Lyal Strickland Releases ‘I’m Still Poor’ Ahead of Anticipated New Album ‘Shooter of Truth’

Lyal Strickland’s Shooter of Truth will be out October 16. Photo: Jym Wilson Photography, used with permission.

New Music: Lyal Strickland Returns with ‘I’m Still Poor’ Ahead of First Album in a Decade

“I’m Still Poor” is the third and final single from Lyal Strickland’s forthcoming album, Shooter of Truth. Following the success of the title track and the duet “Birds,” “I’m Still Poor” is out now on all streaming platforms. (Broken Jukebox Media, 2026)

Shooter of Truth marks Strickland’s first full-length album in ten years, arriving with the weight of a life fully lived in the years between. The album drops on October 16.


A Decade in the Making

After the death of his father and a string of hard miles on the road in 2016, Strickland went through an emotional breakdown that left him questioning his place in music alongside his ability to keep writing honestly.

In the decade that followed, life didn’t stand still:

  • He got married.
  • He became the father of two young daughters.
  • He stayed tied to the land and the cattle that have shaped his family’s story for generations.

Then, in one weekend, the songs returned.

“Those songs became the foundation of Shooter of Truth, an album that looks directly at alcohol, depression, old relationships, present love, failure, survival, and the strange grace of still being here.”

The breakthrough came during a Southwest Folk Alliance conference, where Strickland wrote a batch of songs with a new kind of clarity: brutally honest, unguarded, and unwilling to dress up the truth.


The Sound of the Ozarks

Across its ten tracks, Shooter of Truth moves between solo acoustic performances (“Another Place And Time” and “Hellbent On A Heartache”), an acoustic guitar and cello-backed duet (“Birds”), a couple of irreverent fast-paced tracks, and a collection of mid-tempo tunes rooted in country, folk, and Americana.

The record is earnest, raw, and unpolished, capturing a side of Lyal that hasn’t been fully captured on record before. The backing musicians all hail from the Ozarks, lending the project a sound deeply tied to place: unpretentious and lived-in. It’s music shaped by the same hills, highways, churches, barrooms, and back roads that run through Strickland’s writing.


The Singles

The album’s three singles trace its full emotional range:

  • “Shooter of Truth” — Sets the tone with a plainspoken reckoning and the hard edge of self-examination.
  • “Birds” (feat. Rachel Laven) — Explores the strain of life on the road and the temptation to push past your limits in search of something true. Not originally written as a duet, Laven was the first and obvious choice when the track called for a complementary voice, bringing out an understated tension in the lyrics.
  • “I’m Still Poor” — Brings Strickland’s hard-earned realism to the forefront—a song about the sacrifices artists make, the cost of chasing the work, and the long search for the people who understand why you keep doing it anyway.

Betting on the Music

To make the album happen, Strickland is making big changes on his farm by dwindling his cattle herd down to Herefords, the same breed raised by his grandfather and great-grandfather on his mother’s side. It’s both a sacrifice and a promise: Strickland is putting his heart into this release, letting go of one version of the farm to carry forward another while making room for the music that has never quite let him go.

On Shooter of Truth, Strickland sounds like an artist less interested in reinvention than reckoning. He returns as a husband, father, and farmer still marked by the road, singing with fewer illusions and more at stake. After ten years away, he has come back with songs that do what the title promises: aim straight for the truth without flinching.


About Lyal Strickland

Lyal Strickland is an Americana singer-songwriter, whose music is as authentic as the Ozark hills. With a background deeply embedded in the rural landscapes of Missouri, his lyrics resonate with the experiences of small-town life, weaving tales of struggle, resilience, and unyielding human spirit. (Lyal Strickland, 2026)

Strickland’s songs are a testament to his commitment to his roots and his versatility as an artist. His albums move through stages of life, showcasing his distinctive voice that brings his narratives to life. Each song is a window into Strickland’s world, inviting listeners to step into stories woven with candor and crushing humility.


Album Credits

  • Co-Produced by: Adam Dawson & Lyal Strickland
  • Recorded, Mixed, & Mastered by: Jeff Smith at Studio 2100
  • Songwriting: All songs written by Lyal Strickland (except “Hellbent On A Heartache”)

Musicians

  • Lyal Strickland – Vocals, Guitar
  • Molly Healey – Fiddle, Cello
  • Joe Terry – Organ, Keyboards
  • Oran Thornton – Electric Guitar
  • Kyle Vance – Bass
  • Nick Smith – Drums
  • Rachel Laven – Duet Vocals on “Birds”
  • Jeff Smith, Dillon Hasten, Damien Thousand – Background Vocals

Shooter of Truth tracklist:

  1. Shooter Of Truth – 4:35
  2. Birds – 3:44
  3. I’m Still Poor – 4:37
  4. Homewrecker – 2:48
  5. Before It’s Gone – 5:14
  6. Another Place And Time – 3:09
  7. Boosters – 3:25
  8. Church List – 2:56
  9. Gatherin’ Dust – 3:36
  10. Hell Bent On A Heartache – 2:59
    Full run time: 37min 5sec

Deux Visages Announces Debut Album ‘Call It Goodbye’ & Releases New Single ‘Automatic’

Deux Visages will be on tour this fall with The Linda Lindas. Photo: Enoch Chuang, used with permission.

Rising Rock Trio Deux Visages Announces Debut Album Call It Goodbye & Shares` New Single ‘Automatic’

Promising rock trio Deux Visages, comprising vocalist Daphney Hanono, guitarist Jack Chiu, and bassist Tony Jouvin, is stepping into a major new era. (another side, 2026)

Their emergence has been a whirlwind. Founded over a thread of DMs in high school, they quickly signed to Atlantic Records once word of their rampant and immersive live shows hit. Fast-forward through a series of breakthrough singles, an EP, support tours alongside Mannequin P*ssy, julie, and Wunderhorse, plus an uprooting from Miami to Philadelphia: the three have now perfected their chemistry and eclectic, earnest dream-pop rock that is singularly Deux Visages.

Call It Goodbye: A Visceral Coming-of-Age Story

The trio recently announced their debut full-length, and first with Pure Noise Records, titled Call It Goodbye. It will be out November 6. Pre-Order/Pre-Save here.

It’s Deux Visages’ coming-of-age story: a sophisticated yet visceral examination of the conflict between the past and the future. Each invigorating and powerful track bristles with the tension and emotions that come with youth and new experiences. On Call It Goodbye, the trio looks back at what’s been, while also confidently leaving that past behind.

Listen to ‘Automatic’

On their new single ‘Automatic,’ available now alongside an accompanying music video, Hanono reflects on an internal monologue of feeling “less than” and “predictable.”

“A lot of this track has to do with things crashing down around us with our first record deal. It was our early days as a band and touring, and we weren’t feeling worthy or ready to handle all of these major changes.”

— Daphney Hanono

Crafting the Sound

Deux Visages recorded Call It Goodbye in Miami with longtime friend Arquimides ‘Arkii’ Cala, who also recorded all of the band’s early material, including their very first single “Cheetah.”

Cala masterfully captures Deux Visages’ dreamy, soaring, feedback-soaked sound across the entire record:

  • “Always You” – The album’s euphoric leading single.
  • “Behind” – An immediate, hard-hitting track balancing vulnerability with explosive guitars and dynamic shifts.
  • “Call It Goodbye” – The title track closing out the record with a sense of frustration and urgency, confronting the inevitability of time slipping away.

Together, these songs depict the instability, uncertainty, and growing pains of youth while ultimately embracing change. Call It Goodbye is a record about asserting yourself amid uncertainty, and discovering that, with enough determination and self-belief, you can leave the past behind and move confidently toward whatever comes at you next.

On the Road

Deux Visages just wrapped up a North American run supporting Sweet Pill. Next month, they join The Linda Lindas as special guests on their East Coast run, performing in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, and more.

See below for the full list of tour dates, and grab your tickets and details here.

Deux Visages Live Dates:

Oct 02: Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre ~
Oct 04: Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts ~
Oct 06: Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club ~
Oct 07: New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place ~
Oct 08: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel ~

~ w/ The Linda Lindas


Call It Goodbye tracklist:

  1. Disengage
  2. Always You
  3. Behind
  4. Missed Calls
  5. Automatic
  6. Afterthought
  7. Fleeting Wishes
  8. Silhouette
  9. Paint Myself Blue
  10. Pixelate
  11. Call It Goodbye

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Amon Amarth Announces New Album ‘The Allfather Awakens’

‘Eight Legs of Thunder’ is the newest single from the forthcoming album. Photo: Sylwia Makris & Christian Martin Weiss, used with permission.

