FIFTY3FRIDAYS: KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

Getting on for 12 years ago, I had the pleasure of attending a showcase for four disparate acts from the Bella Union stable at the acoustically blessed sanctum of London’s Union Chapel. Memories of that evening came to mind when I read about the independent label’s latest signing. The common link is family; the artists that evening were fulsome in their appreciation of Bella Union and each time the record label was name-checked there was warm audience applause too.

It felt like we, bands, audience and label staff were all part of a big family: diverse yet loving, supportive and ever grateful. So, when I read that Family Stereo had signed to Bella Union, it seemed like a natural coming together.

Photo of Family Stereo by Brennan Buccanan

I first became acquainted with the music of London-based singer/songwriter Blake Watt, who works under the aegis of Family Stereo when he supported Kate Walsh at her comeback show in November 2025. Accompanied by two band mates, Blake impressed with a short set of stripped-back songs befitting the austere beauty of the evening’s venue, the church of St Matthias in Stoke Newington. It was little surprise that he has now found a recording home in Simon Raymonde’s Bella Union. The label announced the signing of Family Stereo with a debut album The Thread due for release on 31 July.

To preview the album, a first single “Fault Lines” is out now. The song was co-written by Blake with producer Sam Hodder-Williams, who he credits with a great deal of care and attention in realising the sound of this record. The song’s roots are in a long-distance relationship, with open-ended lyrics and imagery trying to get a grip on feelings; the play on the titular fault lines is subtly open-ended. The drum beat is surprisingly insistent for what is essentially a gentle song, easing off a little in the mid-section of the song but offering contrast and a backcloth along with a guitar motif over which Blake’s soft, high register voice drifts and glides, teasing out the words to create a feeling of distance and space. A lovingly crafted song.

Photo of Park Hills Circle by Maren Celest

Always up for an intriguing moniker, let’s move on now to embrace Park Hills Circle, the moniker of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Maris O'Tierney. As yet I haven’t managed to unpick the derivation of her chosen alias but the name seems apt for the sense of space and movement in her music. With Alaskan-Irish heritage and background as a classical guitarist and soprano, previous collaboration with her twin sister, violinist and poet Bryce, in the duo Maeve & Quinn, the now Chicago-based solo artist brings a rich diversity to her music. Her debut album, All of a Sudden, is out on 10 July, heralded by the imaginative lead single "Spring is Here."

This bucolic song encapsulates the regeneration that comes with the season change from winter to spring. It heralds closing a chapter on a relationship without holding back on the heartache and moving gracefully to a place of self-acceptance and contentment, summed up by the line "Now I am here, drinking full the hours of my own company." There is a lovely, airy quality to Maris’ voice, textured and nuanced with layered harmonies as it hovers and darts over instrumentation which builds softly to add colour. “Spring is Here” works through a dark time with a unique lightness of touch.  

From Chicago to London, UK next where we meet Maisie Bea. The young singer-songwriter hails from Brighton but moved to London in September to study music marketing at ICMP and be closer to the capital’s music scene. Maisie describes her sound as “a haunting blend of 60s cinema blended with 90s grit.” She draws inspiration from the “chaos of young love and the quiet grief of childhood and creates an ambient world of red velvet and street lights.” The eloquence in that description augers well for her future both as a songwriter and performer.

“End of the World” describes moving from childhood into adulthood in imagery that unfolds in a stream of consciousness, the chorus acting as an intimate conversation between friends. Personal struggles and thoughts of being between-age are revisited and exemplified. Episodic in structure, the song is highlighted by strident guitar tempered by changes that put me in mind of Pink Floyd and of course by Maisie’s striking vocal range which shifts from conversational to high pitched to soulful intensity. This is a really engaging song; the kind you return to and get more and more from. You can find it on Spotify here too.

Photo of Pyncher by Gabbi Goldman

Now to Manchester where we find youthful four-piece, Pyncher. The band has just signed to local indie label Heist or Hit, home of Glastonbury Emerging Talent 2025 winners Westside Cowboy among other rising talents. Led by front man and lead vocalist Sam Blakeley and comprising guitarist Harvey O'Toole, Brittany Dewhurst on bass and Jack Rainbow on drums, Pyncher has built a strong reputation as a live act and recently played at the BBC 6 Music Festival in Manchester. Laudably Sam’s band mates all contribute backing vocals with Brittany taking the main ones.

“One Day” is a song that smacks you between the ears from the opening bars in the best indie pop-rock fashion. It’s about the inevitability of two people going their own way and mixes longing with acceptance of change, all delivered with laconic vocals amid a rush of overdriven guitar underpinned by an urgent rhythm section. There is time for some nice light and shade to come in which adds to the overall anthemic feel. What’s more it is one of those indelible tunes that will I’m sure stay the course and be sung back by future festival crowds.

Photo of Tarragon by Adele Mary Reed

From Manchester finally, down the M6. We close on a gentler, indeed herbal, note with Tarragon, the alter ego of Callum Pickard, an independent singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Coventry. Though self-funded, he has notched up some notable collaborations with musicians from major bands, The War on Drugs, The 1975 and Tame Impala. Tarragon is due to drop his second album titled Home At Cofa's on 1 May and the new single “Blueprint” provides a particularly tasty appetiser.

“Blueprint” is a simply magical love song, tracing the early stages of a blossoming love where everything is a delight and the object of desire is all-consuming. Gently propelled by picked guitar and gleaming electronics, and underpinned by hushed percussion courtesy of Tame Impala drummer Julien Barbagallo, Callum’s vocal inflections put me in mind at times of Will Stratton and Justin Vernon. His gently impassioned delivery is delightful throughout. I am looking forward to hearing more when the album comes out in May.