So many artists, so many songs, so little time. Each week we review a handful of new albums (of all genres), round up even more new music that we’d call “indie,” and talk about what metal is coming out. We post music news, track premieres, and more all day. We update a playlist weekly of some of our current favorite tracks. Here’s a daily roundup with a bunch of interesting, newly released songs in one place.
JAMILA WOODS – “BOOMERANG”
Jamila Woods pivots to upbeat, ’80s-style synthpop on the latest single from her anticipated new album Water Made Us, and it suits her just as well as the other sonic journeys she’s gone on over the years.
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ALLAH-LAS – “SKY CLUB”
It’s the latest breezy single from Allah-Las’ upcoming album Zuma 85 that’s out October 13 via Innovative Leisure.
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DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE – “AN ARROW IN THE WALL” & CHVRCHES REMIX
“‘An Arrow In the Wall’ is about the warning signs all around us in the 21st century that society-at-large is in decay,” Ben Gibbard says. “The arrow lodged in the wall might have missed this time, but it would be naive to assume the next one won’t also. We have been good friends with CHVRCHES since touring together in 2019. They took our maudlin little dance track and turned it into a major key club banger.”
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CHVRCHES – “MANHATTAN”
CHVRCHES announced are celebrating a decade of their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, with a 10 year anniversary special edition, due out October 13 via Glassnote Records (pre-order). It includes four previously unheard songs, and they’ve shared the first of those, “Manhattan,” a bright synth-pop track. “In late Summer 2011, Martin and I got together after having talked about doing so for a few years and started throwing down some synth-based ideas in my studio on the south side of Glasgow,” the band’s Iain Cook says. “‘Manhattan’ was the fourth idea we worked on together. It was the first time we messed around with sampling and chopping up our vocals which would go on to become one of the hallmarks of the band’s sound. Lyrically, we were playing around with pretty abstract apocalyptic imagery – in this case the Manhattan Project. This was right around the time we asked Lauren to come into the studio to try out some additional vocals.”
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THE DRUMS – “ISOLETTE”
“My mother experienced what is referred to as a birth trauma when she was pregnant with me,” says Jonny Pierce in regards to this latest preview of The Drums’ new album, Jonny. “A doctor broke her water without her consent, and she immediately went into painful, traumatic labor. I was born prematurely. They rushed me into an incubator where no one was able to touch me. Over the course of the pandemic, I took a lot of psych courses. In child psych, I learned that it is of utmost importance for a mother to have skin contact with her baby. It’s fundamental for bonding. We didn’t have that. The love and trust you get from that initial bonding influences how you feel love and trust in future relationships. My mother had been violated at the time of my birth and I believe I became a symbol of that trauma. She detached from me emotionally, so on many levels I often feel like I never really left the isolette.”
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ANOTHER MICHAEL – “CANDLE”
Wishes To Fulfill, the first of two albums Another Michael have on the way, is out in September, and the latest single is “Candle.” Bassist and co-producer Nick Sebastiano says, “Michael didn’t really know until showing it to and receiving feedback from the band, but he’d made a pretty bouncy pop song here with a breezy chorus. ‘Feeling bad, why?’ All that anxiety and overthinking about all things general, why does it have to take over? It doesn’t have to. It is a retrospective song with simple insight into inner monologue, reflection, and the fine line between regret and acceptance.”
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VANISHING TWIN – “MARBLES”
Set to a deliberate proggy groove, “Marbles” is the latest enticement from UK-based group Vanishing Twin’s upcoming album Afternoon-X.
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CLEMENTINE VALENTINE – “SELENELION”
“‘Selenelion’ is a type of lunar eclipse where both the sun and moon appear in the sky at the same time,” Clementine Valentine, the duo formerly known as Purple Pilgrim, say of the latest single off their new album The Coin That Broke The Fountain Floor. “As a story the song is based on aspects of countless old folk songs and fables. A star-crossed dynamic. The meeting of a mythological creature and a mortal, always ending in tragedy… The video by Britt Walton follows the same doomed scenario, set in a place dear to us – Hong Kong, where we grew up.”
