MAGIC WANDS : 'Guardians' - new single by US dream-pop duo out 2nd October 2026 (Metropolis Records) | second track to be lifted from album out in early 2027

MAGIC WANDS | Guardians single cover artwork MAGIC WANDS GUARDIANS new single out 2nd October 2026 (Metropolis Records) stream  |  Bandcamp  |  video MAGIC WANDS | Guardians video The Los Angeles-based dream-pop duo Magic Wands have released a new single entitled ‘Guardians’ today (2nd October) on Metropolis Records. “This is a song about looking back on a time in your life that doesn’t feel real anymore, even though it really happened,” they explain. ‘Guardians’ is the second track to be lifted from ‘Sun Kiss’, a brand new album by the group scheduled for early 2027. It follows ‘Diamond Rain’, which was issued in mid-August STREAM | VIDEO. Comprised of vocalists/guitarists Dexy and Chris Valentine. Magic Wands have long been renowned for a shimmering sound that incorporates shoegaze, post-punk and goth elements. Formed in 2008, the most recent of their six albums to date is ‘Cascades’, which was released in late 2025 to excellent reviews. 2026 has also seen the appearance of the EPs ‘Wishing Well’ STREAM | BANDCAMP and ‘Remixes’ STREAM | BANDCAMP. The first of these included ’Sacred Mirrors’, a collaboration with John Ashton of The Psychedelic Furs, while the latter contained reworkings of several songs from ‘Cascades’. A Magic Wands remix of the 2025 song ‘Swoon’ by former Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy was also released as a single in the late spring and can be heard HERE. CASCADES  |  reviews “Amid the cacophony of today’s world, Magic Wands emerges like a whisper in the wind; a spellbinding blend of sound that feels both familiar and foreign" POST-PUNK “Moody and atmospheric. For maximum effectiveness, listen to it at dusk with a single candle lit ****” SPILL MAGAZINE “Both familiar and quietly bold, a record that walks that razor-thin line between dream-pop and gothic atmosphere. A slow, smoky invocation 4.5/5” CHAIN D.L.K. “Magic Wands are still bending time, painting dreamscapes, and slipping silver threads of moonlight through every riff" MUSIC FIENDS MAGIC WANDS | photo by John Charter Official Site  |  Facebook  |  Instagram

Dominican-Canadian musician Crimson99 lets the light in on meditative, free-flowing debut EP 'Daredevil' out now

MONTREAL ALTERNATIVE SINGER-SONGWRITER CRIMSON99 SHARES SUN-LIT, REDEMPTIVE DEBUT EP DAREDEVIL PRODUCED BY KOKO LOVE OUT NOW–LISTEN & SHEDS OLD SKIN, SURRENDERS TO TRUTH AND LOVE ON WARM, FREE-FLOWING "WHO AM I"

Photo Credit: Sophia Perras

"Open Up Your Heart" - The Line of Best Fit's New Music Discovery “A gentle yet emotionally charged track about the temptation to return to familiar habits, even when they no longer serve us...With Daredevil, Crimson99 is opening the door to what promises to be an instinctive and deeply personal artistic journey.” - VERGE Magazine UK “‘Open Up Your Heart’ is rich indie rock with touches of folk that touches on hope..Crimson99’s unique voice reels the listener in, hitting the bullseye with emotion and conviction.” - ColoRisng “The song showcases her vocals, which while being soulful and smooth, also have the slightest bit of grit that helps suck you in and elevates the song to the next level." - If It's Too Loud

Montreal-based alternative rock singer-songwriter Crimson99 shares her debut EP Daredevil out now. Alongside the full project, the artist shares the EP's centerpiece, "Who Am I," a tune that sees the musician accept herself as she surrenders control and leans into hope and trusting the universe. Proud to officially introduce herself as an artist, the EP, recorded live with a band in a single day, documents the artist's journey to self-discovery, healing and embracing imperfection. The soulful, raw project, produced by Montreal-based musician and producer, Koko Love. LISTEN: Daredevil The first time Crimson99 recorded her voice on a microphone, she recorded "Who Am I," and the version on the EP is the first take. The track allows the musician to surrender, to grow closer to the person she wishes to become. Crimson99 says, "It’s about allowing love and truth to pierce through fear and hurt. It’s about not listening to all the internalized voices that prevented me from walking my path. It’s about trust and letting go of control and fear." Finally, she embraces true self-acceptance. On the recording process, done with a live band in one day, she notes, "We recorded the whole EP in one day with a live band, but that one song we ended up keeping the take from the demo. There was just something special about it, and it felt meaningful to do so. As we say, the last shall be first and the first shall be last." Crimson99 is Maria Brousseau-Labbé, a Dominican-Canadian musician whose free-flowing project is a quest for self-discovery, a reconnection with spirituality and an emotional, cathartic release. The meditative tracks were recorded live with friend and Montreal artist Koko Love. The five tracks, out now, are unconcerned with perfection. The artist shares, rather, they explore, "finding the truth within yourself and aligning with the calling you are meant to follow. It is an imperfect yet deeply honest offering. Some of the song structures are unconventional, not necessarily shaped around high efficiency or traditional songwriting formulas, but that was never really the goal. The intention was simply to open the dam and let the ideas flow freely, not allowing overthinking or interference into the process." On the recent release, "Open Up Your Heart," Brousseau-Labbé, says, 'Open Up Your Heart is about the desire to backslide. It’s about missing things from your past that never truly served you but felt good in the moment." LISTEN: "Open Up Your Heart" "This song is also a reminder that, as the great Sam Cooke said: “A change gon’ come, oh yes it will.” You won’t always be hurting, and you won’t always feel alone, but often, if not always, the only way out is through, and you need the right attitude to make it to the other side." The track received support from Exclaim! and The Line of Best Fit's playlists.

