Free Throw What's Past Is Prologue

20 New Songs Out Today

So many artists, so little time. Each week we review five 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…

FREE THROW – “THE CORNER’S DILEMMA”

Nashville emo band Free Throw, who are touring with Tiny Moving Parts soon, are releasing their new album What’s Past Is Prologue on March 29 via Triple Crown, and going by lead single “The Corner’s Dilemma,” it sounds like the band are really stepping up their game for this one. It’s got everything from throat-shredding post-hardcore to mathy Midwest emo to big pop punk hooks, all rolled up into one passionate, powerful song.

DEVIL MASTER – “BLACK FLAME CANDLE”

Blackened Philly punks Devil Master have shared a second single off their upcoming Relapse debut, Satan Spits on Children of Light, and like the last single, it’s raw and dark and gruesome but with bright, catchy melodies trying to fight their way through. The video looks like a vintage horror flick, which matches the song perfectly.

RATSO – “OUR LADY OF THE NIGHT” (FT. NICK CAVE)

Larry “Ratso” Sloman is a NYC-based writer who has been tied to the hip with rock and pop since the ’60s, having collaborated with Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, John Cale and Leonard Cohen, and helped Anthony Kiedis and Howard Stern write their autobiographies. (Look for him to have a big part in Scorsese’s upcoming Netflix documentary about Bob Dylan.) At 70 he’s adding another feather to his cap: singer-songwriter. “Maybe I can be the Jewish Susan Boyle,” Ratso says. “The oldest best new artist ever and if that doesn’t pan out, I can always perform on subway platforms. Hey, I can get in for half-price!” Working with Caged Animals main man Vince Caccione, he’s releasing his debut album, Stubborn Heart, on April 5 via Lucky Number. The album features appearances from Nick Cave, Warren Ellis and more, including this duet with Nick. All that time hanging around Dylan has certainly rubbed off, vocally.

IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE – “WANNA COME DOWN”

UK funk outfit Ibibio Sound Machine release their new album Doko Mien on March 22 and here’s another infectious jam from the album that mixes disco, ’80s electro with English and Ibibio language lyrics. “The Ibibio lyrics of the track are about the healing power of the river,” says singer Eno Williams, “and the chorus. ‘Wanna come down, get ready ‘coz we’re gonna go’ is inviting people to come, dance and get involved with what’s going on.

O.R.K. (mem KING CRIMSON, PORCUPINE TREE) – “BLACK BLOOMS” (ft. SERJ TANKIAN)

Our fingers are still crossed for a new System Of A Down album, but in the meantime, frontman Serj Tankian keeps lending his awesomely distinct voice to other artists’ songs (he’s kinda becoming the alt-metal Andre 3000). His latest vocal contribution is to “Black Blooms” by O.R.k., the prog supergroup that includes lead singer Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari, Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin, Marta Sui Tubi guitarist Carmelo Pipitone and King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto. The song will appear on O.R.k.’s upcoming album Ramagehead (due February 22 via Kscope Records).

PATIO – “BOY SCOUT”

Brooklyn band Patio have been together about four years, honing their songwriting craft and sound which pulls from post-punk and indie rock. The band are set to released their debut album, Essentials, on April 5 via “Fire Talk” and have just shared wiry first single “Boy Scout” that intertwines vocal and guitar lines.

EARTHGANG – “PROUD OF U” (ft. YOUNG THUG)

Atlanta rap duo EarthGang are releasing their proper debut album MirrorLand on J Cole’s Dreamville Records at some point this year, and they’ve now shared a song featuring fellow Atlanta rapper Young Thug. It’s poppy, bouncy, and a little weird — the perfect kind of song for Young Thug to hop on.

FASHAWN, NAS & EZRI – “APOSTLES”

Mass Appeal Records’ Starting 5 Tour with Fashawn, Stro, Ezri, Cantrell, and 070 Phi starts Wednesday (2/6), and ahead of the tour, the label has released the Starting 5: Vol 1 compilation. It’s got a lot of stuff worth hearing, including opening track “Apostles” which features label head Nas along with Starting 5 tourmates Fashawn and Ezri. With a hazy, psychedelic, throwback beat from Statik Selektah, this is way more in Nas’ comfort zone than last year’s Kanye-produced album, and it’s nice to hear him doing this kinda thing again.

MISERY INDEX – “THE CHOIR INVISIBLE”

Misery Index have shared another bone-crusher off their upcoming Rituals of Power. It’s called “The Choir Invisible” and it’s keeping hopes high that this new LP is gonna be a ripper.

WAND – “SCARECROW”

If you wrote off Wand as just another garage-psych band, you need to check back in with Cory Hanson and crew whose new single sounds more like late-’90s Radiohead than anything Ty Segall has done.

MANY ROOMS – “99 PROOFS”

Many Rooms, aka Houston-based musician Brianna Hunt, is following up 2018’s There Is A Presence Here with a new single — the haunting, spare and atmospheric “99 Proofs.”

MAT KEREKES – “DIAMONDS”

Mat Kerekes is the frontman of the post-hardcore band Citizen, but he explores other types of less aggressive music with his solo career, and new single “Diamonds” is a very clear homage to Queen.

BLACK DRESSES – THANK YOU (ALBUM STREAM)

Devi McCallion and Rook released their debut LP as Black Dresses, WASTEISOLATION, and a follow-up EP, HELL IS REAL, in 2018. A month into 2019 and they’ve shared another new release, THANK YOU, which finds the duo continuing to cloak powerful, loaded lyrics in layers of noise, to compelling effect.

SUSANNA – “WILDERNESS”

Norwegian artist Susanna’s Hieronymus Bosch-inspired collaborative album with The Brotherhood of Our Lady, Garden of Earthly Delights, comes out on February 22. She’s shared a third new single, “Wilderness,” from it; another dose of atmospheric, piano-backed pop.

JAMILA WOODS – “ZORA”

Jamila Woods has announced her new album LEGACY! LEGACY! (due 5/10 via Jagjaguwar) and shared the very promising second single “ZORA,” which we wrote more about here.

CHRISTIAN SCOTT ATUNDE ADJUAH – “ANCESTRAL RECALL” (ft. SAUL WILLIAMS)

Genre-defying jazz artist Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah announced a new album and shared its psychedelic, Afrobeat-inspired title track which features hip hop/spoken word great Saul Williams. Read more here.

SUNN O))) – LIFE METAL (CLIP)

Drone metal greats Sunn O))) shared a five-minute clip of their upcoming Steve Albini-recorded album Life Metal, which we wrote more about here.

TR/ST – “GONE”

Robert Alfons is back with his first new TR/ST album in five years. Make that two records, as The Destroyer will be a two-parter, both out this year. Check out the first single.

LAURA STEVENSON – “LIVING ROOM, NY”

Laura Stevenson announced her fifth album, The Big Freeze, and shared its stirring first single, “Living Room, NY,” which we wrote more about here.

THE LEMONHEADS – “UNFAMILIAR” (GIVEGOODS COVER)

The Lemonhead’s new album, Varshons II, is all covers, but “Unfamiliar” is actually an Evan Dando co-write with Tom Morgan of ’90s Australian band Smudge (and dates from around 2003).

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