We Speak Music

Clyde The Band’s New Single “Better” Is A Cathartic Alt-Rock Anthem

Published

8 months ago

January 23, 2026

Clyde the Band’s “Better” immediately grabs attention with its driving guitars and infectious hooks. From the opening chord, it’s clear this is a track built for both the headphones and the car stereo, blending grit and melody in a way that feels effortlessly natural. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to play it loud, just to feel its energy ripple through you.

Lyrically, the track is a masterclass in relatable emotion. “Better” explores the sting of being dismissed by the people closest to you, capturing the quiet insecurities that can build up over time. The lyrics are personal yet universal, resonating with anyone who has felt invalidated while maintaining an uplifting, cathartic energy that transforms frustration into empowerment.

Musically, the balance between distorted guitars and melody is immaculate. The rhythm drives the song forward, while the vocals float between vulnerability and confident declaration. Fans of Weezer, Pixies, or Wunderhorse will find familiar influences but with Clyde the Band’s distinct contemporary twist. Each listen reveals small instrumental details that make the track feel layered and rich.

The chorus lands like an emotional exhale, inviting sing-alongs and head-nods alike. There’s a quiet genius in how the band pairs raw emotion with pop sensibility, creating a song that’s both catchy and cathartic. It’s easy to get lost in the tension between melody and grit, finding comfort in the shared human experience the lyrics describe.

Ultimately, “Better” is a song that makes you feel seen and energized simultaneously. It’s a celebration of vulnerability in a noisy, guitar-driven package and a reminder that honesty and volume don’t just coexist—they thrive together. Clyde the Band has delivered an alt-rock anthem with heart, grit, and replay value to spare.

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We Speak Music

Phoebe June Traces Love, Distance and Heartbreak on New EP ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’

Published

2 days ago

September 11, 2026

Joni Jones

For Phoebe June, some stories are easier to tell through music.

Her new EP, ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’, is an intimate collection that traces the emotional journey of a relationship from the exhilaration of falling in love to distance, uncertainty, heartbreak and, ultimately, learning to let go.

Inspired by artists including Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, Phoebe June combines diary-like lyricism with melancholic ballads, subtle uptempo moments and an understated, emotionally honest production style.

At the centre of the project is ‘Thursday’, a bittersweet track about loving someone from a distance and holding onto the hope that the connection might survive.

Written after Phoebe left a country that held deep personal meaning, and left someone she cared about behind, the song looks back at the relationship from its beginning. Even its title is personal: the two first met on a Thursday.

The song captures the complicated feeling of walking away from something meaningful without believing that it necessarily has to be over. It’s about distance, memory and the possibility of finding your way back to someone, while recognising that hope only works when it goes both ways.

Across six tracks, the EP develops that story in sequence.

‘Everything You Are’ opens the project with the warmth of new love, while ‘Dead Sea’ explores the security of finding someone who helps you stay afloat through difficult times. As the story progresses, ‘Thursday’ introduces separation before ‘Getaway Car’ moves into the aftermath; unanswered questions, lingering attachment and the realisation that someone can profoundly affect your life while still being unhealthy for you.

‘One Day’ leaves the door open to the possibility of a future reunion, balancing hope with the understanding that some relationships may only exist in memory.

The EP closes with ‘Ophelia’, its emotional breaking point. Inspired in part by Friedrich Heyser’s painting of the same name, the track confronts the pain of feeling manipulated and unappreciated after giving everything to someone else.

The result is a project that deliberately moves from light to dark. Phoebe June considered not only the narrative but the emotional progression when sequencing the EP, allowing the brightness of its opening to gradually give way to the heartbreak of its closing moments.

Even the title reflects that feeling.

‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ takes its name from a flower, with the image of a gate separating two people becoming a metaphor for a love that remains beautiful but just out of reach. To reach over it requires effort, just as maintaining a connection across distance, uncertainty and changing circumstances does.

Ultimately, Phoebe June isn’t interested in simply documenting her own heartbreak.

She wants listeners to recognise themselves in it.

‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ is a collection about love, nostalgia, hope and regret and about what remains when something beautiful ends up on the other side of the gate.