COUNTRY/ FOLK

On Love and Other Acts of Subversion, Forest Mountain Lion swings for the heartstrings and lands every time. This indie-folk-rock gem, dropping July 25, is a sweeping, emotionally-charged journey through love, loss, ecological grief, and spiritual longing, all stitched together with bare-bones honesty and earthy sonic texture. Over three years…

Sabina Chantouria has done it again. After reviewing her previous single, “Echoes,” and seeing it soar—quite literally, making it onto global airline playlists—I am once seeing her shine like never before with a more introspective song, full of growth and perspective. Her latest release, “Changes,” is a warm, windswept anthem…

Scottish singer-songwriter Liv Dawn is back with a sun-soaked, heart-on-sleeve anthem just in time for the summer. “Falling For You,” dropped June 27, 2025, catches you off guard with its sincerity, and then sweeps you up in its glow. It’s the first taste of her upcoming autumn EP. The song…

With Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Mahto & The Loose Balloons delivers souvenirs amidst four warm, stripped-back tracks packed with honest songwriting. Released on July 11, 2025, and mostly recorded alone in Mahto’s home studio—on a phone, no less—the project is proof that heartfelt music doesn’t need…

At just 15, Ava Valianti is showing that you won’t believe that she’s 15, with her insanely mature performance and songs that resemble diary entries cracked open and set to music. Her latest single, “Buttercups”, is no exception. It starts off with gentle acoustic guitar plucking and Ava’s soft, high…

Ezmay Grace’s latest single “Siren Song” from her upcoming debut album Lien Gwerin is everything you’d expect from a Cornish coastal balladeer—and then some. At first listen, it’s tender and hushed, led by soft writhing strings and a slow, delicate piano melody that tiptoes like low tide. But as Ezmay’s…

Sometimes a song doesn’t just play, it reminds, and Stray Blue’s “Wake Up & Smile” does exactly that. Released on July 18, 2025, as part of their acoustic EP Wake Up & Smile, this track feels like a heartfelt letter written with a guitar and a sunrise. Rooted in the…

Mitchell MacDonald’s latest single, “Home to You” is a warm, gut-honest country ballad that rides in like a memory you didn’t know you missed. Hailing from Pictou County, Nova Scotia, MacDonald blends timeless and tender old-school country storytelling with the emotional candor of today’s Americana troubadours. Raised on kitchen party…

Oaken Lee’s Home (is a folk-rock mixtape) captures the restless, tender, and sometimes haunting relationship we have with the idea of home. Melding acoustic guitar, field recordings, and modern textures like drum machines and distorted bass, Lee curates a warm, introspective soundscape for intimate ponderings. Let’s look at “One Summer…

With Cold Feet, Calgary’s The Dust Collectors deliver a warm, earthy, and deeply felt sophomore album that sinks into the bones like a familiar conversation by a crackling fire. Released June 27, 2025, two months ahead of schedule in anticipation of their performance at the Calgary Folk Music Festival, the…