A name you are likely familiar with (and hopefully you also have the fortune of knowing their music) is The Persian Leaps. Formed by Drew Forsbert in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul in 2012, the band’s members have come and gone with Forsberg keeping the helm. Back with their trademark power pop / indie rock sound, the Leaps’ new Machines for Living EP is a stellar 5-track offering of 90s college rock-inspired compositions, their distinct sound built on a magnetic alternative rock foundation.

Get to know Brooklyn-based Dubliner Ronan Conroy, who just released the album The Slow Death of the LoveMyth. In development since 2013, this work reveals Conroy’s post-punk alter-ego, soaked in dark pop and dream wave richness, while drawing on ethereal and goth rock classics.

Alternative music legend Chris Connelly presents his new album Eulogy to Christa: A Tribute to the Music & Mystique of Nico, a colossal 24-track offering released by Shipwrecked Industries in the USA and Easy Action in the UK, paying tribute to Nico – the iconic muse of The Velvet Underground and one of the most unique, tragic and misunderstood female artists in the history of music.

As they work towards their second album via a series of excellent singles, I sat down with The Burnt Pines, a truly international band, to find out about their past, make music when separated by an ocean and what the future holds.

American indie rocker Rob Munk presents his new Phased Out album, 20 years after initially leaving the music scene. Alas, music takes on its own life, pushing Rob back into its realm with better and more personal songs than ever before. During the pandemic, he recorded this album with his good friend, actor-writer-artist Daniel London (Old Joy, Minority Report, Manhattan) and Tinsel drummer and writer-director Joe Ventura.

Art rock collective The Pull of Autumn presents their new single “Live Today”, a joint collaboration with Tokyo dreamgaze band Once Grace Forever. with a kaleidoscopic video created by Rosie Varela of acclaimed shoegaze band EEP.

NYC-based alternative rock / post-punk duo A Cloud of Ravens present their new single “Nature of Artifice”. Following lead track “The Blackest Mantra”, this is the second taste of their third full-length album Lost Hymns, to be released in early 2023 via Berlin-based Nexilis Records, a division of Schubert Music Europe.

NYC-based indie rock / powerpop outfit Gramercy Arms presents their Americana-tinged single “Yesterday’s Girl”, a bittersweet remembrance of love lost and friendship regained. This is the first taste of their Deleted Scene album, scheduled for release via the Magic Door Record Label in early 2023,

Long-running genre-bending alternative rockers A Shoreline Dream has released their new Loveblind album via Latenight Weeknight Records. This sixth full-length record dives into recollections and past desires while looking forward in a wash of soundwaves pointing towards a blinding future.

Their first release since the Covid pandemic began, here we have 40 minutes of goth-laced progressive soundscapes. Produced by Ryan Policky and recorded over 10 months in the Barnum suburb of Denver, Colorado, this album features immense synth layers, the band’s signature guitar and symphonic vocals.

I had the opportunity to speak to A Shoreline Dream mastermind Ryan Policky.

Frenchy and the Punk is vocalist, percussionist and lyricist Samantha Stephenson and guitarist-composer Scott Helland, who was co-founder and bassist of Outpatients and also Deep Wound (along with Dinosaur Jr. founders J Mascis and Lou Barlow). Influenced by The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Blondie, Concrete Blonde and The B52’s, the duo thrive in their trademark blend of post-punk and dark folk music.

Dark electro-goth collective Dispel presents their sophomore release Inferno. A concept album based on Dante’s literary masterpiece, it features a song for each layer of sin existing in the infernal realm. In this album, Dispel follows Dante and his guide Virgil down each layer of the Nine Hells, dedicating a song to each level of mortal sin. Sprinkled with diabolical personalities from ancient mythology and fantasy literature, this undertaking took two years to complete.

New York-based garage rock purveyor Dmitry Wild has released his Electric Souls album, bringing us 11 tracks that showcase his trademark blend of 70’s vintage rock, garage rock and post-punk ethos.

Art pop band Elk City has released their new album Above the Water. A new chapter in the Montclair, New Jersey band’s evolutionary story, this album is vibrant, raw-edged and bold, showcasing a new guitar-rich lineup featuring members of Versus, Luna and the Psychedelic Furs side-project Feed.

Seattle-based psychedelic rock outfit Black Nite Crash present their new album Washed in the Sound with Black Nite Crash, released via American boutique label Neon Sigh, which was mixed by longtime collaborator Matt Brown (Trespassers William) and mastered by Adam Straney.

Post-punk new romantics Candy Coffins present their new album Once Do It With Feeling, a loaded 10-track collection that arrives two years after their Somehow Misplaced EP. Showcasing solid songwriting, and relating the themes addressed both confidently and cohesively, this album is emotionally and sonically saturated. Their music boasts Cure*-esque textures and melody, as well as the thematic elements and visceral delivery of *The Afghan Whigs.

Brooklyn-based Dubliner Ronan Conroy is gearing up to release his new album The Slow Death of the LoveMyth. Since 2013, Conroy has immersed himself in the ‘Lovemyth’ project, this work culminating in this collection, influenced both by the 80s/90s goth bands he grew up listening to and ethereal darkwave bands he would be introduced to later on.

UK indie rock veterans Vernons Future present their Aquaplaning album following the lead track “Call To Arms”, a plea to save the planet from a climate emergency by joining together in our efforts.

Montreal-based indie rock / post-punk quartet The Ember Glows has released their new EP Where Spirits Play, a 4-track offering recorded at Closet Studios in Montreal with elements of Simple Minds, The Cult, Echo and the Bunnymen, early U2, Nick Cave and The Mission at the fore.

The harmonious blend of Elliot Cole, Fiona Gillespie, and the Makaris ensemble present a fascinating audio-visual trip for the senses in “Tam Lin”, a Celtic-Baroque folktale rock opera set on All Hallow’s Eve. Produced by Kevin Eikenburg and Four Ten Media, this period video was filmed at St. Mary’s on Grand in NYC.

UK-based Black Market Karma and iconic vocalist Tess Parks present “The Sky Was All Diseased”, an international collaboration rooted in friendship and spontaneity. This is the first taste of the band’s eleventh full-length album Friends In Noise, which will be released in mid-January via London boutique label Flower Power Records.

It’s been a while since I spoke to The Nearly Deads, so with a run of four singles lined up and an album on the horizon, I sat down with Steven Tobi to catch up with everything that had been going on it their world.

LA-based alternative rock collective Beauty In Chaos presents their ‘Halloween Surprise’’ single – “Bloodletting”. This is a dark, spooky New Orleans-infused rendition of the Concrete Blonde track, featuring BIC vocalists Whitney Tai, Kat Leon and Tish Ciravolo in a nod to the original song.

Art rock collective The Pull of Autumn presents their new single ‘Outlaw Empire’ featuring Mark Stewart, founding member of the legendary UK band The Pop Group, and remixed by the esteemed Adrian Sherwood.

With a run of seasonal singles underway and a new album planned, it felt like the perfect time o sit down with Teni Rane and find out about her music, background and the fascinating journey which has got her to where she is today.

Chicago-based dark alternative post-punk outfit The Bellwether Syndicate presents the single “Dystopian Mirror’” a powerful dark and lush taster of the band’s Vestige & Vigil album, which is scheduled for release in the first half of 2023 via Sett Records and Nexilis Records, a division of Schubert Music Europe.

LA-based alt-pop artist Faith Marie presents her new single “NVM (Remix)”, an infectious downtempo song about depression and the author’s personal struggles to move forward.

Folk-Pop trio The Burnt Pines, comprised of singer and lyricist, Kris Skovmand, instrumentalist and arranger Aaron Flanders on guitar and banjo, and piano, keyboard player and arranger Miguel Sá Pessoa, have announced the release of Don’t Look Down, their affecting sophomore album, via CEN/The Orchard.

“Relentless” marks the first of four cuts to be released before the LP arrives next spring. While the group writes collaboratively, each of the forthcoming singles allows each individual band member to highlight their own style and influences within the broader context.

American indie rocker Rob Munk presents his new single “Amazon”, an upbeat environmentally-conscious banger that previews his Phased Out LP. It will be released on November 18 via New Jersey’s new Magic Door Label, founded by Guided by Voices drummer Kevin March, together with producer Ray Ketchem and artist Renée LoBue.

Alternative music legend Chris Connelly presents “Ripcord, Ripcord”, the second single from his forthcoming album Eulogy to Christa: A Tribute to the Music & Mystique of Nico. Written by Connelly, this song was inspired by a little known detail about Nico’s life – her rape by a military offering while she was a teenager holding a bureaucratic position for the U.S. Army. This traumatic incident would inform the rest of her already war-torn life.

Art pop band Elk City presents their new album ‘Above the Water’, opening a new chapter in the Montclair, New Jersey band’s evolutionary story. Vibrant, raw-edged and bold, it showcases a new guitar-rich lineup featuring members of Versus, Luna and the Psychedelic Furs side-project Feed.

Free comes ahead of a full album release marked for early next year and sees Bristol, UK due Leathers doing what they do best – boiled down, no-nonsense, groove-driven, minimalist rock and roll.

This new single from Clay Joule shows a very different side to the artist, one that is more reflective and whistful but which is no less positive and life-afirming.

Manchester -based art-rock quartet Weimar recently released their debut album Dancing On a Volcano via German Shepherd Records. Embracing a blend of post-punk, no-wave, cabaret, psychedelia, alternative folk and gothic rock, these 12 tracks (three years in the making) take the listener on an unpredictable excursion through the socio-political and personal challenges of our modern age.

