British-American trio Raynes has released “Josephine,” the second single from its upcoming debut full-length album, “Radio Remind Me,” due October 16. The track reworks the romantic-rivalry narrative of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” to explore envy and self-worth, according to the band.

“Josephine” was produced by Mat Charley and co-produced by Chris Sclafani, whose credits include work with Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello and The Weeknd. Sclafani also co-produced and mixed the full album. The band says an earlier single from the record, “Roses All Over,” ranked among the most-added songs at Hot AC radio.

Raynes, made up of North Dakota natives Mat Charley and Joe Berger and UK singer Mark Race, is signed to Sony Music Publishing and has released six singles and four EPs to date. The group will support the new album with a tour spanning the U.S., UK and continental Europe from September 2026 through February 2027.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Beachwood Entertainment Collective.

Marco Luka has announced his debut album, “f_unk,” due October 23 on Arista Records, alongside the release of new single “DON’T CRY.” The track blends alt-pop with funk and synth-pop influences, and arrives with a music video. Luka co-produced the song with Nicci Gomez, who has also worked with siiickbrain and Noah Guy, and played all instruments on the track.

The eight-track album follows Luka’s 2025 EP “INSOMNIA” and a trio of singles released in between, including “SAY MY NAME,” “THE PARTY” and “TALK TO ME,” the latter of which also appears on the new album’s tracklist. Luka previously spent eight years as lead vocalist of lo-fi alt-pop band Weston Estate before departing to pursue a solo career.

According to the announcement, Luka’s solo catalog has generated more than 100 million global streams, with his 2019 track “paradise” accounting for over 42 million of those streams.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Kelsey Hession, aristarecordings.com.

Chicago rock band Ax and the Hatchetmen will release a new EP, Stick & Poke, on September 25 via Arista Records. The band has released the title track along with a visualizer video; the EP also includes previously released single “Loser” plus three additional tracks. The project was produced by Jake Sinclair.

The EP follows the band’s 2025 debut album So Much To Tell You, whose track “Hotel Room” has drawn significant streaming attention, according to the band. Ax and the Hatchetmen recently wrapped a summer run of headline U.S. shows the band says sold out, along with a support slot on tour with Royel Otis.

The band will open for The Revivalists at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on September 25 before launching its own headline run, “The Late Check Out Tour,” on October 14 in Indianapolis. The tour runs through December 13 in Miami, with several dates already marked sold out by the band.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Kelsey Hession, aristarecordings.com.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Bennett Woolsey has released his new single “Spirit Wine,” the third track from a forthcoming EP due later this year. The song addresses a relationship marked by substance abuse and manipulation, according to Woolsey.

The single follows recent releases “Chevy Chase” and “Cigarettes & Alcohol” and continues what the announcement describes as a personal chapter for the songwriter, who wrote all the material on his upcoming EP himself while working with producers on production. Woolsey previously fronted indie rock band Brookside, whose single “Jimmy the Chameleon” has drawn more than 12 million streams according to the announcement, and recently released the duet “Used to You” with artist Maryjo.

Woolsey is currently on a North American tour with Maryjo, with dates in Houston, Dallas and Nashville through August 30.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Sarah (faccipr.com).

Italian composer Daniele Luppi will release his new album, Wilma, on October 9 via Verve/slowplay. The record draws on a vintage archive of previously unused Italian film and TV score recordings from the 1960s through 1980s, which Luppi reworked with new instrumentation, lyrics and vocal contributions to form original songs. Wilma is described as the first installment of a planned trilogy.

The album features vocals from Michael Kiwanuka and Orion Sun, who also contributed to songwriting, along with lyrical input from Grammy-winning songwriter Shungudzo. The lead single, “To Some Degree” featuring Kiwanuka, is out now. Luppi says he approached vocalist casting similarly to casting for film, prioritizing each artist’s thematic and emotional body of work over vocal tone alone.

The 10-track album includes three instrumental interludes titled “Reverie” and a closing duet featuring both Kiwanuka and Orion Sun. Its cover art reproduces a 1969 publicity photo of actress Edith Scob taken on the set of Luis Bunuel’s film The Milky Way.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Jillian Condran, nastylittleman.com.

John Oates has released a new single, “Goodnight Or Goodbye,” out now on streaming platforms. The song draws on 1960s doo-wop influences and originated from a demo Oates recorded on tape in 1992 that he rediscovered and revisited with a new recording.

Oates, a co-founder of Hall & Oates, is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. As part of the duo he recorded 21 albums and, according to the announcement, scored 10 No. 1 records and more than 20 Top 40 hits, with worldwide sales topping 80 million records. He has since built a solo career spanning eight albums, most recently the self-titled “OATES.”

Oates continues to tour in 2026, mixing full-band shows with his “An Evening of Songs and Stories” acoustic performances, with dates scheduled through the U.S. into December.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Sarah (faccipr.com).

Jonah Kagen has announced his second album, Eternity of Anything, due October 23 via Arista Records. The announcement comes alongside the release of the album’s first single, “Don’t Feel Right,” and an accompanying music video.

Kagen wrote, produced and mixed the album himself over a two-to-three-month period, working largely in isolation. According to the announcement, the record marks a shift from his debut, Sunflowers and Leather, which was written while Kagen traveled in a mobile studio; the new album was instead made while he stayed in one place, focusing on themes of romantic love in its various forms.

The label says Sunflowers and Leather debuted at No. 3 on Spotify’s Top Albums chart, and that Kagen’s single “God Needs the Devil” reached No. 1 at U.S. Alternative Radio, contributing to catalog streams the announcement puts at more than half a billion. Kagen has recent collaborations with Caitlyn Smith, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, Elliot Greer and Peacemode. He has extensive touring planned for fall 2026, including headline dates, shows with Dave Matthews Band and a run on Dermot Kennedy’s The Weight of the Woods tour.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Kelsey Hession, aristarecordings.com.

Country singer-songwriter Dave Wilbert has released “The Corn,” a single about the decline of family farms in rural America, ahead of his upcoming EP The Good News, due Sept. 18 on Wilbilly Records. The track, co-written with Kevin Barton, was previewed with a lyric video premiered by RFD-TV.

“The Corn” is the third focus track from the EP, following “Let’s Call It What It Is” and “All Summer Long,” which the label says was featured on Amazon Music’s “Break Through Country” and Apple Music’s “New In Country” playlists. The Good News was recorded at The Freeway Studio, with Wilbert co-producing alongside Nashville producers Lonnie Wilson and Julian King, as well as the late Eddie Blount, Wilbert’s former manager and co-producer who died in 2025.

The six-song EP, which Wilbert says is dedicated to Blount, follows his 2025 debut album Live From America (It’s Saturday Night), which according to the announcement has drawn more than two million streams across digital platforms.

Based on a press release provided to Music Industry Weekly by Jason W. Ashcraft / JWA Media, jwamedia.com.

Taylor Swift has donated $50,000 to Ashley Taunton, a Rhode Island woman who was seriously injured after she stopped to assist teenagers involved in a hydroplaning accident on Interstate 95.

Taunton was struck by another vehicle while helping at the crash scene. Details on the extent of her injuries and recovery were not disclosed.

Read the full story at Billboard.