Is 13 really unlucky? Not next week. Especially not if you’re a fan of Deep Purple, Beachwood Sparks, Dr. Dog, Los Campesinos!, Raveonettes or any of the other artists dropping new albums. See (and hear) for yourself:
Beachwood Sparks
Across The River Of Stars
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Beachwood Sparks pioneered the indie-country genre, pushing Americana into experimental territories with their fusion of twangy country vibes and psychedelic sounds. Their unique niche in the indie music landscape is marked by ethereal melodies and introspective lyrics, influencing countless artists and shaping the “weirder” side of Americana music. Their albums Beachwood Sparks, Once We Were Trees and The Tarnished Gold, released under Sub Pop Records, have earned widespread critical acclaim. In 2024, Beachwood Sparks make a triumphant return with Across The River Of Stars, produced by Chris Robinson (Black Crowes). After a hiatus, they not only deliver new tunes but also grace the live stage once again.”
Boy Golden
For Eden
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In For Eden, Boy Golden searches for the best of all possible worlds. Utopic and wistful, this journey is a continuation of his “follow your art” proselytizing that began with his Church of Better Daze debut. A counterpoint to 2023’s For Jimmy, For Eden is largely a work of solitude; captured on an SM57 in a cabin in the woods. Recorded entirely to cassette, the album’s origins — analog and off the grid — speak to the more personal, self-reflective mood of the collection. While Boy Golden’s favourite mountain road makes a cameo, the album’s country waltzes, banjo and mandolin-laced acoustics glow softly under the light of a pink moon. From the gentle yet justified bravado of Burn, a sweetly boastful tune about his band’s excellence, to the tenor guitar pluck of Three Scenes, For Eden is the next chapter in Boy Golden’s journey. With cuts like The Way, a folk song set in Amsterdam, the muted layers of Never Have 2 Leave a la Stranger in the Alps, and the starry-sky stillness of Your Love (Where It’s At), Boy Golden continues his chill roll.”
Jessica Boudreaux
The Faster I Run
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “When the beloved indie-rock band Summer Cannibals disbanded in March 2023, frontwoman Jessica Boudreaux had no intentions of launching a solo career. But Boudreaux knows better than most that life is full of curveballs. In November 2020, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and thrust into a maze of medical appointments and chemotherapy. Though she was in remission by the summer of 2023, she was still dealing with the emotional fallout, leading her to embark on a transformative weeklong whitewater rafting excursion with fellow young adult cancer survivors. To her own surprise, Boudreaux returned from the trip with a “renewed excitement about life and expression,” she says. “There was a fire under my ass, and then I kind of accidentally wrote an album.” That record is The Faster I Run, 12 taut and perceptive rock songs that burrow into your heart with casual virtuosity.”
Los Campesinos!
All Hell
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “All Hell is an album on… drinking for fun and drinking for misery // adult acne // adult friendship // football // death and dying // love and sex // late-stage capitalism // Orpheus // day dreaming // night terrors // the heart as an organ and as a burden // suburban boredom // Tears of the Kingdom // the punks on the playlist // increments of time // climate apocalypse // the moon the moon the moon /// It’s All Hell.”
Kyle Daniel
Kentucky Gold
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Firing twin barrels of classic southern rock and modern country, Kyle Daniel makes blue collar music for rock clubs, honky-tonks and everywhere in between. At the center of that southern sound is a guitar hero, storyteller and songwriter who has built up his audience the old-school way: By hitting the highways year after year, playing everywhere from dive bars in Tennessee to the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, taking in key U.K. festivals along the way. Hundreds of shows and thousands of miles later, Kyle Daniel reaches a new destination with Kentucky Gold — an anthemic debut album, filled to the brim with Gibson grit, Telecaster twang, plus the hard-won resilience of a road warrior who’s spent years paying his dues. Produced by The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston, The Lone Bellow’s Brian Elmquist, and songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Mike Krompass, a Canadian who has written and played on a host of Billboard hits, Kentucky Gold shines as brightly as its title, weaving its own path through the worlds of Muscle Shoals soul, Nashville twang, bluesy boogie-woogie and the slash-and-burn of Daniel’s electric guitar.”
Deep Purple
=1
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “One of the greatest and most influential rock bands of all time is back with 13 tracks of pioneering and rip-roaring rock ‘n’ roll. Deep Purple continue their charge of recent years, releasing hit albums and filling arenas around the world. They are fronted by Ian Gillan, accompanied by the masterful bassist Roger Glover, the powerhouse drummer Ian Paice, and the maestro on keyboards Don Airey. This is the band’s first album with sensational guitarist Simon McBride, who seamlessly slotted in when longtime member Steve Morse left in 2022. But Deep Purple is more than just their members and =1 embodies the essence and attitude of their 1970s incarnation possibly more than any other album in recent memory. With the legendary Bob Ezrin once again producing, the record evokes the pioneering band’s classic sound, without relying on nostalgia. The enigmatic title ‘=1’ symbolises the idea that in a world growing ever more complex, everything eventually simplifies down to a single, unified essence. Everything equals one.”
Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For more than two decades, Dr. Dog have maintained a shared devotion to the unruly alchemy of making music. When it came time to create their 11th studio album, the Philadelphia band adopted an entirely new way of working together, embracing a multilayered process designed to foster an even deeper synergy among its five members (bassist Toby Leaman, lead guitarist Scott McMicken, rhythm guitarist Frank McElroy, keyboardist Zach Miller and drummer Eric Slick). Dr. Dog began their journey with a close-knit session at Leaman’s uncle’s cabin in the Pennsylvania woods, and steadily made their way toward the joyfully unfettered psych-rock of their new self-titled LP. Their first full-length since 2018’s Critical Equation, Dr. Dog reveals a band — over 20 years into their storied career — growing together and evolving, fully committed to the singular work of dreaming up songs that brighten the mind and expand the soul.”
Goodnight, Texas
Signals
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Goodnight, Texas are a band you’ve almost certainly heard by accident somewhere. And now on second look, you’re deep in their catalog and they’re telling you stories about trapped coal miners and lovebird bank robbers. Banjos and mandolins twinkle. Now you’re seeing Avi Vinocur and Patrick Dyer Wolf and their band live and they’re swelling to a fever pitch, suddenly singing quiet harmonies off-mic, and then rocking out again. And you’re legitimately excited about their new album Signals because, more than ever before, it captures the vast dynamic range of the show and blends it with their expansive and intricate songwriting. But beyond the memorable sock-you-in-the-face riffs, the band dig deeper in every direction on Signals. Their first album-sized trip into the studio expands their sonic range, thanks to Oakland’s Ian and Jay Pellicci (Deerhoof, Tune-Yards). Stories of the Americana of yore bleed into the near past and present via DB Cooper and North Dakota oil field workers. Electric guitars pound like hammers, but the mandolins still twinkle like stars. Is that song a little tongue in cheek? Are those strings?”
Gum / Ambrose Kenny-Smith
Ill Times
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Gum / Ambrose Kenny-Smith — consisting of Jay Watson (Gum, Pond, Tame Impala) and Kenny-Smith (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Murlocs) — are about to release a new collaborative album, Ill Times, an album born out of the friendship between that began over a decade ago. Watson and Kenny-Smith first met at the bar in the hazy hours after Tame Impala played in Kenny-Smith’s hometown of Geelong in 2009. But it wasn’t until Kenny-Smith’s bands came to prominence a couple of years later that the bond between these groups was formed. Ill Times is an album that takes swings at losers with god complexes, that builds the Impressions’ slow-burning ballad Fool For You into something so massive and brawny it’d give Jack White the willies, and closes with Watson and Kenny-Smith delivering righteous rough justice to an unabashed villain, and then riding off into the sunset like the heroes they are. The album is easily as much fun as the duo had making it, and that was a truly ridiculous amount of fun.”
Lonesome Shack
Song Of The Horse
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Lonesome Shack conjure a spirit that drifts between city and desert, navigating trials of love, loss and the natural world. With an ear to folk and blues traditions, they craft songs that stir the heart and shake the soul. On their eighth studio album Song Of The Horse they dig deeper into forces of nature and elemental grooves. Song Of The Horse was recorded by Johnny Goss in a three-day session at Dandelion Gold on the outskirts of Tucson. The band was joined by their old friend and legendary Tucson musician Tom Walbank on harmonica for the session.”
Mourning [A] Blkstar
Ancient//Future
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Ancient//Future is the band’s first official album since their acclaimed 2020 album The Cycle. Putting on Ancient//Future, it quickly becomes clear that M[A]B have grown exponentially since their last studio effort. Featuring contributions by violinist Caitlin Edwards, Ancient//Future presents M[A]B at their most direct, unrepressed, and thought-provoking. Through a dialogue between contemporary digital techniques and live instrumentation, they are dedicated to crafting aural stories that illuminate the African Diaspora. With a unique blend of organic textures, harmonized vocals, and hip-hop production, M[A]B’s work transcends genre and eschews convention. Ancient//Future is a bold continuation of their commitment to challenging the cultural paradoxes of America and forging new pathways in what they call heart music, further solidifying their place as one of the most innovative forces in modern music.”
The Raveonettes
Sing…
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Acclaimed indie-rock duo The Raveonettes are set to take their hypnotic, dream pop sound to new heights on Sing… This album is a remarkable collection of inspired covers, showcasing the band’s unique interpretations of classics by The Shangri-Las, The Cramps, Buddy Holly, The Shirelles, The Velvet Underground and many more. The Raveonettes, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo, have carved out a unique niche in the indie rock scene with their signature blend of dark, moody soundscapes and melodic pop sensibilities. With Sing…, they push their creative boundaries even further, breathing new life into timeless tracks while preserving the essence that made them iconic.”
Soft Play
Heavy Jelly
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For a good few years, it looked shaky as to whether U.K. duo
Soft Play’s Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent would ever be able to find their way forward to this moment. To say a lot has happened in the intervening years is an understatement: their friendship faltered, their creativity halted, they were rocked by grief and mental health issues, and when they did emerge, it was with side projects: Laurie’s Larry Pink The Human and Isaac’s Baby Dave. Step by step, however — via time, conversation, therapy and a positive new band identity — they got back on track. The result is Heavy Jelly, a product of the pair’s new sense of love and appreciation for their singular bond, which is both held front and centre and the defining inspiration behind what is clearly a new career high. Named after a Jiu-Jitsu instructor who told Laurie to act like ‘heavy jelly’ by means of explaining how much resistance to give in a demonstration, the turn of phrase also mirrors the duo’s worldview, “life is heavy, but it’s also funny.”
