FUTUREPROOF PICKS 16-07-26

Hello world,

Check out this week’s FP Picks update for banging fresh cuts fm James Bruner, Willie J Healey, The Big Moon & more. If you like what you hear please follow and share this playlist, it helps us keep doing our thing by getting the algorithms on our side. Also please support the artists featured in any way you can!

Until next week

Helen (Futureproof) x

Beck – In The Night

Beck announces new album Ride Lonesome with new single In The Night, a warm yet haunting, folk-rock hymn graced by a gorgeous string arrangement. The song arrives with a music video starring Denis Lavant, directed by Mikai Karl and produced by Ryan Smale. Musically, the album is set to see Beck make a nod towards his folksy, stripped-back acoustic 2014 album Morning Phase and his seminal 2002 LP Sea Change – with him rejoining forces with the original touring and recording band he worked with on those records. The album release comes around the same time that Beck will kick off his North American ‘Lonesome Ride’ tour, which will start on September 16 in Vancouver. He’ll make stops in Portland, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Chicago, Atlanta and more before wrapping up in Nashville on October 31.

The Big Moon – Gravity

The Big Moon announce new album Forever with new single Gravity and a 2026 UK headline tour. Per a press release, the forthcoming LP explores what’s left when you’ve already checked off many major milestones, and is tempered by a first-hand understanding of life’s fragility. Discussing the propulsive, synth-y lead single Gravity, frontwoman Juliette Jackson explained: “At the time I wrote this song, every time I collected my son from nursery he would run and slam into me and give me the biggest hug. I knew it wouldn’t last forever, and I savoured every one, and this song ended up commemorating that feeling. It’s about a love that you’re never really separated from, just elasticated, ready to snap back together.”

Whisper Doll – Bluebells

A scent of spontaneous whimsy perfumes the ethereal new single Bluebells, inspired by Fiona Tagami’s recent move from a “sterile East Village apartment” into a vibrant show house, tucked inside a quiet residential pocket of South Brooklyn. “I had this big, sunny room with vines growing over it and a very ornate, detailed wooden floor and banisters,” she says. “Everything felt imbued with the past and its previous owners… It was full of possibility.” The space encouraged her to see the good in everything, let her mind wander, and pursue new opportunities. Whisper Doll began as a solo project when Tagami was a high schooler in Atlanta, writing songs in her bedroom in the image of Mazzy Star and The Cranberries.

James Bruner – OMG

Nashville’s alt-rock artist James Bruner captures the rush of new romance on his infectious new single OMG, the latest preview of his forthcoming debut album Can’t Keep Wanting You. Bruner’s knack for crafting hook-heavy alt-rock shines throughout, balancing swagger, charm and emotional sincerity in equal measure. Produced by Nashville collaborator Shane Weisman, the track holds particular significance as the first song the pair created together back in 2024. That initial session would go on to spark the creative partnership that ultimately shaped his debut full-length record, due for release this September. With growing radio support, major touring experience and a rapidly expanding audience, 2026 is proving to be a defining year for one of alternative rock’s most exciting emerging voices.

Wishy – All The Rage

Wishy recently shared energetic indie-pop single All The Rage, taken from their upcoming album Nature’s Pill. It’s a summer fizzer which comes equipped with a Trent Wayne-directed music video the band shot in Atlanta, GA. Vocalist/guitarist Kevin Krauter said in a press release: “Hello Lovelies and welcome to the official Wishy press blurb for the second single !!!! Yayyy the song is out we are so happy!! :) Some *~Fun Facts~* about this song number 1. i wrote it after seeing artificial go and good flying birds play an awesome show major inspo 2. my roommate judah gave me some good pointers while i was writing it shoutout to him and 3. the band played all together while recording this one :) ok thanx enjoy!!!”

Baby Smith – Take It Or Leave It

New single Take It Or Leave It, taken from their debut album Lately, Love Is Dead, is an adventure for hearts and minds as the Australian duo Baby Smith arrive on the scene in the grandest way possible. It’s a delicious dose of cosmic exploration, as bouncing synth flourishes bubble to the top before the track takes aim for the stars. Guitars join the fray, creating an exhilarating ascending melody as the duo sings, “Don’t all your earthly worries look so small from where we are right now?” The duo says: “Thematically, it’s quite fitting because it’s our way of describing our project to everybody and saying Take It Or Leave It. With this album, we focused heavily on making sure all the songs, the album cover, and every single video were exactly what we envisioned, trying to avoid catering to trends and instead making the art we’ve always wanted to make.”

Willie J Healey – Ditch

Willie J Healey has shared new single Ditch, taken from upcoming EP 143. Healey describes the track as something that arrived fully formed, “sent from above. I just sat there with my arms open and it fell down to me. A gift from the tape lords, Loren Humphrey at the wheel me in the passenger seat with the windows all the way down. It’s a feeler about old fashioned brains, Romeo and Juliet type situations, being young and scared.” Of the EP, he states: “I called it 143 because my friend sent me a message using that code and it took me a while to figure out that it means ‘I love you.’ I thought, hey that’s a nice way of not being too soppy.” Healey states: “The songs and recordings really don’t have many bells and whistles, they’re all pretty straight up – we wanted to get the message across as directly as possible. It’s my most Neil yet.”

Ebbb – Shallow Hits

London band Ebbb recently shared the title track from their debut album Shallow Hits. Although it initially comes off as a jumpy indie pop track, Shallow Hits carries darker undertones. As the band explain, the track is about: “chasing quick dopamine highs to escape emotional emptiness, and how that can lead to destructive patterns of self-sabotage.” Musically, the track opens with brutalist horns, then the shimmering synth melodies. It’s super catchy and explosive. The main event, however, are the lyrics. The album is full of bangers. Some ragers, some subtle, but bangers, nonetheless.

Iris King – I Did, I Will, I Do

London-based Iris King has shared bittersweet new single I Did, I Will, I Do. Recorded in LA, this Blonder-produced song fuses indie with folk, pop, and a little country, giving the production a textured feel which, despite its minimalism, is packed with emotion. Lyrically, the song centres around “themes of falling in love and embracing stability and comfort, rather than the volatility of chaotic relationships”. Beginning as a restrained acoustic slow burn, the track gradually reveals its emotional depth through intimate vocals and thoughtful instrumentation. Subtle electric guitar flourishes emerge during the chorus before the track builds towards a moving finale, with drums adding a sense of release without sacrificing the song’s underlying sense of tenderness.