Indie Folk
Mina Tindle Teams with Sufjan Stevens for New Song “Give a Little Love”: Stream
French singer-songwriter Mina Tindle, a.k.a. Pauline de Lassus Saint-Geniès, may be known to many for her collaborations with The National. She is, after all, married to the band’s Bryce Dessner, and appeared frequently on I Am Easy to Find and its subsequent tour. Now, she’s expanding her indie reach with her new album, SISTER, and its latest single, “Give a Little Love” featuring Sufjan Stevens. Lonesome but sweet, “Give a Little Love” flows along gently reverberating guitars and piano notes that seem to coo under Tindle’s voice. The track was written, arranged, and produced by Stevens, and he also contributed subtle backing vocals, adding to the song’s warm feel. “I have always deeply loved Sufjan Stevens music,” Tindle said in a press statement. ”His words and melodies have resonated i...
Angel Olsen Announces New Album Whole New Mess, Shares Title Track: Stream
Last year, Angel Olsen released the orchestral All Mirrors, which quickly became not only one of the best albums of 2019, but of the 2010s in general. While promoting the effort, she frequently mentioned that early versions of the songs were intended for a separate, much more raw release. Today, Olsen has finally announced that companion record, Whole New Mess, and it’s due out August 28th via Jagjaguwar. Nine of the 11 tracks on Whole New Mess will at least be partially familiar to All Mirrors listeners, only here they’re presented in their original, stripped-down form with slightly different titles. You’ll see “Lark Song” instead of the powerful “Lark”, “(Summer Song)” instead of simply “Summer”, and “Chance (Forever Love)” instead of “Chance”. These versions were recorded alon...
Song of the Week: Taylor Swift’s “exile” Reminds Us That We’re Not Alone
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify New Sounds playlist. It’ll be interesting if a decade or two from now, we’ll look back at “quarantine albums” or “pandemic art” as a thing — like how we classify certain things, including some old music, as “Depression-era.” First, I think we can all agree that we don’t want this tumultuous time to carry on any longer or more destructively than it must. But the isolation and time for contemplation that have accompanied this pandemic have inevitably seeped into music: how it’s created, how it’s shared, how it’s performed, and, yes, even its substance. Might we look back at the growing body of quarantine content in the years to come and acknowledge that ...
Andy Shauf Shares Two New Songs “Judy” and “Jeremy’s Wedding”: Stream
Back in January, Andy Shauf released his wonderful new concept album The Neon Skyline. The rich narrative introduced a number of characters all coming together at a bar in a single night as it explored the relationship between the narrator and his ex-lover. Today, that story gets fleshed out even further with a pair of B-sides, “Judy” and “Jeremy’s Wedding”. Both songs are dreamy teetering on psychedelic, softly strumming folk numbers that carry the dramatic simplicity of Shauf’s storytelling. “Judy” is of particular interest to the Neon Skyline arc, as it finds Shauf’s narrator recounting a routine he and Judy had while still together of buying lottery tickets every Wednesday night. “What would you buy?” he asks himself on the refrain, dreaming of a big win. “I’d buy a ticket fo...
Dawes Announce New Album, Share “Who Do You Think You’re Talking To?”: Stream
Dawes have today announced the October 2nd release of a new album called Good Luck with Whatever. In anticipation, they’ve shared the lead single, “Who Do You Think You’re Talking To?”. Marking the band’s seventh full-length overall, Good Luck with Whatever is the band’s first with new label Rounder Records. It follows a series of self-released records including 2018’s Passwords, 2016’s We’re All Gonna Die, and 2015’s All Your Favorite Bands. For Good Luck with Whatever, Dawes teamed with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit) at Nashville’s landmark RCA Studio A. According to a press statement from frontman Taylor Goldsmith, the recording process saw him opening up more to his bandmates’ input: “In the past, I’ve definitely been mo...
Sufjan Stevens Unveils New Song “My Rajneesh”: Stream
Last week, Sufjan Stevens shared a magnificent 12-minute epic called “America”. Now he’s back with the B-side, and it’s a gorgeous song about a strange moment in American history: “My Rajneesh”. The Rajneesh movement was a cult in the 1970s and ’80s led by the Indian mystic Baghwan Shree Rajneesh. He founded a controversial sect of Hinduism that emphasized materialism and fornication. After getting run out of India, Rajneesh established a utopian community in the American state of Oregon. Thousands of followers flocked to the compound, and the Rajneesh community took over entire Oregon towns, which they then renamed after their charismatic leader. They also patrolled their territory with Uzis, which did not sit well with the Oregonian government. As tension escalated, Rajneesh cultists gre...
