Nina Winder-Lind • “This is Our Life” • 2026

 

Brighton-based, Swedish songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nina Winder-Lind, best known as a member of the electrifying “Hagstone rock” band The New Eves, releases a new solo single and video, “This is Our Life,” today via Transgressive. Blending folk-pop warmth with an upbeat, driving pulse, the song showcases Winder-Lind’s magnetic vocal vibrato and instinct for melody. It balances intimacy with exuberance, capturing a sense of joy and immediacy that runs through much of her work.

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ifitbeyourwill Podcast #171 • The Leaf Library

The Leaf Library Have Been Right This Whole Time

Six years is a long time to believe in something. Matt, the engine behind The Leaf Library, will tell you it requires a specific kind of delusion — the ability to convince yourself, and eventually everyone around you, that the record you're making is worth the time, the money, and the slow erosion of certainty. After the Rain, Strange Seeds is proof that the delusion held.

The band's fourth album landed on Fika Records this past March, and it sounds like exactly what it is: decades of instinct refined into something weightless. Dream pop that leans pastoral, folk textures dissolving into lo-fi haze, Kate's vocals sitting just above the mix like something half-remembered. It's the kind of record that doesn't announce itself — it accumulates.

In this conversation, Matt traces the long road here: a Stereolab ad in Reading, a John Peel spin, a DIY infrastructure that taught him more about music than any lesson could. He talks about the band's finally-settled lineup, the collaborative friendship with Kate that stretches back to 1996, and a forthcoming project built around drones traded with Japanese artist Teriyuki Kurohara. He's thoughtful, self-deprecating, and quietly certain that this one cut through for a reason.

He's right. Go listen. 

the-leaf-library-the-ivy-house

girlpuppy • Windows • 2025

https://girlpuppymusic.com/

In the peak season for being wistful and nostalgic and sad but ultimately hopeful, Becca Harvey — the Atlanta, GA-based musician behind girlpuppy — is kicking off the new year with an outside-looking-in approach that's far subtler; more in the vein of driving by an ex's house out of muscle memory, scanning the darkness for light-soaked material proof. exclaim!

NO MUSEUMS • Lowways • 2024

The Lighter Dark Age (December 2023)
"They’ve crafted these intimate listening situations, continuously evolving and continuously releasing great LPs"
Austin Town Hall, December 2023

"Slathered with whirring, melodic, Guided By Voices-style beauty...Edmonton’s No Museums remain one of the most enduring and under-rated indie secrets around."
Janglepop, November 2023

Folk Terrors (October 2022)
"Too busy to be haunting, too whirring to be melodic, these tracks prosper in the ultimately cool musical hinterland between"
Janglepophub, November 2022

Pale Blue Eyes (February 2022)
"...evoke the moderate, chord-wrangling hangover of Sebadoh and New Radiant Storm King"
The Big Takeover, issue 91, Autumn 2022

Denison Witmer • "Older and Free” • 2024

Website

“One of the benefits of getting older and knowing yourself is being able to seek out the things that reset you in times when things feel off balance,” said Witmer. “For me, alone time is very important. Nature is very important. Moving my body and getting lost in my thoughts has become a must - whether it be running or, in the case of this song, hiking. I wrote this song when I was solo camping for a night at French Creek State Park not far from my home in PA. During Covid lockdown, my wife and I realized that we would burn out in the responsibilities of our day-to-day life if we didn't take time to ourselves. The melody and lyrics came to me as I was hiking the Lenape Trail back to my campsite. I have a little classical guitar that goes with me most places, and I wrote the song in completion that evening. I got so attached to the sound that the little guitar ended up being the instrument we recorded the basic tracks with.”

ifitbeyourwill S03 E18 • Call Me Spinster

Sisters Rosalie, Rachel, and Amelia formed the trio, whose individual talents converge into a harmonious whole, Call Me Spinster. Together, they create an alchemy of sound that is both evocative and empowering, inviting audiences to embark on a  journey that transcends boundaries and resonates on a deeply personal level. Call Me Spinster showcases a profound commitment to artistic exploration and authenticity. Their music is a reflection of life’s many family complexities, offering solace, inspiration, and a sense of connection in a world that often feels fragmented and chaotic. Enjoy 🎙️ 

Call Me Spinster

Potholes was recorded in the vaunted studios of Chase Park Transduction in Athens, Georgia where Call Me Spinster teamed again with Drew Vandenberg to co-produce and engineer the record. Base tracks were recorded live as much as possible, pulling in JoJo Glidewell (of Montreal, Modern Skirts) on keyboards and piano. Countless harmonies and overdubs were recorded in Rachel’s Chattanooga bedroom, synth or solo ideas passed back and forth between band members, Glidewell, Vandenberg, and pedal steelist Matt ‘Pistol’ Stoessel.

