For the latest In The Spotlight podcast, Bill Cummings talks to Salt Lake City’s Josaleigh Pollett about her album If I Let It Quiet released earlier this year on Audio Antihero. They discuss the inspirations behind the songs on the record and the balance between producing a record with clarity, whilst keeping enough production detail to reveal more on repeated listens. They talk about Pollett’s song ‘The Witness’ as a plea to be seen and accepted, plus their memories of VHS horror movies and how their long-distance collaboration with Watko works. They also chat about the craziness of the music industry where artists earn a fraction of their real worth, the tidal wave of AI, the industry’s overreliance on stats and the importance of building a fanbase through personal connections and much more.

Written by Pollett and Watko across eight thousand miles, LP4 is surprisingly less fractured and overwhelmed than the writing of the previous album. Goldring joined the fold after playing with the band at the Kilby Block Party festival, allowing Crowd Shy’s production to take center stage rather than juggling several hats as engineer and mixer. Stretched out, challenged, and invigorated, If I Let It Quiet is a document of change but also what remains steadfast and unshaken despite it.

The work of Pollett and Watko has received a slow burn of recognition over the years, reaching a broader audience with 2023’s electronics-infused In the Garden, By the Weeds, thanks to support from notable outlets, including NPR Music’s All Songs Considered, as well as awards and end-of-year lists. Pollett went on to share bills with St. Vincent, Torres, Deep Sea Diver, DeVotchKa, Mini Trees, and Hibou, as well as performing at Kilby Block Party.

If I Let It Quiet is out now digitally and on vinyl via Audio Antihero (Frog / Tiberius / Avery Friedman / CIAO MALZ) and Lavender Vinyl.

https://josaleighpollett.bandcamp.com/album/if-i-let-it-quiet

For the latest In the Spotlight podcast Bill Cummings is joined by Roxanne de Bastion, who recently embarked on a new era with her single, 'Simple Pleasures', an impish electro-pop bop for the end times. She says “’Simple Pleasures is a musing on our direction of travel as a species, walking the path from a human to an AI society and how we never seem to pay attention to the ‘man behind the curtain’

They talk her new single, AI and its implications for creatives, musicians and society following her new article "AI stole my Granddad". Plus the influence of Beck and St Vincent upon the more synth-pop songs she is recording now, indie sleaze, the charts, homogenised culture, working with Bernard Butler, how she navigates being a musician in 2026 and much more.

'Simple Pleasures' is Roxanne's first new solo material since her deeply personal last album, 2021’s You & Me, We Are The Same. Roxanne as she received widespread critical and public praise for her 2024 book, The Piano Player Of Budapest. Confronting a remarkable family history, and beautifully portraying how music defines people, place and offers hope in the very darkest of hours, the book arrived alongside de Bastion’s restored recordings of her late grandfather’s songs.

Celebrating her emergence from vibrant writing and studio sessions, de Bastion also returns to the stage, setting up a special one-night-only showcase of new music alongside familiar fan favourites. Prior to the announcement of more live dates, she plays London’s Sebright Arms on Tue 15 September 2026. Tickets are on sale now via DICE.

Produced by hand-picked collaborator, the Music Producers Guild Writer-Producer of the Year and double Grammy-nominated Steph Marziano (Hayley Williams, Picture Parlour, Jasmine.4.t, Nell Mescal), ‘Simple Pleasures‘ is, according to the press release, “a watershed moment before more promised ruptures in all expectations built around the songwriter over the last decade.”

The intensity associated with those 10 eventful years of personal loss, responding to the Covid pandemic and unexpectedly being the custodian of her grandfather’s legacy as The Piano Player Of Budapest, falls away for fun, bigger choruses and a beat you can dance to. This, the first fruit of de Bastion’s ‘post-grief phase’, is just the beginning.

For further information and to be the first to know about future releases and live dates, connect with Roxanne de Bastion online at:

www.roxannedebastion.com
www.instagram.com/roxannemusic

For the latest In the Spotlight podcast Bill Cummings is joined by Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche who releases his new album Acrobats, out 21st August via PLZ / Virgin.

