LOCK Magazine

There’s something immediately revealing about the title ‘You Can’t Spell Sweetheart Without Thea’. It’s playful, self-aware and almost casually charming, yet it also places the artist’s real identity at the centre of the record. After years of building carolesdaughter into a recognisable alternative-pop persona, Thea Taylor now appears ready to step beyond the outline and show the complicated person living inside it.

There’s a version of “Ecstasy” that could have been a straightforward pop anthem. Big chorus, polished production, easy radio play. Misha and the Kings went the other way. The new single from the Aberystwyth four-piece opens with soft piano, building slowly through layered guitar and atmospheric texture, and eventually arrives somewhere between Florence and the Machine and Wolf Alice in full flight. It takes its time, and that’s is the point.

There’s something quietly compelling about an artist returning to the beginning to rediscover what remains once the industry, the spectacle and the accumulated expectations are stripped away. And on her new studio album ‘Rolling The Dice’, New Zealand’s Sonny Southon brings decades of experience into the confined space of a home studio and emerges with a record that feels unusually close, deliberate and personal.

London singer-songwriter and guitarist Fiona Amaka returns with ‘Justified’, a deeply felt new release that explores the complicated territory where love, hindsight and remorse collide. Already a favourite during performances with the Fiona Amaka Band, the track arrives carrying the same emotional charge that has resonated so strongly with audiences both online and on stage.

Liverpool artist, producer and songwriter Aimée Britannia continues to carve out her own lane with the release of ‘Pool State’, a sun-soaked new single that turns escapism into an art form. Created entirely by the artist herself while staying in Bali, the track captures the feeling of stepping away from constant noise and reconnecting with the present moment.

LA’s Betty Moon continues her long-running independent journey with the release of ‘A Taxi Ride’, a hook-filled alternative pop-rock track that captures the feeling of city lights, fading conversations and nights you wish would last a little longer. Built around glossy melodies and a distinctly retro atmosphere, the single nods to the guitar-driven sounds of the 90s while maintaining the modern production style that has become synonymous with her work so far.

Berlin-based indie artist Efro returns with the vibrant new single ‘Run To The Sun’, out now and marking the first release in a run of new music planned throughout the second half of 2026.

Birmingham artist ROZZZQWEEN explores the complicated reality of loving someone who does not always love you back in her latest single “Praise Me”, a striking alternative R&B track built around vulnerability, frustration and emotional conflict. Rather than focusing on the aftermath of a breakup, “Praise Me” captures the uncomfortable space before that moment, where the heart refuses to catch up with the mind.

Lucy Robinson’s latest release, Let Down, blends irresistible feel-good energy with a message that couldn’t be more timely. Built around warm grooves and genre-blurring production, the single challenges today’s always-on culture without ever sounding weighed down by its subject matter. Instead, Robinson creates an atmosphere that’s uplifting from the first beat, inviting listeners to dance first and reflect afterwards.

There’s an effortless sincerity to Riwo’s songwriting that makes “Hero Girl” immediately compelling. The Nigerian-Canadian singer-songwriter has built her artistry around connection and emotional honesty, and her latest single continues that tradition with a groove that feels equally comforting and invigorating.