“There is an old Latin phrase: Memento Mori, remember, you must die. Far from being a message of despair, it has inspired generations to live more fully, love more deeply, and never take another sunrise for granted. Inspired by other ideas such as Carpe Diem (seize the day), and Tempus Fugit (time flies), Time of Our Lives celebrates the ordinary moments that become extraordinary simply because we choose to embrace the now and share them with the people we love.”

Her note is a timely reminder that Zoee is a deep thinker. I remember last year being impressed that Zoee was the only musician who was offering mindfulness guides as downloads on her site. It supported the release of her song Wendy, inspired by Wendy in Peter Pan. It’s no surprise that Zoee has a philosophical streak and she has put those old Latin scholars to a very modern use in this of-the-moment pop song.

All that glitter was real, too, just to clear that up. This is an anthem about making every minute count, and it’s bright and catchy with punchy drums. Zoee is an upbeat companion who helps us navigate the ups and downs of life. All of us are here for such a short time, so turn the volume up, dust yourself down and let’s go.

“Life often has a way of convincing us to wait,” says Zoee. “Until we are successful, less busy, or the timing feels perfect. I wanted to write a song about the illusion of the perfect moment, and the realization that this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. Time of Our Lives is an invitation to put the phone down, roll the windows down, call the people you love, chase the dream you have been postponing, and remember that today’s ordinary moments often become tomorrow’s treasured memories.”

There’s always been ‘bad news on the TV’ and your bills will always be overdue so let all that wait, kick back, and grab some fun while you can. In Zoee’s hands there is no melancholy or nostalgia, only anticipated enjoyment. It’s a perfect song if you’re somewhere in the world that is tipping towards winter to keep the chills away, but even if you’re down under it works as an upbeat spring song too. Get streaming this one today. You won’t regret it!

You can pre-save all of Zoee’s music here and follow the rest of her journey. There is also a Substack below in which Zoee talks about her inspirations behind the song.

Zoee

Memento vivere.... The story behind “Time of Our Lives” by Zoee

(Press play to listen 👆…

Read more

9 days ago · 8 likes · Zoee

Rae Isla was on top form for her first headline London show and the room was completely sold out a few weeks beforehand. She opened with Miles and Miles, the first track from her New Frontier album. Travel in all of its aspects is a key theme throughout Rae’s work and no wonder, as she travels extensively around America and beyond. Everywhere she goes she acquires new fans and followers, and I spotted a few people wearing her T-shirts in the crowd.

I think you’re my destiny
I took a drive out west
Drove for miles and miles
And miles and miles, endlessly
Stood on the canyon’s edge
Drew my first breath
And I think I can see what you see in me

Aftermath was up next, a song I have grown to love. There’s a demo on streaming but it’s otherwise quite a rare track. There were a few unreleased ones including Lost in Oasis and Casually. All the fan favourites were there as well including Years Beers Her Tears which was the first Rae Isla song I ever heard and still play every week, Traveling On, the tragicomedy of What If I Die Flying Over Oklahoma? and (of course) Stones, homage to Rae’s rock collection. There were more than a few rock collectors in the audience who made themselves known, after some encouragement, as Rae introduced her hobby. Her rocks even have their own Instagram account.

Oh stones carry them home
Weary are my bones since I’ve been gone
Dark is the day when you’ve got nothing left to say
I’ve got a message for you babe, I’m coming home

Rae was accompanied by a multi-instrumentalist wizard and long-time friend, David Salonen, who had just flown in from Seattle. His wide variety of instruments became a running joke through the night. From memory there was a fiddle, a double bass and maybe a couple of guitars. He promised to learn the cello for next time!

They had to sing Waiting, of course, with us all standing in a venue called The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington. It’s below the Three Crowns pubs, quite well-hidden. ‘If you have to die every night to be with me, I know you will.’ There’s a sadness in many of Rae’s songs but she delivers them all so authentically and with such commitment that I even find the sad ones uplifting. They all develop and expand the more you listen. She’s building an audience who value the analog, nature and travel.

A new song called Lottery has become one of my favourites live but has not been released quite yet. It really shows off Rae’s vocal range and is extremely fun. The night ended with all six minutes of the title track from her last album, New Frontier. The new one will be out in 2027.

It’s a proper immersive experience, seeing Rae Isla live. I was lucky enough to see her in Chesham back in March playing solo in a smaller venue, and both shows really pulled us all closer to her as she sang and told her stories from the road. The audience literally stepped forwards as the show progressed, until we were all pressed up at the front. She’s funny with a dry wit (one reason she is so popular in England!) and has the gift of converting people into lifelong friends. Another night to remember, and she promised even more musicians next time.

Rae is active on social media, especially TikTok and Instagram, and you can visit her website here. You can buy her music on Bandcamp or stream in all the usual places.

Moy Cohen

Moy Cohen met Rae Isla when they were both travelling in Mexico around five years ago and they kept in touch. He described it as a full-circle moment for them both to be sharing a stage here in London, so many thousands of miles later.

Moy has also been a pick of the week on BBC Introducing in the west of England and is based near Bristol. He instantly won over the audience with his storytelling songs based in nostalgic memories of a family dog and his grandfather, among other topics. He played several songs from his brand-new EP, A Brief Escape, and one called Benevolent stood out for me. Childhood Photographs also stood out, from 2024, and he showcased some upcoming unreleased songs. There was a lovely one about living every day twice, sort of a more optimistic Groundhog Day.

And though it’s summer on the outside
On the inside
I’m emotionally a landslide
And though, and though I try to lock up my mind
It’s not the time
To move my life
So, I won’t change
Like childhood photographs I’ll stay the same

You can follow Moy Cohen on Instagram. His debut EP A Brief Escape is here.

Parts & Spares

P&S opened the night brilliantly with an instantly catchy song called Apple Yard. It builds and develops beautifully from a gentle start and showcases their range. The harmonies gradually layered on for a really stunning finish. They’re a London-based indie folk trio who describe themselves succinctly like this: ‘Oversharing with my dad and my girlfriend.’

Some of their inspiration comes from the south-west. Singing about apples and cider, shooting videos on the coast and recording songs in a Dorset cottage. The addition of a harmonium on stage brought their unique sound to life. I really warmed to this trio who soldiered on through tonsilitis, although it did not affect the performance.

And I’ll see you down at the apple yard
Now the sugar’s all turned to alcohol
Wish away your suffering
Telling everybody that your luck’s come in
You forgot my name again
Something’s just slipping down the ranks

Discover more about Parts & Spares on their website. You can hear their EP Windfalls here. Note: they also have a song about stones!

said you wanted a ticket
to a better place
run far from the fears
that you couldn’t face
so where are you now?

Americans will need no explanation for the drawing of a bus on the artwork to this single. Even us Brits have heard of the famous long-distance Greyhound bus service. It’s as iconic as Route 66 and remains an anomaly: a western/northern country without a proper train service in a land where the ‘haves’ fly everywhere and the ‘have nots’ prefer to drive. The clientele left over is decidedly marginalised.

When I first heard that Greyhound was shuddering down the tracks, I picked up a book received last Christmas: Greyhound by Joanna Pocock, in which the author makes a new pilgrimage across America by bus, twenty years after making the same trip.

The contrasts in the America she discovered using this method were stark. Other women writers such as Simone de Beauvoir, Ethel Mannin and Irma Kurtz have all made use of Greyhounds. Pocock herself notes that the male travel writers tend to drive themselves around the US in automobiles, a contrast she finds meaningful indeed.

so you made it to the city
with some money to spend
and the girls who say you’re pretty
they’re not really your friends
i guess i don’t count

For a while, Stevie Nicks’ father was a senior executive of the Greyhound company, before the Germans bought it out, and pre-fame Stevie has fond memories of using her access-all-areas family pass to get into those parts of America that are a little harder to reach.

