New Song Releases
SLONK Channels His Inner Blur on New Song “Colin”: Stream
Bristol-based indie rocker Joe Sherrin has been making music under the moniker SLONK for quite some time now, all while playing in other bands like Fenne Lily, Milo’s Planes, and Let’s Kill Janice. Today, he’s sharing a new song called “Colin” and it sees him changing gears from his typical sound to embrace the anthemic side of synth pop. “This song came about a few years ago at a temp job where I didn’t know (and still don’t) what I was actually doing there,” explained Sherrin in a statement. “I knew what type of thing I was supposed to be doing on the computer, but had no idea what it meant or what its purpose was. ‘Colin’ is about the idea staying there forever, told through the eyes of the characters who I worked there with.” As bleak as being trapped in a dead-end job may be, SLONK ma...
The Knife’s Olof Dreijer Remixes Robyn & Röyksopp’s “Monument”: Stream
The Knife had a big 2020, marking their 20th anniversary with a series of reissues, a long-awaited migration to Bandcamp, live performances, and a new anti-nationalist anthem. With the celebration behind them, though, the group’s Olof Dreijer is back to his own work. Today, he’s shared a remix of “Monument” by Robyn & Röyksopp. “Monument” comes from the Swedish collaborators’ 2014 Do It Again EP, but it’s given a completely new spin here. The original pulsed with heavy sultriness as Robyn delivered slow and deliberate lyrics of determination. Dreijer kicks up the tempo considerably, speeding the vocals and panning the audio back and forth. The instrumentation also has been given something of a more classic dancefloor vibe, to the point where you can almost see the flashing lights cutti...
Squid Announce Debut Album Bright Green Field, Share New Song “Narrator”: Stream
Squid have announced their debut album Bright Green Field, which is set to arrive in May. As a first look, the Brighton post-punk band is sharing a sprawling lead single called “Narrator”. Bright Green Field follows Squid’s pair of 2020 songs, “Sludge” and “Broadcaster”, as well as their 2019 EP Town Centre. This LP was produced by Dan Carey (black midi, Bat For Lashes, Hot Chip), and judging by the recording process, it sounds like they went big: a 30-person choir, a horn and string ensemble, and actual field recordings of bees. Although its title and artwork evoke a pastoral setting, drummer/vocalist Oliver Judge says that this album exists in a shadowy cityscape. “The tracks illustrate the places, events and architecture that exist within it,” he explains in a statement. ...
Son Little Releases New Song “Phantom Killer”: Stream
The Philly-based R&B artist Son Little has returned with a new song called “Phantom Killer” that might be his most forward-thinking tune yet. On last year’s aloha LP, his third full-length for ANTI- Records, Little continued to refine his signature blend of lo-fi indie-rock and psychy soul. Like on 2017’s New Magic and his 2015 S/T debut, the music centered Little’s undeniable vocal talent — a raw, dusky croon that sounds great when he’s belting and softly cooing. “Phantom Killer” is a one-off loosie that makes a hard pivot into some very different, though equally beautiful, sounds. On this track, Little douses his voice in auto-tune and sings with a mournful inflection that brings to mind Kanye’s “Blood On The Leaves”. The frisky shaker noises and looping acoustic guitar rif...
Shovels & Rope Enlist Sharon Van Etten to Cover The Beach Boys’ “In My Room”: Stream
Shovels & Rope (photo by Todd Cooper) and Sharon Van Etten (photo by Ryan Pfluger) Shovels & Rope have teamed up with Sharon Van Etten for a cover of The Beach Boys’ “In My Room”. The track is part of an upcoming covers collection called Busted Jukebox Volume 3 that’s loosely inspired by the act of parenting. The first two installments of Shovels & Rope’s collaborative series arrived in 2015 and 2017, respectively, and both of those projects were loaded with guests like Brandi Carlile and Shakey Graves. Volume 3 has the cheeky alternative titled Busted Juicebox because all of the guests musicians are parents themselves, and the songs they chose to cover — from lullabies and American songbook standards, to R.E.M. and Janis Joplin cuts — are emotionally relate...
Pino Palladino and Blake Mills Announce New Collaborative Album, Share “Just Wrong”: Stream
Acclaimed musicians Pino Palladino and Blake Mills have combined their talents on a new joint album. Notes with Attachments is due for release on March 12th via New Deal/Impulse! Records. The forthcoming LP was originally envisioned as a solo album from Palladino, a Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, and bassist best known for his work on D’Angelo’s Voodoo and Black Messiah albums, as well as projects with Nine Inch Nails, Adele, and Perfume Genius. However, Mills’ input eventually led to the realization that a full-fledged collaborative effort would bring out the best in them both. “It all evolved from me playing Blake a few ideas, getting a reaction from [him] and seeing if he’d be interested in working on [them],” Palladino explained in a statement. “As the project evol...
