There is no uniform template here. Instead, you are invited to navigate an unpredictable sequence that moves effortlessly from raw underground punk and heavy, atmospheric metal to intricate avant-garde jazz, roots-driven dub, and classic Australian indie-pop. Along the way, the journey dives into intimate acoustic demos, sweeping cinematic soundtracks, and literary chamber folk. Prepare to have your expectations continuously reset by a selection that thrives entirely on contrast, texture, and creative independence.
AUDIO
PLAYLIST
Scatter - Punching Deck - Tech Hell Cyber Thrash
The Junta - Mother (feat. Loop-aznavour) - Euphoria
Moff Skellington - Hide the fizzy truth - Derti Berlap
Foreign Film - Santa Carla - A Love Letter
The Greenberry Woods - Very Good Year - It’s All Good Sugar
Shannon Jae Ridout - The Day I’ve Had Enough - Two Busted Boots And A Broken Heart
The McDades - Dance Around The Spinning Wheel - Thread The Light
Carol Martini - Mosquito Bite Blues - Running Out Of Pockets
Make - Forking Paths - Exegesis At The End Of The World
MV Wells - Stone That Was Thrown - Le Dauphin
Oopsie Daisies - I’m Gonna Tell My Therapist About You - HAGS
Blood Incantation - Dawn - All Gates Open (Original Sound Track)
Helen Svoboda - Veins (feat. Selma Savolainen) - Headwater
K Trio - Dickens on Friday - Parientes De La Vida
Dubmatix - Dread Frequency - Dread Frequency
Deardarkhead - In Another Life - The Pendulum Swings
Ashley Naylor - Racing Time - Racing Time
Julia Greenberg - Born Sentimental - Born Sentimental
Joey’s Coop - In The Pines - Sawdust Memories
Huxton Creepers - King Of The Road - 12 Days To Paris
Dren McDonald - Fading (Featuring Sophia James) - Vox Pterous
The Junta - Stop The World (Feat. Ian Moss) - Euphoria
The Go-Betweens - In Her Diary (Acoustic Demo) - G Stands For Go-Betweens: The Go-Betweens Anthology - Volume 3
Danny Short - Drunk Again Blues - Halt!
Robinson Kirby - Somebody Else - Gone
Joan As Police Woman - We Don’t Own It - Real Life Evolution
Norman Meehan, Hannah Griffin, Bill Manhire - Little Prayers - Little Prayers
Fucked Up - Monkey Meets The Dragon - Year Of The Monkey
NOTES
The opening track on the 5-song debut EP by the American thrash metal trio consisting of Spenser Hodge, Ruben Cantu, and Justin Rodda. Released on 12 June 2026, the 90s cyberpunk-themed record was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studios and features artwork by Matt Stikker. Musically, the track delivers raw, old-school thrash velocity blended with 90s death metal density and speed metal harmonised leads, completely avoiding clean, modern digital production in favour of a gritty, physical sound with shifting structures.
A collaborative electronic single from Euphoria, the fifth studio album by Salford multi-instrumentalist John Montague (aka Monty). The track features the distinct, punk-inspired singing and theremin work of Bury underground artist Loop-aznavour. Musically, it anchors eccentric vocals to early 90s techno rhythms and synth-pop arrangements heavily influenced by New Order, Pet Shop Boys, and Orbital.
Originally planned as a Spoken Word project this new mini-album finds Moff exploring new territory.
The 10-song debut studio album by Sacramento cinematic post-rock band Foreign Film, released on 12 June 2026. The project was formed by Will Haven guitarist and songwriter Jeff Irwin, who recruited bandmates Mitch Wheeler (drums), Sean Bivins (guitar), and Adrien Contreras (bass), alongside pianist Robin Florkin, guitarist Rylan Kerr, and backing vocalist Tami Taracena. Moving away from Will Haven’s signature metallic hardcore, the self-released album focuses on atmospheric, melancholic soundscapes built through heavy layers of guitars, spectral synths, and sombre piano melodies, heavily influenced by bands like Pink Floyd, Mew, Hum, and The Cure.
