TM Breakthrough Vol. 41
- Alex Needham
- Oct 24
- 4 min read
Volume 41 of the Townsend Breakthrough Series has arrived! Discover a brand-new wave of upcoming Townsend store exclusives, featuring powerful debut releases from rising artists Iona Zajac, Tom A. Smith, Cardinals, and Big Sleep.
Iona Zajac - Bang
For Fans Of: Alison Moyet, Gwenno
Having already built an unparalleled reputation as both a solo songwriter and performer, as well as a touring vocalist with The Pogues, Glasgow’s Iona Zajac will release her highly anticipated debut album Bang, on 21st November.
Zajac masterfully balances light and dark in her music, shifting seamlessly between raw emotion and surreal humour. Songs like 'Bowls', 'Dilute', and 'Anton' explore violence and intimacy, while 'Chicken Supermarket' and the title track showcase her wit and exuberance. This blend of vulnerability and boldness aligns her with artists like PJ Harvey and Angel Olsen, who similarly fuse the intimate with the explosive.
Bang was recorded at Post Electric Studio in Edinburgh with producer Dani Bennett-Spragg, alongside Joe Taylor (drums), Ellie Mason (guitar, synths), and Ben Manning (bass). Drawing on influences from Sibylle Baier and Portishead to her Polish and Ukrainian heritage, Zajac weaves together intimate acoustic moments and full-band dynamism with an intensity that reflects her arresting live performances.
"I’ve never been one to write in swathes, but I’m a great observer, and I try and collect observations like jewels. So my notes folder is full of random one-liners – mundane and subtle interactions between people, how something feels when I touch it". - Iona Zajac on The Thin Air
Bang is available now to pre-order on Red Vinyl with a signed print, CD and merch.
Tom A. Smith - Say What You Want
For Fans Of: Red Rum Club, Men An Tol
At just 21, Sunderland‑born songwriter Tom A. Smith unleashes his fourth EP, Say What You Want via Fiction Records, marking a confident new era in his burgeoning career. The six‑track collection combines crunchy guitars, synth textures and introspective lyricism to explore the messy transition from adolescence to adulthood. Produced in collaboration with established names like Miles Kane and Hugo White (of The Maccabees/86 TVs), the EP benefits from experienced hands while retaining the raw and direct energy of Smith’s own vision.
Say What You Want reveals Tom as a songwriter unafraid to combine muscular rock thrust with electronic hints and honest, self‑aware lyrics. The result: an EP that feels both immediate and promising, one that leaves you keen to hear what comes next.
"I wanted to create a body of work which felt fresh- if I was going to pick an instrument up then what is the first thing that inspired me? I just went back to my roots and I think it’s worked". - Tom A. Smith on Northern Exposure
Set to release on November 7th, all physical copies of Say What You Want are now sold out!
Cardinals - Masquerede
For Fans Of: SPRINTS, DEADLETTER
Cork's acclaimed Cardinals announce their much-anticipated debut album Masquerade. Set to release on tastemaker label So Young Records, the ten song album was recorded with producer Shrink at RAK Studios, London across the summer. It's a record that is at once grand and intimate, awash with romance and flickers of holy imagery, and most of all, it's an undeniable fulfilment of the innate promise the band have shown since their earliest beginnings.
These are emotionally expansive songs, some simmering with an undercurrent of violence, cynicism or fervent discontent ('Anhedonia', 'The Burning of Cork', 'Barbed Wire') and others gleaming with a bright-eyed vulnerability. A vivid first half contrasts a darker second and crafts a record with a clear A-side and B-side. A nod to the band's collective love of vinyl, that tonal shift takes its cue from a variety of expected and unexpected influences - from the brittle honesty of folk to the theatrical melodrama of goth-rock.
"There’s a feeling that we’re doing our own thing. We try to realise the importance of being subversive, thematically and sonically”. - Euan Manning on DIY
Masquerede is set to release on February 13th 2026, on White Vinyl, CD, Cassette and Vinyl, All formats are signed.
Big Sleep - Holy Show
For Fans Of: Cassia, Royel Otis
Dublin rock quartet Big Sleep have announced details of their long-awaited debut album Holy Show, set for release on January 28th, 2026 via LAB Records. The news arrives alongside the release of 'Crude', a tender, searching new single that captures the band’s emotive songwriting and reflective depth.
At its core, Holy Show is an album about transience; the messiness of love, the beauty in impermanence, and the constant transformation that occurs as we stumble through connection, heartbreak, and growth. Named after the Irish expression “a holy show” (a scene of emotional chaos or public embarrassment), each track on the album becomes a chapter in a coming-of-age story grounded in vulnerability and cinematic lyricism.
Taken from the opening half of the record, 'Crude' is a fragile, slow-burning moment that shows Big Sleep at their most stripped back and sincere.
“It’s about someone whose innocence remains intact, and whose heart stays open, even after the world hasn’t been kind to them”. - Big Sleep
Holy Show is set to release on January 30th 2026, on Blue Vinyl, CD and Vinyl. All formats include a Signed Postcard.
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