Indie Rock
Illuminati Hotties Announce New Mixtape, Share First Single: Stream
Los Angeles “tenderpunks” Illuminati Hotties will release a new mixtape on July 17th. It’s titled Free I.H.: This Is Not The One You’ve Been Waiting For and follows their acclaimed 2018 debut album, Kiss Yr Frenemies. This forthcoming effort was written after a major fallout with their indie label, Tiny Engines, which was allegedly involved in shady royalty payment practices. As a result, the new material sees lead songwriter Sarah Tudzin & co. working through the aggression and hurt that came with their ensuing contract-related legal battles. (Hence, the Free: I.H. title.) That assertive bite bares its teeth on the mixtape’s latest single, the lengthily and bluntly named “will i get cancelled if i write a song called, ‘if you were a man, you’d probably be cancelled’”. It’s ...
Rising Rockers Advertisement Unleash Debut Album American Advertisement: Stream
Advertisement, the buzzworthy rock band band out of Seattle, have shared their debut album American Advertisement. Stream it below via Bandcamp. American Advertisement was recorded and mixed by Trevor Spencer and mastered by Jack Shirley. Musically, it’s both nostalgic and of-the-moment; nostalgic for the delight in guitar-driven rock and roll, but with modern lyrical concerns that recall Seattle as it exists today. The new LP also sounds post-legal weed, chilled out and occasionally psychedelic, but there’s an anger, too; a social awareness shaped by the tech-bro invasion and having witnessed the slick gentrification and dull luxury condos crowding out the waterfronts. While the overall vibe is sunny, life-affirming fun, American Advertisement is interrupted by flashes of p...
My Morning Jacket’s The Waterfall II Offers a Slice of Thoughtful Summer Escapism: Review
The Lowdown: In our diseased and never-ending present, 2015 feels like a hell of a lot longer ago than just five years. That April, My Morning Jacket released The Waterfall, a record that our Sheldon Pearce praised for its “stunning sonic scenery” and “perceptive, generation-bending kind of songwriting about lost love and nostalgia.” In addition to producing their best-received record since 2005’s breakthrough, Z, the sessions at Panoramic House in Stinson, CA, also produced a second album’s worth of material that Jim James and company decided to save until they needed them most. At the time, James told critic Steven Hyden in an interview for Grantland that “the two records aren’t related or anything” and that he “[didn’t] want to put it out as, like, The Waterfall 2 or anything like that....
Pinegrove Release Expanded Edition of Marigold: Stream
Pinegrove have released a (slightly) expanded edition of their latest album, Marigold. Stream the now-13-track effort below via Spotify and Apple Music. It’s also available via TIDAL, which is currently offering a 60-day free trial. Released in January, Marigold served as a follow-up to 2018’s Skylight, which was recorded prior to allegations of misconduct raised against Pinegrove’s leader, Evan Stephens Hall. That made the newer release the first effort the band had recorded following an extended hiatus, during which Hall and his accuser reached a resolution via a private mediator. Here, the LP has seen the addition of two new songs: an acoustic version of “Phase” and a take on “No Drugs” recorded during the Skylight sessions. Alongside the new tracks comes a video for the single “Endless...
Future Islands Share “For Sure”, First New Song in Three Years: Stream
Synthpop heroes Future Islands are back with their first new song in three years. The track is called “For Sure” and it sees the Baltimore band teaming up with Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak, a pairing that sounds seamless in practice. A press release states this is Future Island’s first new music since releasing their 2017 album The Far Field. Technically, though, the band released a standalone single called “Calliope” back in 2018 for Adult Swim’s Singles Series. Regardless, “For Sure” marks a welcome return for the band, especially because there could potentially be more new music on the way. “For Sure” is a soaring number that feels like you’re being filled with hope — something we could certainly use a little more of this year. Armed with their usual blend of synthpop, nonstop drums, and big ...
My Morning Jacket Announce New Album The Waterfall II, Out This Friday
Five years ago, My Morning Jacket released their most recent album, The Waterfall. At the time, the word was that the alternative rockers had actually recorded enough songs for two full-length albums, but the second collection of tracks never materialized — until now. Today, MMJ have announced The Waterfall II, and it’s coming this Friday, July 10th via ATO Records. The Waterfall and The Waterfall II were recorded during inspiring sessions at what became affectionately known as Panoramic House in Stinson Beach, California. While My Morning Jacket considered putting out all of the music as a triple album, they instead decided to split the two dozen tracks into distinct projects. It was during a walk in the early days of the pandemic lockdown that frontman Jim James rediscovered on...
Guided by Voices Announce New Album Mirrored Aztec, Share “Haircut Sphinx”: Stream
If you had to guess the most frequently-used phrase in music writing, you might guess it’s this: Guided by Voices have announced a new album. The prolific rockers will release Mirrored Aztec on August 21st, and they’re promoting it with the single “Haircut Sphinx”. Additionally, GBV have revealed the tongue-in-cheek “World Tour 2020”, a one-night streaming event that takes place July 17th. Frontman Robert Pollard has 107 albums (and counting!) to his credit. Mirrored Aztec will be his fifth effort in 18 months, following 2019’s Zeppelin Over China, Warp and Woof, Sweating the Plague, and 2020’s Surrender Your Poppy Field. Like the bus in Speed or Donald Trump on Twitter, Pollard seems incapable of taking a break. A press release describes Mirrored Aztec as ful...
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...
TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe Dances at the Guillotine on “ReelFeel”: Stream
Tunde Adebimpe has shared a new song called “ReelFeel” — perhaps because the more appropriate title of Dance Dance Revolution was already taken. “ReelFeel” is a toe-tapping ode to regime change, as well as a charity single benefiting the Audre Lord Project. Earlier in his career, the TV on the Radio frontman was more concerned with interior struggles and the emotional distance between individuals. But the dumpster fire of 2020 has pulled his attention to public spaces, and the results are as magnificent and incisive as fans could have hoped. Last month on Juneteenth, Adebimpe shared the protest song “People”, and “ReelFeel” is a spiritual successor — a kind of “after” shot accompanying the pained “before” of “People”. “ReelFeel” was produced by Chrome Sparks, who called the cut a “sco...
Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois Spins a Tale by the Everyman That’s Still Being Written Today
How does the story of America begin? When encapsulating the country’s essence in musical form, which is the best foot forward with such rich, yet charged, subject matter? The opening moments of a dozen different albums produce a dozen different answers, whether it be a Tom Morello riff or a Boris Gardiner sample. On July 5, 2005, it began with a piano song about a UFO. To be more accurate, it’s as plausibly a biblical allegory as it is an introduction to civilization from the perspective of extraterrestrial life, refracted through the same passage of history like light from a prism. Its abstract lyricism is only matched by its blunt emotional presentation, as gorgeous keys and fluttering flutes propel a chorus of voices — all directed by one unmistakable soft croon. Its owner? Sufjan Steve...
Bloc Party’s Kele Questions British Stereotypes in New Song “Melanin”: Stream
Bloc Party founder Kele Okereke has shared a new single called “Melanin”. It was originally supposed to be released on his solo album 2042 last year, but he removed it from the tracklist when he couldn’t get the sample cleared in time. Under his first-name-only moniker Kele, he dives into the idea of race and education in Britain — or, more specifically, how those subjects are barely taught at all. “I believe that if we truly want to dismantle the racial division in this country, then it starts with the education system,” said Kele in a statement. As such, “Melanin” seeks to right this wrong, namely by calling for a more accurate syllabus that tells the truth about the country’s colonial past. “I’m glad that we get to share the track now, at a time that it seems more pertinent than ever,” ...
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 ...