This record also reminded me of a beloved Shelby Lynn track: Jesus on a Greyhound. She met a man on the bus who struck up a conversation with the young Shelby. She felt able to tell him anything, and confessed all her sins, before later on the journey starting to believe this guy with scarred hands was in fact the real Jesus.

and i should really get home but
no use being alone cuz
i’ll be thinking of you
so dance with me on the table
i’m a little unstable
hold me up like you do

Just to complete the picture, Bobbie Gentry sang Greyhound Goin’ Somewhere and made it sound like a romantic way to travel, a far cry from today’s Greyhounds. Perhaps Miranda Lambert’s more recent Greyhound Bound for Nowhere is more realistic.

This week’s Queen Anne song Greyhound takes me back to the duo’s cover of Bowie’s Let’s Dance. It’s rocky, poppy and quick. There are a lot of words. She’s angry this time, our popstar sensation, full of energy with a lot to say. I really feel that every Queen Anne single is unique, and takes us further into their imagined world.

If you feel the need for a different way to explain the Queen Anne ‘tude this segment from a recent non-Q&A (or Q&Non-A) speaks non-volumes.

Q: what is this song about?
A: it’s not that long. you can just listen to it in the time it would take me to explain.

Q: can we have a hint?
A: that is why songs have titles. the title is a hint about the content of the song.

Q: isn’t a greyhound a dog?
A: it is also an intercity bus service and an alcoholic beverage. that is what makes my art open to interpretation, and therefore good.

By the way, that reference to a Greyhound cocktail is connected to the buses. It was originally a gin+grapefruit drink that in later years has been made with vodka. Grapefruit is the key flavour and this iconic drink was served in Greyhound restaurants inside their bus terminals.

Regular readers will know that Katie Silverman also moonlights as both a Hollywood actor and a Harvard student. She can really sing too, for all the nonchalant give-a-shit attiude of the Queen Anne persona. If you hadn’t realised it yet, she really is one to watch.

There is much more on Queen Anne, the best band you have yet to hear, on Instagram and on their own website. You can also buy and stream on Bandcamp. Queen Anne were picked out by 1883 magazine as a 2026 artist to watch.

The early single releases were all taken from Side B. Those singles were the most different from Cyrena’s debut album, Vanity Project. It became evident that they were not true stories, and they were not to be taken literally. There are clues that a lot of fun is being had, and laughter is part of the performance. Sure, they’re about things like murder and deceit and lies and retribution. But apart from that they’re properly funny.

Side B opens with FAFO. When I first heard it on Marylebone station in London, it was still Easter 2025. It was an exciting moment. The first time a pro artist had sent me unreleased tracks for feedback, and I felt the responsibility. This is what CW said by way of introduction: “How would you feel about reviewing a new single and providing your take on the newness of it / how it relates to the past?"

Pretty fucking excited is how I would feel, and the first songs I heard were If It Ain’t Broke and FAFO. They’re two halves of the same story in my mind, and they appear together on the final album. It’s a trip down memory lane to a time when I didn’t know CW, and I present those reviews here. Same Shit is the third track in this sequence, the one in which I compared her to Serena Williams.

As recently as last week, CW confessed that FAFO was the hardest song on the album to write: “Johnny Black had this crazy cool track he was already starting to build and it was Patsy Cline meets Amy Winehouse vibes, and I think we were all conceptually so obsessed with the damn thing that we had to make sure every word of the song lived up to his original idea.”

Hate Yourself

Just as Side A’s Love Letters has stayed with me, another slower song, Hate Yourself, stands out on Side B. It was the last song written for the album and CW suggested that it was Hate Yourself that she was most anxious about sharing:

“Some of them just fall out the sky. The single that just came out was really vulnerable to release. I was scared to release it. And I haven’t had that feeling in a long time. For some reason Hate Yourself made me nervous and that’s a good feeling to have.”

The only conclusion I can jump to after that admission is that Hate Yourself is autobiographical. Whereas FAFO and If It Ain’t Broke were darkly funny stories, this one is firmly in the first person. This is the part of the scar that has healed the least.

Mascara tears, white pillow case
Never more than just a little taste
Sendin’ roses just to save face
Were you in it just for the chase
Loved your family why’d you let me do that
Almost took your name but baby screw that
Wanted all of me and cut me in half
In half

As a Fleetwood Mac fan I’m especially drawn to that enormous crashing cymbal on Hate Yourself that calls to mind Albatross.

High

The piano intro strongly reminds me of a famous song and I just cannot quite figure out which one. It’s definitely Pink Floyd, possibly Great Gig in the Sky. It’s another crackling nighttime desert song. It is deeply personal, a fitting second half of Hate Yourself and a deeply fitting end to the album.

I got Hollywood charm and a bottle of gin
I can play the part, here we go again
And I love you baby
Oh honey I love you baby
I got good intent and a will to win
I got a five dollar man and you know what I mean
And I love you baby
I love you babe

These will be the last words we hear from Cyrena for a while, the final bars of the album. There’s a lot to listen to on Miss Melancholia right now. Looking back through the last eighteen months, I realised I have likely written my 20,000th word on the topic of Cyrena Wages: 20 articles, around a thousand words each, and many hours of interviews. I think we’re still touching the surface.

You can stream Miss Melancholia in all the usual places, but why would you? Physical copies are available direct from the artist here. Tennessee folks can see the album launch party IRL at Hernando’s Hide-A-Way on Nov 14.

“This Far is exactly that – my journey so far. The ups, the downs and everything in between. Each song takes you through a different part of my journey, combining upbeat country with some more emotional, stripped-back moments, all centred around honest storytelling and my love for country music.” (Bee Ounsworth)

We got pubs and pints, no neon lights on bars
I trade our football teams for your rodeo stars
You got Nashville, we got Big Ben
I’m just trying to fit in cuz
I’m a country girl from another country land

Bee drew our attention in particular to My Kinda Country and I had already noted it as a catchy, fun country song that could only have been written by a Brit in love with American country music. I’ve been listening to We’d Be Happy, Won’t We? all summer and I always smile when it comes on in the car. My Kinda Country is also like that: really fun and best played loud.

I’ve got a long line of lists
That don’t get any shorter
No time on my hands
To make plans with my daughter

The new EP finishes off with a reflective acoustic song called Best Part Of Me which OG fans will recognise as a new version of a Buckle ‘n’ Boots original. This song in particular is a fabulous showcase for Bee’s voice and is full of nostalgia and longing.

Taken together as a single record, there is something here for everyone. Bee is just as confident singing loud dance floor honky tonk belters as she is with the singer-songwriter solo ballads.

You can follow Bee Ounsworth and Buckle ‘n’ Boots on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and on their own website with all the links to music, tour dates and merch, including the most endearing stuffed puppy! Also read my earlier articles down below.

Album reviews are my favourite thing to write. I started listening to music when the album was the most significant way to buy music. That idea really took off in the 1970s. Deep into the ‘60s, bands were still releasing one-off standalone singles. The music album is really the longform version of music. The name suggests that the songs follow a theme.

Sometimes it is more of a collage than a single picture. Some themes carry an artist through the decades, appearing on every album, and some themes are introduced and dropped again during one record. Working out which is which is a fun part of the reviewer’s role. Is this a new direction for Cyrena Wages, a detour, an evolution? I can’t tell you definitively. And that’s where the fun begins.

If you have been following CW’s journey for a while, you will know that she had a Nashville-style country career in various bands, all of which were successful on their own terms. But it was when Cyrena returned home to Memphis and became a solo artist for the first time that I believe she truly found herself.

Today’s release, Miss Melancholia, with or without its exclamation mark, is an important clue. Much of the darkness, the introspection and the anger of her debut album, Vanity Project, is still present. The debut was especially rooted in place, in a very specific part of not only Tennessee but north Memphis. It was hyper local in that sense, but you didn’t really need to have heard of Millington or Shelby County or the rivers and the surrounding countryside. I could barely find Tennessee on a map. Those songs were deeply personal coming-of-age stories from the artist’s life that covered such universal topics that they spoke to anyone who appreciates music. We can talk about genre later, if we must, but I should warn you that nobody has ever done better than this: Memphis Winehouse. Or Elvis Winehouse.

