Around the Tubes: January 31, 2026

 

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on Paradise, Noah Kahan, Jessie Ware, Erykah Badu, Pretty in Pink, Becca Hannah, and Nikki Glaser.

- Check out the all-new trailer for Hulu’s hit drama series “Paradise.”  The second season of the Emmy® Award-nominated series premieres Monday, February 23rd with three episodes, followed by new episodes weekly on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

2x GRAMMY®-nominated, multi-platinum superstar Noah Kahan releases his long-awaited new single, “The Great Divide”—listen HERE. The song serves as the title track and first offering from Kahan’s much-anticipated fourth studio album, The Great Divide, due April 24th via Mercury Records.  As Kahan reflects on the momentous past few years of his life and processes his rapid ascent from his Vermont roots to global acclaim, he shares, “The last five years have been the single most challenging, complicatedly beautiful, and life-altering of my career. I was somewhere I understood, and suddenly I was somewhere completely foreign. I was living in the opportunity I always wanted but felt disoriented and unsure of whether I deserved it. Writing for this album was a balancing act of trying to go back in time and move forward in the same moment. Songwriting has always been the way I reflect on my life, and I hope these songs show you a glimpse of what this journey has looked like.”  ISTEN TO “THE GREAT DIVIDE” HERE  PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE THE GREAT DIVIDE ALBUM HERE  WATCH ALBUM TRAILER HERE

- Jessie Ware returns with her new album ‘Superbloom’ – the crescendo of her latest era – out 10th April via Island EMI Records. Pre-order the album HERE.  'Superbloom’ erupts into a glittering rush of Studio 54-inflected groove-pop. Expanding Ware’s increasingly euphoric body of work as she explores our shared craving for touch, pleasure, intimacy and connection.

- Five-time GRAMMY® Award-winning neo-soul trailblazer Erykah Badu commemorates the 25^th anniversary of her influential sophomore album, Mama’s Gun, with the release of new limited-edition Vinyl options out now. The 2LP UMe Ecomm variant is pressed on Gold Black Ice Vinyl and features a newly redesigned gatefold jacket, alternate cover, and special lithograph. Order HERE.  Finally, the Vinylphyle edition of Mama’s Gun features this album’s first ever hi-res remaster since its original CD release, sourced from the original production tapes. The 2LP, which features new liner notes personally penned by Badu, was cut by Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound Nashville and pressed at RTI on 180g Black Vinyl. The Vinylphyle edition dropped yesterday, and is available HERE.

- UMe celebrates the 40th anniversary of Pretty in Pink, the beloved 1986 film from Writer/Executive Producer John Hughes, with a limited-edition reissue of its iconic soundtrack, available March 13. As essential as the film itself, the music captures the story’s emotional truth—freezing moments in time with the vivid clarity of memories that linger for decades. Film soundtracks hold a rare power to shape identity, influencing who we are, where we belong, and the social experiences that define youth. Few filmmakers understood the coming-of-age experience quite like John Hughes, and Pretty in Pink stands as one of his most enduring cultural touchstones.  Anchored by era-defining songs including The Psychedelic Furs’ Top 5 title track “Pretty in Pink,” OMD’s iconic “If You Leave,” The Smiths’ “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want,” and Echo & The Bunnymen’s sweeping anthem “Bring on the Dancing Horses,” and INXS fan-favorite deep-cut, “Do Wot You Do,” the Pretty in Pink soundtrack became a defining voice of its time—shaping mood, identity, and belonging in ways few films ever achieve. More than four decades after its theatrical release, Pretty in Pink continues to resonate across generations, its music and themes echoing with each new audience navigating the universal challenges of growing up.  Preorder the 40^th Anniversary editions of Pretty in Pink HERE.

