Lila Tristram – Hey, Mother (Single)

Following her recent sonic explorations in richly textured folk and indie soundscapes, our beloved Lila Tristram releases today her most intimate recording to date with new single Hey, Mother. A trained pianist, Tristram rarely shares piano-led compositions, making this release all the more poignant and revealing. Hey, Mother marks a return to her earliest musical language, making it a rare and deeply personal offering. Recorded live in one take at Gus White’s studio (Maddie Ashman, Edward Cross), mixed by White and mastered by Tim Debney (Sufjan Stevens, Thom Yorke), Hey, Mother is a testament to the power of vulnerability, and a celebration of maternal love in its purest form.
While we are still waiting for the new album announcement, Lila released some singles which may be on it: Sounds Like Easter, and Baby were both premiered here, and Closer was also presented on TRISTE©. In 2025 Promising and Matha May came out and Overtake was, once again, premiered here.
Hey, Mother is out today on all major streaming platforms.

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Dylan Mondegreen – Moleskine Notebook (Single)

Norwegian indie pop veteran Dylan Mondegreen (the moniker of Børge Sildnes) returns with his sixth album, A Sound Rings True, set for release on vinyl and digital platforms on 5 September 2025 (LP-release will be 27 August in Japan). As a taste of what’s to come, he released a new song today, called Moleskine Notebook. The LP can also be pre-ordered from today. The album was crafted over a six-year period. During a time when Sildnes faced vocal issues that left him unable to sing for a couple of years, he utilized the opportunity to hone his skills on various instruments and delve deeper into studio production techniques. The result is an album produced, mixed, and predominantly performed by Sildnes in his own small studio. Notably, the album also features contributions from musicians who have collaborated with artists like Frank Ocean, Shura, and Edwyn Collins. If you’re already familiar with Dylan Mondegreen, you’ll likely find a lot that feels familiar on A Sound Rings True. While synthesizers play a more prominent role than in previous works, the music remains melodic and nostalgic—richly arranged, effortlessly delivered, and exuding elegance.

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(Make Me A) TRISTE© Mixtape Episode 204: Brian Bilston

Brian Bilston & The Catenary Wires

Brian Bilston is one of the UK’s most popular poets. He has teamed up with Amelia Fletcher, Rob Pursey and Ian Button of The Catenary Wires to release an album Sounds Made by Humans on Skep Wax Records. A couple of years ago, word reached Rob and Amelia that Brian had been spotted wearing a t-shirt of their other bands (Heavenly) at one of his shows, and was a big fan of their music. Given that they, in turn, were fans of Brian’s poetry, introductions were made, friendships were formed, and Sounds Made By Humans took shape. The album isn’t a set of readings with musical backdrops: it’s a collection of songs, where words and music have become completely intertwined. There are verses, and there are choruses.  There is no ‘riffing’, no improvisation. In many ways, Brian’s poems are already like pop songs: brief, direct, and witty; sometimes poignant, sometimes biting and political; but always economical, and always accessible. Rob took thirteen of Brian’s poems and created melodies and arrangements, which are then played by a full band, with Ian Button on drums and Fay Hallam on keyboard. Sometimes the words of the poems are sung by Amelia or Rob. Sometimes they are spoken by Brian. Sometimes both these things happen at once. This is a pop record where the poetry and the music are equal partners: sounds made by humans in perfect artistic alignment. Brian Bilston and The Catenary Wires will be performing song-poems at selected UK venues in November 2025.

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(Make Me A) TRISTE© Mixtape Episode 203: Adult Matters

Adult Matters (©simmcat)

Adult Matters is the solo project of Luigi Bussotti. 90’s guitars, honest and brutal lyrics. Their music is the secret diary of a queer non-binary person. Luigi grew up with 90’s indie rock, Elliott Smith, and American singer-songwriters, influences that deeply shaped their artistic journey and gave them the opportunity to express their emotions without filters. They started writing from a very young age to escape from small-town reality and later taught themself how to play guitar: “I learned to play guitar by watching live shows of my favorite bands on KEXP.” In 2016, they recorded their first album, Endings, in a home studio. This album, which they toured across Italy with a power trio, allowed them to carve out a small space for themself in the Italian bedroom-pop scene. In 2021, they released Flare Up, their second album, a lofi work that they performed non-stop on tour for two years, with over 50 shows across Italy. Their third album, A Modern Witch was released on February 21, 2025, via Costello’s Records and Wires Records.

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Heavenly – Portland Town (Single)

Everybody knows and loves (and if they don’t, it’s thier loss) Heavenly. They formed in 1989 out of the ashes of short-lived punk pop combo Talulah Gosh. Original members Amelia Fletcher, Peter Momtchiloff, Rob Pursey and Mathew Fletcher were joined later by Cathy Rogers, and the full Heavenly sound – a combination of an energetic punkish rhythm section, sweet, wandering lead guitar lines and full-on girl group harmonies – was consolidated. The band recorded for cult label Sarah Records in the UK and, by the time of their second album, for K Records in the US. Members of the indiepop scene in the UK and the burgeoning Riot Grrrl scene in the US, Heavenly created a unique blend of infectious melody and sharp-edged lyrics. The band’s career was cut tragically short when drummer Mathew took his own life in 1996. In 2023 the band started the process of re-releasing their four LPs and have played a handful of live shows, with drummer Ian Button completing the line-up.  Concerts in London, Paris and across the US have sold out quickly, with original Heavenly fans clamouring to see a band that they still love. Along the way, Heavenly’s music has also found a new, much younger audience, with P.U.N.K. Girl and Me And My Madiness gaining many millions of streams and Tiktok ‘likes’. These days, Amelia, Rob and Ian currently also play in Brian Bilston and The Catenary Wires (here the review for their Birling Gap record) and Swansea Sound. Peter plays in Would-Be-Goods and Tufthunter.
Portland Town is Heavenly’s first single in 29 years!

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