Camera Obscura, courtesy.

This week, we bring you rock from Late Bloomer and Lo Moon, Americana from Camera Obscura, roots rock from Kyshona, avant-folk from Hannah Frances and psychedelic folk by The Narcotix.

Camera Obscura, “Big Love” – Camera Obscura, led by vocalist-guitarist Tracyanne Campbell, went on hiatus after the death of founding keyboardist Carey Lander in 2015. Being invited to play a cruise with Belle & Sebastian in 2019 brought them back together. On “Big Love,” the band combines its baroque pop aesthetic with the Nashville sound, as it features steel pedal player Tim Davidson. Their new album, Look to the East, Look to the West, is out on May 3.

***

Lo Moon, “Water” – Lo Moon frontman Matt Lowell was inspired to write “Water” after rereading David Foster Wallace’s famous 2005 Kenyon College commencement address. This shimmering rock gem has guitar and synths and is less dark than the band’s previous work. The closing line of Wallace’s speech is “I wish you way more than luck,” which is also the title of Lo Moon’s third album, due out April 5.

Kyshona, “Comin’ Out Swingin’” – Here’s a roots rock song with soul and a splash of gospel that’s perfect for hyping yourself up. “I ain’t throwing that towel in/ If things go wrong I still can’t quit/ If I have one less shot left to win,” Kyshona Armstrong sings. Her voice, strong and confident, is rousing even when the odds are against you: “I didn’t come this far only to come this far,” she repeats on the bridge. “Comin’ Out Swingin’” was inspired by her cousin, and her forthcoming album, Legacy, is a wider exploration of her ancestral history and family (she’s based in Nashville but is originally from the Gullah people who were forcibly brought from West Africa to the the area in and around South Carolina as slaves. Legacy is out on April 26.

***

Hannah Frances, “Husk” – This mellow track has hints of Nick Drake in the guitar and strings, and a multi-track vocal that sounds like Fiona Apple singing with Joni Mitchell. Frances sounds ethereal as she sings “I am growing,” stretching out the last word like a plant reaching up toward the sun. Frances has been called “progressive avant-folk,” which is fair but doesn’t prepare you for her majestic voice. Her new album, Keeper of the Shepherd, is out March 1.

Late Bloomer, “Hope for Rain” – North Carolina band Late Bloomer combines the melodic punk sensibility of The Replacements and the grunge rock of Dinosaur Jr. with the country flavor of pedal steel on “Hope for Rain.” Guitarist Neil Mauney says the song is about depression and trying to make the best of the chances you get. This is their second Tuesday Tracks appearance. Their fourth album, Another One Again, is out March 1.

***

The Narcotix, “The Sun” – Composers and multi-instrumentalists Esther Quansah and Becky Foinchas are both daughters of African immigrants and incorporate everything from Congolese soukous to Ghanian highlife with Western pop music styles in their work. Their voices combine together hypnotically over chaotic polyrhythmic ecstasy on “The Sun.” Their first full-length album, Dying, is out now.

Rachel’s pick: The return of Camera Obscura! It’s so nice to hear them again (and see them recording together in the studio in the accompanying video), with Donna Maciocia (Amplifico) now on the keys. Plus, I can never resist some pedal steel!

Follow Rachel Alm at Instagram.com/thousandfold, Twitter.com/thouzenfold, and thousandfold.bsky.social.