Every Friday, Atwood Magazine’s staff share what they’ve been listening to that week – a song, an album, an artist – whatever’s been having an impact on them, in the moment.
This week’s weekly roundup features music by Ziggy Alberts, Polly Money, Phoneboy, Laurel Bloom, Olivia Cox, Waverly Drive, Love Spells, Without Willow, Coastal Club, Cameron Sage From, clovers daughter, Aurehl, Luke Tyler Shelton, and Night Cycle!
•• •• •• ••
follow WEEKLY ROUNDUP on Spotify
:: “I’m With You” – Ziggy Alberts ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Ten-plus years, six-plus studio albums, and hundreds (if not thousands) of concerts have all helped Ziggy Alberts find and hone his own signature sound. The Australian singer/songwriter – long a favorite of Atwood Magazine’s pages – is a bright beacon of light and love, his acoustic indie folk sound sure to put a smile on all his listeners’ faces.
“I’m With You” is no exception; released in mid-January, the final single off Alberts’ seventh studio album New Love (out February 21st) is an intimate, sun-kissed celebration. Through a medley of glistening acoustic guitar strums, exuberant hand claps, pounding drums, and warm harmonies, he embraces life’s “simple, yet meaningful” moments – channeling their beauty into music full of heart and soul, depth and dynamism, hope and heat.
I remember when
I first saw your eyes
Working three doors down
From my favourite bookshop
In the world the coastline
When you wrote to me
You said that my body
It was made for yours, yours
And I’m just so grateful
That I got to know you
Here in this universe
Since then we have both
been on the move
I, I’ve realised just how
much I love you and
I, I’m ready now to give
my heart to the sea again
We can live life like adventurers
I’m with you, I’m with you
It’s a gentle, dream folk-pop reverie, and a quintessential Ziggy Albert song. “Love, in its purest form, has a way of bringing us back to ourselves,” he tells Atwood Magazine. “This song is about welcoming that with open arms.”
It’s “a truly happy song,” he adds. “It’s not sentimental; it’s just easygoing and uplifting, which is exactly what I love about it. I started [writing it] at home in Australia, late 2023, and kept working on it backstage during the Rewind World Tour. I remember jamming it in our common room at The Forum Melbourne when Nathan Ball lit up and said, ‘This is a winner.’ That moment sealed it for me. The upward melody in the chorus – ‘I’m with you’ – felt like discovering something special.”
Aren’t you sick of being lonely
just to make a little art?
Say yes! (yeah yeah)
Aren’t you sick and tired of always
choosing head over the heart?
Say I am! (I am)
Wouldn’t it be fun to let go, dance,
sing out under sun and the stars?
Say alright! (alright)
And even though we haven’t got
everything figured out quite yet
What’s that saying again?
Is it practice makes perfect
Arriving on the heels of previously released tracks “Where Does The Love Go,” “Outlaw,” and “New Love,” “I’m With You” is a sweet, cheerful, and charming tune with an utterly infectious stomp-and-holler energy. Whether he’s rekindling ‘long-lost love’ or reconnecting with nature, Alberts infuses his words, his voice, and his song with pure joie de vivre – a lust for life that proves as irresistible as his choruses are catchy. This is life-affirming music, and the kind of music we deserve in 2025.
I, I’ve realised just how
much I love you and
I, I’m ready now to give
my heart to the sea again
We can live life like adventurers
I’m with you, I’m with you
I’m with you, I’m with you
I’m with you, I’m with you
:: “Milk & Honey” – Polly Money ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Ireland
Polly Money’s latest single “Milk & Honey” is a shimmering ode to the intoxicating rush of first love—equal parts euphoria and vulnerability. With her signature dreamy vocals and effervescent indie-pop production, Money crafts a sonic landscape that feels both intimate and expansive. The track’s warm, honeyed melodies contrast with the lyrical tension of navigating uncharted emotional territory, making “Milk & Honey” a captivating reflection on queer romance in its most electric and uncertain form. As a self-described “lesbian overlord,” Money brings both confidence and tender authenticity to her music, solidifying her presence as a vital voice in the indie-pop scene.
Accompanying the single is a stripped-down, visually striking music video directed by Rosie Carney, filmed in photographer Cal McIntyre’s studio. The minimalist backdrop allows Money’s raw emotions to take center stage, mirroring the song’s balance of excitement and apprehension. She describes the track as a transportive experience, aiming to evoke the listener’s own memories of love’s first bloom. With “Milk & Honey,” Polly Money delivers not only a song that’s irresistibly catchy, but also one that pulses with genuine feeling, marking another bold step in her artistic evolution ahead of her forthcoming EP, T-Shirt Nothing Else.
