LeftLion's Latest Listens #40: Notts music we're currently spinning

Single: Hhymn - Plumes

Cinematic and evocative of a vast landscape to the point you can feel the baking sun on your skin, Plumes is a masterclass in atmosphere and a starkly lovely return for a band who’ve been in their own wilderness for a decade. Earthy and lush, with subtle electronic textures that complement rather than distract, Plumes begins with finger-picked guitar and Ed Bannard’s careworn vocals. Midway through, the song pivots, transcending into something more expansive and beautiful. As it drifts toward its denouement, the track turns meditative, almost to a lullaby as lyrics are softly chanted by the band. "I am alone on the side of a mountaintop," they sing, the music behind them dissolving while the song is sighed into the wide open sky above. Hhymn have been away for 10 years, but this song could have been with us forever. @h_h_y_m_n (Kieran Lister)

Album: Kezia Gill - All On Red

When George Bernard Shaw wrote “Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not,” he might well have been talking about Kezia Gill. This local lass has dared to dream of reaching the big time in Nashville, staking everything by putting it ‘all on red’ and spectacularly succeeding with this, her latest album.

Produced in Nashville by Alyssa Bonagura, All On Red contains 11 new songs that were borne in the very core of Kezia’s being, dealing with some profoundly emotional and personal issues including self reliance, ambition, relationship breakups and just a sprinkling of devil may care.

The album opens strongly with the almost prophetic All You Ever Dreamed Of, encouraging to go all out for what you believe in. Kezia displays her independence confidently in Dublin’s Outta Whiskey, Love You Next and Barbed Wire, the powerful guitar riffs establishing this strength. Whiskey In A Wine Glass is less serious, counselling making the best of what you have. Gut Feeling is so Kezia, encouraging to go with what you feel to be right. Money In The Bank is a raunchy fun number with a message that love is more important than money. A great line dancing song is manifestly If Heaven Has A Honky Tonk, while What If is piano led and introspective, and finally, This House Would Sing, is a deeply passionate remembrance of her home life. @keziagillmusic (Claire Spencer)

Single: Matt McCarthy - Never Easy

After a nearly yearlong hiatus, that saw his music grace the stages of The Grove and 2025's Hockley Hustle, Matt McCarthy is back. His latest single, Never Easy, seems to be the greatest and boldest step so far in his endless artistic evolution. It exists beautifully within a contradictory space; its melancholic (and oftentimes nihilistic) lyricism manages somehow to appear exuberant and motivating to listeners' ears. The accompanying backing track continues this trend with a lead guitar that seems to blend the shadow and the sun to create the perfect landscape for McCarthy’s lyrics. The opening lyrics of this song are dripping with a real poetic honesty,a sentiment that lasts throughout the song, a real testament to his praised songwriting. Never Easy is by far Matt McCarthy’s most radical change in sound to date. It still retains that brand of alternative writing, seen in tracks such This Ain’t Over, but he has shed the nostalgic groove that graced his previous singles, leaving behind a track that is unashamedly honest. @mattmccarthy_music (Max Christian)

Single: Vee Adu - Sax Solo

Owner of a timeless, soulful voice that immediately stops you in your tracks, Vee Adu is the kind of artist you feel lucky to discover as soon as you do so. Sax Solo, her second release, is another slice of emotion-laden gorgeousness, which sees her pining for the sweetest notes love can bring. The instrumentation is perfectly judged. A piano-led ballad at its core, the music is laid back yet sprinkled with summery strums of acoustic guitar, holding on to a lightness that allows her vocals to skip and swirl atop the surface, the all-encompassing emotion of love allowed to pour out of every note. Beautifully melodic and brimming with feeling, this is not one to miss. @veeadu (Kieran Lister)

Single: Terza Rima - Milangio's Alley

Terza Rima (who have told us they are "Nottingham residents and longtime readers of Leftlion magazine") have recently released this their debut single. It's a sparkling slice of dreampop, attractive in its simplicity and also infused with atmospheric elements. An initial wave of jangly guitar, prominent bass and arty vocals is joined by reverberating electronic disco pulses, adding an attractive quirkiness. It's like a half-remembered, tipsy late night of dancing which leaves behind only a mist; wisps which grow to nostalgia. Available now on Bandcamp (Phil Taylor)