With her 4th album, Austin to Houston out and a successful European tour behind her, I sat down with Marina Rocks to find out about her musical journey, what the new album is all about and where things go from here.

The latest in a fruitful string of releases, The Persian Leaps released their widely acclaimed Drone Etiquette album in late 2021. Here again, they dish out a fine new collection of 90s college rock-inspired compositions, their distinct sound built on a magnetic alternative rock foundation.

The new NØISE track “Automatic (Ree-Vo Remix)” appears on Ree-Vo’s new limited edition 10” vinyl, which also features collaborations with* Object Object*, Dälek and iconic industrial dancehall artist The Bug. Limited to 500 copies, the cover artwork is a tribute to Lee Perry. The 10” vinyl is being released together with Ree-Vo’s debut album All Welcome on Planet Ree-Vo, pressed on turquoise-blue gatefold vinyl (and also released on CD and digitally). The 10” release was released on orange vinyl.

Inside Outside is the new EP by Stafford-based singer Ben Calvert. Ben is a prolific artist with a string of releases under his belt including many with the legendary cult label Bearos.

As New York-based garage rock purveyor Dmitry Wild gears up to release his Electric Souls album, he brings us the Jesus and Mary Chain -flavored single “Sweetest Thing”, which is about fear and our tendency to cyclically return to that feeling before we can finally overcome it.

Art pop band Elk City presents their new single “Your Time Doesn’t Exist”, from their forthcoming Above the Water LP, which opens a new chapter in the Montclair, New Jersey band’s evolutionary story. Vibrant, raw-edged and bold, it showcases a new guitar-rich lineup featuring members of Versus, Luna and the Psychedelic Furs side-project Feed.

With a run of new releases extending between now and the holiday season, now is the time to get acquainted with Teni Rane, an artist you will surely be hearing a lot more from.

LA-based collective Beauty In Chaos recently released the Behind The Veil LP in multiple formats via the label 33.3 Music Collective and a new video for the single “Afterlife”, a lush atmospheric track featuring angelic vocals by Tish Ciravolo.

Recorded, mixed, and produced by Grammy-nominated producer Michael Rozon, This all-female featured collection brings back three BIC alumni – Tish Ciravolo, Cinthya Hussey and Betsy Martin – as well as new family members Whitney Tai, Elena Alice Fossi and Pinky Turzo. Apart from six originals, this release features diverse reworkings by such renowned music visionaries as Tim Palmer, MGT, John Fryer, Statik, Tommy Hatz, Julian Shah-Tayler and Rozon himself.

Seattle-based psychedelic rock outfit Black Nite Crash present “Sugarwave”, a high energy single with a driving, melodic take on indie-rock influenced post-punk, the second single from their album Washed in the Sound with Black Nite Crash, mixed by longtime collaborator Matt Brown (Trespassers William) and mastered by Adam Straney.

Iconic shoegaze / postpunk outfit A Shoreline Dream has released their Loveblind album via Latenight Weeknight Records. Their sixth full-length record, here they dives into recollections and past desires while looking forward in a wash of soundwaves pointing towards a blinding future.

Post-punk new romantics Candy Coffins presents “Seaside Girls”, the second taster from the band’s new album Once Do It With Feeling’, a loaded 10-track collection that arrives two years after the band’s latest Somehow Misplaced EP.

UK-based artist Black Market Karma presents their tenth full-length album Aped Flair & Hijacked Ideas, released via London boutique label Flower Power Records.

Brooklyn-based artist Ronan Conroy presents his new single “Dark Paradise”, a clever goth-rock rendition of the Lana Del Rey classic. This is the second taster of his album The Slow Death of the LoveMyth, complemented by a fascinating video created by NYC artist Hypnodoll and featuring a sword-swallowing performance by La Reine The Thrill.

Manchester indie rock outfit The Speed Of Sound presents the double A-side single “Virtual Reality 123 / Charlotte 12” Version”, reimagining two of the tunes from their acclaimed 2021 album Museum Of Tomorrow, marking one year since its release via Big Stir Records. Just like a classic 12” single, each track clocks in at over 6 minutes – double the running time of the album originals.

UK-based indie pop duo Karamelien present their second single, called “Lionhearts”. A sumptuous, uplifting track about love and unity in difficult times, this was produced by Ride frontman Mark Gardener at OX4 Sound near Oxford.

Montreal-based indie rock / post-punk quartet The Ember Glows has released their new EP Where Spirits Play, a 4-track offering recorded at Closet Studios in Montreal with elements of Simple Minds, The Cult, Echo and the Bunnymen, early U2, Nick Cave and The Mission at the fore.