ifitbeyourwill S06E20 • Eades

A granddad blasting Pink Floyd at school pick-up and a six-year-old jealous of a guitar lesson—hardly the makings of a band, yet that spark lit the path for Eades. We sit down with Harry Jordan and Tom O’Reilly to trace how a bedroom project became a songwriting engine that churned out 50-plus tracks during lockdown and led to Final Sirens Call, an album that swaps warehouse aggression for patient, song-driven craft.

We rewind through the DIY years—four mics on drums, Decapitator on everything, compressors barely compressing—happy accidents that gave their early work its raw honesty. From Gang of Four-style interlocking guitars to later sessions where Wurlitzer and organ opened new space, Harry and Tom unpack how they divide roles, welcome vetoes without ego, and build the trust that fuels creative risk. Influences like Dylan, Lou Reed, and Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot pushed them to write songs that stand alone on acoustic or piano before layering in texture—space echoes, tape grit, ghost harmonies—to deepen the mood without losing the core.

We also get real about the hard stuff: sequencing a layered album where one track shift changes the story, adapting dense arrangements for a five-piece stage, and promoting ambitious music in a noisy world. But the momentum’s real—a hometown night at the Brudenell Social Club, an Independent Venue Week run, Europe ahead, and a third record tracked mostly live to capture the spark.

If you’re drawn to indie rock that balances DIY grit with evolving craft—post-punk pulse, garage roots, and rich arrangements—this one’s for you. Hear how Eades build songs that hold up on a single guitar, then bloom in the studio, and why their next chapter leans back into the raw joy of playing live. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Wilco-era ambition, and tell us: which Eades track hits you hardest?

linktr.ee/eadesmsuc

Despite an overarching influence from American indie-rock artists like Wilco and Richard Swift, Eades’ second album is a playful experiment of sound, with the echoes of many genres being heard throughout the tracklist; indie-rock, post-punk, Americana, 60’s, Britpop – you name it, they’ve dabbled. Experimentation being at the core of this album is no doubt due to the inevitable growth and self-exploration that comes with time passing, but also down to their new studio space, Bam Bam Studios, owned and operated by Eades’ frontman, Harry Jordan. With plenty of new equipment and a private, comfortable environment, the quartet had the freedom to really get creative and go in any direction they wanted – so they went in all directions. clunk

best of 2025 • Carson McHone • Pentimento

http://www.carsonmchonemusic.com/

Within seconds of Carson McHone’s Pentimento, one hears how the album organizes itself around this idea. Thrillingly alive in the music are exquisite articulations of pastoral folk with snatches of spoken word. Occasional riffs that call back to her roots in Texas build towards moments of organic and tactile rock. WRUV

ifitbeyourwill S06E19 • Ada Lea

A shy kid singing Christina Aguilera behind a bedroom door.

A bass in the school band.

A choir class where matching pitch felt impossible—and the sting of being told not to sing.

Fast-forward a few years: New York, tendonitis, and a hard pivot to voice lessons that changed everything. That’s the winding, very human path that led Alexandra Levy (you might know her as Ada Lea) to a sound that feels wholly her own—one built on stubborn curiosity, kind mentors, and the courage to start again. We caught up with Alexandra back home in Montréal, the city that raised her musically and still keeps her orbit steady. She talked about When I Paint My Masterpiece, an album that didn’t even start as an album. The idea was simple: trade perfectionism for momentum. Write a song every three days, share it with friends, move on. No endless revisions, no preciousness. Some sketches fell flat; others lit up instantly. Over time, the pile of demos turned into a record—less planned, more discovered.

Between recording sessions, she returned to school for literature, painting, and drawing—creative cross-training that sharpened her eye for detail and her sense of structure. That cross-pollination shows up everywhere: in the visual precision of her lyrics, in the cinematic pacing of her songs.

Teaching at Concordia University adds another layer. Watching her students take risks reminded her what real vulnerability sounds like. “They go to places I used to protect,” she says. That mirror helped her unlock something she didn’t know she’d lost.

We also talk touring—the logistics, the limits, the life part of the life. Levy has learned to keep the stage joyful by designing tours that feel human: shorter drives, earlier nights, and room to breathe. The goal isn’t just survival; it’s longevity. Through it all runs a quiet theme: mentorship, boundaries, and community practice as fuel. Art doesn’t survive on inspiration alone—it needs structure, kindness, and people who remind you why you started. If you’ve ever been told you can’t sing, that it’s “too late,” or that you’re doing it wrong, Alexandra’s story offers a better script. Skill is learnable. Art can be rebuilt. And a voice gets stronger every time you use it with intention.

