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Indie Folk

Nick Cody & The Heartache is at the Crossroads of ‘Sweet Songs and Bitter Truth’ with His Latest LP: An Interview

Posted on 10 May 2026
Nick Cody & The Heartache

With Sweet Songs & Bitter Truth, locked, loaded and ready to unleash, Nick Cody & The Heartache arrived at this interview with a record that refuses emotional simplicity.

The album holds protest and tenderness in the same grip, moving from sharp-eyed commentary on political madness to songs shaped by loss, love, mischief and memory. In this conversation, Nick reflects on writing from outrage without losing hope, paying tribute to a dearly missed friend in Another Thin White Duke, and bringing together a cast of musicians who keep the project fluid, soulful and gloriously human. He also opens up about Liz Hanks’ cello adding a fresh emotional shade to the record, the significance of supporting Martin Simpson, and why this release has pushed his writing into even bolder territory.

Sweet Songs & Bitter Truth is built around two very different emotional and political currents, so when you were shaping the album, what made you want to place tenderness and protest side by side rather than keep them in separate worlds?

From observing world events, I found myself heading into “full Billy Bragg” mode commentary about a lot of the craziness around the globe. In the same way at one point I looked at the live set we were preparing and thought “OMG, people have enough doom and gloom in the news, without me reinforcing all the craziness around the globe!” So I decided some balance would be helpful to offer some optimism. It took me ages to come up with a title that would bring these two very different worlds together, but “Sweet songs and bitter truth” really works well. I also had the terrific Sarah Patrick once again create some great visuals for the album,

The first two singles on the LP, The World’s Richest Man and We Are the Many, take a clear-eyed look at the state of the world, so what was pushing hardest on your mind when those songs were written?

“The World’s Richest Man” was inspired by seeing a particular character with a chainsaw on TV gesticulating about what he was going to do and something flipped and I thought “For f**cks sake, what is this?” The line “The World’s richest man, far right on stage” is of course intentional and I will let the listener decide for themselves how to interpret that line…
“We are the many” was inspired by watching a face off on TV between two groups at an immigration in the UK. One group facing off against a right wing group chanted “We are the many, you are the few” I thought “What a brilliant chorus!” and so the song emerged from that.

The single, Another Thin White Duke, carries a dedication to David Bowie Jnr, which gives it an emotional gravity beyond tribute alone, so what did you most want to preserve about him in that song, the musician, the mischief, or the person behind both?

Dave Bowie Jnr was a dear friend and a brilliant musician. He played with a number of other great artists, including Snake Davis and The Ukulele Orchestra. He was witty, mischievous and would always be polite but speak his mind. He is greatly missed and a huge number of people came from all over to his funeral I included all the aliases of the more famous David Bowie and so the track deliberately references both individuals. Agi my longstanding vocalist does a great job as usual on this track. Later this year, we’ll release a version with the internationally renowned Snake Davis who had Dave in his band for many years.

Liz Hanks’ cello seems to open up a very different sonic palette on this record, so how did her presence shape the emotional temperature of the album?

I met Liz when I hosted her and Martin Simpson mack in 2024 and was amazed by her playing, such an amazing touch, Little wonder she is the go too artist for many greats including The Pet Shop Boys, Liam Gallagher, Richard Hawley, James and many other artists. Her cello adds a wonderful soulful touch to the album, so its sonically very different to any other artist contributing to my material to date.

With Agi, Harry Orme, Liz Hanks, Claire Helm, and Andy Wright all part of this wider musical world, what do you think each person brings that keeps Nick Cody & The Heartache feeling alive rather than fixed?

Clair Helm is a dark horse! She can literally sing the phone book and sing anything from opera to rock to roots. We have started on the “Cody/Helm” project for release in 2027. Andy Wright is a seasoned musician who knows exactly when to play and when not to play. I’m excited to be working with them and we’ll be together live supporting Martin Simpson. Harry Orme is a brilliant guitarist which is rock sold and can play anything I throw at him. Agi is a mind blowing vocalist I have been working with for almost nine years and Liz is as I have said a superb musician with amazing feel. I am delighted to be playing with them and they inspire me to create music that I would never have considered possible.

You’re supporting Martin Simpson at The Old Woollen, which is a huge moment, so what does a slot like that mean to you at this point, especially with Sweet Songs & Bitter Truth freshly out in the world as of May 8th?

I love supporting Martin as he brings a listening audience and as a support act you have to bring your A game. This is a great opportunity and I am grateful to Martin for all his support over the years. These days its tough for original artists to reach a wider audience and these windows of opportunity are truly precious and never to be taken for granted.

Looking ahead, do you feel this album has opened a new lane for your writing, one where social commentary and emotional intimacy can keep rubbing against each other in even sharper ways?

100% YES! I am already working on some more protest songs, including “Epic Love” which has a chorus “No amount of make up, makes up for human worth, the worst of the worst to ever walk this earth” As my good friend Martin Simpson would often say “As you can see, I have no strong feelings aabout this matter…

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Discover more about Nick Cody & The Heartache via their official website. 

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Anni Hung Turned Stillness into Sublime Indie Folk Motion and Raw Yearning in ‘A Piece of Peace’

Posted on 5 May 2026

In a world that celebrates the loudest voices and overlooks the introverted minds that wind around the intricate beauties and tragedies of life, Anni Hung still triumphs in breaking through the noise with her delicate compositions, achieving the seemingly impossible by easing her international fanbase out of the frantic pace of modernity and subduing them in a hypnotised stupor. A Piece of Peace is the perfect introduction to the sublimity of her sound, which embraces stillness, puts it into languidly ornate motion, and moves people to tears in the process.

It’s the kind of song that would stick with you more than the plot if you heard it in a soundtrack. Under the euphonic sublimity of the ambient indie chamber pop instrumentals and Hung’s whispered bilingual vocals, there’s a rawness; a demonstration of what it means to yearn for peace in a relentless world, and find the bitter-sweet sanctuary. The arrangement feels featherlight, but the emotional weight settles deep.

Taiwanese singer-songwriter Anni Hung, now based in London, has built her world around minimal indie folk, warm vocals, and simple acoustic arrangements, with her live presence growing across the UK and Europe, including a sold-out headline show at The Social. That intimacy and care runs through A Piece of Peace, making it feel personal, patient, and profoundly affecting.

A Piece of Peace is now available to stream on all major platforms. For the full meditative experience, stream the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Siren Song by First Robin Wraps Indie-Folk Pop Around Seduction, Devastation and Diaphanous Euphony

Posted on 5 May 2026

Lush with weightless whimsical feeling, the sophomore single from indie singer-songwriter First Robin cradles you in euphony so diaphanous and ornate that you might be hesitant to breathe through fear of disrupting the arcane atmosphere of Siren Song.

Following on from her successful debut single, Spider Veins, First Robin has remained committed to projecting the intimate aches of womanhood. The airwaves are flooded with pop songs seared with growing pains, but there’s a maturity to Siren Song as she relays the lingering pains of the fragility of femininity through poetic lyrical devices and angelic motifs that allow you to envisage cherubs fluttering around the musings of how inspiration and seduction rarely come without devastation.

It’s a stunning release from a phenomenal voice, who has the effortlessly beguiling presence of Dolores O’Riordan; coincidentally, her sound shares a similar pensive depth to The Cranberries, all off the back of her expansively emotive authenticity.

While some artists stay in their own lane, First Robin has her own orbit and turns hyper-specific feeling into something broadly human, letting indie-folk and subtle dream pop textures carry the emotional undercurrent with rich resonance. Siren Song circles the dangerous line between temptation and ruin with grace, wisdom, and enough melodic strength to leave a long afterglow.

Siren Song is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Budd Jeepers filled hollow longing with retro indie folk pop warmth in ‘No One to Serve’

Posted on 1 May 2026
THEVOICEOFAFULLGROWNIDIOT by Budd Jeepers

The melodically gifted mind behind the Minneapolis-based project, Budd Jeepers, has recently launched the LP, THEVOICEOFAFULLGROWNIDIOT; an exhibition of what it means to break away from the façade of obscurity and lean deeper than ever into the candour of uninhibited melancholia.

In the standout single, No One to Serve, the haunting vocal stretches of Thom Yorke meet the intimate devotion to the emotional excavation of Elliott Smith; the affecting timbres bask in retro folk pop warmth in the production propelled by tropically fervid tones and tempos and driven by the guitars as they pierce through the veil of posturing with intricate flourishes of urgency.

The lament of how empty it feels to live hollowed away from connection, to never have the compulsion to kneel at the altar of another and, instead, relentlessly search for an answer to the question of soul-deep existentialism, unfolds as a viscerally euphonic proclamation that stands as a testament to the independent artist’s practically transcendent talent.

THEVOICEOFAFULLGROWNIDIOT is the debut Budd Jeepers release from Minneapolis artist Kyle Imes, following years of lo-fi, freak-folk material under the Deepest Bison moniker. Here, he pulls the vocals and lyrics closer to the front, strips the arrangements back for a more immediate live feel, and lets the writing move with free association, darkness, humour, and earnestness; expect to feel your soul flinch in acknowledgement of how searingly sweet sincerity can sound.

No One to Serve is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Bandcamp.

 Review by Amelia Vandergast

Favourite Armchair Landed in the Cosmos Between the Flaming Lips & Grandaddy with ‘Overflow’

Posted on 19 April 2026

For their latest release, the indie folk troubadour-comprised outfit, Favourite Armchair, debuted a remastered version of their single, Overflow; the quaint indie folk aesthetics which have become quintessential to the artist’s sonic signature remain, but with this release, they dug his sound deeper into the cosmos than they’ve ventured before, giving the still intimately lo-fi release a touch of the soul-tingling euphony of the Flaming Lips and Grandaddy.

In the same way that the Flaming Lips’ iconic single, Do You Realize?, which will always have a place in the pantheon of ingenious aural invention, seems to loosen the knots in your heartstrings, Overflow is a stunningly affecting exhibition of Favourite Armchair’s ability to transform an outpour of emotion into interstellar transcendence, which still remains tethered to the roots of folk.

There is a homespun tenderness in the composition; while the remaster gives the track a wider celestial glow and a fuller sense of depth, the acoustic intimacy still holds firm, yet every tonal detail feels more luminously suspended, as though the song has been lifted into the memory of the night sky.

Overflow is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Early in the Morning by Soul Zimon & His Kozmic Combinations Glows with Sleepy Languid Beauty

Posted on 14 April 2026

Soul Zimon & His Kozmic Combinations swept a masterstroke of folk across the airwaves with the release of Early in the Morning. Melodically, it is intimate enough to feel like the gently plucked guitar strings were specifically cut as the key to your own soul, as you feel the resonance of the release pouring in.

Zimon captures the sleepy, languid beauty of daybreak, the weariness of pulling yourself into consciousness and the tendency to start seeking, to start reaching. If we’re lucky, it’s on the next pillow, but for many, the reaching renders nothingness into fruition, and that absence is hauntingly echoed through this warm yet wistful stunner of a release. There’s nothing overworked here, just honest phrasing, deft melodic restraint and a feel for emotional detail that lands right in the chest. It’s a lovely, low-burning reminder that folk still has the power to say the most with the least.

Rooted in a Swedish take on countryfolk-blues and drawing from the golden age of folk, Americana and country music, Soul Zimon carries the kind of stripped-back sincerity that calls to mind the inward pull of Townes Van Zandt, the earth-worn tenderness of early Neil Young and the plainspoken ache of John Prine. That lineage sits naturally in the song without ever turning it into pastiche.

Early in the Morning is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nick Cody and the Heartache: We Are the Many – Euphony-Rich Folk for the Empathic Masses

Posted on 12 April 2026

Against the backdrop of a fractured Britain, Nick Cody and the Heartache orchestrated a folk-infused uprising in their latest single, We Are the Many. Hailing from the creative hive of Leeds, Cody is a writer who has long earned nods from scene heavyweights like Chris Catalyst, yet this latest ensemble feels particularly vital.

The track redresses the ‘masses against the classes’ energy of the Manics within an accordance of euphony-rich harmony. Alongside Cody’s rallying, Billy Bragg-esque vocals linger the diaphanous timbre of Liz Hanks. Having previously lent her cello and vocal weight to legends like the Pet Shop Boys, Liz Hanks softens the blow of this protestive serenade. She takes the sting out of the inequity which necessitated the release, reminding listeners that some souls still swim in empathy. The radiance of the harmonies in this cathartically pure single is diametrically opposed to the angst found on the other side of the socio-political spectrum, instilled with a grace Reform voters could only hope for. It is a sonic sanctuary for those tired of the status quo.

