Indie Rock
MUNA Taps Phoebe Bridgers for New Song “Silk Chiffon”: Stream
Toward the end of last year, Phoebe Bridgers started her own record label called Saddest Factory Records, and this past spring signed the Los Angeles synthpop trio MUNA. Today, MUNA have shared their first single since joining the label, “Silk Chiffon,” featuring a verse from Bridgers herself. If “Silk Chiffon” is meant to reintroduce MUNA to old fans and new listeners alike, then it goes above and beyond in summarizing what makes the group so much fun. It’s an unabashedly pop number with airy guitars and a vocal melody that will get stuck in your head all week. According to Naomi McPherson, the band’s guitarist and producer, “Silk Chiffon” was written in hopes of being “a song for kids to have their first gay kiss to.” “Silk Chiffon” arrives with a vibrant music video in tow. Directed by ...
Dr. Dog Share New Song “Loneliness” from Homicide Survivors Benefit Compilation: Exclusive
As part of a new compilation benefiting the family members of homicide victims, Dr. Dog have shared a previously unreleased song called “Loneliness.” The track is featured on Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors. Ten years ago, Tucson, Arizona and the nation were shaken by a mass shooting that claimed the lives of six and injured 19 others — with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords amongst the latter. In response, Fort Lowell Records launched the Luz de Vida benefit project, with 100% of proceeds going to aid and comfort survivors through the Tucson Together Fund. Now, to mark the 10th anniversary of that tragedy, they’ve put together a second charity compilation. Due out November 5th to coincide with Tuscon’s All Soul’s Procession community ceremony, Luz da Vida I...
Lala Lala Shares New Single “Prove It”: Stream
Lillie West’s Lala Lala has shared a new track called “Prove It.” Serving the third single from the project’s forthcoming third full-length, I Want the Door to Open, the track is available to stream below. Sparse yet driving, “Prove It” is an appraisal of those who strive for nothing but the concept of more. As West herself says, it’s “a song about insatiable people and the idea of ‘good’ vs ‘bad.’ It’s about lack of control. Even though this song is accusatory, I relate to the person I’m talking to. I think sometimes when we criticize other people we’re also talking about ourselves.” Previous I Want the Door to Open singles include the Nnamdï Ogbonnaya-assisted “DIVER” and “Color of the Pool.” To further tease the LP, Lala Lala has shared a new informercial, “Open the Door: Find Your...
Strand of Oaks Honors John Prine on New Single “Somewhere in Chicago”: Stream
Strand of Oaks has unveiled his latest single “Somewhere in Chicago” via Galacticana Records. Stream it below. On the track, the artist — otherwise known as Timothy Showalter — daydreams of the Windy City over layered, echoing acoustic guitars while referencing none other than John Prine. “John’s on a walk somewhere in Chicago/ Losing our leaders who you gonna follow/ Might’ve been the movies, might’ve been the lightning/ Might’ve been something much more frightening,” he croons over reflective instrumentation on the refrain. In a statement, the folk rocker described the new song as, “My ode to the late John Prine and the midwestern ethos he so perfectly embodied. The song dreams of the great city of Chicago where John can forever and happily wander.” Advertisement Related Video “Somewhere...
Bachelor Release New Single “I See It Now”: Stream
Bachelor have unveiled their latest single, “I See It Now,” via Polyvinyl Record Co. Stream it below. “The room gets booked as it gets brighter/ The hand gets held a little tighter/ I see it now, I see it now/ My sister says she never liked ya/ My friends said that I shouldn’t trust ya/ I hear them now, I hear them now,” Palehound’s Ellen Kempner and Jay Som’s Melina Duterte sing over dirge-like instrumentation. Describing it as “a kind of lethargic muse on sexual regret and insecurity,” the duo revealed in a statement that the new track came together while they were filming the music video for “Doomin’ Sun” — the title track off their debut album of the same name, which dropped May 28th. Advertisement Related Video “We found ourselves with a day to kill at Ellen’s house in Poughkeepsie,” ...
