Dutch Wine ‘Facade’
Dutch Wine are back and striding into a new era with the release of their new single ‘Facade’. The band have spent large parts of the year been burrowed away, honing in on their craft and creating a fresh batch of new material, with talk of a larger, fully formed project on the way soon. And having returned to the same bothy in the north of Scotland where they recorded some of their earlier material, ‘Facade’ is the first product to emerge from those prolific sessions – taking the band into an exciting new chapter with real purpose. Channelling the raw energy of bands like The Cribs and the atmospheric feel of Interpol, it encapsulates all we love about Dutch Wine – but it feels louder, more urgent and direct. Speaking of the track, they say: “The song is written about someone who’s shut themselves off from the real world, out of fear or exhaustion, and due to repeated bad habits, failed relationships etc. They would rather be told what it’s like “outside” than see for themselves. They want connection again but are resigned to the loneliness and exclusion they’re facing as a result of their own actions.”
Cara Rose, Kai Reesu ‘Late Summer’
Cara Rose shared her new EP last week ‘No Harm’, featuring a new take on her single ‘Late Summer’ with SAY Award winners Kai Reesu. The gorgeous ballad is stretched and pulled in new ways as the band add their inventive nu-jazz and rhythmic flair to the piece. Of course, Cara Rose has the perfect vocal for the arrangement – deep, soulful and malleable.
Iona Zajac ‘Dilute’
Iona Zajac shared her stunning debut album ‘Bang’ last week to widespread acclaim. Known for her intimate folk songwriting and raw experimentation, the album sees her turn anger and trauma into something cathartic and exhilarating. Shifting from the intimate to the explosive, it’s an album shaped by humour, emotional candour and a refusal to look away – and it marks her out as one of Scotland’s most fearless voices. One of its many highlights is ‘Dilute’.
She says: “I don’t think I necessarily approached this album with a plan, but if you look at songs like ‘Bowls’, ‘Dilute’ and ‘Anton’, they’re like sisters in different stages of processing something bad. They were written in very different periods, ‘Bowls’ expresses a more general feeling of anger about violence towards women.
“While ‘Dilute’ came from my own experiences as a teenager and ‘Anton’ more specifically hones in on stories of relationships and intimacy. They’re the heaviness that anchors the album that exist alongside playful moments that I hoped would provide a thread of how surreal a lot of my ways of processing things are. I think it’s a very Scottish thing, processing sadness through humour.”
Cardinals ‘Barbed Wire’
Following a near month on the road, Cork’s Cardinals return today with another highlight of their upcoming debut album, the swaggeringly melodic but darkly worded “Barbed Wire”.Frontman Euan Manning had to say the following about the latest single to land from their record:
“It’s very much inspired by the history of our city and the Gaol house that stood on the south gate bridge many years ago, lyrically I had hoped to evoke images of silhouetted city walls and security fences. Sometimes aesthetics can carry a song from its inception to its completion. Kevin Barry’s novel ‘City of Bohane’ also served as inspiration for a gothic re-imagining of Cork.”
Fletchr Fletchr ‘We All Feel The Same’
After catching our attention at TENEMENT TRAIL, Fletchr Fletchr have unveiled their debut EP ‘We All Feel The Same’. Exploring themes of grief, loss and anxiety, it’s a raucous yet opening chapter – the emotional heft of its lyrics reflected in the urgency of its delivery. It sounds massive too – full of powerful vocal harmonies, towering melodies and driving guitar-led instrumentals. Featuring the likes of ‘Limitations’, ‘Feel The Same’, ‘Jet Black’ and the bright yet lyrically restless ‘Find Happiness’, at the heart of it lies a message about the importance of talking through problems.
TTSFU ‘Upstairs’
TTSFU has enjoyed a big 2025, with her EP ‘Blown’ arriving towards the end of summer. She’s now unveiled a new single called ‘Upstairs’ which perfectly encapsulates her raw approach to pop music. Centred around her magnetic vocal and understated yet addictive bass line, she says “This song is about a man I met one time and I become completely obsessed with him, got to a point where I had to zoom into photos of him to find faults.“
