Tuareg desert blues ace mdou moctar prepares to protest

With his trusty Fender Strat in hand and at a young 64, Bob Mould is an evergreen icon of alt and indie guitar – and he’s back with a new solo album

From Poppy to Spiritbox, new album Metal Forth features seven collab songs with modern metal royalty. Welcome to Babymetal’s next chapter of world domination

When sudden tragedy struck, NATALIE BERGMAN found solace in the New Mexico desert. Shedding indie rock for psychedelic gospel-soul, music played a big part in her healing – while her latest album finds fresh hope in new life. “People form bands because we’re lost,” she tells Kevin EG Perry. “We’re like: ‘Hello, we’re looking for our home here on Earth.’”

This trio of Los Angeles musicians fuse the rhythms of Havana, Medellín and Lima with the sounds of 60s surf music – though their sound has more in common with Latin folk music than Dick Dale. We join them to talk about their debut album, fibreglass guitars and tropical psychedelia

As Alex Lifeson ’ s second album from latest prog project, Envy Of None, hits the stores, we delve deep into the mists of its sonic landscape

THE HAMMER INTERVIEW