Ahead of the release of their highly anticipated new album, Loving Everywhere I Go, this month, Hudson Taylor grace the cover of the new issue of Hot Press.

There are times, as the poet said, when even the President of the United States has to stand naked. But there are also moments when the best antidote to the peculiar horror induced by that particular prospect is to work as hard as possible to spread the joy. That's what Hudson Taylor do. And aren't we the better for it? Tanis Smith meets the Dublin dup ahead of the release of their latest opus.

Elsewhere on the music front, folk maestros The Lost Brothers talk to Pat Carty about finding "alchemy and magic" in the Irish countryside, taking inspiration from Dylan, and heading out  on tour Stateside with M. Ward.

Backstage at his sold-out Vicar Street show, rapidly rising star Yungblud talks to Lucy O'Toole about controversy, pissing off the alt-right, and his acclaimed EP The Underrated Youth.

Ahead of the General Election, we bring you all the action from the National Campaign For the Arts' hustings in the Project Arts Centre – where the frustration over funding and other issues was palpable, as the arts sector articulated its anger to the main political parties in no uncertain terms.

In Frontlines, Paul Nolan analyses the extraordinary fallout from Leo Varadkar's Hot Press drug admission during the Virgin Media election debate. Elsewhere, Soda Blonde's Faye O'Rourke writes about her encounter with a Fianna Fáil canvasser on the election trail – plus reports from McCann and The Hogs.

In our film section this fortnight, Roe McDermott talks to Mary Elizabeth Winstead about her role in one of the year's most hotly anticipated movies, superhero action extravaganza Birds Of Prey. Meanwhile, in the book section, Tanis Smither talks to Kiley Reid about Such A Fun Age – a compelling exploration of racial and class divisions in the US, that's already been purchased for a big screen adaptation.

And that's all before mentioning interviews with The Scratch, Tebi Rex, HMLTD and Stockton's Wing's Mike Hanrahan, as well as our comprehensive look at the most exciting young talent on the global stage, with our Hot for 2020 International Acts. We also bring you all the news, previews and reviews you'd expect of Hot Press.

Pick up the new issue of Hot Press in shops tomorrow (February 6), or order online now: