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...
Mexican alt-rockers Zoé have announced a new album called Sonidos de Karmática Resonancia. As a preview, they’ve shared its lead single, “SKR”, as well as a music video. Sonidos de Karmática Resonancia is the band’s seventh studio album to date. It follows their Grammy-winning record Aztlán, which came out back in 2018. While no tracklist has been revealed yet, at least we have “SKR” to tide us over. The song was written by frontman León Larregui and produced by Craig Silvey, who’s worked with fellow alt-rock stars like Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire. You can hear a bit of the former mixed in with The Strokes here, as the single uses a closely plucked guitar line to build tension before resolving it all in the chorus, sliding into melodic, drawn-out notes. Editors’ Pic...
While some struggle to simply get out of their pajamas during this quarantine (me), slowthai has been on an absolute tear when it comes to releasing new music. Following “ENEMY” and “MAGIC”, the 25-year-old rapper is sharing his third single of the week in “BB(BODYBAG)”. Produced by Dom Maker of UK electronic duo Mount Kimbie, the new track is a slightly more subdued affair than slowthai’s two previous offerings, his frenetic rapping wrapped in airier, minimalist atmospherics. Even so, the Nothing Great About Britain artist makes good on the song title’s ominous teasing, dishing out more than a handful of murderous references, and all while name-dropping some left-field folks. “If this was a movie, I’ll be the villain/ You’ll be the bitch I’m killing/ Coin in the well, keep wishin’, s...
Katy Perry has entered the chat with her new song “Daisies.” It’s said to be the first official single from her as-yet untitled fifth album, which will be released August 14th via Capitol Records. Over a flower bed of acoustic guitar mixed with electropop, Perry sings an anthem of resilience and perseverance — speaking directly to those who “said I’m going nowhere… tried to knock me down.” The track was produced by The Monsters & Strangerz, known for their studio work with Halsey and Zedd. Check out “Daisies” below via a video from filmmaker Liza Voloshin. Perry is also apparently craving social contact as much as the rest of us, because she is crashing online listening parties for “Daisies”. To coincide with the new single’s premiere, the pop superstar announced she would virtually vi...
Pearl Jam took a deep look at the world around us on their latest album, Gigaton. While they warned of a planet on the brink of cataclysm, they also presented messages of hope and potential triumph. Of course, in 2020, they’re not the only ones calling for change; for the video for the record’s latest single, “Retrograde”, they called on one of this generation’s most prominent — and youngest — environmentalist voices, Greta Thunberg. The animated clip finds a man driving to a strip mall occupied by a number of stores named after Pearl Jam albums. At the end of the row sits a psychic’s shop, where our protagonist goes to get a glimpse of not just his future, but all of ours. It turns out Thunberg is the prognosticator, and inside her crystal ball swirl images of the London Bridge and Eiffel...