Stream When I Paint My Masterpiece, wander the Mile End streets that echo through her melodies, and let the music remind you: the best art often begins where you almost gave up.

https://www.adaleamusic.com/2025

best of 2025 • Wet Leg • mangetout

Isolated in a remote house in the countryside, moisturizer was written in a creative frenzy, diving into themes of obsession and all-consuming love. While their 2022 debut earned Grammy wins and chart-topping success, moisturizer brings the bite: brash guitars, heavy beats, and a fearless devotion to feeling everything—all at once. Dom

https://wetlegband.com/

You think I'm pretty, you think I'm pretty cool

You say I scare you, I know most people do

This is the real world, honey, bienvenue

In spite of everything, I guess there's just no getting through

Nice try, now get out of the way

Good job, just take a fucking hint

I said I'll see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya

Wouldn't wanna be ya, eh-ya-eh-ya, ah-ah

Nice try, get out the way

You're in our way, get lost forever

best of 2025 • Case Oats • Last Missouri Exit

https://caseoats.com/

A spectacular record release show for Case Oats’ debut LP “Last Missouri Exit” at The Hideout, with lots of love, family and friends in the room. Casey Gomez Walker and her crew delivered an amazing set featuring the full album, a handful of new songs and a great cover of The Clash’s “Lost in the Supermarket.” TV Buddha opened the show with a killer set of originals and an intense version of “Roadrunner” by The Modern Lovers. It was a perfect summer in the city night!

best of 2025 • Blondshell • If You Asked for a Picture

Consider If You Asked for a Picture as the second chapter in an ongoing novel chronicling the trials and tribulations of life in your 20s. On Sabrina Teitelbaum’s second album as Blondshell, which arrives two years after her eponymous debut, Teitelbaum is still haunted by the past and stumbling into the kinds of bad decisions that fueled Blondshell. Her head may be clouded by contradictions, yet here, she conveys these conflicted feelings in an increasingly confident, self-assured musical language. PF

https://www.blondshellmusic.com/

best of 2025 • Alan Sparhawk With Trampled by Turtles • Not Broken

Grief doesn’t always sound loud. Sometimes it hums quietly in songs like “Not Broken,” from With Trampled by Turtles. Alan Sparhawk’s voice, joined by the band’s warm strings carries both pain and peace. It’s not a song about falling apart — it’s about holding on, finding calm in loss, and remembering love without anger. “Not Broken” feels like a moment of healing — simple, tender, and deeply human.

ifitbeyourwill S06E18 • sundayclub

A happy mistake at a concert.

A guitar rediscovered in the back of a closet.

Two students on totally different paths who somehow found the same sound.

That’s the origin story of sundayclub, a rural Manitoba duo whose music feels like it was pulled from an ’80s Polaroid—warm, hazy, and quietly intentional. Their new EP, Bannatyne, captures that balance perfectly: pop instincts wrapped in dream-pop atmosphere, four tracks that melt into one continuous mood.

When you talk to Courtney Carmichael and Nikki St. Pierre, you get the sense that their process is equal parts chaos and craft. Courtney writes with a diarist’s honesty, often chasing the feeling a moment left behind. Nick builds the sonic world around those words, leaning on production chops and an obsession with tone. A simple tuning shift to open C cracked something open—suddenly, new harmonies and melodies started falling out of the guitar.

They work fast to capture the spark, then slow down for the final stretch, refusing to rush a lyric or sand off a rough edge just to be “done.” That patience shows. Banatine isn’t a playlist of singles—it’s a short film in sound, one that breathes and unfolds with intention.

Their path to Paper Bag Records came with its own lucky breaks—a well-timed mastering grant, a few key community ties, and a lot of persistence. Listeners have already gravitated toward Nuclear Fallout, a track that wasn’t meant to be the standout but hit something unexpected. Courtney and Nick say that kind of connection means more than any genre label could.

Looking ahead, they’re teasing a reimagined “Last Christmas”, a run of Canadian shows, and new singles that stretch their sound without losing its heart.

If you’re into indie pop, dream pop, odd guitar tunings, and the craft behind a cohesive EP, this one’s for you. Stream the episode, spin Banatine front to back, and see which moment sticks. And if you love what you hear, share it with a friend—because that’s how good music travels.

