The Fat Angel Sings

“Secret Love”, is the new record by London avant-indie heroes Dry Cleaning came out on January 9th, and as they have said it is one which takes their unclassifiable spoken-word doom rock oddness to new undeniably genius heights.

The South London four-piece are back with their third record, “Secret Love”, enlisting the help of Cate Le Bon on production for a fresh take on their trademark post-punk sprechgesang and sharp observations.

“Secret Love” moves smoothly between a darker, more intense sound to softer, intimate moments. “Blood” is one of the most striking and perhaps the most transparent in its lyrics. Deconstructing the modern inevitability of witnessing atrocities half a world away on our screens, singer Florence Shaw laments our own sense of complicity as she sings, “Blood on my skin and hands and nails, and in my eyes as well / I try to see”. Evil Evil Idiot continues this darker tone with ominous instrumentation and lyrics about raw meat, carcinogens and chemicals.

Balancing this intensity are cuts like “The Cute Things” and the titular “Secret Love (Concealed in a Drawing of a Boy)”, painting a more personal picture. “Joy” ends the album with a kick, reflecting on the radical act of finding happiness in a dystopian world.

The deadpan delivery of Shaw’s lyrics makes analysis a tricky thing. In the aforementioned “Cruise Ship Designer“, she concludes the song with the statement “There are hidden messages in my work”. Is it a less-than-subtle hint for the listener to look deeper into the songs? Does it poke fun at those who read too much into the things? These more absurd moments contrast the more straight-to-the-point lyrics; “Blood” reflecting on war and complicity, or “My Soul / Half Pint” touching on domestic burden.

Perhaps the hidden message is that, like the cruise ship designer, we should stop overthinking everything.

So sit back and enjoy the album. Shaw’s straight-faced delivery pairs beautifully with her bandmates’ intricate guitars and grooving basslines throughout. “Secret Love” is a profoundly modern album – puzzling, but endearingly so.

it’s a strong early shout for the Mercury Prize right here.

I can’t make up my mind whether Dry Cleaning‘s new album “Secret Love“, the follow-up to 2022’s “Stumpwork”, is their darkest or most optimistic, precisely because it blurs the line between harmlessness and real horror, self-growth and destruction. In that way it’s certainly their dreamiest, with subtle, reconstructive production from Cate Le Bon, who helps the band break out of their shell by making them sound more like themselves. It’s hard to take that the wrong way. 

Dry Cleaning unveiled their third studio album “Secret Love”, produced by Cate Le Bon. Written together in Peckham rehearsal rooms, it reflects the close ties between Florence Shaw, Tom Dowse, Nick Buxton and Lewis Maynard, each song built from their instinctive interplay.

The south London quartet draw on early ’80s punk paranoia, Stones-like swagger, stoner heaviness, no wave angles and pastoral touches. Shaw’s measured delivery stands alongside spoken-word figures such as Laurie Anderson and Sue Tompkins, woven seamlessly into the band’s shifting soundscapes.

“Secret Love” took shape across varied sessions: at Jeff Tweedy’s Loft studio in Chicago, Sonic Studios in Dublin with members of Gilla Band, and finally at Black Box in the Loire Valley with Le Bon, chosen for her positivity and openness.

Trust is the record’s central theme, introduced by opener ‘Hit My Head All Day’, a playful yet cutting track tackling misinformation, manipulation and the difficulty of knowing who to believe.

Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly in the city of Toronto.

Broken Social Scene’s new album, “Remember the Humans“, urges you to think of music in organic terms. The title of the Canadian collective’s first album in nearly a decade came from Charles Spearin, who initially framed it as a joke: it sounds like the AI version of their seminal 2002 LP “You Forgot It in People2. The songs get lost in the haze of personal memory, eulogize individual people, and put relationships under the microscope, but the group still has a unique way of reveling in abstraction: finding relief from the burden of identity and emotional truth in every cliche. It’s a joyously universal kind of homecoming. 

