Album round-up: 25/07/2025
Hovvdy, good friends and followers...
Well, it's one of those weeks again. So much good stuff to pick through and pull apart here, so many colours and textures to shift and move around. A lot of it is gentle and swaying, such is the way; almost all of it is carried in the corner of a smile though, shiny eyed and playful.
However it finds you, I hope something here lands; I'm almost sure that it will.
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Album of the week:
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band - New Threats From The Sould
Listen / Buy via Bandcamp
Just seven songs here, but a mighty, swaggering, decadent fifty-seven minutes of rich Americana that beats with a golden heart and carries a great big grin across its line-wrinkled face. You can draw out a web here – place him near Silver Jews, sketch a line to Jason Molina, it won't take long – but to do so feels somewhat redundant because this is searingly, undoubtedly Ryan Davis, backed by his Roadhouse Band; it's a one of a kind, a magic pulled right from the muck of it all.
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And elsewhere...
Yoshika Colwell - On The Wing // YouTube
There are lots of subtle, swooning sounds released into the world this week and Yoshika Colwell's new album is right there among the best of them. Hailing from Kent, Colwell lives in a caravan in the countryside but while she spends "most of her time finding inspiration in her surroundings" this beautiful debut album seemingly finds its real heart beating away within.
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Bonniesongs - Strange Feeling // Bandcamp
It's been a full six years since the release of the excellent Energetic Mind LP but Bonniesongs sounds as crisp and vital as ever on Strange Feeling, a new ten-song collection that ripples and glistens and glows – all sweat and song – with that funny ol' thing called life.
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Pacing - PL*NET F*TNESS // Bandcamp
"I sometimes feel like I have a lot of love to give and I’m not sure what to do with it," Katie McTigue says as way of an introduction to her new record. Across its 12 songs you get a sense of what that might look like; a sincere (but no less playful) bout of loose indie-pop songs all delivered with her usual idiosyncratic wit and wisdoms.
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Indigo De Souza - Precipice // Bandcamp
The singles released ahead of Precipice hinted at the heartfelt gifts held within, and such sentiments rush forth from start-to-end here. There's a real sense of growth here, and the result of that blossoming is a wise, captivating, endlessly inventive burst of alt-pop that feels like it'll be sharing its secrets for a long time to come.
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Far Caspian // Bandcamp
The project of Irish DIY singer and multi-instrumentalist Joel Johnstone is something of a lofo gem, and it looks a little different each time you hold it up to the light. Johnstone cites Broken Social Scene as a key influence on his sound are there are certainly hints of that here – albeit if they were filtered through a gloomy Northern England landscape.
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Folk Bitch Trio - Now Would Be A Good Time // Bandcamp
It feels a little lazy to immediately play the boygenius card here, but it's a quick and easy comparison to make to this gorgeous collection of folk (bitch?) songs. Hailing from Melbourne, the former childhood friends deliver sweet melodies and gorgeous harmonies all brought together with style and grace.
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Pretty Bitter - Pleaser // Bandcamp
Out via the excellent Tiny Engines label, the Washington five-piece made their new record with co-producer Evan Weiss (Into It. Over It.). With arms and eyes wide open, they offer a colourful indie-rock-pop hybrid that bristles with infectious energy and plenty of emotional heft.
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Cory Hanson - I Love People // Bandcamp
If all the subtle swoons above haven't found a way to leave a mark, then maybe this one will. The fourth solo LP from the WAND frontman – again released via Drag City – is a truly sumptuous breath of romantic, 70s-tinged, sepia-toned folk-rock, all carefully arranged and beautifully delivered.
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