From the third studio album by the Maryland-based power pop band, released via Big Stir Records on 29 May 2026. Marking the reformed group’s first collection of brand new material in over thirty years, the album reunites key original songwriters Matt Huseman, Brandt Huseman, and Ira Katz alongside Matt Krysiak and new drummer Joe Parsons. Musically, the track relies on driving, Beatlesque vocal harmonies and crisp, jangling guitars, leaning heavily into a classic 90s alternative guitar pop style strongly reminiscent of the band Sloan.
The sixth track from the ten-song debut studio album by the Washington-based folk singer-songwriter, released via Anti-Corp Music on 12 June 2026. Marking Ridout’s return after a ten-year hiatus from recording and performing, the album features stripped-down, introspective tracks written between 2011 and 2016 while she was travelling across the United States. Musically, the song delivers a sombre, dark country-tinged acoustic folk arrangement, pairing minimalist guitar backing with raw, melancholic vocals that explore heavy thematic elements of heartbreak, grief, addiction, and mental health struggles.
A traditional roots song arranged and performed by the Canadian Celtic ensemble, released on 29 May 2026. Serving as the eighth track and lead single from their studio album Thread The Light, the arrangement centres around the band’s core acoustic setup—led by siblings Shannon Johnson on fiddle, Solon McDade on bass, and Jeremiah McDade on whistles and vocals—alongside dynamic guitar and percussion work. Musically, it layers rhythmic pop sensibilities and jazz-influenced improvisation onto a driving Celtic reel, featuring an energetic, communal vocal delivery and a distinctive, hypnotic guest performance on the santur by Iranian-Canadian musician Farhad Khosravi.
The fourth track from Running out of Pockets, a 20-song studio album by singer-songwriter Carol Martini, released on 9 March 2026. Categorised broadly under children’s music and playful alternative pop, the track departs from traditional, heavy blues themes to focus on a lighthearted and relatable childhood annoyance. Musically, it layers Martini’s bright, animated vocals over an energetic, rhythm-driven arrangement that uses a bouncy tempo and melodic synth-pop elements to mimic the persistent, itchy frustration of a mosquito bite in a fun, accessible style.
The third track from the six-song fourth studio album by the American post-metal band, released via Accident Prone Records on 12 June 2026. Marking the band’s first collection of new material in a decade, the record anchors an expansive sonic footprint that orbits around monolithic doom and sludge metal without being constrained by it. Musically, the song utilizes a gradual, slow-burn building technique, starting with a restrained, almost quiet atmosphere that shifts structures before building into an oppressive, heavy wall of sound driven by dense riffs and harsh vocal deliveries.
The opening track and foundational piece from the 9-song debut solo album by Chicago singer-songwriter . Transitioning from his work in local bands NE-HI and Spun Out, Wells recorded the album alongside his cousin and collaborator Joshua Wells at Chicago studios Palisade and The Mango Pit. Musically, the track serves as an introductory snapshot of the record's chamber pop and indie rock style, blending classic song-writing hooks inspired by Harry Nilsson and The Beach Boys with left-field production, a driving tempo, and orchestral textures highlighted by Joe Lill.#
From a new EP by the Portland, Oregon-based bedroom pop project Oopsie Daisies, released via Metal Postcard Records on 11 June. Described by the label as “lonely sun-kissed bedroom pop” defined by a “lo-fi elegance,” the release is contextually framed by the label with a citation of William Carlos Williams’ poem The Rose.
The third track from a four-song instrumental release by the Denver cosmic death metal band, released via Century Media Records on 5 June 2026. While originally bundled as an exclusive bonus disc inside the deluxe artbook edition of their 2024 studio album Absolute Elsewhere, this release marks the material’s first standalone availability on vinyl, CD, and digital formats. The soundtrack accompanies a 73-minute documentary charting the band’s month-long recording sessions at Berlin’s legendary Hansa Tonstudios. Clocking in at just under six minutes, “Dawn” serves as a brief, organic transition piece between the album’s two 20-minute centerpieces, pushing acoustic elements and glowing, harmonic synth drift to the forefront to evoke a pastoral, ambient atmosphere described by the band as the bright “yang energy” to their darker 2022 ambient record, Timewave Zero.
The seventh track from a 16-song avant-garde chamber and experimental folk album by the Finnish-Australian double bassist, vocalist, and composer Helen Svoboda, scheduled for release via the Room40 label on 26 June 2026. Rooted in Svoboda’s Nordic heritage, the album weaves an abstract exploration of memory and identity utilizing an unconventional instrumentation of two double basses, two voices, and subtle electronic soundscapes. On “Veins”, Finnish jazz vocalist Selma Savolainen features prominently, her performance centering around the repetition of a striking, raw mother-daughter motif: *”The veins I’ve grown from my mother / The tentacles beneath my skin.”* Musically, the track relies on textural fluidity and melancholic beauty, intertwining Savolainen’s vocals with Svoboda’s own voice, Jacques Emery’s double bass interplay, and Tilman Robinson’s minimalist electronics.
A track from an album by the Japanese experimental ensemble K Trio, scheduled for release via Brooklyn-based independent label 577 Records on 7 August 2026. Marking the group’s introduction to the label’s roster, the album serves as an avant-garde acoustic document that explores the intersection of poetry readings and spontaneous free improvisation. Musically, the release is characterized by a focus on open space and abstract sonic textures, capturing live, high-risk performance choices where spoken word and improvised sound continuously reshape the listening environment.
A release from *Dub Pack Series Vol. 31 - Dread Frequency*, a royalty-free music sample and loop pack created by the Canadian reggae and dub producer Dubmatix (Jesse King) for his platform Reggae-Loops.com, made available in early June 2026. Alongside its commercial loop application for music production, the individual track “Dread Frequency” was also offered as a free promotional download accompanied by its multitrack remix stems (including separate bass, drums, FX, vocals, horns, and percussion layers). Musically, the release serves as a toolset and a standalone demonstration of heavy, bass-driven roots and future dub, defined by live instrumentation, deep sub-bass frequencies, and echoing studio effects.
The ninth track from the upcoming 10-song instrumental album by the New Jersey alternative rock and shoegaze outfit Deardarkhead, scheduled for full release on 10 July 2026. Released ahead of the album as its second promotional single on 6 May 2026, the track represents a key piece of the band’s first full-length studio record in 25 years. Composed by guitarist Kevin Harrington and drummer Robert Weiss, the instrumental piece was recorded at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia with the production team of Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey. Built around an introspective theme of paths not taken, the song frames melodic basslines from Brandon Howard against dense layers of shimmering guitar arpeggios and fuzzed-out tremolo, reflecting the band’s entirely instrumental, atmosphere-driven approach to post-punk and dreampop.
The ninth track from Alexandria Sunset, the third solo studio album by Australian singer-songwriter and Even frontman Ashley Naylor, released via El Reno Music on 5 September 2025. Originally a sprawling six-minute cut on the full-length record, a shortened three-minute and fifty-second radio edit was released in June 2026 as a standalone single, supported by a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl release to anchor his Ashley Naylor Spaceship tour campaign. Written and recorded entirely by Naylor during isolated, quiet moments, the track relies on a classic late-1960s and 1970s melodic pop-rock layout. Musically, the song highlights his singular creative vision for the solo project, weaving patient guitar arrangements and melodic rock structures that diverge from his typical collaborative band dynamics.
The title track and opening song from the 7-track EP by New York City-based singer-songwriter, theater composer, and filmmaker Julia Greenberg. Released via New Jersey’s Magic Door Record Label on 11 June 2026, the project marks a return for the artist, whose previous albums *Past Your Eyes* and *Greenland* were produced by James Mastro. Capturing a raw, human indie-folk and literary folk-rock sound, the track introduces an EP rooted in deep personal reflection, exploring themes of aging, memory, and emotional vulnerability with a blend of melancholic beauty, wit, and classic American melodic elegance.