This is how CW described the progression:

“I think sonically and lyrically Miss Melancholia came out differently because I was in such a different season. But no, I didn't consciously try to have a departure of any kind. Of course, when you work with different people, there's a built-in departure, too. But it wasn't a conscious pivot.”

If Vanity Project was a bleeding wound then Miss Melancholia is the inevitable scar. Still itchy, still visible, but no longer bleeding. Perhaps melancholy is what always comes after the anger has subsided. Perhaps we should just shut up and listen.

Proceedings kick off with Wildflower. There were many months when I only had demos of these tracks, but Wildflower stood out at an early stage. When I eventually got to posting a review, I knew that it was one of CW’s special ones. Once she admitted that, it became a sort of treasure hunt / mystery to solve. Why was that so?

In a room full of daisies I’ve always felt more like a weed
I’ll fight you for something I don’t even know I believe
They’ll call me crazy, unhinged, fucking wild but but they keep calling me
When you’re finally alone with yourself you’ll miss the chaos of my company

Wildflower is quite serious. It is a song of contradictions: a song about a genuinely wild and tempestuous person who is also fragile. It is no surprise that this song has been popular in sync catalogs and will be blasting out of your favourite streaming service next year. CW told me that back in 2015, when she was in a band called Friends of Lola, their song Kissed Me Like Thunder appeared in a Robert Redford movie called A Walk in the Woods. It is brilliant and still available on streaming.

Best Behavior is up next. This was the first song of 2026. Then Daytrippin was the song I reviewed most recently, in hot July.

Love Letters

Wherever I go there the hell I am
I am a black widow, in a wedding dress
I got a heart of gold but it’s paying debt
I roll your love letters into cigarettes

Next up are two songs that have never appeared as singles: Love Letters and the title track, Miss Melancholia. When I saw Daytrippin in the track list I thought it was going to be light. Don’t make that mistake on Love Letters. It features a black widow in a wedding dress and evokes the old-time American West. It sounds as dry as the desert.

The image of the bride in a black dress makes an appearance in the video of Hate Yourself. Southern Gothic suicide. A reference again to being on your best behavior? This is one of the most explicit references to the bible belt beauty pageant culture that occupied much of Cyrena’s teen years. Making cigarettes out of love letters. Trying to please everyone in her life except herself. Parents, men. The other girls. And slow too. Love Letters is becoming one of my favourite tracks of all. This character doesn’t evoke sympathy as much as fear in the listener. It feels like her many hardships have hardened her edge. Beware.

CW had this to say about Love Letters, the first song she wrote for the album:

“One that I’m really excited for everyone to hear is Love Letters. No one’s heard that yet. I played it like once at a live show over a year ago, but no one’s heard the track. It’s one that I’m really proud of. It’s one of the most cinematic tracks on the record. I'm proud of the lyrics and I'm proud of the energy behind it and the vocal delivery and Johnny Black absolutely killed the track and it's like its whole own world. So, I'm really excited about that one.”

Miss Melancholia

Miss Melancholia the song brings more of a rock ‘n’ roll feel with prominent drums. It starts out like a 1990s Tom Petty song. The Madonna references were a pleasant surprise. We’re still in the world of prom dresses and cigarettes and she is still eating boys for breakfast.

A writer never knows which words will land, and sometimes you just need to keep writing to find out. But I do know that Cyrena liked my line about her having more balls than any man in America. Love Letters brought the idea of the black widow, and for some reason I began to associate this album with arachnids.

In photos, many Gen Z artists have come to specialise in very blank facial expressions. No smile, no frown. Just flat and neutral. Cyrena’s millennial specialty is the opposite: enormous fake grins, fixed on by rigor mortis. Smiling for the cameras even if you feel miserable. Both are David Lynch trademarks, and both are utterly terrifying. You know the beauty queen has learned how to smile, from a book or a YouTube tutorial, and her smile is not authentic. It is always performative.

Wilted roses on my window
Like the lovers I left dry
Voodoo doll up on my dashboard
You take a needle with a smile

How do we feel after Side A? Ready for more? A strange feature of the entertainment business is that we are just starting to listen to Miss Melancholia at the very moment when the artist is turning focus to album three. Back in the ‘60s bands were allowed three or four albums to learn their craft and figure out who they are and what they wanted to say. That might feel like a luxury today, but it mirrors Cyrena’s career in some ways. I think she has found herself now and she knows who she is not. The journey might have seemed long at the time but every gas stop held an important lesson.

I will never understand why happy poppy songs tend to sell better than truthful, dark and atmospheric ones. IYKYK that the darkness more accurately captures the world as it is rather than as we would hope it to be when we’re fourteen.

Vanity Project was written by a single girl in her late 20s and is full of worry about the future as much as anger about the past. Miss Melancholia, by contrast, contains a lot of bridal and wedding imagery. The girl has become the adult woman, and a wife. I might have joked in a previous article that even Frankenstein had his bride. Could the third album be about raising a family? Can I imagine anything more Charles Addams? Would CW be the coolest mom in Memphis? I have no answers to any of this but I will give you a few days to listen to these five songs before we hear Side B.

You can stream Miss Melancholia in all the usual places, but why would you? Vinyl pre-orders are now live here. Tennessee folks can see the album launch party IRL at Hernando’s Hide-A-Way on Nov 14.

Addicted to the Struggle begins with a lovely pedal steel glissando swooping in the background as the song opens, and it is immediately catchy. In some ways this is more immediately accessible than The Cover and is a great place to start listening to Pien’s music for new fans.

I know they can smell it, it’s hanging in the air
Maybe I’m unlucky or they just don’t care
They know where to find me, running all over town
Painting grasses greener while looking like a clown
It’s what I’m used to, it’s not ok but I don’t know what to say

The chorus is a good summary of addiction in all its forms, because the song is clearly about more than alcohol. It is about addiction in relationships, in being a sucker for the difficult days, and that’s what is unusual or surprising: on some level the singer enjoys the struggle, and seeks it out.

I’m addicted to the struggle, longing for the pain
Hand me the bottle, it won’t end up in the drain
I’m addicted to the feeling of slowly driving insane
Give me all your bullshit, I’ll be the last one to remain

I managed to run into Pien at Chiswick’s own Lil Nashville a couple of weeks ago and we watched a Song Suffragettes together. It was fascinating getting to talk to her about this year’s singles and her plans for next year. She gigs in and around London so is easy to track down, and I do recommend seeing her live.

Pien thinks deeply about her music, is herself a marketing genius and is deeply into the music of Fleetwood Mac. I believe some of her upcoming music might be inspired by everyone’s favourite ‘70s five-piece.

However, these recent songs are intended to remain standalone singles, so don’t go waiting for an album. Crack on with streaming them today!

Pien has noted the following comparisons that listeners sometimes make: Ella Langley, Fleetwood Mac, and Kacey Musgraves. Her music has already garnered strong support from BBC Introducing and Dutch national radio station Radio Veronica, as well as publications such as Earmilk, Clout, and Happy Magazine Australia. With over 80,000 streams across platforms, Pien is steadily growing an international audience drawn to her distinctive blend of indie and Americana.

Pien’s website is here. You can of course catch her on Instagram and TikTok too!

The new songs are noticably darker and more introspective than last year’s debut, Butterfly Effect, and I am loving the contrast. Today’s song, Habit, follows on from Secret Garden in the heat of one of the hottest summers. The new song presents love as a form of addiction and is more poppy than last year’s country-pop songs. I think one of the main reasons I love this song, apart from Zoee just being so grounded and approachable despite her growing profile, is that they contrast to last year - their unexpectedness increases their impact.

Let’s dig in!

The hook is instantly catchy and sticks in the mind long after you first hear it: I gotta have it, I got a habit. Also this time, the vocal delivery is quite flat, almost monotone, which makes the singer sound slightly robotic. She is completely zoned out on this love addiction!

Zoee herself sent us a few lines to help us unpick the background to the song:

“Old jackets, mixtapes, rose-colored glasses, champagne and late-night memories become the evidence of a relationship that is increasingly difficult to quit,” she says. “I loved the idea of treating a person almost like a bad habit you know you should probably break, but you don’t really want to. It’s flirty, messy and a little dangerous.”

Zoee suggests that it was the previous song, Secret Garden, when she first pushed more towards pop than country, and that Habit continues the path. I really thought I picked up a more poppy element right away in February’s Hand Me Downs but there is no doubt that these latest two are full-pop tracks.

I have been closely following Zoee’s career since last spring, but she has been writing and performing for much longer. She is on a physical journey from Tasmania to Nashville via Scotland, but Nashville increasingly feels like a place she has settled for good.

I remain bitterly disappointed that I did not know Zoee when she was here in Britain. Coming from a Scottish busking background, I do sometimes find myself comparing Zoee to Glaswegian Liverpudlian Rianne Downey. Poppy, country-ish, yes, but with dark undertones and a lot to say.

I’ve massively enjoyed listening to Habit for the last few weeks and I am certain you will too. And I made it to the end without any puns! I have made a habit out of listening to Zoee’s latest songs and I really believe you will love them too. [You just blew the pun thing. Ed.]

You can pre-save all of Zoee’s music here and follow the rest of her journey.

So of course I was thrilled when Charlotte agreed to answer a few fairly random questions ahead of those shows. She gave us such detailed and considered answers that I present the answers below word for word.

If you want to know what it would sound like to hear Radiohead covered by Lucinda Williams, hello!

Q&A

Where are you from originally? What was your childhood like?

I was born in Kettering, Northants and I’m still a Midlands-based woman to this day. I was one of those kids who was always outside; skateboarding, off on bike rides, building dens, playing football. My sister and I spent a lot of time with our Grandparents too, and my favourite part of my childhood were the caravan holidays. I would give anything to just have one day with them again.

How did you get started in music as a career?

I started off playing local shows! Open mic nights, small gigs in pubs, pub gardens, small festivals and I slowly started to grow outside of my hometown. By the time I was in my early twenties, I was able to open up for bigger bands and musicians passing through my local music venue, which was The Cookie in Leicester. It was there I really learned my chops. Little by little, that network became bigger and I was able to move onto bigger cities, open for bigger artists and started to headline my own shows. I just haven’t stopped playing shows. I guess this way would be considered pretty old school these days, but it really worked for me. If it wasn’t for being able to play live as much as I did back then, I don’t think any of the cool stuff which has happened to me would have happened at all.

I’m a fan of Lucinda Williams. Is she one of your main inspirations or are there others?

Lucinda is amazing, I love her story and her grit. I’m always pushing for that slightly grittier, more alt roots sound which she has. My other main influence is Radiohead.

Tell us about your Netflix syncs. Being on a show seems to be really important now, especially for indie artists. Any tips?

I’ve been fortunate to have a few over the years which I’ll be honest helps the moneyflow. It started off with an old song of mine ‘Fire’ being on an advert for Sky. Those royalties helped me move out of my Mum’s house at 28 and into a little cottage with my partner. Then I had a few syncs on the BBC and F1 which all contributed to new guitars, amps and pedals and just eased off the pressure a bit. The Netflix one was the most fun, but surprisingly the worst paid. A song called ‘Babywoman’ landed onto Selling Sunset which is a really funny real estate series, and that came with a lot of new listeners. Syncs are interesting, some can move the needle and others not so much, and they’re really sought after. My biggest tip is to make sure you’re finding music supervisors and production companies from some of your favourite shows, make a spreadsheet, learn how to send a short but succinct email describing who you are, what your music is about and what you’re up to. I always feel like the people working for these shows care more about the message and the sound than other types of people in the industry, so telling the story is important.

You’ve been building an audience for ages but it seems 2025 was a big year for you. What is your reply to anyone saying things like ‘overnight success’?

I would say there’s no such thing. The amount of time it takes to become good at anything is longer than you think and if you’re in it for life, you’ll always want to become better. Sure, some artists or bands get what they want quicker, but who is to say they’ll still be doing it in 10 years? There’s really no rulebook to doing this any more. I’ve always found people have paid the most attention when I’ve been brave by changing something up musically or made a bigger statement in some way. You don’t just have to keep doing it, you have to keep getting better and that only takes time.

Tell us something about your UK tour this month. Any favourite venues? Any new ones for you?

I’m playing 3 headline shows at Kitchen Garden Cafe in Birmingham, Eagle Inn in Manchester and Morocco Bound in London. The reason I’m playing these shows is to play new songs, so I’ve chosen these venues for their intimacy. I want to be able to speak candidly with the audiences about the stories behind some of the new songs and where the second album is taking me - musically and personally. KGC and Morocco Bound are both new to me, and as much as I love returning to previous stomping grounds, getting a new venue under your feet adds a bit of spice, and I like spice.

What’s your favourite venue you ever played or would like to play?

I would love to play Birmingham Symphony Hall some day; I’ve seen some of my heroes play that room. My favourite venue which I have played is either The Lexington in London or Hare and Hounds in Birmingham.

What does 2027 look like for you?

2027 is a little bit unknown and it depends on when my second album will be released. After this September tour, it quietens down for me as I buckle down and finish it, and I’m expecting I’ll be back out playing shows from next Spring and gearing into a very busy late 2027 and 2028 promoting the new album. I’m looking forward to being quiet for a bit, focusing on the music and then gathering myself for the next chapter.

You played Cottingham Folk Festival recently. I grew up in Hull - how did you find playing there?

I did and I loved it! I love playing towns over cities. You get a much better sense of community and people are just really into what comes through, I feel like you get looked after a bit more and most of the time the load-in and parking is so much easier. Ha!

Which album or track do you recommend for any new listeners?

Like A Hurricane or Dolores.

Which other UK-based indie artists inspire you or do you recommend?

I’m a big fan and friend of YVA - I just think she’s the best writer with the best pipes in the world. I also admire Wyldest, Alexandra Leaving, Penfriend, Katie Malco and Kelli Blanchett.

Charlotte Carpenter’s tour kicks off THIS SUNDAY so head over here to grab a ticket! Otherwise you can find her in all the usual places including Instagram and TikTok.

Welcome To The Dream

My favourite of the new ones was the first, Welcome To The Dream. This is when the party is just getting going. Kick off your shoes, chillax. This is the best place on earth. But is that lady in the middle really human? She’s either on drugs or a robot. Oh no, is it too soon to leave? Even this banging optimisitic opener is tinged with warning signs.

Welcome to the Dream of California!
Come on, swim the seas where I was born-ia!
Kick off your shoes, kick off your blues,
But baby, I should warn ya-
Things ain’t all they seem

Ramblin’

Ramblin’ runs it a close second. It called to mind Stuck in the Middle with You by Stealers Wheel. I love it. It’s a great chuggin’ driving song. Not too slow to open up the V8 on the dark desert highway.

Howdy stranger? Are you lost? Where’s home?
Hop on in, I’ll take you anywhere you need to go
Scoot in the back, I bet there’s room if you squeeze
Go on now, meet the gang, watch your head, mind your knees

The lyrics tell a similarly cautious tale as Welcome to the Dream. It turns out that the lady offering lifts to handsome strangers is perhaps a little beyond her prime. She does a good trade in innuendo with a wink and she still feels twenty-three. But she calls her gang the bad luck club. The ones who fell on hard times, and are trying not to show it. When you’re in with the in crowd, they’re great. But if you slip there’s no safety net.

Say It In My Skirt

This was the first song I heard that had not yet been released as a single, and I loved it immediately. It’s slow and swingy and reminded me of an early Tarantino soundtrack, maybe something from Jackie Brown. It clearly had a big sense of humour but I am still not completely sure what the title means and that’s absolutely fine.