Amon Amarth Unleashes “Eight Legs of Thunder” and Announces New Album The Allfather Awakens

Swedish melodic death metal titans Amon Amarth are back with a vengeance. Their steamrolling new anthem, “Eight Legs of Thunder,” is a heavy, galloping charge inspired by Sleipnir – the legendary eight-legged steed of Oden. (another side, 2026)

Driven by a powerful, sing-along chorus and blistering riffs, the track plunges headfirst into Norse mythology. Meanwhile, the accompanying music video takes a surreal detour, transporting the tale into a gritty, modern American Western filled with cowboys, pickup trucks, open roads, and an appearance by the mythical steed itself.

“With ‘Eight Legs Of Thunder’, together with the band, we wanted to break the traditional metal music video mold once again. We fused the raw, dusty vibe of a modern western with the epic, dark mythology of Oden’s eight-legged steed. It’s a high-octane, cinematic ride packed with cowboy tension, raw action, and a touch of dark humor.” — Director Dariusz Szermanowicz


The Allfather Awakens: What to Expect

“Eight Legs of Thunder” serves as the final preview ahead of the band’s forthcoming album, The Allfather Awakens, dropping October 2 via Metal Blade Records. Pre-Order/Pre-Save here.

  • The Sound: For this ten-song masterwork, the band took a fresh approach. Written during touring sessions rather than after coming off the road, each track was treated as a distinct single. Sonically, they stepped away from modern 5150 amps and returned to classic Marshalls for a slightly grittier edge.
  • The Concept: While Oden, the Norse deity of war, wisdom, death, magic, and poetry, remains the central through-line, the band notes this is not a strict concept album. Instead, it’s a collection of historically inspired epic tales detailing conflict and sacrifice.
  • The Journey: The new record follows previous releases like the acoustic excursion “Upphaf” and the furious fan-favorite “Gjallarhorn.”

This autumn, the new album will come to life on stage as Amon Amarth unveils a brand-new production inspired by Oden’s legendary Golden Hall, transforming their UK and European tour dates into a living extension of the record.


Three Decades of Conquering the Metal World

Over 30 years since their formation in Tumba, Sweden, in 1992, Amon Amarth continues to operate as a tightly knit unit. Frontman Johan Hegg’s lyrics on the new track “We Rule The Waves” perfectly sum up their relentless momentum:

“From cradle until the grave / As long as the sun sets in the west / We rule the waves / Our restless hearts / Have brought us far…”

From massive North American takeovers at The Forum (Los Angeles) and Red Rocks (Denver) to headlining major festival stages across the globe, including Germany’s Wacken Open Air (where they played to 85,000 fans in 2024), Bloodstock, Download, and Summer Breeze, their legacy speaks for itself.


Amon Amarth’s Cultural Influence

When talking about Amon Amarth’s cultural footprint, you cannot overlook The Row.

Consensus points directly to a 2009 Amon Amarth set at the UK’s Bloodstock festival as the birthplace of the legendary audience tradition, where fans sit on the ground and mimic rowing an invisible longship in unison. The trend became so massive that the band officially honored it with their 2022 anthem “Put Your Back into the Oar.”

Today, the phenomenon has expanded far beyond metal shows, appearing at concerts across genres and even catching on with global sports crowds, including audiences at the 2026 World Cup.


The Allfather Awakens tracklist:

  1. Gjallarhorn
  2. Eight Legs of Thunder
  3. Kvasir’s Blood
  4. We Rule the Waves
  5. Upphaf
  6. Die With a War Cry
  7. Raven God
  8. The Allfather Awakes
  9. Oden’s Hunt
  10. Ascending Like an Eagle

Belgian Post-Hardcore Band Wrong Man Announces Debut Here’s That Feeling

Wrong Man team up with Kurt Ballou for new album Here’s That Feeling on Deathwish Inc. Photo: Wrong Man, used with permission.

Deathwish Inc. Welcomes Wrong Man (feat. Members of Oathbreaker, Partisan, & Rise And Fall)

With a sound that reflects an eclectic range of influences, Belgium’s Wrong Man continues to forge their own path with every record they release and every song they write. Their unique brand of soulful post-hardcore is equal parts noisy and melodic—at times bluesy, at times moody. Depending on who you ask, you’ll hear references to bands like Quicksand, The Jesus Lizard, Sonic Youth, and The Wipers. (another side, 2026)

Featuring members of Oathbreaker, Partisan, and Rise And Fall, Wrong Man formed with a clear mission: to create something distinct from their previous projects. Following their rocking, ’90s-inspired debut Who Are You? (2022), the band expanded their horizons on Big Plans (2023), leaning into dynamic sonic pushes and pulls.

Now, their debut full-length album, Here’s That Feeling, sharpens that post-hardcore foundation into something even more versatile and expressive, fusing urgency and melody with brooding tension and undeniably catchy choruses.

The Sound & Vision

Rooted in the rawness of ’70s proto-punk alongside the restless spirit of ’90s indie and Dischord-era post-hardcore, Here’s That Feeling carries echoes of Fugazi, Drive Like Jehu, Quicksand, Sonic Youth, and The Wipers, all while pushing forward with a sound uniquely their own. Songs unfold through dynamic shifts and inventive guitar work, driven by a deep emotional undercurrent and an uncompromising pull toward unfiltered expression.

Production Details

  • Recorded: Kortrijk, Belgium by Michael Neyt (Oathbreaker, Predatory Void, Feverchild)
  • Mixed: Kurt Ballou (Converge, Torche, High On Fire) at GodCity Studio

Here’s That Feeling marks a defining step forward, capturing a band stretching its sound while holding tight to its emotional core.

Release Details & Pre-Orders

  • Album Release Date: September 11
  • Vinyl Release Date: October 9 (via Deathwish Inc.)
  • Latest Single: “Petty Thief”

[Pre-Save the Album] | [Pre-Order the Vinyl on Deathwish Inc.]


Here’s That Feeling track list:

  1. Loose Ends
  2. It Won’t Wash Off
  3. Exit Strategy
  4. Blue
  5. Petty Thief
  6. Mystic Eye
  7. Heaven Ain’t Happening
  8. Ripped Open I
  9. Ripped Open II

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Nashville Heavy Doomgaze Trio Lockstep Announces Album & US Tour

Lockstep photo by Hayden Wadell, used with permission.

Meet Lockstep: Nashville’s Heavy Doomgaze Powerhouse

Formed in 2020, Lockstep is a heavy doomgaze and shoegaze trio based in Nashville, TN. The band has built a signature sound rooted in atmosphere and weight, seamlessly moving between quiet, uneasy moments and crushing walls of noise. With each release, Lockstep has tightened their approach—cutting excess and focusing strictly on impact. (another side, 2026)

The New Album: I Know What I Saw

Lockstep’s debut full-length, I Know What I Saw, stands as their most focused and complete statement to date. The album leans into massive, slow-burning riffs and dense, layered guitars that remain engaging without letting up, locking into sections that feel both hypnotic and suffocating.

Songs stretch and build with purpose, pulling listeners deeper into the band’s world while maintaining a constant sense of tension and release. It is the clearest and most realized version of Lockstep yet.

  • Key Singles: “Solvent Sound,” “Dog in the House of Plenty”
  • Recorded By: Zack Montez at Welcome to 1979 (Nashville, TN)
  • Mixed By: Matt Schumacher
  • Mastered By: Nick Townsend

Band Lineup

  • Austin Rolison: Vocals, Drums
  • Matt Schumacher: Vocals, Guitars, Noise
  • Tanner Ihrie: Bass

Lockstep On Tour (with REZN)

Following the release of I Know What I Saw, Lockstep is hitting the road on a US tour supporting REZN.

DateLocationVenue
Sep 02Washington, DCPearl Street
Sep 03Asheville, NCRevival
Sep 05Atlanta, GAThe Earl
Sep 06Orlando, FLConduit
Sep 08Tampa, FLThe Orpheum
Sep 09Birmingham, ALWoodlawn
Sep 10New Orleans, LASiberia
Sep 11Houston, TXWhite Oak Music Hall
Sep 13Dallas, TXRubber Gloves

I Know What I Saw track list:

  1. Survival Instinct
  2. Ash in the Water
  3. Tilt of the World
  4. Soft Gauze of Time
  5. Dog in the House of Plenty
  6. Half Measures
  7. Solvent Sound
  8. Return

Genghis Tron Announces New Album ‘Signal Fire’: Everything You Need to Know

Genghis Tron releases long-awaited new album Signal Fire. Photo: Aaron Jones, used with permission.