The bands first new studio album in nearly a decade, “Remember The Humans” reunites beloved Toronto collective Broken Social Scene with producer David Newfeld, who helmed their 2002 breakthrough “You Forgot It In People” (2002) and their self-titled 2005 album.

Across the 12 tracks the arrangements are dense and enveloping — a lattice of horns, 
 guitars, voices, and electronics — yet melody always remains sovereign, refusing to be swallowed by the sheer sound. When the music drifts towards abstraction, a grounding bass line arrives to anchor the listener, reminding us always that there are human hands on the controls and that, however artful, this is still rock ’n’ roll. Remember The Humans was shaped by reunion and loss in equal measure. When Kevin Drew and Newfeld reconnected after nearly 20 years apart, one hangout became what they call “a hurricane of fun.” During the recording, both lost their mothers — a shared grief that drew them closer. As Newfeld recalls, “our moms would have wanted us to do this, and get it right after 20 years of not working together.

released May 8th, 2026

Produced and mixed by David Newfeld
Recorded by David Newfeld, Charles Spearin and Nyles Spencer

 A moonstone glow infuses Boy Golden’s “Best Of Our Possible Lives”, an LP that reveals its properties — intuition, emotional balance and transformation — through 12 songs of self-discovery. With “Best Of Our Possible Lives”, the singer-songwriter / producer Boy Golden’s artistic approach is as philosophical as it is  musical.

This new work finds him mid-journey, on a quest for honesty with a willingness to examine and accept the self as it was, as it is, and as it can be. Buoyant, smooth and disarming, as a whole, “Best Of Our Possible Lives” draws lines from the J.J Cale Tulsa created sound to swampy New Orleans folk. With the lo-fi mystery of mk.gee, the laid-back swagger of MJ Lenderman and the lyrical intimacy of Waxhatachee, Boy Golden’s 

The music is fresh, observational and honest. His melodies wax nostalgia for the giants (think  J.J. Cale), yet ring true as the work of a young artist, right now.

Six Shooter Records released “Best of Our Possible Lives” on February 13th, 2026

released February 13, 2026

For The Bobby Lees, their fourth album and Epitaph debut “New Self” marks a thrilling new chapter for the band while doubling down on what’s always made them so magnetic. The Bobby Lees don’t need much in the way of introduction. Within a few seconds of exposure to their furnace-blast live shows or their bottled-lightning studio records, it’s easy to hear why they’ve earned fans in legendary musicians like Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, and Henry Rollins. They’re as uncompromising in their sound and generous with their energy as any of their punk ancestors who first rewrote the rules of engagement back in the 1970s. Led by singer and guitarist Sam Quartin, drummer Macky Bowman, and bassist Kendall Wind, The Bobby Lees bring wildness and danger back into punk rock.

Woodstock, NY’s The Bobby Lee’s signed to Epitaph and will release their first album for the label, “New Self”, on June 12th. “

This song feels like a diary entry that I’m letting strangers read, it’s kinda weird to share – but fuck it,” says the band’s Sam Quartin. “We were listening to late 90’s Hip Hop and Nu Metal when we wrote it. We told Dave Sardy, who produced the track, that sound was our goal, that kinda feel.”

The members of the Bobby Lees first met in Woodstock, NY, in 2017, and officially released their debut album the following year. Since then, they’ve toured extensively on both sides of the Atlantic, building a dedicated following year by year. Their ferocious presence has always been undeniable, but “New Self” elevates their sound to even brasher heights. Produced by Dave Sardy and Alex Pasco in Los Angeles, the album sets The Bobby Lees’ signature bravado loose across a wide and reverberating soundscape. They’ve never sounded quite this expansive or emboldened before.

At the heart of “New Self” glows the wonder of growing into somebody that you could barely imagine when you were younger. “I’m older now / I’ve gotten help / I wish you could meet my new self,” Quartin sings on the album’s raucous and bittersweet title track. It’s a sentiment that took some time to find. The record arrives after a period of deep uncertainty for the band. Toward the end of 2023, the Bobby Lees went on an indefinite hiatus: The deepening economic pressures of the music industry weighed heavily on them, and the labour of touring edged the group close to burnout. “We hit a ceiling with the cycle of funding our own records and then barely breaking even on tour,” says Quartin. The band took a break from performing and started trying to find a sustainable balance instead of working at their limits with no end in sight.

