New Song Releases
Viagra Boys Release New Song “Creatures”: Stream
Viagra Boys are back with another new post-punk banger called “Creatures”. It’s the second offering from their forthcoming sophomore record Welfare Jazz, and it comes paired with an amazing music video. Back in October, the Swedish group kicked off their album cycle with the asshole anthem “Ain’t Nice”, which was a cheeky tune about proudly being a dumpy mooch with no manners. It was the sort of crude scumbaggery that you might expect from a band called Viagra Boys, but “Creatures” takes a more nuanced look at the life of a seedy miscreant. The synth-based track is a commentary on the absurdism of the class disparity that compares the lifestyle vocalist Sebastian Murphy groaned about on “Ain’t Nice” to that of the ocean’s bottom feeders. “We are the creatures that steal your copper/ We don...
Beabadoobee and Arlo Parks Release Christmas Covers: Stream
Beabadoobee and Arlo Parks are getting into the holiday spirit. The UK bedroom pop musicians have each contributed festive covers to Apple Music’s Christmas singles series. For her contribution, our former Artist of the Month Bea Kristi (aka Beabadoobee) performed a rendition of the yuletide classic “Winter Wonderland”. Although you might expect either ukulele strums or gnarled jazzmaster riffs from the Fake It Flowers star, the 20-year-old actually tries her hand at singing wistfully over ornate strings, resulting in a surprisingly classy take on the snowy staple. Arlo Parks, on the other hand, puts a completely new spin on the incredibly ’80s Wham! hit “Last Christmas”. Rather than leaning into the track’s kinetic energy and creating something you can jump around to next to the...
Your Old Droog Reveals the Origins of New Track “Krygyzstan”: Stream
Origins is our recurring new music feature in which artists dare to dig deep into the stories behind their latest track. Today, Your Old Droog takes us on a trip to “Krygyzstan”. Recent years have put a different vibe on the life of the American immigrant. Never mind that the entire country was established by expatriates, it feels like there’s never been a more tenuous time for outsiders. Yet that also makes it the perfect time for those with diverse background to embrace those differences, something Your Old Droog does thoroughly on his new album, Dump YOD: Krutoy Edition. Due out December 4th, the effort finds the Ukraine-born, Brooklyn-raised rap musician channeling his Eastern European and Central Asian heritage. He showed us what that sounds like on the lead single “Pravda”, and now h...
Briston Maroney Covers Samia’s “Is There Something in the Movies?”: Stream
Rising indie pop artist Samia broke into the music scene this past August with her debut album, The Baby. Now, she’s announced The Baby Reimagined, a companion collection that sees other musicians cover and remix her original songs. Due out January 15th via Grand Jury, the upcoming effort includes reworks helmed by The Districts, Palehound, and Bartees Strange. There is also an update of “Waverly” from Anjimile, a former Consequence of Sound Artist of the Month. As a teaser of The Baby Reimagined, Samia is sharing a new version of “Is There Something in the Movies” from folk songwriter Briston Maroney. The Nashville-based Maroney here turns “Is There Something in the Movies?” into a whispery, emotional, acoustic anthem that gathers strength as it progresses. By the time he reaches the chor...
Beach Bunny Announce New EP Blame Game, Share “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used)”: Stream
Fresh off the success of their debut album Honeymoon, Beach Bunny are back to announce a new EP, Blame Game. It’s out January 15th on Mom+Pop Music, and the band is today offering a preview with lead single “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used)”. Our former Artist of the Month went from underground rockers to TikTok sensation on the strength of endlessly catchy hooks. Led by songwriter Lili Trifilio, the band returns with a four-track look at toxic masculinity and laborious relationships. The EP was recorded in Chicago in August, and produced by Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Joyce Manor, Modern Baseball). As “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used)” can testify, Beach Bunny haven’t lost their gift for earworms. Trifilio warns a trifling partner that while, “I still think that you’re cute/ Good girls don’t get ...
James Blake Gets in the Holiday Spirit with “In the Bleak Midwinter” Cover: Stream
James Blake has shared a cover of “In the Bleak Midwinter”, the iconic Christmas carol first set to music in 1906 by Gustav Holst and popularized by Harold Darke in 1911. Stream it below exclusively through Apple Music. The Assume Form singer was approached by Apple Music to record a holiday song for their streaming platform earlier this year. At first, Blake wasn’t sure which song to pick, namely because he wanted to choose something pop-leaning that would do well on a playlist. That’s when he began a mental tug-of-war about playing into algorithms versus staying true to his interests. Eventually, Blake realized he should just pick an old British gem he loves instead. “Look man, all the pop Christmas songs have been covered a million times. I’m not going to out-sing Mariah,” Bla...
