RiYL

In the end, he didn't leave for too long. Don Barnes set out on a solo career in '87, recorded a record in '89, and was back in 38 Special by '92. A series of unfortunate events held that solo record, Ride the Storm, in limbo for decades until it saw a proper release in 2017. 38 Special remained a powerhouse of southern rock all those years, before returning to the studio for 2025's Milestone.

A deeply personal record like In the Last Hour of Light could only have come out under his own name. A musical career that began under the moniker, The One AM Radio, morphed into an award winning podcast career through Song Exploder and has since added musical scores for film and television. Hrishikesh Hirway stays fresh by always stretching, moving, and trying something new.

More than anything, Greg Norton is a survivor. Following a major health scare in 2022, the legendary bassist released Dying to Smile, the debut from his new band, Ultrabomb. While the lineup has undergone a major shift, Norton has wasted no time with its follow up, The Bridges That We Burn.

"It's such a gift to be queer," Nicole Georges says, putting a bow on our hour-long chat."It's such a gift to be punk. It's such a gift to be queer and to be in these alternative spaces, and to have so many friends who are also in this community, and also have shared backgrounds, shared therapeutic practices, where we can all connect to each other in a really deep way."The Calling Dr. Laura/Invincible Summer has spent a long time learning to love herself. Now she's sharing those tools in the form of Emotional Support Animals, a combination comic/workbook, designed to deliver a bit of compassion when it's needed most.

Life's good when it's just a couple of guys singing about butts (everyone's got 'em). "The Dreamin' Kind" Langhorne Slim healthy, happier, and more rocking than ever before.

What's two decades between releases? Yttling Jazz returned this year, with a new lineup and album, Illegal Hit. Björn Yttling wears his jazz influences on his sleeve, paying tribute to the greats of the form, and enjoying every moment of the process.

No New York picks up where Peter and the Wolves, with young Cleveland transplant Adele Bertei landing in New York amid a burgeoning new scene. No wave -- a an avant-garde musical and visual art moment -- was harder to classify than its contemporaries, punk and new wave. Bertei participated in all aspects of the movement, as a member of the Contortions and the Bloods, starring in Lizzie Borden's Born In Flames, and even serving as Brian Eno's assistant as the legendary musician produced one of the genre's defining documents. The new book is a celebration of a movement, and more so, the women who made it.

Born during the pandemic, deary proudly wear their influences on their sleeve. Most immediate is a love of the Cocteau Twins, which first connected guitarist Ben Easton and singer Dottie Cockram. The latter's vocals soar ethereally on "Seabird," happily evoking the legendary Liz Fraser. The track marks the first single from deary's forthcoming debut LP, Birding, which finds the trio embracing life's challenges.