Sad Happy Birthdays – That Aesthetic Girl

This is the solo project of Katie Ford, a Japan-based artist of Japanese and Australian heritage. Katie says her album, Sad Happy Birthdays is a collection of small, fading moments, which seems to underplay the robust rockism of the title cut. Katie also mentions that her music is for late nights, long walks, and the feeling of missing something you can’t quite name. There is more to her story I’m sure but does it show up in her songs? As it happens it does, check these titles out, Never Romantic; I Hate Everyone; Until We Die – but Katie is far from doom and gloom hitching herself to surprisingly upbeat songs. Along with her classic rock-star haircut she has created a superior rock album and I say that will total respect. Don’t miss out on Katie’s videos, too. Big thumbs up!

Lal Tuna – Don’t Forget Me

The first thing you need to know is Lal Tuna says, “I hate recording”. Thankfully she must have changed her mind at some point because Don’t Forget Me her new LP offers eleven enjoyable cuts. Lal does reveal that all the songs were recorded via GarageBand and at home. Nothing wrong with that of course, in fact she has achieved excellent results utilizing the preeminent software. On first listen to Don’t Forget Me, I couldn’t help but try to recall who Ms. Tuna reminded me of. Then, instead of heading down that never-ending rabbit hole, I settled with Lal Tuna uses a clever knack of introducing a retro vibe. The Istanbul-born, France-based singer-songwriter wrote the songs between November 2022 and October 2025, plus she directed the effective video for the title track.

Horse Club – Opening Lines

Warsaw-based singer-songwriter, producer and visual artist Michał Rutkowski is Horse Club with previous releases under the moniker, Baltyk. Michal says they like to keep their music genre-fluid. They encourage listeners to focus on their own thoughts, experiences, and emotional baggage of surviving everyday life. Plus, Michal says, “I’ve been working on Horse Club for a long time. During that time, I’ve moved twice, got engaged, planned to leave the country, wrote love songs, and broken up. Horse Club is a deeply personal album about, well, life. Stuff I’ve been wrestling with for a long time is on full display here – how that matchup was going, and maybe through future records I’ll be able to parse how the brawl went”. Let’s be honest, sometimes I would rather not read an artist’s descriptions or reasons for their music, instead I like to listen and make my mind up without any prompting. So that is the case for Horse Club. My suggestion, listen carefully, Opening Lines is so brilliantly crafted. Yes, there is something a little quirky, but that is the charm. Oh Seattle took me places I have yet to explore. Indulge in this collection of songs.

YOKO. T – Ohayo (Good Morning)

Ohayo (Good Morning) is from La Vida a four track EP that moves between pop songs and small experiments. The Tokyo-based multi-instrumentalist uses soft sounds and repeated rhythms and carefully layered parts shape the music. La Vida is available via Pyramid Blood Recordings.

Zoumer – Driving (So Many Emotions)

Copenhagen-based singer and producer Yasmina Derradj presents as Zoumer. Her sophomore album E.A.I. (Euro Arab Lovergirl) draws on inspiration ranging from Sugababes to Fairuz, as well as a myriad of movies and pictures, she says. The project began in Copenhagen but also contains elements from her stay in London, a residency in Paris, and several visits to Algiers. As much as I’m loath to slot music into genres, Zoumer’s LP careens across alternative, experimental, pop et al. Nicely done.

Robi Mitch – Chasing

Truthfully, it took a couple of listens until I gave a thumbs up to Mitch’s Flat Planet LP. Not an unusual occurrence but in this instance I was diverted by the sleeve artwork. It’s perfectly OK, yet I was reminded by the graphics for some long-forgotten, obscure progressive long-player with an abundance of guitar wanking and boring drum solos. As it happens that is most likely a figment of my imagination, all the same I hope you get my point. Alright, I put the sleeve artwork to one side and concentrated on the music. When I saw that Robi hails from Peryn, Cornwall I guess I was expecting to hear a strong hint of that hard-to-mistake Cornish brogue and a reference to cider thrown in. As it happens the chap sings with a laid-back charm and manages a jolly good task of shaping his songs into perfectly listenable musings on resonant themes ranging from air pollution Animals and collective empowerment By Storm, to being stuck on a far-off space station Chasing and the fall of Atlantis August. Satisfying.

