Meanwhile in Music — album reviews, live shows, and the songs worth knowing first.

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𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡
“Emerald City“
★
@lena_rich
Release; September 4, 2026
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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Emerald City, the sophomore effort from Livingston, Montana-based singer-songwriter Lena Rich, is a splendid listen.

Rich is a songwriter at her core, and that strength carries throughout the record, but she also shows a firm handle on honky-tonk country. Tracks like “Gas Is Cheap” and “We’re All Gonna Die” lean into that side of her musical personality, while other moments wander into a reflective, quiet space.

Emerald City holds its own both lyrically and musically. Mike Eli LoPinto, who also produced the album, handles guitar alongside Eddy Dunlap on pedal steel, Dominic Billett on drums, and Jesse Noah Wilson on bass. Recorded at Rancho Deluxe in Nashville, the performances have a loose, organic quality that allows each song to come to life.

The arrangements are where Emerald City really opens up.. Traditional country gives way to indie-folk, with sweet banjo, layered guitars, and pedal steel weaving in and out of the songs. On tracks like the title track, “Emerald City,” and “Lottery in Fargo,” there’s a distinct indie sensibility – the kind of atmospheric, genre-blurring sound that might have comfortably landed alongside Cat Power or Feist if this were 1999.

Rich describes Emerald City as “a vast spectrum of introspection, optimism, and timely snapshots of a country on the precipice of something new,” while also calling it a deeply personal record about her own story and reclaiming her creative path “for me and me alone.”

That combination of the personal and the panoramic is what makes the album work. Rich draws from the classic ’60s and ’70s songwriters she grew up with, while also citing influences ranging from Gillian Welch and Adrianne Lenker to Elliott Smith. Those reference points make sense, but Emerald City ultimately sounds like its own thing.

Whatever genre box you decide to drop these songs into – Emerald City is simply a genuinely great album.
@meanwhile_in_music
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#NewMusic #Music #LiveMusic #Livingston #Montana

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𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
“Swampwater“
★
@groovypaigey
Release; September 4, 2026
@timelessechorecordings
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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If you’re anywhere near Central Texas, chances are you already know what a dynamic songwriter Paige Plaisance is.. one of my personal favorites. Paige fills honky-tonks on a regular basis, but the sound she brings travels well beyond those dancehall walls. On her latest album, Swampwater, that musical world expands even further.

Raised on a farm near the muddy banks of the Mississippi River & now based in Austin, Plaisance continues to carve out a musical lane that demands attention. With a steady presence of horns, bluesy grooves & soulful textures throughout Swampwater, there’s a noticeable sense of growth & ambition without sacrificing the honky-tonk heart that got her here.

“Swampwater goes into more of my swampier, blues side, but it’s still a mixture of my love for the honky-tonk scene & my Louisiana background,” Plaisance says. She describes her sound as “swampytonkin’” – country music with a little blues & soul mixed in – and the term fits her style perfectly.

“Moving Out” is a soulful R&B number, while the title track settles into a haunting Louisiana groove, soaked in grease, grit & atmosphere. Yes, Swampwater is a country album, but plenty of these songs are happily country-adjacent. There’s enough here for the two-stepping crowd, but Plaisance & company offer everyone outside the dance floor enough hooks, lines & swagger to stick around.

Soul, funky swamp-tonkin’ blues & pop-leaning crossovers.. when we say pop, think less modern country radio & more of the great country-pop crossover artists of the ’70s & ’80s – Linda Ronstadt, Juice Newton & Bonnie Raitt.

Plaisance is operating at the top of the game. Her voice is sincere & vulnerable when it needs to be, but she’s equally capable of delivering these songs with confidence & attitude. The band is outstanding, bringing the album’s influences together & making an incredible record.

Recorded at Austin’s Finishing School & produced by Jonathan Tyler, Swampwater feels like an artist & her band hitting their stride & going big places.
@meanwhile_in_music

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𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝
“Wish Road South“
★
@hollowhand
Release; September 4, 2026
@soundlymusic / @loose_music
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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Hollow Hand dropped a new record today, Wish Road South, and the album lands somewhere between the Velvet Underground and the modern melodies of Kurt Vile. The half century gap of influences makes the record feel like an instant present-day classic while holding a timeless quality that will hold its own for years to come.

Wish Road South is a marvelous blend of indie folk and pop, packed with groovy, melodic tunes and a steady tempo that feels tailor-made for gazing down at your shoes or lying in the grass and watching the clouds pass by above.

