ifitbeyourwill Podcast #169 • Cindy

Cindy's Karina on Another Country, Lucky Accidents, and Why the Stakes Keep Rising

There's something quietly radical about Karina's approach to making music as Cindy. No studio pressure, no grand blueprint — just new songs, a TASCAM 388 eight-track at bandmate Ollie's home setup, and a handful of players trusted enough to hear a demo and nail it on the first real take. That's Another Country in a nutshell: unhurried, unguarded, and arriving May 2026.

On a recent episode of If It Be Your Will, Karina walked us through five-plus records' worth of earned perspective — and an admission that the vulnerability hasn't faded. If anything, having an actual audience makes each release feel more exposed than the last, not less. The debut flew under the radar by design. This one won’t.

Rooted in the dreamy, basement-lo-fi architecture Cindy has always called home, Another Country folds in pedal steel and a new sonic lightness — country-adjacent without surrendering the fog. A Japan tour is penciled in for fall. The world, it seems, keeps finding Cindy whether Karina expects it or not.

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R.E.M. • R.E.M. At The BBC • 2026

R.E.M. At The BBC opens a deep vault and tells the story of a band that grew up on the airwaves and, in many ways, helped redefine them. Across eight CDs and a DVD in its most expansive form, this retrospective captures R.E.M. in motion, from scrappy college-radio insurgents to one of the most commanding live acts of their era, all framed through a three-decade relationship with the BBC.

For longtime fans, the appeal is obvious. For newcomers, it plays like a masterclass in evolution.

The in-studio material alone traces a fascinating arc. A 1998 John Peel Session finds the band still restless and sharp, while later stops on Drivetimeand Mark and Lard in 2003 show a group fully at ease in its own skin. By the time of the 2008 Radio 1 Live Lounge appearance, R.E.M. sound relaxed but locked in, proving that even in their later years, they could strip songs down and make them feel immediate again. newrelease

 

The Leaf Library • After The Rain, Strange Seeds • 2026

locates the avant-pop sweet spot - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mojo
experimental Londoners hone sprawl into melodic brightness - 9/10 Uncut
a quiet, melancholic wonder - The Quietus
a pure and unashamed blast of drone-pop heaven - Moonbuilding
full of droney, dreamy indie rock - Brooklyn Vegan
welcomes the art-school kids, stoners, and indie pop sentimentalists alike - All Music
beautifully crafted and light - Is This Music

London quartet The Leaf Library return with their fourth studio album After The Rain, Strange Seeds (out on 20 March via Fika), a luminous collection of pastoral indiepop, drawing inspiration from suburban isolation, unreliable memories and the surreality of the weather. Their most immediate and melodic work to date, the richly evocative songs brim with chiming guitars, buzzing organs and warm, dulcet strings, evoking Yo La Tengo’s more contemplative moments, The Clientele’s autumnal jangle pop and early Stereolab’s motorik melodicism. 

Friko • Seven Degrees • 2026

 

mary in the junkyard • Crash Landing • 2026

“Get out and experience the flesh, blood, guts and grit of this band in all of their glory and
promise.” — NME

“The line between childlike imagination and unvarnished horror is one mary in the junkyard skip over merrily.” — FADER

“mary in the junkyard's breakout moment beckons.” — The Face

 

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ifitbeyourwill Podcast #168 • Trippers & Askers

Jay Hammond Wants You to Think About What You've Tried to Do

There's a specific kind of musician who resists the pull of genre entirely — not out of contrarianism, but because the music simply won't cooperate. Jay Hammond, the Durham-based songwriter behind Trippers and Askers, is that kind of musician. His forthcoming album Tried to Do's, due May 2026, doesn't so much blend folk, jazz, and indie rock as it lets them bleed into each other until the borders stop mattering.

Hammond came up in Jackson, Tennessee, took guitar lessons from a guy who toured with Carl Perkins, got deep into jazz, then got derailed — productively — by the Brooklyn indie scene of the mid-aughts. Dirty Projectors. Phosphorescent. Thurston Moore. The kind of shows that make you rethink what an instrument is supposed to do.

