News
The Best Songs from the Best Albums of the Last Year
Jan 07, 2025
By Mark Redfern
We have put together a Spotify playlist for our Top 100 Albums of 2024 list and it’s 10 hours long. It features at least one song from each of our Top 100 in the order the albums appear on the list, from our #1 album to our #100. Some albums are represented by multiple songs filtered throughout the list. More
Escaping the Nostalgia Trap
Dec 29, 2024
By Mark Redfern
Under the Radar tends to handle our best albums of the year lists differently than most other music publications. More
Lineup Also Features Dry Cleaning, Mdou Moctar, The Drums, illuminati hotties, Drop Nineteens, Gang of Four, and Osees; Festival Will Take Place Halloween Weekend in Austin, TX.
Jul 02, 2024
By Marina Malin
Austin, Texas’ Levitation festival has announced their 2024 lineup. Highlights include Slowdive, Nilüfer Yanya, Soccer Mommy, The Jesus Lizard, Dry Cleaning, Mdou Moctar, The Drums, illuminati hotties, Drop Nineteens, Gang of Four, Osees, and others. More
Plus Lionlimb, Why Bonnie, Jon Hopkins, Font, La Luz, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 03, 2024
By Mark Redfern (with Andy Von Pip)
Welcome to the fifteenth Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Mark Moody, and Scott Dransfield helped me decide what should make the list. We seriously considered over 20 songs this week and narrowed it down to a Top 12. More
Funeral for Justice Due Out This Friday via Matador
Apr 30, 2024
By Mark Redfern
Nigerien quartet Mdou Moctar are releasing a new album, Funeral for Justice, this Friday via Matador. Now they have shared its third single, “Oh France.” A press release says the song is “a fiery indictment of French colonialism.” More
Plus Bernard Butler, Arab Strap, John Cale, Strand of Oaks, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 29, 2024
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the eleventh Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Marc Abbott, Mark Moody, Matt the Raven, Scott Dransfield, and Stephen Humphries helped me decide what should make the list. It was a strong seven days for new tracks, so we settled on a Top 13 this week, narrowed down from the 24 songs we seriously considered. More
Funeral for Justice Due Out May 3 via Matador
Mar 26, 2024
By Mark Redfern
Nigerien quartet Mdou Moctar are releasing a new album, Funeral for Justice, on May 3 via Matador. Now they have shared its second single, “Imouhar,” via a music video. More
Funeral for Justice Due Out May 3 via Matador
Feb 28, 2024
By Mark Redfern
Nigerien quartet Mdou Moctar have announced a new album, Funeral for Justice, and shared its title track, via a music video. More
Plus The Beths, Brittany Howard, The Drums, Jockstrap, The Last Dinner Party, Oneohtrix Point Never, Young Fathers, and Many Others
Jan 16, 2024
By Mark Redfern
Coachella has announced the lineup for their 2024 festival. No Doubt are reuniting for the event. More
Festival Will Take Place July 21–23 at Chicago’s Union Park; Lineup Also Features Weyes Blood, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Alvvays, and More
Mar 20, 2023
By Mark Redfern
Pitchfork Music Festival has announced their 2023 lineup. The Smile, Big Thief, and Bon Iver will be headlining. Other acts include Weyes Blood, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Alvvays, Nation of Language, and more. More
Niger EP Vol. 1 Out Today via Matador
Aug 24, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Mdou Moctar have released a new EP, Niger EP Vol. 1, today via Matador. The EP consists of live and recorded versions of songs recorded from 2017 to 2020 in Niger. The band have also shared a visualizer for a drum machine-driven version of “Chismiten” from their 2021 album Afrique Victime. More
Afrique Refait Due Out April 19 via Matador
Apr 14, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Mdou Moctar have announced a remixed version of their 2021 album Afrique Victime, which will be out on April 19 via Matador. The album features remixes and appearances by a handful of African electronic artists. The group have shared a remix of the track “Taliat,” featuring MC Dougis and remixed by Ray Sapienz. More
Afrique Victime Digital Deluxe Version Out This Thursday via Matador
Feb 22, 2022
By Joey Arnone
This Thursday (Feb. 24), Mdou Moctar will be releasing a digital deluxe version of their newest album, Afrique Victime. It will feature nine additional songs, including live tracks and demos of songs from the album. A previously unreleased track, “Nakanegh Dich,” has been shared by the band today. More
Nakama Out Now via Matador
Jan 26, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Steve Gunn has shared a new EP, entitled Nakama, which consists of reimaginings of songs from his newest album, Other You. The five-song set features remixes and collaborations with Mdou Moctar, Circuit des Yeux, Natural Information Society, and Bing & Ruth. More
Jan 07, 2022
By Mark Redfern
2021 began and ended in a state of uncertainty, but was still a fruitful year for new music. Here are Under the Radar‘s 100 favorite albums from the year. More
Afrique Victime Out Now via Matador
Jan 05, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Mdou Moctar has announced a set of North American tour dates for winter 2022. Several dates on the tour coincide with the band’s previously announced supporting act dates for Parquet Courts. More
Afrique Victime Out Now via Matador
Dec 07, 2021
By Joey Arnone
Mdou Moctar performed a Boiler Room Session back in November, and the full performance video has just been put out. Filmed in Niger, the 30-minute clip features a solo guitar performance from Moctar as he performs several songs from his previous two studio albums, this year’s Afrique Victime and 2019’s Ilana: The Creator, along with an improvised guitar solo. More
Afrique Victime Out Now via Matador
Nov 11, 2021
By Joey Arnone
Mdou Moctar has shared a new live performance video, Mdou Moctar: Live at the Niger River. The near 20-minute clip features Moctar alongside his band performing four tracks from his newest album, Afrique Victime: “Tala Tannam,” “Bissmilahi Atagh,” “Ya Habibti,” and “Chismiten.” More
Afrique Victime Out Now via Matador
Sep 16, 2021
By Joey Arnone
Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar has shared a new documentary depicting the days leading up the release of his most recent album, Afrique Victime. The 10-minute short film features Moctar and his band preparing for the album’s release in Niamey, Niger. The footage was mainly shot by bassist Mikey Coltun, who flew into Niger in December 2020 to be with his band. More
Plus Lucy Dacus, POND, Gruff Rhys, CHAI, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 21, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 19th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week there was finally a ceasefire in the latest Israeli Palestinian conflict. More
Afrique Victime Out Now via Matador
May 21, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar has released a new album, Afrique Victime, today via Matador. Now that it’s out, you can stream the whole thing here. Also, on Thursday we posted our new interview with Moctar and on Wednesday we posted our review of the album. More
Afrique Victime Due Out This Friday via Matador
May 18, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar is releasing a new album Afrique Victime, this Friday via Matador. Now he has shared another song from the album, “Taliat,” and announced some new fall U.S. tour dates. More
Plus Sons of Kemet, CHAI, Storefront Church, POND, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 02, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 12th Songs of the Week of 2021. In the nation was gripped (or more accurately, traumatized) by the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd. More
Afrique Victime Due Out May 21 on Matador
Apr 01, 2021
By Joey Arnone
Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar has shared the title track from his upcoming album Afrique Victime, due out May 21 via Matador. An accompanying video for an edited version of the song, which originally clocks in at seven and a half minutes, has also been released. More
Recorded in Niamey, Niger Last Year
Mar 25, 2021
By Emma Goad
Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar has released a live performance of “Tala Tannam,” a song from his upcoming album Afrique Victime, which is due out May 21 via Matador. More
Plus Silk Sonic, Mdou Moctar, James, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 05, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the eighth Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a fairly quiet week on the news front, with President Joe Biden’s pandemic stimulus bill getting closer to passing in the Senate, but without a minimum wage hike. More
Afrique Victime Due Out May 21 on Matador
Mar 02, 2021
By Joey Arnone
Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar has announced a new album, Afrique Victime, which will be out on May 21 via Matador. Moctar has shared a video for a song from the album titled “Tala Tannam.” The video was filmed in Niamey, Niger and was directed by Cem Misirlioglu. More
Interviews
Sharing a Message With the World
May 19, 2021
By Ben Jardine
Mdou Moctar is a Nigerien guitar virtuoso, but he’ll be the last to admit his virtuosity. He’s far more humble than that. More
Reviews
May 08, 2024
By Kyle Kersey
Mdou Moctar (aka Mahamadou Souleymane) has come a long way since building his first guitar out of wood and bicycle brake cables as a teenager. More
May 20, 2021
By Dustin Krcatovich
Tuareg songwriter/guitarist Mdou Moctar first wriggled into broader consciousness a decade ago with “Tahoultine,” a song on the compilation Music from Saharan Cellphones. More