Coming off a sold-out headline tour throughout Asia, elijah woods is moving into his subsequent chapter with “Slicked Again Hair,” a vibrant, feel-good single that exhibits why he’s shortly develop into one in every of pop’s most compelling impartial voices. The monitor follows his current launch “Ghost on the Radio” and teases his much-anticipated debut album “Can We Discuss?,” arriving October 14.
Equal elements playful and heartfelt, “Slicked Again Hair” is constructed on Woods’ signature mixture of intelligent hooks, cinematic storytelling, and pure pop shine.
“This music is about assembly somebody who adjustments every thing — the sort of one who turns you from a caterpillar right into a butterfly,” elijah mentioned.
For Woods, “Can We Discuss?” represents greater than a debut — it’s a defining second. Over the previous 5 years, he’s amassed greater than a billion streams, cultivated a fanbase of over 5 million, and bought out excursions throughout continents, all whereas remaining totally impartial. Alongside the way in which, he’s stacked up 4x JUNO nominations, a number of gold and platinum certifications, and 5 EPs launched at a breakneck tempo. His momentum is nothing in need of exceptional.
Initially from Ottawa and now based mostly in Los Angeles, Woods has grown right into a multi-hyphenate drive: a singer, songwriter, producer, and performer with a imaginative and prescient that extends past music into trend and tradition. He’s graced the duvet of Esquire Singapore, been profiled by The Best Journal and VMAN SEA, and opened for Niall Horan in Jakarta, all whereas growing a daring, particular person type that makes him stand out in a crowded pop panorama.
With “Can We Discuss?” on the horizon, elijah woods is proving that impartial artists cannot solely survive however thrive on a worldwide stage — and 2025 may be his greatest yr but.
Stream “Slicked Again Hair”: https://elijahwoods.lnk.to/slickedbackhair
Pre-save “Can We Discuss?”: https://elijahwoods.lnk.to/pre-save
Los Angeles-based indie rock artist Alex Bloom has all the time written music like a diary, however his new album “Throughout the Nation” seems like his most private chapter but. Because the third studio album in his steadily rising catalog, it’s his longest and most concerned undertaking to this point — carried out and recorded nearly completely on his personal. The result’s a sweeping autobiographical assertion that captures each the intimacy of Bloom’s life story and the universality of leaving, longing, and holding onto what issues most.
The album’s title monitor, which arrives with a bittersweet video, serves because the centerpiece. First premiered through Magnet Journal, “Throughout the Nation” unfolds like a meditation on distance and alter, pairing wistful melodies with snapshots of reminiscence and motion. Within the video, Bloom and his spouse — the very particular person the music was written about — doc their very own strategy of packing, relocating, and constructing a brand new dwelling collectively. It’s a quietly highly effective second of artwork imitating life, one which mirrors the themes of transformation working all through the report.
“Musically, the music feels in limbo to me, giving a sense of being in two locations without delay and ending up feeling you’re nowhere in any respect consequently,” Bloom mentioned. “Within the video, we wished to seize a number of the music’s themes of packing up and transferring, touring, and nostalgia for all of the recollections made in a spot it’s possible you’ll by no means return to.”
“Throughout the Nation” was self-produced and largely self-performed, the album balances ornate chamber-pop preparations with the immediacy of ‘90s various and the polish of ‘70s studio rock. Longtime collaborators Brendan McCusker (drums) and Alex Pachino (mixing) helped carry the report to life, however Bloom’s fingerprints are in all places — every association, every flip of phrase, every environment crafted to serve the music.
This album makes clear, no matter comes subsequent, Bloom shall be there to seize it with the identical honesty and element that has outlined his profession to date.
Stream “Throughout the Nation”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5JFPHYDabU
Jamie James has lived his life deep inside rock & roll. From his early days fronting the cult rockabilly trio The Kingbees to buying and selling riffs with Dennis Quaid & The Sharks and even sharing the stage with Harry Dean Stanton. This fall marks a brand new milestone: the first-ever vinyl urgent of his 2025 solo album “Straight Up,” out September 12 through Oglio Data.
