We Speak Music

Dust, Memory, and the Quiet Reckoning of Megan Lacy’s ‘That Feelin’

Published

2 months ago

May 13, 2026

Megan Lacy’s That Feelin’ is a debut that pulses with understated energy, blending alt-country textures with a modern indie sensibility that feels both grounded and expansive. It’s the kind of record that doesn’t rush to impress — it slowly pulls you into its orbit.

There’s a cinematic quality to the production, shaped by the live recording process at King Electric Recording in Austin. Every instrument feels placed in real space, breathing alongside Lacy’s vocals. The result is immersive without being overwhelming, textured without losing clarity.

How That Feels opens the record like a slow sunrise — moody, atmospheric, and emotionally charged. Lacy’s voice sits at the centre of the mix with quiet authority, guiding the track through shifting layers of Americana, pop, and country-inflected instrumentation.

“Maybe all we need is to remember who we were before the world told us otherwise. That Feelin’ is an invitation back there, a playful innocence, remembering the part of yourself that’s still true without denying how brutal the road here has been. The record doesn’t ask you to outrun anything, it asks you to forgive it, to hold it in both hands, and find your way back to yourself.”

Across the album, there’s a consistent push and pull between melancholy and uplift. Tracks like Lost In The Feeling lean into that tension, wrapping sorrow in warm harmonic arrangements that feel almost hypnotic in their repetition and restraint.

By the time the album closes, That Feelin’ feels like a full-body experience rather than just a listening session. Megan Lacy emerges as an artist capable of translating emotional complexity into sonic form, crafting a debut that resonates as much in feeling as it does in sound.

We Speak Music

The Songs of Butler & Cupples Prioritise Craft on Intimate New Single ‘Better off Lost’

Published

5 days ago

July 3, 2026

Brett Wylie

Following the momentum of their first three breakout releases earlier this year, genre-fluid project The Songs of Butler & Cupples have returned with ‘Better off Lost’. A stripped-back, intimate offering that further sharpens their songcraft-first ethos, the release reinforces the duo’s position as one of the most forward-thinking, emerging songwriting projects operating outside the traditional band framework.

Conceived entirely as a vehicle where pure songcraft remains the central focus, The Songs of Butler & Cupples was formed in direct response to a contemporary music landscape increasingly shaped by image, algorithms, and visual perception rather than musical composition.

Led by two highly experienced industry songwriters, the project is intentionally fluid. It allows musical ideas to dictate their own final form without being restricted by rigid genre conventions or commercial chart expectations. With ‘Better off Lost’, the pair turn inward, embracing an acoustic-led direction underpinned by Americana-leaning textures and delicate, emotive vocal arrangements.

Sonically, the track marks a further evolution in their rapidly expanding creative palette. Built around a gentle acoustic guitar foundation, ‘Better off Lost’ foregrounds vulnerability and vocal performance above all else. The raw emotional delivery is elevated by subtle, layered harmonies and understated pop sensibilities that give the track its modern, polished edge.

The duo’s stylistic range has already drawn comparisons to boundary-pushing artists such as Miley Cyrus and Kacey Musgraves, whose recent celebrated works have helped reframe contemporary Americana within the broader pop landscape. Like those icons, Butler & Cupples demonstrate a versatile range that fiercely resists easy categorization.

Across their 2026 discography, they have proven comfortable shifting between entirely different sonic worlds, including: Electronic-Leaning Production: Utilising sleek, modern digital textures. Experimental & Rock Influence: Embracing grittier, guitar-driven edge and unpredictable structures. Acoustic Minimalism: As heard on the new single, proving that a strong emotional through-line remains intact regardless of the instrumentation.

Rather than chasing viral TikTok trends or tailoring their masters for playlist algorithms, the project remains deeply rooted in strong structural songwriting, genuine emotional resonance, and absolute creative freedom.

At its core, The Songs of Butler & Cupples functions as an open creative framework without built-in limitations or outside expectations. ‘Better off Lost’ stands as another clear statement of intent from the duo: that well-crafted songs, when given proper breathing room and unfiltered honesty, still possess the power to cut through the modern noise.