Mint Biscuit: Across The Pond (expanded)

Welsh musician Richard Thomas went back to his Across The Pond EP and decided that this release by his Mint Biscuit project could be improved. He changed the running order and added six more tracks. If anything the flow of the instrumentals is now more balanced by including the subtle The Barnstaple Table And The Fremulous Fable, the Neil Young-esque Mouse Trouble and the wordless love song Bodmin Chick.

The EP was more of a work-in-progress and by going back to the drawing board he was able to finish the picture. His homemade excursions are offering a glimpse into his inner world, where emotional turmoil, love for his wife and a passion for playing his six-strings are having neverending discussions.

Foo Fighters: Tiny Desk Concert

Watch the Foo Fighters perform five songs for a NPR Tiny Desk Concert. They kept simple, with only one song - Spit Shine - from their latest album Your Favorite Toy, before switching to four popular favourites from their back catalogue.

Setlist:

1. Spit Shine
2. Learn to Fly
3. Child Actor
4. My Hero
5. Everlong

» foofighters.com

The Blue Yellows: Scribble on a Cheat Sheet

Lo-fi quirky folk rockers The Blue Yellows managed to squeeze in some psychedelic rock and baroque pop on their Scribble on a Cheat Sheet EP, filled with five relatable songs about love in all its guises: the start, the end and everything in between, yes, even the one-sided variant (I Wish I Could Fall). The songs revolve around empathy, with having a sense of humour being a close second.

They have been playing for more than a decade, so they have a good grip of what works best for them: being in sync and acting as equal partners to bring their songs to life. Singing along is optional, but highly appreciated.

HCTF premiere - Martyrs: "You've Been Here Before" video

Welsh synth duo Martyrs have made a video for You've Been Here Before, a sound collage from their Church Street EP. Since the main theme of that release was nostalgia, an abstract track about the demise of physical media - note the references to VHS tapes - fitted in nicely along the "proper" songs. The footage looks beat up and blurry on purpose, to show the slow degradation of it that happened over time.

» Martyrs on Bluesky

HCTF review of the Church Street EP

Theatre: You Are

Irish quintet Theatre's new single You Are goes through hills and valleys, with a gnarly grunge guitar and all out folk-tinged vocals, with pastoral interludes acting as opportunities to let it sink in.

The lyrics were inspired by singer's Maeve O’Shea childhood in West Cork, reminiscing about wandering the streets on her own and the mundane act of doing the dishes. She would have been happy with a song back then as a cure for her boredom, but fast forward to 2026 and here it is. The video was directed by Greg Purcell .