Artist: Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Track: Cars In Space
From their second album Sideways to New Italy it’s obvious that the Melbourne five-piece has three songwriting guitarists. This album is an enjoyable listen, the upbeat tone is a nice fit for moving into the opening phases in NYC after being on lockdown and shifting into summer.
Artist: Muzz
Track: Bad Feeling
Muzz is Paul Banks (Interpol), Josh Kaufman (producer/multi-instrumentalist, Bonny Light Horseman), and Matt Barrick (Jonathan Fire*Eater, The Walkmen, Fleet Foxes). Banks and Kaufman went to high school together and later met Barrick in the NYC music scene. This track is an acoustic version of the song featured on their self-titled debut album written, arranged and performed by all three. They’ve been releasing songs since the pandemic hit, this one especially resonated.
Artist: Run the Jewels
Track: JU$T
Mike and El-P’s timing is impeccable. With the release of RTJ4 they let loose relevant lyrics with slick beats and bring in guests DJ Premier, Greg Nice, Mavis Staples, Josh Homme, Kamasi Washington and 2 Chainz. This track features Zack de la Rocha and Pharrell Williams who also co-wrote the song.
Artist: Tegan & Sara
Track: I'll Be Back Someday
The twin sisters are back with a new album Hey, I'm Just Like You September 27th. "Last year while writing our new memoir, we came across two cassette tapes with dozens of songs we wrote in high school" says the duo. "For the first time ever, we share vocal duties on a handful of songs making them the first truly Tegan AND Sara songs. It's also the first Tegan and Sara album produced, performed, engineered, mixed, and mastered by a team of all women."
Artist: Hot Chip
Track: Hungry Child
Get ready to hit the dancefloor with this song from the band's seventh album A Bathtub Full of Ecstasy which you can dance to live in Brooklyn when they're in town three nights in September. The video is worth watching, link above.
Artist: Yumi Zouma
Track: Bruise
Here's a self-released single from a New Zealand-based band whose name is an amalgamation of the two friends that encouraged the group to start playing together.
Artist: Ride
Track: Future Love
Quick Ride history: Formed in Oxford (home also to Radiohead and Foals) in 1988 they were one of the first and most influential shoegaze bands (influenced themselves by The Smiths). Ride broke up in 1996, Andy Bell (vocals/lead guitar/keys) formed the band Hurricane #1, played bass for Oasis, then guitar for Beady Eye who broke up in 2014. Ride re-formed in 2014 and released Weather Diaries in 2017 (worth checking out). Their forthcoming album This Is Not a Safe Place will be out in August. Andy says this song is about "the beginning of a relationship, when everything feels possible.” They're playing NYC in September.
Artist: Hatchie
Track: Obsessed
Bassist and vocalist of the indie rock band Babaganouj, Harriette Pilbeam aka Hatchie also records under her nickname with two bandmates. They released their debut album Keepsake June 21st and kicked off a North American tour at Central Park’s SummerStage the same week with Japanese Breakfast.
Artist: PUP
Track: Free At Last
Here's a track from the Canadian band's latest album Morbid Stuff. Of the great video for the song Stefan Babcock (vocals/guitar) said in a recent interview: “Before the song was released, we put out the lyrics and a basic chord chart and asked people to record their own versions without hearing the original first. It was a bit of a social experiment. We expected to receive 15 or 20 covers. We received 253. A lot of them were very… interesting… but most of them were actually really good."
PUP's on a EU and UK tour this summer and comes back to NYC in September.
Artist: Control Top
Track: Covert Contracts
This Philly-based (another one!) trio switched up their line-up this year and released Covert Contracts. It's punk, features Ali Carter on vocals, Alex Lichtenauer on drums and guitarist Al Creedon reminded me of James Honeyman-Scott (early Pretenders) on this track.
Artist: Orla Gartland
Track: Flatline
Here's a new track from the Irish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and self-described "music-making ginger weirdo". She's releasing a new EP Why Am I Like This? this month. This track is feel good indie pop in the style of Phoenix or Two Door Cinema Club.
Artist: Imperial Teen
Track: We Do What We Do Best
They're back. It's been years since Imperial Teen put out an album (seven) and their latest Now We Are Timeless is scheduled for a July 12 release. You can definitely hear Roddy's Faith No More influence on this track.
Artist: Mannequin Pussy
Track: Drunk II
From the Philly band's latest and third album called Patience, out June 21st. Singer and guitarist Marisa Dabice says that she wrote the song "one night when I was very heartbroken, after I’d been out with friends trying to pretend like I wasn’t feeling so hopeless".
Artist: Young & Sick
Track: Bitter End
Nick Van Hofwegen is a Dutch multimedia artist currently based in NY/LA. This song is from the Size of Relief EP released May 3rd (worth checking out, several good tracks). He's playing Baby's All Right June 12th.
Artist: FKA twigs
Track: Cellophane
After having six fibroid tumors removed last year FKA twigs began pole dancing and martial arts training to rebuild her strength. On this track she's singing in a minimal arrangement with piano, her voice sounding both delicate and strong. If you check out the video (link above) you can see that not only has her body gained strength, but has also impressive athletic skill.
Artist: Goon
Track: Datura
LA-based artist Kenny Becker is Goon. He says about the song: "I wanted to have the chorus never use any repeating phrases, which led to sorta stream-of-consciousness style lyrics. Because of that, this song isn’t really about any one thing. It sorta touches a lot of different weird ideas. Like datura flowers that grew in the canyon near the house that I grew up in, or questioning the effectiveness of praying for god to take away stomach pain of an old friend."
Artist: Chasms
Track: Shadow
This week I listened to A LOT of mediocre to bad music. ugh. The only positive was to be able to prevent you (hopefully) from having to go through that. This Los Angeles duo who relocated from the Bay Area gave me a reprieve with their ethereal vocals and a low-key dark, synthy sound. The guitar reminds me a little of a Fixx song. You can check them out live in June.
Artist: Silversun Pickups
Track: It Doesn't Matter Why
Nice strings on this track and also the vocal part which comes in at around the 2:50 mark. It's not their best song, although those two elements make it worth hearing. Let's see what else is on the new album, out June 7th called widow's weeds.
Artist: The Japanese House
Track: You Seemed So Happy
The Japanese House is the dream pop solo project of London-based singer/songwriter Amber Bain. This track is from her new album Good At Falling. As for the name she’s said "When I was about six or seven, I went on holiday to Devon with my parents. I found out later that we had actually stayed in Kate Winslet's house and it was called The Japanese House.” She'll be hitting NYC on her tour in May.
Artist: Sad Boys Club
Track: Chic Chic
With vocals that sound a bit like Robert Smith (of The Cure, who, by the way, is working on a new album and is the subject of a Tim Pope documentary coming out this year), the London-based band hasn't yet gotten any attention here in America. My impression is that they would be good live, so if I get wind of them heading our way I'll let you know. Also check out this track, from last year if you like their sound.
Artist: Low Hum
Track: Strange Love
Low Hum is LA-based musician Collin Desha. This track has a fuzzy guitar, Beck-like vocals, Tame Impala-ish sound and is from the forthcoming album Room To Breathe out June 7th.
Artist: Priests
Track: The Seduction of Kansas
Priests are Katie Alice Greer (vocals), Daniele Daniele (drums) and G.L. Jaguar (guitar). The post-punk band have their own label, Sister Polygon Records, hail from D.C., and this is the title track from their second album. Check them out at Elsewhere NYC in April.
Artist: American Football
Track: Silhouettes
New music from the Urbana, Illinois four-piece. Quick summary: Debut album in 1999, split up, reformed 15 years later, and added a fourth member. They're kind of shoegazy, dreampop. This album features Rachel Goswell (Slowdive), Hayley Williams (Paramore) and Elizabeth Powell (Land Of Talk, Mike wrote lyrics in French for her). They're playing NYC in May.
Artist: Patio
Track: Legacy Continued
A song from the Brooklyn trio's debut album Essentials (worth listening to the whole record). They're inspired by classic British post-punk and have a fun pop-punk sound. You can check them out in the opening slot at Union Pool May 17th.
Artist: Holy Ghost!
Track: Escape from Los Angeles
The New York-based duo is back with a feel good song from their new album (after six years) Work out June 21st. They'll be touring extensivly this summer, including a NYC date in June so you'll have a soundtrack to dance your ass off!
Artist: Two Door Cinema Club
Track: Talk
New ear candy from the Northern Irish trio. Singer Alex Trimble said of the song: “I love the pop thing. I love experimenting and going to different places". The video (link below) was directed by the conceptual artist and designer Max Sidentopf.
Artist: Bibio
Track: Old Graffiti
This song reminds me a bit of Tame Impala. A loose, easygoing vibe perfect for a ride with the windows down on a summer day. Stephen Wilkinson, an English musician, is Bibio. When reading about him I found that some refer to his music as "folktronica" haha. This track is from his new album Ribbons, out April 12th.
