Hear the Best New Folk Music with Fresh Cuts Friday

Discover the Best New Music of the Week!

We’ve pulled together some of the best new music we’ve heard lately — and you can hear it all on Fresh Cuts, my weekly radio hour. Tune in every Friday at 2pm ET / 11am PT on Folk Alley’s 24/7 stream — available on our website, mobile app, or your smart speaker too.

Prefer to listen on your own time? Just click on the Fresh Cuts stream whenever it works for you.

In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at some exciting new music that’s caught our ears this week!

Great Lake Swimmers, “Youth Not Wasted”

Caught Light, the latest album from Great Lake Swimmers, was recorded in just five days in Ontario’s Ganaraska Forest. Tony Dekker, the band’s front man, says the song “Youth Not Wasted” is a twist on Oscar Wilde’s famous quote, “Youth is wasted on the young,” suggesting that every part of our youth matters and constructs our identities today.

Courtney Marie Andrews, “Cons and Clowns”

The latest song from Courtney Marie Andrews is “Cons and Clowns.” According to Andrews, “Cons & Clowns is an ode to all the artists, outsiders, and shy loved ones you want to see shine! In this world of growing sameness I wanted to write a love letter of encouragement to anyone who was afraid to be their wildest and weirdest self, especially amid the dark landscape of now. With a desire to embody the unencumbered playfulness of youth, I played the flute on this track, an instrument I haven’t played since my childhood.”

Jon Muq, “Secret Island”

“Secret Island” is the latest from Uganda-born, Austin-based Jon Muq. He explains, “Two dear friends I met on a cruise once invited me to spend a weekend with them on a beautiful island. One evening, they shared the story of how they fell in love. It was raw, emotional, and moving—tears were flowing as they spoke from the heart. Their vulnerability touched something in me, and that night, I began writing this song. It’s a tribute to the kind of love that still burns bright through the years. Sometimes hidden, and you don’t even know it. On an island, a true story reveals an unending connection.”

Aidan VanSuetendael, “You Gotta Move”

Aidan VanSuetendael, previously on banjo with the band Bill & The Belles, is getting her first solo record ready for release. Produced by Maya de Vitry, it includes the new song “You Gotta Move.” From Aidan: “The song came to me when I found a pile of broken glass from an old window, and I had to shift around to find each little shining piece on the ground. This song is about relational evolution and the cultivation of gratitude.”

More this week on FreshCuts!

Anna Tivel – “Airplane to Nowhere”
Ben Nichols – “The Darkness Sings”
Frazey Ford – “Crazy Love”
Kathleen Edwards – “Little Pink Door”
Margo Price – “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down”
Rory Block – “Me and My Chauffeur Blues”
The Steel Wheels – “Easy”
Tommy Emmanuel – “Black and White to Color”
Wild Horses – ‘When I Was Younger”