The result is a truly unusual concoction, swirling around familiar sounds but always landing slightly askew of expected territory. The first track “Feet Are Dirty” nods to Robyn and ‘90s synth pop but with a post-punk plainness that is both wistful and honest and entirely its own brand. The second track, “Married,” trades in Rosie on lead vocals in a dreamy, almost psychedelic offering, with moments of Minnie Riperton-era Rotary Connection and Air. Other songs like “White Lines” dip into the realm of country - folk, but in an unusually understated, anti-Nashville style, pedal steel or accordion pinging nostalgia but staying out of the way. “Born in a Ditch” is a doo-op era banger, but like their effervescent first single, “Here You Are,” moves outside the trope with an unexpected twang and in this case, trumpet by Wave Magnetik. Alex Behles

ifthisbeyourwill S03 E15 • Shaina Hayes

Raised in Shigawake, in the Gaspésie region of Québec, Shaina Hayes grew up listening to singer-songwriters like Feist, Joni Mitchell and Regina Spektor, traditional country artists such as Hank Williams and Dolly Parton, and modern country stars, including Shania Twain and The Chicks. After studying agricultural sciences at McGill University in Montreal, she returned to her rural hometown and began recording and co-producing her self-released debut album, to coax a waltz, which came out in April 2022. Bohsound

On her latest release, Kindergarten Heart, Shania lays down indie folk pop melodies that support her explorations of nature and her connection to it! It was a great conversation, sure to warm the soul and touch the heart. Enjoy 🎙️ 
https://shainahayes.bandcamp.com/ 

ifitbeyourwill S03 E13 • Strawberry Runners

https://linktr.ee/strawberryrunners

The music of singer songwriter Emi Night, aka Strawberry Runners is characterized by its dreamy and introspective melodies, often accompanied by gleeful guitar work and grounded vocals. Their lyrics delve into themes of self-discovery, love, and navigating the complexities of human relationships. With a unique blend of indie pop and folk influences, Strawberry Runners creates a sound that is both nostalgic and refreshing. Check out their latest self-titled record and if you’re in the UK a tour is happening as this is published. Enjoy 🎙️ 

🎙️ ifitbeyourwill Ep. 6: Great Lake Swimmers

Canadiana singer songwriter Tony Dekker of the Great Lake Swimmers joins us on the eve of his big tour across Canada, USA and Europe for a quick chat about the long road through Covid shut down, his first recordings, the Canadian music scene and the life of a musician in the 21st century. Tony is a soft spoken, reflective man that has been making records for two  decades, winning Favourite Folk/Roots Artist/Group from Canadian Indie Awards in 2010. His newest LP, was recorded over a four year period, called Uncertain Country. It’s a beauty! Stay tune for the title track at the end of the podcast. 🍁 

https://greatlakeswimmers.com/

TOUR DATES

This celebration, 11-songs long, follows a prolonged period of collective anxiety. Though recorded in different locales — and with a variety of musicians — a theme of questioning runs throughout. Even before the world turned upside down, singer-songwriter Tony Dekker felt mired in uncertainty: From the climate crisis and the ever-changing political landscape to deep shifts within the music industry. The “uncertain country” Dekker chose as the album’s theme is not a specific place. Rather, it’s a territory we, as humans, inhabit in the 21st century — a world that, more often than not, is confusing, unfamiliar and unsettling. tinnitist

Cara Hammond • America • 2023

Influenced by Lana Del Reyand Fleetwood Mac, America is a summer anthem about what happens after theAmerican dream. Country guitar slides, gospel organ and 60s girl group harmonies blend together in creating a classic Americana sound that slowly disintegrates via harmonic shifts.

