ifitbeyourwill S06E10 • Thanks Light...

A sunlit hook can feel like a hand on your shoulder. That’s the energy we chase with Zane Ruttenberg of Thanks Light, as we unpack how Good Timing blends tropical psych shimmer, country ease, and harmony-rich craftsmanship into a record that invites you to stay for the whole side. Zane takes us from his backseat education with The Byrds and the Beach Boys to a lifelong obsession with layered vocals and melodies that last, sharing the human moments that seed lyrics—like a rough morning that turned into a song-worthy phrase.

We get inside the engine room of collaboration. Zane’s ear-trained, punk-spirited songwriting meets the classical rigour of longtime partner Michael Frels, creating friction that sharpens ideas without killing their spark. That push and pull shows up in arrangements that know what to protect—a defining riff, a hooky bassline—and what to open up for play. Along the way, we talk rotating lineups, shared fingerprints on records, and the quiet, unglamorous truth of trusting people after long van rides and late nights. It’s a portrait of a project that feels more like an art collective than a fixed band, yet still manages to sound unmistakably like Thanks Light.

Then we zoom in on Good Timing itself: the faux radio stinger that frames the album’s world, the exotica nods on the nine-minute closer, and the sequencing that makes each song feel necessary. Zane name-checks influences from Martin Denny and Jimmy Buffett to Granddaddy and Texas country pillars, weaving them into a sound that’s escapist without being empty. Finally, he teases what’s next—two albums tracked in parallel, one bright and breezy, the other tender and blue—both shaped to feel cohesive from first note to last.

If you love harmony-rich indie, tropical psych colours, and songs built to last, hit play, follow the show, and leave a review to tell us which moment stuck with you most. Your notes guide future conversations and help more listeners find the music.

https://www.thankslight.com/

Brògeal • Tuesday Paper Club • 2025

"They look and sound like the most Scottish motherfuckers you ever saw in your entire life, and they write very catchy songs"

– Stereogum

"one of the best live acts" 

– The Independent

“It’s time we had a band with the ability to make us cry and party until our heads are disgustingly sore. In Brògeal, we might have found them” 

– Rolling Stone

ifitbeyourwill S06E09 • Living Hour

The first spark was private: long walks, headphones on, and albums that asked for total attention. From there, Living Hour grew into a band that treats dynamics like storytelling—opening with noise that dissolves into hush, letting melodies carry both weight and warmth, and trusting listeners to lean in. We sit down with Sam and Gil to trace the arc from university jams in Winnipeg’s DIY rooms to a studio session that captured the bold confidence of Internal Drone Infinity, their new record dropping October 17.

We unpack how ambient influences—Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky, and the Social Network score—shaped a patient, spacious approach to songwriting. Sam explains how ideas begin as fragments and vowel sounds, how a riff earns its place by refusing to fade, and how lyrics stepped forward across albums until the new songs felt fully owned. Gil maps the shift from guitar‑forward interplay to arrangements built around Sam’s melodies, and what happens when a new drummer changes the band’s gait in the best way. Touring comes to life here too: the van routines, modular setlists that fit quiet rooms and rock clubs, and the small onstage transitions that make the show breathe.

You’ll hear why release season feels like nesting and training, how social media becomes part amplifier, part chore, and why November’s run is designed like a marathon. We also look ahead: February dates on the West Coast, hopes for Europe and Australia, and a folder of demos that might become an EP. Sam’s ambient side project, Pure Pulp, threads back to the beginning—proof that the private room where songs start remains the core of the band’s voice. If you love indie rock steeped in ambient textures, slow‑core dynamics, and heartfelt vocals, this conversation will lock you in. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs new music, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show.

livinghourband.com

On Internal Drone Infinity, Winnipeg’s Living Hour transforms the passage of time into something both urgent and sacred. Anchored by Sam Sarty’s vivid lyricism, shaped by years as a projectionist conjuring stories in a dark theater, the band explores the quiet magic hidden in everyday life. Their fourth album drifts between dreamy noise rock, folky slowcore, and fuzzy indie-pop, coining a genre all their own:“yearn-core.”With wistful vocals, textural distortion, and poetic detail, Living Hour capture the ache of memory, the mess of feeling, and the beauty in what remains.

ifitbeyourwill S06E08 • The Noisy

A candle lit in a tiny kitchen. A book of poems opened before the phone wakes the world. That’s where this story begins—at the border of dream and day—where Sara Mae Henke (The Noisy) learned to trust the spark that eventually leapt from the page to a microphone. We dig into how a poet’s routine became a musician’s backbone, and how community—slam circles, UT Knoxville’s scene, and a tight-knit queer network in the South—turned a good voice into a living catalogue of songs.

