Electronic
Kelly Lee Owens Is “On” Point with Her New Single: Stream
Electronic mastermind Kelly Lee Owens is gearing up to release her new album, Inner Song, this summer. To help make the wait a little shorter, she’s released a new song called “On” alongside a mesmerizing music video, and neither disappoints. Fans may recall that Inner Song was originally scheduled to come out this past May. Like other artists wary of the coronavirus pandemic, Owens has decided to push back her record, opting for a new release date of August 28th instead. Thankfully that gives us more time to sit with her new music, like previous singles “Night”, “Melt!”, and a dazzling collaborative track with Jon Hopkins. “On” continues the mood established on earlier album cuts, transitioning from her ethereal, cascading vocals to a harsher, dance-driven beat that blooms in the second h...
Kelly Lee Owens Is “On” Point with Her New Single: Stream
Electronic mastermind Kelly Lee Owens is gearing up to release her new album, Inner Song, this summer. To help make the wait a little shorter, she’s released a new song called “On” alongside a mesmerizing music video, and neither disappoints. Fans may recall that Inner Song was originally scheduled to come out this past May. Like other artists wary of the coronavirus pandemic, Owens has decided to push back her record, opting for a new release date of August 28th instead. Thankfully that gives us more time to sit with her new music, like previous singles “Night”, “Melt!”, and a dazzling collaborative track with Jon Hopkins. “On” continues the mood established on earlier album cuts, transitioning from her ethereal, cascading vocals to a harsher, dance-driven beat that blooms in the second h...
Arca and Rosalía Join Forces on New Song “KLK”: Stream
Two of the music world’s biggest international names, Arca and Rosalía have teamed up for the new single “KLK”. The joint track serves as the latest single from Arca’s forthcoming album, KiCk i. Featuring co-production from the Venezuelan artist’s long-time collaborator Cardopusher, “KLK” is described in a press release as a “cyberpunk reggaetón song.” It’s a joyous and jittery electronic banger that finds Rosalía singing (loosely translated from Spanish) “Here with me, we are blessed!” Check out how Arca and Roslía’s vocals intertwine throughout “KLK” by taking a listen below. “KLK” marks the fourth song released from KiCk i following “Mequetrefe”, “Nonbinary”, and “Time”, The album is set for a June 26th release via XL Recordings. Besides Rosalía, other guests include SOPHIE and Arc...
Top 25 Albums of 2020 (So Far)
Welcome to our Mid-Year Report. All week long we’ll be sharing the music, movies, and television that have helped us survive a strange and confusing six months. We start today with our Top 25 Albums of 2020 (So Far). It’d be fatuous to pretend that the first six months of 2020 have been like any other. All of us are facing difficult realities: the pain of injustice, the loss of a loved one, or even just the despair of looking out the window and not knowing what tomorrow will bring or when it will come. For the purposes of this list, then, maybe it’s equally foolish to think music impacted us the same way it always does. Then again, perhaps that’s what makes music so integral to our lives: that no matter what the world or our individual lives look like, music has the magical knack of provid...
Sonic Boom Breaks Down His First Album in 30 Years, All Things Being Equal, Track by Track: Stream
In Track by Track, artists are given the chance to take their fans through their latest album one song at a time. Today, Sonic Booms details All Things Being Equal. Spacemen 3 co-founder Peter Kember is back with his first solo album under his Sonic Boom moniker in 30 years, All Things Being Equal. Out via Carpark Records, the 10-track LP in streaming in full below via Apple Music and Spotify. His first Sonic Boom full-length since 1990’s Spectrum, Kember laid the groundwork for All Things Being Equal back in 2015, recording a number of electronic instrumentals with no firm plans. Though Stereolab’s Tim Gane told him he should release the tracks as is, Kember felt “the vibe in them was so strong that I couldn’t resist trying to ice the cake.” When he moved to Sintra, Portugal in 2018,...
Four Tet Surprise Releases New EP Under Indecipherable Wingdings Moniker: Stream
Kieran Hebden, the electronic artist best known as Four Tet, has surprise released a new EP. However, there’s a twist. The four-track record was released under the secret name ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ, notes Stereogum, which he rarely uses. The title of the new EP is impossible to read or even spell for that matter — that is, unless you speak wingdings like an alien. All four songs on the release have similarly indecipherable names. Unsurprisingly, fans have already leaned into the absurdity of these titles, with one listener writing, “Ah yeah, another four tracks that neither your computer nor you can read, brilliant, mate.” Hebden has always been pretty flippant when naming his songs, though, which is precisely the point — they don’t matter much, if at all, in comparison to the music it...