After they announced their hiatus, the Bobby Lees received an outpouring of support from their fans — including actor Jason Momoa, who contacted the group and offered to fund their next record. “That was such a gift for us,” says Quartin. “It made the whole experience of making the record a lot lighter.”

Returning to writing songs proved to be a welcome relief for Quartin. “I start to feel ill, physically and spiritually, if I don’t have a place to put my creative energy,” she says. While writing the songs on “New Self”, Quartin, Bowman, and Wind experimented together with new entry points, rather than beginning with guitar chords and lyrics as they’d done before. The barrelling, high-contrast “All I Got” was born from a guitar riff that Bowman wrote and shared with the group. Quartin asked her bandmates to send her recordings of bass and drum loops while they were on tour with another band, then used those loops as the starting ground for new songs. “I’d never written without a guitar before, but I had so much fun walking around listening to those beats and writing down lyrics,” she says.

Throughout the process of writing and recording the album, Quartin embraced a more deeply collaborative creative philosophy. “I used to think that if you work as hard as you can and put all of your energy into everything, you’ll get back what you give. But it didn’t pan out that way,” she says. “If I’m giving 90 percent, there’s only 10 percent left for whoever I’m working with to give back. So I tried doing less and seeing what happened. It ended up being a really nice change for me.”

Part of that change Quartin attributes to reading Ralph Waldo Emerson. “I bought the portable Emerson, and the chapter that I just read over and over again was called ‘Spiritual Laws,'” she says. “That shifted how I approach the exchange between people – what’s a healthy balance between giving and receiving. I think some seed of that went into these songs.”

Sometimes when you give up control, you end up claiming more power than you ever knew you had. You can hear the Bobby Lees easing into a new confidence — one that’s both looser and more towering — all throughout “New Self”, from the seething, fiery “Napoleon” to the rambunctious, offbeat take on PJ Harvey’s “50ft Queenie.” This is the sound of a band who’s scrambled over shaky ground only to come back stronger than ever: more confident, more connected, louder and fiercer and secure in their own skin.

The band, Clari Freeman-Taylor (vocals, guitar, cello, viola, violin), Saya Barbaglia (bass, viola, violin, backing vocals) and David Addison (drums), built “Blood” around a spiralling guitar figure from Freeman-Taylor, with Addison and Barbaglia weaving rhythmic and melodic counterpoints around it. The song is drawn from Freeman-Taylor’s experience of newfound love. Barbaglia says: “I know Clari so well that I could feel the change within her; this vocal could have only been recorded in that moment.”

Mary in the Junkyard’s highly anticipated debut album release! is bursting with creativity and experimentation, it is the perfect reflection of the band and one of the most enticing British debut albums in recent memory: a blend of dark fables, intricate melodies and moments of revelation. An original work that is a world in itself and an expression of true creativity.

Produced by Oli Bayston (Everything is Recorded, Olivia Dean), Ben Baptie (The Strokes, Young Fathers, Little Simz)

The artwork takes us on the journey of Clari in a past life as a sailor, welcoming us into the lore of the album.

‘One of 2026’s most fascinating indie debuts’ – Rolling Stone The Debut Album “Role Model Hermit” Arrives 3rd July

For fans of PJ Harvey, Slint, Wednesday and Dry Cleaning.

6th July – Rough Trade Nottingham, Nottingham,

Wolf Alice have shared “Gospel Oak”, the first of three previously unreleased tracks from the sessions for their 2025 number one album “The Clearing”, ahead of a physical 7” release on August 21st, the album’s first anniversary. “Hammond Song” and “Hit The Sky” will follow digitally over the coming weeks before all three land on 7” vinyl.

Of the tracks, the band say: “These are a few songs we made during “The Clearing” that didn’t make it on the final record, but are ones we love very much, including a cover with two of our fave singers Julia Cumming and Bria Salmena. We’re happy to have found a home for them for you to hear. Enjoy.”