Tried to Do's is a grief record, though Hammond bristles at tidy summaries. The title lifts from something Nikki Giovanni used to say — never published, just spoken — about the value of the attempt over the outcome. The album moves cyclically, opening and closing on arrangements of the same traditional piece, designed so that if it looped forever, you might not notice.

One song, Remembering, is, in Hammond's words, a couples therapy song. He says it plainly, without apology. That directness is the point.

A release tour hits Asheville, Durham, and up the East Coast through New York, with UK dates to follow. His Bandcamp goes deeper if you're willing.

 

General Chaos • Busted • 2026

 

https://orcd.co/gcbusted

Montreal’s sixteen-year-old punk trio General Chaos come out swinging with “Busted,” the first advance single from their upcoming second LP Can’t Please ’Em All, out May 8 on Stomp Records. Fast, hook-heavy, and built on tight downstrokes and a chant-ready chorus, “Busted” lands somewhere between Rancid’s street-level punch, Descendents’ urgency, early Green Day’s snap, and the political edge of Propagandhi. It is two-to-three-minute burner territory with bass pushed forward, drums locked in, and guitars kept lean and direct. Lyrically, the track captures the tension between independence and consequence. “Don’t wanna get caught but I got busted / Speak the words on my mind not gonna get silenced.” It is about saying what you mean, taking the hit, and moving anyway. No polish. No irony layer. Just clarity and pace.

Clem Snide live at Paste Studio on the Road: Beach Road Weekend •2022

 Clem Snide

The New Cut • Valuable Customer • 2026

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ifitbeyourwill #167 • Sister Ray Davies

ifitbeyourwill Podcast sits down with Adam Morrow of Sister Ray Davies — a shoegaze duo based in the legendary music town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. They dig into the making of their debut record Holy Island, the duo's deep love of ambient and post-punk sounds, and an upcoming remix EP dropping April 20, 2026. Plus, a  track from Holy Island closes out the episode. Essential listening for fans of atmospheric, genre-defying music.

 

https://www.instagram.com/sisterraydavies/

Cindy • ‘Procession’ • 2026

Another Country is the fifth full-length album by Cindy, the San Francisco-based group built around the songwriting of Karina Gill. Recorded, like all of its predecessors, in their hometown and for the first time with a consistent line-up held over from their previous record (the Swan Lake EP from 2024), and is replete with the poetry of private vistas, eavesdropped dramas and confusing winds

https://linktr.ee/Cindy.AnotherCountry

START THE TRACK: VOL. I • 2026

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Maria Taylor feat. Conor Oberst • Sorry I Was Yours • 2026

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A couple of years ago we decided we wanted to write a song together, so I went over to his house with my guitar and computer. I was playing him songs that I was working on and when he heard this one, he perked up and ran inside to grab his pen and notebook. Hours later we finished the song and even made a demo. So many beautiful contributions from these friends that made the song better than I could have imagined: Brad Armstrong, Mike Mogis, Macey Taylor, Ben Brodin, Nate Walcott, Tiffany Osborn, Hannah Murray, and Paul Cartwright.”

Conor Oberst added, “Writing this song was a full circle moment. We’ve made so much music together over the years, it was just like going home.” 

“Sorry I Was Yours” follows the release of “Never Thought I’d Feel New” and the album’s title track, which have been covered by Billboard, BrooklynVegan, Music Connection and more. In late 2025, she released a cover of Counting Crows’ “Colorblind” featuring Dashboard Confessional that was covered by BrooklynVegan, Stereogum and many more.

The ten songs that comprise Story’s End began as quiet demos in Taylor’s home studio, but it was personal upheaval — an irrevocable fracture in both her marriage and a close friendship — that gave her the urgency to finish the record. “I think I needed to make something beautiful as things fell apart around me,” she says.