We talk about building an album like a neighbourhood: each track its own house with different colours, but all on the same street. Chappell Roan’s world-per-song approach hovers in the blueprint, while touchpoints span Mannequin Pussy’s snarl, Lucy Dacus’s glow, shoegaze haze, and the country DNA of a Maryland childhood soundtracked by Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood. The deluxe release, The Secret Ingredient Is Even More Meat, isn’t a victory lap—it’s a field report. Nightshade finally arrives from the original writing burst. Tony Soprano grows from an inward whisper to a communal hymn for grief. Morricone exists twice, riding from spaghetti-western swagger to true indie rock. Live tracks capture the Philly lineup breathing new life into the set.

Then we go stranger and truer: clown as a craft lens. Not costume, but consent—to be fully seen, to be in on the joke with the audience, to carry the thought you’d normally take back and turn it into a chorus. We unpack how embarrassment can become voltage, how idiosyncratic structures and non-traditional recording make room for surprise, and why intimacy with listeners beats suspicion. Along the way, we honour the collaborators who opened doors, lent gear, taught etiquette, and showed that independent musicians are some of the most generous people on earth.

If you’re curious about how poetry informs melody, how queer community shapes art, and how a deluxe record can map the life of songs onstage and off, you’ll feel at home here. Join us, subscribe to the show, and tell a friend who needs a spark. And if the music moved you, leave a review—what track hit first, and why?

 

https://veryverynoisy.squarespace.com/

“Dynamic sound, charming energy, and a confessional tell-all spirit that’s as charismatic as it is irresistible.” – ATWOOD MAGAZINE

“Glamorous, retro, and proudly queer.” – WXPN

“The Noisy’s sound isn’t exactly noisy in the abrasive sense, but it is boisterous, embracing the crunch of grungy pop rock and the twang of Sara Mae’s Knoxville roots to create a muscular and freely associated alt-country belter.” – POST-TRASH

“It sounds really formative. Being “sixteen and see-through” is such a vulnerable feeling, one that “Grenadine” captures really well.” – THE ALTERNATIVE

Cedarsmoke • Over Nothing • 2025

Like sunlight spilling over shadows, Cedarsmoke’s new single ‘Something Over Nothing’finds joy and melancholy moving hand in hand. Out Friday, October 10, it offers the final glimpse of their forthcoming album 'Under The Rainbow' (October 31). 

A Brisbane/Meanjin band long admired for their lyric-driven approach and genre-bending sound, Cedarsmoke continue to evolve with every release. Since their 2016 debut, they have moved restlessly between folk, rock, country, and psychedelia, always with singer-songwriter Jon Cloumassis’s storytelling at the centre. Their upcoming third full-length album embraces this adventurous streak fully, with each track tied to a colour and a theme, creating a record that is as expansive as it is intimate.

Great Lake Swimmers • For You To Come Around (Live at Odd Fellows Hall) • 2025

https://greatlakeswimmers.com/

"A stunning variety of tones and textures..nothing less than both cerebral and sublime" – American Songwriter, 4/5

“Dekker’s preoccupation with the Canadian state of mind flourishes in his lyrics. Few songwriters are able to convey the country’s harsh beauty as well. …Canadian folk tradition personified in the 21st century” – Exclaim!

