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!
Mon Rovîa, “Whose Face Am I”
Coming out on Jan 9, 2026, Mon Rovîa’s debut album Bloodline marks the culmination of years spent searching for meaning and stitching together the fragments of a past marked by displacement and rebirth. Mon explains, “When the name Bloodline first came to me in 2022, I recognized it as the title of my debut album. What I didn’t realize then was how long it would take to grow into the story behind that name, the grief, the quiet, and the slow disassembly of a self that resisted its own becoming. Even now, I move through life carefully, as though visibility might undo me, as though being seen might awaken an identity I’m still learning how to carry: Mon Rovîa.”
Emily Scott Robinson, “Dirtbag Saloon”
Emily Scott Robinson’s next album Appalachia, out on Jan 30, 2026, features the song “Dirtbag Saloon,” which Robinson calls “a honky tonk anti-gentrification anthem,” was inspired by her years in Telluride, Colorado, and the town’s transformation as longtime residents were priced out.
Amanda Cook, “Out of My Bones”
The latest from bluegrass musician Amanda Cook’s “Out of My Bones,” explores the heartache of holding onto a lost love, capturing the tension between longing and acceptance in a way that feels both universal and intimate. “I haven’t personally lived this experience,” Amanda says, “but I knew it would speak to someone out there who has.”
Lera Lynn, “Beige”
Singer-songwriter and actress Lera Lynn’s latest Comic Book Cowboy features “Beige,” a song about the relentless search. ”This one came quickly, its conception arriving while sitting in gridlock traffic. It’s an odd choice for a single I know, being slow and moody, but I think it’s an essential texture for framing the upcoming record. I hope you find it as soothing as we did making it. Let me know how it hits you. And please share it if you dig it. It really helps in this crazy industry.” – Lera Lynn
More this week on FreshCuts!
Amythyst Kiah – “Goin’ Away Party”
The Barr Brothers – “Another Tangerine”
dodie – “I’M FINE”
The Doohickeys – “Santa Needs A Beer”
Drew & Ellie Holcomb – “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”
Jake Shimabukuro – “Mele Kalikimaka” (feat. Jimmy Buffett)
The Klezmatics – “Happy Joyous Hanuka”
Melissa Carper – “Cats In the Christmas Tree”
Old Crow Medicine Show – “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”