Hollow Hand was essentially a solo effort from Max Kinghorn-Mills, who performed under the moniker for years. But after a run with MJ Lenderman and collaborative work with some others, he decided to bring in some backup, adding drummer Oliver Newton and bassist Leo Clarke to the fold. Kinghorn-Mills scrapped his old demos in favor of live tracking, a full group effort and the creative process that comes with alike artists.

“The way I’ve made albums previously has usually been huddled away in the tradition of a bedroom producer,” says Kinghorn-Mills. “I don’t want to ever feel like I’m going through the motions, so I decided to start again. Wish Road South expanded my horizons and made me realise there’s so much more to playing, and being in a band, than just recording the songs.”

Some standout tracks include the previously released singles “Here Are The Tulips” and “Heavy Metal T-Shirt,” but “Kiss The Boot” and “Love Again” are a couple of my personal favorites. Truth be told, though, there isn’t much filler here – that said, the record is remarkably consistent and holds up beautifully from front to back.

@meanwhile_in_music
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#NewMusic #Friday #Brighton #UK

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𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚
“Living Proof“
★
@silverada
Release; August 7, 2026
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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As someone who has been catching Mike & The Moonpies for nearly 15 years; including their legendary @whitehorseatx residency that wrapped up about a dozen years ago – Living Proof feels like an absolute breath of fresh air.

We already knew Silverada could blow your speakers and light your hair on fire. That part was never in question. But when longtime steel player Zachary Moulton bowed out, it opened the door for a new chapter. In steps keyboard player Parker Twomey.

This wasn’t a change that could go unnoticed, so a change in direction was inevitable.

Living Proof still sits comfortably on the dusty shelf in your favorite honky tonk, but reach for it and you’ll find something a little different. The Texas country DNA is still there, but now it’s tangled up with the sounds that swirled through the 70’s & ’80s – reminiscent of Bob Seger, Jackson Browne & Dire Straits. The pedal steel may have left the room, but the songs gained a new kind of space.

Recorded live-sounding and impassioned at Sonic Ranch in West Texas over five days, with frontman Mike Harmeier stepping up to co-produce, Living Proof captures a band that sounds less interested in recreating the past than seeing how far they can push what comes next.

“You can sound like whatever the fuck you want to sound like,” Harmeier says – and Living Proof sounds like a band finally taking itself at its word.

There’s something liberating about that.

Harmeier has spent years writing songs about the people, places, heartbreak and highways that make Texas country what it is. On Living Proof, those stories remain, but the sonic walls around them have been knocked down a little.

The result is still Silverada – just Silverada with the windows down, the amps turned up and a whole lot more road between here and wherever they’re going next.
@meanwhile_in_music
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#NewMusic #CountryMusic #Austin #Texas #WhiteHorse

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𝐑𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠
Landfill Poetry
★
@rileydown
Release; Aug. 28, 2026
@ohboyrecords
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Full album in BiO!
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Riley Downing, the unmistakable raspy voice you know from The Deslondes.. he lands somewhere between velvet & corduroy. Warm, worn, comfortable and casual. On Landfill Poetry, his sophomore solo release, arriving Aug. 28th via John Prine’s Oh Boy! Records, Downing sounds exactly where he’s meant to be. It’s difficult to imagine a label better suited to both the man and his music.

Landfill Poetry strips things back a bit from his solo debut, Start It Over. Downing’s storytelling remains among the finest in Americana, and his voice continues to be one of the genre’s most distinctive instruments.

There is a humility woven throughout this record that extends well beyond the songwriting. As unpretentious as they come.. Downing embodies the kind of blue-collar authenticity that can’t be manufactured. He writes about ordinary lives with extraordinary compassion. His songs remind us that there is beauty tucked inside overlooked places & forgotten people – less is more & if you’re willing to slow down long enough to take it all in.

Downing explains, “A good handful of these songs & ideas I had kept in my bindle sack of a brain, or moved from one pile to another, but never burying them too far down to be lost forever. A true junk man or woman knows the feeling of never really wanting to throw anything away.”

That sentiment serves as the emotional backbone of Landfill Poetry. The songs are like salvaged treasures – dug up from a small box in a shed out back somewhere near Kansas City. Life’s passing moments, shelved ideas, & quiet observations given new life through Downing’s deeply human perspective.

