GrooveGalore Muzik – Love & Hate (ft. KASTICK & Valentino Music)
GrooveGalore Muzik's 'Love & Hate' is a brilliant reggae-rock crossover, bringing Jamaican soul and musical pedigree to a cover that earns its place completely
GrooveGalore Muzik takes Michael Kiwanuka's banger 'Love & Hate' and plants it firmly in Montego Bay soil. The track opens with that unmistakable reggae sway, drums locking into a groove that feels lived-in rather than borrowed, before scouring guitars push the whole thing toward rock territory. Kastick's vocals carry the emotional weight beautifully, soulful and unhurried, letting the lyrics breathe while the arrangement builds around him. The horns from UB40's Rajive Jahred Gordon add texture without crowding the mix, a flourish that lands exactly where it should. Overall, this one's superb reggae-rock fusion, authentic and emotionally grounded.
GrooveGalore Muzik is the project of Paul Kastick, a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer who's spent decades at the heart of reggae's international touring circuit. He's drummed and served as Music Director for Big Mountain, played with Maxi Priest, Diana King, Shaggy, Tessanne Chin and Ki-Mani Marley, and toured alongside artists like Enigma. This track comes from 'My Reggae Rocking Journey Vol. 2', co-produced with Valentino Music and recorded in Jamaica. That level of experience shows in every bar here, the arrangements tight, the performances landing, the whole thing sounding like musicians who've played a thousand stages together. Essential reggae crossover listening this summer, and we're very glad to have this one on our radar.
Reetoxa – Double A Side (Strong / Truce)
Reetoxa's 'Strong / Truce' is a stunning double A-side from Melbourne, pairing 90s grunge weight with powerful emotional clarity
Two songs, one release, both worth your full attention. The guitars are thick and warm here, pure 90s grunge with a modern finish, and Jason McKee's vocal sits right in the centre of it. 'Strong' has an amazing, bittersweet vibe: rebuilding life in a small Southbank apartment, navigating finalised divorce while reaching toward something better. Producer Simon Moro's technique here is striking, asking McKee to emotionally transport himself back to the moment each song was conceived before recording vocals. There's a rawness that studio polish usually smooths away, and these tracks keep it. Superb 90s-inflected rock, honest and brilliant.
Melbourne band fronted by Jason McKee, returning only a few weeks after 'Bottle'. After three decades of songwriting, he met producer Simon Moro and set upon his first releases, recorded at the legendary Avenue studio in Cheltenham. Both tracks were completed during the pandemic, adding another layer of isolation to compositions already steeped in recovery and hard-won clarity. And that recording process? Painful but clearly worth it. We're excited to hear more.
Gubbe – What Could Possibly Go Wrong
Gubbe's 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong' is a joyfully reckless indie rock anthem from Norway, capturing the thrill of terrible decisions with knowing charm
Gubbe asks the question you already know the answer to. 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong' runs through a catalogue of spectacularly inadvisable activities: shark diving, bear hugging, storm chasing, base jumping. I like the brightness in guitar work, the energy infectious, and the whole thing barrels forward with enthusiasm. And the kinda monotone interpol-esque vocal fits against it all in style. Cool guitar solo too, and I can kinda hear the grin behind every take. It's very good indie rock, fun without being shit, and just great.
Gubbe is the project of Bent Olav Olsen, a songwriter and musician from Fredrikstad, Norway, who started making his own music later in life. The name translates roughly as 'old guy' in Norwegian, which tells you most of what you need to know about the self-aware humour running through this whole thing. Doesn't matter though, the music is great. Melodic, noisy, and rarely taking itself too seriously. We're very glad to have him on our radar, and hope there's more coming soon. What could possibly go wrong?
The Race – Family Tree
Built around the refrain 'You are enough to be here,' The Race transform generational wisdom into a slow-burning indie rock gem.
Written at the request of vocalist Dan Buchanan's son, Family Tree channels a deeply personal conversation into something universally affecting. The track builds through atmospheric layers of shoegaze haze and grunge weight, guitars swelling into cinematic territory that recalls My Bloody Valentine and Placebo at their most emotionally direct. But there's something Britpop-esque in the vocal phrasing that really works. Honestly, we hear a lot of music and this one is a big, indie, widescreen banger that ought to do very well.
Reading's The Race formed in 2004, cutting their teeth through extensive UK touring, BBC sessions and festival appearances at Reading and Truck. Then life intervened: a long hiatus saw the band collectively become parents to ten children. Their 2026 return is exciting, well, because the music sounds fantastic. The new EP FAMILY examines the bonds that shape us through rich textures and hard-won perspective, pairing the intensity of their influences with a dash of maturity. This is a brilliant track.
Evil Maracas – Madreselvas (Dios y la Condena del Paria)
Evil Maracas turn obsessive devotion into a slow-burning alt-rock anthem on 'Madreselvas (Dios y la Condena del Paria)', a track where beauty and toxicity coil together until neither can breathe without the other.
A love song that knows it has crossed a line. 'Madreselvas' opens in dark, angular territory, verses building like a prayer you are not sure you should be hearing. It then all breaks into a fantastic chorus that lodges itself somewhere it will not leave. Guest vocalist Cristina Díaz brings something fragile and luminous against the shadows, her voice a counterpoint that makes the devotion feel even more dangerous. The production really works for this kind of alt-90s rock influenced stuff, and when the hook lands it lands hard. Superb Spanish alt-rock, dark and utterly magnetic.
Evil Maracas are a four-piece from L'Hospitalet de Llobregat who have been playing live for years. Since 2025 they have sharpened their focus, shifting toward Spanish-language songs that sit closer to today's pop rock scene while holding onto their own identity: dark pop delivered with classic, raw production. Following their previous single 'Tu maldad', this one trades open rage for something quieter and more unsettling. We're really excited about where this band is heading. A great single.