This week’s instalment of What’s Going On serves up a little bit of everything, from big guitar rock to Northern Soul grooves. Consider this your weekly cheat sheet for what’s fresh, what’s exciting, and what deserves a spot in your rotation. As always, if you dig what you hear, be sure to follow and stream these artists.
Greta Van Fleet – Just when you thought it was safe, the bad boys from Frankenmuth, Michigan are back. Yes! We’ve got a new rock ballad from Greta Van Fleet. The eternally polarizing band just dropped “Saw You Stand,” a soaring new rock power ballad that finds the GRAMMY-winning quartet at their most heartfelt and cinematic. The track follows “Play Your Games” as the latest taste of their forthcoming album PALACE FOR THE PEOPLE, due out October 9. Big feelings, bigger classic rock guitars and that unmistakable Greta Van Fleet grandeur? Prepare for rock purists to be pissed. I just think they’re cute!
Listen to Greta Van Fleet’s new single “Saw You Stand” below.
Oskar Haag – Multitalented Austrian performer Oskar Haag is ready to make his North American introduction with Lost Cause, his ambitious new album arriving September 25 via Lullaby Records. The 20-year-old musician, actor and dancer (he’s a modern-day Renaissance man) has already become a national sensation in his home country. He’s hoping to get a foothold in North America with the album’s emotionally charged title track, which also serves as his latest single. If you like that, definitely check out the compelling songwriter’s previous singles “Surf Song” and “Drop Out.”
Listen to Oskar Haag’s new single “Lost Cause” below.
Valley – Canadian pop-rock stalwarts Valley are back with “someday,” a wistful new single that finds beauty in the messy business of actually living. Following “Vending Machine,” the JUNO-nominated trio reflect on our habit of saving the good stuff for some imaginary perfect moment, only to realize time keeps moving anyway. It’s a lovely little reminder to stop waiting for life to begin. We could all use that.
Listen to Valley’s new single “someday” below.
Brooke Combe – With Raye and Olivia Dean dominating the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, get ready for Brooke Combe. The rising UK star is out now with “Love Was Made Of Stone,” a soulful, retro dancefloor-ready new single that flips toxic romance into something undeniably catchy. Recorded with The Coral’s James Skelly in Liverpool, the track finds the singer reckoning with being in a relationship built on manipulation and coming out on top on the other side. With festival dates across the UK and Europe this summer and a slot opening for Jalen Ngonda in North America this fall, Combe needs to be on your radar.
Listen to Brooke Combe’s new single “Love Was Made Of Stone” below.
Tyler Lyle – Tyler Lyle is stepping back into the spotlight with “Pondicherry,” his first solo music since 2019 and the first taste of his forthcoming album. The Atlanta singer-songwriter and co-founder of synth-pop duo The Midnight trades synthwave for bright folk textures and big pop-rock production, turning life’s messy transitions into something hopeful and deeply human. The slick synthwave darkness is replaced by easy breezy nostalgia. We’re intrigued.
Listen to Tyler Lyle’s new single “Pondicherry” below.