Anjimile Announces Debut Album Giver Taker, Shares “Maker”: Stream
Trans indie songwriter Anjimile has signed on with Father/Daughter Records for the release of her debut album. Titled Giver Taker, it’s due for arrival September 18th. Inspired by “faith, addiction, and Anjimile’s own transition,” the upcoming nine-track project tells a larger story about self-discovery. A statement adds, “Giver Taker captures his ability to not only survive hardships, but grow into the person he was always meant to be.” Born in Dallas, but now based out of Boston, Anjimile infuses his style of indie rock and folk with musical bits of his past and present. Evident are the influences of the African pop passed on by his parents, his time spent in youth choir, and his love of both ’80s classics and recent works from Sufjan Stevens. Most of the recording was done thanks in par...
Sufjan Stevens Rails Against “America” on Sprawling New Song: Stream
Sufjan Stevens announced a new album titled The Ascension earlier this week. Today, he’s revealed additional details about the release and shared its lead single, “America”. The forthcoming follow-up to 2015’s Carrie & Lowell was written and recorded almost entirely by Stevens himself over the course of two years. According to a statement, the album was created using just his computer, “working mostly with a drum machine and handful of synthesizers.” In terms of subject matter, The Ascension channels a deep sense of curiosity and reflection. “My objective for this album was simple,” the beloved indie songwriter explained. “Interrogate the world around you. Question anything that doesn’t hold water. Exterminate all bullshit. Be part of the solution or get out of the way. Keep ...
Father John Misty Releasing Anthem +3 Covers EP for Bandcamp Day
In the early days of the pandemic, Father John Misty released his live album Off-Key in Hamburg to benefit the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. As the country continues to face unprecedented health and social challenges, the indie folk artist is back with another charity release, this time aligned with Bandcamp’s final scheduled fee-free event. On Friday, July 3rd, FJM unveils a new covers EP called Anthem +3. The EP’s title is pretty autological: It features a new rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem” plus three other previously released covers. Father John Misty recorded his take on “Anthem” just a few weeks back, according to a press release, alongside producer Jonathan Wilson at his Fivestar Studios in Topanga, California. Also on the EP are Wilson-produced versions of Cohen’s “One of U...
boygenius Releasing Early Demos For Bandcamp Day
In 2018, boygenius dropped one of the best releases of the year with their self-titled debut EP. Now, the indie supergroup is offering fans a glimpse at the origins of that stellar project by sharing a collection of demos. Early “voice memo” versions of EP tracks “Bite the Hand”, “Me & My Dog”, and “Stay Down” will be made available to stream exclusively on Bandcamp on Friday, July 3rd. According to a statement, these rough recordings were taped in rehearsal on June 5th, 2018 — the day before boygenius would enter the studio to officially work their magic. The three demos will remain on Bandcamp for just 24 hours, to coincide with the streaming platform’s waiver of revenue share. All proceeds will be divided evenly between three local organizations specifically chosen by each band...
Phoebe Bridgers Releases Proper Studio Recording of John Prine’s “Summer’s End”: Stream
Back in April, legendary songwriter John Prine passed away after a battle with COVID-19. Dozens of artists covered his songs to pay tribute to his life and long-lasting influence. One of those musicians was Phoebe Bridgers, who performed his late single “Summer’s End” on Instagram earlier this spring. Now, months later, she’s unveiled a more polished up version for SiriusXM. Listen below (via Stereogum). In her original cover of “Summer’s End”, Bridgers could be seen in her house playing the song live to a computer camera while dressed in pajamas. The setting may have been extremely casual, but her vocals — however poorly mic’d they were, if at all — sounded gorgeous and empathetic. It seems like she was quite moved by Prine’s track, because this new touched-up take sounds much fuller and ...
Grace Sings Sludge Shares New Song “Friend to All”: Stream
Grace Sings Sludge, the solo project from Grace Cooper of The Sandwitches, has shared the new song “Friend to All”. It’s the latest single off her forthcoming album Christ Mocked and the End of a Relationship, which just received the new release date of July 17th. Christ Mocked… is her fifth album under the Grace Sings Sludge banner, but the first recorded at a proper studio. If “Friend to All” is any indication, she’s definitely benefiting from crisper production. The new single is a lovely journey into gothic folk. Over gentle, minor-key guitars, Cooper spins an anxious tale of a downtrodden woman who’s “been friends to all,” in her own way. Cooper’s singing is expansive and expressive; she loves to whittle down a vowel until it’s little more than a hum, and then flip her voice upwa...