- LA via Boston soulful/R&B singer-songwriter Becca Hannah shares her soft, silky debut album Tonight In My Dreams out now. Alongside the album, Hannah shares "Miriam," a touching, personal ode to her impactful childhood therapist. Tracked with a live band, the record ponders connection, love and loss through glossy vocals, heartfelt lyricism and swirling, enchanting instrumentation.    Born from real life experiences, the smooth ten track project touches on lust, love, growth, fear, loss, and longing with soulful vocals and layers of jazz and R&B as Hannah pulls from female powerhouses like Amy Winehouse, Corrine Bailey Rae and Erykah Badu. Hannah hopes the music connects to listeners in whichever ways they find meaningful. Creating her own sense of community through music, Hannah says, "We all love, we all suffer, and how beautiful is it that we can relate to each other through songs that highlight all of the above? It brings a sense of community and acknowledgement of our humanness. It makes the ebbs of life more manageable, and the flows all the more blissful.”  LISTEN: Tonight In My Dreams.

- "Nikki Glaser: Good Girl" will stream Friday, April 24 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers and internationally.  Nikki Glaser said: “I couldn’t be prouder of my 5th hour special, Good Girl. I put everything I had into this hour of material and luckily for me, so did everyone who worked on it with me. I truly saved the best for 5th. Good Girl was developed and honed for two years on the road at over 250 shows, and it was one of the best nights of my life to get to perform this show for the very last time in my hometown of St. Louis in front of family, friends, and fans. I already miss these jokes so I can’t wait for them to have a second life again in April.”

57 Channels and Only This Is On: January 25, 2026

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms:  I really did not need to see someone have projectile diarrhea. Remember when the worst thing on Game of Thrones was incest?

 

Tell Me Lies:  I went through all the possibilities of what could make Bree say she is the worst person in the world las week, I really was not expecting them to tip their hands this soon with Wrigley seeming professing his love for Bree with a lengthy digital footprint between the two.  I really did not think we would learn until the end of the season what that was.  So, either this is one big fake out or they have another massive bombshell coming later this season.

 

Hijack:  Wait, did Sam just straight up murder an innocent man? My number one rule of television is not to believe anyone is dead until see a body.  I wonder if he just cut the feed because you really come back from murder if he is supposed to be a protagonist.  Hijacking a train is fine if it is for the greater good, but murder is not.

 

Around the Tubes: January 24, 2026

  

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on The Beach Boys, Chelsea Cutler, Noah Kahan, The 1975. KALEO, Jessie Ware, James Blake, Def Leppard, Violet Grohl, Katie Tupper, and Shoresy.

- In the mid-1970s, the unexpected success of two back-to-back Top 10 greatest hits albums pushed The Beach Boys toward their early surf-and-cars past, fueling hits-laden nostalgia tours at sold-out stadiums and arenas across the U.S. Amidst this era, America’s Band, led by Brian Wilson’s return to songwriting and producing, quietly made some of the rawest, unexpected, and most emotionally exposed studio recordings of their career at their recording haven, Brother Studio in Santa Monica, Calif. Across a period defined by intense touring, shifting internal dynamics, and the highly publicized “Brian’s Back!” campaign, all five principal members — Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine — contributed to a body of work far more complex than the era’s public narrative suggested.  Following the revelatory ’70s-era box sets Feel Flows — centered on the albums Sunflower and Surf’s Up — and Sail On Sailor, which explored the Carl and the Passions – “So Tough” and Holland sessions, We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years turns to the next chapter of the band’s evolution. The expansive new collection, due February 13 via Capitol/UMe, gathers this pivotal period, recorded between 1976-77 at Brother Studio into one place for the first time, anchoring itself around a newly remastered edition of The Beach Boys Love You (1977) and the album sessions, the first-ever official release of the long-shelved Adult/Child sessions, and a wealth of outtakes and alternates from the transitional 15 Big Ones (1976) sessions. These recordings powered the era’s “Brian’s Back!” campaign — launched to rebalance the band’s commercial fortunes — which presented Brian as returning to full creative command even as his participation in the studio remained uneven and, at times, fragile.  Listen to “We Gotta Groove” and pre-order We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years: https://thebeachboys.lnk.to/wegottagroovePR

