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𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐰
“Paradiso“
Americana
★
@irish_goodbye
Release; September 12, 2025
@leisurerodeo
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Listen up! Full album out Friday!
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Scott Ballew has always had a charming perspective when telling his side of the story, but it doesn’t take long on Paradiso to hear the growth in his songwriting and his desire to expand. On previous releases, nothing ever felt missing – Ballew’s music has always been characterized by its authenticity and simplicity: rugged and honest. MiM has always been a fan, but on Ballew’s newest release, the production and instrumental arrangements are by far the biggest, most dynamic to date. Paradiso is flat-out marvelous – easily in the ranks of our top picks for 2025.

Recorded in New Orleans and produced by Ballew himself alongside good friend Rob Barbato, Paradiso builds a world that feels both expansive and still intimate.

“The music on the radio can be over-produced. So when you find something surprisingly raw, understated, or rough around the edges, it finds its home with those people that are looking for a real experience,” says Ballew – and he manages to conquer both with optimal balance.

Ballew, the city kid with cowboy roots from Austin, TX has made a record that could pull indie kids toward country music and country fans toward indie rock – Paradiso delivers equal parts of the two – reminiscent of the late 90’s, early ’00s indie-folk scene; before Americana music was labeled as such; landing on its own private island somewhere between supergroup Monsters of Folk and Calexico.. The band behind him tightens the grip: Barbato on guitar and backing vocals, Michael Nau on bass, Sam Doores (The Deslondes) on drums, Alex Pianovich on keys and harmonica, Mat Davidson (Twain) with violin, plus Angela Miller and Lauren Hornsby adding harmonies.

The record is full of ear-candy subtleties: little moments perfectly placed and layered, giving it a texture that’s fun, surprising, and built to last. Each listen reveals something new, a small nuance that grabs your attention and brings you joy.
– @meanwhile_in_music
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#Austin #Texas #NewMusic #NewOrleans #Music #Paradiso …

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𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡
“Carolina Mountains“
★
@therealsparrowsmith
Release; Sept. 5, 2025
Sassafras Sounds
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Listen up! Full album – Friday 9/5!
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Sparrow Smith’s Carolina Mountain feels like a natural next step for the Marshall, NC-based multi-instrumentalist. Known for her expressive songwriting, Smith has been a driving force in the Western North Carolina music scene for years. After leading projects like The Resonant Rogues with her husband and collaborator Keith Josiah Smith, she’s now putting her name at the forefront – and the result is one of her most personal statements yet.

Smith’s roots in Appalachian old-time music run deep, tracing back to her late-teen years spent riding freight trains and wearing out Tommy Jarrell tapes. That foundation is present across the record, but Carolina Mountain is far from a strict old-time album. It pulls from jug-band, country blues, and swing influences, creating an album full of warmth.

“Hard Working Women,” a lively duet with Cat Clyde, is an early standout – a loose, playful jug-band romp complete with sousaphone and washboard. It’s a confident, joyfully queer anthem that celebrates attraction and self-assurance without overthinking it.

The title track, written in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, serves as the record’s emotional center. Smith wrote it as a reflection on her community’s resilience and their efforts to rebuild after the storm. The song’s simple gratitude gives it weight, grounding the album in a sense of place and purpose.

Throughout Carolina Mountain, Smith proves why she’s been a pillar of the western North Carolina creative community for as long as she has. This is a record that values tradition, homelands, and a good groove in equal measure – a confident debut that invites listeners into Smith’s world while leaving plenty of room to dance.
– @meanwhile_in_music
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#Music #NewMusic #OldTime #Appalachian #NorthCarolina …

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𝐑𝐲 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
“Whisperin’ Ry“
Americana
★
@whisperin_ry
Release; September 5, 2025
@nudie.records
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Listen up! Full album out 9/5!
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Ry Jennings didn’t just make a debut album – he presents the world which he lives & has invited us to step inside. Whisperin’ Ry, out 9/5 on Nudie Records, feels like an open door into his corner of Nashville – quiet streets, soft light, & a tape machine humming in the background.

“This is a collection of songs starting from 2020, home recording on my tape machine at our decaying old house off of Music Row,” Jennings shares. “Then I went to mix with Jake Davis, and also recorded the other half at his home studio with Josh Halper on nylon string, and Michael Bordelon on drums. I played all the other instruments like organ, synth, flute, guitars, bass, harmonica, & all the vocals.”

