Alternative Friday

A Tasting Menu of New Music

bigjimcambo

February 27, 2026

If you’re hungry for fresh music from new and under-the-radar bands and artists, then keep your ears close to the Evolving Tunes Spotify playlist. It evolves weekly though – so for every fab new track added, unfortunately an older one is removed. It’s also an eclectic mix, with many flavours to browse through, and just this year so far has included some fabulous genre-spanning:

Indie pop
Rock
Soul & RnB
Jazz
Alternative & Lo-fi
Electronica
Shoegaze
Afrobeat & Latin
Art pop
Blues & folk
Post punk
Cinematic
& probably more!

So do check it out, and then pop back again when it has evolved! Enjoy.

New Year, New Music

bigjimcambo

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January 16, 2026

It might be cold and dark outside – it is here in the UK – but a new year always brings an ear warming amount of fresh music, from both new and under-the-radar artists. And from the catchy to the raucous, and the cinematic to the exotic, I’m sure that 2026 will prove to be another exceptional year for talented musicians across many genres. As always, the Spotify Evolving Tunes playlist (as well as the tracks I share on Soundcloud) will introduce some of these acts onto your radar, so get your speakers, headphones, and earbuds primed, and I hope you enjoy the music released in 2026 as much as I’m sure I will.

Evolving 2025

bigjimcambo

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December 5, 2025

To date in 2025 there have been 348 impressive tracks in the Evolving Tunes playlist, and these are a selection of my absolute favourites. As always, it’s an eclectic array of tracks from new and under-the-radar musicians, covering everything from alternative, rock, & indie, all the way to jazz, soul, & Afrobeat. It’s relatively global too, including artists ranging from London to LA, and Cologne to Sydney. So I hope you enjoy it, and for some fabulous new music going forward, do keep an eye on the main Spotify playlist in 2026.

Cold Nights, Hot Year

bigjimcambo

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October 31, 2025

As autumn rolls into winter, it has gradually got darker and colder where I am – just outside London – but when I realise that Xmas is closing in, I also marvel on what a fantastic year it has been for music from new and emerging artists. Strong evidence of this will be in the upcoming Best of 2025 playlist (you can browse the previous ones here), but until then do dip into the current Evolving Tunes playlist, which currently contains everything from indie rock & pop to Afro jazz & soul, plus numerous other flavours in between.

Back to School?

bigjimcambo

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September 5, 2025

New music releases from under-the-radar acts didn’t wind down during the summer, and so the Spotify Evolving Tunes playlist has continued to be updated (weekly) with some of the best singles, EP, & album tracks out over the holiday season. So don’t mourn the end of summer, just enjoy the music!

Recovering from Glastonbury

bigjimcambo

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July 10, 2025

After 96 hours with little sleep at the Glastonbury Festival (but thankfully with no mud to trudge through), I’m now back to feeling human again and have written a little piece on this year’s festival experience for Fresh on the Net. You can grab it here, maybe while browsing the latest tracks to be added to the Evolving Spotify playlist 😅

Hypnagogic Pop or Black Sludge ?!

bigjimcambo

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June 6, 2025

There is always a fairly eclectic array of new music in the Spotify Evolving Tunes playlist, but I can’t say we’ve ever had much Hypnagogic pop or Black Sludge (both genres seemingly exist – do a Spotify search!). We have in recent weeks however, had everything from indie rock to electro dance, and nujazz to orchestral pop. So do drop by regularly to check out the latest impressive releases from new & under-the-radar acts, before the playlist has evolved.

No Algos or PFC here

bigjimcambo

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May 9, 2025

The Evolving Tunes playlist continues to regenerate itself, not with algorithmic, sponsored, or ‘Perfect Fit Content‘ (PFC) additions, but with a hand-picked selection of impressive new music releases. Yes, that means it’s subjective, but I hope it consistently covers a strong array of genres and songs from talented new, emerging, and under-the-radar artists. And as the name suggests, it’s also not a stagnant playlist, so do revisit it regularly for some of the best new music releases around.

From indie rock to jazzy funk!

bigjimcambo

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April 11, 2025

The Evolving Tunes playlist has always looked to highlight a varied array of talented new (and under-the-radar) artists, covering numerous genres. It’s currently doing exactly this, so do have a browse through them all to discover new favourites, and then pop back again when it has evolved!

It’s getting brighter

bigjimcambo

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March 15, 2025

The Evolving Tunes playlist has moved forward again, so dive in and explore yet more impressive new music from emerging artists. And as always, the tracks are an eclectic array, covering not just the regular dose of alternative & indie, but it currently also ranging from electro shoegaze to soulful jazz, and French psychedelic pop to delightful English pop. Enjoy!

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