The debut feature from writer-director Sophie Brooks, The Boy Downstairs features a cast studded with indie darlings, such as Zosia Mamet (Girls), Matthew Shear (Mistress America) and Sarah Ramos (Parenthood. Diana (Mamet) returns to New York after living abroad and is forced to reflect on the nature of her first relationship when she inadvertently moves into her ex-boyfriend’s apartment building. (FilmRise)

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Loma, comprised of Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater, and Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski of Cross Record, release their self-titled debut this week, an arresting and enigmatic collection of songs that reveal an obsession with defying classification and exploring sound. Delicate and abstract, the emotionally rich album delves into the process of letting someone go (written and recorded while Cross and Duszyski were navigating their divorce), mixing unique melodies with Cross’ haunting vocals. (SubPop)

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New Zealand’s Marlon Williams sophomoric album is both universally relatable and unprecedentedly revealing, chronicling his heartbreak in the wake of a fractured relationship through eleven slow-burning, cinematic songs. Recorded with producer Noah Georgeson (known for his work with Joanna Newsom and Cate Le Bon) Make Way For Love finds Williams pivoting away from his crooning country roots, with forays into psych-pop harmonies, reverb-drenched guitar, and haunting piano ballads. (Dead Oceans)

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›› ISSUE Feature: Live performance and interview with Marlon Williams

Pow Pow Family Band, which began as actor and musician Miles Robbins’ solo project and grew into an ever-evolving “weird circus family of chosen friends and collaborators,” is releasing their debut album All Right February 13th via Modern Sky USA. A collection of ten sunny psychedelic pop songs, All Right is driven by Robbins’ richly personal and offbeat lyrics, and features a revolving door of creative collaborators, including producer Gabe Wax. (Modern Sky USA)

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Based on the true story of social activist Arunachalam Muruganandam, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People (2014), Padman tells the story of a determined inventor in rural India in 2006 who upsets his family and invites talk of scandal when he tries to develop and market a low-cost sanitary pad, at a time when sanitary napkins were a luxury that many women could not afford to use. Directed by R. Balki, the film stars Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte and Sonam Kapoor. (Sony Pictures)

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Following his striking 2016 debut Dolls Of Highland, Portland based singer-songwriter Kyle Craft returns with Full Circle Nightmare a collection of rich and rambling, poetry-tinged pop-rock that serves as an unabashed ode to the power of storytelling in song. (Sub Pop)

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Inspired by their love of wild spaces and in response to President Trump’s assault on our national monuments, Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells unveils an original song by Alexis Krauss and the Our Land Collective. Entitled Our Land, all proceeds from the sale of the song and merchandise will directly fund Utah Diné Bikéyah’s legal effort to reinstate protection for the entire Bears Ears National Monument. Written as a protest song, it quickly morphed into a collaborative film project, with an accompanying music video featuring Karen O, Maggie Rogers, Edward Sharpe, Sunflower Bean, Josh Fox, Renan Ozturk, Hey Flash Foxy, Robbie Bond of Kids Speak For Parks, and more. (Grandstand)

Kevin Morby, fresh off the release of his critically acclaimed 2017 record City Music, teams up with Waxahatchee for an homage to late singer-songwriter Jason Molina on this digital 7”, covering two Molina classics from the artist’s critical and commercial zenith: “Farewell Transmission” off his monumental work Magnolia Electric Co. and “The Dark Don’t Hide It” off the acclaimed What Comes After The Blues. Proceeds from the release will go to the charity Molina himself had history with, MusiCares, which aims to safeguard the health and well-being of all people in the music industry by offering confidential preventative, recovery, and emergency programs to address mental and physical health issues.

Says Morby, “The songs were recorded in Upstate New York with my live band at my drummer’s studio, The Chicken Shack, with both Katie [Crutchfield, of Waxahatchee] and I splitting vocals duties. We would record all day, eating eggs from all the chickens running around, taking breaks to read old articles and watch live footage of Jason and his band. He’s a true inspiration and there’s no other songwriter or vocalist quite like him. We are deeply honored to be able to sing his songs, and we do hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed creating them.”

›› ISSUE Feature: Interview with Kevin Morby

›› ISSUE Feature: Interview with friends and collaborators of Jason Molina

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