:: “Better Than You” – Phoneboy ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Indie outfit Phoneboy’s “Better Than You” is a punchy anthem you will want to play on repeat. Edgy vocals soar over thrashing rock soundscapes for the ultimate in-your-face breakup banger. The utterly infectious track is a bold narration of knowing you are not right for someone and coming to terms with that. The music video is equally as fierce. The offering opens with the two band members in bed together appearing as if they had just hooked up. As the visual continues you witness the band on a crazy night out drinking. Everything about the scene is so enticing, making the viewer wish they could join in on the fun.
“Better Than You” is off their upcoming album Heartbreak Designer, which skillfully examines love, loss and self-discovery. Phoneboy consists of singer/guitarists Wyn Barnum and Ricky Dana, bassist James Fusco, and newest member keyboardist/vocals Jordan Torres. Together they craft energetic music that easily gets trapped in your ears. One listen to the boisterous band and you will be hooked.
:: Painting the Sunlight in My Room – Laurel Bloom ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
There’s a cozy, dreamy warmth about Laurel Bloom’s debut EP that makes it especially moving, memorable, and meaningful. The Swiss singer/songwriter lets light, love, and a trove of intimate emotions flood freely on Painting the Sunlight in My Room, a warm, wondrous, and rich set of indie folk songs ruminating on life, time, youth, adulthood, and acceptance.
“I recorded my debut EP Painting The Sunlight In My Room after placing a piano in the living room of my childhood home,” Bloom tells Atwood Magazine. “Together with my dear friend Konstantin Aebli, who produced the record, we transformed the space into a small studio.”
“This intimate setting, filled with memories of my youth, is as integral to my songs as the vibrant cracks in the crumbling house itself. In five songs, all originally written on the piano, I tell stories of growing pains, of letting go and moving on, and of the peace that comes from embracing childhood.”
The journey from “Blossom Boy” to “The Sunlight Remains” is as cathartic as it is colorful and calming; through poetic, confessional lyrics, radiant melodies, and vibrant tapestries of harmony, Bloom offers a window into a beautiful world each of us knows all too well – our very own past and present. I keep finding myself coming back to the hypnotic, lush waves on “Riddles of My Youth,” but as with any EP, the full record is worth the time, so press play and let Laurel Bloom wash your woes away, if only for a little while.
:: “Paris” – Olivia Cox ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Ireland
Olivia Cox kicks off 2025 in style with her latest single “Paris,” a dazzling addition to her impressive discography. Seamlessly blending alt-pop with mainstream pop, Cox’s genre-bending approach pays off in this dynamic and vibrant track. The quirky, innovative sound is elevated by Cox’s signature ethereal vocals, layered over shimmering synths and a pulsating beat that whisks listeners away to a dreamy, cinematic soundscape. With its infectious melody and introspective lyrics that capture the essence of longing and adventure, “Paris” solidifies Cox’s place as one of the most exciting rising artists to watch in 2025, showcasing her undeniable charisma and polished production.
:: “Class” – Waverly Drive ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Ireland
Waverly Drive’s latest release “Class” is a shimmering blend of psychedelic rock and infectious pop, fusing vintage influences with a modern, sharp-edged aesthetic. With a tight, hypnotic groove at its core, the track layers fuzzy guitar tones, lush strings, and choral vocals, evoking shades of Bowie while carving out its own distinct sonic identity.
Beneath its bright, dreamlike exterior lies a pointed social commentary, as Waverly Drive reflects on the impact of class divisions through compelling, lyric-driven storytelling. Effortlessly balancing nostalgia with innovation, “Class” is both an earworm and a thought-provoking listen, proving Waverly Drive’s knack for crafting immersive, melodic soundscapes with depth.
:: “With Only Your Mouth” – Love Spells ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
With a voice as soft and tender as a whisper, and music as calm and cathartic as the ocean, Love Spells is exceptionally easy to fall for. In just a few short years, the 20-year-old singer/songwriter from Houston, Texas (born Sir Taegen C’aion Harris) has found his own niche in the alternative world, blending his ethereal vocals with a delicate, glistening array of instruments for a singular, soul-stirring sound halfway between dream pop and psychedelic indie rock. His latest single leans on the former, aching with the raw intensity of a heart in the throes of loss and longing. Released December 6th via Loveless, “With Only Your Mouth” is as breathtaking as it is beautiful – a vulnerable work of inner turmoil and emotional reckoning that captures the fragility, and the pain, of love.
