On This Track: Weekend Listening #16
Five new releases between indie rock, chamber pop, folk and neo-soul.
Five artists, five new releases and quite a few stories behind them. ANN KING finally shares an album four years in the making, Palehound return with a song about a friendship that has drifted apart, and Kate Voegele brings together music from different chapters of her career. Gregory Douglass has new songs to share after a long break from recording, while Merce presents the next step in a musical journey that began back in the early days of neo-soul. Here’s what we’ve been listening to this weekend.
ANN KING - “At This Moment In Time”
ANN KING set out to make an EP. Four years later, she has a debut album. "At This Moment In Time" came together mostly in her bedroom studio, where she also took care of much of the production. The songs are built around her own stories, with harmonies and strings adding to the arrangements. KING has described the album as putting her diary to music. “The Orchard” is one of the songs that took the longest to finish. It started after a trip to Switzerland, when KING came up with the line: “The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, but the orchard ends with me.” She returned to the song over the following years, working on the lyrics in places including the garden of Emily Dickinson’s former home in Amherst, Massachusetts. The subject is close to home: breaking family patterns rather than passing them on. There is a story behind the cover image as well. At 17, KING stood at a particular spot in San Francisco and imagined herself releasing an album one day. The photograph was taken there, years later.
🎧 Stream “At This Moment In Time” by ANN KING on Apple Music
Palehound - “Natural Disasters”
Palehound’s El Kempner has a new single out and the story behind it is a rather personal one. “Natural Disasters” is about a friendship that has fallen apart, at a time when the world already feels like a difficult place to navigate. Kempner puts it into one line: “My basement is flooding, and your house is burning, and we’re not talking.” There is something quite sad about that image. Both people are dealing with their own troubles, but somehow the friendship has got lost along the way. The video was directed by Rachel Brown of Water From Your Eyes, who has been a fan of Palehound since the first album. She wanted to capture the memories of a friendship and the good moments that remain, even when someone is no longer part of your life. The shoot almost didn’t go according to plan: a nor’easter was in the forecast, but they decided to go ahead despite the weather warnings. As it turned out, the weather was fine for most of the day. The single is taken from Palehound’s fifth album, "You Sing Like You’re Joking", due out on 5 February 2027 via Polyvinyl Record Co. Kempner co-produced the album with Julian Fader of Ava Luna and Katie Von Schleicher of Frankie Cosmos. Nick Hakim also contributed to the record.
🎧 Stream “Natural Disasters” by Palehound on Apple Music
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Kate Voegele - “Age of Alchemy”
Kate Voegele has spent quite a few years looking back at her time on "One Tree Hill". This year alone, she played 83 shows celebrating the music from the series. Now there is new music to add to the story. Her album "Age of Alchemy" has ten tracks, all written by Voegele, and takes her back towards the pop-rock sound of her earlier records. The title comes with an idea that runs through the whole record. Voegele talks about learning to work with whatever life throws at her: difficult experiences can turn into songs, and sometimes a detour takes you somewhere you hadn’t planned to go. She describes the album as a love letter to her past and a picture of where she is now. That also explains the idea behind her Then & Now Tour, where songs from "One Tree Hill" sit alongside older favorites and the new material. She will bring the tour to Germany in March 2027, with dates in Cologne and Munich.
🎧 Stream “Age of Alchemy” by Kate Voegele on Apple Music
Gregory Douglass - “AMATEUR”
Gregory Douglass has spent 25 years making music on his own terms. He has released ten albums independently, toured extensively and played house concerts, building an audience without relying on the usual music industry machinery. There have been some notable moments along the way, including a song in the Netflix series "The Rain" and tours with artists such as Regina Spektor, Jason Mraz and Patty Griffin. But after years of releasing music at a steady pace, Douglass stepped back. "AMATEUR" is his first major collection of original songs in almost a decade. The album is built around piano, voice, strings and bass. Douglass writes about queer identity, open relationships, heartbreak and the rather complicated business of finding yourself again as an adult. Much of it comes from his life in Palm Springs, where new experiences made him question ideas about love and relationships that he had held on to for years. He has called this his most vulnerable record so far. One of the songs is a cover of Tori Amos’ “Tear in Your Hand”, an artist he credits with having a lasting influence on his own songwriting. "AMATEUR" is due in November 2026, with “The Dream” among the tracks to listen out for.
🎧 Stream “AMATEUR” by Gregory Douglass on Apple Music
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MERCE – “In Time, On Time”
MERCE has quite a history behind her. She was a founding member of The Jazzyfatnastees, who worked with The Roots and later collaborated with Stevie Wonder, De La Soul and Meshell Ndegeocello. Alongside the group, she also helped create Black Lily, a live music series for women artists. What began in Philadelphia eventually reached France and Japan, with performers such as Jill Scott, Amy Winehouse and Jean Grae taking part. Her first solo project, ALIVE, is a much more personal undertaking. Merce wrote the album following the death of her partner Richard Nichols, with whom she had also worked musically for many years. During this time, she was raising their son and finding her way through a very different life. “In Time, On Time” is the second single from the album. It was also the first song she made with co-producer Kush Oxford. MERCE says the lyrics and melody came together quickly, and they built the track from there. The song brings together neo-soul, alternative R&B, pop and electronic elements. In her own words, it is about staying present, having faith and trusting that things will happen in their own time.
🎧 Stream “In Time, On Time” by MERCE on Apple Music
There is always more music out there than we can possibly keep up with. Some releases come from artists who have been doing this for decades, others from musicians putting out their very first album. That’s part of what makes independent music so interesting. You never quite know who or what you’ll come across next. We’ll keep looking, listening and sharing our finds here on INDIENOXZINE.
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