This summer, The Beths will return with a sophomore album called Jump Rope Gazers. After previewing the release with last month’s “Dying to Believe”, the New Zealand indie pop outfit is unboxing a new single in “I’m Not Getting Excited”. While musically a jumpy, driving number, its subject matter is about denying oneself the freedom to enjoy excitement and success — all because of constant second-guessing. In a statement, lead singer Elizabeth Stokes explained this case of imposter syndrome, “People always ask ‘are you excited!?’ and it’s a fair question, because exciting things do happen to us sometimes. Support slots, overseas tours, music releases. Stuff we’ve dreamed about for years. So the correct answer is always ‘yes.’ But the truth is that deep down there’s a tiny Liz saying, ‘don’...
Bob Dylan has announced the release of his album of entirely new material in eight years. Entitled Rough and Rowdy Ways, the 10-track LP will be available starting June 19th through Columbia Records. The legendary troubadour previously previewed the album by unveiling “Murder Most Foul”, a 17-minute track about President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and “I Contain Multitudes”, which takes its name from a Walt Whitman poem. To coincide with today’s announcement, he’s unveiled a third track in “False Prophet”. Rough and Rowdy Ways will be available in a variety of configurations, including as 2xCD and 2xLP sets. Pre-orders are now ongoing. Dylan’s last album of original songs, Tempest, came out in 2012. Since then, he’s recorded several collections of standards, most ...
Lady Gaga’s fifth studio album, Chromatica, was all set for an April 10th release before the coronavirus pandemic caused led to its postponement. Now, Gaga has announced that her new LP will instead arrive on May 29th. The follow-up to 2016’s Joanne, Chromatica contains 16 tracks, including “Chromatica” parts I, II, and III. As fans learned when the tracklist leaked last month, it alsofeatures collaborations with Ariana Grande, the K-Pop group Blackpink, and Sir Elton John. Pre-orders have begun, and you can check out the artwork and official tracklist below. Editors’ Picks Previously, Lady Gaga shared the lead single “Stupid Love”. In April, she curated the coronavirus relief special “One World: Together at Home”, and this June, she’ll join Barack and ...
Fontaines D.C. will let loose their sophomore album, A Hero’s Death, on July 31st through Partisan Records. As a preview of the follow-up to 2019’s warmly received Dogrel, the post-punk outfit has today unveiled the album’s title track. The forthcoming collection spans a total of 11 songs, produced by Dogrel collaborator Dan Carey (black midi, Bat for Lashes) in his London studio. Whereas the Dublin group’s debut LP bristled with rambunctious and undeterred post-punk, A Hero’s Death is described as a more restrained affair, one that puts an emphasis on patient “spectral balladry.” To tap into this kind of energy during the songwriting process, Fontaines D.C. found inspiration in Leonard Cohen and The Beach Boys, as well as contemporaries like Beach House. The new album is sa...
Chicago rap prodigy Polo G has announced his sophomore album, and it’s arriving in just a matter of days. Titled THE GOAT, it’s set to drop May 15th through Columbia Records. The upcoming effort arrives less than a year after his breakout debut, Die a Legend, which included highlights like “Pop Out” and “Finer Things”. Whereas that 2019 record saw the young hip-hop star mourn the deaths of close ones, THE GOAT is “a celebration of life and legacy,” per a statement. Its cover artwork, seen below, fittingly features the 21-year-old Polo and his son Tremani. A full tracklisting for the new album hasn’t been revealed, but it is expected to include the two previous singles “DND” and “Go Stupid”. There might also be a song that pays tribute to the late NBA star Kobe Bryant, according to Com...
Wire were all set to drop their 18th studio album 10:20 on Record Store Day. But with that particular holiday delayed and practicing social distancing, the post-punk rockers have now announced that 10:20 will instead be available on all platforms on June 19th. To tide fans over until then, Wire has shared the nearly new song “The Art of Persistence”. Like most of the “strays” being collected on 10:20, “The Art of Persistence” has been around in one form or another for a number of years. It first popped up when the band reconvened in 2000, and made appearances on The Third Day EP (labelled as a “First Draft”) and then as a live performance on Recycling Sherwood Forest as part of Wire’s Legal Bootleg series. Musically, “The Art of Persistence” is a thr...