s “more focussed, paced and thought-out.”

Over 13 tracks that explore the horrors of the outside world and the internal minefield of the brain, Mould’s debut also hits with the thrills of a brilliant live band who’ve distilled that energy to tape. “This has always been the dream, playing with your mates and making good songs and getting to tour and make records,” says Kane Eagle. “But the realities of trying to start a band now, when you’re 30 and also have other goals at the same time are hard. We’d be doing it regardless, but you have to learn a lot.”

This duality runs throughout the record, where tracks like lead single ‘Float’ speak of “strolling through hellscapes” of social media yet surround their frustrations with the sort of barbed, visceral musicality that sounds like if Interpol had grown up in gloomy, rain-soaked Britain. “You’re endlessly doom scrolling, past a funny video of a sausage, and then there’s Farage and then there’s an ad for something,” Joe says of the track. “That mindnumbing flashy distraction turns you into idiots.

Mould is a chunky punk power trio from Bristol, making succinct hits for the short attention spanned. The band members have played together in various forms for over 10+ years in numerous bands within Bristol’s DIY worlds.

Finally, the trio decided to take full advantage of their accrued closeness and tightness as humans and musicians, plunging that into a fresh, new beast. In 2023, “Birdsong” was self-released, marking the birth of Mould. This was followed by a couple of UK tours – first with Portuguese screamers Hetta, then another with Brighton’s Regal Cheer, and finally New York’s Lip Critic.

Drawing inspiration from bands like Fugazi, Pile, and Weezer, Mould, with the help of producer Jon McMullen (Wet Leg, Michael Kiwanuka), has created an exhilarating, unhinged musical joyride.

After a brief disappearance into solo records and restless touring, Wolter siblings Jack and Lily resurface with 3: a record drenched in salt and sun, with the tide pulling at its edges. Written on a monthlong surf trip to Lagos, Portugal, these are songs with sandy feet and sunburnt shoulders, hooks that glow and harmonies that ache. Beauty built carefully, like a perfect sandcastle on a summer holiday, only to be flattened in an instant by your auntie’s passing cruelty. There’s sweetness here, but it comes with teeth.

The British sibling duo Penelope Isles (Lily and Jack Wolter) are releasing a new album,” 3,” on September 25th via Bella Union. The new album follows 2021’s “Which Way to Happy“and 2019’s “Until the Tide Creeps In“. Not only has it been five years since Penelope Isles’ last album, it’s also been three years since their last live show. In that time, the duo have been busy with solo projects—Jack with Cubzoa and Lily with My Precious Bunny (who released “A Moment in My Eyes” in May; . Jack has also toured with CMAT on guitar.

This week they shared its second single, “I Loved You, Robert Pattinson,” which is inspired by Lily’s love of The Odyssey actor back when he was in the Twilight films. 

“Penny Isles is such a big part of our personalities,” says Jack in a press release. “So it was about time we got back to it.”

The album features Joe Taylor on drums and was recorded live in the studio, at Black Bay Studio on the Isle of Lewis off Scotland’s northwest coast. 

Wild Pink (the band led by John Ross) are releasing a new album, Still Coming Down, on August 21st via Fire Talk. Now they have shared its third single, “500 Is The New 250,” Wes Sterrs directed the video. Previously Wild Pink shared the album’s first single, “Round of Applause At the End of the World,” Then they followed it up with its second single, album opener “Box Store,” .

“Still Coming Down” follows 2024’s “Dulling the Horns”. It was recorded across one week in Asheville, NC at the Drop of Sun studios, working with producer and engineer Alex Farrar (Bnny, Wednesday, Samia). Vocal takes were done more quickly than on previous Wild Pink albums.

“There was not a ton of overthinking,” Ross says in a press release.

The album also features longtime Wild Pink member Dan Keegan on drums, along with guests Meg Duffy (aka Hand Habits) and MJ Lenderman and his The Wind bandmates Landon George and Xandy Chelmis.

Wild Pink’s 2022 album, “ILYSM”, was inspired by Ross’ cancer diagnosis. Since then he’s beat cancer and become a father for the first time.

“Strangely, I feel like I’ve found my voice on this record,” he says.

“Still Coming Down” Due Out August 21 on Fire Talk

Their sixth studio album Dinosaur Jr. have recorded in the 20 years since their triumphal rebirth. Created in short, intense bursts over the course of a year at Amherst’s Bisquiteen Studio, “There Near” was recorded almost entirely by Dino’s core trio — king of the thunder tubs, Murph, human tornado Lou Barlow on bass/vocals and the inimitable J Mascis on guitar/vocals — with a bit of piano and organ work by local master musician, Ken Mauri. And the album roars from start to finish.

Trying to define the essence of Dino’s sound is never easy. It’s an instantly recognizable blend of loose vocals, sharp guitars and an animalistic rhythm section, but these parts combine into a whole far more magical and exciting than its components.

