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!

Son Little, “In Orbit”

Son Little (Aaron Livingston) latest album, CITYFOLK (out 3/20), was produced in Muscle Shoals by Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes). Featuring the song “In Orbit,” the album was heavily influenced by a move to the American South and research into his ancestry.

Thomm Jutz, “Too Many Walls”

Ring-A-Bellin’ (out 4/3) is the new record from Thomm Jutz. The album also features a companion hardcover book. In addition to lyrics, it features extensive liner notes, essays that speak to the nature of each song, and quotes that correspond to the 18 songs on the album. Each song lyric and essay is accompanied by an original piece of artwork in a variety of styles by several different artists.

Shakey Graves, “Time Flies”

Alejandro Rose-Garcia, aka Shakey Graves, just release a a cover of Frankie Sunswept “Time Flies” which will appear on his next album Fondness, Etc. (out 5/15). Of the song, Shakey Graves stated, “I had a vision of making this album feel like a sort of zero-budget Roy Orbison ‘50s pop record, and with such a small window to write, record, and release an entire album, I figured I should do what the pros would do and sneak in a cover song written by an old friend. I first heard [Frankie Sunswept] play ‘Time Flies’ in like 2007 at the Sidewalk Cafe in Alphabet City and have been singing the tune to myself nonstop since. I knew it was going to be a perfect fit for this project and finally made a version of it the way it would play on the radio in my head.”

Andrew Bird, “Need Someone”

Andrew Bird’s latest song “Need Someone” was used in an episode of HBO’s The Pitt: Season 2, Episode 6 that first aired February 12, 2026. Andrew Bird shared “I was thinking of all the hardships the characters have endured and how if you are an empathetic good person you can hope that people will be there for you when it’s your time to pass on. I suppose it’s really about karma. I love how this show champions our healthcare workers and first responders who do what they do for all the right reasons, to help those in need. And who are willing to put themselves in harm’s way for the greater good.”

More this week on Fresh Cuts!