The title is partly a reference to the famous photo where Marilyn Monroe’s skirt is blown about by an air duct. (Turns out the gust was caused up by a train passing underneath.) It was a promo shot for the movie Seven Year Itch. The song itself is playful. The singer is certainly interested in this guy but she is anticipating disappopintment.

Don’t you know ‘bout me? I’m a kinda
Sweet like summer wine kinda girl
Steal you like a crime kinda girl
Consider this is your sign
But you better make it worth my time

Take Me Into The Sunshine

This is a really chill soul vibe. There is a vague drug reference: what’s that on your tongue? Can you give me one? TMITS looks and sounds like the perfect summer single. Fewer words than the previous song, more space. There are moments in all the fun when I feel like it is Niina herself doing the talking:-

I left town on my own
Felt no love at home
Then I heard some music play
From the San Francisco bay
So I hit the road and came to stay

There’s always something exciting about the moment when a musician decides to make a career in music, and maybe this was Niina’s. It sounds so simple the way she tells it. Sometimes they make this decision aged 4 or 5 and never deviate, like Stevie Nicks. Sometimes they’re 15 or 20 and they don’t know how brave they are being when they take that first plunge.

Right On, Hollywood

A simple but effective story about a stripper making it in the neon side of Hollywood, shaking it in her heels. I see this one as a character in a movie, surviving the ordeal only by taking more pills. It’s a dark and slow one, very much a nighttime song.

Snake on down the hills then it’s right on Hollywood
Shake it in your heels, that’s the deal
If you can fake it then you probably should

Life and Times of a Wannabe Rockstar

This one is notably slower and quieter than everything else so far. Taken in the album sequence, it is perfect as the last song on Side A. The notion of sleeping in your denim and staying awake for the sunrise is both captivating and nostalgic. Weren’t we all hoping to do something like that, at least once? I remember sitting on the harbour wall at Majorca with a few mates aged 18 and waiting for the sun to come up. I’m afraid to say I was so tired that I didn’t feel it was worth the wait, but at least we did it. We were there, and I do still remember it decades later.

The blind are leading the blind
But the wind in your hair’s a fairly good sign
We dig in the dark but we know what to find
You were already late to begin

This is not an aspirational song as much as a haunted warning. I don’t think that an up-and-coming rock star is the same thing as a ‘wannabe’ one. The wannabe is the one who is more performative than authentic, more about the fame than the music. There is something hollow about the wannabe rockstar, and this song brings that idea to life.

My Side B review is coming soon… meanwhile you can catch Niina on her website here and you can find her links here and email list here.

Soft country boy, illinois royalty
Banging on the drums and moving to the beat
You play me like a fiddle, hope you like the tune
’Cos now I’m all wrapped up in you

I have noted previously how much energy Kitty Coen puts into her videos. Just when you thought you knew a song… I imagined a sailor racing his pickup truck around town, full of girls as he makes the most of some brief shore leave. Well, that’s still valid. But the video is completely different in its own brilliant way.

I spent a week in France flopping around in 100 degree heat next to a cornfield. There is something uniquely terrifying about cornfields. You can’t run through them, especially if a vampire is chasing after you. It says the South. It says horror, maybe True Blood and Sookie Stackhouse. It says… imminent death. What it has never said to me until today is… blood-soaked cheerleader, or bride of Dracula.

He’s lucky like an 8 ball
Holy like Saint Paul
And sweet like sugar cane
Stoned but kinda funny
Cute but kinda bummy
He knows I like it that way

That’s my favourite verse… cute but kinda bummy? I think I know exactly what she means, and it’s hilarious too. Coming back to the video, Kitty specialises in a sort of David Lynch blank look but in this video, in her cheerleader fit, she brings her bubbly smile too. And just when you think she’s genuinely laughing, it glazes over. Blank looks are scary but not as scary as fixed grins. This is a truly terrifying three minutes if you watch it on a big TV at full volume in the dark. Promise me you will do that.

If this is the last piece of action from Conversations with the Moon, I’m okay with that. First of all, the video ends with a ‘to be continued…’ and I believe the next song will be Psycho From Texas, which surely means the horror will return.

If you want to do some homework, the song title is borrowed from the 1975 B-movie starring someone called John King III. The film has a complex back story… was it re-filmed in 1978? Are there two versions? And who is the scream queen Linnea Quigley? Excuse me, I am running out to grab the Betamax from Blockbuster to try and answer all these quesions before the song itself comes out later this year. You can presave the song here!

I have written about Kitty’s videos before and you can find the best bits, with a couple of Q&A interviews, down at the bottom. You can start here to begin your Kitty Coen enchantment. Her Insta is here and the videos are here. Join her mailing list here.

Stella Prince

I was already familiar with Stella’s music and in particular her haunting Gen Z Folk voice. She sounds great on her studio songs but seriously took my breath away in real life. She began with her recent cover of For What It’s Worth.

Stella played many of her best-known originals and all of them sounded so great live. In particular, The Replay, Two Faced, Ruby Boots and What’s Mine really stood out. Stella also played a number of unreleased songs from her upcoming album. She let us know that Everything is one of her favourites in the lyrics and storytelling.

She entertained a full-house audience with other famous songs through the decades including unique covers of Stevie Nicks’ Landslide, Joan Baez’s version of Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, John Mayer’s Slow Dancing in a Burning Room and a haunting version of The Carpenters’ Top of the World. The afternoon was due to finish off with Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now before a loud crowd demanded a (genuinely unprepared) encore.

We democratically chose to have Stella play a final original song and she chose At Seventy which came with a touching story. Stella had seen a waitress in her 70s at a diner with flowers in her hair. Although the two did not speak, the waitress had a huge impact on Stella and she imagined the long life she might have had up to that random meeting.

Stella’s new album is coming soon and she played us the title track, Good Luck Is Hard To Find. I am very much looking forward to hearing the rest of the album!

Stella is in England right now and you can catch her on Wednesday at Green Note and at Long Road Festival on Friday at their Front Porch, as well as on her own website.

Marta

Marta has packed a lot of life into a few short years. Her family is Polish but she grew up in Nashville before relocating to London’s Bohemian Notting Hill. Although she calls herself a songwriter first, she can really sing and performed brilliantly to open our afternoon at Green Note.

My Kind of Radio is from Marta’s first record. Make It Work was up next which was written aged 16 although it is on the forthcoming EP due later this year. I found Wrong Kinda Right to be extremely catchy and Marta let us know that it had its debut at the historic Bluebird Café in Nashville.

Overstay was up next, the first song written for the new EP. Don’t we all over-think and over-stay, keeping people close for longer than we should? But this isn’t a harsh song about cutting people loose, it’s really a more gentle idea about how through our own good nature (and against our gut instincts) we sometimes keep people in our lives too long - surely it does both parties a disservice to stick with a relationship long after the fun has stopped?

Just before Unlove You, Marta said something that resonated strongly with me even though I’m a prose writer rather than a songwriter. It is that she finds it hard to communicate face-to-face and instead finds it easier to communicate through her music. It’s the same for all writers. We can think of the right words only after the moment has passed, and by then it is way too late.

The set ended with If I Never Loved You, which was really enjoyable and also quite rare because it doesn’t appear on the upcoming EP. So nearly all of Marta’s songs at Green Note were unreleased, and about to hit your favourite streaming service later in the year. They all went across really well with this discerning audience which convinced me the EP is going to do very well indeed.

You can find out more about Marta on Instagram and TikTok.

Charlotte Shaw

This was a thoroughly international afternoon. Charlotte Shaw hails from Perth in Western Australia and has turned her back on guaranteed scorching summers to try her hand living in London, where she has been based permanently for just over a year. Her British guitarist Freddie Bennett reminded me favourably of cricketer Alastair Cook, although my bus had just taken me past Lord’s cricket ground... I surprise myself sometimes at my own thought-processes.