Björk Shares New Version of “Sonnets” Featuring Iceland’s Hamrahlid Choir: Stream
Like many Icelandic artists before her, Björk spent much of her teenage years singing as part of the renowned Hamrahlid Choir. Things have now come full circle, as the experimental artist has contributed to the choir’s upcoming album, Come and Be Joyful. The two acts have specifically collaborated on a new version of “Sonnets”, originally taken from Björk’s 2004 album Medúlla. This completely reworked a cappella rendition was actually first premiered live by the choir during Björk’s mesmerizing “Cornucopia Tour” in 2019, but hasn’t been released to the public until today. “[Hamrahlid Choir founder] þorgerður is a legend in iceland and has guarded optimism and the light in the tumultuous times that teenagedom is,” Björk praised the choir’s leader on social media. “she has also encoura...
Eddie Van Halen Covers Jimi Hendrix’s “If 6 Was 9” on Newly Unearthed Recording: Stream
Jimi Hendrix from Live in Maui, courtesy Experience Hendrix / Eddie Van Halen, photo by Philip Cosores A cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “If 6 Was 9” featuring guitarwork by the late Eddie Van Halen has been unearthed. The archival track was recorded in the ’90s with keyboardist David Garfield, who recovered and remastered the song for a new EP, Guitar Heros OTB, Vol. 1. Eddie shreds through a decadent solo on the classic Hendrix number. The Van Halen guitarist wasn’t known for his psychedelic flourishes, but he unfurls some mesmerizing licks that would have no doubt impressed Hendrix himself. After all, “If 6 Was 9” stands as a highlight on the latter’s 1967 opus Axis: Bold as Love, one of the great psych-rock albums of all-time. The cover came about when Garfield, a veteran keyboard and session ...
Sheryl Crow Covers Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels” on Fallon: Watch
Tom Petty’s estate released the expanded Wildflowers box set last month, and they’ve been tapping artists to promote it in his place since the beloved late musician cannot. On Wednesday night, Sheryl Crow stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform “You Don’t Know How It Feels” — and she did so with the help of three other Sheryl Crows. “You Don’t Know How It Feels” is one of those classic rock staples that hits you right in the heart. The original version of the classic 1994 single has plenty of swagger courtesy of a bluesy harmonica solo, a great guitar riff, and of course Petty’s empathetic chorus. Wildflowers & All The Rest includes a 2014 remastered version of the song as well as the original 8-track demo and a live version. In her take on the song, Crow essential...
Miley Cyrus Releases New Album Plastic Hearts: Stream
Miley Cyrus has released Plastic Hearts, her new album and the seventh studio full-length of her career. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. This ia Cyrus’ first release since the 2019 EP She Is Coming, and her first full-length since 2017’s Younger Now. Plastic Hearts spans 15 tracks in total, including her rock-infused pop single “Midnight Sky” and her phenomenal covers of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” and The Cranberries’ “Zombie”. She also tacked on “Edge of Midnight”, her remix of “Midnight Sky” featuring the one and only Stevie Nicks. Across Plastic Hearts, there’s plenty of room for Cyrus to spread her wings and soar to new pop heights. There’s also a handful of collaborations where she showcases other skills: “Bad Karma” features perennial rock icon Joan Jett, “Night Crawling”...
Taylor Swift Releases folklore Live Album and Film: Stream
As promised, Taylor Swift has released her new folklore-focused film, the long pond studio sessions. The pop singer has also revealed a corresponding live album version of those sessions. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the original folklore LP was recorded remotely while in quarantine. Today’s two projects see Swift finally meeting up with her collaborators (IRL!) to perform the album live from start to finish for the first time. She, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner convened at The National’s Long Pond Studio in Hudson, New York. Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, who duets with Swift on “exile”, beamed in remotely. “It’s an album that allows you to feel your feelings, and it’s a product of isolation,” Swift said in the film’s trailer. At another point, she remarked to Dessner, “This could’...
Tori Amos Gifts New Holiday Song “Better Angels”: Stream
Everyone could use an extra bit of hope this strange holiday season, and that includes Tori Amos. The chamber pop artist is gearing up to release a new EP, Christmastide, that’s meant to be a joyful “safe space” from these turbulent times. As a first preview, Amos is sharing closing track “Better Angels” today. According to the eight-time Grammy-nominated songwriter, this offering envisions a brighter future while simultaneously recognizing the harshness of our present circumstances. “With ‘Better Angels’ I wanted to acknowledge the year we have all been through and know that there is hope,” remarked Amos. “We can find that hope within ourselves if we continue to focus our collective minds and souls. We are slowly starting to find a clearer path to transform together for the better of all,...
