New EP Announcement
Skullcrusher Announces New Storm in Summer EP, Shares Title Track: Stream
Helen Ballentine has announced the next project under her Skullcrusher banner. The Storm in Summer EP drops April 9th via Secretly Canadian, and has released the title track as an early preview. The five-track follow-up to her 2020 Skullcrusher EP finds Ballentine reeling from the spotlight after experiencing some unexpected success. As she explained in a statement, “I wrote ‘Storm in Summer’ after releasing the first Skullcrusher EP. Over that summer I thought a lot about what it means to really put myself out there and share something personal. I felt so vulnerable and overwhelmed by the fact that these songs I had written in private were exposed and likely being misinterpreted or disliked. I think the song really tries to communicate these anxieties in a cathartic way whi...
Fijian Rapper Jesswar Releases Debut EP TROPIXX: Stream
Three years after she set out to write and record her own music, rising Fijian rapper Jesswar has just released her debut EP TROPIXX via Inertia Music/PIAS. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. TROPIXX is a six-track EP meant to introduce listeners to Jesswar’s range of skills. On the previously released singles “Medusa” and “Venom”, she shows off a verbal tenacity and community-driven storytelling that seeks to empower fellow marginalized people, and that remains true for the other tracks on the EP. The way she sees it, holistic independence doesn’t have to mean you’re estranged from kinship or unity. “When I first started writing TROPIXX, I was tired of being overlooked, and I knew I had a lot to say. It was really upsetting to wake up every day and see how women of color are con...
Drake Releases Scary Hours 2 EP: Stream
Drake has released his second Scary Hours EP. It serves as a follow-up to his 2018 EP of the same name. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. Like his last Scary Hours release, this new EP only includes a few songs — three to be exact. “What’s Next” opens the EP, followed by “Wants and Needs” featuring Lil Baby and “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” featuring Rick Ross. Chances are Drake is hoping some of these tracks will blow up and can then be tacked onto Certified Lover Boy, his new album due out this year. After all, that plan worked surprisingly well with the last EP when “God’s Plan” became a smash hit and scored a proper spot on Scorpion. Speaking of, Certified Lover Boy was technically supposed to be out in January, but that month has since come and gone. Drake hasn’t updated fans on...
Benny the Butcher Announces New EP The Plugs I Met 2
Benny the Butcher has announced a new EP. It’s called The Plugs I Met 2 and is scheduled to come out on March 19th. The Plugs I Met 2 will be the first record the Butcher has dropped since putting out Burden of Proof in October 2020. As the title suggests, this new EP will serve as a sequel of sorts to his The Plugs I Met, which came out back in 2019. So far, the only name attached to The Plugs I Met 2 is Harry Fraud, who will serve as the EP’s producer. It’s likely a handful of other rappers will hop on the joint considering the original 2019 EP saw the Butcher link up with Black Thought, Pusha T, Jadakiss, Conway The Machine, and more. “March 19th THE PLUGS I MET 2 EP,” he wrote on Instagram on Friday. “Me and @harryfraud linked up on niggas I could sit here and ...
Yaya Bey Announces New EP The Things I Can’t Take With Me, Shares “fxck it then”: Stream
Brooklyn-based R&B musician Yaya Bey experienced a breakout moment last year when she released Madison Tapes, her excellent political album, and she’s carrying that momentum forward with her upcoming release. Today, Bey has announced a new EP called The Things I Can’t Take With Me. It’s due out April 9th via Big Dada, but you can stream the lead single “fxck it then” in advance below. Over the course of six tracks, The Things I Can’t Take With Me finds Bey working through a breakup that trigged deep wounds and childhood traumas. The project came together in real time when, in the midst of writing a new album, Bey’s relationship unexpectedly ended and she found herself writing songs that warranted their own collection. “[The album] is going to be about the journey home to self,” she exp...
Show Me the Body Announce New EP Survive, Share Video for Title Track: Stream
New York City hardcore act Show Me the Body will return with their new EP Survive on March 19th. In advance of its release, the band has shared the music video for the title track. Survive follows the the group’s acclaimed 2019 sophomore album, Dog Whistle, and sees Show Me the Body picking up where they left off. Their aggressive musical approach remains intact on the EP’s title cut, with hints of hardcore, noise, and trap melded into three volatile minutes. The Survive EP marks the first new material from the band since the pandemic hit, pausing the vibrant NYC music scene of which Show Me the Body were active participants. “During this isolation we had to recalibrate,” the band commented in a press announcement. “Recalibrate both how we exist as a band and how we cultivate pow...
Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats Announce Guest-Heavy UNLOCKED 1.5 Remix EP
Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats famously only took 24 hours to put together their collaborative EP, UNLOCKED. In the year since, they’ve put a bit more time into recreating the eight-track effort as the guest-heavy reimagining UNLOCKED 1.5. Due out February 26th, UNLOCKED 1.5 is described as “a brand new release inspired by Denzel and Kenny’s original.” Remixes of the tracks are presented by the likes of The Alchemist, Jay Versace, GODMODE, and Georgia Anne Muldrow, with new features coming from recent Artist of the Month Arlo Parks, Joey Bada$$, Benny the Butcher, Kenny Mason, and more. As a first listen, Curry and Beats have, well, unlocked Robert Glasper’s version of “So.Incredible.pkg”, which includes a guest verse from Smino. Take a listen via the visualizer below. That fighting-sty...
Selena Gomez Announces First Spanish-Language EP Revelación
Pop singer and former Disney star Selena Gomez has announced her first-ever Spanish-language EP. Titled Revelación, it’s scheduled to drop March 12th. Gomez, who is of Mexican and Italian descent, revealed the news on Twitter on Wednesday. However, rumors of a forthcoming Spanish effort had actually surfaced earlier this month after multiple murals bearing her name were spotted around Mexico and Brazil. A tracklist won’t be unveiled until the EP is available for pre-order tomorrow, but the project is expected to feature her recently released single “De Una Vez” (“At Once”) and a forthcoming one called “Baila Conmigo” (“Dance with Me”) that’s due out this Friday, January 29th. Editors’ Picks The 28-year-old Gomez previously joined DJ Snake and Ozuna on the 2018 Spanish release “Taki T...
Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou Announce New EP, Cover the Cranberries’ “Hollywood”: Stream
Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou have announced a new surprise collaborative EP titled The Helm of Sorrow, which arrives January 15th via Sacred Bones. They’ve also shared new cover of The Cranberries‘ “Hollywood” and a separate short, “Elysian Fields”, created by Thou’s Mitch Wells. The four-song EP includes B-sides from the excellent 2020 album from Rundle and Thou, May Our Chambers Be Full. In fact, the tracks were included on Sacred Bones’ “diehard” edition of the Chambers, but will receive a widespread release as The Helm of Sorrow, a suitably metal title. The cover of “Hollywood” is as captivating as anything we’ve heard from the pairing. Perhaps the artists or label realized these songs were too good to languish on a limited, exclusive release. No complaints here. A far cry from the origin...
North Kingsley (Shavo Odadjian) Unleash “False Idols” Featuring Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA: Stream
North Kingsley, the side-project of System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, have released a new three-song EP, Vol. 2, their second of 2020. The group has also shared a music video for politically charged lead single “False Idols”, which features RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. The track epitomizes North Kingsley’s groove-laden take on alternative hip-hop and the strong political views that seem to accompany Odadjian’s projects. North Kingsley vocalist/lyricist Ray Hawthorne takes centerstage on the song, with the video featuring the band’s members wearing masks of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton. “We, as individuals, empower and idolize people who care for their own interests above ours,” vocalist/lyricist Hawthorne said in the press release. “We need to recognize that. We need to ...
Flatbush Zombies’ Erick the Architect Announces Debut Solo Project, Shares “Let It Go”: Stream
Erick the Architect, co-founder and primary producer for Flatbush Zombies, has announced his debut solo EP Future Proof. It’s out January 22nd, and he’s offering a preview with the new single “Let It Go” featuring Loyle Carner and FARR. Over the last few years, Erick Elliot has gone from one of the primary drivers of the Flatbush Zombies’ distinctive sound to a sought-after producer in his own right. He recently produced on James Blake’s Before EP, and according to a statement he is currently collaborating on different projects with Blake and Joey Bada$$. Now this beloved co-worker is set to strike out on his own with Future Proof . The five-track effort was produced by Linden Jay and features contributions from Col3trane, Sophie Faith, and Pip Millett. In addition to produ...
Beach Bunny Announce New EP Blame Game, Share “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used)”: Stream
Fresh off the success of their debut album Honeymoon, Beach Bunny are back to announce a new EP, Blame Game. It’s out January 15th on Mom+Pop Music, and the band is today offering a preview with lead single “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used)”. Our former Artist of the Month went from underground rockers to TikTok sensation on the strength of endlessly catchy hooks. Led by songwriter Lili Trifilio, the band returns with a four-track look at toxic masculinity and laborious relationships. The EP was recorded in Chicago in August, and produced by Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Joyce Manor, Modern Baseball). As “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used)” can testify, Beach Bunny haven’t lost their gift for earworms. Trifilio warns a trifling partner that while, “I still think that you’re cute/ Good girls don’t get ...
