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. We update a playlist weekly of some of our current favorite tracks. Here’s a daily roundup with a bunch of interesting, newly released songs in one place.
PUP – “TOTALY FINE”
PUP’s anticipated new Peter Katis-produced album THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND comes out next week (4/1), and as you’ve heard on the pre-release singles, this album covers a lot of new ground for PUP while still sounding like no other band in the world. There are still rippers on there though, like “Totally Fine” (which features guest vocals from Casper Skulls’ Melanie St-Pierre). Pick up the album on black w/ magenta & red splatter vinyl.
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BIITCHSEAT – “BLACKBERRIES AND CHERRY COLA”
Cleveland indie-punks Biitchseat will follow last year’s I’ll Become Kind EP with a new full-length album, Float, on May 27 via Refresh Records. It features their 2021 single “Tipesh” and the just-released “Blackberries and Cherry Cola,” an indie slow-burner with an explosive, grungy climax.
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DEFCEE – “DUNK CONTEST”
Chicago underground rapper Defcee has shared a new track off his upcoming BoatHouse-produced album For All Debts Public and Private, and it finds him delivering bulletproof bars over an ominous beat from BoatHouse with a hook that references a handful of NBA icons.
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GOLDEN APPLES – “HIGH SCHOOL”
Golden Apples, which started as the solo project of Philly musician Russell Edling before turning into a full band (with current and former members of Spirit of the Beehive, The Sidekicks, Kite Party, Nona, and more) will release their self-titled sophomore album on April 29 via Lame-O Records, and new single “High School” is an appealing mix of a handful of ’90s styles, including shoegaze, slacker rock, grunge, and more.
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TYPHOON – “NEW WIFE”
Typhoon announced a new EP, Underground Complex 1, due out on April 15 via Roll Call Records. It’s the first in what frontman Kyle Morton calls “a series about resentment,” and the first single is “New Wife.” “This song is one long, regrettable voicemail left by the narrator for his ex-wife,” Kyle says. “The brutal thing about the medium of voicemail being that you can never take anything back; you just keep piling it on until you hang up.”
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EST GEE & 42 DUGG – “FREE THE SHINERS”
EST Gee and 42 Dugg, two rising rappers that are both signed to Yo Gotti’s CMG label, will release a collaborative project, Last Ones Left, this year. The first single is “Free the Shiners,” a tough, hard-hitting track that shows off a ton of chemistry between these two.
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COUNTERPUNCH – “WAITING IN THE WINGS”
Counterpunch have been keeping ’90s-style skate punk alive for over 15 years, though they haven’t released a new album since 2014. That’ll change this year, with a TBA LP coming via Thousand Island Records and SBAM Records, and new single “Waiting in the Wings” proves they’ve still got it.
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!!! – “HERE’S WHAT I NEED TO KNOW”
“Here’s What I Need To Know” is a song about the moment when you know a relationship is finished- either because you’re over it, or you realize the other person is,” says !!! frontman Nic Offer. “It’s about how all the details of those moments, like an Aaliyah song on the radio or watching snow fall through a window, become imprinted in your memory as well. Musically, the first half builds using arpeggiated synths, trance stabs and layers of percussion. For the second half, we sampled a small bit of the end of the chorus, the last two chords and the word “over” to create a loop. Then, like in a French Touch song, we used that loop as the basis for the full beat that comes in to end the song and provide some release.” !!!’s new album Let it Be Blue is out May 6 via Warp.
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JANE INC – “2120”
“This is a song about the relentless passage of time, the tension between hope and despair, and choosing to be hopeful about the future of our planet despite all the reasons we have not to be,” says Jane Inc’s Carlyn Bezic of her danceable new single. “It’s about feeling powerless as an individual, yet finding power in my emotional reaction to what’s happening in the world… That my sadness and my anger is meaningful and important, and it can fuel me to commit to hopeful action.” “2120” is on Jane Inc’s new album, Faster Than I Can Take, that’s out April 22.
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CIGAR CIGARETTE – “GUILTY PLEASURES”
Chris McLaughlin, a recording engineer who has worked on records by Bon Iver and Kanye West, records his own music under the name Cigar Cigarette and has just released this new single. “‘Guilty Pleasures’ is a song that takes place in an early period of the internet, and is built using sounds and memories from each of the last four decades,” says Chris. “It’s about two people meeting on a road in the woods and exchanging briefcases which contain their own internal organs. I thought it would be funny to begin a song with the beat from the 80’s hit Come On Eileen, making hi hats from voices and chords from vocoder.” “Guilty Pleasures” is on his upcoming album Cigar Cigar Cigar Cigarette.
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PIERRE KWENDERS – “KILIMANJARO”
Montreal-based artist Pierre Kwenders will release new album José Louis and the Paradox of Love on April 29 via Arts & Crafts. On “Kilimanjaro,” Pierre says, “Whilst it is the highest peak of Africa, paying homage to some of the greatest that have come out of the continent is always dear to me. Sometimes I dream of being from the glorious time of Fela or dancing like Tshala Muana, or being the handsome Orfeu Negro, the one that every girl dreams of. In this video, I believe dreams have no limit even if that means to climb the Kilimanjaro over and over again.”
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PARTICLE KID – “ALL ONE DAY (SHADOW OF THE SUN)” FEAT. JIM JAMES + WILLIE NELSON & “AMERIKAN LYFE” FEAT. WILLIE NELSON
Micah Nelson has shared two new songs from his Particle Kid project, both of which feature his grandfather, Willie Nelson. “All One Day (Shadow of the Sun)” also features Jim James of My Morning Jacket and was created during the early days of lockdown. “I stayed in Texas for two months, during which I recorded a lot of music with my folks as well, and my dad sang and played his guitar Trigger on a couple Particle Kid songs including this one,” says Micah. “Jim James hit me up at one point feeling kinda isolated from quarantine life. He, my dad and I all share birthdays in the same week, so I invited him to sing on this song, which he did beautifully.”
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MARY LATTIMORE AND PAUL SUKEENA – “ALTAR OF TAMMY”
Harpist Mary Lattimore guitarist Paul Sukeena will release new album West Kensington on May 20 via Three Lobed Recordings. THey made the album during the height of lockdown and Paul says the eerie “Altar of Tammy” captures “the dark spirit of the time. Waking up to a life with no form; drinking again in the same room every night, illuminated only by red light. The world was telling us to stop.” Mary adds, “We watched a lot of Friday Night Lights.”
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OTOBOKE BEAVER – “PARDON?”
Japanese punks Otoboke Beaver have shared another track off their upcoming album Super Champon. “Sometimes, the more you insist, the harder it is to understand you,” say the band of “Pardon?” “We don’t have time to understand if you don’t have time to understand.” Does saying something louder make it easier to understand? Maybe not but Otoboke Beaver have fun testing that out.
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ALABASTER DEPLUME – “I’M GOOD AT NOT CRYING”
Alabaster DePlume will release new album Gold on April 1 via International Anthem. He’s not your average artist on the forward-thinking jazz-oriented label, occupying a hazy spot on your memory, or somone else’s memory. The video for this one, directed by Jordan Copeland and Tentacle Films, goes a long way to getting a clear picture of DePlume’s unique worldviews.
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THE BOBBY LEES – “HOLLYWOOD JUNKYARD”
Upstate, NY’s bluesy The Bobby Lees have signed to Ipecac who will release the Hollywood Junkyard EP on June 17. Fans of The White Stripes and The Kills may already know this band! The video for “Hollywood Juckyard” has some fun with major label band branding.
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KADHJA BONET – “DEAR GINA”
Having recently signed to Ninja Tune, Kadhja Bonet is back with this alluring, cosmic new single. Asks Kadhja, “How many times can lovers find something pure? Is it pretend each time we choose to love, or do I wish it was – so I could too.”
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JERRY PAPER – “JUST SAY PLAY”
Jerry’s new album Free Time is out April 15 via Stones Throw and alter ego Lucas Nathan says “Just Say Play” is its mission statement. “Coming out as nonbinary was part of a process of dismantling the compartmentalization in myself, and allowing myself to play freely with my gender queerness is one of many ways free play has become a central part of my worldview. I’m just trying to imbue my life with playfulness and freedom!”
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DEEP TAN – “RUDY YA YA YA”
London trio Deep Tan’s sound is minimal and spiky, drawing influence from groups like Liliput and Young Marble Giants. Their new EP, diamond horsetail, is out May 6 and you can get a taste right now via the slinky “Rudy Ya Ya Ya.”
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ERIN ANNE – “EVE POLASTRI’S LAST TWO BRAIN CELLS HAVE A DEBATE”
LA singer-songwriter Erin Anne will release her sophomore album, Do Your Worst, on June 10 via Carpark. The album was mixed by Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties and the first single’s title may ring a bell for Killing Eve fans. “Something I love about ‘Killing Eve’ is its embrace of the messy feedback loop between desire, identification, and utter loathing,” says Erin. “That’s an affective triad that is so queer, at least in my experience. In the song and video, I wanted to dramatize the dizzying mental gymnastics of vacillating between what we think we’re supposed to do and what we actually want to do—and then to celebrate the euphoric rush of refusing the conventional path for the one that really lights us up inside, even if it means blowing it all up and starting over again.”
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LALA LALA – “MEMORY”
Having released new album I Want The Door To Open last fall, Lillie West is back with a new song that, like the album, was co-produced by WHY?’s Yoni Wolf. “Memory’ is about ‘euphoric recall’ and letting go of fantasy,” Lillie says. “Is it magic or a meaningful coincidence or are you just obsessed?”
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TRÉ BURT – “KNOW YOUR DEMONS”
Last year, Sacramento singer/songwriter Tré Burt released his Brad Cook-produced album You, Yeah, You on John Prine’s Oh Boy Records (featuring appearances by Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath, Phil Cook, and Kelsey Waldon), and now he followed it with the new single “Know Your Demons,” a nice dose of rustic Americana with some gospel-tinged backing vocals. The new single comes backed by an alternate version of “Solo” from last year’s LP. Tré’s also about to resume his first-ever headlining tour with support from Joules Satyr (ex-Sea of Bees), including NYC’s Mercury Lounge on April 5.
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MAPACHE – “I LOVE MY DOG”
LA duo Mapeche are releasing a new album, Roscoe’s Dream, on June 10 via Innovative Leisure, and lead single “I Love My Dog” is a dose of warm, lightly psychedelic folk rock that sounds like a fresh update on early ’70s Grateful Dead.
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MATT KOZIOL – “HOUSES TO BUILD A HOME”
After writing songs for a handful of other notable artists, Nashville-based country singer Matt Koziol is now gearing up to put out his own debut album Wildhorse on May 20 via RED Creative Group. He cites influences like Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, and Tom Petty, and you can hear those things coming through with the warm, rock-leaning country of “Houses to Build a Home.”
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HIGH PULP – “KAMISHINJO” (ft. JACOB MANN)
Seattle jazz collective High Pulp have released a hypnotic, psychedelic new single with guest keyboards from Jacob Mann. Drummer Bobby Granfelt says, “Kamishinjo is a neighborhood is Osaka, Japan where Antoine [Martel, keyboardist] and myself spent a good amount of time in 2019. The song began with a drum groove based around a left-floot clave pattern. Those patterns have a natural tension and release to them, and we used the song as a way to explore that push/pull relationship as a whole. When we were writing the song, Antoine started messing around with his pitch wheel as a method of creating movement and I immediately was reminded of the frenetic energy of Kamishinjo Station.”
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GLENN JONES – “AWAY”
Glenn Jones (formerly of Cul de Sac) is releasing a new album, Vade Mecum, due out June 24 via Thrill Jockey. “Vade Mecum means, literally, ‘go with me,'” he writes. “It’s an invitation… I tend to think of my albums as the latest entries into something like an ongoing musical diary. I don’t write pieces to order or with anything much in mind; I simply follow wherever the music leads me. Why this tuning? Why this note and not that one? Why this chord and not another? Why this tempo and not a different one? I don’t know, and I love not knowing. The ‘not knowing’ is what keeps me engaged and curious; ‘not knowing’keeps me coming back.” The latest single is the album’s final track, “Away.”
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HATCHIE – “LIGHTS ON”
Hatchie’s new album Giving the World Away is due out next month via Secretly Canadian (pre-order on coke bottle clear vinyl), and the latest single is the album’s first track, “Lights On.” “‘Lights On’ was one of the first songs written for this album and set me on a path of writing more honestly and personally than previously,” she says. “I don’t often write about physical attraction, but wanted to peel back the layers of a certain type of relationship. The video was conceptualized around a blend of our favourite sci fi influences from the last 30 years relating to the title of the song.”
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TREE RIVER – “CROSSROADING”
Brooklyn emo band Tree River’s new album Time Being comes out next week (4/1) via Big Scary Monsters, and here’s a driving, catchy new single with guest vocals from Say Anything’s Max Bemis.
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BANKROLL FREDDIE – “BROKE ASF”
Arkansas rapper Bankroll Freddie returns with a new Southern trap banger and promises that more music is on the way soon.
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BLACK MIDI – CAVALCOVERS
black midi begin this year’s leg of their North American tour supporting their 2021 sophomore album Cavalcade tonight in Madison, WI, and in honor of that they’ve shared a new EP of covers, Cavalcovers. It features their renditions of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man,” and Captain Beefheart’s “Moonlight in Vermont,” three of the five songs fans voted they cover that they released on limited flexi discs.
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JESSICA WILLIS FISHER – “BRAND NEW DAY”
Nashville singer/songwriter Jessica Willish releases her debut solo album Brand New Day on April 13. She recently released its track “Fire Song” (co-written with Jon Randall, who was fresh off last year’s beloved Marfa Tapes album), and now she’s sharing the bright, catchy title track.
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FINAL FORM – DEMO 2
UK metallic hardcore band Final Form actually dropped this demo earlier this year, but they just re-released it on Connecticut label DAZE, who has cassettes coming soon, and if you haven’t heard this rager yet, there’s no time like the present.
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SHEARWATER – “XENARTHRAN”
Jonathan Meiburg is back with his first Shearwater album in six years, The Great Awakening, that will be out June 10 via the band’s own Polyborus label. Made with Meiburg’s Loma bandmate Dan Duszynski producing through 2020 and 2021, Meiburg was determined not to make another heavy album like 2016’s Jet Plane and Oxbow, despite the obviously heavy times. “I felt hopeless,” he says. “And I didn’t want to make hopeless music.” This is the first single.
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SOFT CELL & PET SHOP BOYS – “PURPLE ZONE”
Soft Cell have shared “Purple Zone,” their new collab single with another iconic synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys. Originally Pet Shop Boys were only going to remix the track but then it turned into a full-on collaboration and this version has now been added to their upcoming album, *Happiness Not Included.
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MYKKI BLANCO – “FAMILY TIES” (ft. MICHAEL STIPE)
Mykki Blanco has released a new single, “Family Ties,” and it’s a collaboration with R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe that was produced by FaltyDL. Read more about it here.
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DAVID QUINN – “COUNTRY FRESH”
Midwest country singer David Quinn is releasing his new album Country Fresh in April, and you can read more about the newly-released title track here.
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SON LUX – “FENCE”
Son Lux have shared “Fence,” their collaboration with Moses Sumney from the Daniels’ anticipated new A24 film Everything Everywhere All at Once. It’s an gorgeous, swelling track with Sumney’s powerful voice floating on the ether.
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MICHAELA ANNE – “WHO YOU ARE”
Nashville folk/country singer Michaela Anne has released her first new single since 2019’s very good Desert Dove, and you can read more about it here.
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BRIGHT EYES – “ST. IDES HEAVEN” (ELLIOTT SMITH COVER FT. PHOEBE BRIDGERS)
Bright Eyes transform Elliott Smith’s haunting original into a raw, noisy rock song in this cover, the latest from their series of companion EPs to their discography, which is being reissued via Dead Oceans.
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the New Songs archive.