“Gospel Oak” takes its name from an area of North London near Finsbury Park. Frontwoman Ellie Rowsell has said the track was inspired by folk songs and the kind of songs learned at school. All three tracks are expected to feature in the band’s set this weekend.

The release comes ahead of Wolf Alice’s homecoming show at Finsbury Park this Sunday, with support from The Last Dinner Party, Lykke Li, Rachel Chinouriri, Keo and Florence Road.

Music video by Wolf Alice performing “Gospel Oak” (Official Lyric Video).(C) 2026 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited, and RCA Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, under exclusive license from Wolf Alice.

The indie and alternative/noise rock group return with their sixth album since reforming.

Spurred on to revisit early approaches after guitarist-frontman J. Mascis rediscovered an old Mesa Boogie tube amp used to record their debut LP, the trio tap into powerful and direct riffing, raw discordance, and energetic performances on their noisiest, speediest work in a good while.

Dinosaur Jr. return with their sixth studio album since reforming, recorded in focused bursts over a year at Amherst’s Bisquiteen Studio. Once again, J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph lock into the unmistakable chemistry that has made the band one of alternative rock’s most enduring forces.

Inspired by the rediscovery of the Mesa Boogie amp used on their debut, Mascis taps into a familiar rawness, filling the album with towering guitars, melodic hooks and explosive dynamics. Even its quieter moments eventually erupt into walls of fuzz and distortion, while Barlow’s two contributions balance infectious melodies with pointed lyrical bite. Packed with huge riffs and the trio’s trademark interplay, “There Near” is another powerful entry in Dinosaur Jr.‘s remarkable second act.

On LP, CD, and pink clear vinyl with a limited-edition signed print.

Originally released in 1970, “Cricklewood Green” arrived at a moment when Ten Years After were riding a wave of international success following their explosive performance at Woodstock. Led by the lightning-fast guitar work of Alvin Lee, the band had quickly evolved from a traditional blues outfit into one of the most exciting and commercially viable acts of the late ’60s British rock scene. This album reflects that transition, combining their Chicago blues roots with heavier rock, boogie rhythms, and early progressive influences.

Recorded at a time when studio experimentation was becoming central to rock music, “Cricklewood Green” shows the band expanding beyond their live reputation into more layered and exploratory territory. The hit single “Love Like a Man” became a defining track of the era, earning chart success and cementing the group’s reputation on both sides of the Atlantic.

Newly remastered at Air Mastering, this reissue restores the album’s original power and nuance. In addition to the album is a newly mixed performance by Charlie Russell of their second set at the Fillmore East on Friday 27th February 1970 on disc two, the sheer power of the band is on full display. On the CD are a selection of rarities with the standout being a newly discovered “Cricklewood Jam” demo, recorded during the album’s sessions and never heard until now..

At the centre of the package are newly written liner notes by Nigel Williamson, with interviews with bandmembers and previously unseen photographs and rare ephemera. 

The 2026 Deluxe Edition features the original album remastered, previously unreleased 1970 Filmore East Concert newly mixed by Charlie Russell, brand new liner notes and unseen photography

The band have revealed to NME that they were behind a quiet LP drop in record shops this month, saying they’re trying to keep things “interesting” and “engaging for the fans” with their stripped-back latest project, inspired by ’70s Zambian music, Brooke Combe and more

The Coral have spoken about quietly releasing their surprise new album ‘388’ in record stores nearly a fortnight ago, ahead of officially sharing the project today (May 21st). Read on for more on how the “raw” collection came about, and listen to lead single ‘Let The Music Play’.

Copies of the LP appeared in independent vinyl shops across the UK completely unannounced. While it was clearly by The Coral, the band hadn’t commented on social media or anywhere else about the record, or confirmed they were behind the 11 new songs.