 

https://www.sundayclub.band/

54•40 • "Virgil” • 2025

Legendary Canadian rock band 54-40 return with their highly anticipated new album 'PORTO', set for release on January 23, 2026. The announcement follows the debut of four powerful new singles, "Running for the Fence," "Die To Heaven," "Time Will Tell," and "Virgil," released today, marking the beginning of a bold new chapter for one of Canada's most celebrated bands.

https://www.5440.com/

Cylindre • Ingénue • 2025

Cylindre is a New York City–based duo weaving together indie rock, post-punk DIY, and dirty dream-pop into something both atmospheric and immediate. Formed by Tim and Riley, the band’s debut album Ingénue, out now on Clearly Records, captures the spark of two artists discovering their shared sound through instinct and experimentation.

clearlyrecords.com

C Douglas • Around the Corner • 2025

linktr.ee/cdouglascdouglas

A heartfelt reminder to live in the moment and hold onto what matters most.

C Douglas unveils his latest single, “Around The Corner,” a reflective and uplifting track about making the most of life and embracing the present. The song explores themes of mindfulness and gratitude, urging the people listening to not take others and the moments they’ve cherished for granted.

Recorded in Hull with acclaimed producer Steve Cobby of Fila Brazillia, the collaboration marks a fresh turning point for C Douglas in his creativity, Known for his genre-blending, instrumental work, Cobby brings an extra DIY-esq energy and fearless experimentation to the studio.

C Douglas said:

“He really opened my eyes and gave me confidence in this new direction, his approach made me realise my music was in the right hands.”

Rubber Band Gun • Crushin’ • 2025

Performed at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn NY 

March 22, 2025

https://rubberbandgun.bandcamp.com/music

The Barr Brothers feat. Land of Talk • Run Right Into It • 2025

https://found.ee/letithiss

Haley Heynderickx & Max García Conover • Song For Alicia • 2025

My grandpa was a communist, they might've said a terrorist

And when someone looks at what I've done

I know songs won't seem like enough

Songs are for sure not nearly enough

So it's ride, Alicia, ride

Move, Alicia, move

I would be Boricua even if I was born on the moon

The two groups convicted of American sedition

Are the Proud Boys and the Puerto Ricans

We share a Wikipedia page

So what else can you say?

It's ticker tape accumulation, neoliberal sublimation

New precariat convinced that immigrants are corporations

Hold the phone, just be patient while we burn your poets' pages

While the doctor takes the medicine and tries to fuck the patients

Oh my God, they put her in a courtroom in Chicago

They bound her hands behind her back, put tape across her mouth

And when she screamed, the tape released, and she said what the world says

"You cannot own a country, you do not own a country"

And so two guards took her legs and held her to the floor

While another punched her in the face and gagged her like before

And she got fifty years and more

And they never said what for

https://fatpossum.com/collections/haley-heynderickx-max-garcia-conover

ifitbeyourwill S06 E17 • Mirrorball

 Dream pop isn’t about turning everything down — it’s about tuning everything in. That’s the pulse of our talk with Mirrorball, the Los Angeles duo behind those lush, cinematic songs that somehow still feel like they’re whispering right to you. From the first late-night demo to a surprise label release, their story drifts through noisy beginnings, an obsession with sound, and the quiet confidence that comes with learning when not to play.

We get into how they write: Scott starts with grooves, guitars, and synths in Logic. Alex listens, and melodies spill out — sometimes all at once, sometimes over time. Some songs bloom in a day; others sit for months, waiting for the right mood to arrive. Recording, for them, is a kind of home — layering overdubs until the room disappears and only the song remains. Playing live, though, demands something different: less control, more trust. The goal isn’t to be louder, it’s to make people feel. Small choices, big emotion.

There’s honesty, too, about what it means to be an indie band now. Without a label, they’ve handled everything themselves — the videos, the press, the endless scroll — keeping things moving with a steady run of singles. Now they’re building toward a full LP, something that captures the whole arc of who they’ve become. With producer Chris Coady’s touch — tiny shifts in timing, arrangements that breathe — the songs pulse and shimmer instead of shout. At home, Alex tracks vocals dry, chasing raw takes; Scott trims the noise, staying closer to what feels real.

If you’re drawn to guitars that glow, vocals that drift just out of reach, and rhythms that dance a little behind the beat, this one’s for you. Press play, sink into Red Hot Dust, and stay awhile. If it hits, tell a friend — the dream gets brighter when more people are in it.

https://mirrorballband.com/

the bittersweet wonderment of “Red Hot Dust” signals a truly enchanting debut is on the way. 

—grimy goods

Wormy • "27 Days” • 2025

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. His work as a touring drummer has offered him precious little stability, but plenty of time for reflection. 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.

