Jess Ball

Jess Ball (Press)

Following recent single Roundabouts and the acclaimed Where You Go EP, Kiddin’ sees Ball delve into some of her most vulnerable songwriting to date. Blending infectious pop melodies with darker, more unsettling undertones, the track offers an honest exploration of the intrusive thoughts, anxiety and internal battles that often accompany OCD.

Opening with sharp, confrontational percussion, Kiddin’ immediately establishes a sense of unease before unfolding into a captivating piece of alternative pop. Beneath its polished production and earworm hooks lies a tension that mirrors the song’s subject matter, as delicate piano lines and Ball’s emotive vocal performance capture the relentless push and pull between logic and compulsion.

Speaking about the track, Ball explains that she wanted to challenge common misconceptions surrounding OCD, a condition often misunderstood as simply being linked to cleanliness or organisation.

“Kiddin’ is inspired by my personal experience living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD),” she says. “Through the song, I wanted to capture the chaos and intensity OCD can bring to everyday life, while also challenging the common misconception that it’s simply about being neat or overly clean.”

The song reflects how quickly obsessive thoughts can spiral, escalating from minor concerns into overwhelming fears within moments. By addressing those realities head-on, Ball delivers a song that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable for anyone who has struggled with anxiety, intrusive thinking or self-doubt.

Musically, Kiddin’ further showcases Ball’s evolving artistry. While she first gained widespread attention as the vocalist behind dance hits including EDX’s I Found You (Neptune) and Take Me Home, her solo material continues to move beyond her electronic roots. Drawing influence from artists as diverse as Cigarettes After Sex, Massive Attack, Olivia Dean, Lily Allen, Turnstile and The Cure, Ball has developed a distinctive sound that combines alt-pop, trip-hop textures and introspective singer-songwriter storytelling.

The track was once again created alongside producer duo Antoni Polimeni and Richy Sebastian, collectively known as 1and2 Productions, whose previous work spans electronic heavyweights including EDX, NERVO, Tensnake and Curbi. Their production strikes a careful balance between accessibility and experimentation, allowing Ball’s lyrical vulnerability to remain front and centre.

Originally from Melbourne, Ball has steadily built momentum as both a collaborator and solo artist, earning attention for her ability to transform deeply personal experiences into compelling pop music. With Kiddin’, she takes another significant step forward, delivering a track that is as thought-provoking as it is memorable.

As she continues to carve out her own space within the alternative pop landscape, Kiddin’ demonstrates that Jess Ball is unafraid to tackle difficult subjects while crafting songs that resonate long after the final note fades.

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James & Steven

James & Steven (Sam Vermeulen)

Launching the project is the explosive first track, Fuckin’ Scream, featuring vocals from actor and singer Gaten Matarazzo, best known for his role as Dustin Henderson in Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things. The song offers audiences their first glimpse into the darkly comic and blood-soaked world of the forthcoming production, blending theatrical storytelling with Bourne’s knack for anthemic rock songwriting.

Described as Cluedo meets Clueless with a Gen-Z twist, Murder At The Gates unfolds within the confines of an affluent gated community where a birthday party quickly descends into chaos. What begins as a staged murder mystery game soon turns horrifyingly real when one of the guests turns up dead. With the estate’s security system locking everyone inside, paranoia spreads as friendships unravel and the body count begins to rise.

At the heart of the project is an impressive creative partnership between Steven Sater, whose work on Spring Awakening earned Tony, GRAMMY® and Olivier Awards, and James Bourne, the multi-platinum songwriter and musician known for his work with Busted, Son Of Dork and the Olivier Award-nominated musical Loserville.

Sater describes the musical as a contemporary exploration of the pressures and anxieties facing young people today. While developing Spring Awakening, he was once encouraged to modernise that story, an idea that never fully materialised. Instead, many of those themes eventually evolved into Murder At The Gates, a sharp and satirical examination of youth, privilege, grief and identity in modern America.

For Bourne, the project represents the culmination of years of work. The songwriter revealed that health issues which prevented him from touring last year unexpectedly gave him the time needed to finally complete what he calls a dream project.

Musically, Fuckin’ Scream immediately establishes the ambitious scope of the production. Driven by punk energy, theatrical grandeur and soaring hooks, the track feels equally indebted to pop-punk and rock opera traditions. Matarazzo’s performance channels the panic of a character trapped within the story’s increasingly deadly events, delivering a vocal that showcases the Broadway credentials he has developed through productions including Les Misérables and Rent.