Clairo Shares New Song “Just for Today”: Stream
With winter descending, everyone’s seasonal depression can finally be introduced to their pandemic and clinical depressions. The last year has been a mental health clusterfuck, as Clairo acknowledges on her new song ” Just for Today”. The DIY bedroom popper shared a lovely demo of the song in the early hours of Tuesday, January 26th. The aching lyrics find Clairo wrestling with the worst her mind can throw at her. “Honestly, i didn’t think I’d end up here this time,” she sings. Later, she says, “Mommy, I’m afraid i’ve been talking to the hotline again.” But “Just for Today” isn’t as weighty as the feelings that inspired it. Her voice is sweet and empathetic, and at one point she’s joined by a special guest: her new puppy Joanie. The pint-sized pup has recently become the star of Clai...
FKA twigs Unveils New Song “Don’t Judge Me”: Stream
Things are afoot in the FKA twigs camp. In October, the R&B star revealed that her third album had been completed during quarantine. Now, she’s back with a new song called “Don’t Judge Me”. Today’s offering is her first since dropping the masterful album MAGDALENE in 2019. In addition to a stunning performance from FKA twigs, the track features UK rapper Headie One and producer Fred again…, who’s worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Brian Eno. “Don’t Judge Me” appears to be something of a companion release or sequel to “Don’t Judge Me (Interlude)”, an early 2020 collaboration that also featured all three artists. Unlike the intentional vagueness of that song, the themes on this version are a lot more direct. During her verse and the hook, twigs begs her lover to hold her and appreci...
Hardcore Band Regional Justice Center Announce New Album, Unleash “Absence” and “Inhuman Joy”: Stream
Hardcore quartet Regional Justice Center have announced their sophomore full-length, Crime and Punishment. The band has also shared two fiery songs from the LP, “Absence” and “Inhuman Joy”. The album follows a prolific string of 7-inch splits and EPs by Regional Justice Center, who paired their output with an exhaustive touring itinerary prior to the pandemic. In the meantime, the band’s calculated intensity has grown even more ferocious, as heard on new tracks “Absence” and “Inhuman Joy”. The songs operate in a duality, the former holding to a classic hardcore template of blasting rhythms and urgent lyricism, and the latter pitched down to a bass-heavy dirge. The distinct writing style of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ian Shelton shows through on both tracks. In a press release, the...
’68 Announce New Album, Share “The Knife, The Knife, The Knife”: Stream
Former Norma Jean and The Chariot singer Josh Scogin has announced a new album from his current project ’68. It’s called Give One Take One and due out on March 26th via Cooking Vinyl. He’s has also shared the music video for the lead single, “The Knife, The Knife, The Knife”. Scogin himself created the video for the heavy single, which leans more toward garage rock as opposed to the metalcore and hardcore punk of his previous bands. Hints of blues fuse with a noisy post-hardcore edge, resulting in a massive wall of sound — impressive considering ’68 are only two individuals: Scogin and drummer Nikko Yamada. “Of all the music I’ve created over the years, this album holds some of my very favorite moments, lyrically, musically, and even mentally; I travel down several roads that are...
Dave East Unveils New Song “Mercedes Talk”: Stream
Dave East has elevated hustle to a religion. Since 2010 he’s dropped something like 16 mixtapes and albums, most recently 2020’s Karma 3. The veteran MC shows no signs of slowing down, opening 2021 with the new song “Mercedes Talk”. The track was produced by AraabMuzik. His beat eschews internal movement, building tension out of the contrast between a high chime and rumbling bass. East works over the top with a laid back flow, mixing the personal (“I still don’t feel like I’m famous/ Had to move up out the projects just to feel like I made it,”) with punchlines (“Headshot turn your thoughts into liquor.”) “Mercedes Talk” comes with a music video directed by WillC. It shows East on the street with his bros, outside a corner store, and behind the counter of a fast food joint. Oh, and th...
HDBeenDope Drops New Song “21 Bags”: Stream
HDBeenDope is building on the buzz from his 2020 album BrokeN Dreams with an arresting music video for his new song “21 Bags”. “21 Bags” quietly dropped on December 31st, at a time when the world was preoccupied with burning 2020 in effigy. The odd timing disguised a banging self-produced beat, over which HD unleashed half-a-dozen head-spinning flows. One of the things that makes him such an interesting MC is ability to switch between humility and braggadocio, hard truths and going hard. “21 Bags” is here to slap you upside the eardrums. He spits, “Parlayed all the hard days/ To the soirée with a ‘Yonce/ I need all lays for the bolognese/I got octane and they all blaze.” The new video was directed by Erikson Corneil. It shows HDBeenDope in what appears to be an enormous dance studio, ...
