Youngster Year

Celebrated in their home country of Canada and beyond for their succinct, immersive indie rock songs and lyrical storytelling, Kiwi Jr. has returned with their first album in four years — and it’s a record worth the wait.

“Blowin’ Up,” the band’s fourth studio album, is out Aug. 14. Recently, frontman Jeremy Gaudet spoke about this new collection of songs, where they came from and where the band is taking them next.

Weird Nightmare is not something you wake up from — it’s something you wake up to.

After a debut album that hung around on the outskirts of contemporary indie records, the solo project of longtime METZ frontman Alex Edkins is finally getting the recognition it deserves. With “Hoopla,” its latest release on Sub Pop Records, Weird Nightmare has garnered a well-deserved worldwide reach — a long way from where the sophomore album was conceived in Ottawa, Ontario.

Now, after playing in Canada and the U.S. earlier in the spring, Edkins is taking the band to Europe at the end of the summer. In this interview, Edkins discussed everything from the record and the impetus behind it to the shows and music still to come.

Ultra Lights began as a pandemic recording project in a homemade studio. Now a full-fledged band with their debut album on the way, the project evolved from frontman John Robinson’s desire to escape the 'jaded' cycles of being in a band.

On “Pleasure’s All Yours," they embrace creative limitations and a dreamer’s mindset, resulting in a sound that’s more honest and relatable than Robinson’s past work. The album is out July 10, and recently, Robinson and guitarist Leela Hoehn spoke about the experience of building this band and the evolution of its sound.

Montreal’s knitting returns this week with their sophomore album. While recent singles provide dark foreshadowing, the heavy, existential subject matter of the record doesn’t come without a few glimmers of hope.

Out this Friday, “Souvenir” was written, recorded and produced entirely in-house. What we’re left with is a thoughtful and deeply personal body of work that serves as a worthy follow-up to the band’s 2024 debut. Recently, front person Mischa Dempsey and guitarist/engineer Sarah Harris spoke about the record and everything else the band has in store.

Dino Expedition had a good run. But for this evolution, the old band had to go extinct for something new to flourish. Named for Cat Power’s 1996 debut album, Myra Lee is about to release a debut of their own.

Out June 26, “Capture The Flag” is this band in their truest form yet. And just a few weeks ago, I spoke with vocalist and guitarist Tahlia Amanson about the band, the record and the songs within.

When the Pretty Littles released their previous album in 2025, it followed a long stretch of dormancy, change and a rebuilt lineup. Through it all, the songwriting of frontman Jack Parsons remained the band’s center of gravity.

Out June 5, “Mulga Wire” marks the quickest turnaround in the history of the Littles. The album came together in what Parsons described as “a series of last things falling into place” — it’s a record assembled with the audible momentum of a band in its purest form.

Recently, Parsons discussed the making of the album, the road that led to it and the future of the band.

Boston’s Gollylagging has spent years sharpening a sound that blends shoegaze fuzz with alt-country and bedroom pop sensibilities. Following their 2024 EP, “Dry Rot,” the quartet entered a new era with their latest single, “Jackknife,” on May 26.

Recently, the band sat down to discuss the painstaking process of revising their new sound, their deep collaborative roots in the New England circuit and the full-length album they now have on the horizon.

Borrowing from shoegaze while carving out a sound distinctly their own, self-described “moss music” purveyors of Minneapolis she’s green haven’t slowed down since their formation. Their new EP, “swallowtail,” arrives July 10 as the follow-up to 2025’s “chrysalis” — together revealing a band capable of far more than the dreamy, fuzz-soaked sound they first became known for. Next week, the band heads out on a U.S. tour with Turnover and Narrow Head before crossing over to Europe in August and September.

Recently, vocalist Zofia Smith and guitarist Liam Armstrong joined me to discuss the past, present and future of a band that rarely stands still.

Listen to this interview anywhere podcasts are available.

Few bands see the early success Fai Laci has earned in recent years. What began as a college solo project is now a full band with a debut album on the way produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys.

“Elephant In The Room” comes out June 26 amid dozens of tour dates across the US this summer. Just before the band hit the road, frontman Luke Faillaci sat down with me to talk about it all.

After 10 years away, Mrs. Magician has returned. With an entirely new lineup, frontman Jacob Turnbloom’s creative vision is the sonic anchor that refines this new collaborative energy into an evolution rather than a departure; they’re still the same surf-adjacent San Diego band you know and love.

The band’s new album, “Spiritual Hangover,” is out May 15. Last month, I was thrilled to speak with Turnbloom in my final weeks living in San Diego — and I can’t imagine a better way to round out my time there.