The title track & first single off the new record, “Landfill Poetry,” sets the tone, while “Country Fool” is another standout. Truthfully, though, singling out highlights almost undersells the experience. This is an album best absorbed from beginning to end.. soak in it’s understated beauty.

In an era when so much music competes to be louder, bigger, or more immediate, Riley has leaned into subtle charm and picking on the porch.
@meanwhile_in_music

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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞 & 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐤𝐲 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞
“The Diamond Saloon“
★
@chaywey
Release; August 28, 2026
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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The Diamond Saloon is a cinematic trip that’s ready for the big screen – the new concept album from Chasen Wayne & The Honky Tonk Machine. Set in Van Horn, Texas, the story follows brothers Ricky and Rex, owners of a barely surviving bar in the West Texas desert. Rex is stuck keeping the doors open, dreaming of something more, while Ricky chases the thrill of easy money, with little understanding of the danger waiting on the other side.

But this record is more than just a story. The band absolutely rips.. & it’s a wild ride.

A mostly intact lineup for the last few years, backed by extensive touring, has made this a tight, creative machine. They’ve thoughtfully orchestrated a theatrical soundscape that charges from start to finish – layers that dip, bop, sway and drive, constantly pushing the envelope.

The result is something bigger than a collection of country songs: it’s a West Texas crime story told through honky-tonk, rock, funk and Americana, where the geography, desperation and atmosphere become characters of their own.

Featuring Chasen Wayne, Jamey Maness, Jared Standish, Alex Riegelman, Conner Church and Will Felty, with Jordan Hillman on piano and Denis O’Donnell as narrator, The Diamond Saloon feels like a record made for the stage – and one that deserves to be heard loud.

Record Release Party; August 29 at Sagebrush in South Austin.
@meanwhile_in_music
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#NewMusic #LiveMusic #Austin #TX

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𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐰𝐲𝐧
“Rattlin’ Bones“
★
@bronwynfiddle
Release; August 14, 2026
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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GRAMMY-winning artist, two-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year, and former Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway member Bronwyn Keith-Hynes is entering a new chapter with Rattlin’ Bones, her new album arriving tomorrow, August 14th.

Now simply known as Bronwyn, the album marks a new direction for an artist already recognized as one of roots music’s leading fiddle players.

The album grew from a desire to create songs she’d want to play live every night with her band. Drawing from her experiences on the road and her home in Nashville, the record explores individuality, adventure and love, with plenty of room for the improvisation that has long been part of her musical identity.

“I wanted to make a record that you’d want to turn up so loud, it’d rattle your bones,” Bronwyn says.

Co-produced by Bronwyn and Brent Truitt of The SteelDrivers, Rattlin’ Bones was recorded at Truitt’s Nashville studio and the Tractor Shed in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. The album features an all-star lineup of Music City players, including Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton, Frank Rische, Harry Clark, Dennis Crouch, Jeff Picker, Wes Corbett, Miles Miller and former Golden Highway bandmate Dominick Leslie.

Bronwyn’s touring band – Tristan Scroggins, Frank Evans and Larry Cook also join the sessions. The album includes a duet with Nashville underground country artist Timbo and harmonies from acclaimed songwriter Darrell Scott.

With Rattlin’ Bones, Bronwyn expands beyond the role of virtuoso fiddler and introduces a more complete picture of herself as an artist, songwriter and bandleader.
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#NewMusic #Bluegrass #songwriter #Nashville

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𝐀𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐬𝐣𝐚𝐧
“Get Over It, Underdog“
★
@aaronleetasjan
Release; July 17, 2026
@blueelan
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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Aaron Lee Tasjan has never been easy to pin down. Trying to predict what he’ll do next is like reaching into a box of chocolates while blindfolded – what delicious ear candy might he deliver next? The difference is that Tasjan himself refuses to be boxed in. One album you will find him delivering a collection of live folk performances, the next leaning into indie rock full of blazing guitar work, or an Americana-country anthem. Reinvention isn’t a gimmick or a phase for Tasjan; it’s simply who he is.. & his latest effort has a taste of each.

On Get Over It, Underdog he invites listeners to peer through the proverbial peephole into his world. What you’ll find is a wide emotional spectrum, from hope, love, and optimism to anxiety, peril, and everything in between. It’s a record filled with folk poetry, rock ‘n’ roll swagger, and plenty of tongue-in-cheek wit – all reflecting the complicated world we live in.