I really loved Charlotte’s song Sometimes, during which she occasionally called to mind the iconic Dolores O'Riordan. Overthinking was written on her return to London last year and Bye Boys is one of her biggest singles with a video shot during a very long day in Greenwich in and around a famous pub, The Pelton Arms.

Charlotte duets with Freddie on Until the Next Day. She finished with Why which has already featured on BBC Introducing even before its release, and it was a strong end to a very likeable and strong performance that won over the audience. Why partly relates to the idea that you can meditate and journal your way to inner peace all you like, but you cannot fully prepare for the impact of a new and unexpected crush walking into the room.

I’m known to have a soft spot for Australian musicians, not least Kate Miller-Heidke, Georgia Mooney, Zoee Byrne and Isabella Richardson, and Charlotte is really bringing her A-game to her London music career!

You can find more about Charlotte on her website as well as Instagram and TikTok.

It turns out that Queen Anne’s Katie Silverman had been busy making a micro-drama of her own. Known provocatively as Cleavage, it refers to a different sort of cleavage to the one you are probably thinking of. The idea of separation between yourself and your creative persona. The splitting or cleaving of the two led to a memorable storyline on her socials recently. I have helpfully collected all the episodes so far below.

Just before you enjoy that, Katie Silverman also popped onto my big screen too, featuring as a student in High Potential, one of my current favourites on Disney Plus.

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

To be continued...?

There is much more on Queen Anne, the best band you have yet to hear, on Instagram and on their own website. You can also buy and stream on Bandcamp. Queen Anne were picked out by 1883 magazine as a 2026 artist to watch.

Irreplaceable

The opening song is about a young girl called Vivienne who got married young and had three children. She is beautiful with pretty eyes. Tough and sweet when she needs to be. It all sounds perfect. Vivienne is the girl who is irreplaceable. She’s a role model for all women who prefers pearls over diamonds.

I’ve been listening to darker music this year so I was conditioned to expect a ‘but’ coming... but it never did. This is a simple song, a hymn to a best friend. Vivienne might have flaws but this song is not about that part of her. A strong start to a wonderful album. It was the first single released from this album, quite some time ago in 2024, and it has been a privilege to watch Emma’s career develop throughout 2026.

Countryside

Countryside is a little brighter and faster. A first person song about a love affair with an Amarillo cowboy. I don’t know how he coped when he had to move back to Detroit but he was not a true cowboy anyway. Nothing really matters except tobacco in the pastures. It was too much. She jumped on a Greyhound and went back south to the countryside.

I always thought I was a ‘town mouse’ (my daughter’s phrase) but a month of city living is enough for anyone, especially in this heat. I think we all need both. The countryside is a good place to create, but there are more stories to write about in the city. Yes, better to get home to Carolina. You can always spend a weekend in Detroit if you miss it that much.

Just Don’t

This one is just Emma and her guitar, at least at first, and really showcases her voice. After I heard Soul Horse a couple of months ago I thought she sounded like Natalie Maines in places. Here she is more controlled, more measured. This is a sad one about sinking boats and moving on. It has more of a swing to it, a gentle tune but with dramatic, sad lyrics. She’s tired of all those little things he tries to win her back but in the end he’s a just another big liar.

Highs and Lows

This one grabbed me immediately with loud drums and guitars. It’s a nighttime song. The singer’s mood is blue but she understands that the downs are just another part of life. The tears need riding out. You can’t have an up without a down. This might be the least country song on the album. I really like it. It feels like we’re blowing away the cobwebs from the somewhat melancholdy song before. It’s a proper driving song.

Secrets Are Safe

The singer is someone you can talk to who will actually listen. You can tell her anything and she won’t squeak. This is a really nice, cosy song. Even if you only ever hear these five songs you will become a convert to Emma’s world, but do check out the Soul Horse review below as well.

Emma is an incredible singer, of course, but her songwriting brings with it a certain wisdom. She’s been into music her whole life but she started pursuing music seriously in 2017, when she would have been only ten or eleven years old, shen she joined Ellington Studios in North Carolina. In 2022 she auditioned for and won a place at a workshop at The Electric Jane with the artist development agency, PCG.

She also has a varied life outside of music. She’s training to be a firefighter and EMT and is at agricultural college. And she’s a keen baker too! Where does she find the time?

You can read more about Emma’s journey on her website. As you would expect, she is active on Instagram and TikTok.

I’ve always loved Little Things for its Tom Petty-style intro and MC said that she enjoyed the experience of writing that song. They had only three months to write the debut album in Los Angeles. She told us that Bad is one of her favourites and that it is seriously popular in Germany. The northern Europeans have always been mad keen on American pop-rock music. If you want to know where to start your Miller Campbell journey, Bad is a good place. It showcases MC’s range and control, the way the song simmers along before boiling over in the chorus. There is something so clear in her voice, even at its loudest.

I want the night, I want the tide and sea
To pull you in closer and cover me
No river deep, or burning heat
Nothing’s gonna stall your way to me

All Night was one of the first songs written for her self-titled debut album and helped MC to set a course away from more traditional country. Certainly Miller’s early singles such as Your Turn to Cry around five years back were traditional country, and they’re great to listen to, but her first full-length album is much more towards pop-rock.

Miller has a good number of songs I have described as sad-angry love songs. Sometimes she starts off sad and wistful and gets progressively angry as the song unfolds. Sometimes it’s the other way around. But there is a complexity there that will keep you playing the songs over and over.

The song I learned the most about was Self Medicated. It was used on the soundtrack of a 2024 movie called Afraid, alongside some big names including Goldfrapp. MC described it as an AI robot movie. You can catch it on Netflix if you want to see what happens when a household AI assistant goes rogue. Whether or not that helps you decide to watch it, it is certainly topical.

There were two covers in the set. Miller’s sound is partly inspired by the Bangles and she has released Hero Takes A Fall as a single before but I had not seen her play it live. I didn’t detect any flickers of recognition in the audience... were there no Bangles fans there?

Contrast that to Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams, which fired everyone into spontaneous action. A group to my right cheered as soon as it began and the group to my left sang large sections of the song. As I’ve been putting the finishing touches to my own book about the band, it was a timely reminder of the Mac’s appeal across the generations and across the decades, exactly fifty years since the song was first recorded. And by the way, Miller did a brilliant version and seemed to really enjoy channelling Stevie Nicks.

One of the confusing things for an artist is that the songs don’t always get released when they are written. Her new single, For You, has only been out a couple of weeks and I enjoyed it live here for the fist time, though it was actually written right at the start of the work on the last album. She also played Side of You and Problem from the upcoming second album, which should be with you in the autumn.

For You is really strong live. Every so often I reflect on the live experience, even the hi-fi experience as contrasted to the streamed AirPod music experience. There’s no point trying to figure out if one era was better or worse than another. Things just are, or they’re not. But listening to Miller’s vinyl on the turntable with the walls of the house vibrating, followed by the live show that evening, is surely music at its best. For You was also a solo Miller on guitar for the first half of the song. That voice again. There’s nowhere to hide in a small venue with only an acoustic guitar and it is clear that both Natalie Shay and Miller Campbell have enormous careers ahead of them.

If music is best live then that is partly because it becomes a communal experience, like watching a movie at a cinema. The audience ranged broadly in ages and tastes. We were all drawn together for a couple of hours for a collective experience. I’ve grown to love these smaller venues in the year I’ve been writing this Substack. They are so different from the arenas. You get to really hear the artist as well as hear from them about their writing process or where and when a song emerged.

This was Miller’s final show of the tour that has taken her from Ireland to England, Sweden and back to England. The pro musician’s life involves a lot of travel and a lot of late nights and I wrongly assumed a week back in the log cabin in Montana was in order. Instead, Miller somehow managed to write a song yesterday and was out of bed early to record a demo of it at Rak Studios near Regent’s Park in London before catching a late flight to Seattle for a west coast tour!