The project ultimately took shape at ARC Studios in Omaha with producer Ben Brodin (First Aid Kit, Bright Eyes), alongside Mike Mogis and longtime collaborator Brad Armstrong. Joined by a close-knit circle of musicians and friends including Conor Oberst, Nik Freitas, Mike Bloom, and Sally Dworsky, Taylor built a record that feels both intimate and expansive.The shimmering, panoramic strings across the album were arranged and recorded by Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes, First Aid Kit) at 64 Sound Studios in Los Angeles with Pierre DeReeder (Rilo Kiley).

Eggs on Mars • Good Morning (I Love You) • 2026

Our new album is a collection of love songs in which we turned our melancholia into soft melodic pop songs and wis out now via Enigmatic Brunch Records. Through our midwestern lens we try to summon the sound of the Monkees if they were chosen over the Velvet Underground to be Warhol's Factory band. We like Harry Nilsson, John Andrews, and Chris Cohen a lot!

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TOTAL FUCKING DARKNESS • “BEATEN TO WRITE” • 2026

 

Total Fucking Darkness is the off kilter musical triumvirate of the illustrious; Torquil Campbell (Stars) on vocals, Stephen Ramsay (Young Galaxy) and Tom McFall (U2/REM/Bloc Party) on production. 

The New Cut • EP Sleepers, Mourners • 2026

 

The 4-piece blend the energy of The Fall, Wire, and The Monochrome Set with modern themes, a melange which is showcased across 6 tracks which express their individuality whilst coming together as an exhilarating whole. The brooding guitars of ‘London, Out There’ mark the bands turn into a more reflective and introspective sound, whereas taut, sparky EP opener ‘Oversight’ covers darkwave elements akin to Nick Cave, or Molchat Doma.

The New Cut · Sleepers, Mourners

Tigers Jaw • Lost on You • 2026

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ifitbeyourwill #166 • The Flip Phones

The Flip Phones Know Something You've Forgotten

There's a version of music-making that doesn't care about the algorithm. No release schedule optimized for Spotify editorial. No singles engineered to hook in three seconds. The Flip Phones — Lindsay and Ryan, a married couple turned band — make music on their own clock, and it shows in the best possible way. Their new EP, Spinning Adrift, is the document of that philosophy.

Two People, One Sound

Lindsay brings a classical background and a journalist's precision with language. Ryan traces his listening from 60s pop through Britpop. You can hear both at once: melodic instinct that feels inherited, lyrics that feel reported. What they've built is an acoustic-led sound held up by harmonies, melodica, and a stubborn commitment to writing songs that say something specific.

Where the Songs Come From

A guitar fragment. A notebook line. Something half-remembered and left to sit longer than it probably should have. Spinning Adrift spans years of accumulation — pandemic-era writing, older material that finally found its shape. Some drafts, they explain, deserve time to ripen. In 2025, that reads almost like a radical act.

The Room the Record Was Made In

A trusted producer who drums. A bassist who colors the edges. A visual artist whose cover art feels inevitable. The studio process favored flow over speed — including a deliberate decision to close on the record's darkest note. It doesn't surrender hope. But it doesn't lie about where the light is, either.

The Deeper Aim

The dream of a TV or film sync is real and spoken out loud. So is something harder to quantify: songs that outlast the week they're released. Fewer. More considered. Built to last longer than a social post.

After the conversation, we close with Where The Space Falls Away. Stay for it.

Follow the show, share it with someone who misses when music felt like it had somewhere to be, and leave a review if you have two minutes. 

