New Music Releases
Des Rocs Announces Debut Album, Unleashes Anthemic New Single “MMC”: Stream
Rising alt-rocker Des Rocs has announced his debut album, A Real Good Person in a Real Bad Place, which will arrive September 24th via 300 Entertainment. In advance of the LP’s release, the New York-based artist has unleashed the infectious and eclectic single “MMC.” “MMC” takes the listener on a wide-ranging ride of musical genres, with a guitar-heavy intro leading into post-punk verses and a sing-along anthemic chorus. At the 3:10 mark, the tune suddenly shifts into a vaudevillian piano number, with Des Rocs momentarily taking on the role of a throwback crooner. Speaking about the song in a press release, Des Rocs said, “‘MMC’ is about people who are obsessed with being anything but themselves. It’s a roller coaster of a record that was written all at once in this kinda chaotic catharsis...
Meet Me @ the Altar Unveil New Single “Brighter Days (Are Before Us)”: Stream
Meet Me @ the Altar dropped their latest single, “Brighter Days (Are Before Us).” In the music video for the sunny track, the all-female pop-punk outfit run through the song inside an abandoned airplane decked out with flowers, foliage and all kinds of faux flora. “I always thought there was a world coming after me/ Stuck with the short end of the stick/ I went ahead and just believed that I could never be/ A person with a purpose/ But brighter days are before us,” frontwoman Edith Johnson sings over Téa Campbell’s crunchy guitar and Ada Juarez on drums. “‘Brighter Days (Are Before Us)’ is one of the ups in life where things are starting to shape up,” the trio shared in a statement. “If our upcoming EP Model Citizen was a movie, ‘Brighter Days’ would be the scene where everything in life i...
UPSAHL Shares Origins of New Music Video “Time of My Life”: Exclusive
Our new music feature Origins gives artists the opportunity to share unique insights into the creative process behind their most recent release. Today, UPSAHL talks us through her latest single “Time of My Life” and breaks down its accompanying visuals. Taylor Upsahl, known professionally as UPSAHL, has been releasing music since she was just 14 years old. Now 22, she’s unleashing one bold single after another — 2021 has already seen her drop the badass tracks “Douchebag” and “Melatonin” — and today (July 30th), she’s debuting the music video for “Time of My Life.” On “Time of My Life,” UPSAHL explores the hardships of being a young adult. Lyrically, the song apparently takes place on her 22nd birthday, recalling Taylor Swift’s feel-good hit “22.” But unlike Swift’s sugary-sweet ode to you...
Bleachers Shares New Album Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night: Stream
It’s taken him a few detours to get here, but at last, Jack Antonoff has released Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night, his first new album as Bleachers in four years. The follow-up to 2017’s Gone Now features guest vocals from Lana Del Rey and Antonoff’s fellow Jersey boy, Bruce Springsteen. Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night spans ten tracks, which include the singles “Chinatown,” “Secret Life,” “How Dare You Want More,” and “Stop Making This Hurt.” While Antonoff’s previous releases as Bleachers felt contemporary with a splash of ‘80s sheen, Saturday Night feels more clearly indebted to hits of yesteryear, taking obvious inspiration from The Boss and utilizing more orchestral and baroque-pop elements. Inspired by both a romantic breakup and, of course, the pandemic, the album carr...
MØ Shares New Song “Kindness”: Stream
MØ has released her latest single, “Kindness,” an anthemic dose of dance pop dedicated to her fans. Stream it below. The Danish singer co-wrote the new track with Ariel Rechtshaid, Jam City, and Yangze. Over string-driven production, MØ addresses coming out of isolation and darkness with lyrics like, “When I see you, I come into life/ Lying in your hands, baby, let you reach mine/ When you grab me, hands to the sky/ Carry me through the room.” In a statement, MØ explained how “Kindness” was made. “I wrote it at a time when I was feeling, like a lot of people, disconnected from the physical world,” she recalled. “I wrote the first demo in Copenhagen on a beat by my friend Yangze. Ariel Rechtshaid then joined the process and, working online and across time zones, we made this song take ...
Silk Sonic’s Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak Unveil New Song “Skate”: Stream
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have unleashed a new Silk Sonic single. Entitled “Skate,” the duo’s sophomore release is a certifiable summertime jam. Watch the song’s accompanying video, co-directed by Mars, below. “Me and the team was thinking about what if we were performing in the middle of a roller rink, what would that baseline be doing? What would the guitar be doing? What would the drums be talking about? And I wanted to play congas and that’s what you get,” Mars said in an interview with Apple Music. “You get a song called ‘Skate.’ Talking about I’m trying to float. I’m trying to glide.” The group’s debut single, “Leave the Door Open,” earned the title of Song of the Week upon its release in March. They later performed the song live at the Grammys, iHeartRadio Music Awards, and BET ...
Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell Announces New Solo Album, Brighten, Unveils “Atone”: Stream
Alice in Chains singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell has announced his first solo album in 19 years. The legendary rocker will release Brighten on October 29th, and he’s shared shared the first single, “Atone,” as a preview Cantrell premiered the heavy new track via Rolling Stone, describing the song as follows: “As a fan of Ennio Morricone scores and Sergio Leone movies, it’s got a bit of that outlaw vibe, with a cool psycho hillbilly stomp. It’s been kicking around in my head for like 20-plus years, haunting me. Sometimes it takes a while for a good idea to find its best form. Such was the case with ‘Atone.’” The new album features an impressive cast of backing musicians, including Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan), Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses), Gil Sharone (Team Sleep), Abe Laboriel J...
Mining Metal: Dungeon Serpent, Hellish Form, Lantlos, Mesa, Midwife, Mordred, Night Crowned, Sallow Moth
As I write this introduction, I’ve just found out about the passing of Mike Howe, vocalist of the criminally underrated band Metal Church. He was 55 years old — too young. The last time I memorialized a musician in this column, it was Entombed vocalist L.G. Petrov. Howe’s story differs from Petrov’s in two critical ways. First, because Petrov’s passing was unfortunate but expected, whereas Howe’s was surprising. Second, while Petrov and Entombed had gone their separate ways, the band had achieved notoriety commensurate with their artistic output. In contrast, Howe had been an active member of Metal Church at the time of his death. Despite 40 years of existence, the band isn’t as well known as they deserve to be. Metal Church was one of the Seattle-area ’80s heavy metal bands that, alongsid...
Angels & Airwaves Unveil New Single “Losing My Mind”: Stream
Angels & Airwaves have shared “Losing My Mind,” the latest preview from their upcoming album, Lifeforms. It arrives with a goofy music video in which frontman Tom DeLonge plays a sleazy character trying to make it big on “Tic Tac.” Appropriately, “Losing My Mind” is made for dancing with a heavy dose of synths combined with meme-worthy lyrics. “Now, what is this bullshit/ I said we’re not alone and the government knows it,” sings Delonge. “There’s idiots abound, and they’re all fucking racist/ I’ll put us back at ease because we need more complacent/ We’re all going to die.” Directed by DeLonge, the accompanying visual features him playing a character named Disco, the brother of his alter ego Boomer in Blink-182’s “First Date” video. It follows Disco’s night wandering in Las Vegas afte...
Duckwrth Shares New Single “4K,” Announces US Tour Dates
Los Angeles rapper Duckwrth is back with a new single called “4K.” It’s about life during the pandemic and it features extra verses from his friend and fellow rapper Phabo. Stream it below. “Right when outside started opening up and everyone started flocking to Tulum and Hawaii… that’s what ‘4K’ is about. Trying to adjust and acclimate while still having fun,” said Duckwrth in a press release. “It’s the paradox of the recurring line, ‘Was your pandemic popping?’ ‘4K’ is a movie, and that’s what the pandemic turned into when we were let loose.” Musically, “4K” blends loopy chillwave synths with a bouncy, skittering beat that’s perfect for the final weeks of summer. Both Duckwrth and Phabo sound relaxed as they drop line after line about adjusting to a new world without sacraficing their sen...
Mount Kimbie Share New Songs “Black Stone” and “Blue Liquid”: Listen
Mount Kimbie are back with a pair of new songs. “Black Stone” and “Blue Liquid,” originally recorded during the sessions for the electronic band’s 2017 album Love What Survives, are now finally seeing the light of day to commemorate the acclaimed record’s fourth anniversary. “Black Stone” and “Blue Liquid” are both instrumental tracks that feel right in line with the mellowed-out UK garage feel of Love What Survives, featuring chugging synths, stirring backbeats, and industrial embellishments. Though Mount Kimbie have yet to announce their next album together, new music is on the horizon: “We spent some time together writing new music in the desert,” the band wrote in a recent tweet. “Both very hyped about what we put down — Just got to piece it all together now to release it.” They follow...
Jimi Hendrix’s Personal Recording of 1968 Joni Mitchell Concert Included in New Box Set
Joni Mitchell has been an icon for so long that it’s hard to imagine that she, like most of us, was once a regular, fledgling 20-something, who just happened to possess an insane amount of talent. A massive new box set, Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971), due out October 29th captures the prolific songwriter during that defining era. Included in the box set is an unearthed recording captured by Jimi Hendrix, who saw Mitchell in action during her two-week residency at Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa, Ontario, before his death. As a preview of the collection, Hendrix’s recording of Mitchell performing “The Downtreader” is now available to stream below. Hendrix’s tape recorder from his night at Mitchell’s concert was stolen just a few days after the show. T...