You can catch Miller Campbell on August 11 at Madrona Playfield in Seattle and a lunchtime show the very same day at the Symetra Center. She regularly plays in and around Bigfork, Montana where she has been based for the last several years. She posts regularly on both Instagram and TikTok. Her own website is here.

Natalie Shay

I had spent the morning spinning a few Natalie Shay tracks from her latest EP, ATMOSPHERE. I knew she attended the BRIT school and had been pursuing a music career since her early teens. As I took my seat I was completely unaware that I was next to three members of her fan club. Only later did I see they were all wearing bright yellow branded T-shirts. It was a heartwarming sight. A first for Natalie as well: it was her first time performing in the Pizza Express basement. She exuded bouncy energy and asked a lot of her guitar.

She introduced Like You Boy as her most-streamed song, expressing surprise at its appeal. Something all writers find difficult is to predict which words will resonate the most, which songs or which stories. You just don’t know, but she was surprised that a quieter acoustic song had done so well. Hate To Say It also stood out. Natalie wrote Taking It Out On You aged 14 and she said it was the nearest thing in her discography to a country song.

Natalie Shay is a wonderfully engaging live performer, full of humour and energy and it would be great to see one of her own headline shows. She certainly found a few new fans in this audience!

You can learn more about Natalie Shay on her website, Instagram and TikTok.

Pizza Express Live

This was also my first time at Pizza Express Live and I want to take a moment to recommend it. It’s a great way to experience live music if that’s not something you normally do. A year ago I certainly found it daunting to watch live music on my own for the first time in years. The Pizza Express venues give you a familiar environment, you don’t have to order food if you don’t want to, and you get very (very, very) close to the music. It was the most chilled of all the venues I have been to and helps you plot a course through the smaller venues like Moth Club, the Water Rats or the 100 Club, and up towards Oslo or Bush Hall. Sometimes watching a movie or listening to music on your own lets you focus more on the experience in front of you.

In Secret Garden, we’re in a minor key right from the start. She’s been living with the lights down low, and not for the first time. The singer finds it hard to open up to new relationships and is aware of this trait. If she’s going to let you in, it has to be 100% commitment. It’ll be worth it, but it feels like she holds all the power. The decision is hers alone. Doubts must be left at the door.

In the second half of the song there are clear dance-floor vibes. It calls to mind the best ‘90s dance and rave bangers. Slow dancing, yes, but there is a definite dance groove. For fans of Dancing with the Stars it is also giving Argentine Tango. Or the Paso Doble, with the woman as the cape. But in Zoee’s version she is the matador, barefoot. Zoee has said the following about Secret Garden:-

"Secret Garden is about trusting someone enough to hand them the key. It's sensual and vulnerable. We all have parts of ourselves we keep hidden, but the song is about that magical moment when you finally let somebody in."

I really enjoyed Butterfly Efffect last summer. It was the record I turned to when in need of cheering up. Even True Crime was sort of funny. The first three singles of 2026 have all been a little sadder, more reflective, sometimes nostalgic. Some might say these songs cover more adult themes, that they’re more grown-up somehow. But surely adults don’t have to be sad every day?

You can pre-save all of Zoee’s music here and follow the rest of her journey.

It is Triton V8 that Chloe releases today. Before we listen, it might be worth mentioning that a Triton V8 is actually an engine, not a vehicle. To add to the confusion, British fans are more likely to think of Triton classic motorcycles. I’m already starting to regret that hour on Google. Maybe she does mean the motorbikes?

British country music fans have had to educate themselves on all manner of vintage vehicles. The car that sprang to mind first was the Chevrolet El Camino: it’s a car from the front and a truck from the rear. The Triton meanwhile is designed for Ford trucks and other utility vehicles and one can imagine it guzzles gas like it’s going out of fashion [It is. Ed.] while sounding like July 4th fireworks.

There’s a Colorado cowboy
Sitting in Durango
I wonder how quick he is

Today’s song is inspired by life on the road as a working musician. Maybe the third or fourth thing I learned about CK is that she does a lot of miles. There is no way to exaggerate this. She drives a lot of them herself and appears to be on the road every week. I am given to understand she recently flew back from Finland, surely a 10-hr flight, then jumped in a car without sleep to travel to the next gig, pausing only for a shower. Even if this is only half right it is impressive.

No hard act to follow
Gonna keep my act in line
When the miles become tomorrow
I’m alone again each time

There are a lot of words in Triton V8. One of its attractions is that you figure out another line every time you listen. It has a steady rhythm that would be just as good on a train ride as a road trip. And yes, she’s still swigging and swallowing Coors Light to help the nights pass, possibly with a little grass.

Daredevil

Chloe has also recently announced an October release date for her second album, Daredevil, in which she appears in a sort of Evel Knievel jumpsuit. I think she is about to be fired out of a cannon. It is available for pre-order already and she has this to say about the meandering journey it has taken her on.

"Daredevil is a product of my consideration of fear. These songs come from my own leaning into and up against it, acknowledging joy and abundance in its negative space. I made this record independently, a labor of love and severe will made possible by the support of my friends and family. Being a songwriter, touring musician and especially an unsigned independent artist for all of the last decade has felt akin to what I can only imagine it is like to be a stuntman shooting oneself out of a cannon into an unknown abyss and hoping to stick the landing. I remain challenged and humbled endeavoring forth in this industry, and do so with gratitude. This album is a reflection of my life as I currently feel it, looking fear in the eye and holding tight to as much thanksgiving for this life’s offerings as I can grip.”

I found this striking because the very last thing I associate with CK is fear. Where other musicians sing about being in a bar at 4am in a low place, worrying about the future and dwelling on the past, Chloe exudes fun and hijinks, japes and painful laughter. The nearest she got to a bar song was the unforgettable Coors Light, and that is also funny as hell. Every silver lining has its cloud and alas you will have to wait a few more months for the rest of the album, but it will be worth the wait.

Chloe Kimes has a wonderful way with words and knows how to put a catchy tune together. Her website has all the information and I hardly need to mention is on tour right now. Chloe is a regular on both Instagram and TikTok. And she is completely independent so head on over to Bandcamp to pre-order her sophomore album, Daredevil.

It was summer-time music, typically bright, loud, upbeat and Californian or at least somewhere a lot sunnier than northern England. The video sealed the deal: Miller was having such enormous fun blasting out these songs that I immediately bought into her music. Her voice is just so loud and clear somehow. She’s a natural.

I knew Miller had spent the winter working on a new album, only her second, and I was keen to hear more. Then, a few weeks ago, she released the first track off that album, For You. I understand it was written a while ago, alongside some songs from her self-titled debut album but it feels darker, sadder. There is often a wistful melancholy behind Miller’s songs.

Sometimes when I’m driving all alone again,
I get in my head
Sometimes when I see the city lights in bed,
I remember when the lights just felt like ours
When we said goodbye
Oh you’re still the only one on my mind

Her songs are lively and bright and are best played very loud. But they often speak of separation, of distance, or heartbreak. It’s a kind of sad angriness that makes it more believable and totally human, totally her. She’s annoyed but still sad while also preparing herself for another round.

For You captured my imagination rightaway, not least because she chose to put a famous London bridge on the cover. Not ‘the’ London Bridge, of course (this has caused confusion in America in times gone by) but Tower Bridge, the one with the famous roadway that lifts up for boats. It’s a winter song, a winter photograph, and it just grows on you the more you listen. It is achingly sad, almost haunting, and the perfect song for a city snowstorm.

Every night I told you all my pretty lies,
It would buy me time
From falling back asleep without you waking next to me,
I think of when
The lights just felt like ours

Miller was one of the first artists to really latch onto my writing last year, and we would message every couple of months. When I heard she was coming to London this month for a short tour of the UK, Ireland and Sweden, the first thing I did was buy a ticket for the Holborn show on August 5th. The second thing I did was try to get hold of her for a short chat. I just asked the most obvious questions I could think of that I had not seen answered anywhere else.

What do you enjoy most about touring in the UK?