Jennings may be known to most as a co-founder of Teddy & The Rough Riders or for his bass alongside Emily Nenni, or even as a fixture of those legendary Sunday nights at Santa’s Pub; but here, on Whisperin’ Ry, he steps forward – delicate, smooth, & straight to the point.

Named after Ry Cooder but carrying the velvety harmonies of Harry Nilsson & the plainspoken intimacy of Neil Young.. Songs like “Goodbye Galaxy” and “Headlight” are standout tracks – they’re anchors, & would slide nicely into – Tonight’s the Night; which in our opinion, remains the crown jewel of Neil Young albums.

What makes Whisperin’ Ry remarkable is how Jennings balances his dreamy approach – head-in-the-clouds but with two feet grounded in the grass below storytelling. These are songs of Nashville, of family, of heartbreak – but seen through the hazy lens of a subtle psychedelic shimmer. Jennings’ voice is warm & measured, inviting you to sit at the table he’s set, to take in the view exactly as he’s framed it.

And that’s part of the magic here – it feels handcrafted, tailored.. Each instrument & harmony feels purposefully placed. Listening once is unfair to yourself – because each turn reveals something you missed: a turn of phrase or flutter of flute. This is a record that grows roots with every listen & eases the soul in equal measure.
– @meanwhile_in_music …

𝐃𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐤
“As The Neighbors Tried To Sleep”
★
@dillonwarnek
Release; August 22, 2025
@soggyanvilrecords
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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Dillon Warnek’s new album – As The Neighbors Tried To Sleep stakes its claim alongside the giants who shaped his sound – Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, & Billy Joel. The influence of these legends glimmers throughout this lyrically rich collection, but to suggest the instrumentation plays second fiddle would be a disservice.

In the album’s first single, “Other People’s Money,” Dillon indulges in a vivid tale of living like the elite. From a bougie department store spree to an appearance at the ballet – where the valet, dancers, & janitors all receive generous tips – the fantasy unfolds with lavish dinners of steak, lobster, and champagne. The scene is over-the-top, yet Dillon’s infectious storytelling buckles you in, keeping you along for the ride – and straight over the edge.

Recorded at the Bomb Shelter/produced by Drew Carroll the record captures the magic of Warnek’s creative hours – late nights.. before he heads to his day job in construction. Warnek describes these sessions as “fruitless, miserable, exhausting, disheartening, & dangerous,” yet he perseveres, chasing rare moments of brilliance. An ideal fusion of sound – raw & righteous. Unpolished and unapologetic. As The Neighbors Tried To Sleep is a spark lurking in the underground, ready to ignite. As the opening line suggests “There’s enough dynamite in my pocket/To blow you all through the roof..”

“I like things that sizzle,” Warneck says. “Songs that make the room turn their heads, still hissing hot.” This album delivers exactly that.

Endorsed by Nashville’s musical power couple @missmargoprice & @jivey, Warnek is emerging as one of Music City’s newest songwriters. Price co-wrote “Bluebird” with Warnek and Ivey and lends her voice to “Speeding Bullet Out of Georgia,” a clever, erudite piano ballad about escape and resilience.

Onstage, Warnek holds court at his keyboard, mixing wry anecdotes in with his subversive lyricism. Some say there are no good piano men anymore – but they just haven’t seen him perform.
– @meanwhile_in_music …

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𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧
“I Hope We Can Still Be Friends“
★
@deanjohnsongs
Release; August 22, 2025
@saddlecreek
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Listen up! Full album out Friday!
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There’s something disarming about Dean Johnson’s new record, I Hope We Can Still Be Friends. Maybe it’s the way his voice creaks with wisdom & warmth, or maybe it’s how his songs feel like overheard conversations at last call – funny, tragic, and brushing up against your own truth. With his Saddle Creek debut, Johnson doesn’t ask for much, just that you listen with an open mind. In return, he offers everything he’s got: a record full of wit, vulnerability, & undeniable charm.

Like John Prine or Kris Kristofferson, Johnson works in plainspoken poetry. He sings from the barstool & the porch, delivering lines that land like gut punches softened with a grin. There’s a gentle twang that gives his stories a familiar feel. Whether tackling romantic letdowns or social absurdities, Johnson makes you feel like you’ve known him for years.

The songs on I Hope We Can Still Be Friends blend past & present, collected from years of live performances & paired with new material. Johnson is no newcomer – he’s long been a fixture in the Seattle scene, revered in whispers by those who knew where to look. But this album feels like the moment the world finally catches up, polishing the patina without losing the soul underneath.

Produced with care by Sera Cahoone at Unknown Studio in Anacortes, WA, the album is purposefully restrained. The instrumentation is spare, never flashy, & that’s its strength. The band plays with a light touch, always in service to the song. That space lets Johnson’s vocal tenderness & lyrics shine – whether it’s a line that cuts or a turn of phrase that makes you laugh out loud.

Across the record, Johnson proves himself a master observer of the human condition. He paints characters who are lonely but lovable, seeking connection in a chaotic world. His songs offer no easy answers – only deep empathy & clear-eyed honesty.

Dean Johnson isn’t trying to be flashy or clever for clever’s sake. He’s just trying to tell the truth – & in a world full of noise, that feels like a revelation.
– @meanwhile_in_music …

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𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤
“Big Mood“
★
@judyblankmusic
Release; August 22, 2025
@rounderrecords
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Listen up! Full album out Friday!
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Judy Blank’s Rounder Records debut Big Mood is all you could hope for – and far too fun to ignore. She may not fit the usual Meanwhile in Music mold, but she’s spent enough time in your favorite honky tonks to earn her inaugural place with us forever.

Born in the Netherlands but raised on the romance of the American myth, Blank has always chased back roads, neon nights, and the poetry of storybook nomads. Big Mood is that story unfolding between your ears.

It’s vibrant, well-crafted – deep in thought and delivered with levity, with a good-time danceable cherry on top. Blank refuses to be boxed in – one song hushes a festival crowd like a ’70s folk poet, the next spins a fuzzed-out ’60s garage-bop bathed in ’80s synths. She drifts between eras effortlessly, turning life’s chaos into whimsical melodies.

Produced with longtime collaborator Roy van Rosendaal at Studio Ruisendaal in the woods outside Utrecht. Beneath the hooks, Blank tackles mental health, climate change, and social injustice, always standing up for the world’s outliers and underdogs. Big Mood proves music can be joyful, intentional, and impossible to pin down – sometimes all in the same song, and roaring from the tummy of a T. Rex.
– @meanwhile_in_music
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#NewMusic #Pop #Netherlands #Nashville #Austin #LiveMusic …

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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭
“Dollar A Day“
Country
★
@charleycrockett
Release; August 8, 2025
@islandrecords
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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At the rate Charley Crockett cranks out records, you’d think he’d eventually hand us a dud just by the law of averages. But that day still hasn’t come. Dollar A Day – the second installment of the Sagebrush Sessions, coming just five months after Lonesome Drifter – keeps his hot streak alive, spinning another batch of songs that sound like they’ve been around forever yet somehow feel brand new.

Recorded at the renowned Sunset Sound Studio 3 in Hollywood and co-produced by Shooter Jennings, the album leans into a blend of funky country grooves, Southern soul, and that postured poise that Crockett brings to every record. Dollar A Day packs the kind of grit and attitude you’d expect if Shooter raided his father Waylon’s old tape vault from the ’70s. The guitars are loose and greasy, the rhythms just ahead of the bar enough to keep you leaning forward.

“With Shooter, I’ve never felt more like myself in the studio,” says Crockett. “I don’t feel judged. At all. It’s truly a partnership. Hell, I’d say he’s my best friend, and you can’t aspire to greatness without that kind of trust. With Lonesome Drifter, it felt like we opened the portal. With Dollar A Day, we stepped through and came out the other side.”

Crockett’s voice is the glue – a conversational drawl that can handle a lonesome ballad one minute and a back-alley shuffle the next. The arrangements weave in traces of blues, funk, and soul without ever losing his country core – classically driven from the depths of a dusty jukebox, but with a modern swagger.

Dollar A Day is classic Good Time Charley – rooted deep in tradition, unafraid to take detours, and somehow making it all sound effortless. If there’s a ceiling on Crockett’s creative run, we can’t see it from here – and we’re more than happy about that.
– @meanwhile_in_music …