empress of

25 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…

KINGS OF LEON – “GOING NOWHERE”

Tons of musicians are making the best of the quarantine with stripped-down acoustic performances filmed in isolation and/or songs about being stuck at home, and Kings of Leon are no exception. They also write, “Stay safe. Stay home. We will see you as soon as we can.”

MUSH – “FEAR INDEX”

Rising British art punks Mush are following their recent 3D Routine EP with the Great Artisanal Formats EP on Record Store Day (which is now on June 20), and it includes this new single, which kinda sounds like a cross between Devo and The Modern Lovers.

JESS WILLIAMSON – “INFINITE SCROLL”

Jess Williamson’s fourth album Sorceress drops May 15 via Mexican Summer, and it includes this soaring baroque folk song that nods to life online.

EVIDENCE – “UNLEARNING”

Undreground rap vet Evidence has followed 2018’s Weather Or Not with a new single, the laid-back and ridiculously smooth “Unlearning.”

CHARGER (mem RANCID) – “STAY DOWN”

Rancid bassist/vocalist Matt Freeman’s band Charger have a new 12″ single out with their November 2019 song “Watch Your Back” and the just-released “Stay Down.” Charger get compared to Motorhead a lot, which you can hear on “Stay Down,” but there’s a little sped-up Black Sabbath in this one too.

QUELLE CHRIS – “SACRED SAFE” (ft. MERRILL GARBUS, CAVALIER & HOMEBOY SANDMAN)

Quelle Chris’ upcoming album Innocent Country 2 includes a song with Tune-Yards’ Merrill Garbus, Cavalier, and Homeboy Sandman. That song is now here, and it’s a very cool dose of soul, jazzy alt-rap.

DRAKEO THE RULER & 03 GREEDO 0 “IRON RAP BEEF” (REMIX FT. EARL SWEATSHIRT)

Earl Sweatshirt has been making abstract, psychedelic music lately, but he spits like the old days on this new remix of Drakeo the Ruler and 03 Greedo’s “Iron Rap Beef.”

M. WARD – “HEAVEN’S NAIL AND HAMMER”

Here’s one last early taste of M. Ward’s new album Migration Stories that’s out this Friday. “Heaven’s Nail and Hammer” is one of the dreamiest song we’ve gotten yet with shades of Santo & Johnny’s “Sleep Walk”: cue the slowdance disco ball.

LIDO PIMIENTA – “TE QUERIA”

“’Te Quería’ is a song about moving on from those who won’t appreciate your light but still can see it enough in you to want to steal it,” says Lido Pimienta. “‘Te Quería’ is what happens when the word hate won’t cut it, the word hate is too filthy to pronounce and I decided to make a riddle with the strength left in me, and here is a poem and a pouch full of pearls for your enjoyment.” It’s from Lido’s new album, Miss Colombia, which is out April 13.

BILL NACE – “BOTH, PART 7”

Experimental guitar great and one half of Body/head, Bill Nace will release new album Both on May 22 via Drag City. “Part 7” is dark and very creepy, is is its official video:

JG THIRLWELL & SIMON STEENSLAND – “PAPAL STAIN”

Foetus founder JG Thirlwell and composer Simon Steensland will release collaborative album Oscillospira on April 24. Here’s another eerie, and at times heavy, track. “‘Papal Stain’ is a multi movement piece which takes the listener on a cinematic journey that vacillates wildly in mood before its tumultuous climax,” is how Thirlwell puts it.

BRENDAN BENSON – “RICHEST MAN”

Brendan Benson, who you know from The Raconteurs, releases his new solo album Dear Life on April 24. This new single finds Benson extolling the benefits of having a family. “I never thought I would write a song about domesticity!” Benson says of the track. “When I wrote the words, I thought I would eventually change them to something a little less literal and “family man”, but in the end, I decided I liked the lyrics, for those two reasons.”

EMPRESS OF – “LOVE IS A DRUG”

Empress Of’s new album, I’m Your Empress Of, is due out Friday via Terrible Records, and its second single, like the first, is club and dance-floor ready.

DAMIEN JURADO – “ALICE HYATT”

Somber and intimate, “Alice Hyatt” features lovely organ and acoustic guitar pairing with Damien Jurado’s voice sounding right by your ear. His new album What’s New Tomboy? is out May 1.

THE BUTTERTONES – “PHANTOM EYES”

The Buttertones fall somewhere between gothy post-punk and lonesome highway sufry rock. “Phantom Eyes” is from the band’s forthcoming Jazzhound that’s out April 10 via Innovative Leisure.

MARTIN FRAWLEY (EX-TWERPS) – “IN A BETTER WORLD”

“’In a Better World’ is about feeling isolated from your community, and I wanted the video to reflect that,” says former Twerp Martin Frawley of his new single and video (which was clearly made on his own”). “It’s weird to think most of the world is now isolated. Dealing with your own thoughts can be tough, especially without everything outside to distract you.” He adds, “As a solo artist, I don’t find the isolation so difficult because it’s already a lonely world; you truly discover who you are, whether you want to or not, and I refuse to hide behind some persona. We all have a voice, we all have something to say. It’s just where we decide to spray it.

CLAIRO – “EVERYTHING I KNOW (DEMO)”

Humble Records shared a compilation on Soundcloud that they describe as “a lil audible journey….Listen in as Genny and Conor have a particularly music filled night out.” Included on it is this demo from Clairo, which she says is “from earlier last year.”

CAROLINE – “DARK BLUE”

Caroline recently signed to Rough Trade and released a live session video of “Dark Blue,” and now the studio version is here. It’ll appear on the band’s debut 12″ single, backed by “BRJ,” which comes out on April 24, and as heard in the live video, “Dark Blue” is a lovely dose of folk-tinged post-rock.

CRO-MAGS – “THE FINAL TEST”

Cro-Mags have announced their first new album in 20 years and released the lead single, which you can download and read more about here.

UMBRA VITAE (mem CONVERGE, etc) – “RETURN TO ZERO”

Umbra Vitae is a new death metal-inspired band fronted by Converge’s J Bannon that also features current and former members of Bannon’s other band Wear Your Wounds, Hatebreed, The Red Chord, Twitching Tongues, Job for a Cowboy, Uncle Acid, and more. Read more about their debut single here.

ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER – “SHE’S THERE”

It’s the first single from Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s new album, Sideways To New Italy, which will be released June 5 via Sub Pop.

TY SEGALL – SEGALL SMEAGOL EP (NILSSON COVERS)

“I wanted to cover Nilsson Schmilsson for years,” says Ty Segall, “so I used the opportunity of being at home to cover my favorite cuts from the record.”

YAEJI – WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던

Yaeji releases her new mixtape, WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던, on Thursday and here’s a very sweet video for the title track, featuring her grandfather and, later, a fantastical giant onion. “This song is about sharing love and gratitude with the people you call family,” Yaeji explains, “Dawn and our friends helped bring my nostalgia for Korea to life.”

PSYCHIC ILLS – “NEVER LEARN NOT TO LOVE” (BEACH BOYS COVER) & “CEASE TO EXIST” (CHARLES MANSON COVER)”

Psychic Ills frontman Tres Warren died last week and the band’s label, Sacred Bones, has now shared two newly recorded covers: The Beach Boys’ “Never Learn Not to Love” and the Charles Manson song it was based on, “Cease to Exist”.

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