New Music
King Princess Drops New Song “Only Time Makes It Human”: Stream
King Princess has returned with her first new song of 2020, “Only Time Makes It Human”. The title is a reference to the healing power of time; the track finds KP in the doldrums of unrequited love. Between earworm “Whoo la las,” she sings with painful self-awareness. It’s not just that it “sucks that I think about her/ ‘Cause thinking ’bout her leaves me lonely;” it’s that King Princess know she’ll turn this pain into a song, but somehow that doesn’t make it better. She croons, “Whoo, and I’ll keep selling all my problems/ And she’ll be the one who buys them/ Whoo, all of her love became an album/ And I’m still the one who’s crying.” Check out “Only Time Makes It Human” below. Our 2019 Rookie of the Year blew up on the strength of her debut album Cheap Queen, and earlier this year she rele...
The National’s Matt Berninger Releases Debut Solo Album Serpentine Prison: Stream
Matt Berninger of The National has released his debut solo album Serpentine Prison. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. The album was produced by the legendary Booker T. Jones, and features contributions from Andrew Bird, The National’s Scott Devendorf, The Walkmen’s Walter Martin and Matt Barrick, and Menomena’s Brent Knopf. But the only other artist actually heard on Serpentine Prison is Gail Ann Dorsey, whose vocals featured on six of the tracks from the 2019 The National album I Am Easy to Find. Here, there’s little to distract from Berninger’s mellifluous voice. In a review of Serpentine Prison for Consequence of Sound, Jordan Blum wrote, “Serpentine Prison isn’t the drastic change of pace that many frontmen create when they do a project outside o...
Statik Selektah Teams with Nas, Joey Bada$$, and Gary Clark Jr. on New Song “Keep It Moving”: Stream
Statik Selektah (photo courtesy of artist); Gary Clark Jr., Joey Bada$$, and Nas (photos by Ben Kaye) Statik Selektah has shared a star-studded new single called “Keep It Moving” featuring Nas, Joey Bada$$, and Gary Clark Jr. With jazzy guitar licks from Clark Jr. and throwback bars from both New York MCs, “Keep It Moving” sounds like it’s rolling through an early-’90s NYC. With their respective verses, the rappers speak on what it means for the Black community to rise up against the systems of oppression around them, from wherever they may come. “Lot of us turn out to predicate felons, not I/ My brethren’s addicted to sellin’, slipped and turned to somebody’s seller,” raps Nas. “I wish that somebody would tell us then/ Tell us chances are slim when you dancin’ with sin/ It all start from ...
Rosie Carney Announces Radiohead Covers Album, Shares Her Version of “Bones”: Stream
Like many of us, Rosie Carney was forced to change her plans when the pandemic hit earlier this year. Instead of entering the studio for recording sessions, the folk artist retreated to her parent’s house in Ireland to be close to family and seek proper treatment for her mental health, which was suffering on account of the global crisis. But her musical brain never stopped turning. While quarantining in Ireland, Carney decided to cover Radiohead classic “Fake Plastic Trees”. However, when she saw how many people had already done so, she pivoted to a more ambitious undertaking: tackling The Bends in its glorious entirety. The resulting covers album is due for arrival on December 11th, but Carney is offering a peek today with her version of “Bones”. “I recorded ‘Bones’ the day before I flew ...
Tayla Parx Reveals New Song “Residue”: Stream
Ghostwriter turned solo artist Tayla Parx has shared the new song “Residue”. It’s the latest single from her forthcoming album Coping Mechanisms, which drops on November 20th. After penning hits for Ariana Grande, BTS, Janelle Monáe, and Panic! at the Disco, Parx experienced a breakthrough in 2019 with her debut album We Need to Talk. But success comes with stress, and as the title of Coping Mechanisms implies, the songwriter has spent the last year working on herself. “Residue” wrestles with unhealthy attractions. Parx sings, “Baby you’re a thought/ A thought that’s stuck to me like glue/ No matter what I do/ You leave your residue (doo doo).” In a statement, she explained the impetus to write “Residue” and analyzed her own “avoidant” behaviors. She said, ‘It’s about one of thos...
Foxy Shazam Announce Comeback Album Burn, Share “The Rose”: Stream
Even after a six-year hiatus, Foxy Shazam are unstoppable. The glam rock revivalists have announced their comeback album, Burn, which is due for release on December 11th. Frontman Eric Nally began formulating ideas for the new album while touring with Macklemore (he of the “Downtown” collaboration) last year. From there, Burn came together from across the continent, with writing and recording happening remotely. Nally and horns player Alex Nauth added their parts in Ryan Lewis’ Mundon Canyon studios in Washington; Sky White (piano) and Teddy Aitkins (drums) tracked their contributions in Seattle’s London Bridge studio; and guitarist Loren Turner and bassist Trigger Warning recorded at the LodgeKY studio in Dayton, Kentucky. “I will stand for 2020 and say I made moves during this time,...
The Hold Steady Announce 10th Anniversary Reissue of Heaven Is Whenever, Share Previously Unreleased “Separate Vacations”: Stream
It’s been 10 long years since The Hold Steady released their fifth studio album, Heaven Is Whenever. To mark the anniversary, the band will reissue an expanded deluxe edition of the LP featuring previously unreleased songs, demos, and alternate takes. Due out November 27th via Vagrant Records, the double-album reissue consists of a newly remastered version of Heaven Is Whenever, along with nine (!) bonus tracks. Some of these unearthed songs are called “Ascension Blues”, “Touchless”, “Beer on the Bedstand”, and “Wonderful Struggle”. There’s also an alternate take on “We Can Get Together”. For those fans hankering for even more goodies, the digital version of the reissue comes with an additional six tracks. Most are recordings from The Hold Steady’s Avatar Sessions with Franz Nicolay (...
Aesop Rock Drops Video for ‘Pizza Alley’
Last month, Aesop Rock announced that he was releasing Spirit World Field Guide, his first new album in five years that also serves as a concept album that offered survival tips in a parallel universe (which feels right for 2020 and especially now). The veteran rapper has put out a trippy video for his latest track, “Pizza Alley,” which continues to build on that theme of disconnect and travels through Peru in search of…something. [embedded content] The clip was directed by Aesop’s longtime collaborator Rob Shaw, with illustrations coming from Justin “Coro” Kaufman. “If you are among the countless individuals who find themselves feeling both dead and alive at the same time, the information contained within may serve as an invaluable asset to your journey,” Aesop said of the album in a stat...
Benny the Butcher Reveals New Album Burden of Proof: Stream
Benny the Butcher has uncorked his new album Burden of Proof. Scroll onwards to stream it through Apple Music and Spotify. Benny and his cousins Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine have spent the last half-decade slowly building up Griselda Records into an artistic powerhouse. The trio leveled up after 2019’s WWCD, and now 2020 has been the Year of Griselda: W.G. and Con have already released three albums with a fourth on the way, while Griselda associates Armani Caesar and Boldy James have put out excellent projects of their own. Burden of Proof is the latest bid for world domination, but it is sonically separate from the rest of the Griselda universe. While Mr. Gunn and Mr. Machine have favored throwback beats and collaborations with legends like DJ Premier and the W...
Rosie Carney Releases Acoustic Cover of Radiohead’s ‘Bones’
When people think of covering Radiohead, one of the more reliable bets is their first hit, “Creep.” However, Rosie Carney has decided to take a different path: she’s covered “Bones,” from the band’s 1995 album, The Bends. Her acoustic version of the song is part of a bigger project where Carney will be covering all the tracks on The Bends, which is set to release on Dec. 11 via Color Study. “I recorded ‘Bones’ the day before I flew home to spend the rest of lockdown with my family in Ireland,” she said in a statement. “I listened to it nonstop as I travelled [sic] from my flat in London into the middle of nowhere. Every single line resonated with me on such a deep level and after this one I became far more confident in how I wanted the songs to sound if they were mine.” The new musical pro...
Refused Announce The Malignant Fire EP, Unleash “Born on the Outs”: Stream
Swedish hardcore veterans Refused have announced a new EP, The Malignant Fire. In advance of its November 20th release, the band has unleashed the single “Born on the Outs”. The Malignant Fire will arrive roughly a year after Refused’s most recent full-length album, War Music. The new five-song collection features four new tracks and one War Music cut (“Malfire”). “Born on the Outs” has a post-punk vibe, with singer Dennis Lyxzén delivering clean vocals to start before escalating to his raspy howl. It’s as infectious as it aggressive, even delving into a melodic Sisters of Mercy-like bridge around the 2:10 mark. Lyrically, “Born on the Outs” continues the progressivism and radicalism of the band’s 30-year career, as Lyxzén rails against hate crimes, fascism, and oppression throug...
The Weeknd Officially Releases Saxy New “In Your Eyes” Remix Featuring Kenny G: Stream
The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” may be one of the best songs of 2020, but it’s the After Hours single “In Your Eyes” that’s extra sax-y — quite literally. Today, the R&B superstar has shared a new remix of “In Your Eyes” featuring the one and only saxophone legend Kenny G. The unlikely collaborators first debuted a version of this rework at last month’s TIME 100 event, where The Weeknd was honored as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020. While that live rendition saw Kenny G lend a silky instrumental outro, this official studio release of the remix features two additional solos from the jazz musician and Kanye West associate. We never would have guessed we’d be mentioning The Weeknd and Kenny G in the same breath — they each offer their own very different vision of “sexy mu...
