The song begins with a beautiful and intense chord that captures attention. From the very first seconds, I was intrigued by the artistic vision behind this musical project. As the vocals enter, one can imagine a blend reminiscent of David Bowie and Lou Reed, giving a glimpse into the music that unfolds. Grumbeaux adopts an avant-garde approach that transports listeners to a parallel dimension. This artist’s artistic vision is undoubtedly unique. The track encompasses elements of alternative folk while intertwining them with more futuristic sounds. The bassline flows beautifully, adding depth to the overall composition.
The lyrics of this song hold significant weight, as they pay tribute to the unnamed passengers lost in California’s tragic “Deportee” plane crash. Author Tim Z. Hernandez dedicated over ten years to uncovering their identities, connecting with their families, and telling their stories through two books. Hernandez later penned the lyrics, and Grumbeaux masterfully turned them into a song filled with remembrance and dignity. The message behind this piece is profound and carries an emotional depth that resonates with those who listen.
Musically, this single strays from conventional paths. The combination of instrumentation and vocal delivery reflects sensitivity and strength. The layers of sounds are carefully crafted, capturing a mood that is both reflective and engaging.
Now Is Near – Sound and Atmosphere
Grumbeaux’s ability to convey a powerful message through melody is fantastic. The song stands as a reminder of the tragic circumstances and the lives that were lost, invoking a sense of responsibility to remember and honor them. Every element, from the arrangement to the production, contributes to the effectiveness of the storytelling. The experience is enhanced by the thoughtful composition, where each moment feels significant.
The nuanced approach taken by Grumbeaux encourages introspection and connection. It invites listeners not only to engage with the music but also to ponder the stories behind the lyrics. The sonic journey leads to a deeper understanding of the human experience, showing how music can serve as a bridge to the past.
Now Is Near – Performance and Production
The performance showcases Grumbeaux’s artistic identity, which is defined by innovation. There is a palpable passion present throughout the piece, which enhances its emotional impact. The artist’s dedication to honoring the memories of those lost is clear, and this deep respect resonates powerfully within the music.
“Now Is Near” is a track that successfully merges aesthetics with a profound narrative. It is a song that deserves recognition for its thematic depth and musicality. Grumbeaux presents a work that is not only an artistic expression but also a necessary reminder of the stories that shape us.
Bad Wolves’ cover of “Jolene” is out. Better Noise Music released it this morning, without Dolly Parton’s vocals, with proceeds going to her Imagination Library — the charity that provides free books to children from birth to age five. Parton died on August 25. She had heard the band’s demo, loved it, and was reportedly days away from going into the studio to record her part. Three days ago, guitarist AJ Rebollo quit Bad Wolves over the decision to put it out.
This is the part that complicates the story considerably, and it comes from the band’s founder rather than the label.
John Boecklin’s account, given when the cover was first announced last week: vocalist Sara “KILLBOY” Skinner is a big Dolly Parton fan and had posted a run of videos of herself covering “Jolene.” So the band decided to record a heavy metal version for their next album.
On hearing it, Better Noise CEO Dan Waite sent the finished demo to Parton’s manager, Danny Nozell, asking whether Dolly would guest on it.
The answer came back that Nozell had played her the track, that Dolly loved their version, and that she was going into the studio to add her vocals very soon. The band then sent the stems over for Parton’s own studio engineers to work with.
Then she died.
Boecklin’s stated position: like everyone, they were devastated by the news, and they would honour her legacy by donating proceeds from “Jolene” to the Imagination Library.
That’s a meaningfully different picture from “band covers dead icon’s song for attention.” Parton personally heard it, personally liked it, and was about to be on it. The stems were already with her people.
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His account: the band, as an entity, told Better Noise they had no interest in releasing the cover once Parton’s collaboration was no longer possible, because they felt it would understandably be read from the outside as capitalising on her death. More than one member pushed back. The label announced the release anyway.
On the charity element, he was explicit that donating to the Imagination Library is an incredible choice — while adding that he can’t help feeling there’s ill intent behind the decision to release the song at all.
He also described the wider pattern: the label disregarding decisions the band makes out of passion, and the volume of hate, negativity and harassment the group receives daily over choices made outside their control taking a massive toll.
Two people who were both in the room, describing the same events, and landing in completely different places. Boecklin’s version is about honouring someone who’d blessed the track. Rebollo’s is about a band being overruled.
Better Noise have not publicly responded to any of it.
The precedent everyone cites — and the part they leave out
Here’s the fact that should be in every article about this and is in almost none of them.
