The Real Zenogram released his streaming debut “Mirabeau” on December 12, 2025. The track sets Guillaume Apollinaire’s 1913 French poem “Le Pont Mirabeau” to vintage synthesizers and dream pop textures—a song written 30 years ago that’s finally seeing release.

If I knew nothing about this band, I’d guess it was a ’90s indie group. At no point does it ever sound imitative, but at times I hear echoes of Liz Phair, Nirvana, Blake Babies, and (when her voice is quieter and the guitars shoegazey) Nightblooms—but always more raw, more nakedly expressive, more in-your-face in the best way: yes, noisy.

Sheffield’s most exciting alt-indie export, The Kellows, ring in the New Year with the release of their definitive new single, ‘Eve’, arriving on January 5th, 2026. Following the meteoric rise of their previous release ‘Breathe Me In’—and the industry-shaking buzz of their breakthrough ‘Do You Want Me To?’—the Steel City four-piece are no longer just “ones to watch.”

Critically acclaimed poet and songwriter Larry Beckett announces the release of his fifth album, Though We Have Only Love: The Songs of Jacques Brel, a tribute to the legendary Belgian singer and actor Jacques Brel. Out January 9, 2026 via The Orchard/Sony, the album reimagines 14 of Brel’s iconic 1950s and ’60s chansons in a contemporary alt-rock style while staying true to their original melodies and harmonies.

Reverse Symmetry is the result of nearly a decade of songwriting and reflection. The album explores recurring emotional and mental states loops of thought, identity, loss, and reconstruction. It reflects personal transitions, the passage of time, and the tension between control and surrender. The decision to create a bilingual album (English and Portuguese) reinforces the concept of symmetry, duality, and perspective.

Saltire sees Bell Barrow embracing a new variety of influences, from the gothic romanticism of Spleen and Ideal-era Dead Can Dance to the introspective drones of latter era Earth, all while retaining the cacophonous fury of the debut. Faster tracks were heavily influenced by early 90s progressive death metal in the vein of Cynic, Spheres-era Pestilence, and Atheist.

Saxophonist Ivo Perelman and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith are undoubtedly two of the most adventurous improvisers in jazz.

Everyone loves a driving song, but this one is fueled by more than motion—it’s driven by grief. The track unfolds from the perspective of someone alone on a long road, using the miles to process the loss of a loved one to cancer, confronting the silence and isolation left in their wake. Mixed and produced by Darryll McFadyen (Belle & Sebastian, Simple Minds) with Montreal-based studio musician Marcelo Effori stepping in for the drumming. The lyrics for this track were written by Canadian novelist, Geoff Moore, who recently released a novella called Sunset Oasis Confidential.

To listen to ‘Everything Is Green’ in 2026 is to be reminded that pop music can be both intellectually rigorous and unashamedly sweet. It is a record of delicate melodies that have survived the erosion of time with its charm entirely intact.

By finally granting it the permanence of wax, Dust and Memory has ensured that this document of the psychedelic underground remains a living, breathing influence rather than a peripheral artifact.

Hour of Pearl, a San Diego punk rock band, formed from the bond of friendship and past collaborations. Evan, Bird, and Craig joined forces once again, this time adding Mark on bass, to create an exhilarating and fun musical experience. Brace yourself for an electrifying rock journey with Hour of Pearl!

The Mortal Prophets, the shape-shifting project led by New York composer and interdisciplinary artist John Beckmann, announces the release of Hide Inside the Moon, a new 16-track full-length that pushes the project further into vaporous, nocturnal terrain. The album marks the fourteenth full-length release from The Mortal Prophets—arriving alongside numerous EPs and singles issued steadily since the project began in 2021.

“Off to Venezuela” is a satirical industrial-punk anthem about military intervention, oil, and the absurdity of modern geopolitics. Join Baron Von Strut and the crew as they navigate the Caribbean in a fever dream of naval power and questionable foreign policy.

Aleph is a Cyprus-based metal artist whose work thrives at the intersection of genres. Having made music since the early 2000s, he draws from more than two decades of experience—part formal training, part self-taught evolution—to craft a sound that is entirely his own.

With Codes in the Stones, independent metal artist Eren Ayintap presents a cinematic concept album that bridges ancient civilizations, cosmic mythology, and modern melodic power metal. The album explores humanity’s forgotten origins through thunderous riffs, soaring vocals, epic orchestration, and immersive storytelling.

Wendy DuMond is an Atlanta-based singer-songwriter recognized for her evocative storytelling and versatile musical style. Performing both as a solo artist under the moniker Bog Witch and as a member of the Americana ensemble Blackfoot Daisy, Wendy’s work often delves into the nuanced experiences of women, weaving compelling narratives across genres.

