Shannon Lay
Shannon Lay (photo: Denée Segall)

18 New Songs Out Today

So many artists, 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, show recaps, track premieres, and more all day. That includes a lot of tour announcements, a list of tonight’s NYC shows, and NY shows that just went on sale. We publish a monthly playlist of some of our favorite tracks. Here’s a daily roundup with a bunch of interesting, newly released songs in one place…

BAAUER & CHANNEL TRES – “READY TO GO” (ft. DANNY BROWN)

Grand Theft Auto has long been known for having cool radio stations worked into the game, and GTA V and GTA Online will now have a new station hosted by Danny Brown and special guest Skepta called iFruit Radio. The station comes as part of the game’s latest free update, The Diamond Casino Heist, and it features previously unreleased music from Baauer/Channel Tres/Danny Brown, YBN Cordae/Denzel Curry, Pop Smoke, and slowthai, plus previously released songs by DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Burna Boy, Skepta, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, Koffee, Schoolboy Q, and more. The radio station debuted today, and that new Baauer/Channel Tres/Danny Brown song is also streaming online. It’s a booming, bass-heavy song that’s part rap, part dance music, and all fun.

SEU JORGE & ROGÊ – “BRA VOCÊ AMIGO”

Brazilian singer, guitarist and actor Seu Jorge has been friends with fellow musician Rogê for 25 years but they’ve never made an album till now. Their album, due out in February, is part of label Night Dreamer’s Direct​-​To​-​Disc Sessions and was recorded in single live takes at the Night Dreamer studio in Haarlem, Amsterdam. With both Jorge and Rogê on guitar, they set out to make a “classic Brazilian record” and by the sounds of “Pra Você Amigo” they’ve succeeded.

SPOON – “TEXT LATER”

Spoon are continuing to digitize rarities from their archives and put them up on streaming services. This week it’s minute-long instrumental “Text Later” which originally appeared on a 2002 split 7″ with Swearing at Motorists.

THE WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY – “ALL I CAN DO TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR NIGHTMARES IS KEEP YOU UP LATE”

The World/Inferno Friendship Society are releasing a new album, All Borders are Porous to Cats, in January via Alternative Tentacles, and they’ve shared a second single off of it, “All I Can Do to Help You With Your Nightmares is Keep You Up Late.” Musically, the band describes the song as a “horn and gang vocal driven shuffle” fitting “somewhere between Fela Kuti and Elvis Costello,” which sounds about right.

JONATHAN WILSON, JENNY LEWIS, JACKSON BROWNE & SANBA ZAO – “LAPÉ, LANMOU”

Let the Rhythm Lead: Haiti Song Summit, Vol. 1 Lead is a new collaborative album featuring songwriters Paul Beaubrun, Jackson Browne, Habib Koité, Jenny Lewis, Raúl Rodríguez, Jonathan Russell, and Jonathan Wilson, with members of the Haitian roots band Lakou Mizik, and was recorded at the Artists Institute on the island’s southern coast, in the town of Jacmel. The album opens with this track featuring Wilson, Lewis, Browne & Sanba Zao. “This song is the last song we recorded in Haiti, and it contains all the mystery and excitement that we felt being there,” Jackson Browne tells Rolling Stone. “The conversation between the African guitar and the Flamenco tres gives way to a full Vodou call and response, which surprised me then — and it surprises me now. It’s magic.” The record benefits Artists for Peace and Justice and is out January 31.

TOMMY GENESIS & CHARLI XCX – “BRICKS”

Previous collaborators and tourmates Charli XCX and Tommy Genesis paired up again for “Bricks,” which originally appeared in the 2018 film Assassination Nation. PC Music head A.G. Cook produced the track, which got an official release today.

SHANNON LAY – “BLUE” & “WE MEND”

Shannon Lay will release a new 7″ in January as part of Sub Pop’s 2019/2010 Singles Club. Both sides were recorded during the same sessions as her 2019 Sub Pop debut, August. You don’t have to subscribe to the Sub Pop Singles Club, or wait till January, to hear them, though. “‘We Mend’ is a song for healing. In those moments where everything seems broken, it can be hard to have perspective, but whether we know it or not everything will be ok,” says Shannon. “’Blue’ is about the struggle of loving someone who is gone a lot. A gentle reassurance to one another that even if you’re not physically together, the love remains strong.” Shannon also notes that “Blue” is also “the color of Marge Simpson’s hair. I’ve always admired her devotion and understanding.”

EYELIDS – “FOUND AT THE SCENE OF A RENDEZVOUS THAT FAILED” (TIM BUCKLEY COVER)

“We Eyelids proudly present a lovely music video made by a dear friend with whom we share much history! From drumming with Bob Phonic in Beth’s attic (for a real rager) in the late 80’s, to quitting another band at the right time in the early 2000’s (to give poor John a drumming job of his own), to stints with Bright Eyes, M.Ward and Califone- former Portland resident, Rachel Blumberg, has graced us this time with her visual art. It’s a beautiful painting that just so happens to move in time to our humble rendition of ‘Found at the Scene of a Rendezvous that Failed’ written by Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett.”

ISHI VU – “METAMORFOS”

Stockholm-based producer ishi vu will release the Ephemeral Garbage EP on January 24 via Different Recordings and Glum Trigger. First single “Metamorfos” should appeal to fans of techno, acid house and Aphex Twin. “I wanted to convey the feeling of flight, and visually, brilliance,” ishi vu says. “It is at the same time a moment of surrender, as well as triumph.”

MARK KOZELEK – “LOS ANGELES” FT. PETRA HADEN

Here’s a 21-minute track from Sun Kil Moon main man Mark Kozelek’s upcoming spoken word album. Like a lot of recent Kozelek output, “Los Angeles” plays out like a diary entry, here about Mark’s visit to the City of Angels. Petra Haden guests, appearing as a drunk person Mark overhears on a plane, and things end up at the Errol Spence Jr. / Shawn Porter fight at the Staples Center. As they do.

PHOEBE BRIDGERS – “7 O’CLOCK NEWS/SILENT NIGHT” (ft. FIONA APPLE & MATT BERNINGER)

Phoebe Bridgers has teamed with Fiona Apple and The National’s Matt Berninger for a Trump-era update of Simon & Garfunkel’s “7 O’Clock News/Silent Night.” You can read more about it here.

HEALTH & XIU XIU – “DELICIOUS APE”

The latest in HEALTH’s series of collaborative singles is with Xiu Xiu, and you can read more about it here.

TODAY IS THE DAY – “NO GOOD TO ANYONE”

Heavy music legends Today Is The Day are releasing their new album No Good To Anyone in 2020, and you can read more about the just-released title track here.

IRREVERSIBLE ENTANGLEMENTS – “HOMELESS​/​GLOBAL”

Free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements (who count Moor Mother as a member) have followed their 2017 debut album with a new 23-minute song. “As with the session for our first album, we began this session by just setting studio levels and hitting that record button… no script, no plan,” the band says. The song gets right into a groove, and it goes through all kinds of appealing changes after that. Read more here.

KESHA – “RESENTMENT” (ft. STURGILL SIMPSON & BRIAN WILSON)

The Kesha song with Sturgill Simpson and Brian Wilson has arrived. Read more about it here.

FORMER WORLDS – “SPECTRE”

Twin Cities metal trio Former Worlds are following their buzzed-about 2017 EP with their debut album in January, and you can read more about lead single “Spectre” here.

NATHAN GRAY (BOYSETSFIRE) – “NEVER ALONE”

“Never Alone” is the latest single off Boysetsfire frontman Nathan Gray’s upcoming solo album, and you can read more about it here.

Looking for even more new songs? Browse the ‘New Songs’ archive.