It’ll be alright
We had nothing but a fight
And even then I held my tongue
I didn’t want it going wrong
You say it’ll be over soon
Why would I have to get over you?
I tell myself you’re coming over soon
Use anything I can to summon you
“‘With Only Your Mouth’ is about a romantic experience I had that didn’t last long but, I think, changed my life forever,” Love Spells tells Atwood Magazine. “I’ve taken a lot from that experience, and I remember wanting nothing to go wrong. But when it did, I couldn’t understand how it happened or what to do with myself next.”
With only your mouth could I speak without a tongue
With only your mouth could I hold you more than once
With only your mouth could you make it all okay
With only your mouth could you take the pain away
Sending an abundance of shivers down the spine, Love Spells’ performance is haunting – his words cutting to the core of a heavy and enduring helplessness that lingers, weighing down the heart and soul like a bad taste in the mouth. “With Only Your Mouth” is the start of what promises to be an exciting year for the young artist, as he says there’s much more music to come in the weeks and months ahead.
For now, he has left us with an endless aching that hits hard and leaves a lasting mark.
And I could only cry
Remain alone at night
Nothing warm in sight
Blinded by the height
Something I couldn’t hide
Don’t know what I’ve become
There’s nowhere else to run
‘Cause I’m the thе only one
With only your mouth could I speak without a tongue
With only your mouth could I hold you morе than once
With only your mouth could you make it all okay
With only your mouth could you take the pain away
:: “Sink My Teeth” – Without Willow ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Without Willow’s latest song is intimate, feverish folk at its finest: The kind of music so hot and smoldering, that it burns not just the ears, but the heart and soul as well. Released January 10, 2025, “Sink My Teeth” sees the Donegal, Ireland-based duo of Karen Kelly and Simon McCafferty aching inside and out as they fan raw, emotionally charged flames within – evoking a quiet strength through candid reflections on tension and turmoil, staying silent and speaking out.
I held you like a flower
You held me like a grudge
Had me question everything
Everything but us
I would have run to you
Through the smoke and flame
I would have given my last breath
Can you say you’d do the same?
At my expense I, keep the peace
While every thoughtless word
eats away at me
In my defense you, set the scene
So don’t blame me when I
sink my teeth, sink my teeth
“I think a lot of us try to keep the peace in difficult times, often at the expense of our own well-being,” Karen Kelly explains. “The song is a way of saying, it’s okay to stand up for yourself when you have to.”
Through the song’s four and a half minute run, Without Willow treat listeners to an enchanting tapestry filled with pain, passion, and a fiery fervor. “Sink My Teeth” is vulnerable, confessional, and cathartic: A beautiful upheaval that hits home with a special kind of heat that lasts long after the music fades.
Pure as a doe
Caught in your line of fire
Transformed into a wolf
Now it’s your turn to run and cower
At my expense I,
Keep the peace
While every thoughtless word
eats away at me
In my defense you, set the scene
So don’t blame me when I
sink my teeth, sink my teeth
:: “Lost My Head (Rediscovered)” – Coastal Club ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Indie rock band Coastal Club’s new alternative version of their single “Lost My Head (Rediscovered)” is the ideal atmospheric offering. Smooth vocals float atop, a serene, wistful backdrop. The song is all about being manipulated by others and having your reality distorted. A lot of us have been in that situation where we are questioning our own sanity. Coastal Club depicts that feeling perfectly. Lyrics like, “You’re so convincing, I think I’m losing it,” will powerfully speak to anyone who has been lied to and gaslighted.
Coastal Club hails from Cincinnati, Ohio and puts out uplifting, spirited anthems. The group is comprised of drummer David McGuire, lead guitarist and vocalist Avery Benter, and lead singer and guitarist, Alex Hirlinger. They are inspired by indie greats like Young The Giant and COIN. Their light, beachy sound fits seamlessly with their name. When you listen to each introspective piece you gently drift away. This new rendition of “Lost My Head “is no different.
:: “She’s Not Me” – Cameron Sage From ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Cameron Sage From’s new single “She’s Not Me” takes you on the ultimate emotional ride that comes with a love triangle. Her warm, breathy vocals float over merging beats and breezy atmospheres. Many of us have experienced unrequited love making the dreamy track highly relatable. Lines like, “I didn’t want you to get hurt, so I took the fall, the girl you’ve been after was breaking your heart this whole time,” showcase just how complicated the situation had become and you really feel for her.