The comparison people keep reaching for is “Zombie.” In January 2018, Bad Wolves released their cover of The Cranberries’ song just four days after frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan died — and O’Riordan had been scheduled to record her vocals on it the day she passed. The band donated all proceeds from the track to her three children. It went multi-platinum and it made Bad Wolves’ career.
The parallel to “Jolene” is almost exact. Same setup, same tragedy, same charitable response, same outcome for the band.
What gets left out is what The Cranberries thought of it.
Speaking to ABC News Radio, drummer Fergal Lawler said he didn’t really like it and that it wasn’t his cup of tea. He went further: the whole thing seemed insensitive.
Guitarist Noel Hogan said he felt the cover was released a bit too soon, for his liking anyway.
So the precedent that’s being held up as proof this works — the record that built the band — was described as insensitive and rushed by the surviving members of the band whose song it was.
That doesn’t settle the current argument either way. Bad Wolves donated then and are donating now, and Parton’s blessing on the demo is real in a way O’Riordan never got to give. But it does mean the “we did this before and it was fine” defence is doing less work than people assume.
Eight and a half years later, the same company is running the same play, and this time somebody inside the band has quit over it.
For a group who broke enormous almost immediately in 2018, the last fortnight has been extraordinary even by their standards.
August 18 — announced on Skillet’s autumn US tour. August 25 — removed from it. Skinner said publicly that Skillet’s fanbase had investigated her background and reached two conclusions about her, only one of which is true, declining to say which. August 25 — Dolly Parton dies. August 28, morning — Better Noise announces “Jolene” is coming. August 28, evening — Rebollo quits. August 31 — the song comes out.
The lineup was already the product of heavy turnover. Original vocalist Tommy Vext left in 2021 amid extended public controversy and subsequent legal trouble. Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz replaced him, then departed to join Falling In Reverse as their bassist. Skinner came in this year and is the band’s third vocalist in five years.
Rebollo joined in 2023 and has now gone too.
That leaves Boecklin and Skinner, a new single, an album in progress that Rebollo says he loved making — and a considerable amount of noise around all of it.
Worth saying: “Jolene” is one of the most covered songs in popular music for a reason. Two chords, a modal riff, and a lyric about desperation so cleanly built that it survives any arrangement you drop it into. The White Stripes did it. Miley Cyrus did it. Pentatonix did it. It works because the bones are perfect.
A heavy version was always going to work musically. That was never the question.
The proceeds go to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which posts free books to children from birth to age five and has given away well over 200 million of them worldwide. It’s the least contested thing in this entire story.
What’s happened: Bad Wolves’ cover of “Jolene” was released by Better Noise Music on August 31, 2026, without Dolly Parton’s vocals. Proceeds go to her Imagination Library.
The backstory: Parton heard the band’s demo via her manager, loved it, and was due to record her vocals shortly. Bad Wolves had already sent stems to her engineers. She died on August 25.
The fallout: guitarist AJ Rebollo quit on August 28, saying the band told the label they didn’t want it released and were overruled, and that he felt there was ill intent behind the decision.
The band’s founder’s position: John Boecklin said they were devastated by her death and would honour her legacy by donating the proceeds.
The precedent: Bad Wolves’ 2018 cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” came out four days after Dolores O’Riordan died, with proceeds to her children. It made their career — but surviving Cranberries members said publicly that it felt insensitive and came out too soon.
Still unsaid: Better Noise Music have not responded to Rebollo’s account.
FAQ
Did Bad Wolves release a Dolly Parton cover?
Yes. Their cover of “Jolene” was released on August 31, 2026 by Better Noise Music, without Parton’s vocals. Proceeds benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the charity that provides free books to children from birth to age five.
Was Dolly Parton going to sing on the Bad Wolves cover?
Yes. According to Bad Wolves founder John Boecklin, label CEO Dan Waite sent the demo to Parton’s manager Danny Nozell, who played it to her. Parton reportedly loved the version and was due to record her vocals shortly, with the band having already sent stems to her studio engineers. She died on August 25 before that could happen.
Why did AJ Rebollo leave Bad Wolves?
He announced his departure on August 28, 2026, saying the decision to release “Jolene” was the final nail in the coffin. He stated the band had told Better Noise they didn’t want the cover released once Parton’s collaboration became impossible, believing it would be read as capitalising on her death, and that the label proceeded regardless.
Did Bad Wolves do this with The Cranberries too?
In similar circumstances, yes. Their cover of “Zombie” was released in January 2018, four days after Dolores O’Riordan’s death — she had been due to record her vocals the day she died. All proceeds went to her three children and the song became the band’s biggest hit. Surviving Cranberries members Fergal Lawler and Noel Hogan later said publicly that they didn’t care for the cover and felt it was released too soon.
