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…
EMEL MATHLOUTHI – “WAKERS OF THE WIND”
Emel Mathlouthi has shared another single off her anticipated new album Everywhere We Looked Was Burning (due 9/27 via Partisan), which is the Tunisian-born, New York-based artist’s first English language album. It’s another intense, gradually building dose of atmospheric art pop and it comes with a video directed by Emel herself.
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CHELSEA WOLFE – “DERANGED FOR ROCK & ROLL”
Chelsea Wolfe’s new album Birth of Violence comes out next week, and she has shared another single from it ahead of the release. It’s called “Deranged For Rock & Roll,” and it’s a folky song with a hard edge that’s keeping our hopes very high for this album.
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SHAKESPEARS SISTER – “WHEN SHE FINDS YOU” (FT RICHARD HAWLEY)
Siobhan Fahey left Bananarama in 1988 and started making music as Shakespears Sister, which soon became a duo with Marcella Detroit, and they scored a massive worldwide hit with 1992’s “Stay.” They called it quits in 1996 but Fahey reactivated the name back the name in the early-’00s, releasing albums in 2004 and 2009. Now Detroit has rejoined the fold and are set to release a new EP titled Ride Again. The first single employs the many talents of Richard Hawley who brings his orchestrated, early rock-n-roll style — as well as his crooner’s pipes — to this lovely duet.
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M83 – “TEMPLE OF SORROW”
Anthony Gonzalez is back with a second volume of his Digital Shades series that includes ambient works and other material that doesn’t fall under the “pop” umbrella. The record’s out September 20 via Mute and he’s just shared the nine-minute “Temple of Sorrow” which has some of M83’s signature anthemic tendencies woven into it. It also comes with a high-budget, fantastical video that is one-third of a three-part short film “inspired by the music of DSVII and helmed by French experimental director Bertrand Mandico.”
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SEBASTIAN – “BETTER NOW” (FT MAYER HAWTHORNE)
French Touch producer SebastiAn will release his new album, Thirst, on November 8 via Ed Banger. The record is loaded with guest appearances, including Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sparks, Syd (The Internet), Sevdaliza, and more. New single “Better Now” features Mayer Hawthorn and SebastiAn says is “all about love, and when he is singing, Mayer knows what he is talking about.”
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THE EARLY NOVEMBER – “AVE MARIA”
“Ave Maria” is the third single off The Early November’s upcoming album Lilac, and it sees them going in a bright, upbeat pop direction but still with the watery atmosphere of the previous single.
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EX HEX – “IT’S REAL” & “WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU?” (SLANT 6 COVER)
Ex Hex are following up this year’s It’s Real with a new digital single that’s out now. The A-side inspired the title of the new album, even though it didn’t make it onto the record, but comes with a typically earworm glammy riff (there’s a little Heart in there). The b-side, meanwhile, is a cover of “What Kind of Monster Are You?” by ’90s indie rockers Slant 6.
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YOUNG GUV – “TRY NOT TO HANG ON SO HARD”
Young Guv, aka the powerpop psuedonymn of Fucked Up’s Ben Cook, just released GUV I and he’s now announced he’ll follow it up with GUV II on October 25. Ben says soaring first single “Try Not To Hang On So Hard” was written “on a bit of acid. I was house-sitting for my mom and looking at all the photos and all the very British trinkets she keeps around and on her walls that make her happy. It had a pretty profound emotional effect on me, probably due to the LSD, so I wrote a song about how it’s ok to feel a little lost or lonely and to keep things around you that make you feel comforted.”
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DEVENDRA BANHART – “TAKING A PAGE”
Devendra Banhart’s new album Ma comes out on September 13 via Nonesuch, and for new single “Taking a Page,” he took inspiration from Carole King, and used a line and melody from “So Far Away.” “I’m not sure what ‘Taking a Page’ is about,” he says, “at least I’m not sure of how to synthesize it into something pithy. I definitely know it’s about how much I can’t stand car chases and those long drawn-out guitar solos (though I’ve certainly been guilty of plenty of ’em!). I do remember the night Trump won-the shock and fear. I instinctively reached for a Carole King album. I knew it would help. I knew it would come in handy … and it did. Still does. I’m so glad Carole got to hear it. It’s really just a song about my entire life. I can’t explain it much beyond that.”
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CATTLE DECAPITATION – “ONE DAY CLOSER TO THE END OF THE WORLD”
Cattle Decapitation have debuted the first single off their upcoming eighth album Death Atlas (due 11/29 via Metal Blade). It’s called “One Day Closer to the End of the World” and it goes back and forth between relentlessly brutal death metal and a more uplifting, melodic hook before ending up in almost atmospheric post-metal territory. It’s a cool song that covers a lot of ground without losing focus. Read more about the album (which features a Dead Can Dance cover and a member of Phish) here.
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CULT OF LUNA – “LAY YOUR HEAD TO REST”
Cult of Luna have shared a second single off their anticipated new album A Dawn To Fear (due 9/20 via Metal Blade). Following the ten-and-a-half-minute “The Silent Man” comes “Lay Your Head To Rest,” which is a little shorter, but no less epic. It balances melody, aggression, and experimentation perfectly.
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KELSO – “I’M OKAY, LIFE GOES ON, I DON’T MIND”
Camp Cope bassist Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich has previously used the moniker Kelso for solo material, but she’s linked up with a new band and they’re releasing an EP, Always A Godmother, Never A God, due out on October 4 via Poison City Records. “The song is very sarcastic, very much about living in and then being away from Sydney,” Kelly tells Pile Rats. “The whole EP is very about Sydney and that’s why the cover is Redfern Convenience Store. It was recorded by and with my oldest friends from Sydney – who gave me the nickname Kelso when I was a teen, it was this cathartic sort of thing of going home again after a long time mentally and physically being distant from it.”
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DEAD SOFT – “I BELIEVE YOU”
Canada’s Dead Soft are releasing their debut album Big Blue on October 18 via Arts & Crafts, and its new single “I Believe You” is a dose of fuzzed-out alt-rock that’ll take you right back to the ’90s but sounds great in 2019 too.
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CHASTITY BELT – “DROWN”
Chastity Belt’s new Jay Som-produced self-titled album is out next week and here’s the third and final pre-release single from it. “I started writing ‘Drown’ back when I was 23… so almost 6 years ago. It came together with the band a few years later,” says singer Julia Shapiro of the pretty, dreamy track that is a bit in Real Estate territory. “It feels good to finally put it out into the world! Everyone’s parts on it are really intricate and thoughtful and overall add to the moodiness of the song.”
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FRANKIE COSMOS – “41ST”
Frankie Cosmos’ new album Close it Quietly comes out tomorrow (9/6), and she’s shared one final single ahead of its release. It’s accompanied by a low-fi video that Greta Kline directed, with footage from her spring tour with Ian Sweet.
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PATRICK WATSON – “DREAM FOR DREAMING”
“When you come home and your house doesn’t look like the one you left and the strange feeling of being so far from what you had in mind that your skin doesn’t fit anymore,” Montreal’s Patrick Watson says of the first single from his forthcoming album, Wave. “You’re in the state of disbelief with a strange smile wondering what am I to do now.” Dream For Dreaming is gorgeous and subtle for an artist who is prone to sonic acrobatics and the video, featuring a puppet version of Watson, is sweet and moving.
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DANNY BROWN – “DIRTY LAUNDRY”
Danny Brown officially announced his new album and first single “Dirty Laundry” is out now. Read more about it here.
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GRIMES – “VIOLENCE”
Grimes is gearing up to release her new album Miss_Anthropocene, and while most details (like release date) are still TBA, today she returned with this new single.
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SWANS – “IT’S COMING IT’S REAL”
Swans have announced a new album which features Anna Von Hausswolff, Ben Frost, and more, and the first single is “It’s Coming It’s Real.” You can read more about it here.
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BELLE & SEBASTIAN – “THIS LETTER”
Belle & Sebastian‘s soundtrack to new film Days of The Bagnold Summer is out next week (9/13) and they’ve just shared another track from it. “This Letter” is light and jazzy, recalling Jobim or early Everything But the Girl, and tells a tale of sorting the world’s problems with our own.
LITURGY – “GOD OF LOVE”
Brooklyn black metallers Liturgy are back with their first new song in four years, and it features an orchestra, a harp, and more. Read more here.
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ADAM GREEN – “ENGINE OF PARADISE”
The former Moldy Peach releases his new solo album tomorrow and here’s the title track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCDY-y1WZ7k
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INJURY RESERVE – “HPNCGC” (ft. JPEGMAFIA & CODE ORANGE)
Injury Reserve are back with a new loosie featuring two pretty amazing guests, and you can read more about it here.
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PRISSY WHIP – “MASKS”
Prissy Whip have a chaotic sound that fans of Deerhoof and Melt-Banana will probably dig, and you can read more about their new single “Masks” here.
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THE DEER – “MOVE TO GIRLS”
Austin folkies The Deer have signed to Keeled Scales for their upcoming fourth album, and you can hear lead single “Move To Girls” now and read more about it here.
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the ‘New Songs’ archive.