J’Mascis guitar tone throughout “There Near” is even more animalistic than usual, perhaps owing partly to the fact he’s playing through a recently acquired 70’s Mesa Boogie MK 1 amp. “I bought the same amp that Chris Dixon had when we made our first album,” J says. “Chris recorded us at his house with his amp. It has a real interesting sound I haven’t gotten for a while. And it’s something I was trying to get back to on this album.Asked about the philosophical opacity of his lyrical approach, J says. “I’m not always sure what a song is ‘about’ when I’m writing it. I guess the meaning will present itself at some point. I’ll use whatever words work. And a lot of it will be influenced by whatever esoteric mumbo jumbo I’m reading at the time. I try not to think too hard about any of it.

Someone suggested this album sounds more upbeat, but I guess that’s to do with my delivery, because lyrics like ‘No Friends’ might make you think otherwise. But I usually write in the third person. It’s all just make believe.”

While it’s true “There Near” does present a slightly softer lyrical edge on some of J’s songs, even a relatively gorgeous ballad like “Put It Down” eventually explodes in a shower of fiery guitar distentions. It’s just what happens. Meanwhile the two tunes provided by Lou — “Blowin’ Up” and “No One’s Ready” — may have less frenzied musical settings, but their lyrics sound like pointed and timely attacks on our current regime. As is so often the case, Lou’s melodic constructions have a friendly mien, but his lyrics cut like knives.

“There Near” continues Dinosaur Jr.’s string of classic albums. The new songs are sure to sound amazing with their monstrous riffs blaring from live stages amidst their historical brethren. Can’t wait to catch them live, but in the meantime “There Near” will be a constant companion.

Dinosaur Jr. shared its first single, “Several Got Away,” “There Near” is due out August 28th via Jagjaguwar.

“I bought the same amp that Chris Dixon had when we made our first album,” Mascis says in a press release. “Chris recorded us at his house with his amp. It has a real interesting sound I haven’t gotten for a while. And it’s something I was trying to get back to on this album. The Stones started using Mesa Boogies in the ‘70s after they heard Santana playing through them. Then The Clash copied The Stones, etc. As the years went on into the MK 2 and so on, the Boogie got more metal sounding. But the MK 1 has a souped-up Fender sound. You always hear how Rick Rubin always makes bands he’s producing sit down and listen to their first album and say let’s get back to that sound. So I just gave myself his advice.”

Of the album’s lyrics, he says: “I’m not always sure what a song is ‘about’ when I’m writing it. I guess the meaning will present itself at some point. I’ll use whatever words work. And a lot of it will be influenced by whatever esoteric mumbo jumbo I’m reading at the time. I try not to think too hard about any of it. I think it’s a drag that Spotify shows all the lyrics to a song. What’s the fun of that?”

Guy Kozak directed the “Several Got Away” video and had this to say about it: “I wanted to do something a little tongue-in-cheek with a kind of ‘backyard movie’ feel that could fit in nicely with the existing canon of dinosaur jr. music videos. The first bit of inspiration came from a great Henry Darger painting of kids being terrorized by two giant floating hands of fire. Then I got thinking about the rapture and it came together from there. The guys were really game for it all and I was honored that they let me chase them around a big field with my camera like a psycho. We were on a tight schedule with the turnaround so I had to learn a lot of VFX stuff over the course of a weekend, but I like the way the effects all turned out.”

Of the album’s lyrics, he says: “I’m not always sure what a song is ‘about’ when I’m writing it. I guess the meaning will present itself at some point. I’ll use whatever words work. And a lot of it will be influenced by whatever esoteric mumbo jumbo I’m reading at the time. I try not to think too hard about any of it.

“There Near” Due Out August 28th via Jagjaguwar

Dinosaur Jr. is J Mascis (guitar, vocals), Lou Barlow (bass, vocals), and Murph (drums). They recorded the album Amherst’s Bisquiteen Studio.

Wolf Alice have shared their cover of The Roches’ “Hammond Song”, featuring vocals from Julia Cumming (Sunflower Bean) and Bria Salmena. The release follows previous track “Gospel Oak” and comes off the back of the band’s homecoming show at Finsbury Park earlier this month.

The Second track from “The Clearing: B Sides”, out August 21st

The song was recorded in Los Angeles during sessions for “The Clearing“, inspired by the three-sister dynamic of the original band. Written by Maggie Roche, “Hammond Song” draws on the trio’s experiences leaving a budding music career in New York to spend six months in Hammond, Louisiana, in support of one sister’s pursuit of love, a decision they ultimately came to regret.

Frontwoman Ellie Rowsell says of the track: “We love this song by The Roches, the guitar work and the vocal treatment, we actually referenced in “Blue Weekend“, but it stuck around as something that inspired us for “The Clearing” too. Recording in LA, where both Bria and Julia were living, it just seemed like a really fun thing to do to learn those harmonies and sing them with two of our favourite singers.”