Genghis Tron Return to Face the Present on Signal Fire

For almost two decades, Genghis Tron bandleaders Michael Sochynsky and Hamilton Jordan have gazed into the future and imagined what the world would look like after the extinction of our species. It’s an outcome that has long troubled, but also inspired, them to steer the pioneering outfit in breaking new ground with each successive release, moving from the genre-smashing electro-grind of 2008’s Board Up the House to the lush, pummeling hypnosis of 2021’s Dream Weapon. (another side, 2026)

Now, with their fourth full-length album, Signal Fire—co-produced and mixed by Seth Manchester (Model/Actriz, Battles, Big Brave)—Genghis Tron awakens us from the post-apocalyptic daydreams of their previous work with a violent, and most welcome, shove.

This time, the distant-future reveries give way to an unsettling awareness of the present we’re actually living, as our circumstances grow too pressing to try and escape.

“Signal Fire envisions a Kojima-esque dystopia of endless proxy warfare, where the deluge of available information has outmoded the human ability to parse it. A world where those amoral, shameless, and cunning enough can literally reshape the reality at their whim through sheer insistence.”

— Tony Wolski, vocalist and lyricist

A Visceral Evolution

Roaring onto the scene in 2004 with a uniquely demented blend of extreme metal, synthesizer textures, and drum-machine madness, Genghis Tron are no strangers to making a forceful impression. But Signal Fire marks the first time the band—joined again by Wolski and Nick Yacyshyn (SUMAC) on drums, plus newcomer Kenny Szymanski (The Armed) on bass—has captured this level of urgency with such visceral precision.

Through their contributions to 2021’s Dream Weapon, Wolski and Yacyshyn (who joined the band in 2020, replacing former vocalist Mookie Singerman and the band’s drum machine) had already proven themselves to be indispensable to the full realization of Genghis Tron’s vision.

Refining the Craft

Twenty years into their career, having proven their ability to forge common ground between Ministry and Aphex Twin, between Brutal Truth and Boards Of Canada, and between Cluster and Converge, ugly-beautiful new genre hybrids from Genghis Tron no longer come as a surprise.

What’s remarkable, however, is how Sochynsky and Jordan have taken a project that started in 2004 as a dorm-room genre-pastiche experiment, “a chaotic, wild amalgamation of all our favorite stuff, literally slammed together,” says Jordan, and refined their songwriting craft to deliver a sound that is unmistakably their own.

Sochynsky and Jordan acknowledge that their approach to songwriting is, at its core, the same it has always been: trading ideas, whether on synths, programmed beats, or guitars. The crucial difference? Genghis Tron now sounds like an actual band.

On Signal Fire, Genghis Tron has never sounded more unhinged, more alive, and more free to continue upending everyone’s expectations in service of making compelling music.


Signal Fire track list:

  1. I Am All
  2. Signal Fire
  3. Future Worship
  4. Like Fotocrom
  5. Tomorrow Mirage
  6. Nothing Blooms in the Hollow
  7. Without Form
  8. Born Prey
  9. A Love So Pure
  10. New Gods

Emma Ruth Rundle Announces New Album ‘These Killing Times’

Emma Ruth Rundle debuts ‘Enough’ video/single. Photo: Mason Rose, used with permission.

Emma Ruth Rundle Announces New Album These Killing Times, Drops Scathing Single “Enough”

Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, poet, and multidisciplinary artist Emma Ruth Rundle has officially announced her sixth full-length studio album, These Killing Times, set for release on September 18 via her own imprint, Errant Child. (another side, 2026)

Alongside the announcement, Rundle debuted the cutting lead single, “Enough.”

Listen: “Enough”

“Enough” showcases Rundle’s signature ability to fuse gentleness with intensity. Opening with a hypnotic drum rhythm courtesy of Jess Gowrie (Chelsea Wolfe), the track is driven by a deep-toned acoustic guitar riff that offers a deceptive sense of calm.

As Rundle’s voice enters, a distinct note of optimism swells during the increasingly impassioned choruses, ultimately building to a crushing heaviness featuring a tormented saxophone performance by Patrick Shiroishi. It is a track that offers comfort, even as its underlying message proves scathing.

“‘Enough’ is inspired by ‘The Man Who Sold The World’—and in a retelling of the story of Elijah, we imagine him as an Elon Musk-type figure. We ask: is not the whole world enough? We ask the many gods to unleash vengeance and carry this man away into the angry sky, piece by piece.