Artist: Tame Impala
Track: Patience
The Australian band will be playing pretty much every music festival this summer so it was a good time to release new music, their first in four years. This song is from their forthcoming album which Kevin (Parker) has mentioned with no other details. They played this song live for the first time on SNL March 30th.
Artist: Nilüfer Yanya
Track: In Your Head
This Londoner started writing songs when she was six, having grown up with her father’s Turkish music and her mom playing classical songs on the piano. She learned how to play guitar at 12 and went from listening to Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco to her sister's music: The Strokes, The Cure and The Pixies, where she found inspiration. This song is from her debut album Miss Universe.
Artist: Fujiya & Miyagi
Track: Flashback
Formed in Brighton (the south coast of England) in 2000, Fujiya & Miyagi have released seven albums over the years and changed a few members. Here's the title track from their new album out May 31st. They're playing NYC in July.
Artist: Local Natives
Track: When Am I Going To Lose You
Here's a track from their forthcoming album Violet Street out April 26th. They usually draw comparisons to Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, and Vampire Weekend. Have a listen and decide for yourself (+ check out Kate Mara in the video).
Artist: Karen O and Danger Mouse
Track: Woman
From their new record Lux Prima. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman said in a recent interview "Going into this record, we were just gonna see what happened in the studio together. No commitments, no ties whatsoever, no labels involved. No nothing. It was purely, “Yeah, let’s just make some music” — like a kid in a sandbox. And it ended up being an expedition". Spike Jonze directed a live music video for this song on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Artist: She Past Away
Track: Sanri
Now for something completely different! It's a Turkish goth/darkwave band with a Cure-like guitar sound and low vocals. I'll be honest, the band's name caught my eye and I started digging to find some of their music. This song is from their new album, it gets in your head and spins around for awhile. They're playing in NYC in Dec (nothing like planning ahead!).
Artist: Island
Track: She
This track is from a London four-piece who met while they were in high school making music in a bedroom. When asked if they had any advice for other bands trying to make it they siad “Don’t just expect people, ie your manager, or label etc, to do stuff for you. You have to be so proactive now; you can’t just sit on your arse and be a creative. You have to have a bit of a brain and as a result, people will respect you further down the line.”
Artist: KOLARS
Track: Turn It Up
Known for their energetic live shows Los Angeles-based duo Rob Kolar and Lauren Brown will be NYC April 20th to give us a taste. Fun facts: Lauren is a "tap dancing drummer" known for her invention of the percussion style and Rob also scores television shows.
Artist: Hot Flash Heat Wave
Track: Floating
A song from the California band's new Mood Ring EP. Co-songwriter Adam Abildgaard says "We got more honest about our emotions and talking about our personal feelings. On past albums, we were singing songs that were ideas or stories, rather than stuff about what we're going through in life."
Artist: She Keeps Bees
Track: Coyote
Here's a song from Jessica Larrabee and Andy LaPlant's new album Kinship, due out May 10. The Brooklyn-based duo met in 2006 when Larrabee was recording an album as a solo artist under the name She Keeps Bees and met LaPlant when she was a bartender. He helped record her music and began attending her shows, until she suggested that he play with her.
Artist: Man Of Moon
Track: Skin
A song from the Edinburgh duo’s new Chemicals EP sounding dark and moody with hints of NIN and New Order.
Artist: Stella Donnelly
Track: Tricks
The Australian singer/songwriter is releasing her debut album Beware of the Dogs March 8th. Her earlier songs "Boys Will Be Boys" (2017) and "Talking" (2018) were candid looks at misogyny and earned her a reputation for being a fearless and uncompromising songwriter.
Artist: Morrissey
Track: It's Over
Moz is releasing a protest-themed covers album called California Son featuring Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day), Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear) and Ariel Engle (Broken Social Scene). He'll be doing a Broadway residency in May. Roy Orbison Jr. said of Moz's cover of his Dad's song: “We love Morrissey! His melancholy and poetic lyrics always reminded me of my dad. His version of "It’s Over" is great.”
Artist: White Lies
Track: Never Alone
This track is from the trio's lastest album Five (yes, it's their 5th album). The tour moves to America this spring with NYC the first stop on May 2nd.
Artist: Johnny Marr
Track: Armatopia
Johnny never stops. He released a new single and is headed back to the States for another tour. This time he won't be hitting NYC directly, he'll be playing nearby in Montclair, NJ and Huntington, NY in May.
Hear it here
Artist: Cold Cave
Track: Promised Land
A new single from Wesley Eisold and his wife Amy Lee. In Wesley's words: "I was in my head a little too much and not feeling productive and had a nice talk with Mark Lanegan about being too much in the head and it was inspiring enough to produce this song. Chris Coady mixed it at Sunset Sound and Bob Weston mastered it".
