Indie Rock
Arcade Fire Share Uplifting New Song “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)”: Stream
With Arcade Fire’s new album, WE, dropping next week, the band has unveiled the latest single, “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid).” Stream it below. Debuted during Arcade Fire’s show at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom back in late March, “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” is filled with plenty of “doo doo doos” and is intended to inspire listeners to keep chugging forward in the face of the adversity we’ve particularly had to face over the past few years. “Look out kid, trust your mind/ But you can’t trust it every time,” Win Butler sings. “You know it plays tricks on you/ And it don’t give a damn if you are happy or you’re sad/ But if you’ve lost it, don’t feel bad/ ‘Cause it’s alright to be sad.” Advertisement Related Video “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” follows the first single, “Th...
beabadoobee Shares Dreamy New Single “See you Soon”: Stream
beabadoobee has returned today with the dreamy new single “See you Soon,” the latest preview of our 2021 Rookie of the Year’s forthcoming sophomore album, Beatopia. The artist otherwise known as Bea Kristi was inspired to write “See you Soon” after a particularly enlightening trip on shrooms. The song is a dose of utopian dreampop that embodies the refreshing epiphany of realizing that it’s okay to make mistakes, as long as you grow and learn from the outcome. “This song is about a really personal time in my life where I had to spend some time by myself to realize a lot of things and it’s one of the dearest songs that I’ve written,” Bea said in a recent episode of Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Show. “It’s got this uplifting feeling and shows another side of what I do.” Advertiseme...
Neko Case Shares New Song “Oh, Shadowless”: Stream
Neko Case has a new retrospective compilation out today. Alongside 22 past favorites, Wild Creatures boasts a brand new song called “Oh, Shadowless.” Take a listen below. “Oh, Shadowless” begins as a gentle waltz, with chiming guitars and Case’s sweet vocals swirling together in a genial lullaby. Before long, however, a barrage of feedback and drums break the spell, revealing a sense of foreboding hiding under the surface. It makes sense, then, that Case’s main refrain is “Sandman is coming, but he’s taking too long.” The single comes with a charming stop-motion music video directed by Laura Plansker, and its furry characters can’t seem to get a peaceful night’s sleep, either. Consequence caught up with Case to gain some insight on her new single, and to look back on her 25-year caree...
Song of the Week: The Smile Embrace Dramatic Balladry on “Free In the Knowledge”
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 Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, The Smile unleash a devastating, melancholy rumination on living with the consequences of the world around us. It’s as if Thom Yorke decided about a decade ago to commit himself to releasing some of the most devastating music of his career — which is kind of like a Carolina Reaper deciding to be spicier, or the Mariana Trench deciding that it’s not quite deep enough. There’s “Dawn Chorus” from his 2019 solo record ANIMA, “Unmade” from the Suspiria soundtrack, and pretty much everything off of Radiohead’s ...
Fontaines D.C. Are at the Height of Their Powers With Skinty Fia
Only four years ago, Fontaines D.C. released their first set of singles — one of which being “Boys In The Better Land,” an anthemic romp about the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side. Now, the boys of Fontaines D.C. have moved to London to see for themselves. For their brilliant third album, Skinty Fia—which is undoubtedly their most complex and nuanced album yet—the Irish rockers are digging even deeper into their Irish identity, looking both outward and inward, and offering empathetic observations and plainspoken truths. The expansive sound that Fontaines D.C. employs on Skinty Fia (out Friday, April 22nd) is a logical advancement from 2020’s Grammy-nominated A Hero’s Death, but the storytelling throughout points to a band totally unafraid of the unknown. “There ...
Wet Leg Unveil 2022 North American Tour
The buzzy Brits of Wet Leg have announced a 2022 North American headlining tour to keep them busy between their performance at Lollapalooza and their time opening for Florence + The Machine. Our April Artists of the Month return to the states at the end of July for a festival run that includes Lollapalooza, Mo Pop, and Osheaga. They’ll swing through Toronto, Vancouver, and Happy Valley, Oregon on their way to Outside Lands and This Ain’t No Picnic, before making stops in San Antonio, New Orleans, Atlanta, Denver, and more. By October they’ll have linked up with Florence Welch and company to play some of the west coast’s biggest venues. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 22nd at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. A Live Nation pre-sale (use code ROADIE) will precede the public ...