This song is a reflection of the times we live in and is a vision for the dispensation of the billionaire class. The world belongs to all beings.” — Emma Ruth Rundle


The Music Video

Conceived by Rundle in collaboration with artists Mason Rose, Blake Armstrong, and Mitch Wells, the accompanying music video for “Enough” showcases a stark gothic theatricality.

Evoking an atmosphere as if Nosferatu had landed in the world of legendary puppeteer Jim Henson—a major visual influence for the record—the video depicts Rundle haunted by a creature known as “The Companion.” The dark, romantic visuals are further heightened by a series of frames reminiscent of classic stop-motion animation.


About These Killing Times

Electrifying, emotional, and charged with anti-patriarchal feminist rage, These Killing Times arrives as a reactive anthology, bristling, full of life, and rooted in resistance. Pre-Order/Pre-Save here.

While the new record possesses a spirit of defiance, it retains the tenderness, rawness, and vulnerability that resonated with so many on her globally acclaimed 2021 album, Engine of Hell.

These Killing Times marks a return to a full-band setup, creating a sonically powerful accompaniment to Rundle’s more direct vocal style. The album’s instrumentation is brighter and more urgent than ever before, featuring an impressive lineup of collaborators:

  • Jess Gowrie (Chelsea Wolfe, Mrs. Piss) – Drums
  • Troy Zeigler – Percussion / Collaboration
  • Patrick Shiroishi – Saxophone
  • Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos)
  • Gina Gleason (Baroness)
  • Marissa Nadler
  • Lukas Frank (Storefront Church)
  • Amelia Baker (Cinder Well)

Longtime collaborator Sonny Diperri (My Bloody Valentine, Trent Reznor), who has worked with Rundle across multiple releases over the last decade, returned to record the album.


Community Over Isolation

Written as Rundle watched from afar the devastating effects of climate disasters unfold in early 2025, she reflected on the root causes of global catastrophes and made a conscious choice to lean toward hope. Where outside forces tempted her toward isolation, she reached outward to create a project that acknowledges pain while offering community and resilience in response.

“I wanted to feel fortified by friendships and to be in community with other musicians—to make something that pushed back against the isolation,” Rundle shares.

These Killing Times confronts questions of intention, systemic capitalism, the rise of Christian nationalism, and political discourse. Yet running alongside the anguish is love—acting as a balm, a tonic, and a means of escape.

Outside of her music discography, Rundle continues her work as an established visual artist and author, following the 2025 release of her debut poetry collection, The Bella Vista (Unnamed Press).


Fall Tour Dates Announced

Emma Ruth Rundle will hit the road this autumn for a full-band headlining tour across North America in support of These Killing Times, kicking off in November. Cinder Well will support all headlining dates.

The headlining run follows Rundle’s solo support tour alongside All Them Witches throughout October.


These Killing Times track list:
1 – Powerless
2 – God’s Picture
3 – Anvil
4 – Catherine Wheel
5 – Don’t Delay Heaven
6 – Enough
7 – Human Kindness
8 – Oceans of Time


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Milwaukee Trio Snag Is One of Modern DIY Hardcore’s Most Unique Voices

Snag shares music video for new LP album opener ‘Unarrest Me.’ Photo: Samer Ghani, used with permission.

Heavy Emo with a Purpose: Milwaukee’s Snag Returns with All The Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn To Dust

Since their formation in 2016, Milwaukee trio Snag has quietly carved out their own unique space in the DIY underground. They have quickly become a favorite of listeners hungry for emotional hardcore that delivers far more than just aimless chaos. (another side, 2026)

On All The Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn To Dust—the band’s third LP and first for Deathwish Inc.—Snag continues to develop their signature brand of heavy emo, expanding melodically and texturally without losing an ounce of their edge.


Turning Inward: Personal Struggles and Physical Cages

While Snag’s lyrical approach has historically focused on broader, universal themes like climate anxiety and apocalyptic dread, All the Cages… shows the band looking inward. Many of the tracks draw heavily on the members’ personal experiences with chronic illness and mental health obstacles.

The central motif of cages weaves its way throughout the record. On the album opener, “Unarrest Me,” the cage is literal: a physical jail cell.

“The song is a POV of a wrongful arrest—the confusion, the panic, and the sheer inhuman reaction from the arrester. This song musically tells an eerie story within itself. It sets off on a journey and ends abruptly at its peak.”