Artist: Chromatics
Track: Time Rider
From the long forthcoming album Dear Tommy. In May they'll be playing live with a DJ set by Holy Ghost!.
Artist: Bob Mould
Track: Sunshine Rock
The title track from his his 13th solo album. Bob said in a recent interview “All of a sudden, summer came, and ‘Sunshine Rock,’ the song, showed up, then it became, ‘Aha, this is the key. This is what I need to follow. This is the music, the song that’s really making me happy'. The new work pairs up so nicely with the historical stuff with Sugar and Hüsker Dü”.
Artist: Interpol
Track: Fine Mess
A new track from their forthcoming second album as a three-piece. Paul Banks recently shared Interpol's writing process in an interview: "Daniel takes time writing pieces of music that he then introduces to us, I think he always has a period of gestating his ideas. Then Sam and I muck around with them with him".
Artist: Fontaines D.C.
Track: Too Real
This Dublin-based band's debut album is coming out on Partisan Records, a Brooklyn-based artist-run, independent label. They'll be playing two shows at Union Pool in March around SXSW before kicking off a U.S. tour with lablemates Idles in May including a show at Brooklyn Steel May 10th.
Artist: The Raconteurs
Track: Sunday Driver
Jack White has confirmed there will be a new (as-yet untitled) album in 2019 on Third Man Records (of course). It's been ten years! Remember Consolers Of The Lonely? This song does not disappoint. They also released another track called 'Now That You’re Gone’.
Artist: HÆLOS
Track: Kyoto
From the London-based band's upcoming second album Any Random Kindness is out May 10th. Dom Goldsmith, the multi-instrumentalist-producer of the group: “I am slightly over-addicted to being in the studio, but I have horrendous tinnitus, and the only way I don’t concentrate on it is if I fill my room with sound. It’s like I have my own synthesizer in my head the whole time, oscillating ‘round and ‘round at full kilohertz, but I’m not deaf. My hearing is still good, and as an audiologist, that was the thing I was most worried about.”
Artist: Panda Bear
Track: Token
Noah Lennox aka Panda Bear (who's also a member of Animal Collective) has moved from Brooklyn to Lisbon, has a very trippy website, and new album called Buoys.
Artist: Beck
Track: Tarantula
This is kind of interesting, it's Beck's song for the Roma soundtrack. His most recent album Colors won two 2019 Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Music Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Engineer Emily Lazar announced that she was the first female mastering engineer to win the award.
Artist: Vampire Weekend
Track: Harmony Hall
This song is from their their forthcoming (and fourth studio) album Father of the Bride. Also available now to check out is 2021, and two other tracks will be released prior to the full album this spring.
Artist: Ryan Adams
Track: Fuck the Rain
Update: This album and tour is on hold.
It's a new track from Big Colors one of three new albums Ryan's releasing in 2019. This song features his buddy John Mayer on the guitar solo.
Artist: Swervedriver
Track: Spiked Flower
A track from their new album Future Ruins, Swervedriver's sixth LP and second since their 2008 reunion.
Artist: Foals
Track: Exits
This year will see two new Foals releases: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost—Part 1 in March and Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost—Part 2 this fall. This track, from Part-1, was released with a video featuring Isaac Hempstead Wright (GOT) and was directed by Albert Moya. Check it out via link below.
Artist: Wild Nothing
Track: Blue Wings
Wild Nothing’s Jack Tatum says this song just missed the cut for last year’s album Indigo. It’s about walking through to the other side of crippling self-doubt with the help of someone you love. "It’s a reminder to myself not to let things spiral, hard as it may be at times.”
Artist: Snail Mail
Track: Pristine
Currently on tour with Interpol and Car Seat Headrest, this is a track from singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan's band Snail Mail 2018 album Lush. They played four songs at MSG (I hustled there and only caught the last one). Jordan says of the evening: “I don’t think anybody really looked up, we were all looking at our feet, so no one was nervous or messing up or anything.”
Artist: Lala Lala & WHY?
Track: Siren 042
Lillie West aka Lala Lala and Why’s Yoni Wolf became friends when they were recording an episode of Yoni's "The Wandering Wolf" podcast.
Artist: Cherry Glazerr
Track: Daddi
A track from the Los Angeles-based band's new album Stuffed & Ready. I caught a show at Mercury Lounge during their US tour in February and Clementine Creevy (founder, guitarist and lead vocalist) was having fun playing new songs while commanding the stage. It reminded me of what she said in a recent interview “Feminism and music are the two things I’m passionate about, I try to keep my life anchored in those two things, because that’s when I feel most myself.”
