The MOnday: 10.03.25

Your weekly music update. This time: Drew Thomas, lots of albums, and Hannah Wicklund's a guitar hero

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More new music… Check my latest monthly playlist for lots more!

Drew Thomas - Gemini

Drew does what he does best here - powerful, soaring emotive rock based on personal experience.

Fiona-Lee: Nothing Compares To Nineteen (EP)

The song ‘Nothing Compares To Nineteen’ is the heartfelt focal-point around which this EP is built; stunningly honest, we share closely in Fiona-Lee’s journey. Read Karl Blakesley’s interview with Fiona-Lee for CLASH here.

There were also some very good album releases last week, among them:

Black Foxxes - The Haar (Album)

There seems to be no end to the emo depths which Mark Holley plumbs in his writing. Burning with rich intensity and plenty of epic-reaching sounds, give this album some time. ‘Ha Ha Ha’ is a standout track

Clara Mann - Rift (Album)

Misty, dreamy but hard-edged “almost-folk”. I had a really good conversation with Clara for CLASH, a few days before this album came out.

Divorce: Drive to Goldenhammer (Album)

A living, breathing collection of songs spanning indie-rock, chamber pop and a bit of country. Check out the LeftLion review of this debut album from Nottingham’s new heroes.

Watch this

Hannah Wicklund is an astounding guitarist — her ‘Live at the Troubadour’ album (also released on Friday 7th March) is the kind of record where you simply sit back, immerse yourself, and respect the jaw-dropping skills on display. The video of the live show adds buckets of atmosphere.

Read this

Thomas Smith has written something for Billboard about music education in schools which really spoke to me. You’ll need to register to read the full article, but Tom’s summary on LinkedIn gives a good overview:

“I’ve been thinking about what the government and industry can do more to ensure that kids in state schools or from low income backgrounds have the opportunity to learn about music, and spark some kind of passion or potential career. It should not just be for those who can afford it, or have been sent to an expensive private boarding school.”

I enjoyed music at school but it wasn’t until much later that I discovered my passion for music. I often look back and wish I’d been pushed a bit more to explore my talent at the time. I’d be interested to hear views from my subscribers on this!

And ICYMI…

…please read my feature on LDN Features — they’re great people!

Don’t miss this week

On Friday 14th, Mia Wray releases her album ‘hi, it’s nice to meet me’ — expect a fascinating journey

Don’t forget my: Release tracker | Monthly playlists | Subscriber chat