“Paradise Cove” is the first glimpse into Bleach Dreamer’s debut EP Even If You Care, arriving January 9, 2026 on all streaming platforms via Star Seeker Records. Available now, the track distills Bleach Dreamer’s genre-bending sound into a cinematic, latenight escape—where 80s-inspired club pulses, postpunk tension, and ethereal dream-pop textures drift together seamlessly.

A hopefully varied collection of songs from my life with at different points a horn section, massed choirs and spoken-word interludes.

Music UnLtd. (pronounced Music Unlimited) is a well-known, award-winning Indie band. It is led by Milind Chitnavis who is known in music credits simply as Milin. The band is excited to announce the release of its latest single, “I LIKE GREEN EYES TOO.” The song is now available on all major streaming platforms for listeners everywhere to enjoy.

Covert Stations attempts the impossible with reverence and unparalleled creativity with their cover of the Fleetwood Mac classic “Dreams”

Dream Bodies is the solo project of Steven Fleet. In the past, he has been in musical projects with members of Magic Wands, VV and the Void, Night Nail, and Boytronic8. He has toured the US/UK/Europe, playing alongside bands such as the *Chameleons.

Fort Wayne singer-songwriter Ethan William Bowers makes music you could drop in the Americana slot, yet you’d be wrong to pigeonhole the music as just that. There’s plenty of twang throughout his work, yet Bowers brings much more to the table than jangle and a tip of the cowboy hat.

Rising alt-teen Angeleno singer-songwriter Edie Yvonne returns with a new intimate, vulnerable release entitled “Nightmare,” a stripped-back, emotionally charged single that continues the rising star’s honest and authentic voice and brand of storytelling. Written from an intensely personal place, the song captures the disorientation of relationships when words and actions feel staged and trust feels unstable.

The band’s expansive sound is the product of its seven-member lineup, which includes four core members alongside the Brasstronauts. This larger-than-life collaboration allows Train Conductor to seamlessly blend genres, as evidenced by their two new singles. “Elephant Graveyard” is a deep dive into shoegazey psych, with swirling layers of atmospheric sound creating an immersive experience. This track offers a contemplative, textural mood, promising to transport listeners to a different sonic space.

Viscula was formed in Lutsk, Ukraine, in 2002. The band has performed extensively around the world and has been seen in 18 countries. In 2015, Viscula moved to China, and in 2017 to the UK, where they have been actively playing in iconic London clubs such as Hope & Anchor, St.Moritz and New Cross Inn.

Verticoli has announced the upcoming release of their brand new album called Silverlinings out now. Over the years, the Verticoli lads have toured heavily across Australia, supporting the likes of Cog, Kingswood, British India and DZ Deathrays. They opened the Field Stage at Falls Festival in Marion Bay and were selected by Triple J Unearthed to play the highly coveted Party in the Paddock.

Thickshake’s songs are bound by no particular choice of genre – drawing inspiration from Aussie bands like The Vanns and The Kite String Tangle, to international acts such as Coldplay, Blanks and Bon Iver – dabbling into both classic pop and contemporary song structures.

The brilliance of ‘White Souls…’ lies in its refusal to stand still. It is a collision of disparate worlds; musique concrète, sci-fi vignettes, and pub-room punk all melting into a unsettling ambience.

Ultimately, ‘Waxworld’ succeeds because it balances high-concept artistry with undeniable hooks. Cusumano’s vocals, a compelling blend of apathy and earnestness, tell a truth that feels uniquely his own.

The opening track, “April Fools,” serves as the perfect mission statement: a two-minute burst of sugar-coated energy that explores the dizzying frustration of being drawn to someone unpredictable.

Ed Boxall is a Hastings-based singer-songwriter, performer, artist, and author whose work flows between music, visual art, and storytelling. Ed writes story-driven songs, placing the craft of songwriting at the core of his music—each lyric is carefully shaped to bring stories to life. After many years performing, he has now signed an LP deal with End of The Trail Records, with “The High Far Fields of Home” as the first single from that LP.

‘Happy New Year’ charts innocence slipping into disillusionment, with lyrics written under a self-imposed rule of just three syllables per line. It inspired WOLF RENTS BARK, TV FACE’s album title for an age where politician-CEOs cosplay as ‘the guy next door,’ while extracting wealth at a pace.

London-based indie artist Freya Magee promptly returns with her third single, “Over There” – a wry exploration of solitude, self-protection, and the freedom of keeping one’s garden fenced. Where her debut “Duplicity” wrestled with inner dualities and “Forget Yourself Not” confronted the contradictions of others, “Over There” stands firm in independence. “It’s about choosing solitude over drama,” Freya explains. “But while it starts off rooted in stubborn independence, by the end you can hear the cracks.”