Artist: Chrome Sparks
Track: Be On Fire
The five song Be On Fire EP was released January 1st, 2019. The Brooklyn-based producer will be playing the Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 28th.
Artist: Mormor
Track: Pass The Hours
26-year-old Toronto musician Seth Nyquist's new album Pass The Hours was released December 2018. There's a touch of Tame Impala in the sound, you can check it out for yourself when the tour hits Baby's All Right in Brooklyn April 19th, 2019.
Artist: Art School Girlfriend
Track: Moon
Raised on new wave and shoegaze in Wrexham, North Wales, Art School Girlfriend (aka producer/songwriter Polly Mackey) relocated to London and played in several bands. She's since decided to go on her own and this is a track from her 2018 Into The Blue Hour EP.
Artist: Parcels
Track: Exotica
From Bryron Bay, Australia, now based in Berlin this is a track from their self-title album released in 2018.
Artist: Toro y Moi
Track: Freelance
Toro y Moi (aka Chaz Bear) hails from Columbia, SC. This track is from his 2019 album, Outer Peace, released January 18th.
Artist: Chris
Track: Girlfriend (feat. Dâm-Funk)
Formerly known as Christine and the Queens (known to her family as Héloïse Letissier), Chris is a French singer, songwriter and producer. This song, which sounds a bit like Michael Jackson with an 80's pop vibe, is from her self-titled second album.
Artist: HMLTD
Track: Pictures of You
These "Glam-infused pop provocateurs", look, and often sound, like the evil offspring of Adam’s Ants. They're a mix of Tarantino-gone-Rocky Horror, Ziggy Stardust meets The Prodigy and Peaches.
Artist: Matthew Dear, Tegan and Sara
Track: Bad Ones
This new album Bunny is Matthew's first in six years. He's been busy DJing and remixing (including a MGMT record) although he did release an album under his alias Audion during that time. Tegan and Sara guest on two tracks.
Artist: Johnny Marr
Track: Actor Attractor
A song from his third solo album Call the Comet. He's know for The Smiths, as well as his work with The The, Electronic, The Pretenders, Modest Mouse, Paul McCartney, Hans Zimmer and others. During his Fall U.S. tour Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene joined him on stage for the Smith's classic "Please, please, please."
Artist: 공중도둑 (Mid-Air Thief)
Track: Why
Electronic, acoustic music with airy vocals from South Korea. Sounds a bit like Frou Frou and Toro y Moi yet different and unexpected.
Artist: IDLES
Track: Never Fight A Man With A Perm
An English five-piece punk band formed in Bristol in 2011. They have two albums, their debut Brutalism was released in 2017 followed by Joy as an Act of Resistance the following year, both to critical acclaim. You can check them out live at Brooklyn Steel Friday, May 10th, 2019.
Artist: Sad Boys Club
Track: American Spirit
They started messing around with songs in their pre-teens and the London five-piece spent much their formative years honing their sound in the shed of Bombay Bicycle Club (drummer Tom's brother is member of BBC) and experimenting with their hand-me-down equipment. Reminiscent of The Cure and The National.
Artist: Sam Valdez
Track: Farther Away
Sam Valdez is an L.A. based singer-songwriter, influenced by a fusion of shoe-gaze and vintage Americana indie folk. Her music is dreamy and haunting atmospheric soundscapes. She reminds me a bit of Mazzy Star.
Artist: Grizzly Bear
Track: Mourning Sound
Formed in Brooklyn in 2002, Grizzly Bear is currently touring with Spoon.
Artist: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Track: Refute
The band includes Mike Clark, Joanna Bolme, and Jake Morris. Malkmus was the main singer and songwriter behind 1990s indie rock band Pavement.
Artist: Bob Moses
Track: Talk
Bob Moses is a Canadian electronic duo, Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance, from Vancouver, British Columbia.
Artist: Shame
Track: Angie
Shame is a British post-punk band originally from South London. Their debut album Songs of Praise was released on 12 January 2018.
Artist: Teenage Wrist
Track: Stoned, Alone
Based in Los Angeles Teenage Wrist released a debut EP in 2015. They signed to Epitaph in 2017 and released their debut album Chrome Neon Jesus the following year.
Artist: Phoenix
Track: Ti Amo
They grew up listening to My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain, Serge Gainsbourg and Prince. Phoenix hails from Versailles, FR. This is the title track from their sixth album.