The lead single from the third studio album by the Sydney-based alternative rock outfit scheduled for independent release on 3 July 2026. Bringing together an experienced lineup of Australian indie veterans—including guitarist Brett Myers (Died Pretty), vocalist Mark Roxburgh (Decline of the Reptiles), bassist Marc Lynch (Glide), and drummer Lloyd Gyi—the track serves as a patient, atmosphere-driven return. Driven by Myers’ trademark shimmering guitar work and Roxburgh’s conversational vocal delivery, the song blends jangling indie pop with alternative country and a distinct rhythm-and-blues undertone, establishing a warm, unhurried, and lived-in sound that sets the tone for the upcoming full-length record.
The seventh track from the celebrated debut album by the Melbourne power pop and guitar rock band. Originally released in June 1986 on Big Time Records, the album received a high-profile, 40th anniversary expanded campaign via Cheersquad Records & Tapes on 5 June 2026. This landmark reissue marks the album’s first appearance on vinyl since its original 1980s pressing—available on limited-edition gold and standard black vinyl—as well as its official debut on digital streaming platforms after decades of being trapped in legal limbo following the demise of their original label.
The lead single from Vox Pterous, an upcoming vocal-led collaborative album by the San Francisco Bay Area game composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, scheduled for release via Appearing Records on 31 July 2026. Released ahead of the album on 5 June 2026, the track reimagines the instrumental architecture of McDonald’s 2023 minimalist record Pterous—an album built from densely layered “guitar orchestras” dedicated to individuals he had lost over a three-year span. On “Fading”, McDonald introduces a human element to this landscape of grief by bringing in vocalist Sophia James, whose lower-register, ethereal performance anchors the composition. Musically, the track moves away from rigid structure, blending patient, fingerpicked acoustic guitar lines with drifting modular synthesiser textures to create a hypnotic, ambient folk-pop hybrid that focuses entirely on space, texture, and a fragile sense of atmospheric transition.
As 2. another track from the 5th album this time featuring legendary Manchesser vocalist and author Ian Moss.
The acoustic demo appears on the compilation’s fourth compact disc, titled Art Is Life (Rarities Volume 11: 2002). Stripped of the string arrangements and full-band studio production that later defined the official studio version on their 2003 album Bright Yellow Bright Orange, this raw, home-recorded performance captures the core melodic skeleton and intimate lyricism of the song as it was originally written by Robert Forster and Grant McLennan during their post-reunion era.
Another track from Danny’s recent release.
From the upcoming debut studio album by the Toronto-based indie-folk duo. Consisting of musical and life partners Madelyn and Luke, who have spent a decade performing and growing together, the duo anchors the project around close vocal harmonies and introspective, organic arrangements. Written to document their shared evolution over the last ten years, Gone addresses themes of relational change, heartbreak, and personal transformation. ”Somebody Else” contributes to the album’s grounded, stripped-back indie narrative, leaning into an understated folk-pop palette supported by warm guitar work and deeply personal, conversational lyricism.
Another track from the new album which revisits older material.
The title track and centrepiece of a 4-song collaborative album and song cycle by New Zealand jazz pianist/composer Norman Meehan, vocalist Hannah Griffin, and renowned poet Bill Manhire. Released via Te Herenga Waka University Press on 11 June 2026, the album coincided with the work’s live debut at Wellington’s National War Memorial on 13 June 2026 as part of the Lōemis Festival.
The third track from Year of the Monkey, the massive double-album and epic second instalment of the Grass Can Move Stones trilogy by the Toronto hardcore punk collective. Released via Tankcrimes on 5 June 2026, the album serves as the latest sprawling entry in the band’s multi-decade Zodiac series.
Bob, Thank you so much from Shameless Promotion PR for including Joan As Policewoman, Julia Greenberg and Deardarkhead on your latest show and Substack site.