Andy Shauf Shares New Single “Spanish on the Beach”: Stream
Andy Shauf has shared the new single “Spanish on the Beach,” and — big news for Shauficionados — it seemingly makes a reference to Judy, a recurring character from his excellent 2020 concept album The Neon Skyline. The stories of The Neon Skyline unfolded over one night, and while that record benefitted from such a limited scope, it meant that some of Shauf’s more expansive ideas landed on the cutting room floor. That was true of the B-sides he shared last summer, “Judy,” and “Jeremy’s Wedding,” and while it doesn’t sound like “Spanish on the Beach” was ever intended for Skyline, it does look at the Judyverse from a few thousand miles away. “Spanish on the Beach” takes place at an all-inclusive resort, as the narrator’s partner tries out a bit of Spanish. “I t...
Aaron Dessner on Big Red Machine, The National’s Future, and Working with Taylor Swift
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS On this week’s Kyle Meredith With, Aaron Dessner calls in to discuss How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last, the sophomore record from his Big Red Machine project with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. The prolific producer/songwriter takes us through the process of bringing in more friends for this album, including Sharon Van Etten and Taylor Swift, and how the set came to focus on themes of mental health, depression, and family dynamics. That was particularly true on “Hutch,” a song written for the late Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchinson, a close friend of Dessner’s. Advertisement Related Video On working wit...
Japanese Breakfast Shares New Song “Glider”: Stream
Michelle Zauner: dreampop star, bestselling author, and now, video game soundtrack composer. Today, the musician better known as Japanese Breakfast is sharing the latest single from Sable, her forthcoming soundtrack to the video game of the same name. The track is called “Glider,” and it’s one of the three songs on the soundtrack to include lyrics. Though “Glider” wasn’t written with a typical Japanese Breakfast project in mind, its swirling, ethereal melodies sound right in line with Zauner’s usual mode. It’s easy to imagine yourself floating through the vast open world that comes with Sable while listening to it. In a press release, Zauner cited film score legends Alan Menken and Joe Hisaishi as some of her biggest inspirations while creating the Sable soundtrack. “I was so lucky Daniel ...
Helado Negro Shares New Single “Outside the Outside”: Stream
Roberto Lange, the electronic musician better known as Helado Negro, has shared the new single “Outside the Outside.” The second preview from his forthcoming album Far In arrives with an accompanying music video composed of video footage of Lange’s family house parties in the 1980s. “Outside the Outside” is a hushed dance number that calls to mind the alienation Lange felt growing up, both as the child of immigrants and as one of the sole musicians in his family. “I found space through music and outsiders finding each other,” he said in a press release. “This is a song about intimate partnerships and long-loving friendships. To be loyal freaks and an outsider amongst outsiders.” The video for “Outside the Outside” mirrors that desire for belonging: “My family came to this country as outsid...
Geese Announce Debut Album Projector, Share “Low Era”: Stream
The Strokes have been the Kings of New York for two decades now, but the scuttlebutt around the palace suggests Geese are coming for the throne. The very young Brooklyn rockers — the eldest member just turned 19 — have announced their debut album Projector. It drops October 29th, and to herald its arrival, the quintet have unveiled the new single “Low Era.” The reference to The Strokes wasn’t accidental, and if you listen to previews of Projector you’ll hear many more. Songs like previous single “Disco” radiate a casual coolness, with textured guitar riffs that would slot nicely alongside cuts from Is This It? But music has come a long way over the last 20 years, and Geese are far more than aughts indie revivalists; the band utilizes tempo changes, psychedelic flou...
Samia Talks About Eating Disorders, Trauma, and Anxiety
Listen via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Stitcher | Google | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Indie rocker Samia joins Dr. Mike Friedman on the Going There podcast to share her struggle with mental health, specifically how anxiety led to her dealing with an eating disorder. Throughout her life, the Scout musician experienced anxiety, where her mind would focus on scary possibilities – things that could go wrong that she could not control. This sense of loss of control was exacerbated by both her having suffered sexual abuse and the subsequent judgment and invalidation she experienced from others when she shared her traumatic event. Advertisement Related Video Samia discusses how she sought to regain a sense...
Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay on LUMP’s Boombastic Shoegaze Wonder-Journey
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay catch up with Kyle Meredith to talk about Animal, their sophomore release as LUMP. Advertisement Related Video The British electronic duo take us through taking musical inspiration from Bowie’s Berlin Years, visualizing the world of LUMP as a sort of Stranger Things’ Upside Down, and the possibilities of expanding the visual presence of the project. For her part, Marling also discusses finding meaning within her free-form lyrics, portraying a more masculine side of her personality, and the American hedonism that weaves its way through the songs. Stream the interview with LUMP above, or via the YouTube player below....
