Jamila Woods
Jamila Woods

21 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, track premieres, and more all day. In these concertless times, that includes daily livestreams and live concert videos we love. 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.

THE BATS – “ANOTHER DOOR”

New Zealand indie rock greats are back with new album Foothills in November and they’ve just shared a second track from the album. Frontman Robert Scott says “Another Door” is “wee ditty about opportunities both missed and taken” and features the band’s signature harmonies and snakey guitar leads.

BULLY – A NEW ENGLAND (BILLY BRAGG COVER)

Having just released new Bully album SUGAREGG, Alicia Bognann has uploaded this solo acoustic cover of Billy Bragg’s classic single “A New England.” We loved it then as we loved it still.

SMOKE DZA – “SANTOS PARTY HOUSE” (ft. WIZ KHALIFA, BIG K.R.I.T., CURREN$Y, prod. GIRL TALK)

Here’s a trip back to 2010. Early ‘10s staples Smoke DZA, Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., Curren$y pay tribute to the much loved, now-defunct NYC venue Santos Party House — where they used to hang — with this song and video, which features an animated depiction of the venue. The song was produced by Girl Talk, who told Lyrical Lemonade how it all came together: “I linked up with Wiz, K.R.I.T., and DZA while out in LA. We all have history together that goes back over 10 years, so the vibe was great. Just everyone catching up and having fun. I pulled up the ‘Santos Party [House]’ record, and everyone wanted to jump on it. I had a session with Curren$y a few weeks later, and he put the finishing touches on the song.”

AIMEE MANN – “AVALANCHE” (LEONARD COHEN)

Aimee Mann’s atmospheric cover of Leonard Cohen’s atmosphere served as the opening theme for HBO’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark documentary series, and here’s the full version.

SAULT – UNTITLED (RISE)

SAULT, the enigmatic UK group that includes Dean “Inflo” Wynton Josiah, dropped UNTITLED (Rise), their second album of 2020, (UNTITLED (Black Is) came out in simlar no-warning fashion back in June.) This one is just as lushly produced as Black is, with maybe a little more emphasis on disco and R&B…and a few more positive vibes.

JAMILA WOODS – “SULA” (HARDCOVER VERSION)

Having released the “paperback” version of the Toni Morrison-inspired “SULA” in August, Jamila Woods has now released the “Hardcover” edition. The very NSFW video was directed by her close friend and Brown Girls creator Fatimah Asghar who says: “Who do we give ourselves permission to be when we’re alone? When our gaze is only on ourselves? I’ve always loved SULA by Toni Morrison, and been particularly struck by the way that Sula isn’t understood by the people around her because of her sexuality. Being in quarantine, connecting to my own sexuality in a way that I hadn’t before, re-reading Sula and listening to the song inspired me to think through the concept of the video. The music video follows Jamila as she goes from the outside world to the inside, disrobing in the comfort of her own space, stripping down to her interior– the part of her no one else gets to see. Quarantine has had us all wondering what our lives, our sexuality, is like away from the gaze of the world. And Sula is all about empowered sexuality, carving your own path outside of what society thinks is okay. Embracing both the empowered erotic in her own way, this video will show a side to Jamila we’ve never seen before.”

LYKKE LI – “I WILL SURVIVE” (GLORIA GAYNOR COVER)

Gloria Gaynor’s disco-fueled empowerment anthem gets a haunting, ghostly twist in this piano-based cover from Lykke Li.

PARTNER – “BIG GAY HANDS”

Canadian band Partner release their second album, Never Give Up, on November 20, and the latest single is “Big Gay Hands.” “This song is about a wild night on the town filled with queer desire,” they say. “It is an important song to us because it expresses a feeling we know is shared by many. There are a lot of songs out there about women’s bodies but this is the only song we know about big gay hands. This song is dedicated to the hotties and to those who love them.”

CHUCKY73 – “PALOS” (ft. NENGO FLOW)

Following the great Chucky73 & Fetti031 EP, Chucky73 has now announced his debut full-length album, De Chiquito Siempre Cabezu, due October 30 via Sie7etr3/Caroline. New single “Palos” is yet another great example of his ability to blend Latin trap with NY drill.

ANITTA – “ME GUSTA” (ft. CARDI B & MYKE TOWERS)

Brazilian pop singer Anitta taps Cardi B (who raps in both English and Spanish on this) and Puerto Rican trapper for the star-studded “Me Gusta.”

BABY KEEM – “HOOLIGAN” & “SONS & CRITICS FREESTYLE”

Rising rapper/producer Baby Keem (who’s Kendrick Lamar’s cousin and has appeared on records by Kendrick, Beyonce, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q) was recently named an XXL Freshman and today he follows that up with two promising new songs.

BRANDY (GARAGE PUNK BAND) – “UFOS 2 HEAVEN”

Brandy, the garage punk band who probably want you to confuse them with R&B singer of the same name, have just made a video for “UFOs 2 Heaven” from their new album The Gift of Repetition. Shot mostly on the NYC subway (pre-COVID), the video — like the band — has no shortage of attitude. Look out for a cameo by Frankie Rose.

MATT BELLAMY – “BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER” (SIMON & GARFUNKEL COVER)

The Muse frontman delivers an acoustic take on Simon & Garfunkel’s classic. “One of my favorite songs of all time, and a timely song for a tough year,” he says. “We should all reach out and be there for our friends right now!”

TYLER CHILDERS – “LONG VIOLENT HISTORY”

Tyler Childers calls this powerful protest song “my own observational piece on the times that we are in” and is the title track to his otherwise instrumental “old time fiddle” album.

OSEES – “ELECTRIC WAR”

Osees just released the very good Protean Threat, and they’ve already announced another record, Metamorphosed, which will be out October 16. He’s a sample.

CARCASS – “THE LONG AND WINDING BIER ROAD”

Carcass’ first new album since 2013 is delayed due to the pandemic, but their four-song Despicable EP is out next month, and “The Long and Winding Bier Road” is yet another genuinely awesome offering from it.

DEFTONES – “GENESIS”

Deftones’ highly-anticipated new album Ohms is a week away, and the latest single is “Genesis,” which we wrote more about here.

PALLBEARER – “THE QUICKSAND OF EXISTING”

Doom greats Pallbearer have released another song off their anticipated new Forgotten Days, and as you’d expect from them, it’s equal parts crushing and catchy, and it makes time for a pretty psychedelic guitar solo too.

HJELVIK – “NORTH TSAR”

The first taste of former Kvlertak vocalist Erlend Hjelvik’s new solo project, “North Tsar,” is here.

JER – “R/EDGELORD”

Skatune Network’s Jeremy Hunter makes their own music as JEF, and now they’ve shared their first official single.

PUSCIFER – “THE UNDERWHELMING”

Puscifer announced their new album, and first since 2015, Existential Reckoning, and shared new single “The Underwhelming,” which we wrote more about here.

IAN BROWN – “LITTLE SEED BIG TREE”

Former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown goes full anti-mask and anti-vaxxer on his heavy-handed new single.

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