This week’s summer selection is all warmth, groove and good company. Cookout soul, defiant pride anthems, sun-soaked situationship pop and sophisticated grooves, songs built for long evenings, open windows and the people you want around you. Press play and let it breathe.
Deptford Sound Collective – #KissMyArse The Queer Fight Back
“#KissMyArse The Queer Fight Back” is a superb, defiant pride anthem from our faves, the Deptford Sound Collective, satirical wit and a banging tune turning hate on its head
Deptford Sound Collective’s new single fights back with a grin and a great chorus. Written as a pointed satirical response to a wave of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, it flips the hate right back with humour, wit and it turns it all into a genuinely banging tune. It’s a bold statement of love over hate for a climate of fear and division. Best of all it channels the spirit of 1960s protest songs into something modern and communal, the kind of track built to gather a crowd rather than a following. There’s real heart under the cheek here, and honestly we’re right behind it. Defiant, joyful and proudly on the right side.
Deptford Sound Collective are one of our fave acts in London right now; a diverse musicians, artists and community activists from Deptford in South East London. Their whole ethos is rooted in global solidarity and standing up for those facing challenges to their civil liberties. Designed to organise and uplift, there’s a clear link back to the protest traditions they so openly admire. This one is a clear distillation of that mission, a band treating music as a tool for empathy and resistance. A great single.
Levon Calloway – Home
“Home” is a brilliant, sophisticated slice of art-pop from Levon Calloway, syncopated grooves and surprising changes recalling the golden age of 70s craft.
Levon Calloway’s new single is a real songwriter’s song. “Home” started life as a syncopated keyboard groove and grew into something genuinely sophisticated. It’s got a whole bunch of surprising breaks and changes that keep you leaning in. Calloway sums it up himself as David Byrne meets Donald Fagen meets Levon Calloway. And that’s the vibe exactly, percussive art-pop flair married to Steely Dan-grade groove and polish. And with that list of references, the sound world has to be great, and thankfully it doesn’t disappoint. Inspired by an Anthony Bourdain episode on Detroit’s creative resilience, it carries real warmth under all that craft. Clever, groovy and unlike much else out there right now. A cracking single.
Levon Calloway is a Los Angeles songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist whose work defies easy categorisation, handling lead vocals, guitars and keyboards himself. For “Home” he assembled a seriously impressive cast: the legendary Fernando Saunders (Lou Reed, Eric Clapton) contributing fretless bass remotely from Prague, drummer Ricardo “Tiki” Pasillas, multi-instrumentalist Matt DeMerritt on flute and saxes, and Leeann Skoda on backing vocals. It’s music that recalls the golden era of 70s sophistication while keeping a distinctly modern edge, and it marks the start of an exciting new chapter. We really love it, and hope there’s more coming from Calloway.
Dios Mac – On And On (Live On Lenox Theme)
Dios Mac serves up an excellent, warm-hearted pop celebration, capturing the joy of a Harlem cookout and everyone it brings together.
Dios Mac’s new single bottles a whole summer afternoon. “On And On” captures the spirit of a New York cookout, neighbours gathering, families reconnecting, kids playing and music filling the air. It captures that vibe perfectly, turning everyday magic into a warm, feel-good pop celebration. There’s a real generosity to it, a song built around the simple but powerful idea that life’s best moments happen when people come together. It’s easy, communal and genuinely uplifting, the kind of track that makes you want to call everyone you love round. Sunny, big-hearted and impossible not to smile at. Lovely stuff.
Dios Mac is an independent artist and creative visionary redefining what it means to release music, building immersive experiences that connect people through art, culture and community rather than treating songs as standalone moments. He’s carving out his own definition of what it means to be a Harlem artist, through both his sound and his social approach. That community-first spirit runs right through this release, and it’s clearly the work of someone who sees music as something shared. We’re on board, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for Mr Mac.
Josh St. Clair – TITAN
Josh St. Clair explodes with “TITAN”, a stunning 80s-pop bop, all story-driven queer songwriting with an irresistible bassline.
Josh St. Clair’s new single is cheeky, catchy and a lot of fun. “TITAN” takes a wry, unserious look at queer hook-up culture, leaning right into story-driven lyrics with a knowing wink, and pairs them with bright, 80s-inspired pop production. There’s a filthy electric bassline running through it that recalls MJ’s Bad era, and the whole thing struts with real confidence. Whatever your take on the subject, the track absolutely sells the idea that good chemistry is undeniable, and in a summer heatwave it goes down like a tall glass of water. Playful, sharp and thoroughly infectious. A great summer 2026 tune.
Josh St. Clair is a queer singer-songwriter from a small village outside Cambridge who released his debut EP PROJECT H in May 2025. This year he’s back tackling modern queer dating, situationships and heartbreak, with a real sense of theatricality that stems from his successful career in commercial theatre in London’s West End. His last single “I REALLY WANT YOU BUT…” is his most streamed track to date, and this one looks set to build on that momentum. A distinctive, confident voice, that you heard here first. It’s loads of fun.
Nashville Exile – Sing Our Song
Nashville Exile’s “Sing Our Song” is a gorgeous slice of heartfelt UK Americana, warm harmonies, standout melodies and a dreamy sound world
Nashville Exile’s new single has one of the loveliest backstories we’ve had in a while. “Sing Our Song” began as a custom wedding song. Written for a florist friend the band affectionately call Flower Girl, whose favourite song happens to be The Weight by The Band. And that shared taste bleeds beautifully into the track. It’s warm, rootsy Americana with rich harmonies and an unhurried, lived-in feel, and although it was written with someone else’s love story in mind, there are clearly threads of the band’s own woven through. The vocal and guitar work is genuinely fantastic in this, and it should be all over the radio. Heartfelt, timeless and genuinely charming.
Nashville Exile are a UK band built on years of collaboration and shared musical heritage, centred on singer-songwriter Matthew Crozer, once guitarist in Universal-signed UnAmerican, who shared stages with The Who and Neil Young. He reunited with his cousin Cat, a trained vocalist, and collaborator Amu Dennett to form the songwriting core, later joined by Rick Kent and Mark Smithurst. The name nods to Todd Snider and the Stones’ Exile on Main Street, and their sound draws on Dylan, Neil Young, John Prine and CCR. This sits on their debut album Hand Drawn, which we’ll be eagerly listening to this weekend. Essential listening this summer.