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News

Beach Fossils and Nation of Language Announce Joint U.S. Tour Dates

Bunny Out Now via Bayonet and Strange Disciple Out Now via [PIAS]

Jan 31, 2024

Dream-pop band Beach Fossils and synth-pop trio Nation of Language have announced some joint U.S. tour dates for this April. More

Dec 23, 2023

Here we go again, racing to December’s finish line, eager to put another chaotic year in the rearview and nervous about what the next 12 months have in store for us. More

Nation of Language Share New Song “Sightseer”

Strange Disciple Due Out This Friday via [PIAS]

Sep 11, 2023

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language are releasing a new album, Strange Disciple, this Friday via [PIAS]. Now they have shared another song from it, “Sightseer.” The band also recently shared a Miss Grit remix of the album’s “Too Much Enough.” More

Nation of Language Share Stacked Video For New Song “Too Much, Enough”

Strange Disciple Due Out September 15 via [PIAS]

Jul 27, 2023

Nation of Language have shared a music video for their new song “Too Much, Enough” which is the latest single from their upcoming album Strange Disciple. More

10 Best Songs of the Week: ANOHNI and the Johnsons, Mega Bog, Girl Ray, Blur, Spoon, and More

Plus Kieran Hebden and William Tyler, Nation of Language, Julie Byrne, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

May 19, 2023

Welcome to the 18th Songs of the Week of 2023. We have a strong Top 4 this week, even though it wasn’t the most active seven days for new tracks. More

Nation of Language Share New Song “Stumbling Still”

Strange Disciple Due Out September 15 via [PIAS]

May 17, 2023

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language are releasing a new album, Strange Disciple, on September 15 via [PIAS]. Now they have shared another song from it, “Stumbling Still.” More

22 Best Songs of the Last Two Weeks: Jessie Ware, Alison Goldfrapp, Nation of Language, and More

Plus Blondshell, Girl Ray, Little Dragon, Dawn Richard, Indigo De Souza, and a Wrap-up of the Last Two Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Apr 14, 2023

Welcome to the thirteenth Songs of the Week of 2023. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because I was on a brief vacation (it was my daughter’s spring break), so this week’s list includes songs from the last two weeks. Any song first released between April 1 and April 14 was eligible. Hence we have a supersized list week—22 songs is probably the most we’ve ever had in one Songs of the Week main list, but it breaks down to 12 songs from this week and 10 from last week. More

Apr 13, 2023

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have formally announced a new album, Strange Disciple, and shared a new song from it, slow burning album opener “Weak In Your Light.” More

Pitchfork Music Festival Announces 2023 Lineup: The Smile, Big Thief, and Bon Iver to Headline

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

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

13 Best Songs of the Last Two Weeks: Angel Olsen, Ratboys, Feist, The New Pornographers, and More

Plus ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT, Caroline Rose, Nation of Language, Indigo De Souza, and a Wrap-up of the Last Two Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Mar 17, 2023

Welcome to the tenth Songs of the Week of 2023. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because I was sick with a bad cold (which still lingers) and we were putting the finishing touches on our latest print issue. So this week’s Songs of the Week encompasses songs from the last two weeks. More

Mar 08, 2023

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have shared a new song, “Sole Obsession,” via a music video, and have also announced some new tour dates. More

Dec 06, 2022

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have shared a remix of “Across That Fine Line” done by Joe Goddard of Hot Chip. It is out now via [PIAS]. More

10 Best Songs of the Week: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arctic Monkeys, Paramore, Wings of Desire, and More

Plus The Go! Team, Badlands, Alice Boman, The War on Drugs, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Sep 30, 2022

Welcome to the 37th Songs of the Week of 2022. This week Florida was devastated by Hurricane Ian and here at Under the Radar headquarters we are currently getting rain connected to storm, with heavy rainfall expected this weekend. One of our writers is in Tampa, Florida, but luckily the power stayed on yesterday while he was doing an interview for our next print issue. Speaking of which, we are very much focused on the next two print issues right now, so we were a bit indecisive about this week’s Songs of the Week. So we settled on a Top 12 and there are lots of honorable mentions this week. More

Sep 28, 2022

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have shared a new single, “From the Hill.” It is their first new music since the release of their previous album, A Way Forward. More

Aug 19, 2022

Aidan Noell of Nation of Language has shared a new solo single, a cover of the 1981 techno song “Sharevari” by A Number Of Names. The cover featured Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem and was produced by Nick Millhiser of Holy Ghost. More

Jun 01, 2022

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have shared a cover of the The Replacements’ 1984 song “Androgynous.” The cover will be released on 7-inch vinyl in August, with a surprise single as the B-side. More

“Covers of Covers” – Under the Radar’s First Album Is Out Today – Stream or Buy It Now

Covers of Covers Out Now via American Laundromat; Some Proceeds Benefit Sweet Relief

Mar 04, 2022

Covers of Covers, our first album, came out today on CD and digitally via American Laundromat. You can stream it now. You can also buy it directly from American Laundromat, via Bandcamp, or on Amazon. Today we posted a track-by-track article on the album, in which all 20 artists discuss their contribution. More

Listen to New Tracks by Cults and Nation of Language From Our “Covers of Covers” Album

Cults Cover Phoenix’s “Bourgeois” and Nation of Language Cover Broken Social Scene’s “Stars and Sons”; Covers of Covers Due Out This Friday via American Laundromat

Feb 28, 2022

Covers of Covers, our first album, is due out this Friday via American Laundromat (preorder it here). Today we are sharing two last pre-release singles from it: Cults’ cover of Phoenix’s “Bourgeois” and Nation of Language’s cover of Broken Social Scene’s “Stars and Sons.” More

The Expanded Digital Version of Under the Radar’s 20th Anniversary Issue Is Out Now

It Includes Bonus Interviews and Photos Not Found in the Print Version

Jan 28, 2022

The print edition of Under the Radar’s special 20th Anniversary Issue was announced last month and is currently available to buy. Now the expanded digital version is available. It includes all the interviews and the reviews from the print version, but also features additional interviews not featured in print, as well as extra frames from our photo shoots. More

Jan 20, 2022

Last night, Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language made their late night TV debut playing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. They performed the track “Across That Fine Line” from their newest album, A Way Forward. More

Jan 07, 2022

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

Under the Radar Announces “Covers of Covers” Album, Shares Grandaddy and EMA Tracks

Covers of Covers Due Out March 4, 2022 via American Laundromat; Also Features Cassandra Jenkins, Alex Lahey, Peter Bjorn and John, Hatchie, Nation of Language, Cults, Kevin Drew, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Girl Ray, Piroshka, and More

Dec 21, 2021

Under the Radar is proud to announce Covers of Covers, which is the magazine’s first ever album. In honor of our 20th anniversary we approached some of our favorite musicians and asked them to cover any song by any artist who had been on the front or back cover of our print issue over the years. Covers of Covers is due out March 4, 2022 via American Laundromat, but today we are sharing two of its tracks: Grandaddy’s cover of Metric’s “Blindness” and EMA’s cover of Modest Mouse’s “Trailer Trash.” More

Nov 11, 2021

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have announced a spring 2022 North American tour in support of their newly-released album, A Way Forward. They have also just shared a lyric video for the album cut “In Manhattan.” More

10 Best Songs of the Week: All We Are, Alex Lahey, Animal Collective, Nation of Language, and More

Plus Aeon Station, Boy Harsher, Beauty Pill, Clinic, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Oct 22, 2021

Welcome to the 40th Songs of the Week of 2021. More

Nation of Language Share Video for New Single “The Grey Commute”

A Way Forward Due Out November 5 via [PIAS]

Oct 20, 2021

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have shared a video for their new single “The Grey Commute.” It is the latest release from their forthcoming album, A Way Forward, which will be out on November 5 via [PIAS]. More

12 Best Songs of the Week: Low, Circuit des Yeux, Mac McCaughan, Yard Act, and More

Plus Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, Field Music, Colleen Green, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Sep 10, 2021

Welcome to the 34th Songs of the Week of 2021. There were a whole lot of new songs this week, even though Monday was a holiday (Labor Day) here in the U.S. We narrowed it down to 12 favorites this week, with lots of good honorable mentions too. More

Sep 09, 2021

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have shared their new single “A Word & A Wave.” It is the latest release from their forthcoming sophomore studio album, A Way Forward, which will be out on November 5. The song features production by Nick Millhiser, one half of fellow Brooklyn synth-pop duo Holy Ghost! More

12 Best Songs of the Last Two Weeks: Magdalena Bay, Sea Power, Nation of Language, and More

Plus Big Thief, Trace Mountains, Macie Stewart, and a Wrap-up of the Last Two Weeks’ Other Notable New Tracks

Aug 13, 2021

Welcome to the 30th Songs of the Week of 2021. As I was on vacation last week, this week’s list covers the last two week’s worth of songs. So it’s a super-sized edition with a Top 12. More