Sister Ray Davies • Holy Island Baby • 2026

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Holy Island is a rare debut. Thoughtful, melodic and full of intent without ever becoming heavy handed. The lads have built something that feels as if it has always existed. You sense the fun they had making it and the meaning they found inside it. I really struggled to find musical parallels to help you understand who they are and the noise they make. I can only think of the Beachy Head project for a couple of the songs. Other than that, this is very much its own thing and if you let it, it might very well become yours too. SSClub

Wormy • Big Loser • 2026

 

Shark River finds Rauchwerk embracing vulnerability with a collection of songs that explore loneliness,  heartbreak, and the comforting but ultimately doomed escapism of life on the road. Skillful production and backing vocals from his bandmates Conti and Samia drench the LP in a sepia-toned indie glow, complete with the occasional pedal steel, but Rauchwerk’s vocals betray his fondness for emo-leaning folk luminaries like Bright Eyes and the Mountain Goats. Sometimes, his singing feels more or less like melodic speaking, a friend telling you about a hard day over a couple of beers; other times, you can feel his panic as he shouts into the microphone. On Shark River, Rauchwerk finds himself grappling with the splintered friendships, shattered relationships, and stagnating uncertainty produced by a life in constant motion.

linktr.ee/WormyMusic

Common Holly • Anything glass • 2026

“I think it’s an exploration of the projections that get cast onto girls and women to embody the highest moral standard, the picture of perfect angels,” muses Brigitte of the title-track. “And it’s about the receptive position of the impressionable child, the way messaging leaves deep imprints on how they experience the world. Maybe it’s also a kind of call to reclaim, for them to take their brains and bodies back and determine for themselves what they believe in.”

 

https://ffm.to/commonholly

“Common Holly is anything but a common artist who is unafraid to push the boundaries of her creativity.”. - Chorus.fm

“Lulling piano and doubled vocals give "Aegean blue" a dreamlike quality, with faint woodwind trills padding out its gentle percussive pulse.”  - Exclaim!

“Beautifully accomplished, there’s a devastating edge to her voice, with every word stamping itself on the listener” - CLASH

“blends soft folk with evocative imagery” - Psychedelic Baby

waterbaby • Memory Be a Blade • 2026

To spark inspiration for her new lyrics, waterbaby reflected on a past break-up. She had mostly moved on and was seeing someone new while recording the album. But when the newer relationship ended, she witnessed how much the album took on a new meaning to reflect the heartbreak she hadn’t anticipated experiencing.

Scout Gillett • Tough Touch • 2026

Tough Touch, Scout Gillett's sophomore album, emerges from years of relentless motion—a period the Missouri-born, Brooklyn-bred, and now LA-based artist describes as one of growth, vulnerability, and learning to trust her instincts. We hope you enjoy!!

Bory • Never Turns to Night • 2026

At the vanguard of PNW guitar music is Bory, the solo project of songwriter Brenden Ramirez. His work recalls the pop hooks of the Shins and the thoughtful songcraft of Elliott Smith. Never Turns to Night—the debut release on Ducks Ltd. bandleader Tom McGreevy’s new label Bleak Enterprise—is a totally sticky, emotive rabble-rouser I’ve been listening to all week. “Living Proof” and “We’ll Burn That Bridge When We Get to It” are serious scorchers, and they’re the first two tracks on the album! But “By the Lake” is power-pop perfection on a headphones record full of great tones. Give it five years and we’ll be calling Ramirez one of the best living guitarists. He graduated at the top of his class from Tony Molina’s shredder school. Look, if you’re looking for riffs stacked on top of riffs, or punchy lyricism from a guy who just gets it, Bory’s new joint will brighten every one of your corners. —Matt Mitchell [Bleak Enterprise]

Koko Love • The Cost of Freedom (LIVE at Late Valentine 2024)

https://www.koko.love/

 

Trippers & Askers • “Kin” • 2026

I really don’t think life’s about the “I could have been’s”

I really think that life is all about the “I tried to dos”

- Nikki Giovanni

The Brook & The Bluff • Get By • 2026

 

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“Fun, radiant, and irresistibly spirited”

- Atwood Magazine

 

“Full-on classic rock 'n' roll for this project, channeling inspirations like The Eagles, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Tom Petty. The record is sewn together by four-part harmonies and a high-voltage sound.”

- The Tennessean

 

“True to form, the bright, driving energy of the music contrasts sharply with the bittersweet ache of the lyrics.”