— Samm Szymborski (Guitarist/Vocalist)

Bassist and vocalist Peter Murphy emphasizes the visual and thematic story behind the track’s music video:

“The concept for the video is ‘collective liberation through mutual aid.’ The symbols of zip ties and blindfolds against flashlights and sprints put a finer point on the idea that every free person can help free another person.”


Music as an Action Plan

From the very beginning, acting on their message has been central to Snag’s ethos. Their lyrics aren’t just art, they are invitations to active involvement.

  • The Self-Titled LP: Came packaged with a lyric sheet, a book of matches, and an envelope of seeds encouraging listeners to grow habitats for pollinators.
  • All the Cages…: Features a partnership with the Florida-based organization Wire of Hope. The record includes individually labeled envelopes addressed to inmates, inviting listeners to become prison pen pals.

“The logic that says a corporation can destroy the planet to extract profit from it systematically is the same basic logic that says humans can be systematically caged for profit,” Murphy explains.

“It’s probably safe to say every person who hears this album is a lot closer to being incarcerated than to being one of the billionaires that seek ever more control. We thought we could make that connection much more explicit with a homework assignment in the record insert—and hopefully foster friendship and connection as well.”


Expanding the Sonic Palette

The intentionality behind the band’s message extends directly into the music. Snag has always been far more than a mere throwback band, consciously pushing boundaries in a subgenre that often struggles to move past the influence of its forebearers.

All the Cages… recalls the dynamic, progressive energy of acts like Majority Rule, Welcome the Plague Year, and Kidcrash, while forging its own distinct path.

“We made a decision a long time ago to simply make the music that we like and to not try to fit into genre conventions. That decision gave us permission to try different instrumentation and stylistic approaches to songs, which resulted in a few unusual moments on this album.”

— Peter Murphy


A Decade of DIY Resilience

A decade into their existence, Snag remains one of the most unique and vital voices in modern DIY hardcore. The band members’ commitment is deeply personal, they need the music just as much as the music needs them. At its core, they simply haven’t grown bored with the artform that captured their imaginations as kids.

“When we started the band we were in some of the most depressive periods of our lives, and it offered an outlet, camaraderie, and hope. It hasn’t stopped since.”

— Wysocki


All The Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn To Dust track list:

  1. Unarrest Me
  2. Debilitated
  3. Pray for Peace
  4. Suburn
  5. Juneberry
  6. Whisper
  7. Shelf Life
  8. Paris, WI
  9. Foam Cup, Pt 3
  10. Cages
  11. Cages (Reprise)

Carly Simon Returns with New Album ‘Comes In Waves’ and Lead Single ‘Howl’

‘Comes In Waves’ is Carly Simon’s first album of original songs since 2008. Photo: Sally Taylor, used with permission.

Carly Simon Announces First Album of Original Songs Since 2008: ‘Comes In Waves’

Legendary singer-songwriter Carly Simon is officially returning with Comes In Waves, her first album of original material since 2008. Set to arrive on August 14, the 12-track album was written and recorded primarily at her Martha’s Vineyard home, bringing together a body of work that feels both deeply personal and quietly expansive. (Miller PR, 2026)

Six decades after her solo debut, Simon’s voice remains unmistakable: emotionally precise, literate, and unguarded. Rather than looking back with simple nostalgia, Comes In Waves is anchored in clarity, exploring the complex emotional terrain of love, memory, family, and self-reckoning.

Pre-save Comes In Waves

A Striking Reintroduction: “Howl”

Serving as the album’s opening track and lead single, “Howl” captures the emotional depth Simon continues to explore. Co-written and produced with platinum- and gold-certified producer David Spencer, the track pairs Simon’s signature vocals with a lyric that moves from the sting of betrayal toward the peace of forgiveness.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the single, Simon shares:

“‘Howl’ lives in that space between betrayal and forgiveness, where anger has to be voiced before it can be released. It’s about letting the frustration out so it doesn’t sit and simmer. The song begins in anger, but it moves toward forgiveness, and speaks to any situation where trust has been broken.”

Themes of Healing and “Slowly”

The album’s title is drawn from “Slowly,” a song centered on patience, return, and emotional renewal. In the track, feelings rise and recede like the tide—a concept that serves as the emotional anchor for the entire record. Across these 12 tracks, love, grief, anger, memory, and healing all arrive in waves, moving with their own natural force and timing.

Rather than trying to recreate her past hits, Comes In Waves continues the honest, vulnerable conversation Simon has shared with her audience for decades.