Gem Club – Sea So White 

This is the project of pianist Christopher Barnes, formed in Somerville, MA in 2009. With two acclaimed albums known for packing emotional intensity into hushed, minimal arrangements Barnes was absent for a decade. Now he returns with collaborator Leva Berberian for the long-player, Emerald Press. We are told these ten songs are about love, loss, and the cost of giving yourself to another. Although, I would suggest there maybe other riason d’être behind the songs. Certainly cool music to listen to in one sitting.  While I often appreciate the effort and talent that goes into making videos to accompany songs, on occasion I prefer to guide you away for the visuals designed to promote a song. In the case of Gem Club I must tell you the videos are, to say the least, unnecessary. Overall, a terrific yet somewhat indulgent album.

MMMD – Siklamen

“MMMD are constantly forging their deep monolithic sound, bringing together low frequencies, inter-modulations, dark textures, and distant folk nuances through custom made instruments”, their words not mine. This album, Absens is certainly not recommend for a knees-up. Yet, I’m sure you can find in your busy day to take a listen to the ten cuts here. Again, not a lot you are going to sing along to or whistle while you work but you will gain satisfaction from how MMMD pursue the sound hidden inside the blurred lines between experimentation and pop music. MMMD are out of Athens, Greece and the name can be read as MMMΔ aka Mohammad. Terrific sleeve art. Excellent back catalogue.

Partygirl – Bleach

“Partygirl is a multidisciplinary artist in Ottawa, Canada. Exploring themes of the hidden self, grief, and the sensory body. Bleach is Partygirl’s second album, exploring the identity, desire, and eroticism of the aftermath; the consequence. A murky and delicious blend of experimental and industrial pop, Bleach challenges our cultural fixation with toxicity and sanitization as it relates to love, desire, and beauty”. Those words are all from the sleeve notes and they sum up reasonably well all that I would say. There is the essence of all the bad ladies of rock here. I could do without the autotune on some of the cuts. If you enjoy or better still favor this style of electronica then you have a winner here. A tip: go to Partygirl’s site for a few surprises and curiosities. 

Craig Bratley – No In Between (Ashigaru Dub ft. Amy Douglas)

OK, no messing around. I fuckin’ love this album! Mr. Bratley has pulled out all the stops to create a masterpiece with eight cuts deliciously showcasing Electronica; Dub; House; Reggae and Balearic. His musical and technical skills are matched by his influences, all impressively consistent throughout. Without doubt No In Between (Ashigaru Dub ft. Amy Douglas) is my favorite cut but the other seven are first class. There is no wrong time to enjoy this album, in fact you may find it works perfectly when you least expect it. With a beauty like this, make sure to play loud, very loud. Your neighbors probably need a little prompt to get up off the sofa. Essential!

Mystic State – Jasmine (ft. Frost) 

A long-player you may find difficult to not have on repeat play. On each listen I discover yet another cool edit or a display mixing genius. Quite simply a satisfying collection of songs from LEM favorites, Mystic State. The duo of W. Marquiss & M. Holliday out of Bristol have written, produced and engineered a fabulous album with Threads. Jasmine featuring Frost is my favorite cut mostly because I’m so impressed with how they constructed this cut. It’s almost abstract in the way the many edits are placed in position. In the sleeve note they tell us, “For quite some time now, we’ve wanted to create something which could truly showcase our more soulful and organic productions, without any restriction on tempo or any pressure to feel boxed in by genre.” They sure did. Exceptional.

Julia Wallace – No Way Around You

Julia Wallace – I Will Stay Up

This EP came as a marvelous surprise! Rarely does an artist taker my breath away. Australian musician and producer Julia Wallace captured my attention if not my hear with I Will Stay Up and the tree other cuts on Forward. Julia is out of Perth and I believe she also can be found in Melbourne, she says she has a wide range of knowledge spanning across genres, as you’ll hear in her work. I took the time to listen to her earlier releases and I can tell you, I’m impressed. Julia says, “I wrote all of these songs as a reaction to my changing scene this year and with the freedom of attempting to play guitars and mandolin, to play tactile strings and just feel. These songs helped me rearrange and make sense of my new setting and where I sit.” There is much I could go on about her songwriting ability and her unabashed confidence as she performs. The emotions that Julia Wallace exhibits throughout these songs touched me. Do not overlook!

The photograph is by Norman B taken on a pouring wet day in Porto, Portugal, May 2026. Courtesy of Norman B’s collection.