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MIKE REED – “YOUR SOUL”
Jazzy musician and Pitchfork co-founder Mike Reed will release new album The Separatist Party on October 27 via Astral Spirits / We Jazz. He made the album with Rob Frye, Bitchin Bajas’ Cooper Crain & Dan Quinlivan, cornetist Ben LaMar Gay, and poet & spoken word artist Marvin Tate. It was inspired in part by this 2015 NYT article about a hoarder who died alone in his apartment. “‘Your Soul’ was created on the spot after hearing Marvin perform an acapella version using some of the lyrical content,” Mike says of this track. “It gave me the idea to build a backing track derived by inverting the bass parts of two older compositions and placing them in the same key. Further, the two bass lines are phrased differently, shifting in and out of rhythmic focus. I wanted the whole record to have this familiar but out-of-focus feeling, hoping to make people be much more active listeners. People tend to lean in more when they feel something got a little weird, but they can’t quite put their finger on it.”
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ARNY MARGRET – “WAITING”
“The song is about always feeling like you’re waiting for someone, or a moment to say something, but the person doesn’t really see or give you the time,” Arny Margret says of “Waiting,” a gentle folk track off her new EP dinner alone. “It’s about that feeling of saying to someone ‘Hello, I’m here’ but they don’t notice. It’s another where I feel like it’s more honest, I’m not using any metaphor to mask anything here. That’s a pretty scary thing to do.”
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PAIN OF TRUTH – “YOU AND ME” (ft. FREDDY MADBALL)
Madball are obviously a huge influence on Pain of Truth, and Freddy Madball passes the torch these hungry young guns on “You and Me” from POT’s upcoming debut LP Not Through Blood. Get the LP on limited yellow/blue vinyl.
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MISO EXTRA – “50/50”
London-based singer, rapper and producer Miso Extra releases her new EP, MSG, this Friday (8/18) via Transgressive. The final advance single is the genre-eschewing, eclectic “50/50,” about which she says, “finding the balance in life is hard and I’m someone who is guilty of being stuck in drive. I wrote this song to remind me to not be too hard on myself and to try and enjoy the ride.”
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LSDXOXO – “J’AODRE”
The latest taste of LSDXOXO’s Delusions of Granduer EP is the irresistible, body-pounding synthpop of “J’adore.”
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FRIKO – “CRIMSON TO CHROME”
Chicago band Friko have signed to ATO Records, where their debut LP is due in early 2024. While we wait for that, they’ve re-released impassioned live favorite “Crimson to Chrome” on their new label home.
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PAWS – “DISENCHANTED”
Scottish punks PAWS have announced a new self-titled album, due October 27 via Earnest Jenning Record Co. This one was self-produced, and lead single “Disenchanted” finds the band embracing some lighter ’90s indie rock vibes.
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COREY TAYLOR (SLIPKNOT) – “TALK SICK”
Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor’s new solo album CMF2 comes out September 15, and its latest single finds Corey leaning into classic punk and hard rock.
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SHAMIR – “OBSESSION”
“I love how this song is rooted in uncertainty and not self pity,” Shamir says of “Obsession,” the final advance single off his new album Homo Anxietatem, out this Friday. “The truth is that I didn’t know myself back then, and I certainly was not ready for that level of exposure, but I knew I could be.”
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LOLA KIRKE – “ALL MY EXES LIVE IN L.A.” (ft. FIRST AID KIT)
Lola Kirke’s new Elle King-produced EP Country Curious comes out February 16 via One Riot Records, and she sounds more than “country curious” on this twangy new single. She also strips down to her birthday suit in the music video, which is censored but still maybe not a good one to watch at work.
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GENESIS OWUSU – “STAY BLESSED”
Genesis Owusu’s anticipated sophomore album STRUGGLER is out this Friday, and the final advance single is the post-punk infused “Stay Blessed,” which crackles with immediacy. About the video, Genesis says, “7 days before this was shot, i put up an instagram story asking if anyone was available at this specific time, at this specific place, but most importantly, if they were a baldy / were down to shave and colour their head for me. Thank you to the 70 people who flew up, drove down, and skipped work to come mosh with me. Roaches 4L.”
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CURSETHEKNIFE – “BIG OLE HOUSE”
Oklahoma shoegazers Cursetheknife have shared another dreamy cut from upcoming LP There’s A Place I Can Rest.
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JOHN RAYMOND & S. CAREY – “TRANSIENT”
Shadowlands, the new collaborative album from S. Carey and trumpeter John Raymond, is out next month, and the latest single is the tranquil, ambient “Transient.” “In the months leading up to the initial round of recording we did for the album, I started developing an idea for a melody and chord progression that had a really strong feeling to me but no clear direction,” Raymond says. “No matter what I tried, I couldn’t find the song inside of it. Then, one morning during the sessions, I came to the studio a bit early by myself. I sat down at the piano, started playing the idea, and within thirty minutes the entire song unveiled itself. It was magical. As I played it for the first time, I remember feeling like each phrase had this fleeting, transient quality to it. The song feels like it’s here for a moment and then just vanishes. The more we played it, the more I felt like it was symbolic of the inspiration that all the songs on the record came from.”
