franxie – Stone
franxie's 'Stone' is a stunning alt-folk ballad from Wollongong, a raw piano confessional that earns every ounce of its emotional weight
franxie recorded this one live, piano and voice, in a single take. You can hear the room in it. 'Stone' is about anxiety as something physical, a weight carried so long she's forgotten what lightness feels like. The verses sit close and unadorned, just her and the piano, before subtle alt-folk textures creep in thoughtfullly. I love the space, and that restraint makes the emotional core hit harder. The standout is definitely the vocal though; it's a banger. Gorgeous indie folk songwriting, raw and completely earned.
franxie is an independent artist from Wollongong, Australia, self-producing everything and building a sound that sits somewhere between acoustic intimacy and digital texture. Her recent singles 'Fucking Around' and 'Nobody's Home' trace different emotional states within the same evolving body of work, exploring autonomy, dissociation, and the spaces between confrontation and withdrawal. Overall? Really exciting stuff. More of this please. franxie.
Lanusa – Jupiter
Lanusa's 'Jupiter' is a gorgeous slice of alt-folk, poetry-forward songwriting that pulls you into its orbit and doesn't really let go
There's a gravity to this one. Lanusa heard that Jupiter is slowly tugging everything in the solar system toward it, looked up, saw the planet hanging in the sky, and wrote a song about magnetic personalities and finding your own footing. I love the concept, and the song even more. The groove is unhurried but insistent, rhythmically distinctive guitar threading beneath vocals that shift from intimate to expansive. It calls to mind that great Emiliana Torrini album; and the lyrics reward attention, each line landing with real weight. Lovely alt-folk songwriting, warm and lyrically rich.
Lanusa is a Nashville-raised songwriter now based in Harrisonburg, Virginia, with creative stops in North Carolina and New York along the way. Her sound pulls from folk, rock, jazz and soul, with Ani DiFranco, Tool, Paul Simon and Erykah Badu all in the mix. She's been a regular at Rockwood Music Hall and Arlene's Grocery, and her earlier release 'Skeletons As Leavers' drew comparisons to Lianne La Havas. Her 2025 EP 'Smoking to the Sky' is out now, with the 'Going Gone' LP arriving late 2026. We're really glad to have her on our radar, because this is just beautiful.
Petra Jasmiina – Dawn
Petra Jasmiina's 'Dawn' is a stunning slice of dream pop, Nordic folk warmth building a lovely indie folk moment
Petra Jasmiina built a whole life in her head before any of it existed. 'Dawn' describes an ordinary morning with someone she loves, in a small home they made together, except at the time of writing, none of it was real. The production leans into that dreamy quality: guitar textures float through the mix, the vocals sit close and unhurried, and there's a gentleness to the arrangement that never tips into sweetness. And the narrative? That's where this one really lands. Gorgeous indie folk, tender and hopeful.
Jasmiina is Finnish-born, New York-based, and has been building a singular world since she arrived in the city in 2015. Her sound sits somewhere between Nordic folk tradition and cinematic pop hooks, and she handles both writing and production herself. Her 2022 video for 'Naive' picked up Best Pop Music Video at the Europe Music Awards. She also runs Petrafied, her own production company. A real gem this one, and we'll be keeping an eye out for whatever comes next.
Laura Ampersand – Middle
Laura Ampersand's 'Middle' is a stunning slice of chamber-pop from Sligo, piano-led and evocative, one of the loveliest indie singles we've heard in months
Laura Ampersand wrote this one about standing still while everything shifts. 'Middle' opens with piano, spare and deliberate, before strings gather around her voice. The song explores what remains when the markers you used to define yourself have gone: the relationship, the job, the friends who moved away. There's a lovely, lovely sound world in this, produced beautifully and the off kilter drop into the final chorus is genuinely stunning. And that central image, the middle as the only safe place left? It earns its return every time. Gorgeous chamber-pop, intricate and deeply felt.
Laura Ryder is a songwriter, composer and pianist from Sligo. Her work sits between intimate piano pieces and full-band arrangements, shaped by classical training and a childhood spent with ELO and film scores. She also composes for video games and documentaries, which shows in the cinematic shape of her songs. Earlier in 2026 she completed a sold-out tour with Lōwli, and previous singles landed coverage from RTÉ Radio 1, Today FM and Hot Press. We're not surprised, this is brilliant.
James Crowley – Imprint
James Crowley's 'Imprint' is a stunning slice of indie folk, turning queer desire and inherited patterns into one of our new faves
James Crowley's new EP opens on a kind of held breath. 'Imprint' wrestles with the residue of past relationships, the way former lovers leave their mark whether you want them to or not. It's all electric rush, close vocals over fingerpicked guitar, and a very tasteful piano part. James serves up some lovely harmonies, and I just love the restraint in this arrangement. But my favourite element is the unveiling of the hook. It appears unexpectedly - at the end of a narrow, windy road - rather than served up as the main, and it really works. My metaphors are clearly getting very mixed here, but the key thing here is that this is gorgeous indie folk songwriting, tender and defiant.
James Crowley is a London singer-songwriter, back with us again after 'Co-Pilot' a couple of months ago. That single picked up BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X and Amazing Radio, and this EP, co-written with Wolf Alice's Joel Amey and out via TRIPEL Records, is his biggest-sounding record yet. It follows 2024's acclaimed Play to Win, also produced by Horner. Basically, i want to eat this track up with a spoon of honey. It's breathtaking.