🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #DriveTime

Deep Sea Diver:
🎵 Shattering the Hourglass

#DeepSeaDiver

https://thedeepseadiver.bandcamp.com/track/shattering-the-hourglass

https://open.spotify.com/track/3j8Zk7yV1NqOFZl0H4J0Yh

Today’s top female lead singers of rock! 2026 Update

The list below identifies the reigning female lead singers of today’s rock music scene. Please note that it does not include singers who perform under their given name like Taylor Swift or Phoebe Bridgers. In Phoebe’s case, she does qualify for the list under Better Oblivion Community Center and boygenius.

However, in some instances, the band name listed is the same as the singer’s stage name, such as Blondshell and Girlhouse. As more outstanding female musical artists are discovered, they will added to the list. Peace and rock on!

Iona Lynch – Cliffords (Ireland)

Julie Dawson – NewDad (Ireland) – added 12/2/25

Ellie Rowsell – Wolf Alice (England)

Jessica Dobson – Deep Sea Diver

Hayley Williams – Paramore

Sabrina Mae Teitelbaum – Blondshell

Lily Aron – Florence Road (Ireland)

Ritzy Bryan – The Joy Formidable (Wales)

Sharon Van Etten – Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten – Momma

Florence Welch – Florence & The Machine (Ireland)

Annie Clark – St. Vincent

Phoebe Bridgers – Better Oblivion Community Center and boygenius

Jane Fitzsimmons – Twen – added 4/4/26

Shirley Manson – Garbage (England and USA)

Rebecca Lovell – Larkin Poe

Jordan Miller – The Beaches (Canada) – added 4/4/26

Venus O’Broin – Swapmeet (Australia) – added 4/4/26

Maisie Everett – Belair Lip Bombs (Australia) – added 4/4/26

Emily Haines – Metric and Broken Social Scene (Canada)

Lauren Luiz – Girlhouse

Leah Fay Goldstein – July Talk (Canada)

Karen Orzolek – Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs

Diana Suteu – The Palais (England)

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #DriveTime

Deep Sea Diver:
🎵 Shovel

#DeepSeaDiver

https://thedeepseadiver.bandcamp.com/track/shovel

https://open.spotify.com/track/1W8DLum7yPDyIS3TYjWIGO

Best songs from previous years first heard in 2025

Listed below are my favorite 15 songs released in previous years, that were first heard in 2025. Peace and enjoy!

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2. “Angel” – NewDad

3. “Midwest” – Vacations

4. “Medicine” – Momma

5. “Nosebleed” – NewDad

6. “Slow Motion” – Vacations

7. “Banshee” – NewDad

8. “Sleeping With Ghosts” – Cliffords

9. “Speeding ’72” – Momma

10. “All Too Well” – Taylor Swift

11. “Second Skin” – Cliffords

12. “Wide Awake” – Deep Sea Diver

13. “Seventeen” – Sharon Van Etten

14. “Under My Skin” – NewDad

15. “25” – The Pretty Reckless – This should have been a James Bond movie theme song!

#Cliffords #DeepSeaDiver #Momma #music #NewDad #SharonVanEtten #songs #TaylorSwift #ThePrettyReckless #tracks #tunes #vacations

Tuesday Tunes: The 25 best songs of 2025

Listed below are my 25 favorite songs of 2025. Hope you get a chance to listen and enjoy them. Nine (9) of the 25 songs are by bands from Ireland and 20 of the 25 songs are by women or bands with female lead singers.

*Three songs from the list below are tremendous in their advocacy. “True Believer” raises important questions about racism and religious hypocrisy, particularly in the American South, “Lesbian of the Year” celebrates one’s ability to truly be themselves, and “Love of Country” is a remarkable track that decries nationalism across the globe. All three songs remind us of how important music is in championing causes that promote peace, love, and understanding among all residents of the Earth.

Peace!

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Cliffords from their video shoot for the song “Marsh”

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In conjunction with release of the song “Love of Country,” by the band The Murder Capital, from Dublin, Ireland they released the following statement:

“‘Love Of Country’ is a song about the dark side of patriotism and nationalism, and what they become when they are warped and weaponised. Across the world, we are seeing hatred of ‘other’ spreading like a disease. No claiming of land today is more barbaric than the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.