Andrew Bird Announces New Album Inside Problems, Shares “Underlands”: Stream
Andrew Bird has announced the new album Inside Problems. It’s out June 3rd via Loma Vista Records, and as a preview Bird has shared the new single “Underlands.” Produced by Mike Viola, Inside Problems was recorded by Bird and his four-piece band, with additional vocal overdubbing from Madison Cunningham. Some of the album’s themes were influenced by the great American writer Joan Didion, who inspired the lead single ““Atomized” and whose presence can be felt in other tracks on the album, such as “Lone Didion.” “Underlands” is the LP’s opening statement, beginning with slow-plucked strings before shifting into an upbeat shuffle. “Stars don’t owe you anything,” Bird sings. “Don’t give a damn about your nations/ Feel the slightest obligation. Advertisement R...
Zola Jesus Unveils New Single “Desire”: Stream
Zola Jesus has released “Desire,” the second single from her upcoming album, Arkhon. Stream it below. Although singer-songwriter Nika Roza Danilova announced her solo project’s first full-length in five years by acknowledging that she had embraced an unfamiliar, collaborative spirit and “needed new blood,” her latest song is a sparse, completely internal quest for closure. “‘Desire’ was written in one sitting at my piano at home. The song was an exorcism for my pain and lack of closure around heartbreak,” she shared in a statement. “Sometimes songs are written simply for the cathartic effect of playing them. This is one of those songs. Performing it feels like the most tangible way to experience that closure for myself.” Advertisement Related Video Danilova’s emotional release is...
How Hatchie Reinvented Herself on Giving The World Away
Hatchie‘s debut album Keepsake was a beautifully dreamy, widescreen statement for the Australian artist, but throughout the album was a thick fog the enveloped the sweet surroundings. Now, for her glorious second album, Giving The World Away, out this Friday (April 22nd), the fog has cleared and revealed Hatchie in her truest form. Where Keepsake dabbled heavily in shoegaze and ’90s era dream pop, Giving The World Away doubles down hard, creating anthemic pop hooks out of homespun beats and powerful moments of crystalline rock. It’s a logical progression for Hatchie (born Harriette Pilbeam), but don’t think her carefully-calculated aesthetic takes away from the vulnerable truth of her lyrics—Hatchie is more open than ever before on Giving The World Away, and as she works to disma...
Momma Announce New Album Household Name, Share “Speeding 72”: Stream
Prepare to meet Momma: Today, the Brooklyn indie rock duo have announced their next album Household Name. It’s due for release on July 1st and marks their debut on Polyvinyl. As a preview, co-bandleaders Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten have shared the great single “Speeding 72” and its accompanying music video. Indebted to alt-rock greats like Nirvana, Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins, Veruca Salt, and The Breeders, Momma make fuzzed-out guitar music that feels both warmly familiar and excitingly new. Household Name was also Friedman and Weingarten’s first time recording in a proper studio, giving their heavy riffs the hi-fi clarity they deserve without compromising the band’s ’90s-inspired grit. Pre-orders are ongoing. “Speeding 72” is a tried-and-true summer jam, a breezy song about...
MUNA Perform “Anything But Me” on Ellen: Watch
MUNA made their daytime television debut on Monday, April 18th, when they stopped by The Ellen Degeneres Show to perform their recent single “Anything But Me.” Watch the lighthearted performance below. Clad in coordinated, purple-and-black outfits, Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin brought their signature synth pop flamboyance to the talk show, a fittingly upbeat atmosphere for the strong-willed breakup storyline of “Anything But Me.” “You’re gonna say that I’m on a high horse/ I think that my horse is regular-sized/ Did you ever think maybe you’re on a pony/ Going in circles on a carousel ride?” Gavin sings, while McPherson and Maskin sway beside them. Advertisement Related Video The tongue-in-cheek banger is the latest jovial single from MUNA, whose Phoebe Bridgers co...
Arcade Fire to Join Saturday Night Live’s Five-Timers Club
Arcade Fire are returning to Studio 8H! On Saturday, NBC revealed the rock band will be back on Saturday Night Live for the May 7th episode opposite host Benedict Cumberbatch. It will mark Arcade Fire’s fifth time serving as the show’s musical guest since they made their SNL debut back in 2007. (Side note: is there an equivalent to the Five-Timers Club for musical guests? Do they get jackets, too?) This time, Win Butler and co. will be promoting their latest album WE, which drops on May 6th (the same day Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens in theaters). Advertisement Related Video This past weekend, Arcade Fire took the stage at Coachella, playing an emotional 13-song set dedicated to the people of Ukraine and Pearl Jam. Lizzo pulled double duty on the latest ep...