- Melodic Magazine

 

“The Brook & The Bluff are back, and they clearly intend to be heard...Although rock has always been

part of their DNA, this time they’ve thrown diesel on the fire."

- Americana Highways

 

"One of their most compelling records to date…It’s louder, bolder, and built for bigger rooms — yet still

grounded in the harmonies that got them here."

- Glide

Greg Mendez • I Wanna Feel Pretty • 2026

"In less than two minutes, Greg Mendez can express a lifetime’s worth of pain, regret, and resilience.” - Pitchfork

“It's at once a grandiose and understated... Mendez’s severe lyrical specificity opens up entire worlds in which the listener can find themselves.” - Rolling Stone

"In Mendez's hands, coming to terms with the worst of times has led to music so grippingly human, you'll want to hear him grapple with his demons on an endless loop." - NPR

"Mendez’s unrefined, plaintive voice, his piercing melodies, and his conversational but haunting lyrics all mark him out as one of the best songwriters to come out of a city teeming with great songwriters."  - Stereogum 

gregmendez.net

zzzahara • I Can Be Yours feat. Winter • 2026

 

"There's catharsis and grit and hardship in these songs, but at the same time...there's a certain kind of freedom to it... I really like the way this record kind of balances a lot of different feelings and sounds around a break-up in a way that still feels really approachable."
— Stephen Thompson, NPR Music

"zzzahara crafts perfect indie rock” — Them

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Dutch Interior • Go Fuck Yourself • 2026

 

“Country? Slowcore? Piano Pop? This multifarious LA sextet can do it all.” — Uncut

“The music of [Dutch Interior] feels loose on purpose, and it’s held together by something intuitive, a shared language that doesn’t need translating.”
— Rolling Stone, “Artist You Need to Know”

“There’s something about [Dutch Interior’s] music that can’t be copied – a sense of character, an evocative-ness of atmosphere.” — Clash

“It’s easy to get caught up in the fun [Dutch Interior] whips up.” — Pitchfork

“Rustic music that is romantic but not sickly, earnest without becoming cringe, and completely free of ego.” — The FADER

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TRAITRS • Possessor • 2026

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Ken Park • Crawl • 2026

 

"'Crawl' captures the emotional crossroads between youthful optimism and escapism," Liam Creemer (aka Ken Park) explains. "Written right after leaving high school, the song channels the thrill of chasing freedom alongside the thoughts of discarding an old life. It's about a coming of age reflection about leaving comfort behind, rebuilding yourself from the ground up and slowly becoming who you were meant to be."

Ken Park is a striking introduction for the budding New York songwriter. Delivered with extreme fervor and conviction, the six tracks on the EP evoke a sense of blissful melancholy–large, modulated guitars collide with pummeling drums, and ethereal soundscapes swirl together with Liam Creamer's wistful, evocative vocals. Ken Park is forward-looking, arriving with a remarkably definitive sound and ethos–made all the more impressive given the band's nascency. The EP solidifies Ken Park as one of the most exciting new voices in indie rock.

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Kevin Morby • Little Wide Open • 2026

Jeffrey Martin • Alive July 25, 2025 • 2026

Mirah • Dedication • 2026

It’s been a minute since we’ve seen Mirah in action. Seven years, a death, a birth, a pandemic, a near-silent stretch of motherhood—and on Dedication, the singer-songwriter doesn’t so much “return” as pick up the thread mid-sentence. Older and earthier and more weathered now, yes, but with that same razor-sharp focus and keening vulnerability. Paste

 

The Flip Phones • Spinning Adrift • 2025

theflipphones.com

"Floating Aimlessly" is about the search for purpose during a global pandemic and finding hope in the mundane and inspiration when you least expect it. “Tumbleweed” takes the EP to a darker place. Relating the story of Tumblegeddon, where a storm of giant 30-foot high tumbleweeds buried cars and trucks along a 20-mile stretch of highway for hours, the tumbleweed rolling with the wind symbolizes the futility of control.