They talk about Acrobats, Lerche's first full-length collection of entirely new music in over four years, which is an ambitious and open-hearted reflection on the tension between falling in love and living through a period of global unrest and unfathomable human suffering.

They chat about the 'Love Is All' single and how songs on the album wrestle with the question: how do you write love songs in an increasingly dystopian world? How he thinks "falling in love feels more and more like an act of defiance.”

They talk about how the album was inspired by Lerche witnessing Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 at the Oslo Opera House. Also working with Sean O’Hagan of The High Llamas, the Stockholm Studio Orchestra, Norwegian Radio Orchestra and a cast of Norwegian jazz and classical musicians on the new record.

Bill tells Lerche how he discovered his work in the early 2000s through his song 'Sleep on Needles' from a compilation CD made for him by one of his friends. Plus his 2001 debut album Faces Down, how he doesn't feel like he fitted in with the music scene of the 2000s. They touch on his acting, scoring films like Dan in Real Life, or starring as the love-lorn Christian in the Norwegian stage production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Plus they discuss his influences growing up including The Beatles, Burt Bacharach, XTC, Elvis Costello and Prefab Sprout, plus his love of ambient, disco music and the Pet Shop Boys. They also talk about his collaborations with both AURORA and Mary Lattimore on his 2022 double album, Avatars of Love. He notes how he finds new AI tools for generating music sickening and how he hopes his music is a rejection of the whole AI machinery.

'Acrobats' physical pre-order is available as a webstore exclusive 2xLP gatefold 'Splendor' edition including recent EP 'Turning Up The Heat Again', a standard 1xLP edition on transparent red vinyl, and CD. Sondre Lerche will embark on an extensive headline tour in support of the new album, which will take him across the UK, Europe and the US. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit his website HERE.

September

10 - Boston, MA @ Arts at The Armory
12 - Washington, DC @ Miracle Theatre
13 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
15 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
16 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar
19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Sid The Cat Auditorium
20 - Ojai, CA @ Ojai Women’s Club
21 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
24 - Portland, OR @ Mission Theater
25 - Seattle, WA @ Triple Door

October

01 - Bryne, NO @ Hvelvet Scene
02 - Stavanger, NO @Tou
03 - Skien, NO @ Parkbiografen
07 - Tromsø, NO @ Bryggeriet Scene
08 - Hammerfest, NO @Arktisk Kultursenter
09 - Alta, NO @ Rabagast
10 - Bodø, NO @ Beddingen Kulturhus
14 - Copenhagen, DK @ Rust
15 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene
16 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene
17 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene
22 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene
23 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene
24 - Oslo, NO @ Parkteatret Scene
29 - Kongsberg, NO @ Energimølla
30 - Trondheim, NO @ Byscenen
31 - Sogndal, NO @ Sogndal Kulturhus

November

02 - Arhus, DK @ Train
03 - Stockholm, SE @ Hus7
04 - Gothenburg, SE @ Skeppet
12 - Lisbon, PT @ Univerdsidade Nova
13 - Aveiro, PT @ Teatro Aveirense
14 - Arcos de Valdevez, PT @ Casa das Artes
16 - Barcelona, ES @ Sala Upload
17 - Madrid, ES @ Sala B
20 - Vienna, AT @ Blue Bird Festival
21 - Torino, IT @ Spazio211
22 - Bologna, IT @ Baumhaus
23 - Milano, IT @ Arci Bellezza
27 - London, UK @ The Lower Third
29 - Utrecht, NL @ Vredenburg
30 - Breda, NL @ Mezz

December

02 - Groningen, NL @ Simplon

https://www.sondrelerche.com

https://www.instagram.com/sondrelerche/?hl=en

For the latest episode of In The Spotlight podcast, Bill Cummings is joined by Darren Hayman (Hefner / New Starts / The French). This week he starts a series of re-issues and releases with ‘The Violence’ (Expanded Edition). They talk about the reissue of The Violence and the parallels you can draw between 17th-century English Civil Wars and the East Anglian Witch Trials and how it's still relevant in how society vilifies marginalised people. They also discuss Hayman's restless creativity, which takes in music, art, painting, his Thankful Villages project, Hefner, patreon, songwriting and much more.