Miller: “I love touring over there so much because I think UK audiences tend to dive deeper into the music. They always ask more questions about the lyrics and the meanings behind songs. They look up the catalogue. They seem really involved when they go out to see an artist. It’s a lot less of a passive experience when I play there.”

Why did you choose London’s Tower Bridge for the artwork on For You?

Miller: “I chose Tower Bridge for the artwork because I love the iconography of it. I took that photo when I was in London on my very first tour run. And so it was winter, it was cold, it was gray. And I was just kind of like scrolling through and this is exactly what I was writing about. And I didn’t really realize it. That feeling of just... you’re alone but with a lot of people around you.”

What can you tell us about the second album?

Miller: “So you know that For You is the first single. The second single is a cover of a Radiohead song called Let Down… I’m so excited! The rest of the record is going to roll out through the fall and winter. It’s ready to go.”

Are you all ready for the tour?

Miller: “It’s going to be a really intimate, fabulous show. It’s a presentation of the album and a really great preview of what’s to come. And it’s your chance to get to see it up close and personal versus on some of the other tour runs. It’s a different type of venue. I’m going to bring a trio for sure.”

Miller was calling from her log cabin, I kid you not, deep in the Montana hills, or woodlands, or… just imagine wilderness. She lives in the middle of nowhere and seems full of energy, happy and relaxed there. It’s the perfect antidote to life on the road and in the big cities.

The London gig will be Miller’s only London headline show in 2026 and it will be an intimate evening at the air-conditioned (phew!) Pizza Express Live venue in Holborn. She is performing as a trio, so you will get the full pop-rock Miller Campbell experience. I have seen her live at Bush Hall doing a solo show and that was seriously impressive. Her voice really shines in that context, but I am beyond excited to see her with the band this summer.

Miller Campbell posts regularly on both Instagram and TikTok. Her cover of Let Down is out soon!

Known to gossip with full moons and greet the rising sun, Los Angeles native Niina Soleil has a heart that beats in one long love letter to California. An architect of technicolor dreams, Niina is liquid sunshine splashed with country twang. She is a go-go-boot-wearing siren with an imagination as vivid and doomed as a tarot reading. She resuscitates the lilting melodies of seventies pop with vocals that transition seamlessly from melancholy to playful, sincere to chiding.

Gossiping with the moon! Hello Kitty Coen fans! This one is for you. And my algorithm thinks there are similarities with Cat Burns and Donna Missal too.

Although the new album is not quite out yet, there are several singles to plot a course by. The title, CALIFORNIALAND, immediately called to mind that long-forgotten housing development called HOLLYWOODLAND. Perhaps you have heard of it?

Music should be about the music, of course. We all agree on that. The music needs to be A1 to cut through the noise these days. (Is that A-One or AI? Ed.) But when an artist brings a look, a persona and a ZFG attitude it really helps, and just one reel from Niina convinced me that she is the full package.

There are a few contemporary artists that really sell an attitude, not least Kassi Ashton and Cyrena Wages. They bring the music, of course, but they bring that little bit more somehow, the icing on the cake. The coke on the mirror. This might be the land of the Valley of the Dolls, that iconic Jacqueline Susann novel.

My favourite of the new ones was the first, Welcome to the Dream. This is when the party is just getting going. Kick off your shoes, chillax. This is the best place on earth. But is that lady in the middle really human? She’s either on drugs or a robot. Oh no, is it too soon to leave? Even this banging optimisitic opener is tinged with warning signs.

Welcome to the Dream of California!
Come on, swim the seas where I was born-ia!
Kick off your shoes, kick off your blues,
But baby, I should warn ya-
Things ain't all they seem

Ramblin’ runs it a close second. It called to mind Stuck in the Middle with You by Stealers Wheel. I love it. It’s a great chuggin’ driving song. Not too slow to open up the V8 on the dark desert highway.

In Life & Times of a Wannabe Rockstar we have a moment of reflection. A quiet opening with only an acoustic guitar, this one really shows Niina’s range. And yes, you need both eyes, it’s not Nina.

Sleep in your denim and stay up for the sunrise
Empty bellies sing elegies of last night
We're crawling into the light
Life and times of a wannabe rockstar

Every song has something different to offer. I was drawn to Happy Pills, partly through my own experiences with such. The last of the new ones, actually the most recent to be released, is Tequila Tears. This is a darker, Amy Winehouse vibe.

I tell him, "Listen to yourself and take a hint-
It wasn't like she was some saint, can't you admit
That she was cruel to you?"
But he just sighs and rolls his eyes.
"She was the devil,
But I could never tell her no."
Tequila tears begin to roll

You can catch Niina on tour right now! Well, in August. Tickets here. Her full website is here and you can find her links and email list here.

A friend recommended him to me and I am really glad they did. Cameron offers something different, and his recent album CRK arrives at the perfect moment to help us calm down and cool off in the hottest summer for half a century.

Cameron Knowler’s main focus is the guitar, and typically an acoustic guitar, and making the guitar the star of the show. As well as playing his own instrumental music, he plays as a sideman based out of Nashville, although he spends a lot of time over in LA too.

His journey is as fascinating as it is unusual. Cameron grew up in a desert town in Arizona, famous for growing nearly all the lettuces in the whole of the USA (I know!) and a high school that used to be a prison. It sounds like the perfect starting point for a road movie, or possibly a horror movie.

One of Cameron’s key inspirations was Norman Blake, a legend in roots and folk music. Cameron also teaches and talks eloquently about the guitar in various podcasts and YouTube videos. It feels like the guitar is the anchor for his musical life but he is also a keen student of its history and future.

“Pure musical expression pulling from over a hundred years of American folk history but still feels unburdened by the past and looks sharply towards the future of what the guitar can be. Everything you want from an instrumental guitar record is all here.”
– Hayden Pedigo

As regular readers of the Vibes will be aware, I tend to focus on the lyrics and the story behind a song. Without a song to write about, I have found the writing process to be more lateral and pleasurably challenging. Can an instrument tell as good a story as a poem or song lyric? I argue that yes, it can. Knowing about Cameron’s desert upbringing and watching his tutorial on George Riley Puckett, another legend, helps me understand his approach.

One problem I have always had with punchy songs, especially with drums and electric guitars, is that they can sometimes be a little too engaging. It surely isn’t healthy to blast Born in the USA out of a convertible car stereo in July, fun though it might sound. There’s no way you can keep below the speed limit.

So often, especially when driving at night, I will turn to BBC Radio 3. It might not be very famous in Tennessee but it provides a mix of more mindful music from the old classic orchestras to roots and folk music, but it’s nearly always instrumental.

At college, one of my room mates was an avid fan of John Williams. My friend was a pretty solid guitarist in his own right and went to every John Williams concert he could find. If you are thinking, as we all did, that it’s the guy who wrote the music for Jaws and ET you would be entirely wrong. It didn’t appeal to me back then, but it really does now in our overloaded, over-stimulated black mirror world.

There’s something extra special about guitars. The best ones are handmade, a process I learned a lot about last year when covering Regina Ferguson and Emmanuelle Pickett’s documentary about the making of Regina’s Ren Ferguson guitar called Lucky. I found out that a guitar maker is a luthier.

The guitar was the one instrument we all wanted to play when we were teenagers, and there is still something magical about it. It is an inherently analogue instrument in a digital world. You can’t get an AI robot to play one, unlike the keyboard or synth. It is heartening and inspirational to find, in Cameron Knowler, a Gen Z artist so committed to the future (and the history) of the guitar. It is the absolute antithesis and antidote to all the claptrap we are forced to listen to about doing things the artificial way.

Cameron is clearly a gifted guitarist and I’ve really enjoyed playing his music over the last week or so. If you’re quick there is still time to catch his UK and Ireland tour this week!

Cameron Knowler is also a prose writer. His writing can be found at Acoustic Guitar Magazine and Fretboard Journal. Click HERE for an in-depth interview with Cameron on the Fretboard Journal podcast. His instrumental music can be found on Bandcamp.