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 — including the latest from Arny Margret, Laura Veirs, Fruition, Kurt Vile, and more. 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!

Arny Margret, “In a Dream”

“In a Dream,” the new song from Icelandic singer-songwriter Arny Margret, was written and recorded in a moment of solitude on a quiet New Year’s Eve. “The harmonica is a new instrument for me. I actually went to the Bob Dylan movie and then I was gifted the set,” she explains of the song. At its core, “In a Dream” explores identity, growth, and self-perception. “I wrote this song on New Year’s Eve, just sitting in my room with my cat while fireworks were going off outside. It’s mostly about me wanting to become the woman I want to be–wanting to be honest and strong.”

Laura Veirs, “Flying Into Darkness”

Her 14th solo album, Temple Songs is the first Laura Veirs has written, recorded, arranged, produced, and performed entirely on her own. Veirs embraced the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, choosing not to pitch-correct vocals or edit out rough edges. “I wanted to make something that sounds as organic and human as possible,” she says. At 52, Veirs has reconnected with herself through a radically new process: one that feels both fresh and profoundly earned.

Fruition, “Oh Well”

Something More (out 8/28/2026) is the upcoming eighth studio album from the Portland, Oregon-based band Fruition, produced by Grammy-winning Tucker Martine. “Oh Well” channels the exhilaration of finding light in uncertain places. The song’s central question: What lies at the bottom of the well? —unfolds as both metaphor and invitation.

Kurt Vile, “Zoom 97”

Kurt Vile’s latest album “Philadelphia’s been good to me” is out today. Featuring “Zoom 97,” which finds Vile taking us for a spin on Lincoln Drive, a windy, river-bending stretch of highway between KV’s home in Mt. Airy and the City of Brotherly Love. “This is my ‘bringing it all back home to Philly’ record,” Vile says. “I’m treating it like my last record. I put everything into it. It’s my best vocal record. It’s my best electric guitar record. It’s my most organic record, made in the comfort of my own zone.”

More this week on Fresh Cuts!