A Close Circle of Collaborators

This record was brought to life alongside a tight-knit circle of family, friends, and longtime creative partners:

  • John Forté: Features on the album posthumously, following his passing earlier this year.
  • Ben Taylor (Son): Contributed throughout the project as a singer, musician, producer, and songwriter.
  • Sally Taylor (Daughter): Contributed vocals and created the single’s cover artwork.

Comes In Waves track list

  1. Howl
  2. Maybe I Never Loved You
  3. Peaches
  4. Love Has No Ending
  5. Mother Of Pearl
  6. Slowly
  7. Four In The Morning
  8. The More I Look For You
  9. Love The Way I Do
  10. The Father Daughter Dance
  11. Share the End
  12. Do It Anyway

About Carly Simon

For those who need a quick refresher on the incredible legacy of this trailblazing artist:

  • A Trailblazing Career: Emerging in the early 1970s, Carly Simon helped redefine pop music as an intimate, emotionally intelligent form of storytelling.
  • The EGOT-Adjacent Legend: Her catalog includes generation-defining hits like “You’re So Vain,” “Anticipation,” and “Let the River Run.” The latter earned her an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy, making her the first female artist to win all three as both a performer and composer.
  • Accolades: Simon is a five-time Grammy winner (with 19 additional nominations) and an inductee into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

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A.A. Williams Releases New Album ‘Solstice’ via RPM Records

A.A. Williams’ new album Solstice is out now. Photo: another side, used with permission.

Cinematic Darkness & Radiant Renewal: A.A. Williams Releases ‘Solstice’

A.A. Williams steps into a new era. Out now via RPM, Solstice arrives as Williams’ most powerful and poetic work to date, an album shaped by extremes of light and darkness, weight and fragility, devastation and renewal. (another side, 2026)

Thunderous highs, intimate lows, and vivid emotional shifts unfold across a record that feels both deeply personal and cinematic in scale.

A Sonic World of Extremes

Long celebrated for her haunting vocals, immersive dynamics, and striking emotional clarity, Williams expands her sonic world with an album that moves like a ritual through changing seasons.

  • The Instrumentation: Guitars churn like gathering weather, while strings glow with a fragile warmth.
  • The Vocals: Her voice unfolds seamlessly from restrained intimacy into a commanding emotional force.

Solstice captures A.A. Williams at a major creative turning point. Inspired by years of global touring, acclaimed collaborations, and genre-defying reinterpretations, the album finds her fully embracing both vulnerability and power.

Balancing crushing heaviness with moments of startling beauty, Solstice invites listeners into a world where silence can feel as immense as sound itself. It’s intimate, dramatic, and quietly radiant; music for endings, beginnings, and the long road between the two.


About A.A. Williams

Making her debut live appearance at the prestigious Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands off the back of a self-titled EP, A.A. Williams has since toured across the globe with heavyweights like:

  • Cult of Luna
  • Explosions in the Sky
  • Russian Circles
  • Sleep Token
  • The Sisters of Mercy

Alongside these massive support slots, she has established herself as a formidable headline artist, including a landmark show at the iconic Queen Elizabeth Hall inside London’s Southbank Centre.

A Track Record of Critical Acclaim

Her standout festival appearances have dovetailed with two widely acclaimed album releases: 2020’s Forever Blue and 2022’s As The Moon Rests. Both records placed Williams at the forefront of a wave of artists taking textured, epic, and folk-rooted heavy music into progressive new directions. A live BBC session at the legendary Maida Vale Studios further bolstered her credentials.

Pushing Boundaries & Companion Pieces

Never one to rest on her laurels, Williams has continuously released innovative companion projects, including:

  • “Exit In Darkness”: A collaborative single with Japanese post-rock titans MONO.
  • Songs From Isolation (2020): A solo covers collection recorded during the pandemic lockdown that drew praise from icons like The Cure’s Robert Smith and Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan.
  • arco (2021): Perhaps her most impressive feat, where the multi-instrumentalist drew on her classical training to completely rework her debut EP from rock instrumentation into a stunning string ensemble.

Solstice is out now via RPM. Stream or purchase the album here.

Solstice track list:

  1. Poison
  2. Wolves
  3. Little By Little
  4. Hold It Together
  5. Outlines
  6. I’ve Seen Enough
  7. The Veil
  8. Just A Shadow
  9. It Won’t Rain Forever
  10. Breathe
  11. The Gentle Harm