From Oakland, CA, Omnesia is androgynous vocalist medella kingston + eclectic guitarist/producer M2 = auditory omakase, where future vintage rock, indie dance, electro-pop, nu wave +prog find common ground.

‘Lowlands,’ is a lesson in the art of the “post-cool” — a record that understands that true authority comes not from volume, but from the steady, rhythmic pulse of lived experience and intellectual curiosity.

Krimm’s harmonies are often pleasingly off the beaten path. If this music has any antecedent, it’s the darkly glinting Eurojazz of ECM.

By opting for these fractured and sinuous textures, Tivel ensures that the music never feels too comfortable. The instruments reflect the cultural paradigms she is critiquing—they are beautiful, yes, but they also feel under pressure, straining to hold together against the weight of the “mammalian despair” she chronicles.

These tracks are stripped back, letting her airy, vibrato-heavy voice take center stage. They feel like personal conversations or words of encouragement she’s giving to herself.

Hailing from London N1, singer-songwriter Tom Minor draws inspiration from indie rock, new wave, punk, power pop, psychedelic and garage rock, soul, and R&B. After years of writing for others, Minor now focuses on his own brand of existential indie, gathering praise all across the blogosphere for his recent outings

Fringe Frontier’s tunes are fueled by Americana storytelling and gritty guitar hooks. Their music rolls through the back counties of the South up to *New York
City*. Songs from the Wirehouse, their previous LP, was mixed by 2x Grammy-winner and Midlake drummer McKenzie Smith, and mastered by Grammy-nominee Kim Rosen. Fringe Frontier’s new single “Heading For” is an energetic meditation on loneliness. With its garage rock vibe and raw emotional depth, it’s a kind of anthem of isolation — coming ahead of their second album, Criminal Hour.

Map of the Woulds, Seattle’s genre-less “rock” band is releasing a new single “Goldilocks Zone” on December 16, 2025. Map of the Woulds is Woody Frank on guitar and voice, Andrew Woods on bass and voice and Adrian Woods on drums and voice. “Goldilocks Zone” was written by Woody Frank.

Formed in 2018 by long-time collaborators Matt Allison, Dom Richmond, and Jon Richmond, Pablo’s Paintings emerged from a shared fascination with 60s garage, outsider folk, and avant-garde pop. Originally conceived as a space for unfinished ideas, the project quickly developed its own identity, defined by melodic songwriting, rich vocal harmonies, and surreal, tongue-in-cheek storytelling.

Long defined by an alchemical fusion of avant-rock minimalism, post-punk abrasion, and nocturnal romanticism, The Mortal Prophets return with UNDER THE INFLUENCE, a five-track EP that excavates, mutates, and reanimates the songs that quietly rewired their musical imagination. These are not covers in the conventional sense. They are confrontations—sonic experiments that approach influence as something unstable, volatile, and alive, capable of transformation under pressure.

Ben Aubergine is an independent alt-rock and acoustic artist creating original music with clarity and intention. His songs range from raw, guitar-driven tracks to quiet acoustic reflections—each shaped by decades of songwriting and life experience. After years away from writing music while building a career as a physician, Ben returns with renewed focus. Every track is self-produced and released one at a time, built around contrast—weight and space, clarity and friction.

Shadowpool sounds like its hometown before you even hear the band’s songs. In name only, Shadowpool evokes Seattle’s overcast skies, darkness, and humidity. While the tunes on the upcoming album Deceptive Angels feel that way, they also offer up a hopeful and surprising pop sensibility that reminds of the area’s snowy peaks and evergreens.

‘International’ is the rare final album that doesn’t feel like a contractual obligation. It is a vibrant, vital piece of work that honors the past without being trapped by it.

Dangers and Newton have not just made an album; they have recorded a haunting. Essential listening for those who prefer their electronica with a side of cosmic dread and analog warmth.

Visions Through Amber is an intimate and visceral album, shaped by patience and passion. Between raw folk, pop and rock, the songs oscillate between power and fragility, with oriental-tinged touches on some tracks. This second album by Noctæra invites a troubling proximity: that of a bedroom where noisy solitude and moments of grace intermingle, across both French and English lyrics.

Alt-pop architect Noah XO will drop his most intense and narratively driven single yet, “BURNOUT,” across all streaming platforms on Friday, December 12, 2025. Raised in the competitive Upstate New York music scene, Noah XO returns with a dark alt-pop/rock track that provides a raw, unflinching look at mental health exhaustion, social isolation, and the frustration of non-responsive prescription medication.