I’ve lost count of the amount of times I wrote “Produced by Dan Auerbach” here when describing an album. Yola‘s “Stand For Myself” is another of those. Her debut record, “Walk Through Fire”, was gaining serious traction when the pandemic hit, robbing her of well deserved high profile shows and festival slots – but not for long. Fresh off a Newport Folk Festival slot, this might be the possible songwriter’s dream summer.
Nathaniel Rateliff has loved and lost. It really shows on his first solo album since 2013, going back to his roots after a successful stint with his Night Sweats. Serving as a tribute to late friend and collaborator Richard Swift, this is not your average “look, I’m divorced now” bearded dude folk record.
Plus: new tracks by Nap Eyes, The Men, Lucinda Williams, Spanish Love Songs, U.S. Girls, Tame Impala, Tennis Music, Lala Lala, Nadia Reid, Anna Burch, Molly Burch, Miss Tess, Anna Ash, Waxahatchee, Billie Eilish, Jozef van Wissem, William Prince, Logan Ledger, Jonathan Wilson, and Khruangbin + Leon Bridges.
We’ve been championing Stella Donnelly for so long now that we didn’t even remember Beware of the Dogs is her first proper LP. A great record from yet another Australian songwriting treasure – check it out if you’re also into Courtney Barnett or Julia Jacklin. Plus: brand new tracks from Meat Puppets, The Hold Steady, Durand Jones & The Indications, Richard Hawley, Nick Waterhouse, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Tropical Fuck Storm, Stef Chura, Snapped Ankles, The Comet is Coming, Protomartyr, Earth, Mathilda, Lomelda, Billie Eilish, Bedouine, Alice Phoebe Lou, Patty Griffin, The Felice Brothers, Adam Ostrar, and Tyler Ramsey.