Indie Rock
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...
Coachella 2022: Phoebe Bridgers Duets with Arlo Parks
Phoebe Bridgers took the stage at Coachella for her debut performance at the festival. In addition to playing “Sidelines” — her new song for the upcoming series Conversations with Friends — the indie-folk artist invited R&B musician Arlo Parks to join her for renditions of “Graceland Too” and “I Know the End.” (Ed. Note: Did you know Bridgers and Parks are both former Consequence Artist of the Month recipients?) “Graceland Too” and “I Know the End” are both highlights from Bridgers’ most recent album, Punisher, and backing vocals are absolutely necessary to get them off the ground. Parks’ honeyed croon does the job perfectly, from the harmonies of “Graceland Too” to the unforgettable chants of “I Know the End.” Aside from the songs mentioned, Bridgers’ set also included her ...
Florence + the Machine Kick Off “Dance Fever Tour”: Video + Setlist
Florence + the Machine took the stage at O2 City Hall in Newcastle, UK on Friday night for their first full-band performance in three years. The concert marked the launch of the band’s expansive “Dance Fever Tour” in support of their upcoming album of the same name. As such, the 18-song setlist featured the debut four new songs: lead single “King,” “Heaven is Here,” “Free,” and “Girls Against God,” as well as the full band debut of “My Love.” Elsewhere on the setlist, Florence dusted off “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up),” “What the Water Gave Me,” and “Spectrum” for the first time in a half a decade, and performed a new version of “Never Let Me Go.” Florence Welch was also forced to restart “What Kind of Man” after forgetting the lyrics, and relied on the front row of the crowd to help he...
Alex G Unveils We’re All Going to the World’s Fair Soundtrack: Stream
Alex G has released the soundtrack to We’re All Going to the World’s Fair via Milan Records/Sony Music Entertainment. Stream it below on Apple Music and Spotify. The 12-track collection serves as the music to the indie film, a horror thriller following the story of a teenage girl named Casey (Anna Cobb) who becomes consumed by the World’s Fair Challenge, an online role-playing game, and chooses to document herself as she begins losing her grip on reality. The soundtrack was preceded by the haunting vocal track “End Song,” which plays over the end credits, and arrives one week ahead of the film’s theatrical release on April 22nd. Advertisement Related Video “Whenever it rains at night I put on Alex’s score and listen to how the rain on my roof sounds mixed with Alex’s beautiful, lonely musi...
IDLES Bang Their Way Through “Crawl!” on Colbert: Watch
IDLES stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday night to perform their pummeling 2021 banger “Crawl!” The British post-punks rocked through a storm of flickering lights. As frontman Joe Talbot howled, “And yeah, I’m on my knees for porcelain/ ‘Cause it felt like God to me/ And yeah, I’m a fucking crawler/ Crawling hurts, but it worked for me,” he stared at the ceiling with one hand raised, like a man facing God as he walks backwards into hell. Check out the performance below. The song is featured on the post-punk outfit’s latest album CRAWLER, which was released last November after being preceded by singles “The Beachland Ballroom” and “Car Crash.” The LP also contains highlights “When the Lights Come On,” “The New Sensation,” and “Stockholm Syndrome.” Advert...
Ricky Montgomery Shares Origins of It’s 2016 Somewhere EP: Exclusive
Our feature series Origins gives artists space to detail everything that went into their newest release. Today, Ricky Montgomery breaks down his new EP, It’s 2016 Somewhere. Ricky Montgomery has returned with a new EP, It’s 2016 Somewhere, which compiles new tracks, non-album singles, and two acoustic versions of fan favorites (“Mr. Loverman” and “I Don’t Love You Anymore”). The project is out today (April 15th), alongside a music video for new track “Settle Down.” It’s no secret that TikTok has the power to blow up an artist overnight. What’s particularly strange, however, is when the algorithm decides to promote a song that was released to little fan-fare years prior. From Life Without Buildings to The Walters, the next viral indie discovery can come from seemingly anywhere or anytime. A...
Phoebe Bridgers Releases New Song “Sidelines”: Stream
Phoebe Bridgers is back with a new song called “Sidelines.” Take a listen below. “Sidelines” was written for Hulu’s upcoming series Conversations with Friends, an adaptation of Irish author Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name premiering on May 15th. Billed in a press release as the only original new song to be released by Bridgers this year, it was co-written with bandmate and collaborator Marshall Vore as well as Ruby Rain Henley. Bridgers famously tweeted in 2020 about Hulu’s miniseries adaptation of Rooney’s novel Normal People, writing she was “sad and horny” after finishing the series. After star Paul Mescal responded by saying, “I’m officially dead,” Bridgers wrote back, “nooo don’t die your so talented aha.” This led to the two of them dating and eventually, Hulu tapped Bridgers t...
