Welcome to the 38th Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Matt the Raven, Scotty Dransfield, and Stephen Humphries helped me decide what should make the list. We considered over 30 songs and narrowed it down to a Top 10.
Issue 73 is out now. It features Maya Hawke and Nilüfer Yanya on the two covers and can be bought from us directly here.
To help you sort through the multitude of fresh songs released in the last week, we have picked the 10 best the last seven days had to offer, followed by some honorable mentions. Check out the full list below.
1. Father John Misty: “Mahashmashana”
Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) released a new album, Mahashmashana, today via Sub Pop. We were sent an advance press copy a couple of months ago and so there are two album tracks not released as pre-release singles that we’ve been loving and wanted to include on Songs of the Week. The first of those is the epic nine-minute opening track, “Mahashmashana.”
The Weather Station (the project of Toronto-based singer/songwriter Tamara Lindeman) is releasing a new album, Humanhood, on January 17, 2025 via Fat Possum. This week she shared its second single, “Window,” and announced some new tour dates. Linderman co-directed the song’s video with Philippe Léonard. The new North American tour dates stretch from late March to early June. Check out the tour dates here.
In a press release, Lindeman says the video was “filmed on the island of Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs, Quebec late one night with a battery powered projector, with many attempts to get that one perfect take. Philippe’s note to me was ‘you are the window.’”
Previously The Weather Station shared the album’s first single, “Neon Signs.” Lindeman co-directed the “Neon Signs” video with Jared Raab and the single made our Songs of the Week list.
Linderman co-produced Humanhood with Marcus Paquin, recording it in the fall of 2023 at Canterbury Music Company. The main backing band on the album is drummer Kieran Adams, keyboardist Ben Boye, percussionist Philippe Melanson, reed-and-wind specialist Karen Ng, and bassist Ben Whiteley. The album also features Sam Amidon, James Elkington, and Joseph Shabason. Joseph Lorge mixed the album.
This week, New York-via-Chicago-based rock trio Horsegirl announced a new album, Phonetics On and On, and shared its first single, “2468,” via a music video. They also announced some tour dates. Phonetics On and On is due out February 14, 2025 via Matador. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as the tour dates, here.
Phonetics On and On is the band’s sophomore album and the follow-up to 2022’s Versions of Modern Performance. Horsegirl is Penelope Lowenstein (guitar, vocals), Nora Cheng (guitar, vocals), and Gigi Reece (drums). In the fall of 2022 the band relocated to NYC for Lowenstein and Reece to attend NYU. In January 2024 the trio returned to Chicago to record the album at The Loft, with Welsh singer/songwriter Cate Le Bon producing.
Eliza Callahan directed the “2468” video, which was choreographed by Alexa West.
Read our review of Versions of Modern Performancehere.
5. Fat Dog: “Peace Song”
South London five-piece Fat Dog released their debut album, WOOF., in September via Domino. This week they shared a brand new track, “Peace Song,” via a music video. The song features a children’s choir.
Joe Love fronts Fat Dog and the band also features Chris Hughes (keyboards/synths), Ben Harris (bass), Johnny Hutchinson (drums) and Morgan Wallace (keyboards/saxophone).
When the album was announced, the band shared its lead single “Running,” via a music video. “Running” was one of our Songs of the Week. Then they shared its next single, “I am the King,” via a music video. It was also one of our Songs of the Week. The album’s next single, “Wither,” was released via a music video inspired by ’90s video games and was also one of our Songs of the Week.
Love produced the album with James Ford and Jimmy Robertson. Influences mentioned in the press release include: Bicep, I.R.O.K, Kamasi Washington, and the Russian experimental EDM group Little Big. WOOF. includes the band’s previously released first two singles, “King of the Slugs” and “All the Same.”
“A lot of music at the moment is very cerebral and people won’t dance to it,” says Hughes. “Our music is the polar opposite of thinking music.”
6. Franz Ferdinand: “Night or Day”
7. Goat Girl: “gossip”
8. World News: “Smoke an Angel”
9. Bartees Strange: “Xmas”
10. Good Morning: “Soft Rock Band”
Honorable Mentions:
These songs almost made the Top 10.
Courting: “Pause at You”
Samantha Crain: “Ridin’ Out the Storm”
Kim Deal: “Nobody Loves You More”
Disgusting Sisters: “Killing It”
Sophie Jamieson: “How Do You Want to Be Loved?”
Ela Minus: “UPWARDS”
Conor Oberst & Craig Wedren: “Justice to a Scream”
Open Head: “N.Y. Frills”
The Pill: “Woman Driver”
Here’s a handy Spotify playlist featuring the Top 10 in order, followed by all the honorable mentions:
13 Best Songs of the Week: Elbow, Doves, Saint Etienne, Squid, and More
Nov 15, 2024
Welcome to the 37th Songs of the Week of 2024. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because we were still reeling from the election results and also artists, labels, and publicists were smart enough not to release too many songs last week. This week’s list thus covers the last two weeks and having said all that, the Top 2 songs were actually released last week (and are both bands from Manchester, England). We’re also partying like it’s 2001, as the Top 3 artists this week were all going strong in the early 2000s.
This week Andy Von Pip, Matt the Raven, Scotty Dransfield, and Stephen Humpries helped me decide what should make the list. We considered over 30 songs and narrowed it down to a Top 13.
Issue 73 is out now. It features Maya Hawke and Nilüfer Yanya on the two covers and can be bought from us directly here.
To help you sort through the multitude of fresh songs released in the last two weeks, we have picked the 13 best the last 14 days had to offer, followed by some honorable mentions. Check out the full list below. By Mark Redfern
1. Elbow: “Adriana Again”
Elbow released a new album, AUDIO VERTIGO, in March via Polydor/Geffen. Last week they returned with a brand new single, “Adrianna Again,” which is said to be from a yet to be officially announced new EP due out next year. The single is accompanied by a cheeky music video, as it features a completely different band performing the song. The band in question is Novacane, who are a new band also from Manchester.
Last week, Manchester-based trio Doves announced a new album, Constellations For the Lonely, and shared a new song from it, “Renegade,” via a music video. Constellations For the Lonely is due out on February 14, 2025 via EMI North. Hingston Studio directed the “Renegade” video. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork here.
Constellations For the Lonely is the band’s sixth album and follows 2020’s The Universal Want, which was their first album in 11 years after an eight-year hiatus. The band launched writing and recording sessions for the new album as early as 2020.
Doves is Jimi Goodwin (lead vocals, bass) and brothers Andy Williams (drums, vocals) and Jez Williams (guitar, vocals).
The band wrote, recorded, and produced the album in Greater Manchester, North Wales, and Cheshire. Long-term collaborator Dan Austin contributed additional production.
Andy Williams had this to say in a press release: “Looking at everyone’s lives over recent years, and considering the news at the moment, ‘Renegade’ feels a lot more loaded in retrospect. We wanted to go for a dystopian feel, thinking about Manchester itself over the next century or so. A totally imaginary thing… Blade Runner set in our home city.”
Doves have released five albums: 2000’s Lost Souls, 2002’s The Last Broadcast, 2005’s Some Cities, 2009’s Kingdom of Rust, and 2020’s The Universal Want.
We go way back with Doves, they were interviewed about Lost Souls in our very first print issue in 2001 and we have covered every album since.
3. Saint Etienne: “Half Life”
This week, British indie-pop trio Saint Etienne announced a new album, The Night, and shared its lead single, “Half Life.”The Night is due out December 13 via Heavenly. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork here.
The Night is intended to be an immersive album listened to in one sitting. A press release describes the album like so: “The Night delivers an ambient escape from the chaos of daily life, capturing the essence of the after-hours. The album takes listeners through layered tranquility, offering calm to restless minds and a gentle respite from modern life’s relentless pace.”
Saint Etienne produced The Night in collaboration with composer and producer Augustin Bousfield. They recorded it from January to August 2024 in two locations in Saltaire and Hove. The album follows 2021’s I’ve Been Trying to Tell You.
The band’s Pete Wiggs had this to say about the album in a press release: “It was great to all be in the same studio together again up at Gus’s in Bradford, we realized that it had been several years since we’d actually done that, sprawling out on the carpet, mugs of coffee in hand, sheets of lyrics and half ideas for titles lying around us.
“We wanted to continue the mellow and spacey mood of the last album, perhaps even double down on it, but it’s a very different album, not based on samples; songs, moods and spoken pieces drift in and out whilst rain pours down outside. It’s the kind of record I like to listen to in the dark or with my eyes closed.
“‘Half Light’ is about the edge of night, the last rays of the sun flickering through the branches of trees, communing with nature and seeing things that might not be there.”
Saint Etienne’s singer Sarah Cracknell says: “It was so good to be back in the studio together after recording the last album remotely. One of my favorite songs on the record is ‘Preflyte,’ it made me cry when I sang it for the first time.”
The band’s Bob Stanley adds: “We wanted The Night to be a calming album, warm and serene, but at the same time we wanted to create something gorgeous and dense.
“We were trying to find the state that’s between being awake and asleep, that dream space, with half forgotten thoughts drifting in, bits of TV dialogue, place names, streets, or football grounds you’ve never even been to. You feel very receptive to sound and half-covered memories when you’re in that state.
“Rain noise runs right through it. It was designed to gently wash away the stuff in your head that keeps you awake at 2am.
“I think The Night sounds really three-dimensional. A lot of that is down to Gus Bousfield who played the guitars and did a wonderful production job. Recording it in his studio, with so much light and space, has helped to shape it too. The three of us brought in our own songs, but lyrically we were all in tune with each other without having to swap notes first.
“You could think of it as one continuous, single track. It’s definitely a headphone album.”
This week, British experimental post-punk five-piece Squid announced a new album, Cowards, and shared its lead single, album opener “Crispy Skin,” via a music video. They have also announced some tour dates. Cowards is due out February 7, 2025 via Warp. Takashi Ito directed the “Crispy Skin” video. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as the tour dates, here.
Cowards is Squid’s third album and the follow-up to 2023’s O Monolith and 2001’s debut album, Bright Green Field. Squid features Louis Borlase, Ollie Judge, Arthur Leadbetter, Laurie Nankivell, and Anton Pearson.
Cowards was recorded at Church Studios in Crouch End, London with Mercury prize winning producer Marta Salogni and Grace Banks. Longtime collaborator Dan Carey, who recorded the band’s first two albums, provided additional production. John McEntire (of Tortoise) mixed the album and Heba Kadry mastered it.
Judge had this to say about the new single in a press release: “‘Crispy Skin’ was lyrically inspired by a dystopian novel Tender Is The Flesh I read where cannibalism becomes the societal norm and humans are manufactured and sold in supermarkets. I think when most people read books like these they picture themselves as the sort of person that would take the moral high-ground within these narratives. The track was written about how the reality of having a moral-compass in these stories of desperation and horror would be extremely difficult. If I was actually in that world, I probably would be the coward in this instance.”
Takashi Ito, whose video for the song is an adaptation of his award-winning experimental 1995 short film Zone, had this to say about the video: “A film about a man without a face. His arms and legs bound with ropes, still without even a quiver in a white room. This man, enwrapped in wild delusions, is also a reconstruction of myself. A series of unusual scenes in this room that expresses what lies inside me. I tried to create a connection between memories, nightmares and violent images.”
Of the new album, Borlase says: “We were thinking of an album of great songwriting. Simple ideas that resonate in a very different way to O Monolith, which was dense and complex.”
Judge adds: “Touring fed into this record in a way that I didn’t initially realize. Every song has a specific place anchored to it, places that all five of us have visited together, like New York, Tokyo, and Eastern Europe.”
In January, 2024 Squid shared a new song, “Fugue (Bin Song),” which was recorded during the O Monolith sessions.
This week, British shoegazers bdrmm announced a new album, Microtonic, and shared its lead single, “Half Life.”Microtonic is due out February 28, 2025 via Rock Action. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as the band’s upcoming tour dates, here.
Vocalist and guitarist Ryan Smith had this to say about the new single in a press release: “The themes surrounding ‘John on the Ceiling’ are that of confusion and doubt. When something ends and another starts, you lure yourself into a false sense of security that the mistakes made won’t happen again. This happens over and over until you are paralyzed in limbo. Can people ever truly change?”
Microtonic is the Hull-based band’s third album and the follow-up to 2023’s I Don’t Know. The new album features Sydney Minsky Sargeant of Working Men’s Club and Olivesque of Nightbus.
Smith had this to add about the album: “I felt very constrained writing a certain type of music to fit the genre [we were known for] but something lifted and I felt more free to create what I want. And what I seem to be doing at the moment is a lot of electronic music—taking influence from different spans of electronica, from dance music to ambient and more experimental sources.”
Bdrmm is Ryan Smith (guitar, vocals), Jordan Smith (bass, synth and vocals), Conor Murray (drums), and Joe Vickers (guitar).
Welcome to the 35th Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Mark Moody, Matt the Raven, Scotty Dransfield, and Stephen Humpries helped me decide what should make the list. We considered over 20 songs and narrowed it down to a Top 10.
Issue 73 is out now. It features Maya Hawke and Nilüfer Yanya on the two covers and can be bought from us directly here.
To help you sort through the multitude of fresh songs released in the last week, we have picked the 10 best the last seven days had to offer, followed by some honorable mentions. Check out the full list below.
1. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory: “Afterlife”
This week, Sharon Van Ettenannounced a new album written and recorded with her backing band, The Attachment Theory, and they have shared its first single, “Afterlife,” via a music video. They have also announced some EU and UK tour dates. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory is due out February 7, 2025 via Jagjaguwar. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as the tour dates, here.
The Attachment Theory is Jorge Balbi (drums, machines), Devra Hoff (bass, vocals), and Teeny Lieberson (synth, piano, guitar, vocals). While they have previously backed Van Etten on some of her solo work, this was the first time that the singer/songwriter/guitarist wrote and recorded an album in full collaboration with the band.
“For the first time in my life I asked the band if we could just jam. Words that have never come out of my mouth—ever! But I loved all the sounds we were getting. I was curious—what would happen?” says Van Etten in a press release. “In an hour we wrote two songs that ended up becoming ‘I Can’t Imagine’ and ‘Southern Life.’”
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory was recorded at The Church, Eurythmics’ former studio in London, and was produced by Marta Salogni (Björk, Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Mica Levi).
Susu Laroche directed the “Afterlife” video, which features footage of the band debuting some of the album’s songs in London’s iconic 100 Club during the recording of the album.
“Sometimes it’s exciting, sometimes it’s scary, sometimes you feel stuck,” Van Etten says of fully collaborating with her band on the album. “It’s like every day feels a little different—just being at peace with whatever you’re feeling and whoever you are and how you relate to people in that moment. If I can just keep a sense of openness while knowing that my feelings change every day, that is all I can do right now. That and try to be the best person I can be while letting other people be who they are and not taking it personally and just being. I’m not there, but I’m trying to be there every day.”
Earlier this week, Soccer Mommy, the musical project of Nashville songwriter Sophie Allison, unveiled her latest single, “Abigail,” as a final teaser before the release of her highly anticipated album Evergreen, which came out today. The dreamy track, inspired by the video game Stardew Valley, is a love letter to Allison’s in-game wife, Abigail, accompanied by a nostalgic, ConcernedApe-inspired music video that shows Allison’s avatar trying to win over her beloved.
“Abigail” follows earlier singles “Driver,” and the more acoustic-led “Lost” and “M,” contributing to the evolving soundscape of Evergreen.
Allison explained her vision for Evergreen, saying, “I wanted it to feel like you’re laying outside, eyes closed, the sun is on you, and you can feel the warmth and flowers and trees.” She hopes the album can offer listeners a sense of peace and renewal, even in darker times. By Andy Von Pip
3. Momma: “Ohio All the Time”
This week, Brooklyn-based band Momma shared a new song, “Ohio All the Time.” The single is out now via Polyvinyl/Lucky Number.
Momma is Etta Friedman (songwriter/vocalist/guitarist), Allegra Weingarten (songwriter/vocalist/guitarist), Aron Kobayashi Ritch (producer/bassist), and Preston Fulks (drummer).
They collectively had this to say about the new song in a press release: “We wrote it about a summer when we were on tour, and it felt like everything in our lives changed within a one-month span. We wanted the video to capture that youthful feeling, like the world is brand new and everything is ahead of you. We went upstate to our friend’s house near Hudson to film, and just spent the whole day goofing off and running around.”
Austin, Texas four-piece Good Looks released a new album, Lived Here For a While, in June via Keeled Scales. This week they shared two new songs, “Damage Control” and “Chase Your Demons Out.” We liked them both, but “Chase Your Demons Out” won out to make the main list, while “Damage Control” makes the honorable mentions list further below.
Frontman Tyler Jordan had this to say about “Damage Control” in a press release: “I wrote this song in two parts—the first during a rough patch in the relationship, and the second after we finally broke up. I was listening to a lot of Big Star when I started writing, and you can definitely hear their influence in the chord progression. It’s not the most gracious breakup song, but it’s a photo of a feeling and a moment in time.”
“Chase Your Demons Out” was written close to the release of the band’s 2022-released debut album, Bummer Year, and, as a press release puts it, the song “explores the group’s feeling of knowing they are older than most of their indie rock peers releasing a debut album.”
Jordan adds: “That gave us some distinct advantages in being ready for the road ahead. This song is about standing on the edge of the future, feeling prepared for a moment you’ve been working toward your whole life.”
The British band World News are releasing a new EP, Mindsnap, on November 14 via Pie & Mash Records. This week they shared another song from it, “Junkie,” which has a Stone Roses flavor to it. Previously the EP’s title track also made our Songs of the Week list. By Mark Redfern
6. Great Grandpa: “Doom”
7. Anna B Savage: “Agnes” (Feat. Anna Mieke)
8. Ezra Furman and Alex Walton: “Tie Me to the Train Tracks”
9. Darkside: “Graucha Max”
10. Cameron Winter: “Vines”
Honorable Mentions:
These songs almost made the Top 10.
Amyl and The Sniffers: “Jerkin’”
Good Looks: “Damage Control”
HotWax: “She’s Got a Problem”
jasmine.4.t: “Elephant”
Manic Street Preachers: “Hiding in Plain Sight”
Romy & Sampha: “I’m On Your Team”
Skeleten: “Viagra”
total tommy: “SPIDER”
Here’s a handy Spotify playlist featuring the Top 10 in order, followed by all the honorable mentions:
10 Best Songs of the Week: Ducks Ltd., Haley Heynderickx, Confidence Man, Heartworms, and More
Oct 18, 2024
Welcome to the 34th Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Mark Moody, Matt the Raven, and Scotty Dransfield helped me decide what should make the list. We considered over 20 songs and narrowed it down to a Top 10.
Issue 73 is out now. It features Maya Hawke and Nilüfer Yanya on the two covers and can be bought from us directly here.
To help you sort through the multitude of fresh songs released in the last week, we have picked the 10 best the last seven days had to offer, followed by some honorable mentions. Check out the full list below.
1. Ducks Ltd.: “Grim Symmetry”
Toronto-based duo Ducks Ltd. released a new album, Harm’s Way, in February via Carpark. This week they shared a new song, “Grim Symmetry,” that was recorded during the Harm’s Way sessions but didn’t end up on the album. It features backing harmonies from Julia Steiner (of Ratboys) and Margaret McCarthy (of Moontype).
“Grim Symmetry” follows “When You’re Outside,” another new song the band shared in May that was also recorded during the Harm’s Way sessions.
Ducks Ltd. is Tom McGreevy and Evan Lewis.
“This is actually one of our older songs,” explains guitarist/vocalist McGreevy in a press release. “We wrote it early on in the Modern Fiction writing process, and the demo was a favorite among the people we shared those with, but we didn’t quite get it right when we tried to record it for that album. We always liked it though, so we kept it around and tried it again when we were tracking Harm’s Way. It didn’t end up quite fitting the vibe of the album, but we did manage to get it to where we wanted it to be, so it’s exciting to finally share it.”
McGreevy had this to say about the rest of the tracks on the album in a previous press release: “They’re songs about struggling. About watching people I care for suffer, and trying to figure out how to be there for them. And about the strain of living in the world when it feels like it’s ready to collapse.”
Portland, Oregon’s Hayley Heynderickx is releasing her sophomore album, Seed of a Seed, on November 1 via Mama Bird. This week she released another single from the album, “Gemini.”
While no quote from Heynderickx on “Gemini” was provided, a press release describes the meaning behind the song in greater detail: “‘Gemini’ is about imperfection, letting oneself understand and accept that there is no immutable beginning but one long, winding, journey full of mistakes. More importantly is the revelations that the deepest learning, and potential for growth, comes through the process of failure. Acceptance and growth churn under Heynderickx’s deft fingerpicking, at once melancholic and resolute. ‘Gemini’ is a reminder that every day is a new day, and that new day is ripe with potential.”
Heynderickx’s core band on the album was Daniel Rossi on drums, Denzel Mendoza on trombone, and Matthew Holmes on electric and upright bass. The album also features electric guitarist William Seiji Marsh and Caleigh Drane on cello.
The album is due out digitally on November 1, with a physical release scheduled for December 6. By Mark Redfern
3. Confidence Man: “Sicko”
This week, Confidence Man, the Australian electro-pop mavericks, now based in London, released “Sicko,” the latest single from their third album 3 AM (LA LA LA), which came out today via Casablanca. While known for their high-octane, dance-infused sound, “Sicko” embraces a more subtle ‘90s indie-dance crossover vibe, a little less frenetic than much of the album but still unhinged and unmistakably Confidence Man.
The single arrives alongside a stunning black-and-white video that almost resembles what might happen if you tried to make a musical based on Reservoir Dogs and Trainspotting—stylish, edgy with a gritty film noir sensibility and laced with a dark, twisted sense of humor.
Fronted by Sugar Bones (Aidan Moore) and Janet Planet (Grace Stephenson), and backed by masked musicians Clarence McGuffie (Sam Hales) and Reggie Goodchild (Lewis Stephenson), Confidence Man are set to scale new heights with 3 AM (LA LA LA) as they continue to evolve their sound. Talking about the album, Sugar Bones says, “It’s 3am, it’s never not 3am, and we party all the time.” Janet Planet adds, “It’s hard. It’s fast. It’s basically Muhammad Ali, and your ears are everyone he ever boxed.” By Andy Von Pip
4. Heartworms: “Warplane”
This week, South London artist Heartworms (aka JoJo Orme) announced her debut album Glutton for Punishment, which will be released on February 7, 2025 via Speedy Wunderground. Alongside the album announcement, she shared her new single “Warplane,” accompanied by a video directed by Gilbert Trejo.
“Warplane” showcases Heartworms’ passion for military history, with lyrics that paint a vivid picture of an air battle. She explains, “The opening lyrics set the scene of a dogfight in the air while civilians are witnessing it take shape. My imagination is always out of my control, and my love of Spitfires even more so, so I couldn’t help but make this about a spitfire pilot.”
Heartworms dedicates the song to William Gibson Gordon, a Spitfire pilot who was killed in action at the age of 20, adding, “The song ends how I imagine his falling Spitfire sounds to me, like an angel losing its extraordinary wings.”
Produced by longtime collaborator Dan Carey, Glutton for Punishment broadens Heartworms’ sound, combining post-punk with more melodic, pop-oriented influences. “With my EP, people kind of pigeonholed me into post-punk,” she says. “I was like, ‘Cool, I can do that, but I can also do way more’—I can do post-punk, but I can also be poppy and catchy, and this album represents that. I think people might be surprised when they hear it.”
Discussing the album’s themes, Heartworms reflects: “I’ve been chastised my whole life; made to feel as if I didn’t belong, punished for not fitting into a perfect image of how a growing woman should be. When you’re told something enough times you start to believe it. I often find myself locked into an unhealthy cycle of craving harsh discipline, greedy for the familiarity it brings but terrified of the consequences—better the devil you know. But this album doesn’t just reflect my own experiences; it reflects those of the people in my life and the stories of others that I think need to be heard.”
Read our 2023 Heartworms interview HERE. By Andy Von Pip
5. Father John Misty: “She Cleans Up”
Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) is releasing a new album, Mahashmashana, on November 22 worldwide via Sub Pop. This week he shared another new song from it, “She Cleans Up,” and announced some new tour dates. Destroyer will be the support act on the tour. Check out the song and tour dates here.
When the album was announced Father John Misty shared a new song from it, the near-seven-minute long “Screamland,” via a music video. The song featured Alan Sparhawk from Low on guitar and was one of our Songs of the Week.
14 Best Songs of the Week: Ela Minus, Kassie Krut, The Weather Station, Lauren Mayberry, and More
Oct 04, 2024
Welcome to the 32nd Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Mark Moody, Marina Malin, Matt the Raven, Scotty Dransfield, and Stephen Humphries helped me decide what should make the list. It was a very strong week for new tracks, so we considered over 30 songs and narrowed it down to a Top 14.
Issue 73 is out now. It features Maya Hawke and Nilüfer Yanya on the two covers and can be bought from us directly here.
To help you sort through the multitude of fresh songs released in the last week, we have picked the 14 best the last seven days had to offer, followed by some honorable mentions. Check out the full list below.
1. Ela Minus: “BROKEN”
This week, Colombian artist Ela Minus officially announced her upcoming album, DIA, set for release on January 17, 2025, via Domino. The announcement came with the launch of her new single and music video, “BROKEN.”
Following her acclaimed 2020 debut, acts of rebellion, DIA represents a significant evolution in Ela’s oeuvre. The album blends innovative production techniques with a more profound sense of self-reflection, moving beyond the intimate energy of her debut to explore broader themes. After spending three years crafting snippets of songs across Colombia, Mexico, and various locations in North America and Europe, Ela recognized the need for greater honesty in her lyrics.
The album’s lead track, “ABRIR MONTE,” introduces DIA with lush tones that evoke the idea of opening new paths. Ela describes the phrase as a common expression in her homeland, symbolizing exploration and growth. The single “BROKEN” follows, featuring vibrant synthesizers and a danceable beat while addressing themes of suffering and resilience. Ela comments, “I started writing this thinking I was perfectly fine and finished writing knowing I was not.” By Andy Von Pip
2. Kassie Krut: “Reckless”
Kassie Krut is a newish band and this week they announced that they have signed to Fire Talk and they also released a new single, “Reckless,” via a music video. The trio features former members of Palm, Mothers, and Body Meat. Guy Kozak directed the “Reckless” video.
Kassie Krut started out as a solo project for former Palm member Kasra Kurt, but grew into a full fledged band also featuring Eve Alpert (also of Palm) and Matt Anderegg (Mothers, Body Meat). Palm was a Philadelphia math-rock band that disbanded in 2023.
Krut had this to say about the single in a press release: “‘Reckless’ is an exercise in restraint. We challenged ourselves to write a song with one bass note, one drum beat and just a couple simple chords. Sometimes we experience self-doubt so it was fun to create a tougher version of ourselves—someone who’s fast and mean—as well as playing with the misconception that Kassie is an individual and not a band. Also our project name is a little strange so we took the opportunity to spell it out for the listener.”
The “Reckless” video was filmed in part at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kozak had this to say about directing the video: “The idea of a museum visit came early on, as did the idea of the name spelled out with hands and signage. I like that the track works as a sort of introduction to the band, and I wanted the video to work in a similar way. I love this song!”By Mark Redfern
3. The Weather Station: “Neon Signs”
This week, The Weather Station (the project of Toronto-based singer/songwriter Tamara Lindeman) announced a new album, Humanhood, and shared its first single, “Neon Signs.”Humanhood is due out January 17, 2025 via Fat Possum. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork and some upcoming UK and EU tour dates here.
Lindeman co-directed the “Neon Signs” video with Jared Raab.
“I wrote ‘Neon Signs’ at a moment of feeling confused, upside down, at that moment when even desire falls away, and dissociation cuts you loose from a story that while wrong, still held things together,” Lindeman says in a press release. “The song came with multiple strands entwined; the way that something that is not true seems to have more energetic intensity than something that is, the confusion of being bombarded with advertising at a moment of climate emergency, the confusion of relationships where coercion is wrapped in the language of love. Ultimately though, isn’t it all the same feeling?”
Linderman co-produced Humanhood with Marcus Paquin, recording it in the fall of 2023 at Canterbury Music Company. The main backing band on the album is drummer Kieran Adams, keyboardist Ben Boye, percussionist Philippe Melanson, reed-and-wind specialist Karen Ng, and bassist Ben Whiteley. The album also features Sam Amidon, James Elkington, and Joseph Shabason. Joseph Lorge mixed the album.
Earlier this week, Lauren Mayberry, singer with Scottish electro-pop trio CHVRCHES, announced her debut solo album, Vicious Creature, and shared a new song from it, “Something in the Air.” The exact release date for the album has yet to be announced, only that it will be out later this year on Island. The tracklist and cover artwork also have yet to be shared.
“‘Something in the Air’ is a song that really came out of nowhere,” explains Mayberry in a press release. “I was in London finishing another song with my friend, co-writer and producer Dan McDougall. We were taking a break in the shared kitchen in the studio complex when a pretty iconic British musician, who I won’t throw under the bus here, came in and started making conversation about electricity, 5G and how it’s making us all sick. Dan and I went for a walk around the block before going back to the studio and were unpacking those theories, and why people want to believe them—and the chorus lyric just appeared.”
A press release describes the album in greater detail: “Vicious Creature is both a startling new era in Lauren Mayberry’s artistry, and the culmination of two decades of the band life that came before. Across its songs she writes about sexuality and empowerment from a profoundly personal perspective for the very first time, reconnecting with the icons of her youth in Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey, and Kathleen Hanna, and with the influence of ’90s British girl groups like All Saints and Sugababes.”
Mayberry’s debut solo single, “Are You Awake?,” was released in September 2024 and was one of our Songs of the Week. Then in October 2024 she shared her second solo single, “Shame,” which also made an appearance on our Songs of the Week list. In March she released her third solo single, “Change Shapes.” There’s no word yet if these songs are included on Vicious Creature.
CHVRCHES are signed to Island in America and EMI in England. The band’s last album was 2021’s Screen Violence, which came out via Glassnote.
Mayberry was one of the artists on the cover of our 20th Anniversary Issue in which she was interviewed about Screen Violence. Buy the issue from us directly here.
Cutouts is the band’s third album and the quick follow-up to Walls of Eyes, which came out in January. In fact, Cutouts was recorded during the same period as Wall of Eyes. It was recorded in Oxford and at Abbey Road Studios in London. The album features string arrangements by the London Contemporary Orchestra. Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke painted the album’s cover artwork while making the album.
Bartees Strange has announced a new album, Horror, and shared a new song from it, “Sober,” via a music video. Horror is due out February 14 via 4AD. Below check out “Sober,” followed by the album’s tracklist and cover artwork.
Strange produced “Sober” with Jack Antonoff, Yves Rothman, and Lawrence Rothman. He had this to say about it in a press release: “This song is about falling short in a relationship, over and over and drinking because of it. I think this is something a lot of people can probably relate to. Being in love, but not being the best at showing it or feeling successful within it. And being afraid that this is something you’ll always deal with because you never really saw a better example of how love works.”
Strange first worked on the album with Yves and Lawrence Rothman, before finishing it with Antonoff after he worked with Antonoff’s band Bleachers.
A press release says the album is about “facing your fears and becoming feared.”
The press release adds: “Strange was raised on fear. His family told scary stories to teach life lessons, and at an early age, he started watching scary movies to practice being strong. The world can be a terrifying place, and for a young, queer, Black person in rural America, that terror can be visceral. Horror is an album about facing those fears and growing to become someone to be feared.”
Strange further elaborates: “In a way I think I made this record to reach out to people who may feel afraid of things in their lives too. For me it’s love, locations, cosmic bad luck, or that feeling of doom that I’ve struggled with for as long as I can remember. I think that it’s easier to navigate the horrors and strangeness of life once you realize that everyone around you feels the same. This album is just me trying to connect. I’m trying to shrink the size of the world. I’m trying to feel close—so I’m less afraid.”
Horror includes “Lie 95,” a new song that Strange released in July.
Strange first garnered attention for covering a string of The National tracks, including on Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy, his EP of National covers released in 2020 on Brassland, a label run by members of the band. He was born in Ipswich, England, but grew up in Mustang, a largely the white and conservative rural town outside Oklahoma City, before launching his music career in Washington, D.C. In between he also worked in the Obama administration.
10 Best Songs of the Week: The WAEVE, Mogwai, Deep Sea Diver, Father John Misty, and More
Sep 20, 2024
Welcome to the 30th Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Marina Mallin, Matt the Raven, and Scotty Dransfield helped me decide what should make the list. We considered over 30 songs and narrowed it down to a Top 10.
Issue 73 is out now. It features Maya Hawke and Nilüfer Yanya on the two covers and can be bought from us directly here.
To help you sort through the multitude of fresh songs released in the last week, we have picked the 10 best the last seven days had to offer, followed by some honorable mentions. Check out the full list below.
There are two album tracks not previously released as singles that we loved and wanted to include on this week’s Songs of the Week list, with the epic near-eight-minute long song “Druantia” being our favorite. “Song For Eliza May” is also below at #3.
The band shared the album’s title track, “City Lights,” in May. It was one of our Songs of the Week. When the album was announced in June, they shared its second single, “You Saw,” via a music video. It was also one of our Songs of the Week. Then they shared its third single, “Broken Boys,” along with a live performance video for the song. “Broken Boys” was #1 on our Songs of the Week list.
As with their debut album, James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence & The Machine, Foals, HAIM) produced City Lights. As with their last album, the album features Coxon on saxophone, among other instruments.
Coxon and Dougall first met backstage at a charity concert in London in 2020 and soon the idea was hatched for them to collaborate.
“I didn’t know when I was going to work again or try writing again until Rose came out and said, ‘How about we try writing together?’” says Coxon in a press release.
“When I listen to the first album, I can hear me and Graham getting to know each other through making the record,” says Dougall.
They not only hit off musically, but romantically, falling in love and having a baby daughter together, Eliza, who was born in August 2022.
“The band had an identity this time around so we had a little bit more of a framework to know how we might operate,” says Dougall of the differences between recording to the two albums. “But obviously, the circumstances were quite different.”
Dougall was also one of the artists on the cover of our special 20th Anniversary print issue, where you can read an exclusive interview with her.
2. Mogwai: “God Gets You Back”
This week, Scotland’s Mogwai shared a new song, “God Gets You Back,” and announced a 2025 world tour. The single is out now via Temporary Residence Ltd. and Rock Action. Hand Held Cine Club (Justin and James Lockey) directed the video.
John Congleton produced the song. In a press release the band’s Barry Burns says that he felt the song “needed some melody or vocals, but I couldn’t come up with the lyrics so I asked my 7-year-old daughter to make some up, and she did and I sang them.”
Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite had this to say about the tour dates: “We are immensely excited about heading out on our first worldwide tour since the pandemic. We’re going to some brilliant places and can’t wait to perform our new songs.”
The WAEVE’s other album track we loved, “Song For Eliza May,” is an ode to the couple’s daughter.
Dougall says she was initially reluctant to write songs about her daughter. “I was really resistant for a while to even consider referencing it,” she says. “But actually, when I realized that I could use that experience to explore bigger themes—watching what’s happening in the news, all these terrible atrocities and the world falling apart. And in tandem with that, thinking about how life evolves and how my own sense of self has developed. It became a really good vehicle for the songwriting process.”
4. Deep Sea Diver: “Billboard Heart”
Yesterday, Deep Sea Diver (the band led by Jessica Dobson) shared a new song, “Billboard Heart,” via a music video. It’s the band’s first single for Sub Pop, which have just announced that they’ve signed Deep Sea Diver. It is the first taste of a new album, which is due out in early 2025.
Deep Sea Diver is singer and multi-instrumentalist Jessica Dobson, drummer Peter Mansen (also Dobson’s partner), and keyboardist Elliot Jackson. Dobson and Mansen directed the “Billboard Heart” video with cinematographer Tyler Kalberg.
Dobson had this to say about the song in a press release: “‘Billboard Heart’ is a song that felt like a strange transmission, a new emotion, and a spirit-filled dream when it came. It is my nod to the simplicity of my favorite Tom Petty songs and to my love for Wim Wenders’ film Paris, Texas. The feeling of standing in the lonesome desert, embracing every particle of yourself, even the ones that are hard to look at, and fighting for your spirit to move through this world without entanglement. It is about being present and embracing the future while wholeheartedly letting go of any amount of control that I think I have in this life. ‘Billboard Heart’ is both a longing for something that may not exist and a place where I can be free.”
Dobson has previously also performed in The Shins and in Beck’s band.
5. Father John Misty: “Screamland”
This week, Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) announced a new album, Mahashmashana, and shared a new song from it, the near-seven-minute long “Screamland,” via a music video. The song features Alan Sparhawk from Low on guitar. Mahashmashana is due out November 22 worldwide via Sub Pop (except for the UK and Europe, where it’s a Bella Union release). Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as Father John Misty’s upcoming tour dates, including some newly announced UK and EU shows, here.
Tillman produced Mahashmashana with Drew Erickson and Jonathan Wilson executive produced the album.
Estefania Kröl directed the “Screamland” video and had this to say about it in the press release: “The video is a visual journey through the depths of ‘Screamland,’ capturing the essence of both the music and the artists. Father John Misty blends seamlessly into the scene, becoming a part of the city, a living echo of ‘Screamland.’”
16 Best Songs of the Week: Michael Kiwanuka, Future Islands, Soccer Mommy, MJ Lenderman, and More
Sep 13, 2024
Welcome to the 29th Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Jim Scott, and Scotty Dransfield helped me decide what should make the list. We considered over 50 songs and narrowed it down to a Top 16.
This week’s Songs of the Week covers the last two weeks. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because we were too busy announcing our new print issue.
Issue 73 is out now. It features Maya Hawke and Nilüfer Yanya on the two covers and can be bought from us directly here.
To help you sort through the multitude of fresh songs released in the last two weeks, we have picked the 12 best the last 14 days had to offer, followed by some honorable mentions. Check out the full list below.
1. Michael Kiwanuka: “Lowdown (part i)” and “Lowdown (part ii)”
Small Changes is Kiwanuka’s fourth album and the long-awaited follow-up to 2019’s Kiwanuka, which won the 2020 Mercury Prize and was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album.
Danger Mouse and Inflo produced the album, as they did with Kiwanuka’s last two albums.
A press release says “Glimpse” focuses on “a family home burning down and coming to terms with the physical and emotional losses and coming to terms with the erasure of a collective history.”
Read our review of People Who Aren’t There Anymorehere.
Future Islands co-produced People Who Aren’t There Anymore with Steve Wright, who also mixed the album with Chris Coady. Future Islands is Samuel T. Herring (vocals, lyrics), William Cashion (bass, guitars), Gerrit Welmers (keyboards, programming), and Michael Lowry (drums).
People Who Aren’t There Anymore includes three previously shared singles. “Peach” was released in 2021. “King of Sweden” came out in 2022 and the band performed it on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “Deep in the Night” was shared in August via a music video and it was one of our Songs of the Week. When the album was announced they shared another new song from it, “The Tower,” via a music video. “The Tower” was one of our Songs of the Week. Then in November they shared another song from it, “The Fight,” via an animated music video (it was also one of our Songs of the Week). In January they shared the album’s final pre-release single, “Say Goodbye,” via an animated music video. Then they shared a video for “The Thief” and performed “The Tower” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
This week, Soccer Mommy, the indie project of Nashville-based singer/songwriter Sophie Allison, released a new single titled “Driver” from her forthcoming album, Evergreen, set to drop on October 25th via Loma Vista Recordings. “Driver” showcases a rockier side of Soccer Mommy, blending addictive melodies with lyrics that explore Allison’s characteristic introspection and emotional complexity. The song reflects on flaws and the acceptance of them within a relationship, adding a cheeky twist to the theme.
Allison’s new album marks a return to more organic production, highlighting her songwriting talents. Written in the wake of a personal loss, Evergreen features a stripped-back, honest approach, reminiscent of her earlier work. By Andy Von Pip
4. MJ Lenderman: “Wristwatch”
Last week North Carolina singer/songwriter and musician, MJ Lenderman released a new album, Manning Fireworks, via ANTI-. Earlier in that week he shared one final single from the album, “Wristwatch.”
Read our review of Manning Fireworks here. By Mark Redfern
My Method Actor is Yanya’s third album and follows her 2022 album, PAINLESS, and her 2019 debut album, Miss Universe, (both released on ATO).
Yanya worked on the album with her regular creative partner, Wilma Archer, in isolation. “This is the most intense album, in that respect,” Yanya said in a previous press release. “Because it’s only been us two. We didn’t let anyone else into the bubble.”
When writing this album, Yanya was grappling with hitting her late 20s and dealing with the pressures of being an established musician. “For me, writing is definitely problem solving—in the way they say that dreaming is like problem solving,” she said. “You’re like, ‘Oh, that sounds good. That looks good. That makes sense.’ But you don’t really know why. You’re kind of using that part of your creative brain that doesn’t have to make sense.”
Welcome to the 25th Songs of the Week of 2024. This week’s list covers the last week. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Marina Mallin, Matt the Raven, Scotty Dransfield, and Stephen Humphires helped me decide what should make the list. We considered over 30 songs and narrowed it down to a Top 12.
Recently we announced our new print issue, The ’90s Issue, featuring The Cardigans and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth on the covers. Buy it from us directly here.
To help you sort through the multitude of fresh songs released in the last week, we have picked the 12 best the last seven days had to offer, followed by some honorable mentions. Check out the full list below.
1. Magdalena Bay: “Tunnel Vision”
Los Angeles-based electro-pop duo Magdalena Bay (aka Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin) are releasing a new album, Imaginal Disk, on August 23 via Mom + Pop. This week they shared its third single, “Tunnel Vision.” It’s a slow-burner that builds to an epic conclusion.
The band collectively had this to say about the song in a press release: “Artificial intelligence won’t approximate humanity until it learns how to hate itself.”
Imaginal Disk is the band’s sophomore full-length album and follows 2023’s mini mix vol. 3, a surprise-released a seven-song EP and an accompanying short film that featured videos for every song. The EP’s “Wandering Eyes” made our Songs of the Week list.
In 2021, Magdalena Bay released their debut album, Mercurial World, which was one of our Top 100 Albums of 2021 and several songs from the album were featured on our Top 130 Songs of 2021 list. Then in 2022 they released a deluxe edition of the album that included several bonus tracks and remixes incorporated into the main tracklist of the original album, presenting a completely different listening experience.
Read our interview with Magdalena Bay on Mercurial World here. By Mark Redfern
2. Soccer Mommy: “M”
This week, Soccer Mommy (aka Sophie Allison) announced her new album, Evergreen, and shared its new single “M,” which follows the previously-released album opener “Lost.”Evergreen is due out October 25 on Loma Vista. “M” arrives with a music video directed by Anna Pollack. Find the tracklist and cover art for Evergreen, along with Soccer Mommy’s upcoming tour dates here.
Allison’s music has always been a candid and vulnerable reflection on her life. Her sound came out of the bedroom-to-Bandcamp arc where as a teenager, Allison would post her plaintive songs as demos. Overtime, she would experiment with her sound and production. Her most recent album Sometimes, Forever (2022), grappled with profound loss. The songwriting was raw and relatable. Forthcoming Evergreen is an 11-track exploration of life’s moments without attaching personal opinions to them, allowing lyrics and emotions to speak for themselves.
Allison recorded the album at Atlanta’s Maze Studios with producer Ben H. Allen III (Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Youth Lagoon, Belle and Sebastian).
This week, London’s High Vis announced their new album, Guided Tour, which will be released on October 18 on Dais. In celebration of the announcement, High Vis shared the album’s lead single, “Mind’s a Lie,” which arrives in a video directed by Martina Pastory and stars movement artist Sem Osian. Find High Vis’ tour dates and the tracklist and cover art for Guided Tourhere.
Of the single, High Vis’ vocalist Graham Sayle said this in a press release: “I wanted to look at how quickly negative habits can take control when you lack a positive or constructive outlet for your energy. While the language of mental health provision has found fertile ground in the churn of social media, access to essential services has been decimated by the indifference of successive Tory governments. Further division has been stoked through governmental rhetoric and media scapegoating. Without adequate support in times of crisis, life can quickly spiral into an angry and isolated existence.”
The album includes the previously released single, “Mob DLA.” By Marina Malin
4. Father John Misty: “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All”
Greatish Hits: I Followed My Dreams and My Dreams Said to Crawl is a collection of songs taken from his five albums: Fear Fun (2012), I Love You, Honeybear (2015), the Grammy-nominated Pure Comedy (2017), God’s Favorite Customer (2018), and Chloë and The Next 20th Century (2022). By Marina Malin
Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There For Me is a project that processes burnout, the music industry, and heartbreak through the poetry of band leader Dana Margolin. She had this to say in a press release: “Almost all the songs started out as poems.” She had learned that a songwriter can hide behind the tricks of the music: “in a poem though, you can’t hide.”
Margolin reflects on the record being a creative breakthrough: “It feels like the first time we’ve made something. It captured something about our friendship as a band and the way that we have learnt to play together. It’s taught me so much. Following your gut to the nth point, trusting your friends and their loyalty, trusting yourself to be able to fight with people properly and still come back together. How I want to live is how I want to make records, because making records is my life because my work is my play is my job is my life. It all ties together in this thing, and there are ways to do this that might not kill me.”
Of the record, Margolin adds: “A lot of this album is about a more frenetic and desperate kind of love. It is about completely losing my sense of self in one relationship, and the deep residue of insecurity and pain that lingered and clouded a new relationship.”
Of today’s single, Margolin said this: “‘Sick of the Blues’ is about being heartbroken and taking back some joy, remembering that you’re the source of your own happiness, not someone else, even when you’re hurt and left with a hole in your heart. After being messed around enough, you just want to take back control. I just wanted to let it go, stop letting it consume me. I wanted simplicity, to have fun and remember everything good that could possibly happen. To love wholly, to not take anything too seriously. To have fun with my friends, to remove the tunnel vision and fall in love with my life again.”
This week, London-based dreampop duo deary shared a new single “Selene,” which was produced alongside Iggy B (of Spiritualized) and features Simon Scott (of Slowdive) on drums. “Selene” arrives with a video directed by Liam Beazley (aka Limb). Find deary’s tour dates here.
The new track is deary’s second release since their debut EP; the first was last month’s “The Moth” which became one of our Songs of the Week.
In a press release, singer Dottie said this of the single: “‘Selene’ is associated with the moon and re-birth. Our new material is all about transition and metamorphosis. I have a desire to return to a part of myself that I’ve lost or to discover the one buried deep under anxiety and shame. I look to ‘Selene’ to guide the way.”
Other half of deary, Ben Easton added: “We drafted Simon in on drumming duties and he provided a solid foundation which allowed the song to play out above him. Sonically, we allowed ourselves more space to build the instrumentation of the track, not to throw in vocals where they weren’t needed and let the song transcend on its own. I think it’s one of the best things we’ve written together.”
Of the video, Easton said: “The video for ‘Selene’ was always intended to follow on from ‘The Moth.’ We wanted to place the title character in a different setting to the woods but still trapped by her surroundings. It’s been fun to explore different aesthetic influences with Liam, like Twin Peaks and The Lighthouse, continuing a natural gravitation towards a more gothic horror style.” By Marina Malin
7. Foxing: “Greyhound”
Of Foxing’s 13-year career, this week they announced their self-titled fifth album Foxing, due out September 13 on the band’s own label, Grand Paradise. They also shared the triumphant eight-minute long lead single “Greyhound,” which arrives with an amusing video. Find the album details and Foxing’s tour dates here.
The quartet is made up of Conor Murphy (vocals), Eric Hudson (guitar), Jon Hellwig (drums), and Brett Torence (bass). This past weekend they supposedly held a press conference in their hometown St Louis to announce their new album. The video was shot at the conference. Although in reality, no such press conference probably happened, but it makes for a funny video, as the band sits bored staring at a room filled with empty chairs and no journalists while their epic and emotive new single blares. By Marina Malin and Mark Redfern
8. MJ Lenderman: “Joker Lips”
This week, North Carolina singer/songwriter and musician, MJ Lenderman released another song from his forthcoming album, Manning Fireworks, which is due for release on September 6 via ANTI-. This week’s new track is called “Joker Lips,” which follows the release of “She’s Leaving You” and “Rudolph.” Find MJ Lenderman tour dates here.
Manning Fireworks follows his 2023 live album, And the Wind (Live and Loose!), 2022’s Boat Songs, 2021’s Ghost of Your Guitar Solo, and 2019’s MJ Lenderman. The album was recorded at Asheville’s Drop of Sun Studios during any offtime Lenderman had from touring (he’s also a member of the band Wednesday). Co-produced with Alex Farrar, the instrumentation is almost entirely performed by Lenderman. The album will be his fourth full-length album, but his studio debut for ANTI-.By Marina Malin
9. Haley Heynderickx: “Seed of a Seed”
Earlier this week, Portland, Oregon’s Hayley Heynderickx released her first new song since the release of her debut record, I Need to Start a Garden (2018).“Seed of a Seed” is out on her hometown label Mama Bird Recording Co. This new single arrives with a music video directed by Evan Benally Atwood and features Jared Dancler, Katherin Rose, Evan Benallly Atwood, and Heynderickx. Find Heyderickx’s tour dates here.
Of the single, Heynderickx said this in a press release: “I first sent a demo of ‘Seed of a Seed’ to my friend Tré Burt and he loved it. For three years he kept asking me if I’d finished the ‘better better’ song. It felt like a throwaway song to me, at first. It’s so simple, but I didn’t realize how much angst I’d woven into it: a desire for simplicity, and how far away that felt. It seems I accidentally pressed my story—the last four years of my life—into a tiny little tune and I love it now, too.” By Marina Malin
10. Goat: “Ouroboros”
Sweden’s experimental psych-rock band, Goat, announced their third album earlier this week. It’s simply titled Goat and it will be released on October 11 via Rocket Recordings. In honor of the announcement, Goat has shared the lead single “Ouroboros” with a video. Find the cover art and tracklist for Goat, alongside Goat’s tour dates here.
Of the single, Goat explains “Ouroboros” as “The cycle of rebirth means the refinement of the soul. An evolution in which we slowly find our direction. Our own rhythm.”
Goat follows behind their 2023 Medicine, 2022 Oh Death, 2016 Requiem, 2014 Commune, and 2012 World Music. By Marina Malin
11. Lael Neale: “Electricity”
Lael Neale shared a brand new song, “Electricity,” this week via a self-directed music video. Find her upcoming tour dates here.
Neale wrote and composed “Electricity,” which was produced and arranged by longtime creative collaborator Guy Blakeslee. The video features cinematography by Chance Gray, with choreography by Sandi Denton and a performance by the Rated Z Dancers.
Neale had this to say about the song in a press release: “I wrote the song during an ice storm a couple of winters ago that caused a five-day power outage while I was living on my family’s farm in Virginia. I experienced intense withdrawal from all these things we’ve come to depend on so heavily in our modern life—like lighting, heat, refrigeration, and entertainment. I felt a range of sensations from utter emptiness to complete liberation. I realized we’re essentially electrified beings now, but through unplugging entirely we have a chance to gain a new perspective and reset ourselves.”
This week, Pom Pom Squad (the project led by Mia Berrin) announced their new album, Mirror Stars Moving Without Me, which will be released on October 25 via City Slang. Ahead of the release, they share their new song “Spinning,” with a video directed by Berrin, and Benjamin Lieber. Find details of Mirror Stars Moving Without Me here.
In a press release, Berrin had said this on the single: “The song represents a moment when I was learning to cope with painful memories of the past and how they’ve shaped my future. In accepting them, I’ve been able to find more freedom and forgiveness within myself.”
Of the video, she adds: “A lot of the lyrics on the album have to do with watching/analyzing yourself, so I knew I wanted to create a surveillance room setup for something. It turned out to be a really fun home-base for the ‘Spinning’ video.”
Of the inspiration behind the record, Berrin says: “I took a lot of inspiration from my younger self on this album. I wanted to get back in touch with my creative roots. After hitting a particularly rough bout of writer’s block, I challenged myself to make a playlist of my all-time favorite songs from childhood to adulthood. It was healing in a way I didn’t expect! Before we went into the studio I made my bandmates and Cody do the same, then we all listened to each other’s and had a long conversation about them. Through the sessions for Mirror we were all pulling references from our collective playlists more than anything else.”
Prior to today’s album announcement, just last month Pom Pom Squad released the album opener “Downhill,” which was also one of our Songs of the Week. By Marina Malin.
Honorable Mentions:
These songs almost made the Top 12.
Kate Bollinger: “What’s This About (La La La La)”
Caribou: “Volume”
Crows: “Vision of Me”
The Hard Quartet: “Earth Hater”
illuminati hotties: “The L”
Jade Hairpins: “My Feet On Your Ground”
Jamie xx: “All You Children” (Feat. The Avalanches)
Nap Eyes: “Passageway”
Oceanator: “Drift Away”
OK Cowgirl: “Our Love”
Public Service Broadcasting: “The South Atlantic” (Feat. This Is the Kit)
Thala: “1st of the year”
Wishy: “Just Like Sunday”
Here’s a handy Spotify playlist featuring the Top 12 in order, followed by all the honorable mentions:
