Everything You Need to Know From the World of Music This Month

With awards season in the spotlight and the Grammys taking up much of the media’s attention, new music continues to emerge in the background. This time, we look at Sharon Van Etten’s shift to a full-band sound, a celebratory Wilco reissue and the triumphant return of highlife pioneer Ebo Taylor. Plus, new music from Bon Iver, a striking video from Viagra Boys and, Little Simz is announced as the next curator of the Meltdown Festival, and more updates for upcoming London music events.

New Album

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory – Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

For her seventh album, released by Jagjaguwar, Sharon Van Etten switches things up. No longer a solo act, for the first time she shares the spotlight with her touring band, The Attachment Theory – bassist Devra Hoff, percussionist Jorge Balbi, and multi-instrumentalist Teeny Lieberson.

The album’s ten tracks took shape during jam sessions on the road, marking a clear break from her indie-folk roots in favor of electronic and alternative sounds – a direction she had only hinted at in her last two records. The band moves fluidly across genres, supported by refined production and sound design – from the gothic lyricism of Afterlife to the brooding darkness of Somethin’ Ain’t Right, passing through the shoegaze shimmer of I Want You Here. Even her voice feels different – more layered and warmer, amplifying the sense of intimacy.

This is an album that marks a new chapter for Van Etten – more open, more collective, yet still unmistakable in the emotional depth that has made her such a cornerstone of the alternative scene.

Listen via Bandcamp.

Video

Viagra Boys – Man Made of Meat

“Music videos are not dead” the Viagra Boys seem to be telling us – perhaps the band that today best embodies that same iconic phrase long associated with punk. Man Made of Meat is the first single from their upcoming album, out in April via Shrimptec Enterprises. A high-energy track with an irresistible punch, perfectly matched by a video – directed by Daniel Björkman – that’s as hilarious as it is irreverent.

In just over three minutes, we witness the rise and fall of the band’s frontman Sebastian Murphy in the contemporary art world, blending an old-school MTV aesthetic with Scandinavian satire that slightly recalls the themes of films like The Square and Sick of Myself. A sharp, tongue-in-cheek take that also speaks to the music industry itself.

Watch/Listen via YouTube. 

Reissue

Wilco – A Ghost is Born

In 2004, Wilco was at the peak of their commercial and critical success following the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch Records, 2002). With producer Jim O’Rourke pushing them to new creative heights, the Chicago band embarked on the ambitious challenge of composing and recording A Ghost Is Born. The album was a triumph, earning the 2005 Grammy for ‘Best Alternative Album’, while Jeff Tweedy’s personal struggles during its creation cemented its legendary status.

More than 20 years later, on February 7, 2025, a Deluxe Edition was released, featuring four LPs containing remastered versions of the original 12 tracks along with 68 additional recordings, including unreleased songs, demos, and live performances. This expanded edition offers a deep dive into Wilco’s experimental phase – particularly Tweedy’s only album as lead guitarist – and showcases O’Rourke’s avant-garde sensibilities, as heard in the 12-minute Less Than You Think, which veers between melody and pure sonic exploration.

Among the highlights are a faster-paced version of Muzzle of Bees and an acoustic rendition of Panthers. Meanwhile, the album’s defining track, Spiders (Kidsmoke) – originally a 10-minute krautrock-inspired masterpiece – appears here in a raw, noisier form, emphasizing Tweedy’s jagged guitar work and fragile, weary vocals, with the song now trimmed to 4 minutes and 46 seconds.

Listen via Bandcamp

Single track + new album

Bon Iver – Everything Is Peaceful Love

After releasing the SABLE EP, Justin Vernon has announced the first Bon Iver album since 2019. Titled SABLE, fABLE, the record will be released on April 11 via Jagjaguwar and will feature 12 tracks. The first four will be the songs from the EP – “…”, “Things Behind Things Behind Things”,  “S P E Y S I D E” and “Awards Season”.

However, a new song, Everything Is Peaceful Love, was released on Friday, February 14. Speaking about the single, Vernon shared, “I knew what kind of record I wanted to make the day we made Everything Is Peaceful Love”.

Built on a classic pop-soul structure, the track showcases many of the signature elements Vernon has been known for since his early days: layered, soaring falsettos bursting after intense crescendos, ethereal synths blending seamlessly with electronic percussion, and a warm bed of soulful chord progressions in the chorus. The song culminates in a final slide guitar solo, delivering three and a half minutes of pure joy – perhaps even too much, considering the official video, which features pets, smiles, and hugs. But then again, Vernon embraces emotion: “Damn if I’m not climbin’ up that tree right now, every little thing is love, and right with me”.

Prelisten on https://bon-iver.lnk.to/SABLE-fABLE/ 

Live Recording

Ebo Taylor, Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad – Jazz is Dead 022

Jazz Is Dead is one of the most ambitious and exciting musical projects of the past few years. Founded by A Tribe Called Quest’s co-founder Ali Shaheed Muhammad, producers Adrian Younge and Andrew Lojero, and industry veteran Adam Block, the collective has spent the last five years redefining the boundaries of live music, studio recordings, television, and film, with performances and productions spanning Los Angeles, New York, and cities worldwide. 

For their latest release, which dropped in late January, they’ve crafted something truly special with one of their musical idols: guitarist and composer Ebo Taylor, a pioneer and legend of Afrobeat and Highlife. At 88 years old, Taylor embarked on a journey from Ghana to the United States for the first time in his life to bring this gem to life.

From the opening track, Get Up, the album’s vision is immediately clear: a deep dive into West African funk history, powered by a hypnotic ensemble of musicians—driving percussion, a full brass section, lush background vocals, and psychedelic keys, all enriched by the presence of Ebo’s son, Henry Taylor. Ebo’s vocal delivery is both evocative and magnetic, his lyrics infused with spirituality, universal love, and transcendental energy. To build on this must-hear release, Jazz Is Dead has also announced an international tour, bringing Taylor and his band to the US, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. A legend still at the top of his game, proving that true groove knows no age.

Listen via Bandcamp.

News/Festival

Little Simz X Meltdown Festival

From June 12 to 22, London’s Southbank Centre will host the 30th edition of the Meltdown Festival, with Little Simz set to curate the 2025 edition. She joins a prestigious list of past curators, including David Bowie, Patti Smith, and Christine and the Queens.

As the UK’s longest-running artist-curated music festival, Meltdown brings together an exciting mix of ticketed concerts, free outdoor shows, and workshops. Simz will reveal her first lineup selections in the spring, along with plans for her own performance. Though she hasn’t released an album since 2022 (No thank you, Forever Living Originals recording), her electrifying set on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in 2024 cemented her reputation as one of the most compelling live performers of her generation and secured her both a curatorship and a dedicated set at Meltdown. Stay tuned for the lineup here: southbankcentre.co.uk

Header image courtesy Little Simz and Southbank Centre.