Aug 05, 2021

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have shared a video for their new single “This Fractured Mind.” It is the latest release from their forthcoming sophomore album A Way Forward, which is due out on November 5. More

11 Best Songs of the Week: Courtney Barnett, The Goon Sax, Strand of Oaks, Damon Albarn, and More

Plus Nation of Language, Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Jul 09, 2021

Welcome to the 26th Songs of the Week of 2021. The American music industry pretty took Monday off due to Sunday’s July 4th holiday, so we expected slimmer pickings this week. It was not to be, thanks for some exciting album announcements. We settled on a Top 11 this week. More

Jul 08, 2021

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language are self-releasing a new album, A Way Forward, on November 5. Now they have shared its second single, “Wounds of Love,” via a lyric video. More

12 Best Songs of the Week: Japanese Breakfast, CHVRCHES and Robert Smith, Wolf Alice, and More

Plus Teenage Sequence, Nation of Language, LUMP, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Jun 04, 2021

Welcome to the 21st Songs of the Week of 2021. We figured it would be a quiet week for new songs, with Monday being a holiday here in America, but we were wrong. More

Jun 03, 2021

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have announced a new album, A Way Forward, and shared its first single, “Across That Fine Line,” via a lyric video for it. They have also announced some tour dates. More

14 Best Songs of the Last Three Weeks: Casper Clausen, Kiwi Jr., RINSE, Sleaford Mods, and More

Plus Kevin Morby, Crowded House, Django Django, and a Wrap-up of the Last Three Week’s Other Notable New Tracks

Nov 13, 2020

Welcome to the 42nd Songs of the Week of 2020. We haven’t done a Songs of the Week in three weeks. Because of last week’s presidential election there were hardly any new songs of note released and we were too on edge awaiting the outcome to be decided to focus on new music. The week before was the run up to Halloween and there were certainly some worthy songs then, but for whatever reason we didn’t get Songs of the Week finished in time and abandoned it. So this week’s Songs of the Week covers the last three weeks, but mainly songs from this week and two weeks ago. More

Nation of Language Share New Song “A Different Kind of Life”

Produced by Nick Millhiser of Holy Ghost!

Nov 12, 2020

Brooklyn-based synth-pop trio Nation of Language have shared a new song, “A Different Kind of Life,” produced by Nick Millhiser, one half of fellow Brooklyn synth-pop duo Holy Ghost! More

Nation of Language Announce Limited-Edition Vinyl; Share Video For “On Division St.”

Introduction, Presence Due Out on August 28 via Rough Trade

Aug 06, 2020

Synth-pop trio Nation of Language released their debut album, Introduction, Presence, back in May. In our review we called it one of the “most danceable records of its kind released since the period it references.” If you missed it, no worries. The band has announced a limited-edition translucent sand vinyl release, exclusively through Rough Trade on August 28. In addition, the band released a video for the album’s “On Division St. More



Interviews

“Covers of Covers” – Inside Under the Radar’s First Album

Track-by-Track: Each Artist on Their Contribution to the Album

Mar 04, 2022

When hatching plans to celebrate Under the Radar’s 20th anniversary I knew I wanted to go beyond just producing a special 20th anniversary issue. Despite two decades of writing about albums, one thing we’d never done is actually put one out ourselves. Thus I came upon the idea for Covers of Covers. The concept was so perfect and simple that I’m surprised we hadn’t thought of it before. We approached some of our favorite musicians and asked them to cover any song by any artist who had been on the front or back cover of our print issue over the years, including artists that had appeared in group cover shots. More

Feb 28, 2022

If there was one unifying pursuit of all consumers of music in the past two years, it was for profound catharsis. We dove deeper into the catalogs of favorite artists in search of it. We caught virtual concerts that stood in for visits to our favorite neighborhood venues for a sense of connection. The introduction of a new band with the It factor that makes you beam with emotion, however, did seem like a phenomenon on indefinite hold. Enter Brooklyn’s Nation of Language. More


Reviews

Oct 03, 2023

Nation of Language are currently touring the UK right now and Under the Radar caught their blistering show in Brighton last week. More

Sep 18, 2023

Let’s state the obvious. Sonically, Nation of Language sound like the world’s greatest New Order cover band. More

Mar 17, 2022

Nation of Language packed New York City’s Webster Hall on March 3rd, with a set featuring many songs from their new album, A Way Forward. More