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PERENNIAL – “HIPPOLYTA!”
Perennial have shared the second taste of the The Leaves Of Autumn Symmetry EP, a “‘studio-as-instrument’ reworking” of five songs from their 2017 debut album The Symmetry of Autumn Leaves.
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MALI VELASQUEZ – “BOBBY”
Nashville singer/songwriter Mali Velasquez releases her debut album, I’m Green, on October 13 via Acrophase Records, and the latest single is the poignant “Bobby.” “I wrote ‘Bobby’ originally about losing my mom when I was in highschool, I had a lot of these visuals of her being sick,” Mali says. “The only connections I can find from sickness and death are in animals and nature, which felt like my way out of grieving in a tunnel vision. The chorus of the song is largely about my coping with her loss, mostly being unable to move or stop staring at the wall. Grief and moving from unhealthy coping mechanisms to safer ones is a thick and embarrassing struggle that seeps into a lot of these songs.”
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SEABLITE – “MELANCHOLY MOLLY”
San Francisco indie/shoegaze group Seablite have announced new album Lemon Lights which will be out September 29 via Mt.St.Mtn. “Melancholy Molly” is powered by melodic bassline and ethereal harmonies that put it somewhere between Lush and Ride.
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SEXTILE – “CRASH”
L.A. darkwave/post-punk group Sextile have shared another song off their Sacred Bones debut, Push. “Crash” falls somewhere between dreampop and acid house.
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DINERS – “WORKING ON MY DREAMS”
Diners’ Blue Broderick describes “Working on My Dreams” as “a slightly incoherent rambling on inner and outer peace” while the video is definitely tongue-in-cheek. New album Domino is out this Friday.
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SONNY & THE SUNSETS – “ANDROIDS”
Sonny Smith has a way with strummy indiepop that is warm and inviting, as you can hear on this track from new Sunsets album Self-Awareness Through Macrame that’s out next week.
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A BEACON SCHOOL – “KITM”
Patrick J. Smith will release yoyo, his first A Beacon School album in five years, on October 13 via Grind Select and he’s just shared its dreamy first single. “On “KITM”, ‘Keep It To Myself’ abbreviated, I’m very much talking to myself, voicing my frustrations with how long it takes me to do anything,” Smith says. “I have all these plans and ideas and frustrations, but never act on them. It’s kind of a pep talk to say “hurry up and do something!”
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TALKING KIND – “MY TRUCK”
Spraynard’s Pat Graham has shared the third single from his upcoming album as Talking Kind, and compared to the more tender first two singles, this one’s a fuzzed-out, lo-fi rock song.
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STATIC DRESS – “DI-SINTER” (GLITTER REDUX)
UK post-hardcore band Static Dress have shared another redux track from the upcoming Roadrunner re-release of their great 2022 debut album Rouge Carpet Disaster, and this “Glitter Redux” puts an atmospheric, Deftones-y spin on the track.
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DOUBT – “MAKE U SUFFER”
Hardcore bands Doubt and Harm Assist have a new split on the way, and Doubt’s two songs are out now, a murky, heavy track called “Make U Suffer” and a Rival Mob cover.
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THE COWBOYS – “SHE’S NOT YOUR BABY ANYMORE”
Bloomington, Indiana band The Cowboys make sunshine pop in a pleasingly ramshackle way. Like much of what they do, “She’s Not Your Baby Anymore” puts downcast lyrics to cheery melodies.
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CREATION REBEL – “UNDER PRESSURE”
UK Dub vets and On-U Sound house band Creation Rebel will release Hostile Environment on October 6. As usual, Adrian Sherwood is behind the boards. You can feel the deep heritage on “Under Pressure.”
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GAYE SU AKYOL – “LOVE BUZZ” (BLUE CHEER COVER) & “BÖYLE OLUR MU”
Turkish musician Gaye Su Akyol has a new 7″ out via the Sub Pop Singles Club featuring a cover of Shocking Blue’s classic “Love Buzz” which was famously also covered by Nirvana as their debut single on Sub Pop 35 years ago.
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JESSICA WINTER & JONATHAN SNIPES “ALL I NEED” & “FINISH LINE”
Another release on Sub Pop Singles Club, these two songs mix the talents of UK electronic producer Jessica Winter and L.A.’s Jonathan Snipes. “We made these songs in Jonathan’s studio on a short stay in Los Angeles,” says Jessica. “His studio is wall-to-wall modular synth and analog drum machines. I’d come straight from a party in downtown where most people were on crystal meth, and so I was inspired by this new culture I’d stumbled upon. Thinking about the basic needs of life and what things reduce to, ultimately.”
