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As creativity doesn’t move within the confines of specific timelines, it didn’t take Richie Kotzen long to start working on new music. Fresh off a world tour, inspiration struck, and he immediately went into the studio, breathing new life into a track he had been sitting on, patiently waiting for just the right moment to complete.

Today, Richie Kotzen has surprised fans with the digital release of his newly recorded song, “Catch a Star.” Stream it below.

“After coming off the road with Smith/Kotzen, I fully intended to take a long break from live performance and recharge creatively,” says Richie Kotzen. “While going through old archives, I rediscovered “Catch A Star” in a semi-completed form, and for whatever reason, the direction suddenly became obvious to me in a way it hadn’t before. Once that happens as a writer,” Kotzen continues, “you must trust your instincts and follow the momentum. That’s exactly what happened with this song.”

Playing all the instruments on “Catch a Star,” Kotzen digs into his Philly musical roots with soaring verses, soulful melodies and choruses, and driving rhythms, as he pushes both his guitar and bass techniques and style in new and innovative directions.

“What I love about ‘Catch A Star’ is how direct it is,” says Kotzen.  “The chorus arrives immediately, the arrangement stays intentionally simple, and the focus is really on the melody, lyric, and atmosphere. This is also one of those recordings where I handled every instrument and vocal myself, layering each part individually in the studio. In the past, I probably would have held onto a song like this until I had enough material to complete a full album, but these days I feel more inspired by releasing music in real time rather than waiting indefinitely for a larger project to materialize.”

While there are currently no immediate touring plans, Richie Kotzen continues to create and wanted to share “Catch A Star” with the people who have supported and accompanied him throughout his musical journey. 

“If it eventually leads to a full-length album, great,” states Kotzen, “and if it doesn’t, for now, that’s fine too.”

The post RICHIE KOTZEN Streams New Single “Catch A Star” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Without “Exit Music (For A Film)” there would be no “Watermelon Sugar.” Think about that. Let that sink in. That’s what Harry Styles admitted when he honored Radiohead’s Thom Yorke last night at the Ivor Novello Songwriter Awards. Styles made a surprise appearance that was innocently spoiled by Elton John earlier in the evening, according to Variety. They also described the event as a “hot mess of a show.” Styles’ speech teetered between charm and chaos, reflecting on Yorke’s influence throughout his life, from hearing his sister play Radiohead while he was doing homework as a kid to losing his virginity to “Talk Show Host.” Yes, he admitted that as well.

The post Harry Styles Honors Thom Yorke At Ivors, Reveals Which Radiohead Song He Lost His Virginity To appeared first on Stereogum.

We’ve Got A File On You features interviews in which artists share the stories behind the extracurricular activities that dot their careers: acting gigs, guest appearances, random internet ephemera, etc. Blue Morpho is the first album Ed O’Brien has released under his own name, but it isn’t his first solo album. When the Radiohead guitarist…

The post We’ve Got A File On You: Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien appeared first on Stereogum.

Sober, the seminal single from 1993’s Undertow, made Maynard James Keenan and co. a quick success story, but not everybody was a fan

Stephen Colbert’s Late Show is over now. Last year, under deeply suspicious circumstances, CBS announced the show’s cancelation. Colbert got a few extra months to build up to a grand finale. Earlier this month, the show featured guests like Bruce Springsteen and David Byrne. The show’s final episode aired on Thursday night, and Colbert didn’t announce its final guest ahead of time. A bunch of celebrities showed up for cameos, but the real final guest was Paul McCartney, who first played the Ed Sullivan Theater with his old band the Beatles 62 years ago. McCartney got the honor of turning the lights out on the venue.

The post Paul McCartney Returns To Ed Sullivan Theater For Stephen Colbert’s Final <em>Late Show</em> appeared first on Stereogum.

It was a simple conversation with her future husband that helped Amy Lee write the anthem of a generation

I’m about to go Pepe Silvia on Olivia Rodrigo; her new single has given me plenty of enough thread to do it, to completely unravel. (If you don’t know Pepe Silvia, you should. It’s one of TV’s best moments from the legendary It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.) Anyway, this post is about Olivia Rodrigo and…

The post Olivia Rodrigo – “The Cure” appeared first on Stereogum.

There’s a particular kind of dread that comes with a long-awaited comeback. You want it to be good. You need it to be good. And the longer the absence, the higher the stakes. Marmozets have been away for eight years; long enough for an entire generation of festival-goers to know them only by reputation. Long enough for the word “legendary” to start getting thrown around a little too casually. Long enough, frankly, for the pressure to become almost unfair.

Pressure? Pressure is for tyres! ‘CO.WAR.DICE.’ doesn’t buckle under it. It doesn’t even acknowledge it. It just gets on with being an excellent record. What’s immediately striking is how little the band seem interested in playing it safe. A lesser comeback would have chased the energy of ‘Move, Shake, Hide’ and called it a day. Instead, Marmozets have arrived as a leaner, stranger version of themselves. Four people rather than five, drawing from a weirder, wider pool of influence. There’s DNA here from post-punk’s jagged early days, from the jerky, irreverent spirit of Devo, to the swaggering weirdness of The Cramps. There are several moments on this record where Becca MacIntyre’s vocal has a dreamy, almost Siouxsie-esque quality. Their sound has evolved, but not so much that it’s not quintessentially Marmozets. 

