These are challenging times.” So says Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien in our interview this month as he embarks on a new solo career as EOB with debut album Earth. It’s a universal sentiment, one which you may already be beginning to tire of hearing as the frightening swirl of news events gathers pace. Life is, I’m sure you’ve noticed, a bit strange at the moment. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our daily routines in ways we couldn’t perceive just months ago. By the time you read these words, things will undoubtedly have moved on significantly since I wrote them, self-isolated at home. I’ve just said goodbye to Iain from Longwell Records, after he dropped off an album. Leaving it at the door, he retreated to the safety of the end of the drive and we awkwardly shouted our fears for the future, before reaching for the hand sanitiser. With Record Store Day postponed until June and high streets deserted, it’s never been more vital to support our local record shops. These independent businesses run on tiny margins, reliant on the unwavering passion of their owners and customers. They are utterly vulnerable to an economic downturn. Make no mistake, this virus could wipe many of them off the map. That’s why we’re calling on you to do everything you can to help keep business somewhere approaching normality for your local shop. If it’s not safe to visit, consider ordering online, or maybe, like Iain, your shop owner will deliver. In the hyper-global world we’ve embraced, suddenly the importance of hyper-local measures is brought back into focus. For record shops, it was ever thus. They’re at the heart of our communities and the simple pleasure of popping in to chat about music and flip through the racks with old friends is under existential threat. Over the past decade, the return of hundreds of vinyl emporiums to our town centres has been truly heartening. I know you’ll agree, I don’t like the idea of the place I live having nowhere to buy records, so let’s not give up without a fight. And as a fairly young magazine, run by a small independent publisher, I need to tell you: it’s going to get tough for us, too. Stick with us, in print or online, and we’ll do our best to bring some joy to the uncertain days ahead. Enjoy this issue, stay safe, cherish the time to listen to your record collection and, if you can, spend some money at your local shop.