On “Straight Up,” James strips issues again to the necessities — ten songs of rootsy rock, blues, and Americana, delivered with out filters or frills. Now pressed on translucent crimson vinyl (with a handful of signed copies for collectors), the album feels proper at dwelling within the analog format.
“There’s simply one thing about listening to these songs on vinyl,” James mentioned. “The sound is hotter, the tales hit a bit of deeper, and it feels just like the report is strictly the place it belongs — on a turntable.”
Recorded alongside longtime Sharks bandmates Tom Walsh (drums), Ken Stange (organ), and Tom Mancillas (bass), the report carries the uncooked, unshakable power that first outlined James greater than 4 many years in the past. However there’s additionally the attitude of a life lived totally by way of music — tales that reduce deeper with time. Tracks like “Present Biz Boogie,” “Let the Praying Start,” and the title reduce showcase James’ present for storytelling, whereas the standout “Septuagenarian Blues” has already been paired with a brand new lyric video to mark the discharge.
Critics have referred to as the album “old style rock ’n’ roll executed proper” (Backseat Mafia) and “a report that pours a whiskey and lets the groove do the speaking” (P&L Music). It’s each a glance again and a leap ahead: proof that James’ ardour for genuine, soulful rock & roll nonetheless burns as brightly as we speak because it did 45 years in the past.
Stream: “Straight Up”
Sydney/Gadigal-based trio Valley Onda are again with “Reebok Fantasy”, out September 12 through Valley Onda Data. Following their moody single “Minacious” — and a CLASH Journal–premiered video — the brand new monitor finds the band refining their introspective, cinematic sound into one thing each brooding and uplifting.
Constructed on shimmering textures, acoustic layers, and frontman Jordan Wilson’s placing vocals, “Reebok Fantasy” is an atmospheric journey that captures the dissonance between isolation and connection. It’s a music about discovering small, sudden escapes in the midst of the on a regular basis.
“Are you aware that feeling while you’re strolling down the road feeling remoted and everybody else is trying cool of their designer clothes?” The band shares. “So that you pull right into a Nepalese Restaurant and order a tea to cover out for a minute. Possibly open a paperback or meet somebody fascinating. That’s the vibe of Reebok Fantasy.”
Valley Onda’s story started in a Sydney restaurant, the place Wilson (previously of Georgia Truthful) crossed paths with producer/drummer Galen Sultmann. They quickly invited in Sultmann’s longtime good friend Michiya Nagai, a classically educated pianist and versatile producer, and the chemistry was plain. Since then, the band has constructed a repute by way of immersive warehouse exhibits, nationwide excursions with The Cash Struggle and Brightness, and cross-disciplinary collaborations that increase their inventive world.
Collectively, the trio’s resume is as spectacular as their music: Wilson has opened for Paul Kelly, Laurel, and John Mayer; Nagai has carried out to competition crowds of 15,000+ with digital outfit Lamalo and even soundtracked a TEDx Melbourne occasion; and along with Sultmann they’ve created a sound that pulls affect from Radiohead, Bon Iver, Muse, and Gorillaz — whereas carving out one thing distinctly their very own.
With over 350,000 streams already and help from tastemakers like triple j, The AU Evaluate, Pleased Magazine, and The place The Music Meets, Valley Onda are poised to increase their attain even additional. “Reebok Fantasy” is each a continuation and a breakthrough — proof that their mixture of stress, texture, and launch is the sort of sound listeners will maintain coming again to.
Stream “Reebok Fantasy”: https://ditto.fm/reebok-fantasy
Boston-based singer-songwriter and guitarist Emma Harner is shortly proving herself to be one of the thrilling new artists to observe. With intricate, virtuosic guitar work paired with emotionally direct songwriting, she’s already made her mark along with her debut EP “Taking My Aspect.” Now she returns along with her most bold launch but: “The Lake (ft. Henry Jamison)”.
Written about mourning a relationship earlier than it’s actually gone, the music takes its title from a lake close to Harner’s hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska.
“A few of my greatest recollections befell there, so it felt like the appropriate setting for this music,” she mentioned.
