the-hives
The Hives

23 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…

THE HIVES – “GOOD SAMARITAN”

The Hives’ new 7″ single is out today and you may have heard the A-side, “I’m Alive,” but here’s the B-side. Say the band: “This a song about helping people help themselves by not helping them? Are they sarcastic or do they hate people now? Is this punk? You never know with these Hives and it’s been a while since I saw them so let’s all go see them again and see what they are on about? Musically faster than usual but a surprising dive into the chorus that feels like going into hyper-space. Now it’s not surprising anymore. Oh well.”

PURPLE MOUNTAINS – “MARGARITAS AT THE MALL”

“I’ve drawn up all my findings and I warn you they are candid,” David Berman intones in the opening lines of “Margaritas at the Mall,” arguably the standout cut on Purple Mountains‘ upcoming debut album. Berman never shied away from drawing on his personal life in Silver Jews but with Purple Mountains he’s bearing his soul and facing death on nearly every song. Here he looks at faith, religion, the state of our nation — “50 gates of understanding, 49 are closed” — and the whole existential “why are we here” thing, all wrapped up in a twangy, boozy frozen cocktail.

TAKING BACK SUNDAY – “A DECADE UNDER THE INFLUENCE” (ACOUSTIC)

Taking Back Sunday initially released “A Decade Under the Influence” on 2004’s Where You Want To Be, which was their first album with Fred Mascherino on guitar/vocals after John Nolan (and bassist Shaun Cooper) left the band). John and Shaun have been back in the band for a while, and now they’ve recorded this acoustic version of “A Decade Under the Influence” with John singing all of Fred’s parts (as he has now done live for years). It’s cool to hear, and this isn’t just a straightforward rendition of the song with acoustic guitars; they really reinvent it. It’ll appear on Punk Goes Acoustic Vol. 3, which comes out July 26 via Fearless Records and also features songs by Dashboard Confessional, Circa Survive, Underoath, and more.

FREDDIE GIBBS & MADLIB – “PALMOLIVE” (ft. KILLER MIKE & PUSHA T)

Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s first collaborative album in five years, Bandana, is out now (read our review), and one of the major highlights is this song with Killer Mike and Pusha T. All three rappers have made crucial music in the 2010s that stays true to the tradition of ’90s hip hop, and the triple threat of hearing them all on the same song is truly menacing.

MUSTARD – “PERFECT TEN” (ft. NIPSEY HUSSLE)

Super producer Mustard’s star-studded new album Perfect Ten is out now. We’ve already posted some of the singles, like “On God” (ft. A$AP Ferg, YG, Tyga & A$AP Rocky), “100 Bands” (ft. Quavo, 21 Savage, YG & Meek Mill), and “Pure Water” (ft. Migos), and here’s another key track: the title track featuring the late Nipsey Hussle. It’s a sentimental, drumless ballad, and it reminds you that Nipsey was taken from us way too soon.

DANIEL CAESAR – CASE STUDY 01 ft. BRANDY, PHARRELL & MORE (ALBUM STREAM)

R&B/soul singer Daniel Caesar continues to rise, and he’s nabbed some pretty huge guests for his just-released sophomore album, CASE STUDY 01.

METH. – “HER WOMB LAYS STILL”

Chicago-area mathcore/noisecore band METH. are releasing their new album Mother of Red Light on August 23 via Prosthetic. It was mixed by Andy Nelson and mastered by Jack Shirley, and new single “Her Womb Lays Still” is a real face-melter. Bandleader Seb Alvarez says, “Womb was one of the first songs we finished and fully demoed out during the writing process. It started with a structural guitar part I wrote that more or less designated the flow of the first few sections of the song. Zack took what I started and brought it all to life into its current form. Womb demonstrates all the elements we establish with the LP. It carries ambiance, harshness, heaviness and just overall abrasiveness. It’s also a perfect demonstration of everyone’s touch to the writing process as well as a solid preview into the themes portrayed throughout the narrative of the record.”

NINJA TED: A BENEFIT FOR THE VANCOUVER FOOD BANK (COMPILATION STREAM)

Amanda Palmer put together a 2018 concert in Vancouver with a variety of friends and special guests, including Neil Gaiman (her husband), Riz Ahmed, Mike Posner, Jason Webley, and more, and over a year later she’s made a live recording available, with proceeds going to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. You can read more about the live album and its creation here.

YOUNG M.A – “BIG”

We’re still waiting on “OOOUUU” hitmaker Young M.A’s long-awaited, much-anticipated debut album, but meanwhile she continues to drop new singles and this one is very much in the hard-edged, classic New York rap mode that she won us all over with.

BANDAID BRIGADE – “TRAVEL LIGHT”

Bandaid Brigade is a new band from PEARS frontman Zach Quinn and Brian Wahlstrom (Scorpios, Gods of Mount Olympus), with help from drummer Paul Rucker (Street Dogs, Drag the River), and though PEARS make razor-sharp punk rock, Bandaid Brigade’s debut single “Travel Light” sounds more like ’80s Lite FM pop rock (with just a hint of irony).

HOVVDY & LOMELDA – COVERS (EP STREAM)

Hovvdy and Lomelda connected in Texas and have been longtime friends; they’re going on a tour of the Midwestern US together this summer, and to celebrate they released a new EP, Covers, where they cover each other’s material. It’s available for pre-order as a cassette, and proceeds from that version go to RAICES, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that provides free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees.

EQUIKNOXX – ETERNAL CHILDREN (ALBUM STREAM)

Forward-thinking Jamaican collective Equiknoxx — Shanique Marie, Bobby Blackbird, Gavsborg, Kemikal and Time Cow — released their third album, Eternal Children today. It’s their first vocal album, following two released on Demdike Stare’s DDS label and it mixes hip hop, dancehall, traditional reggae and pop but defies easy categorization. NYC can catch them at MoMA PS1 Warm up in July.

FAT JOE, DRE & LIL WAYNE – “PULLIN”

Three rap lifers — New York beast Fat Joe, New Orleans martian Lil Wayne, and Dre of production duo Cool & Dre — teamed up for this new song which revolves around a sample of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” It’s just as fun as it sounds on paper.

WOW – “OCCHI DI SERPENTE”

China Wow and Leo Non have been making music in Rome as WOW for years, with a smokey, bluesy brand of pop noir indebted to ’60s Italian pop, surf, garage and post-punk. It’s the kind of music that sounds like 3 AM at a smoky, red-lit bar, or born from a scene in a David Lynch film. “Occhi Di Serpente” (“Snake Eyes”) is a mysterious cocktail that sounds dangerous and alluring all at once, set to a slinky, bongo-fueled groove. It’s from their new album, due out in August.

UNDERWORLD & Ø [PHASE]– “BORDER COUNTRY”

Underworld’s new album Drift Songs features songs culled from their year-long “Drift” series that includes music, film and collaborations. “Border Country” is a collaboration with “Drift” community member Ø [Phase]. “We’ve been performing ‘Border Country’ live since November 2018 and though it had never been released we’ve seen how it instantly connects with audiences everywhere we play,” says Underworld’s Karl Hyde. It’s a banger.

CORPSE FLOWER (MIKE PATTON & JEAN-CLAUDE VANNIER) – “CHANSONS D’AMOUR”

Mike Patton, of Faith No More, Mr Bungle and other projects, will release his album with composer/orchestrator and Gainsbourg collaborator Jean-Claude Vannier — the duo are called Corpse Flower — in September and here’s a second taste, a dark, twisted, string-laden look at “songs of love.” “When I was a little boy, love songs terrified me, with their stupid Ophelias, faded flowers of melodramatics singers, quavering vocalises of another time, barbaric rituals, screams of impatient sexes, furious and bloody refrains, like in this beautiful and poisonous video,” said Vannier. “Afterwards, I lived some love stories and it was even worse, all a bazaar puppet show that moved me despite myself, took me hostage and blames me for these crimes that I did not commit.”

GIRL FRIDAY – FASHION CONMAN (EP STREAM)

L.A. band Girl Friday release their Fashion Conman EP today via Hardly Art. You can hear bits of Flying Nun indie rock, Los Angeles paisley underground and mid-’90s alt rock in these four songs. THey’ve also just released a video for “Headstones”:

75 DOLLAR BILL – I WAS REAL (Album Stream)

75 Dollar Bill, aka guitarist Che Chen and percussionist Rick Brown, have just released new double album I Was Real, which is their first in three years. Their music is complex, incorporating blues and guitar styles from around the world, but sounds deceptively simple and rewards repeat listens.

HUMEYSHA – “NURSAT ON THE BEACH”

Humeysha, the Brooklyn-based, Hindi dream pop group led by Zain Alam, will release the Nursat on the Beach EP on July 19. The title track is an ode to Sufi music icon Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and interpolates part of his song ” Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai” into Humeysha’s melodies.

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CRO-MAGS – “DON’T GIVE IN,” “DRAG YOU UNDER,” “NO ONE’S VICTIM”

Crossover thrash vets Cro-Mags (led by Harley Flanagan) returned with their first new songs in 19 years, and they’re not bad at all. Read more here.

https://youtu.be/iLc0j0sAyFA

https://youtu.be/gyTD6yYlRtk

https://youtu.be/WwL9VBWGU3Y

JON PATRICK WALKER – “LUV U GIRL”

Jon Patrick Walker is a musician and actor who you may have seen as King George in the touring company of Hamilton. His debut album, Welcome to the Edge Times, will be out late this year and the first single is the dreamy, harmonious “Luv U Girl.”


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