Beyond Matarazzo, the soundtrack boasts an impressive cast drawn from Broadway, the West End and screen productions. Among the featured performers are Disney star Milo Manheim, The Pitt actress Isa Briones, Tony Award nominee Joy Woods, Helen J Shen, Mason Alexander Park, Back To The Future: The Musical star Casey Likes, and celebrated stage performer Ramin Karimloo.

While Murder At The Gates is only now reaching audiences through its concept album, the project has a long history. Early versions were staged at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts before receiving workshop readings in London and New York over the past decade. The forthcoming album represents the most complete realisation of the work to date and could offer a significant glimpse into a future full-scale stage production.

With a stellar cast, an acclaimed creative team and a premise that combines dark humour, mystery and razor-sharp social commentary, Murder At The Gates is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing new musical projects on the horizon.

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Ferris & Sylvester

Ferris & Sylvester (Press)

Known for blending Americana, folk, blues and rock into a distinctive sound entirely their own, the husband-and-wife duo continue to expand their musical horizons on Jealous. Wrapped in warm country-rock instrumentation and buoyed by infectious melodies, the track tackles a universal emotion that many struggle to admit: envy.

While comparison and self-doubt are often viewed as uncomfortable subjects, Ferris & Sylvester transform those feelings into something cathartic and uplifting. Issy Ferris delivers a powerful lead vocal, complemented by Archie Sylvester’s harmonies, creating the kind of emotional chemistry that has become a hallmark of the pair’s songwriting.

The song’s origins stretch back more than a decade. Originally written by Issy as a teenager, Jealous was inspired by feelings of inadequacy and the desire to measure up to those around her. Revisiting the song years later, the duo realised its message remained just as relevant in adulthood.

Archie explains: “In its original form, Jealous was conjured up by Issy when she was 17, about the cool kids at school. Over ten years later, we realised it still had deep meaning in our lives as adults. We had to work on it. It’s exciting to face the ‘uglier’ parts of ourselves in our writing. So much strength can come from it.”

The single follows a string of tracks that have showcased a renewed creative spark ahead of It’s A Joy To Be Alive. While Ferris & Sylvester have always embraced a broad palette of influences, the new album promises their most cohesive and emotionally revealing work yet. Themes of resilience, gratitude and perseverance run throughout the record, much of it inspired by personal challenges the couple have faced in recent years, including the premature birth of their son.

That sense of hard-earned optimism sits at the heart of the album’s title. Rather than shying away from difficult experiences, Ferris & Sylvester lean into them, crafting songs that acknowledge struggle while celebrating survival and growth.

Since meeting in a London blues bar a decade ago, the duo have steadily built a reputation as one of the UK’s most compelling independent acts. Their journey has seen them progress from intimate club shows to major festival stages, while sharing bills with some of their musical heroes along the way. Their previous albums, Superhuman and Otherness, earned widespread acclaim and established them as leading voices within the contemporary Americana and roots scene.

Away from music, the pair continue to champion causes close to their hearts, supporting both baby charity Tommy’s and the Music Venue Trust, while balancing family life and the development of their new creative base in the West Country.

With It’s A Joy To Be Alive set to arrive this summer, Jealous offers another glimpse into an album that promises honesty, vulnerability and hope in equal measure. If the new material is anything to go by, Ferris & Sylvester are entering one of the most rewarding chapters of their career.

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Basht.

Basht. (Polocho)

Having steadily built a reputation as one of Ireland’s most exciting emerging guitar bands, Basht. have spent the past few years turning heads through relentless touring, festival appearances and a growing catalogue of emotionally charged, sonically adventurous releases. Following the dark atmospherics of previous single Perfume, Keira Knightley offers another compelling glimpse into the band’s debut full-length while showcasing a different side of their evolving sound.

Driven by tense guitars, brooding dynamics and an undercurrent of emotional urgency, Keira Knightley explores the desperation that can emerge when a relationship begins to unravel. The title references the iconic romantic gesture from Love Actually, but rather than celebrating grand declarations of love, Basht. use the image to examine the lengths people will go to in an attempt to salvage something already slipping away.

Frontman Jack Leavey’s vocal performance balances vulnerability and frustration throughout, while the band’s trademark ability to transform deeply personal subject matter into expansive, cathartic post-punk remains front and centre.

Speaking about the track, Leavey explains that the song charts the decline of a once-thriving relationship, documenting the gradual shift from excitement and affection into jealousy, resentment and emotional exhaustion. Musically, the band were keen to push beyond the boundaries of their previous releases and offer listeners a fresh perspective on what Basht. are capable of.

The track arrives ahead of Poor Advice, an ambitious concept album that tackles themes deeply rooted in Ireland’s social and political history. Across ten songs, the record examines the long-lasting influence of institutional power, particularly the historic relationship between church and state, and how systems of authority continue to shape personal freedoms and collective experiences today.

Produced by acclaimed producer Ali Chant, whose previous work includes collaborations with some of alternative music’s most distinctive voices, Poor Advice promises to be a bold and thought-provoking debut. Basht.’s ability to pair sharp social commentary with emotionally resonant songwriting has already earned them a devoted following, and the album looks set to establish them as one of the most vital new voices emerging from Ireland’s thriving alternative scene.

Their rise has been fuelled by a formidable live reputation, with support slots alongside the likes of DEADLETTER, Everything Everything and Wunderhorse helping to introduce the band to wider audiences across the UK and Europe. Festival appearances at The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Dot To Dot, Live At Leeds and Other Voices have further cemented their status as a band on the verge of a breakthrough moment.

Basht.

Basht. (Polocho)

With Keira Knightley delivering another captivating chapter in the story of Poor Advice, Basht. are proving they possess both the ambition and songwriting depth to become one of the standout new guitar bands of 2026.

Upcoming UK & Ireland Tour Dates:

JUNE
20th – Glasgow, TRNSMT Festival

JULY
11th – Southampton, Papillon
30th – London, Amersham Arms (War Child Fundraiser)
31st – Dover, The Booking Hall

AUGUST
1st – Oxford, Wilderness Festival
9th – Newquay, Boardmasters Festival
29th – Sheffield, Rock N Roll Circus
30th – Leeds Festival, Leeds

OCTOBER
27th – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
28th – Glasgow, Art School
29th – Manchester, Gorilla
30th – London, KOKO

NOVEMBER
7th – Dublin, Button Factory

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TV Priest

TV Priest (Charles Gall)

Following the release of their acclaimed albums Uppers and My Other People, the band emerge from their recording silence with a track that pushes their sound into even more uncompromising territory. Combining elements of post-punk, drum and bass, electronic textures and spoken-word intensity, The Mud Never Dries feels like a deliberate attempt to dismantle expectations while retaining the sharp social and personal observations that have defined the band since their debut.

Opening with a restless, propulsive bassline, the track quickly spirals into a barrage of abrasive rhythms, fractured electronics and mounting tension. It’s a song that never sits still, constantly shifting shape while reflecting on themes of history, memory and repetition. Beneath its confrontational exterior lies a meditation on the way personal experiences and collective political histories continue to shape the present, whether we acknowledge them or not.

Vocalist Charlie Drinkwater describes the song as the most abrasive material the band have created to date, inspired by the idea of history accumulating like layers of sediment beneath our feet. The result is a track that wrestles with the notion that the past never truly disappears, instead resurfacing in new forms as individuals and societies continue to repeat familiar mistakes.

The accompanying video, directed by long-time collaborator Charles Gall, mirrors the song’s themes of unease and psychological unrest. Set within a deserted office space, the visual follows Drinkwater as he gradually sheds restraint, delivering a raw and increasingly unhinged performance that feels both intensely personal and unsettlingly universal. The stark setting amplifies the song’s exploration of confinement, repetition and the struggle to escape inherited patterns of behaviour.

The release marks an intriguing new chapter for TV Priest. Since emerging as one of the UK’s most compelling voices in modern post-punk, the quartet have consistently balanced intellectual depth with visceral energy. The Mud Never Dries suggests a band willing to evolve further, embracing harsher sonic experimentation while continuing to interrogate the social and existential concerns at the heart of their work.

With this return, TV Priest remind listeners why they remain one of the most distinctive and thought-provoking acts in contemporary alternative music. If The Mud Never Dries is any indication, their next chapter promises to be their most adventurous yet.

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