Category: news

German metalcore band SENNA return with their compelling new single Out of The Blue out now via SharpTone Records. The release marks a pivotal moment in the band’s evolution, introducing longtime guitarist Marcel Dürr as the group’s new lead vocalist for the first time.

Speaking on the single, the band shares: “Out of the Blue is about confronting fear of rejection and self-worth with a kind of honesty that turns vulnerability into connection.”

Originally emerging as a studio side project, SENNA quickly evolved into a fully-fledged band consisting of Marcel Dürr (now vocals, formerly guitar), Fabian Cattarius (bass), and Viktor Warzecha (drums). Drawing their name from the Arabic word for brightness, shine, or glow, the band’s identity reflects both their sonic ambition and their artistic intent — a luminous blend of technical precision, playful experimentation, and a fusion of hard rock, progressive, and post-hardcore influences.

“It was really liberating,” Marcel Dürr recalls of the band’s early creative mindset. “Because we weren’t pursuing SENNA as a proper band at first, we had a lot of time to experiment with our sound. Our goal was to simply write the music that we enjoyed, without being boxed into any one genre.”

This ethos of freedom and exploration has remained central to SENNA’s identity. Their debut EP A Moment of Quiet offered an early glimpse into their creative vision, setting the foundation for what would become their full-length debut album Stranger To Love, released via SharpTone Records in 2025. The record showcased SENNA’s ability to balance intricate melodies with raw emotional depth, capturing the quiet, often overlooked moments that shape human connection.

Following standout singles including High Note, Rain, Blackout, Hurricane and Potential.  With Marcel originally positioned as guitarist during this era, the band now enters a new phase with him stepping forward as frontman.

Out of The Blue is out now via SharpTone Records on all streaming platforms.

OUT OF THE BLUE – OUT NOW
https://bfan.link/senna-out-of-the-blue

The post SENNA Return With New Single ‘Out of The Blue’ appeared first on The Rockpit.

Lightning Bug started as singer-songwriter Audrey Kang’s solo project. Then, it became a full band. Now, it’s back to being Kang’s solo project. The last Lightning Bug album was 2024’s No Paradise, and that was a full-band deal. Since then, Kang has moved from New York to LA, and she shared her demo for “Feast”…

The post Lightning Bug Announces New EP <em>In Between Things</em>: Hear “Song for a…” appeared first on Stereogum.

Koyo have released their sophomore album, Barely Here, out now via Pure Noise Records. Clocking in at ten songs in just 28 minutes, the album is a lean blast of incredibly anthemic punk that packs the firecracker guts of The Movielife, the widescreen hooks of Taking Back Sunday, and the tuneful grit of Silent Majority—but more than anything it sounds like Koyo themselves.

The album’s early singles drew praise from the likes of Stereogum, Alt Press, BrooklynVegan, Uproxx, and more, and now longtime fans and newcomers alike can dive into one of the catchiest punk records of the year. Koyo are also celebrating the release with a music video for the title track.

Koyo‘s debut full-length, Would You Miss It? drew acclaim from listeners and critics alike for their unabashedly heart-on-sleeve blend of punk, hardcore, and emo, and now Barely Here hones that combination even further. “A lot of bands think their second album has to be this magnum opus epic that sews so many things together, and I think we’d actually taken more of that approach with our first LP. ” explains Chiaramonte. “So with Barely Here we wanted to do the opposite of that trajectory–we wanted to refine our strengths instead of doing this purposeful departure. It’s a snapshot of what our band is in its most no-frills, perfected form.” Produced, engineered, and mixed by longtime collaborator Jon Markson (Drug Church, Drain, The Story So Far), and featuring guest appearances from Sammy Ciaramitaro of Drain and Marisa Shirar of Fleshwater, Barely Here sounds like a confident band who know exactly what they want to make and excel at making it.

Koyo have will be celebrating Barely Here with another round of relentless touring, including upcoming North American runs with Hot Mulligan and Joyce Manor, a Japanese tour, and appearances at Sound & Fury and Louder Than Life.

BARELY HERE – OUT NOW
https://purenoiserecs.lnk.to/Koyo

The post KOYO Release New Album ‘Barely Here’ Out Now + Share ‘Barely Here’ Music Video appeared first on The Rockpit.

(This is DGR’s review of the debut album from Epigram, the SoCal-based project of musician Luis Echevarria, who is accompanied on the album by drummer and additional vocalist Mikey Wilson.) Believe it or not, the album you see before you here is not the first time we have reached across the expanse of the internet […]

The post EPIGRAM: “OBSOLESCENT” appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.

Following the release of his debut single “Break My Chains” earlier this spring, rising blues-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Alex Kilroy returns today with a new take on the classic “Let The Good Times Roll,” featuring Vince Gill, offering a fresh glimpse into his upcoming debut album Break My Chains, arriving next Friday, May 15th.

Reimagined through Kilroy’s blues-rooted, guitar-driven lens, the track pairs his expressive playing and raw vocal delivery with Vince Gill’s unmistakable presence, bridging tradition and modern interpretation in a way that reflects the spirit of the full album.

The release arrives just one week ahead of Break My Chains, a record that marks the culmination of a journey that began far from the stages Kilroy now calls home.

As a child growing up in Transylvania, Kilroy hung an American flag above his bed and told his mother he was only visiting Romania. Years later, that unlikely belief has led him to the heart of the blues tradition he first connected with as a teenager, discovering Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Live at Montreux and realizing, as he recalls, “That’s me. That’s what I want to do.”

That moment set everything in motion. From early performances across Europe to a scholarship opportunity at Berklee College of Music, Kilroy’s path has been defined by persistence, instinct, and a deep connection to American blues. Even after relocating to the U.S., his journey remained anything but straightforward, marked by visa complications, financial uncertainty, and the kind of setbacks that force an artist to decide whether to keep going.

He did.

Eventually landing in Nashville, Kilroy rebuilt his life piece by piece, playing wherever he could and finding his footing in a city built on songs and survival. After relocating to Florida, he connected with industry veteran Clyde Harris, who introduced him to his partner Pat Armstrong, forming a team that helped bring his long-held vision into focus.

“We’ve got to start with the product,” Kilroy recalls telling them. “We’ve got to make a great album.”

Working alongside producer Tres Sasser, Kilroy developed Break My Chains as a cohesive statement rooted in blues tradition while opening into something broader – melodic, modern, and deeply personal. The title track introduced that philosophy earlier this year, centered on breaking out of inherited patterns and expectations, both creatively and internally.

“Break My Chains is about breaking the chains of trying to be somebody else,” Kilroy explains. “Breaking the patterns in your own mind.”

Now, with “Let The Good Times Roll,” Kilroy turns toward the music that shaped him, honoring the lineage he grew up studying while making it his own.

Across Break My Chains, you can hear the full range of those influences – from classical discipline to gospel energy to Southern rock textures – alongside moments drawn directly from his own life. There is also a deeper emotional current running through the record, shaped in part by the recent loss of his father, Iulian, whose influence continues to guide Kilroy’s path forward.

Through it all, the through-line remains freedom – freedom to leave home, to claim another, and to honor the past without being confined by it.

With Break My Chains arriving next week, Alex Kilroy steps fully into that vision.

The post VINCE GILL Joins Rising Blues-Rock Guitarist ALEX KILROY on New Take of “Let The Good Times Roll” appeared first on The Rockpit.

Posted on May 12th 2026, 2:40p.m.

Bucket: the very, very, very loud sound of the underground, blow minds at their debut London headline show

Singer-songwriter Justin Osborne, from Susto and Susto Stringband, talks about the greatest source of joy in him musical journey and what happened at his first gig.

Singer-songwriter Justin Osborne, from Susto and Susto Stringband, talks about the greatest source of joy in him musical journey and what happened at his first gig.

If you can’t connect the drone metal heroes with King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Miles Davis, allow co-founder Greg Anderson to explain