Our new music feature Origins finds artists revealing some of the inspirations behind their latest track. Today, Henry Jamison discusses his collaborative with Lady Lamb, “Orchardist”. Musicians are often inspired by life on the road, whether it’s the fugacious sense of time, the yearning for familiar territory, or the distance from friends. For his own mini “road record,” Vermont folk artists Henry Jamison has taken a novel, two-pronged approach with his new EP, Tourism. Due out May 15th via Color Study, the five-track effort focuses lyrically on the “dissolution of self” that led to Jamison’s recent breakup. The strain was brought on by his life as a touring musician, a common story for those whose home is lined with pavement. But while being on the road can bring certain relationships t...
The NBA season is currently on hold, but fortunately there are many documentaries out there for fans to get their basketball fix. In addition to the hit Michael Jordan miniseries, The Last Dance, Kevin Durant’s new Showtime program Basketball County: In the Water will focus on hoopers from the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) region of the US. However, Basketball County also happens to feature some non-baller talent from that part of the country in rapper IDK, who was born and raised just 30 minutes south of Baltimore. IDK has been enlisted to be the music supervisor, composer, and narrator for the entire series. This is a huge opportunity for IDK, and he’s coming off the bench hot in his new role by dishing out a new single called “495”. Joining him on the track is a dream team of f...
Rising Australian rapper Tkay Maidza has inked a deal with legendary British indie label 4AD, currently home to artists like Grimes, The National, and Big Thief. It’s not a common destination for fledgling rappers, but Maidza, who recently collaborated with Baltimore experimentalist JPEGMAFIA, is no ordinary hip-hop artist. For proof of her refreshing approach to the genre, fans won’t have to look beyond her banging new single “Shook”. On the track, Maidza can be heard rapping with an elastic flow over a distinctly Missy Elliott-esque beat. The sonic parallel isn’t purely coincidental, either; “Shook” was actually produced by Dan Farber, who helmed the instrumental for Lizzo’s “Tempo” single featuring Elliott herself. Maidza’s cadence during the verse is also slightly reminiscent...
Late last year, bassist Lou Barlow revealed that Dinosaur Jr. were in the studio recording their next record. Now, relishing his role as the official Dino-leaker, Barlow has announced that the album is finished and mixed. What’s more, he’s premiered a new, currently untitled song. The news came from Barlow’s laundry room during a lockdown livestream performance on Monday. “We just finished mixing the Dinosaur Jr. record. Of course we did it remotely,” he said, adding that John Agnella had done the work alone in his North Carolina studio. “I have two songs that I contributed. I had three but I couldn’t finish the third one because of…” He gave a shrug that took in the general state of the world. “This. There’s been a lot of cancelled Dinosaur Jr. stuff, too, but we have a record so we have ...
This summer, The Beths will return with a sophomore album called Jump Rope Gazers. After previewing the release with last month’s “Dying to Believe”, the New Zealand indie pop outfit is unboxing a new single in “I’m Not Getting Excited”. While musically a jumpy, driving number, its subject matter is about denying oneself the freedom to enjoy excitement and success — all because of constant second-guessing. In a statement, lead singer Elizabeth Stokes explained this case of imposter syndrome, “People always ask ‘are you excited!?’ and it’s a fair question, because exciting things do happen to us sometimes. Support slots, overseas tours, music releases. Stuff we’ve dreamed about for years. So the correct answer is always ‘yes.’ But the truth is that deep down there’s a tiny Liz saying, ‘don’...
Bedroom pop artist Jordana is back with a brand new single called “I’ll Take It Boring”, and it’s pretty much another guaranteed hit from the 19-year-old wunderkind. A few months ago, Jordana signed to Grand Jury Music and re-released her debut album, Classical Notions of Happiness, through the label. If you haven’t heard it, check it out ASAP. It’s a collection of folk-tinged pop songs that’s as witty as it is personable, landing Jordana alongside fellow young singer-songwriters like Sidney Gish and Caroline Rose. Thanks to “I’ll Take It Boring”, fans don’t have to wait to hear what she was working on as a follow-up. “’I’ll Take It Boring’ is a song about my experience at a Halloween party which I regretted attending,” Jordana said in a press release when asked about the track’s origins. ...
Migos, the prolific rappers with the sticky triplet flows, have returned with a new track, “Racks 2 Skinny”. Produced by DJ Durel, “Racks 2 Skinny” finds the Migos having just spent an unwise amount of money. But the trio are not deterred. “When the racks too skinny (too skinny),” Quavo says in the hook, “I can make somethin’, squeeze a milli (squeeze, uh).” The song comes with a music video directed by Joseph Desrosiers and Migos. It features huge piles of rubber-banded cash, expensive grills, and space-age sports cars filmed like something out of Sin City. Check out “Racks 2 Skinny” below. This is the second new track that Migos have released in as many weeks. On May 5th (Cinco de Mayo) they released the new track “Taco Tuesday”. In February, they teamed up with Young Thug and ...
Slowthai loves to get up to no good, and now he’s ready to immortalize one of his most egregious actions in a new song. Presenting “ENEMY”, a single the UK rapper released this weekend that digs deep into his controversial speech from this year’s NME Awards. To understand what he’s getting at on this new track, you must first revisit what went down at the awards show. Back in February, Slowthai was primed to have a big night at the NME Awards. He opened the evening by performing his excellent Mura Masa collaboration “Deal Wiv It”, which went swimmingly until he decided to get cheeky by mooning the crowd. Things somehow got worse. When Slowthai accepted his fan-voted award for Hero of the Year, he harassed host and comedian Katherine Ryan by propositioning her. One audience member was so re...
Denzel Curry has unleashed a new freestyle, “I’m Just Sayin Tho”, featuring Atlanta MC Tommy Swisher. In a statement on YouTube, he wrote he was releasing the track now, “because we need music and happiness at a time like this.” Here, Curry borrows a track produced by The Olympicks, which had previously appeared on the Rick Ross rarity “Bust Back”. But while Ross used the epic strings as an excuse to stunt, Curry’s verse is more relatable. He starts with the words “2020 vision”, and then uses it to look backwards: to That’s So Raven, Mr. Miyagi, and the Rugrats. But while he plans to skip a visit to Dr. Lipschitz, his childhood comes loaded with trauma. “Try to keep the balance, be honorable and sadistic/ Lost a lot of homies, but in my dreams they revisit.” Check out “I’m Just S...
Exuberant hip-hop group BROCKHAMPTON have shared two new songs, “Things Can’t Stay the Same” and “N.S.T.”. According to reports on Reddit, both tracks were initially premiered during a password-protected livestream late Friday night, and were later uploaded to the group’s YouTube channel. Both cuts are said to be unfinished and unmastered. While hearkening back to the SATURATION days of banger after banger, both “Things Can’t Stay the Same” and “N.S.T.” offer a little taste of the unusual. The former is built around a chipmunk soul sample of “Trouble Will Find Me” by Amnesty, while the latter features a rare, welcome verse from producer Jabari Manwa. But the tracks have at least one thing in common: a scene-stealing, face-melting performance by Matt Champion. Check out “Things Ca...
Muse frontman Matt Bellamy has shared his second-ever solo song, and its release couldn’t be more timely. The one-off single is titled “Tomorrow’s World” and finds the veteran rocker holding onto optimism despite these incredibly trying times. “Your body is stronger/ Your mind is a wonder/ Your heart is so full of love,” Bellamy sings over a layer of piano and strings, steadfastly focusing on the positive in his life. “Don’t you waste it… Look to tomorrow.” In a statement, the UK musician said that today’s offering “captures my mood and feelings whilst in lockdown.” He continued, “I have been reminded of what really matters in life and have discovered growing optimism, appreciation and hope for the future. The song title comes from an old BBC TV show called ’Tomorrow’s World,” which I watc...
Cut Copy are back just in time to give you something to dance about. The Australian electronic group have returned with a new single called “Love Is All We Share” and a vibrant music video, both of which are a fitting mood for the current state of the world. This is the first slice of new music Cut Copy have shared in almost three years. It follows their 7-inch single “Ocean Blue” from 2018 and their fifth studio album, Haiku from Zero, which came out in 2017. According to frontperson Dan Whitford, the track came together when Cut Copy were experimenting with downsizing their sound. “’Love Is All We Share’ is a song we made using only a handful of sounds, hoping to create an intimate and unworldly atmosphere,” Whitford said in a press release. “It was written a year ago about the anxieties...