In the face of, and beyond such clear acts of evil, it is more vital than ever to cherish the richness of our diverse communities and the power of human connection. We must stand firm against the rise of nationalist ideologies and speak up for those whose worlds are being torn apart by hatred and violence.

We are, and always will be made stronger by our compassion.”

The band also noted they are donating all funds from sale of a special 7 inch edition of the single (which has sold out) and digital downloads on bandcamp.com to the organization Medical Aid for Palestinians.

The ten BEST new albums released in 2025

It’s that time of the year again — time for posting our favorites in music, film, TV, etc. The year 2025 has been one filled will great music, especially from Ireland. Of my top ten albums released in 2025, three of them are from the Emerald Isle, including numero uno. The United Kingdom is represented by Wolf Alice and YUNGBLUD, while the United States is represented by Hayley Williams (lead singer of Paramore), Momma, Deep Sea Diver, and El Paso’s very own Late Night Drive Home.

This year was the first time that Wolf Alice has released a full-length album that did not get listed as number one by me. There are several songs I love from The Clearing, but the overall album did not resonate with me like past ones have. Meanwhile, Altar, the second full-length album by NewDad is utterly fantastic from beginning to end with excellent tracks and splendid lyrics. Another surprise is the lack any bands from Canada in the top ten given how well The Beaches and Valley did last year and Metric has done in the past.

Here’s my list – hope you get a chance to listen to them, especially Altar by NewDad. Peace!

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2. Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party – Hayley Williams

3. Welcome to My Blue Sky – Momma

4.As I Watch My Life Online – Late Night Drive Home

5. The Clearing – Wolf Alice

6. Billboard Heart – Deep Sea Diver

7. Idols – YUNGBLUD

8. Salt of the Lee EP – Cliffords

9. Fall Back EP – Florence Road

10. Fate Euphoric  – Twen – added on 4/6/26

Favorite new album cover art of 2025

A new category for this year is favorite album cover art. Figured since there will be a grammy for this, this blog’s two cents worth should be thrown into the mix. So here are my favorites from 2025. Hope you enjoy these images. So often, like music itself, album art is a personal choice in style and focus. Peace and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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All Washed Up by Cheap Trick:

Who cares if they’ve been around for a half-century, this whimsical album cover says it all both in its title and the hilarious image. Each of the four washing machines is personalized to epitomize each the four (4) band members from guitarist and lyricist Rick Nielsen’s checker-flagged fashions to a soapy “Z” for lead singer Robin Zander in the second machine onward. Hey, and the new music is pretty damn good too. Well done!

As I Watch My Life Online by Late Night Drive Home:

In our dystopianesque world of digital addictions or constant doom-scrolling, texting, and video posting, this album cover says it all…as do the tracks on the album. When you get to the point when you are scrolling online in the shower…something’s truly amiss.

Fall Back EP by Florence Road:

Love the surreal and hypnotic feel of this cover art. It is memorizing without being dark or sinister — just the four band members crossing the Irish countryside with an abstract background image mixing shades of sky, clouds, and fog in a unique and comforting pattern.

Billboard Heart by Deep Sea Diver:

A shimmering wall of red filaments floating effortlessly above a coastline against a blue sky horizon. Like a billboard, the filaments would be hard to miss and the red links it to our hearts.

Salt of the Lee EP by Cliffords:

For a band coming from the seacoast city of Cork, Ireland, this image of a seafarers’ weather vane is a perfect reflection of home and the essence of this historic city.

Altar by NewDad:

The gothic-style house on the cover was built during the recording of the band’s Safe EP from early 2025 and continued/completed construction during the creation of the Altar album and the videos for each song. Given the Altar album includes several songs reflecting the band’s homesickness after moving from Galway, Ireland to London, the cover may also reflect an image of their home town.

Welcome To My Blue Sky by Momma:

A cover that reflects the linkages between the two female founders of the band and their importance to one another. Simple, yet still symbolic.

#albumArt #albumCovers #albums #art #cds #cheapTrick #cliffords #deepSeaDiver #design #eps #florenceRoad #fun #ireland #lateNightDriveHome #momma #music #newdad #reviews #style