Dance Music Festival in Kansas City Receives Approval to Take Place in 2020
Despite the coronavirus crisis, at least one major music festival still plans to take place this summer. The electronic music and camping festival Dancefestopia has received approval from Kansas state officials to take place September 10th-13th. Many health care experts had warned that live music wouldn’t be feasible until the development of a vaccine, which is why we heard predictions that concerts wouldn’t return until fall 2021. But in a Facebook post, organizers said they’d gotten the green light from state and county officials. They wrote, “BREAKING NEWS!! State and County guidance enables a #FULLSEND to Dancefestopia 2020. The situation could change; however, as of yesterday, county and state officials approved Dancefestopia 2020. We will continue to work with health and go...
Jayda G Announces New EP, Shares “Both of Us”: Stream
Electronic artist Jayda G has announced a new EP, Both of Us / Are U Down. It will be available as a 12-inch and digitally on July 3rd via Ninja Tunes, and as a preview, Jayda has released the music video for the lead single and title track, “Both of Us”. Born in the small town of Grand Forks, British Columbia, Jayda Guy began her DJ career in 2013 after moving to Vancouver to get her masters in Resource and Environmental Management. In 2019, she released her debut album, Significant Changes, an effort that set her on a path to stardom and opened doors on the international festival circuit. Featuring the title tracks and a pair of remixes, the Both of Us / Are U Down EP is her first new release since Significant Changes. Apparently, Jayda G hadn’t been considering another project...
Nicolas Jaar Announces New Album Telas, Shares “Telahora”: Stream
Electronic composer Nicolas Jaar isn’t letting 2020 get him down. Already this year he’s released his latest album, Cenizas; dropped an effort under his Against All Logic moniker, 2017-2019; and shared a bunch of unreleased A.A.L. music during a livestream mix. Now, Jaar has announced another new LP, Telas, and debuted not only the first song, “Telahora”, but an additional non-album track called “All One”. Jaar detailed Telas, which means “Veils,” both on his website and during a takeover of Palestine-based internet radio station Radio Al Hara. Due out July 17th on Other People/Mama Records, the album is, at its core, an hour-long piece of music broken into four parts: “Telahora”, “Telencima”, “Telahumo”, and “Telallás”. Joining Jaar in the music making are cellist...
Song of the Week: Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande Welcome the Storm on “Rain on Me”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify New Sounds playlist. Just like local governments and health officials across the country have spoken of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of phases, it seems like artists are also slowly venturing back to normalcy in phases. If this week taught us anything, it’s that strumming a guitar from your living room on Instagram is totally last phase. This week instead saw notable names like Carly Rae Jepson, Owen Pallett, Jeff Rosenstock, and Dave Harrington (of Darkside) release surprise albums. Another trend finds many of our favorite artists pairing up for surprise singles. Just this week collaborations included Soccer Mommy and Jay Som, Local Natives and Sylv...
Tame Impala Zone Out on 18-Minute-Long Remix of “One More Year”: Stream
Earlier this month, London-based online radio station NTS Radio hosted a star-studded 24-hour livestream that featured Tame Impala, among dozens of others. It seems like Kevin Parker had a good time on the show then because he’s partnering with NTS Radio once more, this time to release a dazzling 18-minute-long (!) remix of “One More Year”. The Slow Rush opener clocks in just over five minutes on the band’s new album. But here, in Parker’s hands, it gets a self-described “balearic house reimagining.” A deep bass drum beat thuds in the background while Parker’s vocal track fades in and out of focus, echoing like it’s being broadcast in a massive warehouse. The synths twist slowly by comparison, creating an overall effect that feels like you’re running in a sprint but your vision is blurry. ...
Jamie xx and The Avalanches Perform B2B DJ Set for NTS Radio: Stream
Jamie xx (photo by David Brendan Hall) and The Avalanches (photo by photo by Grant Spanier) Jamie xx and The Avalanches were supposed to perform on the same stage back in March at Sydney’s No Coal Zone climate change benefit. That event got called off due to coronavirus, but two months later, the musicians have found a way to get together anyway. Jamie xx invited The Avalanches to join him for a back to back DJ set on his monthly NTS radio show. Broadcast live on Friday morning, the hour-long set is now available to stream below. Announcing the collaborative performance on Instagram, Jamie xx described the “special” set as an “actual dream come true.” While no tracklist has yet been provided, the b2b set is tagged as “funk,” “soul,” and “classic disco,” with the participants trading off re...