The Toronto born Los Angeles-based pop singer proudly wears her heart on her sleeve. Her deep vulnerability comes through in every piece she creates. She was also a performer in high school starring in musicals like Chicago and Beauty and the Beast. You can still feel that theatrical sense within her passionate music. “Your Not Me” starts off soft then breaks into a bold chorus where that fervor is in full force.
:: “are you coming home?” – clovers daughter ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
The aching I feel throughout clovers daughter’s debut single is an emotion that can’t be taught; it’s one you must experience for yourself. The American-Palestinian singer/songwriter (born Noor Shami) aches from the inside out in “are you coming home?” (released January 22nd), a soul-stirring song full of longing and yearning, distance, hope, and hurting.
I’m learning just to live
through you vicariously
Stumble on the kitchen floor
You whisper to your phone I’m wondering
Are you ever gonna come home
Are you ever gonna come home
Paint a little picture with me
Our hands are tied up on the wall
You answer your phone I’m wondering
Are you ever gonna come home
Are you ever gonna come home
“This song delves into the complexities of a strained relationship,” Shami tells Atwood Magazine. “The lyrics draw a sense of emotional distance and yearning for connection.”
“I wrote from personal experience. The lines, ‘I’m learning just to live through you vicariously’ hint at a feeling of displacement and loneliness within the relationship. The song expresses a deep sense of longing, vulnerability, and a desire for genuine connection in a world that often feels empty.”
Are we getting older
Or are we wiser
Mail my letter to Dead Poets Society
Are we taller or are we pretentious
Call me crazy but here my consensus
I’m just trying to make my confession
So here’s my apology
The world feels so empty
Sonically, “are you coming home?” bridges the indie folk and indie pop worlds (a la Samia, Soccer Mommy, and Phoebe Bridgers), combining tender acoustic and churning electric guitar together with Shami’s shiver-inducing vocals. Ultimately, it’s her words that hold the most power, as she tells an all too familiar story of isolation and desolation. As far as introductions are concerned, clovers daughter has made quite the initial impression, cutting to the core of human experience for all of her listeners to connect with her on a visceral level.
:: “Yellow Shoe Ghost” – AUREHL ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Ireland
AUREHL’s “Yellow Shoe Ghost” is a mesmerizing dive into the uncanny, blending spectral storytelling with a rich sonic palette of synth-wave, dream pop, and trip-hop. Like a lucid dream set in a haunted hotel, the track envelops listeners in eerie yet luminous melodies, weaving together breathy vocals, creaking soundscapes, and an undercurrent of supernatural intrigue.
Inspired by the unsettling allure of Stephen King’s Overlook Hotel, AUREHL masterfully turns the mundane into the surreal, crafting a sound both nostalgic and forward-thinking. As the first glimpse into their upcoming album The First Ghost on Eris this spellbinding single promises an immersive journey into uncharted emotional and sonic territory.
:: “Love on My Mind” – Luke Tyler Shelton ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
The release date says 2024, but you’d be forgiven for thinking “Love on My Mind” first came out sometime in the mid-1970s. Evoking the lush Lauren Canyon sounds of The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, and so on, Luke Tyler Shelton is a fresh face with an old soul: Hailing from the San Fernando Valley, the 25-year-old singer/songwriter captures the sweet heat of the sun and the warm glow of love in his third career single, a radiant, harmony-soaked ode to intimacy produced by Shooter Jennings (Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker) and Jonathan Wilson (Father John Misty, Angel Olsen).
Woke up early this morning
With a love on my mind
It’s something I’ve been yearning
To be with a woman so kind
She bring me up
Won’t let me down
She’s the queen of this town
And when I start to feelin bad
Well I’m glad she’s around
Cause no one can love me like my lady
She’s my sweet one, she’s my baby yeah
“‘Love on My Mind’ has been one of my favorite songs of mine to play since the day I wrote it,” Shelton tells Atwood Magazine. “The song is about finally finding a person to love and to love you back, and feeling secure in a relationship for the first time.”
“It’s a sweet song and is played in an open E tuning, which I like to do quite often,” he explains. “It allows me the ability to play weird chord shapes that I wouldn’t be able to figure out in a standard tuning. Another song produced from my recording at Jonathan Wilson’s Topanga studio, working alongside him and Shooter Jennings.”