- Acclaimed singer-songwriter Chelsea Cutler ushers in a fearless new era with the release of her brand new single, “BAD,” out now on Mercury Records. Listen to “BAD” HERE and watch the music video HERE.  On “BAD,” Cutler alchemizes emotion into an anthem—leaning into vulnerability, desire, and the thrill of self-discovery with a renewed sense of freedom. Anchored by a sharp, infectious guitar riff, the track weaves in distorted vocal loops that spiral through the mix. Pulsing bass and shimmering synths propel Chelsea’s urgent delivery as she offers an unguarded confession: “I don’t wanna let you go when you move your body slow… God, like that… I don’t think that we should end, even though we don’t make sense… Though that’s my bad.”

- 2x GRAMMY-nominated, multi-platinum superstar Noah Kahan announces the long-awaited release of his brand new single, “The Great Divide,” arriving January 30th on Mercury Records.  Kahan first debuted “The Great Divide” live during his critically acclaimed We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour in 2024, and fans have been clamoring for its official release ever since. “The Great Divide” marks the highly-anticipated next chapter in Kahan’s evolving body of work and serves as his first new release following his 2x Platinum, 2022 breakthrough album, Stick Season, and its globally renowned 4x Platinum hit “Stick Season”.  See Kahan’s announcement HERE and pre-save “The Great Divide” HERE. More from Noah Kahan coming soon.

- The 1975 today announce the tenth anniversary edition of their seminal album ‘I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it’.  To celebrate the milestone, the band will be releasing a new limited edition pink vinyl housed in six panel triple gateford packaging with alternative artwork. In addition, the new version of the iconic record features 17 12” x 12” art cards, each representing a song on the album with lyrics on the reverse.  The ‘I like it when you sleep…’ tenth anniversary edition will be released on Friday 27th February via Dirty Hit. You can pre-order now HERE.

- Icelandic rock band KALEO announce the 10-year anniversary deluxe edition of their debut album, A/B due out June 10 via Rhino Records. The double vinyl release will spotlight some of the band's iconic live performances plus a few rare studio recordings. To celebrate, the band will embark on an extensive North American Way Down We Go Tour this summer with very special guests DAWES, Darren Kiely and 4x GRAMMY®-nominee, singer-songwriter Elle King at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre. See all dates below and more information here.  “This year’s tour will be even more special considering we’re commemorating ten years since the release of A/B,” said KALEO frontman JJ Julius Son. “We are truly honored that the music still means so much to so many people and we’re planning an entirely new show we think our fans are going to love.” The debut album spawned hits like “All The Pretty Girls,” “No Good,” and the global sensation “Way Down We Go,” which landed at number one on Billboard's Alternative Rock chart which has nearly 4 billion streams and has been featured in over 3 million TikToks worldwide. In addition, the band will incorporate hits from their two follow-up albums, Surface Sounds and 2025’s critically acclaimed MIXED EMOTIONS, into the setlist. On their 2025 effort, Forbes wrote, "Like so many of the great '70s rock albums, it is powerful, diverse, rooted in the great American sounds like blues and country, that are blended with a rock attitude and base sound."

- Jessie Ware returns with  ‘I Could Get Used To This’, her brand new single and the opening statement of a new era. Out today via Island EMI records, you can listen HERE.  Following the cultural and commercial high point of ‘That! Feels Good!’, Ware steps forward with a track that feels both assured and expansive. Built on cascading strings and a sense of full-bodied release, ‘I Could Get Used To This’ channels the grandeur of classic diva pop, drawing subtle inspiration from the likes of Grace Jones, Whitney Houston and Barbra Streisand – while sounding unmistakably current. Ware’s vocal sits front and centre: poised, powerful, and completely at ease.

- James Blake this week released ‘Death Of Love’.  You can listen to ‘Death Of Love’ HERE.  Blake has also unveiled a stunning live video, directed by creative duo Harrison & Adair for the track, and shot with the London Welsh Men’s Choir against a stark office backdrop. You can watch the video HERE.  ‘Death Of Love’ is taken from Blake’s forthcoming new album ‘Trying Times’, set for release on Friday 13th March via Good Boy Records.  You can pre-save ‘Trying Times’ HERE.

- Global icons Def Leppard have released their new single “Rejoice”. The dynamic track comes ahead of Def Leppard’s triumphant return to Las Vegas for their Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency that kicks off February 3. “Rejoice” is available via UMe now on all streaming platforms – Listen Here. Watch the official lyric video here.  On the creation of the song, lead singer Joe Elliott shares: “This song’s been an amazing journey from concept to conclusion. I said to Phil [Collen] one day, ‘I’ve got this idea for a lyric where the narrator is at absolute rock bottom and wants to rise up to a higher level. Do you have a musical piece that might match with that?’ And he said, ‘As it happens, yes I do.’”

- Violet Grohl has officially inked with Republic Records through her imprint, Auroura Records. “From the moment we met Violet, it was clear that she represents the next generation of artists,” Kristina Grossmann, SVP of A&R/Operations at Republic Records shares. “The music is immediate, intentional and her voice holds a rare duality. She is unapologetically cool and is a fearless female voice. We couldn’t be more excited to help bring her vision and this album to life.” David Wolter, EVP/Head of A&R at Republic Records, adds: “Violet brings a rare combination of perspective, artistry, and reverence for the craft. She understands the history of music, but she’s also pushing it forward. She is the future.”  The LA-based musician has also officially released “THUM” and “Applefish” on all streaming platforms, two tracks that were previously available on Bandcamp. “THUM” is loud, raw, and emotionally explosive, while “Applefish” is softer and more playful with a dreamy, offbeat edge. Together they show two sides of the same honest, youthful emotion. Listen HERE. 

 

- Katie Tupper releases her debut album Greyhound via Arts & Crafts. The record is about the instinct to chase–fleeting desires, guaranteed mistakes, the feeling of home, love in all its shapes and forms. It’s already knowing the ending but letting it unfold anyway. Often receiving comparisons to Olivia Dean and Charlotte Day Wilson, Tupper’s smoky alto voice wraps together soul, indie and alternative R&B with just a touch of folky twang. Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Greyhound will bring the prairie roots of Tupper’s past to meet the blended and expanded worldview of her present — Stream.   Tupper contextualizes her debut body of work in saying, “Greyhounds that race on tracks are given these parameters and rabbit decoys to chase that are unreachable. If the front/fastest dog gets close to the decoy it just speeds up to make them run faster. The dogs think they are chasing something reachable but by design it will always be slightly ahead of them. It made me think about my relationships and how I act in the world. I am often both the Greyhound and the decoy — chasing something unreachable and being the thing that cannot be caught.”

- Created by and starring Jared Keeso (“Letterkenny”) and produced by New Metric Media in association with Play Fun Games, “Shoresy” is back with the Bulldogs!  Hulu has announced the US premiere date for the highly anticipated fifth season of “Shoresy.”  The Hulu Original series returns on Saturday, February 21 with all six new episodes premiering exclusively on Hulu and on Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US. Complete seasons 1–4 are now streaming on Hulu.  In addition, Hulu has announced the pickup of season 6, which will premiere in 2027.

57 Channels and Only This Is On: January 18, 2026

 

Tell Me Lies:  What the fork did Bree do that her initial thought after hearing her future husband hooked up with her bridesmaids was, she is the worst person in the world?!?!?  My first thought is that she hooked up with Stephan.  Then I thought maybe something happened over winter break when she was staying with Lucy (though Lucy does not have a brother to hook up with and her father is dead… but she does have a sister).  But after being in the same photography class, my next thought was, did she hook up with Wigley?  Then there is also the whole freshman situation.  Will she hook up with the freshman?  Will she have a threesome with the freshman and Lucifer?  Is it going to be all of the above?  I hate we will probably have to wait five more episodes to find out.

 

Now, I cannot believe I am saying this, but Molly is low-key the MVP of the first three episodes.  I was shocked to see her again after Slapsgiving.  I guess you can attribute the first episode to her being on drugs, yet after that walk of shame, I once again thought we would never see her again, but she is still around.  Her storyline is going to end epically and hopefully they can outdo Slapsgiving.

 

The lowlight of these episodes is Diana being pregnant.  I really hope she does not return home after the wedding to a seven-year-old little Stephan.  But I am certainly not putting above Stephan to poke holes in a condom.

 

Hijack:  Wait, I thought this was going to be a Die Hard situation with Idris Elba at some point saying, “How does the same thing happen to the same guy twice?”  But he is actually going to be doing the hijacking this season. I also was not prepared for the “Last Season On” segment to be so long.  I guess this hijacking ties into the last one.  Alrighty then, buckle up.

 

The Hunting Party:  I glad that dude in the resin turned out to be dead. When they said to check the pulse, I was like, no, no, there is no possible way.  At least I got a good laugh out of the response.

Around the Tubes: January 17 2026

 

I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post includes blurbs on A Thousand Blows, Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, Al Green, Katie Tupper, Sydney Rose, Dropkick Murphys, Stephen Sanchez, Cherry Bomb, and Peter Frampton.

- Malachi Kirby, Erin Doherty and Stephen Graham reunite for the dawn of a new era as “A Thousand Blows” returns its highly anticipated second season.  Complete season 2 premiering Jan. 9, 2026.

- Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, a feature documentary that traces the origins and evolution of Jimmy Buffett’s original Coral Reefer Band during the 1970s and early 1980s, will premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 9^th, with a second screening on February 13^th. Narrated by Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges, the documentary features commentary from Kenny Chesney, Mac McAnally, songwriter Keith Sykes as well as many original Coral Reefer band members and touring crew. The First Coral Reefers were a group of wildly talented, often unruly characters whose creative energy and personal chemistry helped define Buffett’s most iconic early work. Occupational Hazard is directed by John H. Cunningham, who has a deep and close connection to several members of the first Coral Reefers as well as to a lifelong affinity to Jimmy Buffett, as their paths crossed many times, beginning in the Florida Keys in the 1970s. Fans and Parrot Heads can view the official trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hOguh0g3Pk

- The eleven-time GRAMMY® Award-winning soul icon and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame® inductee Al Green releases his new 4-song EP ‘To Love Somebody’ via Fat Possum Records. Greenstamps his signature stylings on the Bee Gees’ 1967 hit “To Love Somebody,” an unreleased, alternate version of his 2023 acclaimed single “Perfect Day,” featuring British singer/songwriter RAYE, The Velvet Underground’s “I Found A Reason” and his previously released rendition of R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts” This digital EP is available everywhere NOW!  “When Fat Possum came to my studio and played me ‘To Love Somebody’ and ‘I Found A Reason,’ I felt this instant connection and harmonies immediately filled me,” says Al Green. “The music spoke to me, so we immediately went to work.”

- Katie Tupper has released her new single “Safe Ground” ahead of her debut album on January 21. The final preview before Greyhound is unveiled in its totality, “Safe Ground” is an unshakeable promise to a best friend. As life grows new branches and gnarls, Tupper’s root system is firmly held within the earth. Her devotion holds true whether those roots run beneath endless plains or city skylines — Stream.   She shares, “This is my platonic love song. I wrote it to my best friend about how lucky I feel to know her. It is my promise to her to always be a safe spot for her to land.”

