News – RCRD LBL

February 9, 2026

February 9, 2026February 9, 2026 Mew Zikwryder

Plain Mister Smith Delivers Hazy, Personal New Single, ‘Dream To Be Free’ with Jordan Klassen

Plain Mister Smith has released ‘Dream To Be Free’, his new single featuring Jordan Klassen, now available via Amelia Records/Symphonic following its February 6 release. The track is the fourth single from his upcoming album, due in spring 2026. The artist, a long-time guitarist in Canadian darkwave outfit Moev and current cellist with the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, has built steady momentum as Plain Mister Smith with coverage from NPR Music, Wonderland Magazine, CLASH Magazine, NOTION, Under The Radar, Earmilk, METAL, Noctis Mag, and Atwood Magazine.

Split between Vancouver and London, Plain Mister Smith works where indie-folk clarity meets psych-rock drift, threading sharp lyrics through quieter reflective stretches. ‘Dream To Be Free’ connects directly to the worlds of Death Cab for Cutie, The War on Drugs, and Pavement. It moves between inward pull and lighter whimsy, built on bright, repeating keyboard lines over gently syncopated drum work. Layered instrumental shifts frame the direct, plaintive vocal exchange, evoking blurred images of cities rushing past in recollection.

Across this run of singles, Plain Mister Smith shows a clearer hand at the controls. He keeps dynamics tight, letting percussion breathe under melodic fragments while vocal lines overlap to heighten the emotional weight without overstatement. Bringing in voices like Jordan Klassen adds natural harmonic depth that fits into the arrangements rather than standing apart. The tracks cohere through deliberate choices, such as subtle tonal bends and careful negative space, rewarding close listening and pointing to an album with real structural unity, grounded in personal detail yet precise in execution.

Plain Mister Smith shared: “Dream to be Free’ is a mesmeric reflection on a decades-old trip to Kyoto, where memories came flooding back – how such a trip to a faraway place can seem like an ultimate act of freedom, or it can be a more subtle escape from home. This trip took place during Daimonji time, when locals light giant bonfires on hills around Kyoto to guide the spirits back to the spirit world. In a way, this trip felt like a return to a source of rebirth.”

Stream ‘Dream To Be Free’:

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January 29, 2026

January 29, 2026January 29, 2026 Mew Zikwryder

Textbook Maneuver Caps Adrenaline Slip Era With ‘Murmur 3 Home (Radio Edit)’

(Textbook Maneuver / Image Credit: Mary Keane)

Textbook Maneuver has put out ‘Murmur 3 Home (Radio Edit)’, his latest single via Life Science Records and the first of 2026. Michael Keane, the Bronx-raised, New Jersey-based mind behind the project, has earned growing respect in experimental electronic and IDM circles, nearing 150,000 streams. Highlights include µ-Ziq reworking the title cut ‘Adrenaline Slip’ for Wonderland Magazine, alongside features in Magnetic Magazine, Illustrate Magazine, WWAM (We Write About Music), Music For All in Brazil, and Good Music Radar. The 2025 full-length Adrenaline Slip positioned him as a distinctive voice blending technical IDM with accessible ambient prog elements.

As a pianist with classical grounding and punk independence, Keane channels broad influences into the Textbook Maneuver sound, from Genesis’ ambitious Duke phase, Rush’s prog precision, and Gary Numan’s synth isolation to the textured indie-electronica of The Postal Service, U.N.K.L.E., and Phantogram. Listeners pick up parallels to Jon Hopkins’ dynamic builds and Nils Frahm’s restrained elegance, with clear debts to Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, and Aphex Twin that are all rooted in live improvisation and open-ended experimentation.

The new ‘Murmur 3 Home (Radio Edit)’ leaves behind recent colder palettes for something more open and ascending, constructed from twinkling pad layers, breathy synth lines, and flickering, propulsive rhythms. It traces a clear emotional route: initial euphoria, wandering curiosity, then gradual release into a soft, lingering close.

Textbook Maneuver told us: “‘Murmur 3 Home’ closes out the debut album, Adrenaline Slip, and is the coda to the unofficial ‘Space Trip’ suite. I composed this song while trying to imagine the feeling of what it must be like to be home after an overextended scientific journey into orbit. I feel it also works well for any conclusion of time away from loved ones due to work or tragedy. There is an element of joy, followed by relief, then just an emotional release upon fully realizing the trip is over, and then it just fades.”

Stream ‘Murmur 3 Home (Radio Edit)’:

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January 19, 2026

January 19, 2026January 19, 2026 Mew Zikwryder

Mitski Returns With Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, Set for February 27 Release

Mitski has confirmed her eighth studio album, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, arriving February 27 via Dead Oceans. The Japanese-American artist has spent the last decade establishing herself as one of indie rock’s most incisive voices, turning personal unease and cultural displacement into sharply observed songs. From the raw urgency of Puberty 2 and the conceptual precision of Be the Cowboy to the orchestral sweep of 2023’s The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, she’s consistently balanced intimate confession with ambitious production, earning a reputation for records that feel both private and universal.

The lead single ‘Where’s My Phone?’ arrives with a video directed by Noel Paul that pulls directly from the paranoid, claustrophobic atmosphere of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Mitski appears as a withdrawn figure holed up in a decaying gothic estate, watching as outsiders force their way in. The visual setup leans into isolation and violation that are recurring themes in her work, while keeping the tone controlled and unsettling rather than overdramatic.

Several players from the band that backed her on the The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We tour contributed to the new recordings. Last year also saw the release of a concert film and live album documenting those shows. Meanwhile, Mitski continues work on the stage musical adaptation of The Queen’s Gambit. With Nothing’s About to Happen to Me on the horizon, another close examination of solitude and intrusion seems to be taking shape.

Watch ‘Where’s My Phone’:

Nothing’s About to Happen to Me:

01 In a Lake
02 Where’s My Phone?
03 Cats
04 If I Leave
05 Dead Woman
06 Instead of Here
07 I’ll Change for You
08 Rules
09 That White Cat
10 Charon’s Obol
11 Lightning

Follow Mitski:

Spotify – Instagram – Facebook

January 6, 2026

January 6, 2026January 6, 2026 Mew Zikwryder

Jill Scott Announces To Whom This May Concern, Her First Album in Over a Decade

Jill Scott is gearing up for her return to music with To Whom This May Concern, scheduled to drop February 13. It’s been more than ten years since her last full-length, Woman in 2015, a stretch where the Philadelphia singer leaned into acting with roles in BET’s First Wives Club and the RZA-directed Love Beats Rhymes. Scott cut her teeth in the late-’90s spoken-word scene before Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson pulled her into the Soulquarians circle. Her debut Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 landed a Best R&B Album Grammy nomination in 2001, and she kept that momentum alive with a 2023 anniversary tour celebrating the record’s enduring pull.

The album lines up an eclectic guest list, bringing in Ab-Soul, J.I.D., Tierra Whack, and Too $hort for features that promise to bridge generations. On the production side, Om’Mas Keith lays down layered soul foundations, DJ Premier brings his signature sample chops and drum knocks, and Trombone Shorty injects brassy, live-wire energy.

Scott broke the news herself on Instagram, underscoring the communal effort behind the project. Jill Scott shared: “Finally my new album entitled TO WHOM THIS MAY CONCERN drops Feb. 13th!!!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE and THANK YOU for your patience and your listening ears.” In another post highlighting the lineup, she added: “Creating takes a village. I’m sharing my beautiful people most literally.” After years away, this feels like Scott stepping back into the center with purpose.

Pre-Save To Whom This May Concern: HERE

Follow Jill Scott:

Spotify – Facebook – Instagram