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For nearly two decades, American Aquarium have pushed toward that rare form of rock-and-roll that’s revelatory in every sense. “For us the sweet spot is when you’ve got a rock band that makes you scream along to every word, and it’s not until you’re coming down at three a.m. that you realize those words are saying something real about your life,” says frontman BJ Barham. “That’s what made us fall in love with music in the first place, and that’s the goal in everything we do.” On their new album The Fear of Standing Still, the North Carolina-bred band embody that dynamic with more intensity than ever before, endlessly matching their gritty breed of country-rock with Barham’s bravest and most incisive songwriting to date. As he reflects on matters both personal and sociocultural—e.g., the complexity of Southern identity, the intersection of generational trauma and the dismantling of reproductive rights—American Aquarium instill every moment of The Fear of Standing Still with equal parts unbridled spirit and illuminating empathy.

Recorded live at the legendary Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, The Fear of Standing Still marks American Aquarium’s second outing with producer Shooter Jennings—a three-time Grammy winner who also helmed production on 2020’s critically lauded Lamentations, as well as albums from the likes of Brandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker. In a departure from the stripped-down subtlety of 2022’s Chicamacomico (a largely acoustic rumination on grief), the band’s tenth studio LP piles on plenty of explosive riffs and hard-charging rhythms, bringing a visceral energy to the most nuanced and poetic of lyrics. “In our live show the band’s like a freight train that never lets up, and for this record I really wanted to showcase how big and anthemic we can be,” notes Barham, whose bandmates include guitarist Shane Boeker, pedal-steel guitarist Neil Jones, keyboardist Rhett Huffman, drummer Ryan Van Fleet, and bassist Alden Hedges.

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The search for answers—where she’s been, who she’s become, what it all means—lies at the heart of Hiatt’s striking new album, Forever. Written and recorded in Hiatt’s new home just outside Nashville, the collection grapples with growth and change, escape and anxiety, self-loathing and self-love. The songs are intensely vulnerable here, full of diaristic snapshots and deeply personal ruminations, but they’re also broad invitations to find yourself in Hiatt’s unflinching emotional excavations, to see your own humanity reflected back in her pursuit of something larger than herself. Hiatt cut the album with her husband, Coley Hinson, who produced and played most of the instruments on the record, and the result is a raw, unvarnished work of love and trust that walks the line between alt-rock muscle and singer/songwriter sensitivity, a bold, guitar-driven, at times psychedelic exploration of maturity and adulthood from an artist who wants you to know you’re not alone, no matter how lost you may feel.

“I think of this album like a hand to hold,” says Hiatt. “I wanted to open up the door and let people in on what I’ve been going through, but I also hoped that by telling the truth about the joy and pain and love and grief I’ve experienced, it might strike a chord with somebody else navigating their way through all those things, too.”

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Tennessee, Hiatt first earned buzz with a pair of early solo records before breaking out with 2017’s Trinity Lane. Produced by Shovels & Rope’s Michael Trent, the record helped Hiatt earn dates with the likes of John Prine, Margo Price, Drive-By Truckers, and Hiss Golden Messenger in addition to festival slots everywhere from Pilgrimage to Luck Reunion. NPR called the album “courageous and affecting,” while The Independent raved that it showcased Hiatt’s “gift for unpicking knotty lyrical themes in a personalised blend of countrified rock music,” and Rolling Stone hailed it as “the most cohesive and declarative statement of the young songwriter’s career.” Hiatt delivered on the album’s promise with her similarly well-received 2020 follow-up, Walking Proof, and, unable to tour due to the pandemic, quickly returned to the studio again for 2021’s Lately, which The Boston Herald said showcased her “knack for plainspoken, poetic lyrics” and Uncut proclaimed to be “captivating.”

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Each year, thousands of people flock to the city of Nashville with hopes of “making it”. Ironically, it wasn’t until Zach Russell made the decision to leave Music City, USA that he inked his first record deal with Thirty Tigers. The drive back home may have only been three hours long, but Russell’s journey back to old haunts in Eastern Tennessee isn’t quite that cut and dry.

In the 7 years preceding that trip down I-40, there were stints as a manager at a shoe store and a karaoke host. He calloused his hands installing irrigation systems and working as a carpenter. He traveled the US and Europe as Tyler Childers’ merchandise manager and got to witness firsthand what it takes to chase down greatness. Through it all, one thing that remained constant was his belief that he could chase it down as well.

Music has always played a pivotal role in Russell’s life. A background in Baptist and Hymnal music as a youth and a taste for hip-hop, rock, and country music informed his musical style between 2016 and 2020 as he found his footing. In 2021 the world received its proper introduction to Zach Russell as a fully formed artist with the release The Creek. This five-song EP proved not only to be a landmark release in Russell’s career, but with its lyrical depth, soaring instrumental jams and infectious melodies, it served as proof that this landmark was merely the first of many to come.

Since moving home and finding clarity, the past 18 months have been busy for Russell. He spent those months writing music, touring with The Alex Leach Band, and delivering a guest appearance on Adeem the Artist critically acclaimed album, White Trash Revelry. That wave of momentum has culminated to this moment, and the release of his highly anticipated full-length debut, Where the Flowers Meet the Dew.

Once again joining forces with up-and-coming producer Kyle Crownover (Adeem the Artist), this ten-song effort never takes its foot off the gas pedal. Dominant themes of wrestling with mortality, pondering reincarnation, and finding that ever elusive feeling of contentment in this life weave gracefully through.