The Violence is a highly ambitious and layered Folk album with a huge ensemble lineup. The original 2012 release was praised by The Quietus, Stewart Lee (The Sunday Times), The Line of Best Fit, Q Magazine, Mojo, NME, the BBC, and many more. As part of a wider effort to fill the holes in his catalogue, this expanded album is accompanied by its companion EP, ‘The Four Queens,’ also made available again for the first time in years.

Hayman is an English singer-songwriter. His long career and deep catalogue have seen him tour the world and climb charts as the founder of John Peel-favourites Hefner with Antony Harding, Jack Hayter, and John Morrison; explore Synth Pop with The French ('Local Information'); sing domestic duets with The Hayman Kupa Band, bring East London stories to bluegrass with Hayman, Watkins, Trout And Lee, and most recently, return to his indie rock roots with New Starts.

Solo, Hayman has amassed a long list of titles, with themes of witch trials, English Civil Wars, mass transit, caravan holidays, royals, astronauts, socialist chants, WW1’s “Thankful Villages,” and his highly acclaimed "Essex Trilogy," whilst utilising lineups like The Wave Pictures ('Madrid'), The Secondary Modern ('Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern' / 'Pram Town' / 'Essex Arms') , The Long Parliament ('The Violence'), and The Short Parliament ('Bugbears').

https://darrenhayman.bandcamp.com/
https://darrenhaymanart.com
https://www.patreon.com/c/darrenhayman/about

For the latest episode of In The Spotlight podcast, Bill Cummings is joined by music critic and journalist Mayer Nissim (Digital Spy, Gold Radio, NME.com), author of a career-spanning new biography Joy Division and New Order: Album by Album. They talk about their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination (their inclusion was confirmed this week), the formative years of Joy Division, the portrayal of Ian Curtis, the albums and singles in New Order's catalogue that signposted their evolution as a group, the influence of club culture, their legacy, and much more. They also touch on their shared love of physical music Factory Records, Manic Street Preachers, The Smiths, Luke Haines, Top of the Pops, Tony Wilson, Football Songs and much more.

Joy Division and New Order: Album by Album dives into both groups’ studio albums, pulling together a comprehensive narrative of two of the most vital bands in pop history. From their rehearsals at TJ Davidson’s in Manchester to their number one records, it takes you through their fallouts, reunions and fragmentations to their lasting legacy.

As well as extensive interviews with band members Bernard Sumner andPeter Hook, Joy Division and New Order: Album by Album features long-form interviews with several band collaborators from across their career. They include graphic designer Peter Saville, Scissor Sisters frontwoman Ana Matronic (‘Jetstream’), producer Stephen Street (Waiting For The Sirens’ Call and Lost Sirens), recording engineerMichael Johnson (Closer and all New Order albums from Power, Corruption and Lies to Technique) and filmmakers Grant Gee (Joy Division) and Charles Sturridge (‘Confusion’).

It also features photographs by Anton Corbijn and official group snapper Warren Jackson, as well as full colour reproductions of all Peter Saville’s groundbreaking album sleeves and a complete discography of both bands.

Order online on the link below or pick it up in book shops.

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Joy-Division-and-New-Order-Hardback/p/57270

For the latest In The Spotlight podcast, Bill Cummings is joined by emerging artist Eaves Wilder, who releases her debut album Little Miss Sunshine on 17th April via Secretly Canadian.

They talk about her songwriting, the new album, her recent single 'Hurricane Girl', naturalistic imagery to express inner turmoil and the inspiration of grunge and Pearl Jam. As well as anxiety, ADHD and the trigger of big crowds and loud sounds. They also discuss TikTok, the importance of music venues, expectations upon female artists compared to men, mental health, AI, Lily Allen, how underrated Throwing Muses are, and much more.

Eaves releases her euphoric new single ‘Mountain Sized’ today. The transcendent new track transforms a crisis of purpose into an explosive sense of release.

Find out more here
www.eaveswilder.com