- Following a break out year with her viral hit “We Hug Now,”  Gold-certified singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sydney Rose kicks off 2026 with a brand new single entitled “Over” featuring award-winning singer-songwriter Tom Odell out now via Mercury Records.  Listen HERE. Watch lyric video HERE..  Once again, the track places her vulnerable honesty front-and-center. The verses play out like confessions, and Sydney’s delivery barely breaks a whisper. Instead, her murmured words rest uneasily on top of creaky acoustic guitar chords. The tempo increases at the pace of a quickened heartbeat, and her breezy high register carries the hook, “Set myself up for disaster, wishing now that I was plastered, there’s a show in front of me, but you’re all that I can see.” Tom’s harmonies give way to another crescendo uplifted by cinematic strings. The final words, “It’s over,” echo in the distance and instantly evoke raw emotion.

- Dropkick Murphys have announced they’ll release a 12” vinyl split LP with recent tourmates Haywire titled New England Forever. The Boston-based bands--who got to know each other while touring Europe together last fall--each recorded three original songs as well as a cover version of one of each other’s songs for the 8-song LP. Haywire recorded Dropkick Murphys’ “The Boys Are Back” and Dropkick Murphys recorded Haywire’s “Always By My Side.”  New England Forever will be available exclusively at shows during Dropkick Murphys’ February 9 – March 17 For The People…In The Pit St. Patrick’s Day Tour with The Aggrolites and Haywire supporting on most dates. The U.S. trek culminates March 13, 14, 15 and 17 in Boston with Dropkick Murphys’ annual run of hometown dates during St. Patrick’s Day week, which brings together DKM fans from around the globe.

- Today, multi-platinum singer/songwriter Stephen Sanchez kicks off 2026 with new single  “Sweet Love,” accompanied by a heartfelt video directed by Jason Lester (Hozier, Laufey, Conan Gray) co-starring his grandparents. The video was shot at his grandparents’ home, paying tribute to the place where Stephen first discovered his love for music through his grandfather’s record collection.  Listen to “Sweet Love” HERE. Watch the video HERE.  With upbeat production and Stephen’s captivating vocals, “Sweet Love” ushers in a new chapter all about (you guessed it) love – the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. Of the new music and video, Stephen shares, “‘Sweet Love’ really encapsulates the beautiful parts of love, and the active choice we have to make, to love one another every day. I was inspired by my grandparents’ relationship while writing the song and it was so special to have them star in the video.”

- Introducing Cherry Bomb–the Los Angeles-based solo project of MisterWives' Mandy Lee who is kicking off the new year with a disco-pop independence anthem and fierce music video, "Never Be Me (M★therf★cker)" out today via AWAL. Glitter-soaked and maximalist, Cherry Bomb is thrilled to formally introduce a new world filled with unapologetic fun and rebellious femininity.  PAPER Magazine, who debuted the video, says "The track is pop perfection, chronicling her departure from her old life and excitement for the road ahead. Her fluttering vocals that earworm synths define this genre she’s calling “popera.” Adding, the video "highlights bright, DIY-ed costumes and the feminine energy-filled community that’s helped her reach these new heights." 

- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award-winning guitarist Peter Frampton is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of his iconic album Frampton Comes Alive! Upon its original release in 1976, Frampton Comes Alive! became a cultural phenomenon and remains one of the top-selling live albums of all time, with nearly 20 million copies sold worldwide.  As part of the celebration, Frampton will release a Vinylphyle edition of Frampton Comes Alive! on January 22 via A&M/UMe. One of the greatest rock albums of the 1970s can now be heard on vinyl again, presented as it was originally intended to sound. The limited Vinylphyle double LP pressing is sourced from the original 1975 Doug Sax 1/4" production master, with lacquers cut by Joe Nino-Hernes, and pressed on 180g black vinyl at RTI. The package features a four-panel insert including a new interview with Frampton and Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop; preorder HERE. In addition to the Vinylphyle release, the album is also available to experience in Dolby Atmos, following its 2024 immersive audio debut.