Sothiac & Paul Jolly: Superluna

Superlaun is two-part soundscape (or phases) composition recorded during lockdown in London by Pat Moonchy, Paul Jolly and Lucky Liguori. Based on drones, floating wordless vocals and free-jazz they conjure up the dark blue indigo of the night, with a giant moon as the sole source of light. It is a hauntingly beautiful piece of avant-garde that should be experienced using a pair of top of the line headphones in one, undisturbed sitting. Sound master Todd Tobias was in charge of the mixing and mastering, creating the perfect balance between clarity and intensity.

New Luna: Prunus

Manchester based indie rockers New Luna slowed it down a bit for their new single Prunus, a song about being vulnerable - a decidedly uncool concept in lad culture, but more often than not a must for an artist to get it right. Shards of Radiohead abound in this sometimes rough sounding track with gentle vocals.

Steve Dawson & Funeral Bonsai Wedding: Last Flight Out

photo: Matthew Gilson

The words on the three windows of a florist shop in Chicago struck a nerve with Steve Dawson and gave him the name for his new band Funeral Bonsai Wedding. With vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, drummer Charles Rumback and bassist Jason Roebke, regulars on the Windy City jazz scene he released a self-titled debut album in 2016, For the new album Last Flight Out they upped the and used the services of Quartet Parapluie, an seasoned all-female ensemble who played with Belle and Sebastian and Iron & Wine.

Steve Dawson is from the Americana country rock school, so getting into a jazzy crooner mode is way outside his comfort zone, but he pulls it off with flying colours. His storytelling capabilities made an easy transfer to the lush, orchestrated songs, flawlessly arranged by Jason Adasiewicz. His vibraphone is often the lead instrument, its tinkling sound leading the way.

Hypergear: What Are We Going to Do with These? (Suffering: A Guide for Empathy)

Italian alternative electronic rock trio Hypergear is now a solo act. Singer and guitarist Sascha Giordano cites differences in "priorities" as the main reason in a vlog. The departure of his band mates did not slow him down that much and the 3-track EP What Are We Going to Do with These? (Suffering: A Guide for Empathy) is the last stop before the release of a full album.

Peter Gabriel: Rated PG reissue

The Peter Gabriel album Rated PG was released as a limited-edition picture-disc LP for Record Store Day in 2019. The album collects songs he wrote for soundtracks. It quickly sold out, but it will become available again in June:

On 12 June, we will finally release the CD and black vinyl edition of Rated PG.

We know many of you have been wondering where this release has been, but much like the ‘Book of Love’ the reasons for the delay are long and boring. Suffice to say, we’re sorry for the wait.