"Beautifully crafted and arranged, there’s a gorgeous warmth in ['Youth Not Wasted's] gentle instrumentation, which is lush and layered. These tones capture perfectly the way we look back as time passes..Sweetly melodic music accompanying tender words of reflection – this is Americana songwriting at its finest." – Americana UK

Lande Hekt • Favourite Pair of Shoes • 2025

I wrote this song when I was listening to a lot of The Bats and The Chills, it probably sounds nothing like any of that Flying Nun stuff but that was what was inspiring me at the time. Despite the lines that lean towards despair, I think this is quite a hopeful song. It’s about rising out of a pit of hopelessness and doing something really positive. The song features my old friend and longtime collaborator Samuel Bedford. We first sang together when we were 16, we recorded a song together for his folk solo project, then we were in an indie rock band together when we were 21 called Selfish Son. Sam sang on my song Kitchen in 2020 and now he sings on this song and Coming Home. Each of these collaborations are 5 years apart which is tidy.

ifitbeyourwill S06E07 • Carson McHone

What if the truest parts of a record live beneath the surface, shaping what you hear without ever announcing themselves? We sit down with Carson McHone to trace the layers behind Pentimento—from Austin’s all-ages venues to a late-summer desert in West Texas and a snow-dusted session by the Bay of Fundy, tracked to 8-track tape. Along the way, Carson shares the moment she said goodbye to restaurant shifts from the White Horse stage, the journal her mother kept during her first year of life, and how words, melody, and memory braid into songs that feel at once intimate and wide open.

We explore creativity as both posture and practice: the ear training of Suzuki lessons, the freedom of a gifted mandolin, and the patience to catch a song’s thread whether it arrives as a fully formed line or a slow, methodical build. The title Pentimento—borrowed from visual art—becomes a map for the album’s design: the underpainting that persists through time, the overlapping faces of influence, the way a project can hold multiple truths at once. Carson talks about recording to tape, embracing texture over tidy edges, and respecting albums as one living piece rather than a handful of singles. Listeners have responded by pressing play again the moment the last track ends, sensing a narrative that’s felt more than spelled out.

If you’re drawn to songwriting craft, analog recording, Austin music history, or the elemental pull of place—desert heat and ocean tide—you’ll find a lot to love here. We hold space for the practical and the poetic: paying the bills, protecting the creative spark, and building work that would be worth making even if no one heard it. Hit play, share it with a friend who still listens front to back, and leave a review to tell us what layer you heard first.

 

ifitbeyourwill S06E06 • Shallowater

A quiet room. Three players. More air than distortion—and somehow it feels heavier. We invited Blake Skipper from Shallowater to pull back the curtain on a second album that trades pedal stacks for patience, lets the drummer steer dynamics, and turns the bass into a melodic foil that fills the trio without clogging the mix. If you’ve ever wondered how slow/fast shifts can feel cinematic, or how minimal gear can still shake a room, this one lands right in your wheelhouse.

We trace the band’s path from Lubbock House shows to an independent release that knows what it wants: space, restraint, and intent. Blake breaks down how songs form in the room, why lyrics usually arrive last, and how a well-timed TikTok plus an Ethel Kane playlist slot helped the music find its people. There’s candour about the DIY grind—distribution, merch, schedules—alongside the pure joy of first tours, late-night drives, and fans who cross state lines for 45 minutes of slowcore catharsis. Expect talk of odd-time grooves, drummer-led accelerations, and the subtle choices that make quiet passages tense and loud moments bloom.

We also explore how reviews reflect the band’s bet: some call it sparse, others call it necessary. That’s the point. When you remove the extra, the melody has to carry, the timing has to mean something, and each player has to leave room for the others. Blake shares what’s ahead—new writing, deeper interplay, and dates with The Raveonettes across Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, and DC—plus a hope to bring their “dirtgaze” north to Canada. If you care about slowcore, alt-gaze, Texas indie, or simply how a small band can sound big through intention, queue it up, lean in, and let the space do the talking.

Jad Fair & Yo La Tengo - Texas Man Abducted By Aliens For Outer Space Joy Ride • 2025

Today, Jad Fair & Yo La Tengo announced a reissue of their often-overlooked and rare gem of a record, Strange But True, due out via Joyful Noise Recordings and Bar/None Records on December 12th, 2025. The album will be available on vinyl, CD, and all digital platforms. Along with this announcement, the group also shared a single “Texas Man Abducted by Aliens for Outer Space Joyride,” which is now available for the very first time on streaming.

