New Music Friday - May 29, 2020

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Deerhoof - Future Teenage Cave Artists Deerhoof went in a different direction with their last album. 2017's Mountain Moves, bringing a large number of collaborators. The follow-up hearkens back to earlier work, with a title that indicates the band's isolationist approach and their conceptual view towards the future. Watch: "Future Teenage Cave Artists" Watch: "“Farewell” Symphony"

Lady Gaga - Chromatica Lady Gaga's sixth album was one of many that were delayed due to the coronavirus epidemic, originally scheduled for an April release. The album includes features from several other pop icons, including Ariana Grande and Elton John. Watch: "Rain on Me" (featuring Ariana Grande) Watch: "Stupid Love"

Mrs. Piss - Self-Surgery Mrs. Piss is a new project from Jess Gowrie and Chelsea Wolfe. The project started while the pair were touring for Wolfe's 2017 album, Hiss Spun. The project has given them a new opportunity to work together and a platform on which to bring in other female performers. Watch: "Knelt" Watch: "Downer Surrounded by Uppers"

Nicole Atkins - Italian Ice Italian Ice is the fifth album from this New Jersey artist, following 2017's Goodnight Rhonda Lee. On the album, Atkins collaborates with a number of her contemporaries, including McKenzie Smith (of Midlake), bassist David Hood, and Britt Daniel (of Spoon). Watch: "Captain" (featuring Britt Daniel) Watch: "Domino"

PINS - Hot Slick PINS became a fast favorite of mine after the release of their 2015 sophomore album, Wild Nights. I waited dutifully for a follow-up and gobbled up every interim project released, including the 2017 EP, Bad Thing, and frontwoman Faith Vern's collaborations with Iggy Pop. Finally, their third album is here, and I am beyond excited! Watch: "Hot Slick" Watch: "Bad Girls Forever"

Other Full-Length Releases

Christian Lee Hutson - Beginners Watch: "Lose This Number" Watch: "Talk"

Jade Hairpins - Harmony Avenue Watch: "J Terrapin" Watch: "(Don’t Break My) Devotion"

Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo Watch: "Frank Lucas" (featuring Benny the Butcher) Watch: "1985"

The Memories - Pickles & Pies Listen: "Second Try" Listen: "The Sign" (featuring Colleen Green)

Painted Zeros - When You Found Forever Watch: "Break" Watch: "Commuter Rage"

Thomas Wesley - Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil Watch: "On Mine" (featuring Noah Cyrus) Watch: "Real Life Stuff" (featuring Julia Michaels, & Clever)

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Alex Lahey - Between the Kitchen and the Living Room Watch: "Let’s Go Out" (Bedroom Version) Listen: "Every Day’s the Weekend" (Laundry Version)

Baths - Pop Music / False B-Sides II Watch: "Mikaela Corridor" Watch: "Wistful (Fata Morgana)"

Capone: Original Motion Picture Score Listen: "mama’s hurt" Listen: "this is Al that’s left"

Esther Rose - My Favorite Mistakes Listen: "Blue on Blue" Listen: "My Favorite Mistake"

Flying Lotus - Flamagra (Instrumentals) Listen: "Black Balloons Reprise" (Instrumental) Listen: "Yellow Belly" (Instrumental)

Iggy Pop - The Idiot/Lust for Life Reissue Watch: "Lust for Life" Listen: "Neighborhood Threat"

K-os - Boshido Listen: "Crucial" (Kaytranada Remix) Listen: "Free Style"

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Chunky Shrapnel Watch: "This Thing" Watch: "Mars for the Rich"

Lily & Horn Horse - Republicans for Bernie Watch: "Balloon" Listen: "Crosby, Stills and Nash"

The Soft Pink Truth - Am I Free to Go?

Check Out: PINS

Starting in the late 1970s, the city of Manchester, England became a hotbed for indie music. Bands like The Smiths, Joy Division (and then New Order), and Oasis all got their start in the city. Halfway through the second decade of the new century, that traditional is still going strong, but now with some strong female voices.

PINS got started in 2011 when photographer Faith Holgate was putting together a band and wanted an all-female ensemble. She found Lois McDonald (guitarist), Anna Donigan (bassist), and Sophie Galpin (drummer), and together, they released Girls Like Us in 2013 and followed that up with the spectacular Wild Nights in June of this year.

Holgate names other female-led bands like Hole and My Bloody Valentine as inspirations, but I am most drawn to a similarity between Holgate and the lead vocalist of another British band, Liela Moss of The Duke Spirit. Neither have particularly deep voices, but share a lilting huskiness to their singing. PINS certainly carries on the strong indie "Madchester" tradition of their home, while making 2015 a very strong year for female performers and all-girl bands!

New Music Tuesday - June 9, 2015

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Damaged Bug - Cold Hot Plumbs Thee Oh Sees and frontman John Dwyer are quickly reaching Guided By Voices/Robert Pollard levels of prolificness. In May, the band continued their consistency in releasing a new album every year with Mutilator Defeated at Last. Last year, Dwyer began his solo project Damaged Bug with Hubba Bubba. Just one year later, and a few weeks after the latest with his band, he is back with his sophomore solo record. Watch: "Jet in the Jungle"

FFS - FFS FFS is the collaboration of two very different bands; Franz Ferdinand, a Scottish art rock band active since the early 2000s, and Sparks, an LA chamber pop band around since 1971. It's not clear how exactly they hooked up, but it seems they've been recording together since around 2005. I'm not very familiar with Sparks, but the collaboration is certainly more experimental than the music that Franz Ferdinand create on their own. Watch: "Johnny Delusional" Watch: "Piss Off"

No Joy - More Faithful No Joy is a Canadian shoegaze band active since 2009. They began their career in their native Montréal and quickly gained the attention of more prominent musicians, including Grant Hart of Hüsker Dü and Bethany Cosentino, who described them as "Two hot blonde girls just shredding away." Six years and three albums later, they are still going strong, and getting better with every release. Watch: "Everything New" Listen: "Moon in My Mouth"

Other Full-Length Releases

J Fernandez - Many Levels of Laughter Watch: "Between the Channels" Watch: "Markers"

Jenny Hval - Apocalypse, girl Watch: "That Battle Is Over" Listen: "Sabbath"

Leftfield - Alternative Light Source Watch: "Bilocaiton" (featuring Channy Leaneagh) Watch: "Universal Everything"

Of Monsters and Men - Beneath the Skin Watch: "Crystals" Listen: "I of the Storm"

Pete Townshend - Classic Quadrophenia Watch: "Love Reign O'er Me" (featuring Alfie Boe)

PINS - Wild Nights Watch: "Molly" Watch: "Young Girls"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Live in Paris Watch: "Let the Day Begin" Watch: "Beat the Devil's Tattoo"

John Lennon - Lennon Box Set Listen: "Imagine" Listen: "Mind Games"

Sharon Van Etten - I Don't Want to Let You Down EP Listen: "I Don't Want to Let You Down" Listen: "Just Like Blood"

Uniform - Perfect World Listen: "Perfect World"