Raised by a Dominican mother who is a trained pianist and jazz singer, the artist had always been surrounded by music. In 2019, feeling her life marked by loneliness, excess, restlessness, and a quiet despair, she embarked on a long journey through the UK and the Himalayas. Upon returning, and meeting her now-husband, she finally allowed herself to immerse herself in a musical world of her own. Now, Crimson99 is thrilled to share a tender, intimate project that explores the human condition and offers a space to embrace imperfection to her fullest extent. Connect with Crimson99 via Instagram and YouTube.

Credit: Sophia Perras  Daredevil EP tracklisting 01. I Need You 02. Fix Your Eyes 03. Just Like Heaven 04. Open Up Your Heart 05. Who Am I

Photo Credit: Sophia Perras

ABOUT CRIMSON99 Crimson99 is a woman walking. In pursuit of love, beauty, truth and courage, her musical project is blending elements of alternative rock, dream pop, and soul. It explores themes of identity, spirituality, love and the human condition. With a voice that moves between intimacy and power, Crimson99 creates emotionally driven songs rooted in honesty. Her debut EP Daredevil marks the beginning of an artistic journey guided by instinct, self-discovery and the desire to transcend, honor and expose parts of reality.

CONNECT WITH CRIMSON99  Website | Instagram | YouTube | Bandcamp

MICHAEL KIWANUKA RELEASES "SUMMER CLOTHES"

MICHAEL KIWANUKA SHARES FIRST SINGLE “SUMMER CLOTHES” FROM SELF-PRODUCED FIFTH ALBUM FUDGE   LISTEN HERE / WATCH VIDEO HERE FUDGE SET FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 23; PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE HERE 

Michael Kiwanuka by Stevie Gee    Michael Kiwanuka has just shared “Summer Clothes,” the first track from FUDGE, his forthcoming fifth album out October 23, 2026 via Polydor Records.    Listen to “Summer Clothes” HERE + Watch Video HERE   “Summer Clothes” opens FUDGE, and is a gorgeously understated but lushly symphonic introduction to the record.  Rich with heart and soul, and an almost avant-garde Scott Walker approach to emotional delivery, it’s a typically welcome return for one of Britain’s very finest singer-songwriters.   Michael found his initial inspiration in hearing an interview with the late American jazz pianist Chick Corea, quoting directly from it here, “You have to learn to be certain about what you like, not what you think sounds good to someone else… Whatever you think is beautiful, that’s what’s beautiful, and you have to pursue that.” The video for “Summer Clothes” was directed by Yout, and inspired by what Michael sees as the quiet beauty of people finding creativity in the everyday, particularly the local tailors in Southampton – and by the creativity that can exist within a moment that might otherwise seem ordinary. It acts as a personal celebration of the instinct to make, create, and to find beauty in the world around us.   As recently announced, FUDGE was recorded in early 2025 with its release left pending for almost twelve months due to Michael’s ongoing battle with ill health which he addressed directly to his fans via soclal media. Read here for more information.    FUDGE also marks a change in personnel behind the glass for the first time since his debut album (2012’s Home Again), with Michael taking the reins of its production rather than alongside his trusted collaborators Danger Mouse and Inflo. Working from a makeshift studio space in Southampton, Michael took those initial studio recordings to producer Dom Monks (Laura Marling, Big Thief) in Frome, and his long-standing strings collaborator Rosie Danvers to get the record completed.   FUDGE was written almost concurrently with the writing for 2024’s fourth album, Small Changes, and became a project in and of itself, without the bells and whistles of a big studio but something altogether more homespun. It’s a gorgeous and evocative listen.     All live commitments are on hold indefinitely.   Pre-order/pre-save FUDGE here

Fudge artwork by Stevie G. FUDGE Tracklisting  1. Summer Clothes   2. California  3. Just Another Moment  4. Drowning In Your Heart  5. Love In My Heart  6.  Across The Sky  7. Stars  8. You Sent Me Flying  9. Move In My Direction  10. Steve’s Paradise  11. Sing  12. Swings And Roundabouts FOLLOW MICHAEL KIWANUKA WEBSITE INSTAGRAM TWITTER FACEBOOK YOUTUBE