Taken from the upcoming album, Sweet Songs & Bitter Truth, the track will also feature in the film All Kinds of Crazy.

We Are the Many is now available on all major streaming platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JoeJoe S – Bow to the Screen: a deadpan honky folk confrontation with vapid digital noise

Posted on 11 April 2026

There’s almost a sense of surrealism in how JoeJoe S, the mesmerically talented singer-songwriter otherwise known as Joy Seroussi, uses the harbingering honky folk tones of Tom Waits in Bow to the Screen to deliver an exposition on how modernity is enslaved by our digital dopamine addictions, our lives and faces becoming hollower and hollower the more we transfix ourselves to our screens.

Seroussi, a father of three living between Tel Aviv and Plomari, only began writing songs at the end of 2022, yet there’s nothing tentative or amateur about the force or clarity of his voice here. His songwriting comes from a place of feeling, consequence and self-therapy, and that lived candour gives the single its sting.

That sting deepens through the waltzy dark folk instrumentation and deadpan vocals, which make the track visceral enough in its conviction to snap you out of the cycle of waking up and staring into the void of vapid, banal noise, making you question how we’ve allowed ourselves to call this life living.

Written as a reflection on the way endless content has started replacing meaningful human connection, the song frames a familiar reality with startling sharpness. I could quote every single lyrical line as a testament to the singer-songwriter’s ability to cast an aspect of reality in a completely new light. Nick Cave and Amigo the Devil themselves would bow down in reverence to the ingenuity of this release.

Bow to the Screen is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Malte Schöning’s AIDA Turns Memory, Sea Crossings and Sleepwalking History into a Harbingering Folk Lullaby

Posted on 6 April 2026

If Malte Schöning became the voice of his generation, this era’s levels of empathy would reach heights great enough to address the sickness we’re sleepwalking through and maybe even prevent history from repeating. His standout single, AIDA, which opens the recently released EP Erste Chance, crosses cultural boundaries with enough visceral, emotive force to obliterate them and remind us that compassion shouldn’t be constrained by colour, creed, or continents.

The Hamburg singer-songwriter has taken his songs from busking spots to festival stages across Europe, yet AIDA carries the directness of someone still singing to real people rather than faceless crowds. That immediacy matters because this song bears witness.

The gentleness of the fingerpicked melodies works in aching juxtaposition with the stridency and restrained fervour in Schöning’s imploring, passion-lined vocals. Written from a true story and shaped by an encounter with a Holocaust survivor, AIDA preserves a memory while forcing the present into view, drawing a line between the child who fled the Nazis and those still fleeing across the sea today. The message that “Never again” applies to all people, lands with devastating clarity. With the English version on the way, this harrowing Euro folk lullaby looks set to prise eyes wide open even further. I couldn’t think of another song more worthy of going viral

AIDA is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Paul Jannicola Rubs Salt into the Wound of Tyranny with the Folk Fury of ‘Sorrow in My Soul’

Posted on 1 April 2026

If a folk artist can’t conjure a visceral atmosphere with little more than their vocal cords and acoustic strings, they’re not worth their salt, and Paul Jannicola brought enough brine to sting wounds wide open on Sorrow in My Soul.

In his latest release, the NYC-born, Virginia-based singer-songwriter draws listeners into the harrow of a haunting vignette inspired by the fatal shootings at the hands of ICE in Minneapolis. There’s no ornamental cushioning or softening of the blow, only a direct, intravenous line into grief, fury, and the sickening familiarity of public trauma. Jannicola, whose live reputation has carried him from the National Mall to wider recognition, knows exactly how to make a song feel like testimony.

“Four Dead in 1970 How far we haven’t come Blood flowing in the streets of Minneapolis And they’re hoping that we all just go numb” is Jannicola’s way of iterating that we don’t have to fear damnation, we’re already here, walking through the lies of progress, watching history repeat and tyranny ultimately leaving us unfazed because we’re desensitised by the horror on our streets and in our soul.

The official video, released on YouTube earlier this year, for a submission into the NPR Tiny Desk Contest 2026, only sharpens the force of the track. If it misses wider acclaim, we’ve got another reason to riot. The way it fires you up with vindication to spit out the ennui and feed your anger is unmatched by anything we have heard recently.

Sorrow in My Soul is now available on all major streaming platforms. Catch the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast