New Music Video Releases
Sharon Van Etten and Josh Homme Share Video for “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”: Watch
Sharon Van Etten and Josh Homme in video for “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” Sharon Van Etten and Josh Homme’s cover of “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” wasn’t intentionally made for the quarantine era. “Recording this song had nothing to do with what we’d be going through… until we started going through it,” explains Homme in a statement. But while the track itself wasn’t intended to be an anthem of isolated times, its new music video fully embraces the state of the world. Directed by Matthew Daniel Siskin, the clip captures Van Etten and Homme at home with their families. The former’s kid plays around with an empty inflatable swimming pool while she sips a glass of wine and sings karaoke in front of a projection of SMPTE color bars. Homme, m...
Sia Shares New Song “Together” from Upcoming Directorial Debut: Stream
Sia’s last proper album, This is Acting, hit shelves more than four years ago. The pop superstar has been quite busy since then, though — and not just with her music. Not only is she working on the soundtrack to a movie she herself directed, she has also expanded her own family by adopting two 18-year-old boys. Marking Sia’s feature directorial debut, the forthcoming film is called Music. Co-written by Sia and children’s author Dallas Clayton, it’s based on a short story the singer penned in 2007. The story follows the life of an autistic teenager (Maddie Ziegler) who is cared for by her drug-dealing half-sister (Kate Hudson). If you’ll recall, actor and dancer Ziegler often appears in Sia’s music videos, including the now-classic clip for “Chandelier”, one of the best hits of the 201...
Julianna Barwick Announces New Album Healing Is a Miracle, Shares “Inspirit”: Stream
Julianna Barwick has announced a new album called Healing Is a Miracle just in time to help soothe our global anxiety. It’s her first record in four years and is due out on July 10th via Ninja Tune. To celebrate, she’s shared the lead single, “Inspirit”, along with a scenic music video that captures the mood. Healing Is a Miracle was built on improvisation, reflection, and collaboration. In particular, the latter takes shape in the form of some very notable guest features by Jónsi of Sigur Rós, Nosaj Thing, and Mary Lattimore. While this may appear like a departure from her past work, the press release assures that Healing Is a Miracle is a natural evolution from her previous albums, including 2016’s Will and 2013’s Nepenthe. Barwick began drafting ideas for Healing Is a Miracle last sprin...
Rina Sawayama has a Bloody Breakdown in New “Bad Friend” Video: Watch
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 Announces New Album KiCk i, Featuring Björk, Rosalía, and More
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...
Country Westerns Share the Origins of New Single “I’m Not Ready”: Stream
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...
Madeline Kenney Announces New Album, Shares “Sucker” Featuring Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner: Stream
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 Return With Rallying New Song “Mr. Motivator”: Stream
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 ...
Remo Drive Belt Their Hearts Out on New Song “Ode to Joy 2”: Stream
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...
Khruangbin Channel Sade on New Single “So We Won’t Forget”: Stream
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 ...
Cloud Nothings’ Dylan Baldi and Jayson Gerycz Release Freeform Jazz Album Blessed Repair: Stream
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...
Zoé Announce New Album Sonidos de Karmática Resonancia, Share “SKR”: Stream
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...