https://jadfair.lnk.to/strange

Tracklist

 1. Helpful Monkey Wallpapers Entire Home

2. Texas Man Abducted by Aliens for Outer Space Joy Ride

3. National Sports Association Hires Retired English Professor to Name New Wrestling Holds

4. Dedicated Thespian Has Teeth Pulled to Play Newborn Baby in High School Play

5. Three-Year-Old Genius Graduates High School at Top of Her Class

6. Embarrassed Teen Accidentally Uses Valuable Rare Postage Stamp

7. Principal Punishes Students with Bad Impressions and Tired Jokes

8. Retired Grocer Constructs Tiny Mount Rushmore Entirely of Cheese

9. X-Ray Reveals Doctor Left Wristwatch Inside Patient

10. Clumsy Grandmother Serves Delicious Dessert by Mistake #2

11. Retired Woman Starts New Career in Monkey Fashions

12. Circus Strongman Runs for PTA President

13. High School Shop Class Constructs Bicycle Built for 26

14. Clumsy Grandmother Serves Delicious Dessert by Mistake #1

15. Ohio Town Saved from Killer Bees by Hungry Vampire Bats

16. Nevada Man Invents Piano with 21 Extra Keys

17. Clever Chemist Makes Chewing Gum from Soap

18. Minnesota Man Claims Monkey Bowled Perfect Game

19. Ingenious Scientist Invents Car of the Future

20. Car Gears Stick in Reverse, Daring Driver Crosses Town Backwards

21. Shocking Fashion Statement Terrorizes Town

22. Feisty Millionaire Fills Potholes with Hundred-Dollar Bills

JAD FAIR: INSTAGRAM | BANDCAMP | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

YO LA TENGO: INSTAGRAM | BANDCAMP | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

villagerrr • Neverrr Everrr (feat. Merce Lemon) • 2025

https://www.villagerrr.com/

As villagerrr, Mark Allen Scott’s patient songs are mesmerizing and unmistakably Midwestern. The prolific Ohio artist thrives on pinpointing quiet, mundane moments and imbuing them with disarming emotional clarity. 

THIS HOUSE IS CREAKING • 2 LAMP (lava lamp) • 2025

 Today, Chicago band This House is Creaking (THiC) share their new single “2 LAMP (lava lamp).” Characterized by THiC’s sticky, catchy sound, this new track comes out swinging with distortion, knotty, fuzzed-out guitar, and, true to THiC form, unexpected left turns. Written last year after bandmates Ehmed Nauman and Micah Miller moved into a new apartment together, the song marked a moment of change, both in their living situations and in their creative collaboration. Through this shift, they found a shared creative space to consistently work through ideas together, finding themes that they wanted to keep exploring. The track pins down that moment of rebirth, of reflection — of when you find yourself yelling questions you didn’t know you had.

The wave breaks

Let the water wash over my body

Cleanse me I’m making a change

‘Cause when I see you my head gets heavy

I have to close my eyes I don’t think that I’m ready

Carson McHone • September Song • 2025

carsonmchonemusic.com

Thanks Light... • Good Timin' • 2025

https://www.thankslight.com/

runo plum • Halfway Up The Lawn • 2025

https://www.runoplum.com

patching, the intimate debut LP from Minneapolis-based singer and songwriter runo plum, gracefully captures the contraction, expansion and release of an intense period of emotional repair, in soft-edged, radiating indie rock. The record’s unbridled sincerity isn’t anything new for runo plum, who’s been writing and quietly sharing bedroom dispatches of her intricate folk for a half-decade

ifitbeyourwill S06 E04 • Case Oats

From scribbled journal entries to a critically acclaimed debut album on Merge Records, Casey Gomez Walker's artistic evolution is a testament to creative fluidity and unexpected paths. The frontwoman of Case Oats opens up about how her background in creative writing led to songwriting only after college, when a gifted guitar from a friend revealed music's accessibility.

"I was having a really bad time when I was like 22, 23. I was sick, sad. My best friend found this cheap electric guitar and picked it up for me when I was sick... it made me realize playing guitar was much easier than I thought." This pivotal moment sparked a musical journey that would eventually culminate in "The Last Missouri Exit," an album Casey describes as "accidentally" capturing the coming-of-age novel she'd been trying to write.

Casey's approach to creativity defies conventional boundaries—she doesn't separate songwriting from other forms of expression, instead collecting phrases, images, and character ideas that eventually find their perfect medium. Her partnership with Spencer Tweedy proved transformative, both personally and artistically. "When I met Spencer, it opened up this... he has lived his whole life knowing that you can make art and it can mean something to a lot of people," she reflects, crediting him with helping her embrace her identity as a musician.

The album's creation was unhurried and organic, with basic tracks recorded in a friend's basement and overdubs added as time allowed. After nearly a year of cold-emailing labels, Merge Records recognized the finished album's brilliance. Now touring with notable acts like Lucius and Superchunk while developing their second record, Casey finds particular joy in hearing how listeners connect with her music: "Having it released and everyone else experiencing it and then holding it back up to you is so cool... that they can relate to it and have the same emotional experience is really special."

Ready to discover your next favorite album? Listen to Casey Oats' "The Last Missouri Exit" and experience the distinctive voice and storytelling that's captivating audiences everywhere.

https://caseoats.com/

Nation of Language • Dance Called Memory • 2025

Synthpop, minimal wave, post-punk, goth, new romantic — fans and critics alike have dug deeply into their vintage thesauruses to describe the beguiling work of Nation of Language. 

FGA • The Space Between Days • 2025

https://linktr.ee/fgaband

FGA is the sonic brainchild of Freddie Gibbs, a Texas-born artist who has carved a path through raw DIY roots into something both nostalgic and forward-looking. His music carries the DNA of ‘90s alternative rock while injecting enough grit and character to keep it firmly planted in the present. On The Space Between Days, Freddie leans into fuzz-drenched guitars, heavy grooves, and unfiltered emotion, delivering an EP that balances heaviness and melody in equal measure. mrw

https://fgaband.com/

The Paper Kites • Every Town • 2025

The Paper Kites have a gift for crafting tender, emotionally rich songs, and "Every Town" is no exception. It’s a sweet, melancholic reflection on love that lingers, even when everything else changes. With their signature soft melodies and heartfelt lyrics, the song captures that quiet ache of someone who’s always with you, no matter how far you roam or how much time passes. There's a warmth in the sadness, like a memory you don't want to lose, even if it hurts a little.

https://www.thepaperkites.com.au/

Eternity's Children • Debut LP and Timeless Vinyl Reissues • 2025

https://highmoonrecords.com/eternitys-children/

High Moon Records has announced the long overdue vinyl reissue of two landmark LPs by sunshine pop legends, Eternity’s Children. Originally released in 1968 and never before reissued on vinyl, Eternity’s Children and Timeless – the latter album’s first-ever U.S. release – will be available on Friday, October 31. Both LPs include detailed historical notes and exclusive interviews with the band by noted producer, musician, and archivist Steve Stanley. https://linktr.ee/highmoonrecords

ifitbeyourwill S06E03 • Field Medic

Kevin Patrick Sullivan, the creative force behind Field Medic, invites us into the intimate world of his songwriting process in this revealing conversation about musical authenticity, vulnerability, and the realities of life as a touring musician. From his early days performing solo with just a boombox playing cassette drum beats to his current evolution as an artist, Sullivan offers a refreshingly honest look at his creative journey.

"Touring is a 24-hour job where you only work for one hour," Sullivan reflects, capturing the strange dichotomy of performing life – moments of intense connection with audiences followed by the disorienting reality of being "somewhere random" immediately after. This vulnerability extends throughout his music, where he's discovered that the lyrics making him most uncomfortable often resonate most deeply with listeners.

What makes Sullivan's approach particularly fascinating is his disciplined creative routine combined with moments of pure inspiration. He practices what he calls "full-time freestyle," sometimes capturing songs in single, inspired moments, while other times meticulously crafting them over time. "I work on music or songwriting for at least an hour every day, even when I don't want to," he shares, explaining his prolific output with a new album nearly every year.

His latest record, "Surrender Instead," continues his tradition of heart-on-sleeve songwriting while navigating the tension between artistic authenticity and desire for recognition. As Sullivan prepares for his upcoming tour and already begins writing his next project, his philosophy remains steadfast: focus on the feeling rather than technical perfection, stay true to yourself, and don't get too caught up in the small stuff. For anyone who values authentic creative expression or simply enjoys thoughtful, vulnerable songwriting, Field Medic's music offers a welcome reminder that sometimes the most powerful art comes from sharing our most uncomfortable truths.