Now, the five-piece have broken their silence giving reason why they wanted to surprise fans with a new full-length effort – three years on from releasing both ‘Sea Of Mirrors’ and ‘Holy Joe’s Coral Island Medicine Show’ on the same day in 2023. It comes as ‘388’ arrives to the wider world via online streaming platforms and in high street music stockists nationwide.

“Releasing an album this way keeps us interested and keeps the fans interested too,” said frontman James Skelly of the initial low-key drop. “The idea was to release it how records used to be released: people can just have it for a couple of weeks, and it isn’t explained to anyone.”

Keyboardist Nick Power added: “Half the idea was that people would see it and think that, because we hadn’t announced anything, that ‘388’ might be a bootleg. We wanted people to wonder: ‘What is this?’ Not saying anything about it since it’s been out has been the hardest aspect.”

Skelly joked: “I felt a bit snide not reacting when people are tagging me in posts saying how much they love it.”

‘388’ was inspired by the nostalgia for The Coral’s beginnings as teenagers, as documented in the 2024 book The Making Of The Debut Album about their 2002 self-titled album and a documentary about the band’s history, 2025’s “Dreaming Of You”.

“Watching our documentary reminded me of how lyrically direct some of our early songs were,” Skelly said. “We needed to get back to that. I’d skirt around lyrics about love, when I shouldn’t. I’m trying to get the message across now as directly and emotionally as possible.”

James Skelly: Thanks! ‘388’ is our 13th album. If you’re not massive by your 13th record, you might as well try to be interesting. Hopefully, releasing an album like this is engaging for the fans. It’s not really for anyone else; it’s for the fans who have stuck by us. We released multiple versions of our album ‘Coral Island’, so it’s nice to do something simple as a contrast: one vinyl LP, that’s it.”

Skelly: “‘Sea Of Mirrors’ was a big, orchestral record. That record needed to be presented more, but ‘388’ doesn’t need a big fanfare. We felt everything we do needs simplifying, as everything – music, films – has got over-complicated.

“We’ve tried to get back to basics. The sound and the way this has been released is the simplest it can be.”

Nick Power: “There’s nothing sophisticated on this album, and that’s by design. Songs on the radio now, you can hear how everyone has been to the same songwriters.

“It’s harder now to strip music back to the bare bones. You’ve got to commit to making your music raw, because the instinct is to fix things and make it better. It’s more of a discipline to strip it right back and not fuck with it afterwards.”

Skelly: “We made this in a way that you can’t fuck with it. We’re all in the room together, playing on top of each other, so that you can’t really change anything. If you try to turn the bass up, it’ll also turn the drums up. Why do another take when it sounds good already?

Recorded to an original 1970’s Tascam 388 tape recorder and employing a ‘warts and all’ policy of retaining the essentially human, profoundly analogue sounds within the studio, mistakes included, the album was revealed with focus on the album opener, “Let The Music Play”, With a continued sense of introspection and focus on their roots, the release of a new video for “Leave It In The Past” finds the band performing amongst the bargains of Birkenhead Market in the company of director, James Slater.

Singer and songwriter, James Skelly, says of the location choice: “Ian and I used to live above a pub in Charing Cross, Birkenhead and wander round the market at weekends. It was a magical place to us. The atmosphere of the place, and the characters you still find there, reflect the ethos of ‘388’. It’s simultaneously of today and another time entirely.”

What comes after the big milestones? “Forever” finds The Big Moon reckoning with that question, writing toward a future that isn’t guaranteed but still worth believing in. Following frontwoman Juliette Jackson’s hearing loss in 2024, the band pivot from doubt to possibility, imagining a happier place and writing their way toward it.

Recorded at Bam Bam Studios with co-producer Sam Cohen, the result is direct, melodic alt-pop built on big choruses and genuine optimism. It’s a record about choosing hope—even when it has to be fought for.

We cannot wait to share this record and new phase of big mooning with you! The first song ‘Gravity’ is out now.

Also we’ll be going on tour and playing our biggest shows ever in the UK. Tickets are released on Friday 3rd July at 10AM. Pre-order ‘Forever’ from our online store to gain access to an exclusive presale.

out 30th October on Fiction Records.