A voice so distinctive and instantly recognisable is like being born with a third nipple. You either have it, or you don’t, and MacIntyre has it. Opener ‘A Kiss From A Mother’ wastes absolutely no time making that case. It’s tight, urgent, and sets the tone for an album that refuses to let you drift through its 11 tracks. ‘Cut Back’ is a force of nature. Relentless and immediate, it’s the kind of song that burns itself into your brain on that first listen and doesn’t look like it’s going to leave any time soon. ‘New York’ crackles with excited, spontaneous energy, capturing the feeling of a band rediscovering the joy of simply playing together in a room. It’s loose and alive in ways that expensive production often inadvertently kills.

‘You Want The Truth’ is perhaps the album’s most direct moment – the title alone tells you what you’re getting, and Becca delivers it with a confrontational clarity that feels both thrilling and galvanising. ‘Swear I’m Alive’ and ‘Running With The Sun In Your Eyes’ keep the momentum rolling in the album’s midsection, the latter swinging with a groove reminiscent of the early 2000s that sits in completely unexpected but brilliant territory. Even the more restrained moments pull their weight; ‘Mes Désirs’ adds texture and breathing space, while ‘Like Last Night’ has an almost nostalgic warmth to it that catches you off guard.

The album earns its ambitions in its quietest moments too. ‘Dandy’ strips everything back to something fragile and exposed, demonstrating a confidence that now extends beyond volume. Closer ‘Keep Going Darling’ is a slow-burn builder that takes its time before arriving somewhere moving – loops layering and shifting beneath MacIntyre’s vocal until the whole thing feels like it’s about to lift off. It’s a perfect closer in that it recontextualises everything before it.

Thematically, the record is unafraid to look outward. War, cowardice, the paralysis of watching a fractured world and wondering what one band from Yorkshire can actually do about any of it. The title itself, ‘CO.WAR.DICE.’, ties all of that into one anxious, playful knot. But the album never tips into despair. Its conclusion, and its whole emotional architecture, is stubbornly hopeful. That’s harder to pull off than fury, yet Marmozets do it with ease. It was a long wait but this comeback has more than made up for it.

KATHRYN EDWARDS

 

 

When Rivers Meet have released a new single, “Caught In The Middle,” ahead of the release of their upcoming album Rhythm Rust & Static, which is now scheduled to arrive June 19.

The band also announced that the album’s release date was pushed back slightly due to vinyl manufacturing delays.

“We’re sorry for the delay and truly appreciate everyone’s patience and support, we promise it’ll be worth the wait,” the band said.

“Caught In The Middle” is the third single released from Rhythm Rust & Static and follows previously released tracks “The Script” and “The Tide Is Turning.”

“Caught In The Middle is about being pulled between knowing you should walk away from something and still feeling drawn back to it,” explained Grace Bond.

“It sits right in that tension between your head and your heart. Part of you knows the danger but another part keeps moving towards it anyway.

“The song leans into that restless feeling of being stuck between two choices and not quite knowing which way you’re going to fall.

“Caught In The Middle asks the uncomfortable questions and debates unsound judgement, against the backdrop of another biting, barbed wire riff.”

Aaron Bond added, “This one is really about that feeling of being pulled in two directions. You tell yourself you’re going to walk away but somehow you end up back there again.

“I think everyone has experienced that moment when what you know is good for you and what you feel are completely different things.

“We wanted the music to mirror that tension. The groove keeps pulling you back in, almost like you can’t quite escape it. It feels dark and hypnotic at the same time.”

The duo said the upcoming album takes a different direction from 2025’s Addicted To You.

“With our previous album, Addicted To You, we leaned into a much bigger, more produced sound,” explained Grace.

“When we started thinking about the next album, though, we felt drawn to something a little more raw and intimate.”

Aaron added, “When Rivers Meet has never followed the music industry rulebook. We’re proud to go our own way and our new album is a manifesto for doing just that.”

The duo have won three consecutive Band Of The Year honors at the UK Blues Awards and continue to build on the momentum from 2025’s Addicted To You, which reached the top four on the UK albums chart.

2026 Rhythm Rust & Static Tour Dates

July 23 – Colchester, UK – Arts Centre
July 24 – Tunbridge Wells, UK – Forum
August 7 – Barnard Castle, UK – The Witham
August 8 – Newcastle, UK – The Cluny 2
August 21 – Cardiff, UK – Acapela
August 22 – Guildford, UK – The Boileroom
September 3 – Huddersfield, UK – The Parish
September 4 – Galashiels, UK – MacArts
September 5 – Edinburgh, UK – Voodoo Rooms
September 6 – Aberdeen, UK – Lemon Tree
September 17 – Bristol, UK – The Fleece
September 18 – Norwich, UK – Norwich Arts Centre
October 1 – Newbury, UK – Arlington Arts
October 2 – Northampton, UK – Black Prince

The post When Rivers Meet release “Caught in the Middle” appeared first on Blues Rock Review.

The Motor City Madman is on pace to double the number of shows he played in 2025. Continue reading…