Download MP3 

https://fieldmedic.net/

Living Hour • Best I Did It • 2025

“Some of the most heartsick synth-pop since Cocteau Twins. We're talking sweeping casios, massive hooks, and lovey-dovey feelings big enough to float on.”

- Noisey

 

“a piece of hooky, delicately-noisy indie rock that maintains their reputation as one of the better contemporary bands doing the shoegaze thing right now.”

- Stereogum

“Living Hour combine fuzzy, melodic, psych-rock riffs with washed-out textures and powerful, stirring vocals to create a sound that pours over the space and engulfs its audience.”

- The Underground

 

“Like your favorite sweater or a bowl of cacio e pepe, “Wheel” is warm and comforting, with perfect fuzzy guitar tone, a whispery descending chord progression, and a verse melody that gives way to a soaring, gloriously noisy chorus with twin leads. This really, really hits the spot.”

- Brooklyn Vegan

"Slowdive just returned, but shoegaze music was already in good hands with Living Hour."

- NPR

https://tellallyourfriendspr.us

Field Medic • simply obsessed • 2025

m_surrenderinstead

Kevin Patrick Sullivan takes a meta-narrative turn on his latest album, pondering career success in candid, if somewhat straightforward, folk songs. PF

Avery Lynch • Sweetheart • 2025

averylynch.com

The Cords • 2025

lnk.to/cords-goodbye

 

WHEN YOU SAY GOODBYE is a heart-rending pop song: it’s deeper, heavier and more immersive that the first two singles, but somehow it’s just as catchy. Grace and Eve Tedeschi may be young, but this is the sound of a band who are already totally accomplished at writing pop classics.

 Their first show was with The Vaselines, and since then they have played with Camera Obscura, Belle and Sebastian, BMX Bandits and others, while also sharing stages with the new generation of indiepop stars: the Umbrellas, Chime School, Lightheaded.

ifitbeyourwill S06E02 • Robert Forster

Ever wonder what keeps a songwriter creating fresh music after four decades? Robert Forster, the legendary co-founder of The Go-Betweens, takes us on a fascinating journey through his musical evolution—from meeting Grant McLennan at Queensland University to recording his latest solo album "Strawberries" with Swedish musicians.

The conversation unfolds like a masterclass in creative persistence. Forster reveals how The Ramones' debut album gave him the confidence to write his first songs, declaring "if they could do it, I could do it"—while artists like Bowie felt too intimidating with their virtuosic musicians. He candidly shares his struggle with the fundamental songwriter's dilemma: how to create something new when there are only so many chords. His solution involves constant experimentation—inverting chords, using capos, exploring different positions on the fretboard—and the patience to play for months until something genuinely fresh emerges.

Most surprisingly, Forster opens up about nearly abandoning music twice when faced with two-year creative droughts. What kept him going? Simply the joy of creation and, later in life, diversifying his creative outlets through music journalism and writing. This multifaceted approach actually revitalized his songwriting, removing the pressure and allowing new perspectives to emerge. The result is what he considers his most consistent body of solo work over the past decade.

"Strawberries," his latest album recorded with members of Peter Bjorn and John, represents this artistic renaissance. Forster speaks about it with rare satisfaction, suggesting he'd be content not to record for several years because "I don't know how I'm going to top that." Beyond music, he shares exciting news about completing his first novel, set for publication in Australia next year.

Want to witness the magic that happens when an Australian indie legend joins forces with Swedish pop sensibilities? Catch Robert Forster on his European tour this September-October, where he'll be performing with the same musicians who brought "Strawberries" to life.

direct download mp3

www.robertforster.net/Strawberries

The subtext, of course, is awful. Forster – like anyone who has watched parents die and loved ones suffer – knows that the worst is never over. However, Strawberries concludes that raging against the dying of the light is a mug’s game; the only sensible response to mortality and pain is to live (and love) harder. Some of the stylistic choices here may give regular listeners “the shits”, but Forster is quite possibly beyond worrying about what people think about him now. His debut novel is in the works; he is writing some of the best songs of his life. That delicious fruit won’t be fresh forever, enjoy the sweetness now. mojo