After the Grammy recognition and critical success of 2024’s Stellar Evolution, Tasjan found himself at a creative crossroads. Despite the accolades, the realities facing independent artists felt increasingly bleak. The underdog spirit that had long fueled him was beginning to feel less like swimming against the current and more like struggling to keep his head above water. It was longtime friend Todd Snider who helped provide the perspective needed to move forward.

Rather than offering easy answers or forced optimism, Get Over It, Underdog embraces life’s contradictions. Tasjan finds beauty in the mess, humor in hardship, and hope in the everyday struggles that connect us all. It’s thoughtful without being preachy, playful without losing its emotional weight, and another reminder that ALT remains one of Americana’s most unpredictable & rewarding songwriters.

If there’s a common thread running through Tasjan’s catalog, it’s authenticity. He follows the songs wherever they lead, unconcerned with genre labels or expectations. Get Over It, Underdog is another compelling chapter in that journey.
@meanwhile_in_music

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𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐑. 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫
“The Great Unknowing“
★
@jrmillerwv
Release; July 17, 2026
@rounderrecords
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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John R. Miller has outdone himself with The Great Unknowing, his latest release. The West Virginian is a true songwriter’s songwriter.. and Miller continues to establish himself as one of the most compelling artists today.. recently awarded the John Prine Fellowship for Songwriting.

Classic John R. Miller is on full display here – a master class in storytelling. Full of wry whit, journeys, questions, and the truths we all wrestle with along the way. The Great Unknowing is a record that requires some attention, filled with those perfectly placed one-liners and hidden gems that stop you in your tracks for a scratch of the head and force you to ponder.

Musically, the album is equally impressive. The band is locked in, creating a wide range of soundscapes that evolve naturally across all 16 tracks without ever feeling disjointed.

For The Great Unknowing, Miller intentionally stepped away from the familiar. “My goal was to get into a room with a bunch of people that I didn’t already have a rapport with and track the record live,” he shared – hoping to spark new creativity through a fresh environment.

That vision took him west to Tulsa’s newly reopened Church Studio, the legendary home of Leon Russell. There, he assembled a remarkable group of local musicians, including John Fullbright on keys and Muskrat Jones on pedal steel and dobro. Despite many not having a previous history with Miller’s music, the chemistry was immediate. The core album came together in just three days, leaving time to capture a few covers along the way.

At a whopping 16 tracks, The Great Unknowing is a commitment, but one that never feels like a chore. It’s the perfect companion for a dusty backroad drive, a quiet stretch of highway, or any moment where reflection takes the wheel.

John R. Miller didn’t just make another record. He created a place to wander.
@meanwhile_in_music

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𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐆𝐮𝐲 & 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐧
“soft hands, hard times“
Pop
★
@rlybigguy
Release; June 26, 2026
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Listen up! Full album in BiO!
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The all-new project, Big Guy & The Very Large Men, is the latest creative venture from songwriter James Droll. Best known for his work in the electronic and pop worlds, Droll has spent years writing songs performed by artists including Joy Oladokun and Noah Kahan.

With his seven-song EP, soft hands, hard times, Droll steps into deeply personal territory. The project explores the joy, vulnerability, heartbreak, and beautiful mess of embracing an authentic queer identity while growing up – and ultimately finding yourself.. in the cultural crossroads of the Bible Belt. Raised on a llama farm in Pleasantville, Ohio, Droll was immersed in a family deeply rooted in the evangelical church, an upbringing that echoes throughout these songs without ever defining them.

As compelling as the backstory is, the real magic lies in the music. While soft hands, hard times may be labeled as pop, it is Americana-adjacent at its core. The result is a collection of songs that blur genre lines with effortless confidence, pairing sharp storytelling, emotional imagery and a wit that’s as disarming as it is unforgettable.

Tender, clever, and emotionally resonant, soft hands, hard times looks fearlessly at the ghosts that shaped Droll’s past while embracing the hope, freedom, and uncertainty of the road ahead.
@meanwhile_in_music
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#NewMusic #Nashville #Ohio #Queer #pride

Color me grateful to live in a place and time, and in a city capable of delivering a Sunday afternoon as joyful as the one we were gifted today.

The always wonderful Melissa Carper tee’d things off, followed by the incomparable Jaime Wyatt. You can’t ask for a much better end to the weekend. Here they are covering an old Flatlanders’ tune.. Dallas.

All of it brought to you by one of Austin’s finest honky-tonks, Sagebrush.