Brilliant new release coming in here by way of our friends at Géographie Records over in Paris, France. Asara is the solo project by Dog Park bassist Sarah pursuing a more dreamy and hazy route of passage. Cute is her first single and nicely drags you into her realm with a keen sense for how to create an enveloping soundscape. Crisp production and elegant tempo – we are here for it.

You can also find this track – and many more – on the frequently updated official Poule d’Or playlist – available on Apple Music and Spotify.

Something we embrace deeply here at Poule headquarters is to trust the process, your own process and understand life as a journey of our own tempo rather than a static destination. So when the other day, traveling hurriedly in the back of a cab, the driver made a stop at the highway toll booth, only to get out of the vehicle to pay in cash and engage a short chat with the clerk, it’s something to embrace and be inspired by. No need to rush, pace is relative.

In this mindset, Bristol’s duo Bellyful entered the Poule d’Or radar. They produce a brilliant blend of trip hop – a genre that maybe makes the comeback nobody knew we needed? Their new single Proximity is their debut and nicely floats along, carried by liquid production and brilliant vocals. The song talks about distance and circumstance and how they affect your relationships. It is not about losing love for somebody but rather how it may change over time.

Around this time of the year in the Northern hemisphere, when the weather changes and mornings are crisp and sunny, you might find yourself in a place of unmet demands and longings of one form or the other. Take a moment, adjust yourself, and make a first step. Humans are made for direction not position.

Evripidis and his Tragedies here offers the dreamy soundtrack to your 2026 endeavors: ¿Quién necesita un amor? is a great song about self-sufficiency while being drenched in sweet melancholy and all-consuming yearning. This message comes wrapped in sparkling synths and his enveloping vocals and wit. The single came out last week, and is accompanied by a cool music video by Marc Ribera.

Check out the track below – and also find it on the official spring edition of the Poule d’Or playlist, now on Spotify and Apple Music.

Title photo by Marc Ribera and Marc Ribera only.

This website just turned 16 years old this month and back then it was born out of and into a very dynamic ecosystem of blogs and people html-curating a MySpace page and sharing music on it to their “top friends”. It was the early days of social media! One of the spiritual beacons of this time was Blackbird Blackbird whose unique way of sampling and use of synths and other electronic techniques inspired many people, myself included, and contributed chiefly to the rise of the Chillwave genre.

Anyway, much like this poultry-adjacent media outlet, Blackbird Blackbird is still at it in 2026 and he just released a new studio album, his fifth, titled Dreamstuck. He wrote, mixed and mastered the 22 songs by himself, in his home studio in California. Listening to this feels like looking back in time but through the lens of today: his sound undeniably carries the trademark Blackbird Blackbird touch of tempo and mixing on the vocals, while feeling all the way 2026 at the same time, bridging the gap between hazy nostalgia and maintaining a positive outlook. The whole album is a great listen throughout, find Two Peas In A Pod attached below, one of the quieter tracks on there.

Elia Casu here is a guitar player by craft, having contributed to more than two dozen musical projects over the years and also making his own electronic music. Chopping and screwing from his Sardinia home, he just released an EP titled Lo-Fi Songs on Bandcamp. A three song hoo-rah of somewhat dreamy soundscapes and a keen sense for melodies.

Attached below is A Train, neatly showcasing his ability to layer up harmonies and forming a coherent narrative, like the snowflakes dancing in a snow storm. No words as of yet about him taking these tunes on tour but keep your eyes open.

You can also find this track – and many more – on the frequently updated Poule d’Or playlist – available on Apple Music and Spotify.

2025 feels like quite a good year for people listening to music and new music especially. Even if the economics of the industry continue to seem awkwardly tilted in a way that is slowly draining the supply side, some indie labels seem to be able to live off their steaming revenues. Only for now though, while AI bots, songs and playlists are lurking around like that raclette cheese smell.

Musically though, the album album made a bit of a return in 2025. Topping most lists were Rosalía and her 12 language kaleidoscope of styles, and Geese delivering not only a chaotic indie rock album but also a rising cultural monument in Cameron Winter’s Carnegie Hall solo performance in December. Then there were Bad Bunny‘s bomba bouquet, Wednesday‘s small town romance rock, Patrick Watson losing and finding his voice, Turnstile fan-faring through Europe, and Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga of course.

Somewhat overlooked – the mighty Wu-Tang Clan released a new album in April: Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman produced by RZA and Mathematics and it is actually quite a fantastic listen! Wet Leg followed up their phenomenal debut with moisturizer which also went down smoothly. John Glacier released Like A Ribbon, a truly wonderful album album all the way.

Household names, that left their mark. Naturally Team Poule’s focus rested somewhat off the beaten tracks, and there were quite a few great albums by artists without churning marketing machines behind them that gave direction to the twelve calendar months of 2025 and will continue to guide beyond.

In no particular order. [continue reading…]