Cumming and Salmena joined Wolf Alice on stage to perform the song at the band’s largest New York show to date, at Pier 17 on July 29th

“The Clearing: B Sides” is out August 21st. 

Margaret Glaspy is releasing a new album, “I Am Both”, this Friday via ATO. She has shared the album’s third single, “Reminder,” as well as a live performance video for the song.

Glaspy had this to say about the song in a press release: “That song’s a message to myself for when it feels like I’m doing nothing of value, reminding me that it’s important to keep showing up in lots of little ways instead of giving up altogether. It’s an example of something I never would’ve written if I were still praying to the gods who told me everything needs to be neat and tidy and symmetrical.”

Previously Glaspy shared “I Am Both’s” first single, “Michigan,” as well as a live performance video for the song. “Michigan” .Then she shared its second single, “That Rose,” as well as a live performance video for the song.

“I Am Both” follows Glaspy’s 2023 album, “Echo the Diamond” as well as her 2024 EP, “The Sun Doesn’t Think”, and her 2025 EP, “The Golden Heart Protector”.

Joe Henry (Aimee Mann, Joan Baez) produced “I Am Both”. Glaspy wrote the album longhand and on a typewriter.

“I wrote the title track a while ago; the story is based on a female character that I look up to deeply—a woman who contains multitudes while seeing reality very clearly,” says Glaspy. “It can feel safer to try to fit myself into a category, but I find that embracing my own complexity is much healthier for me.”

She adds: “When I started writing for this record I had a goal of getting my practice back – to walk the walk in terms of how I envision myself as a songwriter. At first it was really hard to break that addiction to social media, but after a while something shifted. It felt like I’d gotten back to original thought instead of being under the influence of so many outside opinions. It was life-changing.

“I Am Both” Due Out This Friday via ATO Records

Nautics are a rising New York City-based rock band, newly signed to Bright Antenna Records after spending the last few years making a name for themselves in the city’s thriving alt rock live scene. The band released their latest EP, “Adore”, last year, and they returned earlier this year with a handful of new singles, “Wasteman,” “U23,” and “bum-a-cig.” These tracks are set to feature on their upcoming debut album, “People Only Like Me When Im Leaving”, out on September 25th.

Recorded in bassist Van Cameron’s bedroom and produced by Jasper Harris (Quarters) in his Brooklyn studio, the album finds the band leaning into their hook-heavy songwriting and the high energy performances of their live show, evoking New York’s long legacy of killer rock bands. Today, accompanying the record’s announcement, the band are sharing their latest single, “Knee/Touch,”

After the free-wheeling fuzz rock edges of “bum-a-cig,” “knee/touch” represents a turn towards soft-hued melodicism. Cameron and drummer Levitt Yaffe hang back with steady mid-tempo rhythms while guitarist Kitt Flamer-Calder and vocalist Kenzo Repola pack the song full of intertwined guitars, chiming keys, and lilting vocal melodies. The track is replete with catchy melodies and hazily scrawled guitar solos, but they’re expressed with intimacy instead of bombast, softening the band’s scrappier edges for a lovely and wistful turn. Meanwhile, Repola croons out soft-hearted tributes to love and connection: “Say what you need / Please say what you need / I can’t read your mind / Please say what you need / ‘Cause I need touch / Like you need something to change / Just stop and stare / Like I don’t feel your pain.”

Repola says of the track, “The song came from a slightly near death experience on tour. Realized we weren’t where we wanted to be in our relationships. Realized we wanted to be closer to each other.”

“People Only Like Me When Im Leaving” is due out on September 25th via Bright Antenna Records. You can find the band’s upcoming tour dates below.Records

Irish Four-Piece Continue their Rapid Rise Ahead Of Packed Tour Dates Florence Road have shared new single “7563”, out now via Warner Records.

“7563” pairs hook-laden guitars and soaring vocals, highlighting the melodic pop-rock alchemy the band have built their reputation on. They say of the track: “7563” is about feeling out of place, lost and confused. Not being sure of who you are. It’s about knowing that you need to break yourself out of it, feeling that something is calling at you to wake you up from this ‘bad dream’.”

The single follows “Hanging Out To Dry”, which surpassed 25.3 million global streams, inspired more than 35,000 TikTok creations, and became a No.1 Irish radio hit, making Florence Road the first all-female Irish band to achieve the feat. The band’s monthly Spotify audience has since climbed beyond 2.5 million listeners.

With just two EPs and a 2025 mixtape to their name, the band have built a fanbase spanning indie guitar music and alternative pop, selling out headline tours within minutes along the way.

“7563” arrives ahead of a busy run of shows, including Reading & Leeds, Rock En Seine in Paris, Electric Picnic in Ireland, a sold-out US tour throughout September, and sold-out headline dates across Ireland in November and December.

Florence Road are Lily Aron (vocals), Emma Brandon (guitar), Ailbhe Barry (bass) and Hannah Kelly (drums).