Tim Heidecker • Buddy • 2022

https://www.timheidecker.com/music

Buddy

I’ve been thinking bout’ you

And all of the shit that you’ve been through

Nothing

Nothing ever worked out right

Only time you smiled is after a few drinks at night

No Museums • Pale Blue Eyes • 2022

pigeon pit • feather river canyon blues • 2022

pigeon pit is a collection of stories wrapped in sunburned skin and a brave heart from a small beach town.

The Reds, Pinks & Purples • I Only Ever Wanted to See You Fail • 2021

Gillie • Retirement Paradise • 2021

Raised within the Welsh heartlands of Carmarthenshire, music has always been second nature to Gillie Ione Rowland aka Gillie. 

Deeply influenced by place and now living within the burgeoning metropolis of London, Gillie blends the serenity of the Welsh countryside with the industrial undergrowth of city life, to create something hauntingly serene.

The Room in the Wood • Charmed • 2019

A Turntable Friend Records

"Candid and catchy.. between Wall of Voodoo’s Stan Ridgway, The Fall and more folk-pop territory with The Doors also a likely deeper influence" – Big Takeover Magazine

"Brilliant offering, loaded with optimism and wit. This lush and highly memorable music calls to mind other local bands like The Railway Children and Echo & The Bunnymen... gives every indication of a band that is going places" – Louder Than War

Best of 2016 - Barbarisms - "Prison Rules"

http://barbarisms.com

Prison Rules has been a go to song of mine in 2016 - the melody, the strumming, the swaying vocals make this one of my favourite tracks of 2016.

 "its artful lo-fi gaze allied to an oddly endearing nostalgic air" Clashmusic

Scarlett Saunders - Blue Again EP - 2016

“A deeply personal, evocative, and poetic piece of songwriting” Clash

“A jazzy-infused tune that gives off a warmth which transports you in a state of inner-peace” Going Solo

Poignancy simmers beneath ‘Blue Again’, the new EP by Felixstowe artist Scarlett Saunders. On the one hand it’s a pop record - the immediacy of the music makes this much obvious. On the other, it’s something literary and harder to define; a probing exploration of love lost and time passing. It’s a record that is just as much at home in a casual pop lover’s library as it is in the most zealous followers of leftfield music.

The Washboard Abs - Have U Scanned Ur Club Card? - 2016

Outstanding release…

antiquatedfuture.com

"Sondermann’s music is an entirely captivating affair...not to be ignored but to sit as something of a distant soundtrack, like an old radio waves drifting out of the windows while you idly recline on some rickety old porch." -Tom Johnson, GoldFlakePaint 

"an album that gently wakes up your senses and makes you feel. For any work of art to accomplish that is surely a home run." - Raquel Dalarossa, ThrdCoast 

"some of the nicest, most heartfelt indie pop around...The Washboard Abs make songs sad and sentimental without ever stepping into melodrama." - Liam Doyle, Wake the Dead 

"Dry leaves rest in an old wooden boat on a lake made of echoes." - VERYSMALLALBUMREVIEW

Top 20 Songs of 2014: George Ezra - Budapest

My house in Budapest

My, my hidden treasure chest,

Golden grand piano

My beautiful Castillo

You

Ooh, you

Ooh, I'd leave it all

My acres of a land

That I've achieved

It may be hard for you to,

Stop and believe

But for you

Ooh, you

Ooh, I'd Leave it all

Ooh, for you

Ooh, you

Ooh, I'd leave it all

Give me one good reason

Why I should never make a change

Baby if you hold me

Then all of this will go away

My many artifacts

The list goes on

If you just say the words

I I'll up and run

To you

Ooh, you

Ooh, I'd leave it all

Ooh, to you

Ooh, you

Ooh, I'd leave it all

Give me one good reason

Why I should never make a change

Baby if you hold me

Then all of this will go away

Give me one good reason

Why I should never make a change

Baby if you hold me

Then all of this will go away

My friends and family

They don't understand

They fear they'll lose so much

If you take my hand

But, for you

Ooh, you

Ooh, I'd lose it all

Ooh, for you

Ooh, you

Ooh, I'd lose it all.

Give me one good reason

Why I should never make a change

Baby if you hold me

Then all of this will go away

Give me one good reason

Why I should never make a change

Baby if you hold me

Then all of this will go away

My house in Budapest

My, my hidden treasure chest,

Golden grand piano

My beautiful Castillo

You

Ooh, you

Ooh, I'd leave it all.

Ooh, for you

Ooh, you

Ooh, I'd leave it all