The way a vinyl record crackles away in the background like white noise. When an artist hits a duff note, or snaps a string. Recordings that capture a singer taking in a breath, or doing their best to choke back tears during an especially emotional ballad. Nothing endears me to a piece of music more than moments of humanity like these. There’s just something so raw, so real, about having those flaws on full display, rather than trying to polish over them and hide them away from the world. If only we could embrace that same mentality when looking at ourselves in the mirror. Swedish singer/songwriter Elina celebrates the beauty in imperfection with her charming new single ‘Scars’. How every scar tells a story, every odd little quirk adds up to make us unique, and to the right person every fault we’d otherwise try our best to hide is what drew them to us in the first place. Teaming up with British singer James TW for this gorgeous duet, their voices intertwine beautifully to deliver a tender message of love and acceptance: “All of your flaws, You make them yours, Has it ever crossed your mind that they are what I love you for“.
top tracks
Top Tracks: St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Sitting In The Corner
There’s such a vast library of music out there that it could take a hundred lifetimes to hear it all. While part of me wishes I had all the time in the world to listen to every single artist who would otherwise slip past my radar, I feel like that would somewhat diminish the joy of discovery. Half the fun of finding something special is knowing that it could have easily slipped through your fingers. Though most of my time is spent championing up and coming artists, often my most thrilling discoveries come from hearing an established act for the first time. Up until now, powerhouse soul ensemble St. Paul & The Broken Bones have managed to pass me by like a ship in the night, but upon hearing ‘Sitting In The Corner’ it feels like I’m just now stumbling upon a band that I was always destined to meet. Those soaring soulful vocals, the rich brass arrangement and sumptuous strings, the boundless energy of the drum beats – it’s just divine. Where has this band been all my life? You’re telling me I have half a dozen records of this splendour to dive into? Marvellous!
Top Tracks: Amelie Lucille – Polar
There’s nothing like hearing a voice that just stops you in your tracks. The world grinds to a halt, there is nothing else in that moment. That’s how I felt hearing ‘Polar’ for the first time – and every time since. It doesn’t dazzle me with intricate runs, or by belting out big notes; I’m instead utterly entranced by how assured and effortless it feels. There’s a deep soulful melancholy as dark and rich as a fine wine, coexisting alongside moments as airy and delicate as a dandelion seed carried by the faintest breeze to pastures new. It follows every mournful cry and elegant uplifting swell of the gorgeous string accompaniment as easily as breathing. Everywhere it wanders there’s a comforting warmth to be found. Amelie Lucille’s voice feels like the golden glow of sunset. How it’s able to seep into every leaf, cascade down every roof tile, permeate every crack in the pavement, and in that one moment make the world feel like a more beautiful place. That in itself is something special, but to then emerge from my reverie, and discover that this spellbinding singer is only seventeen, just left me even more awestruck. To have such expressiveness, confidence and emotion in her vocals this early in her musical journey is simply astonishing, and I can’t wait to hear what’s next.
Top Tracks: The Paper Kites – Every Town
When they’re at their best, Australian indie folk outfit The Paper Kites are one of those bands whose music just feels like home. There’s a sense of comfort and familiarity to their sound that keeps drawing you back. With the warmth of its dreamy arrangement, and the affecting tenderness of its melodies, their latest single ‘Every Town’ is a shining example of that magic in action. Taken from their new album If You Go There, I Hope You Find It, out 23rd January, it has a gently uplifting energy to it that feels like being seen. Being known. That heartening hand-on-shoulder feeling you get when a friend says that something reminded them of you. When you return to an old haunt and they still remember your regular order. When you visit family for the holidays and you all slip into time honoured routines and traditions like it’s second nature. ‘Every Town’ feels like a celebration of all the small moments of love and connection that we carry with us. The ties that bind us, ground us, that persist through all manner of change, and time, and distance.
Top Tracks: Amelia Coburn – Something Wild
Humanity likes to think of itself as evolved, civilised, elevated above the natural world, but in reality people are animals just like any other. We’re not a cut above the world we share, we are part of it, connected to it. We are of the wild, and the wild lives in us still. Yet so much of modern society’s expectations seem to revolve around taming that part of our spirit and putting us in neat little boxes. We’re told to grow up and bury our inner child deep within. Women are conditioned all their lives to be prim and proper, seen and not heard. But in trying to rise above our deeper nature, we lose touch of what makes us human. Anger, joy, sorrow, desire – they’re made to be felt, not hidden away.
Hot on the tail of last year’s singular debut record Between the Moon and the Milkman, rising star Amelia Coburn returns with her empowering new single ‘Something Wild’. An impassioned reminder to remain true to yourself, and break free of the shackles of societal expectations, it truly feels like Amelia’s best work yet. The gorgeous, sweeping string arrangements. The galloping rhythm that has all the momentum of a feral beast on the prowl. The striking video that flips the script on a classic fairy tale and sees Red Riding Hood release her inner wolf. It all adds up to make ‘Something Wild’ the most bewitching slice of gothic folk I’ve heard all year.
Top Tracks: The Belair Lip Bombs – Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)
There are days when I’ve found myself listening to so much music, for hours on end, that it all starts to blend together. The same few trends being chased time and again, melodies so similar they could be long lost twins. I find myself longing to be surprised, but by its very nature it’s hard to search for the unexpected, you simply have to trust that it will find you. This time it arrives in the form of ‘Don’t Let Them Tell You (It’s Fair)’, the new single from Australian quartet The Belair Lip Bombs. Taken from their forthcoming album Again, out this Halloween, I find myself so awed by and enamoured with this track’s guitar work. So many gorgeous and varied moments – rock solid riffs you could set your watch by, bright soaring licks swooping in and out, light ethereal harmonics gently tinkling like raindrops – all of it just so casual and fleeting, not giving you a moment to process before the next dazzling flourish catches your attention. There’s an energy and playfulness here reminiscent of The Only Ones ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’, and a timeless quality that reminds me a little of Violent Femmes’ ‘Blister in the Sun’. This track is one of my favourite discoveries of 2025; like an open flame that leaves you mesmerised by the way it dances and flickers.
Top Tracks: Ailbhe Reddy – Align
I can’t remember the last time I heard a song that so perfectly captures a feeling the way that ‘Align’ does. The music conjuring out of thin air the very emotion it’s trying to describe. In this case, the wave of bittersweet nostalgia that comes in the aftermath of a break-up. Somehow ‘Align’s expansive electronica embodies not only the warmth and comfort that comes with reminiscing on a happy memory, a precious moment shared that’s rapidly fading into history, but also the cold, detached emptiness that bubbles away within when the time comes to let it go. Sincerely wishing a life well lived to source of your heartache as you close the book on the chapter you once shared. This gorgeous new single from Belwood favourite Ailbhe Reddy sees her revel in the notion that “time makes all things feel alright” in the end. Those photos and keepsakes in a box under the bed, buried away like a time capsule – if left long enough, all the pain they bring now will have softened, all the wounds will have faded into scars. All that will remain is an echo of a happy memory, and gratitude for the brief time your life intertwined with another, even if it wasn’t meant to last.
Top Tracks: Lucifers Beard – Loveland
I love when an act is able to change their sound as easily as changing clothes. Able to reach into their musical wardrobe, grab a different style on a whim, put in on, and just make it work. When last I delved into the world of Lucifers Beard, this singular solo project was sporting a Royal Blood style full-blooded rocker sound, with a pinch of southern grit for good measure. ‘Loveland’ is another world entirely. This lush new single, the titular centrepiece of the new EP Welcome to Loveland, takes more of a funky, disco inspired approach. It feels like the work of a completely different ensemble – trading the leather jacket and cowboy hat for a glittery, mirrorball blazer and flared trousers. It’s a pitch perfect love letter to Let’s Dance era Bowie, with a few nods to ELO in its string accompaniment, and with a playful eccentricity that reminds me a little of Belwood Award winning art rockers HMLTD. Bright, grand, and indulgent, with an infectious dance rock groove, Lucifers Beard flaunts this new sound with real flair and panache.
Top Tracks: Cristina Hart – Thank You For Leaving
Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder, sometimes it provides the step back necessary to see everything in perspective. A chance to finally recognise all the pain and manipulation that you’ve put up with for far too long. An opportunity to put yourself first and realise that you deserve to be treated better. With her new single ‘Thank You For Leaving’, Belwood favourite Cristina Hart delivers a break-up anthem that bounces back brighter than ever from the ashes of heartache. Positively buzzing with Olivia Rodrigo vibes, fusing pop earworms with a hefty helping of edge and venom, Cristina’s new single has all the cathartic satisfaction of being the one left standing tall after a break-up. They say that the best revenge is a life well lived, and this pop-rock powerhouse is living her best life right now. After being handpicked to open for One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson in Zurich, and garnering support from Radio 1’s Future Pop show, this first taste of her forthcoming EP could be your last chance to join the hype train before she becomes a household name.
Top Tracks: Emily Popli – Alight
With such an overabundance of new releases all vying for attention, it can be hard to pick out just a few examples to shine a light on for the blog. Often all a track needs to stand out from the crowd is a single wow moment – something that stops you in your tracks and demands your attention. ‘Alight’ delivers on that front in the first few seconds, when that rich, bluesy guitar tone melts your heart as it swirls and intertwines with the subtle strings. That alone was all the wow moment I needed, but this gorgeous duet just keeps piling on more moments that take your breath away. I felt that same rush of endorphins again when I heard Emily Popli’s lush, golden tones ring out. Once more when Matt Giraud’s gritty, soulful voice belted out his verse with the utmost passion and sincerity. All of it culminating in the firework finale that finds their talents combined in a most heavenly harmony. For a song with the opening line “I just want your attention…“, it sure as hell delivers, pulling out all the stops to grab it and never let it go.
Belwood Music 