Today we’re joined by Oslo-based indie-pop newcomer Oh Blonde , who’s stepping into the spotlight with her dreamy new single Hot Air Balloon . Blending atmospheric synths with unguarded, emotionally honest songwriting — and drawing inspiration from artists like Holly Humberstone , Maggie Rogers , and Lana Del Rey  — Oh Blonde is quickly carving out a sound that feels both intimate and expansive. From being moved to tears by Emilie Nicolas  to touring Norway with Sigrid , her

Your music feels incredibly intimate and emotionally open. How did Olly’s 2022 cancer diagnosis shape the way you write, record and connect with listeners? Olly: Before the cancer stuff there was no songwriting for me. Not in a fleshed out way with words at least. I’d always been in other peoples’ bands, playing bass, trying to push things in a certain vague direction from the sidelines. When I got sick I had this ‘oh shit, I’m going to die’ moment. I didn’t want to go withou

Indie dream-pop favourite CASTLEBEAT has announced his seventh studio album CASTLEBEAT II , due May 2026 via Spirit Goth Records — alongside a shimmering new single, This Takes Time , landing February 13. Marking a decade since his 2016 debut, CASTLEBEAT II  acts as both a homecoming and a forward step for songwriter Josh Hwang, blending archived ideas from the project’s early days with newly written material — all filtered through his signature haze of jangly guitars, sun-so