His words are simple and straightforward enough, but his voice, his songwriting style, and his sound are pure magic. Shelton holds nothing back in creating a tapestry for all as he basks in love’s welcoming beauty and wonder.
I lingered far from home
Many hills I did climb
But my demons left me alone
Had not a reason to hide
And now I know that wherever I go
She’ll be right by my side
Nothing here could be more clear
When she’s holding me tight
Cause no one can love me like my lady
She’s my sweet one, she’s my baby yeah
Honest, heartfelt, candid, and confessional, “Love on My Mind” is a summery companion to those highs that help make every day worth remembering; that turn the ordinary into extraordinary. Luke Tyler Shelton is a dreamweaver, and with only four songs currently released (and a full-length album on the way), he is without a doubt one of 2025’s brightest spots – an artist-to-watch with boundless passion and potential. No, this isn’t the 1970s; this is right here, right now – and we all get to join him for what will surely be the adventure of a lifetime.
They say this house is built to burn
We’ll light that match babe when it’s our turn
So when your heart start to achin’
And your world begin to shake then
Turn your lovin’ light on bright
There’s no fear to hold
Just let your mind unfold
I’ll be here to guide ya through the night
The road I’ve taken is long
But I’ve been happy to ride
And I don’t mind being alone
When there’s a love on my mind
And now I know that wherever I go
I’ll be right by her side
Nothing here could be more clear
When I’m holding her tight
No one can love me like my lady
She’s my sweet one, she’s my baby
No one can love me like my lady
She’s my sweet one, she’s my baby
Yeah, she’s my baby
:: Demos 2024 – Night Cycle ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
A wash of raw, emotionally charged sound blankets the airwaves as Night Cycle’s demo EP gets underway. As the title itself suggests, this is just a teaser – a little taste of a fledgling band in its earliest stage – and yet, there’s so much to love about these three songs and their soul-stirring marriage of cosmic dream pop, heavy shoegaze, and kaleidoscopic psychedelia. From the sweaty heat and charming churn of “Dead End of August” to the feverish feedback of “Voice-Over” and the seductive experimentation and otherworldly soundscaping on the 8-minute “Light Returned,” Night Cycle prove themselves a force to be reckoned with – one to pay close attention to over the months and years ahead.
“Night Cycle was a right place, right time thing,” says Olivia Perry, who plays in the band together with Chris Macintyre, Cooper Saver, and Chuck Buchholz. “‘Dead End’ feels very anthemic – I can imagine it blasting through a big venue with the crowd singing along. It’s a powerful tune to rip out of the gate and I think it makes you wonder where the rest of the demo is going, which is maybe not where you’d expect based on the first track. ‘Light Returned’ on the other hand is a slower burn. It’s a journey from front to back, punctuated by a hypnotic guitar line and twinkly vocals. The way the guitars build up to 6.5 minutes and go crazy…it’s so energizing. It’s a f*ing jam.”
As Cooper Saver further explains, Night Cycle is something of a personal dream, or creative aspiration, that is finally coming true. “I started writing some of the guitar riffs for this project a couple of winters ago, trying to keep myself busy and messing with drum programming on my laptop,” he tells Atwood Magazine. “I had just finished a completely different record under a different project with my friend Chris, an electronic thing. We both have similar taste in fuzzy guitar music as well, so we started writing more parts and bringing the riffs to life without any idea what we’d do with it… eventually we figured it might end up being an instrumental EP.”
“When I shared the initial demos with Liv and Chad, they had ideas basically immediately and the rest is history. We played with the arrangement a little bit once we recorded the vocals with Liv, but they mostly fell into place, which felt like a different approach to writing songs for me personally…I feel like you can kinda hear that too – not much of a traditional song structure in either track. ‘DEOA’ is my favorite, I feel like it’s exactly what we wanted when we all linked up. ‘Light Returned’ was really fun to work on too, a lot of ideas in the blender there while somehow, hopefully, making sense. The bass changing from guitar to synth is really cool to me, there’s a zone where shoegaze and electronics combine really well. Seefeel are obviously a great example of that kind of particular inspiration.”
True to its name, Demo 2024 is without a doubt worth recognizing for the wealth of talent, creativity, and care put into its creation. Here’s to us hearing more from Night Cycle in 2025; it’s not often I have absolutely no idea where a music project will take me, but I’m excited to find out and along for the ride!
— — — —
Connect to us on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
:: Weekly Roundup ::
follow WEEKLY ROUNDUP on Spotify
:: This Week’s Features ::
