COUNTRY/ FOLK

Simonne Draper has the rare combo of conservatory-trained classical guitar chops and a genuine curiosity for modern texture, so it makes total sense that she’d link up with British downtempo wizard Jon Kennedy for “Finesca II” (released Dec 19, 2025). Draper isn’t new to getting her music out into the…

Philadelphia’s own Neo Brightwell has never been one to color inside the lines, and on “We Didn’t Survive to Be Quiet,” he doesn’t just step over them — he sets them on fire. Billing his sound as Moonshine Disco, Brightwell fuses outlaw gospel, queer liberation energy, Americana grit, and dance-floor…

Out of San Francisco’s ever-creative haze, Michellar returns with “Love Peace War (Acoustic Version).” This stripped-back remix, released on February 13, 2026, and produced by Bay Area collaborator Robi Bean at his El Cerrito studio, the track serves as the first glimpse into her upcoming acoustic EP Homegrown, due later…

George Collins is kicking the door wide open into 2026. The Prague-based singer-songwriter, who famously swapped a high-powered finance career for a second act in music, returns with “What Living Is For,” a fist-in-the-air Americana rocker. Known for his classic rock grit with soulful hooks, Collins has always written about…

Leeds-based composer Lostbird steps into the spotlight with “Drift,” an evocative piano piece that feels less like a song and more like a memory gently resurfacing. Released on January 25, 2026, this atmospheric instrumental leans into nostalgia without romanticising it too hard, instead letting small, sensory details do the talking.…

Remon Nakanishi has built a reputation for treating Japanese folk tradition not as a museum piece but as something alive, social, and a little unruly, and “Yattokose” pushes that philosophy smugly. Released on January 30, 2026, the track reimagines a Bon song from Sado Island and flips it into a…

Marianne Joyce arrives with “Inventing Something” sounding remarkably assured for a debut, like an artist who’s been honing her voice long before hitting record. Rooted in indie folk but stretching toward something anthemic, the song feels intimate and expansive, carrying the weight of history while staying firmly grounded in the…

There’s something disarmingly real about Derby Hill, the self-titled EP from Detroit singer-songwriter Derby Hill, released on January 27, 2026. Rooted in blue-collar neighborhoods, back porch swings, and late-night reckonings, this EP feels like a handful of lived stories passed across a kitchen table. Recorded in Chicago basements and hall…

New Year’s Eve Jam 2025 comes beautifully unpolished to show us where charm actually lives. J Dulva, a seasoned voice from Eunice, Louisiana, reunites with Chris Segar, separated by a generation but bonded by shared roots, for a cover album that was meant to happen at one point or another. Recorded…

cmon’s “Sink Down To You” comes confessing at the kitchen table, still warm from the tape machine. Released on February 6th, 2026, the single finds the Sheffield-based songwriter leaning fully into his lo-fi, analogue instincts, using intimacy to tell a story about fleeting connections and the people who drift in…