May, 2026 - Hot Off The Press with Ace Hartmann

RAT BOY FULL SPEED AHEAD WITH ‘Sick of it’ before the NEW ALBUM ‘CRASH!’

byAce HartmannMay 27, 2026June 4, 2026

Rat Boy, The Essex outfit have carved out their own lawless corner of alternative music — blending punk, ska, hip-hop, indie rock, hardcore, and streetwise British sarcasm into something uniquely their own. Now, with the arrival of their fourth studio album CRASH!, RAT BOY appear determined to strip everything back to raw instinct, volume, and […]

BRIAN NEWMAN WALKS THE ‘BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS’ WITH ‘SONGS FOR LONELY LOVERS’

byAce HartmannMay 26, 2026June 4, 2026

Brian Newman continues to build his career in the shadows of midnight lounges, underneath the billowing smoke, and through the velvet curtains. For more than twenty-five years, the Grammy-winning trumpeter, vocalist, producer, arranger, and bandleader has quietly become one of modern music’s great preservationists — a musician dedicated not merely to jazz tradition, but to […]

MOLLIE ELIZABETH TURNS CHILDHOOD SHADOWS INTO WHIMSICAL POP ON VIRAL NEW SINGLE “RUN RABBIT”

byAce HartmannMay 20, 2026June 4, 2026

Emerging from the mist-covered woods of the Pacific Northwest with a voice both delicate and haunting, artist Mollie Elizabeth is rapidly becoming one of alternative pop’s most compelling young storytellers. At only twenty-one years old, the singer-songwriter has already carved out a distinct artistic universe — one built from vintage glamour, melancholic confession, eerie fairy-tale […]

HUMMUSVACUUM TURN MIDWEST MELTDOWNS INTO ‘THE ART OF A FAKE LAUGH’

byAce HartmannMay 20, 2026June 4, 2026

From the restless corners of Columbus, Ohio comes HummusVacuum, a band determined to prove that humor and heartbreak can occupy the very same stage. Equal parts self-deprecating punk chaos and emotionally unguarded confession, the group’s upcoming record, The Art of A Fake Laugh, arrives May 22 through Smartpunk Records, delivering eleven tracks of anxious catharsis […]

WESTERN ADDICTION RETURN WITH “PSYCHEDELIC MUNITIONS” ON FAT/HOPELESS RECORDS

byAce HartmannMay 20, 2026June 4, 2026

Western Addiction have occupied a singular place within the American punk underground — a band forged not merely in the scene, but directly inside one of punk rock’s most revered institutions. Emerging from the halls of San Francisco’s legendary Fat Wreck Chords, the group built a reputation for marrying breakneck hardcore with sharp lyrical observation, […]

BRIAN FALLON RELEASES TWO NEW SONGS & A HANDFUL OF LIVE SHOWS

byAce HartmannMay 13, 2026June 4, 2026

There are few voices in modern American rock that carry the same weathered sincerity as Brian Fallon. Whether fronting The Gaslight Anthem or standing alone beneath dim stage lights with only a guitar and a story to tell, Fallon has long built his reputation on songs that feel lived-in—equal parts heartland poetry, punk urgency, and […]

POKEY LAFARGE ANNOUNCES ‘RENT MONEY’ AND ROAD TOUR

byAce HartmannMay 13, 2026June 4, 2026

The restless American troubadour known as Pokey LaFarge has once again packed his suitcase, tuned his guitar, and set his sights on the open highway. This week, the celebrated singer-songwriter officially announced his forthcoming full-length record Rent Money, due September 11, 2026 through Boxer Boy Records, accompanied by the release of its title track and […]

JEN POP SET TO RELEASE ‘BORROWED & BLUE’ JUNE 5TH VIA STUPID RAD

byAce HartmannMay 9, 2026June 4, 2026

Jen Razavi—better known to punk audiences as Jen Pop—has stood at the front of stages with The Bombpops, delivering sharp hooks and restless energy from the heart of Southern California’s punk underground. But now, with the unveiling of her forthcoming acoustic collection Borrowed & Blue, the songwriter is stepping into quieter territory—one built not on […]

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE DROPS SECOND SINGLE BEFORE UPCOMING ‘I BUILT YOU A TOWER’

byAce HartmannMay 5, 2026June 4, 2026

In the ever-evolving landscape of Death Cab for Cutie, few names have carried the emotional weight and quiet authority as such a band. Now, three decades into their storied existence, the ensemble returns with a new dispatch—“Punching The Flowers”—a striking second single that signals the approach of their forthcoming long-player, I Built You A Tower, […]

RADIO WEEKEND RELEASES DEBUT EP ‘CIRLCES’

byAce HartmannMay 3, 2026June 4, 2026

From the rain-soaked streets of Seattle pours the sound of Radio Weekend, a power-pop quartet whose music bridges the raw urgency of punk with the melodic charm of radio’s golden age. Radio Weekend steps forward with the relase of their debut extended play, Circles, a six-song collection released on April 24th. It is a record […]