Website

Jeffrey Martin • Alive July 25, 2025

Portland, Oregon folk artist Jeffrey Martin has announced his first-ever live album, Alive July 25, 2025, which is set to release on February 20, 2026 via Fluff & Gravy Records. The album was recorded at Portland's The Showdown and presents an unabridged take of the night exactly as it unfolded — whatever mistakes may have occurred, whatever musical wanderings — in the hopes that the magic of the live show could be captured in an honest way. 

buy here

ifitbeyourwill S06E16 • Tiberius

A clarinet in fourth grade doesn’t usually lead to fuzz pedals, pedal steel, and a packed tour van, but that’s the path Brendan Wright of Tiberius traces on Troubadour. We start with the spark—how a quiet kid found a home in melody—and follow the trail to the moment those bedroom songs finally stepped into stage lights. Through it all runs one through-line: honesty. The kind that feels safe when you’re singing alone, and the kind that feels a little dangerous when a room goes silent to hear it.

Brendan talks about walking that line between catharsis and the reality of sharing their work. They used to write like they were passing secret notes to themself. Now the notes have to breathe among strangers. They open up about shifting from super-specific diary lines to lyrics built around wider feelings—anxiety, persistence, the weird fog of transition—so more people can slip inside the songs. It doesn’t dull anything; it actually sharpens it. You can hear it in a line like “Why do I try to keep on trying?” and in the way the band lets silence hang before a chorus hits.

We dig into the making of Troubadour, from the piece-by-piece construction of Fish in a Pond to focused sessions at The Record Co. in Boston. Drummer Ben Curell, bassist Kelven “KP” Polite , and guitarist Christian Pace helped pull the songs into their live shape, with Nate Scaringi behind the board helping the drums land just right. The result is a sound Brendan jokingly calls “farm emo”—folk bones, a little country dust, and an emo heart—wrapped in those loud-quiet-loud dynamics that feel as much Neil Young as they do modern indie. It’s tender one moment, towering the next, built for small rooms that don’t stay small for long.

We close on motion. The northeast run—Burlington, Portland, Boston, Albany, Philly, New York—feels like both a celebration and a goodbye to a set they’ve lived inside for two years. New songs are forming. Brendan’s headspace is shifting again. That’s the promise here: a record that captures exactly where Tiberius is right now, and an artist already leaning toward whatever comes next.

If this one hits you, tap follow, share it with a friend who needs a cathartic chorus, and leave a quick review—it helps more listeners discover Tiberius and stories like this.

ifitbeyourwill S06E15 • villagerrr

A deluxe release hits different when the songs feel like they’ve been kicking around in the dirt for years. On release day for Tear Your Heart Out (Deluxe), we sat down with villagerrr to walk the long, crooked road behind it—a story that starts in a small town, rattles through a red Pontiac Sunfire, and settles into the stubborn, hand-built joy of figuring out recording alone. Mark Scott talks about how long runs in cold air, odd hours cutting concrete, and a phone overloaded with gritty voice memos shaped a 16-track world that blends indie twang, folk warmth, and slowcore quiet. It’s the kind of record that asks to be played in sequence, the way you’d leaf through an old photo album—front to back, smudges and all.

We get into the slow shift from solitude to letting other people into the room, and why he only opens the door when the feel is right. The Merce Lemon feature arrived the old-fashioned way: see a set, feel something, and send a message that isn’t coated in industry varnish. Drummer Zane Dway adds heartbeat without sanding the rough edges, while Boone Patrello shows how a single late-night vibe call can lead to parts that sound like they were dug up rather than written. Most of the songs were nearly done before the guests stepped in, which is why the whole thing still sounds unmistakably Villager—one voice, one hand on the wheel, just more colours in the dust.

Real life hums in the background too: fans quietly singing the deep cuts, someone shyly handing over a record to sign after an opener slot, the strange feeling of seeing slow growth in places that aren’t algorithms or charts. We map out the Ohio college dates and a December run with Teethe, then lift the tarp on what’s coming next: another album already mastered, still self-recorded in the margins of real jobs and real days, sharper but cut from the same honest cloth.

If you care about albums built to be lived with, about DIY recordings that prize feel over polish, and about indie music that smells like cold air, old cars, and real life, this one is for you.

Spin the conversation, let the deluxe play straight through, and if it hits you right, follow the show, pass it on, and leave a quick note. It keeps the whole thing moving. 

MP3 Audio

https://www.villagerrr.com/

“Writing these songs has helped me look back on some of the events that inspired some of the songs to be easier on the people involved,” says Scott. “People are all pretty similar. We all make the same mistakes or if they're not the same, we all make mistakes and things are more complicated than they seem at the surface.” 'Tear Your Heart Out' is an album about relationships, friendship, and heartbreak and how you internalize and deal with the conflicts and pain happening in your life.

MJ Lenderman & The Wind • Live at Brooklyn Steel • 2025

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/09/09/mj-lenderman-manning-fireworks-music-review