Max McNown - Leave On A Light

Today, rising country-folk star Max McNown released his third studio album, Leave On A Light, on Fugitive Recordings. The deeply personal record channels the whirlwind of the singer-songwriter’s breakout success and pays homage to his wife, family, and the values that anchor him. Also out today is the performance video for the cinematic focus track “Slow Down, Slow Down.” Speaking on “Slow Down, Slow Down,” McNown says, “In this business, life has felt fast-paced, rarely ever providing a chance to slow down, stop, and smell the roses I’m walking past. I tried to draw from the overwhelming burnout I was feeling, and my desperate desire to spend time in restfulness with those I love most. I know I’m not alone in the stressful cycle that often develops within most professions; At the end of the day, I hope this song serves as a mirror for those who hear it, sparking internal reflection and most importantly, a greater appreciation for the smaller blessings in life.”

Ian Noe - Canyon Falls Trailer Band

Singer-songwriter Ian Noe will release his highly anticipated third studio album, Canyon Falls Trailer Band, via Thirty Tigers. Canyon Falls Trailer Band is an expansive, 16-song concept album drawing on sonic influences from pensive singer-songwriters to folk-rock, country-rock, and true-blue honky tonk and hard country. The double album imagines a fictional group, Canyon Falls Trailer Band, which performs a legendary showcase in Nashville in an attempt to secure a recording contract. As Noe tells it, on that night, the imaginary band expertly moved between genres in an attempt to entice music industry executives. Whether they succeeded is left unanswered. Instead, the showcase became part of the mythology at the center of the record. Though Canyon Falls Trailer Band disappeared from public view after that night, their fate remains unknown, the show became the stuff of music legend.

Maddie Zahm - Meryl

alt-pop singer/songwriter Maddie Zahm will release her stunning sophomore studio album, Everything All The Time, on all platforms via MNRK Nashville. Alongside today’s release is Maddie’s newest single, “Meryl.” Rather than treating growth as a final destination, Everything All The Time embraces it as an ongoing process, one rooted in curiosity, compassion, and the continual journey of coming home to yourself. Across the album’s 12 tracks, Zahm channels a warm, kaleidoscopic sense of wonder, crafting a record that is candid, funny, heartbreaking, and deeply human. She recalls growing up watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood – the show became a north star for Zahm, opening her mind and allowing her to simply be without self-judgment. She looks back on the freedom of this childhood awe, reminding herself to embrace the strange, beautiful flood of becoming yourself on your own terms. In a world where some fans expect a cliché or static personality, Zahm’s music continues to reinforce the embrace of change and impassioned reality.  Everything All the Time beautifully bolsters the lesson that first drew Zahm toward the gentle emotional honesty of Mister Rogers: feeling deeply is both a gift and a responsibility. Rather than flattening herself into a self-help slogan or treating vulnerability like a moral high ground, Zahm allows her songs to exist in their fullest nuance. New single “Meryl” is an upbeat pop-rock anthem reflecting on Zahm’s rollercoaster of experiences with an older partner. Maddie is unapologetic as she sings about her attraction to this person despite their hesitation due to their age difference.

New Vision - I Am A Muse

The Hudson Valley-based rock band New Vision announces their signing to the independent, artist-first record label Papercut Recordings. Their first single with the label, “I Am A Muse” also came out today exploring themes of self-worth and refusing to let others define your value.

"This song kinda came out of nowhere one day at practice," shares lead guitarist Ryan Skinner. "The lead I'm playing reminds me of something Drug Church would write, which is sick for me because they're one of my favorite bands. I remember this song being fun to record in the studio just because it's so high-energy. In the breakdown at the end of the song, our producer Adam Cichocki had me try out the Boss Rotary Ensemble pedal for the lead and it turned out sick. I went home after we finished recording and bought the pedal on Reverb." Fellow Hudson Valley native and co-founder of the label Tuck O’Leary shares, “New Vision is my new favorite rock band from the Hudson Valley. I’ve been hoping to find the right project from home to team up with. Whether you love Third Eye Blind or Fiddlehead, they’re for you. New Vision is doing rock the right way.”

Belle And Chain - Laila

LA-based rock duo Belle and Chain, the project of Spencer Grammer and Davis IL, return with their new single, “Laila.” The track follows the duo’s debut single, “Don’t You Worry Babe,” released earlier this year. Since its release, Belle and Chain have completed a North American tour supporting British singer-songwriter Barns Courtney and performed at festivals across the country. “Laila” explores jealousy, desire, betrayal, and the complicated truths that surface when love begins to fracture, pairing Grammer’s intimate vocals with sweeping strings and the haunting tones of the Martenot. Inspired by a specific experience with a woman who came between Grammer and someone she was seeing, the song looks beyond the easy lines of blame, instead sitting with the uncertainty of what happened. “‘Laila’ can be interpreted two ways: an obsession with the woman one wishes they were, or a plea to the woman who tempts your partner,” Grammer shares. “It was written about a specific experience with a woman who came and tried to steal the attention of someone I was seeing. Laila is a painful song about love lost, unseen truths between people, and ultimately what we learn from it all.”

This Is The Kit - Skim a Stone

The ghostly garment referenced in the title of This Is The Kit’s latest album was inspired by a shadow cast by the staircase in Kate Stables’ new home. The phrase appeared in her head and has been echoing around it ever since, like echolalia. “Ghost coat” could refer to a layer, a garment, a disguise, a memory, or a mysterious presence that guides and watches over us, though its intentions are unknown. Stables points to an eerie Ben Folds Five lyric describing a similar invisible force (“I’ve faith that there’s a soul somewhere / That’s leading me round / I wonder if she knows which way is down.”). This haunting presence sits at the heart of her tender and thoughtful seventh LP: a meditation on home, both at peace and under threat, her friendships, and her ever-expanding community.

Flowers For The Dead - Killstar

Flowers For The Dead shared their new single “Killstar,” a seething and grunged-out song filled with endless hooks, alongside a video directed by Lucien Anderson and the band’s singer/guitarist Jessie Szegö. A live favorite that hadn’t been released until now, the song is an antidote to self-sabotage. “I wrote this song about not letting yourself be your biggest enemy and stopping you from doing the things you want to do. It's easy to let fear and anxiety take over and get stuck in your head, especially if you're a shy person like I am. Music has allowed me to come out of my shell a lot since performing with Flowers for the Dead, and I've grown so much because of it,” explains Szegö. “This song is sort of a declaration of not letting my fear of being seen stop me from doing what I love. Playing this song in our live sets has only been further confirmation and a reminder for myself that repeating a sentiment over and over again gives it power, and I've chosen to give power to this.”

KABBEL - Elephant

The moniker of French artist Gregory Hoepffner, KABBEL shared his visceral, haunting new single/video “Elephant” off his debut album When The War Is Over, due out October 30 via Perturbator’s record label Music of the Void. “Elephant” showcases the album’s industrial intensity with guitar riffs and vocals that burst with rage. “‘Elephant’ is about the sadness of a deep relationship turning sour, and the distressing realization that you can see pieces of yourself in someone who’s vicious to you,” KABBEL explains. “Musically, the song is partially an homage to the early 2000s nu-metal aesthetic, with the trademark quiet, restrained verses and angry, distorted choruses. I learned to play guitar within this musical era, so it’s a total guilty pleasure to dive into it again.”

Lydia Loveless - Accolades

Lydia Loveless today announced their new EP Accolades, which will be released on October 30, 2026, via Bloodshot Records. They’ve also shared the title track, a laid-back rocker about centering oneself in our clamorous present-day. The EP also features a second, more spare version of the song. “I think for me the heart of ‘Accolades’ is trying to return to a place of quiet observation and meditation, the deep dark hole being more a place to sit and think about motivation for doing things as opposed to a place to wallow,”  Loveless explains of the song, “Of course there’s some nostalgia in there too, not for the good old days exactly but for a sense of self.”

Wendy’s - Songs To Listen To In A Wendy’s Parking Lot

For years, fans have turned Wendy’s parking lots into an unexpected backdrop for documenting life’s emotional moments from the comfort of their cars. So, Wendy’s gave those moments a soundtrack. If you’ve been there too, songs like “Salt in the Wound” and “She Said She Didn’t Want Fries (She Lied),” may speak to your soul more than you’d expect. With emo and pop-punk experiencing a resurgence in culture, the genre felt like the perfect backdrop for celebrating everything from Frosty treats and fries to sunrooms and late-night Wendy's runs. Featuring Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire and Anberlin, Chloe Kinnon of Winona Fighter, Shane Told of Silverstein, Beau Bokan of Blessthefall, Derek DiScanio of State Champs, and Kat Leon of Holy Wars, this album pairs surprisingly well with a Wendy’s combo and a dramatic stare out the front windshield. "Emo has always been about the small moments that feel huge. A younger generation is discovering that now, and the older fans never stopped feeling it," said Executive Producer Matt Squire. "Enjoying a Wendy’s Frosty in a parking lot might sound like a small moment, but everybody's had a night where that was the only thing that went right."