It takes a distinct kind of exhaustion to write a gorgeous tune about feeling entirely helpless, which is exactly the bruised nerve Maicín strike with their new single, "Fear The War". The five-piece Irish band formed by architects Matt Hurley and Aidan Kelleher as an escape from corporate burnout gained rapid momentum in 2025 by winning university battles of the bands and extensively touring...

Leon Blanchard, a name perhaps faintly echoing from the mid-noughties indie surge, returns not with fanfare, but with a solitary signal flare titled "Astronaut". Hailing from Grimsby, a town known more for its fishing heritage than its celestial aspirations, Blanchard's new song does not really feel like a return, but more like a personal gearbox picked up after years of chatter. In 2007, his old band,...