Rina Sawayama, our April Artist of the Month, is back with a new music video for “Bad Friend”. It comes in support of SAWAYAMA, her recently released debut album of “brilliant” and “lyrically complex, refined pop.” Directed by Ali Kurr, the film noir-style clip sees Sawayama play the role of a man drinking down his breakup sorrows at a bar. Though initially reserved and private in nature, after a few too many shots, he completely lashes out and attacks his drinking companion. For Sawayama, this was the first time doing her own stunts and working with prosthetic makeup. Editors’ Picks In a statement, the Japan-born, UK-based pop artist talked about the purposefully shocking tone of the visual, “The song is about the heartbreak of losing a friendship and realizing that you were the cau...
Arca has formally announced her new album, KiCk i. The follow-up to 2017’s self-titled LP is due out June 26th via XL Recordings. The forthcoming 12-track effort sees experimental producer Alejandra Ghersi teaming up with prominent guests Björk and Rosalía, as well as SOPHIE and Shygirl. This fourth full-length continues a long-running collaborative streak for Arca and Björk; Arca previously contributed heavily to the Iceland icon’s albums Vulnicura (2015) and Utopia (2017). KiCk i represents a new and transformative chapter for Arca, who now identifies as a Latinx trans woman comprised of more than one “self-state.” “I’m asking for recognition that we have multiple selves without denying that there’s a singular unit,” she told Paper recently, “I want to be seen as an e...
In our new music feature Origins, bands give their listeners some insight into the inspirations behind their latest track. Today, Country Westerns explain why “I’m Not Ready”. For a full year, few had heard the music of Country Westerns besides the late David Berman. After all, Silver Jews drummer Brian Kotzur had started the project with The Weight/Gentleman Jesse’s Joey Plunkett as a way to play music pressure-free; performing for the indie icon was enough of an outlet. They’d tested the waters of Nashville’s DIY party scene, but otherwise kept things close to the garage. Once State Champion’s Sabrina Rush picked up bass for the first time and started playing with Country Westerns, however, it was Berman who encouraged them to take their sound wider. So off the trio went to New York, spe...
The veteran art-rock collective The Residents have announced a new double-disc album called METAL, MEAT & BONE: The Songs of Dyin’ Dog. The first single, “Die! Die! Die!”, comes with a Trump and coronavirus-inspired music video, along with unhinged vocals from Black Francis of Pixies. METAL, MEAT & BONE arrives July 10th, and if you’re wondering, “Who’s this Dyin’ Dog?”, The Residents have provided a typically cracked answer. According to a statement, Dyin’ Dog was a bluesman from the 1970s born with the name Alvin Snow. Before his mysterious disappearance on January 13th, 1976, Dyin’ Dog apparently recorded a ten-song demo. As the story goes, The Residents were fortunate enough to rediscover this long-lost masterpiece, and have now used it as the basis for METAL, ME...
Madeline Kenney has announced her third studio album, Sucker’s Lunch. Set to arrive July 31st through Carpark Records, it’s being teased with a lead single titled “Sucker” featuring Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner. For her first two full-lengths, Kenney enlisted the help of two special musicians; Toro y Moi produced 2017’s Night Night at the First Landing, while Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak handled production on the 2018 follow-up, Perfect Shapes. Kenney has again brought in outside talent for Sucker’s Lunch, this time turning to all of Wye Oak — both Wasner and Andy Stack. All three artists co-produced and pieced together the new album during quick studio sessions held in Durham, San Francisco, and Kenney’s hometown of Oakland. Musically, the forthcoming LP is said to lean more int...
IDLES’ “Mr. Motivator” video Just when we could all use a boost, IDLES are back with a rallying new song called “Mr. Motivator”. It serves as the first official preview of their new album. With their signature breed of stomping punk instrumentation and frontman Joe Talbot’s wily vocals, the Bristol natives crank through a whole batch of self-admitted cliches in the name of inspiration. “Like Conor McGregor with a samurai sword on roller blades/ Like Vasyl Lomachenko after four pints of Gatorade”, hacks Talbot during the track’s first verse. “Let’s seize the day/ All hold hands/ Chase the pricks away”, he chants throughout its cheery refrain. “Mr. Motivator” falls in line with the style of rough-and-tough positivity that IDLES became known for on their 2018 record, Joy As ...
Girl Friday have announced their debut album Androgynous Mary. In anticipation of the August 21st release, the genre-fluid rockers have shared the music video for their lead single “Amber’s Knees: A Matter of Concern”. The LA quartet first gained national attention when they were named finalists in the 2018 Vans Share the Stage competition. Girl Friday followed that accomplishment with the 2019 Fashion Conman EP, a marvelous project that sounded like Robert Smith went surfing with Iggy Pop. “Amber’s Knees: A Matter of Concern” continues the exploration of sunny, guitard-driven post-punk. It’s melodically simple but structurally dense, with an intro, a couple of verses, a big shout-a-long chorus, a bridge, and an outro, all crammed into a tight three minutes. In a statement, Girl Frida...
The real Eurovision may be cancelled, but this summer Netflix is releasing Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. The new comedy is out June 26th, and instead of a traditional trailer, the streaming giant has shared “Volcano Man”, a bonkers music video performed by Rachel McAdams and Will Ferrell. In the grand Eurovision tradition, “Volcano Man” is both catchy and utterly nonsensical. It’s nothing more or less than a soaring synth pop ode to a man who lives on a volcano. “Volcano man!” Ferrell roars, as McAdams replies, “He’s got my melting heart!” The video is set on an idyllic Scandinavian fjord, and features viking attire, over-the-top makeup, and lots of Ferrell’s heavy breathing. Check out “Volcano Man” below. Via Rolling Stone, Ferrell and McAdams star as as...
It looks like A Portrait of an Ugly Man will be quite a musical leveling up for Remo Drive. The Midwest indie rockers have shared another new song from the album, a tongue-in-cheek number called “Ode to Joy 2”, as well as a music video to go with it. From the sound of it, they’re ready to start wooing new fans over the radio with the track. “Ode to Joy 2” is the second single we’ve heard from Remo Drive’s upcoming full-length, following “Star Worship”. Whereas that track was an uptempo primer for a return to the sound of their breakout debut, 2017’s Greatest Hits, this new song leans back cooly, taking its time with a slow-burning funk bass line and suave vocals. Come to think of it, “Ode to Joy 2” almost sounds like an Arctic Monkeys ballad. In a statement, vocalist Erik Paulson explained...
Lockdown has afforded people more time to reflect on what matters most in their lives. For Khruangbin, warm memories of family and friends chart high on their lists, as evidenced by their latest single “So We Won’t Forget”. Here, bassist and vocalist Laura Lee Ochoa pens post-it reminders to herself lest she fails to recall a meaningful moment. “One to remember/ Writing it down now/ So we won’t forget,” she sings over a smooth, soothing arrangement. Her voice is reminiscent of Sade, an artist Ochoa has long admired. “Memory is a powerful thing,” Khruangbin note in a statement. “Now more than ever it’s important to tell the people you love that you love them, so that they don’t forget.” Editors’ Picks Check out today’s new song via a video directed by Scott Dungate and co-produced by ...
If the last few months have proven anything, it’s that this world is endlessly unpredictable. Case in point, no one could have expected Dylan Baldi and Jayson Gerycz of Cloud Nothings to come out of nowhere and drop a freeform jazz album. But here we are, with the bandmates forming the Baldi/Gerycz Duo and surprise releasing a new album called Blessed Repair. The 44-minute, five-track collection finds Cloud Nothings’ guitarist/singer Baldi playing saxophone and drummer Gerycz experimenting with new techniques on his kit. Unlike their work with their post-indie band, the duo’s new project finds them recording completely off the cuff. “Cloud Nothings is very much about fully written and composed songs, which take lots and lots of work,” Baldi said in a statement. “I can spend days working on...