Who is in Bad Wolves now?
Founder and drummer John Boecklin and vocalist Sara “KILLBOY” Skinner. Skinner joined in 2026 as the band’s third vocalist, following Tommy Vext and Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz. Guitarist AJ Rebollo departed on August 28, 2026 after two years.
Dolly heard it and loved it. The band said no. The label said yes. And the last time this happened, the other band called it insensitive. Where do you land? Tell us below. And keep it locked on the Loaded Radio stream — follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PLUSMINUSZERO RELEASES UPTEMPO NEW SINGLE “RUNNER’S HIGH” VIA DOWNFALL RECORDS
Finnish Hard Rock / Metal Outfit Continues Its First Run of Releases Ahead of Upcoming Album
HELSINKI, FINLAND | AUGUST 31, 2026 Finnish hard rock and metal band Plusminuszero have released their new single “Runner’s High,” available digitally now via Downfall Records . Released on August 28, 2026, the track is the third single from the band’s upcoming album , with further details surrounding the full-length still to be announced.
“Runner’s High” delivers an uptempo, melodic blend of hard rock and metal , showcasing the band’s ability to combine driving energy with strong melodies and a classic heavy-rock foundation. The new single continues the momentum established by Plusminuszero’s first releases since the band formed in Helsinki in 2025.
While the name Plusminuszero may be new, the musicians behind the band are far from strangers to one another or to the Finnish heavy music scene.
The members have a history that stretches back to the early 2000s, when several of them released three full-length albums with a previous band and spent years touring across Finland. Their experience took them everywhere from small bars and clubs to some of the major festivals of the era, building the kind of road-tested chemistry that only comes from years of playing music together.
Eventually, the desire to create and perform heavy music brought them back together.
Plusminuszero began when guitarist Toni Sundström and bassist Ilkka Rasi started working on new material. Vocalist Petri Korhonen and drummer Janne Kaartinen later completed the lineup, bringing the project into full form.
Since then, the band have taken an independent approach to their music, recording and mixing their material themselves while reconnecting with the hard rock and metal roots that originally shaped them.
That combination of experience and renewed energy is at the heart of Plusminuszero. There is no need to pretend these musicians are discovering heavy music for the first time. They have already spent years writing songs, recording albums, touring, and standing on stages across Finland. Now they are bringing that experience into a new chapter.
“Runner’s High” represents the latest step in that return.
With three singles now released, anticipation continues to build for Plusminuszero’s upcoming album. More information about the album is expected to be revealed at a later date.
“Runner’s High” is out now digitally via Downfall Records.
PLUSMINUSZERO
Band: Plusminuszero Single: “Runner’s High” Release Date: August 28, 2026 Label: Downfall Records Format: Digital Genre: Hard Rock / Metal Country: Finland
Runner´s High by Plusminuszero
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The whispers in my mind, the echoes of my past, Judgment in the mirror, a reflection that will last.
The mind can build a courtroom from almost nothing. A remembered phrase becomes evidence, an old mistake is summoned as a witness, and conscience takes the prosecutor’s table before crossing the room to pronounce sentence from the bench. No counsel appears for the defense, no statute of limitations applies, and every hour spent alone provides another opportunity to reopen the case.
On Up Against the Wall, Minsk-based artist Tomorrows Letters turns this internal proceeding into a severe and stylish piece of noir synthpop. The solo project of Kiryl Karotki, Tomorrows Letters enters the song already cornered, facing a tribunal in which the accused, prosecutor, and judge occupy the same body.
A low, saxophone-like drone opens the recording before giving way to a mechanized groove. Sparse piano notes land beside Karotki’s controlled vocal, lending each phrase the gravity of sworn testimony. His delivery remains cold and composed, yet there is considerable force beneath that restraint, like silk draped across the song’s dread.
Trip-hop menace and industrial textures run through the rhythm, meeting the darker electronic pop associated with Depeche Mode’s 1990s and early-2000s records. The clipped construction also carries the severe elegance of 1980s new wave and minimal synth. When the saxophone returns between verses, it winds through organ-like keys and a low electronic buzz, giving the track the character of a neo-noir jazz performance conducted inside a machine.
Karotki’s voice completes the setting, transporting the listener into a room filled with stark light, suspended haze, and hard silhouettes. Every word appears carefully measured, as though an answer given too quickly could become further evidence for the prosecution.
The lyrics make this psychological trial explicit. Past mistakes supply the testimony, the mirror preserves the verdict, and the heartbeat keeps time for fear. Within the “courtroom of my soul,” the singer bears every role and pays every toll. By the outro, the narrow line between right and wrong has become another instrument of captivity: “I’m a prisoner of my own mind.”
“The song describes a state where your own mind acts as both the prosecutor and the judge in a trial that never ends,” Karotki explains. “It’s about being your own worst enemy, trapped in a loop of self-judgment where conscience acts as a punisher rather than a moral guide.”
The single release of Up Against the Wall, the first offering from Karotki’s debut LP set for release this autumn. It is accompanied by an exclusive remix from Karotki’s friends in Nürnberg, marking the first of several guest appearances and collaborations planned for the forthcoming album. The song was mixed and mastered by Nürnberg’s sound engineer, Andrei Bobrovka, while its cover artwork was created by Tomorrows Letters.
Tomorrows Letters is a project that operates according to a strict hardware-only philosophy, with Karotki using vintage samplers and unconventional songwriting methods to give it a dusty, tactile character. New Romantic and minimal synth-pop influences provide the foundation, though their historical language is put in the service of present-day psychological estrangement. Across his work, Karotki examines isolation, self-judgment, Jungian ideas concerning the hidden self, maladaptive daydreaming, compulsive creation, and the pursuit of victories that prove empty once attained.
Eric Johanson has released “Shake the Fever,” the first single from his forthcoming studio album, The Open Bayou, out on October 16.
Built around a heavy fuzz guitar riff and Johanson’s power-trio approach, “Shake the Fever” offers the first preview of the direction of the new record. Johanson produced The Open Bayou himself, while Bill Skibbe, known for his work with Jack White, The Raconteurs, The Kills and Jon Spencer, handled mixing and mastering.
Johanson will release The Open Bayou through his newly formed Levee Ward Records, with distribution by Amplified. The decision to release the album through his own label gives Johanson greater control over the music and the creative process behind it.
“My north star is what feels true and exciting to me,” Johanson says. “Once you start wondering what a label, a producer or somebody on your team is going to think, part of you steps outside the music and starts trying to explain it. With this record, I didn’t explain anything. I followed the ideas all the way through.”
Johanson worked closely with Skibbe for several weeks to establish the sound of The Open Bayou. The pair focused on creating a raw, immediate sound built around texture, atmosphere and the impact of Johanson’s guitar-driven trio.
The new album follows Johanson’s The Deep and the Dirty, which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Blues Albums chart, and his 2025 release, Live in Mississippi.
Johanson has also maintained an extensive touring schedule. His power trio performed in more than 100 cities across 10 countries in 2025. He has toured as both a headliner and supporting act for The Record Company, Samantha Fish, Tab Benoit and North Mississippi Allstars.
Throughout his career, Johanson has also shared the stage with Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne and the Neville Brothers, and has performed with Terrance Simien and Corey Henry’s Treme Funktet.
“Shake the Fever” is the first music released from The Open Bayou. Additional details about the album are expected to be announced.
TOUR DATES
8/29/26 Little Rock, AR Stickyz 9/5/26 Portland, OR Jack London Revue 9/6/26 Oak Harbor, WA Oak Harbor Music Festival 9/12/26 Maggie Valley, NC Thunder In the Smokies Rally 9/17/26 Decatur, AL The Princess Theatre 9/19/26 Fort Wayne, IN Baker Street Centre 9/20/26 Newport, KY The Southgate House Revival 10/11/26 Huntington, WV Jerk’s Pullman Square 10/12/26 Pittsburgh, PA Jergels 10/15/26 West Dundee, IL RocHaus 10/16/26 Bloomington, IL Jazz Upfront 10/18/26 Grand Rapids, MI Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill 10/21/26 Baltimore, MD Ottobar 10/22/26 Hagerstown, MD Hub City Vinyl 10/25/26 Annapolis, MD Rams Head (1PM Show) 11/4/26 Hagen, Germany Gaststätte Stock 11/20/26 Wien, Austria Reigen Live 11/23/26 Salzburg, Austria Rockhouse Salzburg 11/24/26 Rimsting, Germany Blues Club Chiemgau 11/27/26 De Tamboer – Hoogeveen, Netherlands 12/20/26 Boca Raton, FL The Funky Biscuit 12/22/26 Wildwood, FL Rohan Rec Center
The Wedding Present will headline our second Louder Than War live festival on March 13th 2027. Venue: Manchester Academy 2/3/4 Times : From 2 pm to 11pm With a 4th stage for in conversations and many more guests and surprises to be announced. All tickets from here Or See Tickets
Told Slant’s What’s Up is out this Friday. Do not let its title fool you — there is nothing casual about these songs. “Manhattan” and “Draw Blood” are memorable, moving singles, but today’s “Sailor” is a true tearjerker.
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