STACK #259 May 2026

FEATURE MUSIC

THIS MONTH?

AUSSIE RELEASES

PAUL McCARTNEY The Boys of Dungeon Lane UNIVERSAL

Paul McCartney is looking forward, looking back on his 19th solo studio album. Hot on the heels of the Man on the Run Wings doco, The

EMMA LOUISE Sunshine for Happiness INERTIA Following her Dumb collaboration with Flume, Queensland’s Emma Louise releases her fourth solo studio album, Sunshine for Happiness , a collection of ethereal pop, “a breakthrough that followed a breakdown”. After releasing her third album, Lilac Everything , the singer-songwriter was burned out, and she checked herself into a facility in Los Angeles. She thought she was done with music, but she was drawn to the hospital’s piano, and the songs poured out of her. The result is a stunning set of songs about mortality, grief, love, and healing.

RACHAEL FAHIM Who You Are UNIVERSAL

BIL Y’S PICK

After hearing Kasey Chambers’ Not Pretty Enough , Sydney’s Rachael Fahim was inspired to make her

THE WHO Live at Eden Project 25/07/2023 EARMUSIC

Boys of Dungeon Lane takes us back to Liverpool, where it all began for Sir Paul. Dungeon Lane is in Speke, a suburb of Liverpool, where the singer, who turns 84 next month, remembers “smoky bars and cheap guitars”. “Looking back on your life, you go, ‘Wow, did we really do that?’ All of that comes flooding back. It’s like a dream.” SOCIAL DISTORTION Born to Kill ROCKET Social Distortion started rocking way back in 1978. Bruce Springsteen has called them to Kill is their eighth studio album, their first in 15 years. It’s also the band’s first studio album to feature drummer David Hidalgo Jr, the son of the Los Lobos guitarist and singer. The album was co-produced by Dave Sardy, who also helmed Jet and Wolfmother’s debut albums. Lucinda Williams pops up on Crazy Dreamer , and the record also includes a cover of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game . VIOLET GROHL Be Sweet to Me UNIVERSAL “one of the not-heralded enough great American rock bands”. Born debut solo album, which was inspired by her favourite acts of the ’80s and ’90s. “There’s something so powerful about that period of music,” she says, “from the messaging to the visuals, it’s authentic and raw. Pixies, Soundgarden, Cocteau Twins, The Breeders, PJ Harvey, The Muffs, Björk, Alice in Chains, L7, Juliana Hatfield – I’ve listened to that stuff since I was a kid.” WILLIE NELSON Dream Chaser SONY Violet Grohl is the eldest daughter of Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl. After turning up on the Foo Fighters’ 2023 single Show Me How , the 20-year-old is now releasing her

own country music. Now she’s releasing her debut album, featuring Too Damn Hot , a number one smash on the Australian Country Airplay chart. It’s a powerful piece of defiance, with the singer declaring, “You’re too damn hot to cry, don’t call back – he’s overrated.” And the title track is another tale of love gone wrong. “Screamin’ at the top of my lungs ’cause I hate you for leading me on. And I can’t believe that I put up with you for so long, now I see you for who you are.” Rachael Fahim is a new country star.

I n 1966, The Who released their iconic hit single My Generation , which included Pete Townshend’s non-prophetic lyric: “Hope I die before I get old.” Sixty years later, founding members, guitarist Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey, have included the song in their new release, Live at Eden Project . Situated in Cornwall in England, The Eden Project, a tourist attraction, is home to one of the world’s largest indoor rainforests that also houses contemporary artworks and performances. Backed by the Heart of England Philharmonic Orchestra, Townshend and Daltrey delivered a performance that fused classic rock with orchestral grandeur. The band’s vast repertoire (the album includes 26 tracks) includes the aforementioned My Generation plus Pinball Wizard, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Substitute, Who Are You, and Behind Blue Eyes . Fans have long cherished the band’s special-location shows: Live at Leeds (1970) was recorded at Leeds University, while Tommy was often performed at opera houses and classical music halls, with the smaller capacity of these shows fostering a deeper connection between the band and audience. Formats include a limited edition three-LP gatefold and a two-CD Digipak.

THE JUNGLE GIANTS Experiencing Feelings of Joy ROCKET

TRIALS Hendle UNIVERSAL

The Jungle Giants’ last album, 2021’s Love Signs , topped

Daniel Hendle Rankine is the Adelaide rapper who’s better known as Trials. After

the charts... and then singer and songwriter Sam Hales started to struggle. “I’d overextended and kind of cooked it,” he admits. But then came a moment of self-discovery. “That’s where the joy comes from,” he says, referencing the Brisbane band’s experiencing adversity. This record is what everything culminated in for me, because I’m so in love with it and I’m so addicted to music again.” Check out the powerful first single, Tell Me How It Feels . fifth studio album, “having this unwavering hope even after

working with Funkoars and A.B. Original, Trials is now stepping out on his own. “A solo record is something I’ve always needed to do as these topics speak to so many people and it was important that I told my story my way alone”, he says. “I’ve been fortunate to play so many parts for so many people and projects, but I owed it to myself and to my story to take the sole responsibility of turning that pain and passion into song... it’s unashamedly me and my story in all its fractured pieces.”

Coming in JUNE VIKA & LINDA Where Do You Come From? (Jun 5) NIALL HORAN Dinner Party (Jun 5) THE PRETTY RECKLESS Dear God (Jun 26)

In a world gone wrong, what a blessing it is that Willie Nelson is still making music. At the age of 93, Willie is releasing

his 79th solo studio album and remembering a time when he was “just a kid movin’ to Tennessee, with an old guitar and eyes full of stars, chasin’ a crazy dream”. The record features I Can’t Read Your Mind , a song that Willie wrote with Bob Dylan and producer Buddy Cannon. Three chords and truth.

Radio legend Billy Pinnell presents Billy Pinnell’s Musical Moments on YouTube.

45