Produced by Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, Claud, Ashe), the monitor expands Harner’s sonic world whereas holding her guitar-driven basis entrance and heart.
Harner’s path to this second has been fast-moving. Initially from Lincoln and now based mostly in Boston, she first gained traction by way of viral efficiency clips on Instagram and TikTok, the place her harmonic sophistication and uncooked vulnerability set her aside. Tastemakers like Zane Lowe, Rick Beato, and Guitar.com have praised her as not solely a compelling songwriter, but in addition one in every of America’s most spectacular new guitarists.
With “The Lake”, Harner gives her clearest assertion but — one which balances technical brilliance with heartfelt honesty. And along with her first U.S. and European headline tour kicking off this fall (with London and Manchester dates already bought out), Emma Harner’s story is simply simply starting.
Stream “The Lake”: https://sndo.ffm.to/gzbypn4
Purchase Tickets: https://emmaharner.com/exhibits
Bathtub-based alt-Americana quartet Younger Martyrs unveil the music video for “By no means Gave You The Blues”, launched September 12. The monitor, initially a part of their 2023 album “Time Is Not On Our Aspect,” blends delicate rhythms, hovering country-style guitar strains, and luxurious harmonies to discover the breakdown of a significant relationship.
“If he’d recognized it was going to harm them each he would by no means have began it,” Vocalist Tom Corneill mentioned. “However we all know that’s probably not true. It’s a traditional he mentioned / she mentioned story; Not everybody will be telling the reality.”
Visitor vocals from Natalie Brice add an additional layer of emotional resonance, whereas manufacturing from Sebastian Brice at Actual World Studios brings readability and heat to the music’s heartfelt narrative.
Fashioned in 2020, Younger Martyrs shortly made their mark with a self-titled debut album and a headline UK tour that bought out throughout the nation. They went on to share phases with Badly Drawn Boy, The Hooziers, and McFly, whereas acting at festivals together with Glastonbury and Rock Oyster. Their second album expanded their attain internationally, bringing exhibits to New York Metropolis and rising their devoted fanbase.
The band has been busy within the studio all through 2025, with new materials anticipated in 2026, whereas Furball Movies has helped carry earlier singles to life visually.
With its introspective lyrics, sweeping melodies, and trustworthy storytelling, “By no means Gave You The Blues” showcases Younger Martyrs’ capacity to mix emotional depth with Americana-infused alt-rock—a sound that continues to resonate with audiences at dwelling and overseas.
Stream “By no means Gave You The Blues”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1IgGMc1b4c
Chicago-based veteran punk trio Horace Pinker returned with “Now and the Future,” their first full-length album in over a decade, out now on Folks of Punk Rock Data. The report channels greater than 30 years of expertise into ten songs which might be sharp, melodic, and unflinchingly trustworthy, proving the band’s power and urgency have solely intensified with time.
“Pushed by punchy rhythms, sharp melodies, and our signature power, the report displays how we proceed to evolve whereas staying true to our punk roots,” the band shared.
Tracks like “Three Towards Me” and “Name It a Day” steadiness relentless drive with melodic hooks, pairing pressing guitars and pounding rhythms with lyrics about resilience, resistance, and development. Recorded at Bombshelter Recording Studio in Chicago with Dan Precision (Rise Towards, 88 Fingers Louie), the album nods to Horace Pinker’s roots whereas pushing boldly ahead.
Fashioned in Tempe, Arizona, and now based mostly in Chicago, Horace Pinker carved out a particular place in punk historical past. With excursions spanning greater than 20 international locations and phases shared with NOFX, Inexperienced Day, Fugazi, Unhealthy Faith, Jawbreaker, and Jimmy Eat World, they’ve earned a repute for fiercely impartial longevity. Pageant appearances at Groezrock, Pouzza Fest, and a number of editions of The Fest have cemented their world affect.
Buy “Now And The Future”: https://popr-records.myshopify.com/collections/horace-pinker
Stream “Now And The Future”: https://popr-records.myshopify.com/collections/horace-pinker