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KEVIN DREW (BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE) – “OUT IN THE FIELDS” & “PARTY OVEN”
Broken Social Scene‘s Kevin Drew will release a new solo album, Aging, on September 22 (physical) and November 3 (digital) via Arts & Crafts. “Pain is a hard thing to let go until you’re ready,” Drew says of the album’s themes. “And that’s kind of where I was at with this record. Music, for me, is a release – it’s a place where I can go and express what it is that I want to say.” Check out two songs now.
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WILD NOTHING – “HEADLIGHTS ON” FT HATCHIE
Hold is Wild Nothing’s first album in five years and also features contributions from Molly Burch, Becca Mancari, members of Beach Fossils and more. It’s out October 27 and this first single features Hatchie.
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MANTRA OF THE COSMOS (HAPPY MONDAYS/RIDE) – “X (WOT U SAYIN?)”
Mantra of the Cosmos, aka the supergroup of Shaun Ryder and Bez of Happy Mondays/Black Grape, Andy Bell of Ride and Oasis, and drummer Zak Starkey (The Who), are back with their second single. “X (Wot U Sayin?)” has Shaun dropping some of his twisted wordplay over a horn-fueled psychedelic groove, with help from former Fall guitarist Brix Smith and Sshh.
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SUPERCHUNK – “SUNNY BRIXTON”
Superchunk have announced Misfits & Mistakes: Singles, B-sides & Strays 2007–2023 which is a 4-LP / 2-CD set compiling 50 songs from the last 16 years of the band, 16 of which will make their vinyl debut. “Sunny Brixton” was originally the b-side of UK-only 7-inch “Learned to Surf,” and Mac says “was about staying with our friend and soundman Joe Hickey when he lived in a group house in Brixton in the ‘90s; it’s all true.”
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THE IRON ROSES – “OLD GUARD”
Nathan Gray of Boysetsfire’s project The Iron Roses have a new self-titled album on the way, and we premiered the latest single, an anthem punk track you can read more about here.
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AMOR MUERE (MABE FRATTI) – “LOVE DIES”
Amor Muere, the Mexico City collective featuring Mabe Fratti, Gibrana Cervantes, Concepción Huerta, and Camille Mandoki, have announced their debut album. Read about lead single “Love Dies” here.
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THRASH PALACE – “GO” & “TEENAGE SPACESHIP”
The new project from EMA’s Erika M. Anderson, producer Vice Cooler, and Talk Normal’s Sarah Register shared their first two singles, which you can read more about here.
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WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM – “TWIN MOUTHED SPRING”
PacNW black metallers Wolves In The Throne Room have announced a new EP and released lead single “Twin Mouthed Spring.” Read about it here.
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JESSI COLTER – “STANDING ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER”
Jessi Colter shared her first new single in seven years, the first track off her Margo Price-produced new album Edge of Forever, which you can read more about here.
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HARM’S WAY – “DEVOUR”
Chicago metallic hardcore band Harm’s Way have shared “Devour,” the second single from their upcoming album Common Suffering. Read about it here.
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THE HOWDIES – “BUDDIES”
Country band The Howdies pay homage to Buddy Holly on this new single, which you can read about here.
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TRUTH CLUB – “EXIT CYCLE” (ft. INDIGO DE SOUZA)
Recent Double Double Whammy signees Truth Club have announced their sophomore LP, and you can read about its new single here.
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SOUL GLO – “SOIL” (SYSTEM OF A DOWN COVER)
Soul Glo have covered “Soil” from System Of A Down‘s classic 1998 debut LP for mental health organization Sound of Saving and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s “Song That Found Me At The Right Time” series. Read more about the project here.
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VENERA (KORN) – “HOLOGRAM” (ft. VOWWS)
Korn guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer has a new dark ambient project with composer/filmmaker Chris Hunt called Venera, and their self-titled debut album arrives 10/13 via Ipecac. Pick up our exclusive “skull gold” vinyl variant and check out this new single.
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END – “GAPING WOUNDS OF EARTH
Metalcore supergroup END (members of Counterparts, Fit For An Autopsy, Better Lovers, Misery Signals, Shai Hulud, and more) have announced new LP The Sin of Human Frailty and shared this lead single. Read about it here.
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the New Songs archive.
