Into Music: New Music September 2026
If there is a more influential Scottish musician than the talisman that is Duglas T. Stewart, I’d love to know, but I doubt there is. Here, indie-pop majestic space dust is sprinkled across seventeen tracks that range from playful nursery rhymes to jangle-pop splendour.
Talking about the record, Stewart said “with this re-issue I wanted to bring some other tracks to the album that felt like they belonged in the world of Duglas Stewart’s Frankenstein – so here it is. I am very proud of this album“. And no wonder, with a cast that includes luminaries such as Norman Blake, Francis MacDonald, Sushil Dade, Joe McAlinden, Stuart Kidd, David Scott, Mitch Mitchell and Bill Wells – this is no longer a hidden gem but an album that firmly adds to the significant canon of work Stewart/BMX Bandits have produced.
The opening Unbreakable Heart might just be one of Stewart’s best ever vocals, the song wanders like a meandering stream, beautiful in a golden glow of melody. There are a few choice covers which the musicians turn into something different to the originals, appealing and fresh. None more so than on Randy Newman’s Snow or the ghostly sparse dub of Schumann’s Into The Moon. Sometimes, less is more.
There is a rawness to this record that pervades throughout, most noticeably on Stupid, with the vocalist seemingly wearing his heart on his sleeve, the lyrics very direct and self-analysing. The simplicity of the piano merely adds to the weight of the words.
Side two kicks off with the joy of Do Your Thing, rammed with musical curiosities and vocal trips that would not be amiss on Sgt.Pepper, a bona fide treat. The airy jazz of I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight provides the stage for Stewart to croon, Bills Wells intricate virtuoso guitar an able accompaniment. Slow Fade, penned by Blake is a stone-cold classic, featuring a great co-vocal by Rachel Mackenzie and Stewart. It feels like the muscial equivalent of a cotton flower swept away in the breeze of a hazy summer evening, shedding its white fluffy pappus in slow motion.
This is perfect pop and a record that doesn’t play to any sort of 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 strict formation. I suspect Duglas T. Stewart’s last words to the Scottish musical alumni gathered here were along the lines of “just play, go where the music takes you“. Mercurial indeed.
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There are four tracks on the EP, three take up side one with Golden Eyes first up. Philip Hogarth’s vocal is delivered in a matter-of-fact stylish way, at times reminiscent of a certain Ian McCulloch, the band may have honed their sound in Ontario but there are flashes of Liverpudlian influences here. Scratch under the surface and the rhythm section of Michael Griffin (bass) and D’arcy Walsh (drums) help navigate the band’s sound, while Alan Pollock makes artful guitar strokes as masterful as his namesake Jackson’s paintings.
Pine is a dense, deep, ruby-red rocker that pulls you in, the music enveloping the space around the listener, the air punctuated by subtle and layered tuneage that only a band at the zenith of their powers can command.
Range Road is the shortest song on the EP, coming in just shy of three minutes, the band more loose here, allowing the vocal to shape the direction of the track.
Flipping over, we have Royal Ottawa’s magnum opus, the title track Here Comes Everybody clocks in at over ten minutes long. Is it arrogance or foolishness to attempt something as audacious as a ten minute plus track? It’s neither, so what is it then?
I’ll tell you. It’s a bold rocker of a song that never dips, never flinches and holds the attention from the first snare drum to the last bar, blending lo-fi streaks, infectious guitar and a whole lot more. It is steeped in velvety, paisley drenched psychedelia and each listen brings something new. I can only imagine what this sounds like in a live environment, I suspect it will be something a little more than special.
Royal Ottawa will be your new favourite band once you give them a listen. This much is true and Here Comes Everybody can only strengthen their reputation as one of Canada’s best bands – the record is out now on The Beautiful Music label and can be ordered from the Bandcamp page here.
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I defy anyone to listen to the opening track Let It Happen and not immediately “fall” for this record. “I know what I know, and there’s no letting go today” sings Jo Bartlett (Jo and Danny) over Neil Haydock’s (Submarine) wonderous strumming on a tune that feels life affirming and just right. Add in crisp vocals and clear production and it is quite the tune to kick off the duo’s new album, North Sixteen.
There is a wistfulness here that echoes bands and tunes from the likes of Sarah Records and Heavenly Recordings that occasionally harks back to the 1990s but somehow remains fresh and very of the moment – I guess music, when it hits the mark is timeless and this certainly is. There is much to be said for stripping music back to the basics of guitar and vocal and really, if you do that there is no place to hide. Bartlett and Haydock don’t need to hide, the music is as refined as alpine air, fresh, clear, delicate and ultimately, universal.
Summer Rain is a case in point, Haydock’s Americana overtures are met with aplomb by Bartlett, heartfelt introspective lyrics which are fragile yet determined. The ten songs that make up North Sixteen have been expertly mastered by neo-rockabilly musician and producer Alan Wilson (The Sharks) who allows the songs to breathe and develop into a really wonderful album.
The closing Repentant Song is brittle, beautiful and will have you in bits. Sometimes, that is no bad thing.
To order North Sixteen by Jo Bartlett & Neil Haydock, heas to the Bandcamp page here.
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If you are looking for some indie-skiffle infused gorgeousness then you have definitely come to the right place. Josie, the Copenhagen based popsters with members from Ireland, Denmark and Luxembourg are back with one of my favourite tracks of 2026. Having released belters in 2025 with the single Still Time and the album A Life On Sweets Alone, the band have once again raised the bar high with Oh Boy! The track is pop-art at its finest with the immediacy of Dawn Bruce’s bass, coupled with guitars and Charlotte Fischer’s vocal coming together before the track bolts forward then sways back in a languid manner that oozes charm.
Flip side The Story Of A Fool (Told By The Fool Herself) is ninety seconds of wig-out mania that grabs at the heart, demands flipping out, pogoing that will likely induce nose bleeds and laughter in equal measure. Breathe…….and go again. This song is, in a word – fun.
To order Oh Boy! by Josie, head to the Bandcamp page here.
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