Category: Artists We Like

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (October 31, 2025)

The year is rolling along and there are a lot of good tunes to savor this week.

Everyone needs a little Night Ranger in their lives, and Midnight City will take you there in spades.

Darius Rucker. Mike Mills, and Steve Gorman have formed a supergroup under the moniker Howl, Owl, Howl. Stay tuned for this space for future releases.

And, Rebels Opera will take you back to strutting the Sunset Strip in style.

But, that’s not all, don’t let the train leave the station without you checking out of these gems.

Jeremy Pinell – Decades

Leaning into his 70’s rock influences, Jeremy Pinell, with Shooter Jennings twirling the knobs, may just have created is own masterpiece with his best album to date.

“Dallas” is a Creedence-worthy swamp stomper, “Too Much Sugar” is a lilting-blues tune that has John Lee Hooker vibes, and “Pink Champagne” could have been a King George Strait hit.

A much more nuanced effort than his prior honky-tonk- heavy releases, this one is worth a serious listen with a serious drink in hand.

The Belair Lip Bombs – Again

While they certainly do stand on the shoulders of their 2000s indie rock influences, with their latest, The Belair Lip Bombs blaze their own trail with this highly energized, melodic chestnut of a result of a record.

With enough hooks for an episode of Dangerous every song on this record is single-worthy. “Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)” is a power pop fuzz-bomb, and “Hey” is the festival-worthy album that could take the band to the next level.

Despite the Cranberries’ hipster vibe, there is not much not to like with this group that is fast becoming our new favorite band.

The Charlatans – We Are Love

Returning after an eight-year gap, The band clearly embraces the future whi at the same time forging a path on the road ahead.

The opener “Kingdom Of Ours” releases like the opener of a Tarantino movie, and the title track is classic Charlatans fare.

With “For The Girls” standing as a bellwether for the album, if you are just now discovering this band you are in for a great treat, if you are revisiting the band, welcome home.

Marty Stuart – Space Junk

Marty Stuart and the Superlatives have released their fist full-length instrumental record with vibes from The Ventures, Herb Alpert, and Dick Dale all taking center stage.

With a prominent Tiki vibe wafting in the air and Ennio Morricone homages courtesy of “El Zorro” along with Tarantino’s Savoie fare on “La Tingo Tango” there is no doubt this is, and will be, the instrumental record of the year.

Futurebirds – Deluxe Company

Not travelling much past their comfort zone of Americana, Poco country rock, and with a dusting of psychedelic rock thrown in for good measure, this time out, Futurebirds embraces their mantra with the gusto of mid-era Grateful Dead.

“Solitaires” could have been a Jerry Garcia solo jaunt, “Soft Drugs” is prime Old ‘97’s, and “Easytown” carries a bit of a Whiskeytown torch.

This one won’t change the world, but it will change your mood for the better.

Five Cool Ones: Five New Albums Released This Week (October 10, 2025)

As we get closer to the end of the year the music starts heating up.

Shiraz Lane is out front with this scorcher ahead of their soon-to-be-released record In Vertigo.

Chrissie Hynde has a new album coming soon with some stellar guests, first up Chrissie and Rufus Wainwright slaying “Always On My Mind.”

And, last and probably best, The Belair Lip Bombs, Melbourne’s secret weapon, has a new record coming that is pre-determined to be among the best of the year.

And that is not all. Here are five cool ones to savor this week.

Hollow Souls – Hollow Souls

With a new line up that brings Kris Barras back to his blues-rock roots while at the same time creating a heavier sound than was on display with the Kris Barras Band, the debut record mines Stevie Ray territory with aplomb.

Fronted by Phoebe Jane with pipes that would make Beth Hart blush, the new band is joined by current hot shots Monster Truck, Chris Tapp of The Cold Stares, and Elles Bailey on a debut record that certainly sets the stage for great things to come.

“Burn It To The Ground” is a scorcher with assistance fro Elles Bailey, “Shotgun” just flat out rocks, and the opener “Borderline” introduces the listener to Phoebe’s back of the barroom pipes. And yes, there is cowbell.

Another example of why rock is not dead.

Liam St. John – Man Of The North

Nashville-based Pacific Northwest-bred, Blues rocker Liam St. John blends rock influences with just a bit of Cadillac Three country twang to keep him authentic with a timber in his voice that brings Lukas Nelson to the mind’s ear.

“Devil in Disguise” with an ample assist from Houndmouth veers into Chris Stapleton territory, “Trouble” is a blues-rock stomper, and “Greyhound Bus Blues,” a duet with Molly Tuttle, might be one of the best Americana songs of the year.

Even at a stout 53 minutes long this one seems to end too soon.

Amanda Shires – Piece Of Mind

Singer, songwriter, and fiddle player Amanda Shires turns her divorce from Jason Isbell. “A Way It Goes” into her personal salve and provides the first indication that the breakup did not go well,

We hear the breakup play out in real time “Piece Of Mind” making Alanis look tame, and “Lately” has Shire finding solace in listening to Billy Joel’s Stranger album.

Straying a bit from her folk roots on this one, this mostly sparse affair showcasing some of her best songwriting to date with “Friendzone” a stellar example where she gets high and watches Tombstone and gets higher watching Rambo.

Far from maudlin, this might be Amanda Shires’ best effort to date.

The Third Mind – Right Now!

Three albums in this supergroup of sorts formed by Dave Alvin, Camper Van Beethoven bassist Victor Krummenacher and vocalist Jesse Sykes seem to be basking in the sunshine of nuggets-style rock and roll with an ear towards psychedelic folk.

The Youngbloods “Darkness Darkness” is turned into a Jefferson Airplane-worthy monster ode, “Reno, Nevada” with Alvin and Sykes duetting would have been a monster hit in the hands of Nancy and Lee, while “Pretty Polly” is murder ballad mojo at its finest.

There something to savor in every groove. Come for the Otis Rush mojo of “Reap What You Sow,” but stay for the silky vibe of the Delines evoking “Before We Said Goodbye.”

The Prize – In The Red

With the hot at balloons set to ‘80s rock atmosphere, In The Red, the latest mini-masterpiece from Melbourne’s The Prize, shades of Cheap Trick, Blue Oyster Cult, and Thin Lizzy blast from every speaker.

They just don’t make rock and roll records like this anymore. If juke boxes were still a thing, mine would be loaded with these gems. “Down The Street” is Early Cheap Trick by way of late-era Ramones, “Static Live Affair” is right from the listenable Stooges canon, and even the closer requisite ballad -adjacent “Silver Bullet” has a certain Night Ranger vibe about it.

We are calling our shot now, this is the best rock and roll record of the year.