New Music
Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan Releases more songs from 2005 EP: Stream
Earlier this year, Hop Along frontwoman Frances Quinlan issued her excellent debut under her own name, Likewise. The album quickly became one of our favorite of the year — though technically speaking it wasn’t her first solo release. She initially launched Hop Along as a solo project, dropping the freshman year LP back in 2005. Today, in celebration of that record’s 15th anniversary, Quinlan has released it to streaming services for the very first time, in addition to sharing a brand new EP of tracks from that era called more songs from 2005. The sessions that led to freshman year and (eventually) more songs from 2005 were as DIY as can be. Quinlan recorded in her parents basement in the Pennsylvania suburbs, with additional backing vocals and field sounds picked up everywhere from a house...
Supergroup Killer Be Killed Announce New Album, Unleash “Deconstructing Self-Destruction”: Stream
Supergroup Killer Be Killed have announced their second album, Reluctant Hero. The band — featuring The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato, Soulfly’s Max Cavalera, Mastodon’s Troy Sanders, and Converge’s Ben Koller– also shared the first single “Deconstructing Self-Destruction”. As one would expect from such an all-star collaboration, Killer Be Killed are a well-oiled metal machine. The new song sees them hitting on all cylinders, with Cavalera Sanders, and Puciato all providing vocals to the track. Reluctant Hero will arrive via Nuclear Blast on November 20th, six years after the band’s 2014 self-titled debut. During that gap, each member remained busy with their main bands, but somewhere along the line, they snuck in time to finish the Josh Wilbur-produced Reluctant Hero. “This has bee...
Julia Stone Reveals New Song “Unreal”, Produced by St. Vincent: Stream
St. Vincent (photo by Ben Kaye) and Julia Stone (photo by Brooke Ashley Barone) Julia Stone returned this past July with her first solo single in eight years, “Break”, produced by St. Vincent. It turns out there’s quite a lot more to come from this pair, as a “greater body of work” is eventually coming down the line, according a statement. As another preview of this larger collaborative project, Stone and St. Vincent are now sharing a new track called “Unreal”. Not unlike her previous offering, Stone again sidelines her folk roots here, leaning further into synthpop territory. It’s a new look for the veteran Australian songwriter, but one that works in much the same way acts such as Sylvan Esso have built electronic music using the foundation of folk stylings. According to Stone, this late...
Zeal & Ardor Announce New EP, Unveil Singles “I Can’t Breathe” and “Vigil”: Stream
Zeal & Ardor have announced a new six-song EP titled Wake of a Nation. In advance of the EP’s October 23rd release date, the avant-metal act has unveiled two tracks, “I Can’t Breathe” and “Vigil”. As implied by those titles and the EP’s artwork — featuring two police batons — it’s a politically charged record from Zeal & Ardor, composed during months of unrest in the United States following the death of George Floyd in police custody and other similar incidents. The group had originally planned to release an album next year, but these songs couldn’t linger and were unleashed without hesitation. As frontman Manuel Gagneux wrote on the band’s Facebook page: “Wake of a Nation‘s intent and context should be obvious. I like to revel in ambiguity and in room for interpretation. This is n...
Saint Bodhi Pops Off on New Song “Gold Revolver”: Stream
Dual threat rapper/singer Saint Bodhi pops off on a cheating partner in the new song “Gold Revolver”. A former ghostwriter, the 27-year-old SoCal native earned her stripes collaborating with Beyoncé, Kevin Gates, Erykah Badu, A$AP Rocky, and more. Now a solo artist signed to Def Jam, she first made waves in August of 2019 with the hard-luck R&B of “FlowerChild”, and then returned in the spring of this year with the balls-to-the-wall banger “Bad Mood”. “Gold Revolver” is her most exciting release yet. Over haunting pipes and head-nodding drums, Saint Bodhi raps a tale of violent madness worthy of early Eminem. “Yo, I have a n—- hogtied to the furnace/ Bitch should’ve watched his words/ I’m slipping in my mental/ I’m whispering to the birds.” The narrator’s unfaithful partner is in for a...
Nina Hagen Teams Up with George Clinton for New Song “Unity”: Stream
George Clinton (photo by Raj Gupta) and Nina Hagen (photo by Christliches Medienmagazin) Nina Hagen, a longtime fixture of Germany’s punk and new wave scenes, has teamed up with funk legend George Clinton for a new song called “Unity”. It’s the first single she’s released in nearly nine years. According to Hagen, “Unity” was written and recorded following the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests that took place worldwide. As such, she intended for the song to serve as an “homage to the Black Lives Matter movement,” reports Pitchfork. Musically, “Unity” is a trippy dub number that sees Hagen and Clinton getting lost in an atmospheric beat. While gentle keys and hi-hat stutters guide the song, Hagen sings about people coming together for the greater good in equal parts rasp and...
Arca Shares Ambient New Song “Mallorca”: Stream
Arca returned this past spring with her acclaimed new album called KiCk I, which touts high-profile collaborations with Björk, Rosalía, and SOPHIE. Now, to coincide with Bandcamp Friday, the electronic music producer has unveiled the latest installment in her Mutants Mixtape compilation series, and it features a new solo offering called “Mallorca”. Clocking in at two-and-a-half minutes, the track finds Alejandra Ghersi conjuring an ambient yet shapeshifting world — one that’s fluid and multi-faceted in nature, much like Arca herself. “I’m asking for recognition that we have multiple selves without denying that there’s a singular unit,” Arca told Paper earlier this year, in a discussion about her identity as a Latinx trans woman. “I want to be seen as an ecosystem of minor self-states ...
Spirit Adrift Share New Song “Astral Levitation”, Cover Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut”: Stream
Spirit Adrift have shared the second single, “Astral Levitation”, from their upcoming album, Enlightened in Eternity. Additionally, the band has released a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut” from an upcoming tribute to the latter’s seminal album Vol. 4. “Astral Levitation” is another taut, literary heavy metal song following lead single “Harmony of the Spheres”. One of the band’s penchants is its ability incorporate various tempos in the same song, using mid-tempo sections to create an immensely listenable arrangement. “‘Astral Levitation’ is about searching within for untapped power during times of darkness and despair,” singer-guitarist Nathan Garrett said of the song. “It’s an empowering soundtrack to the challenging times we all currently face.” Likewise, the band pay tribute to thei...
Lil Durk Shares New Song “The Voice”: Stream
Lil Durk has shared a surprise new single called “The Voice”, as well as a corresponding music video. The track finds the Chicago MC ruminating on the rough times he’s going through. “Money ran low right, felons can’t vote, right?/ I can’t even vote for who I believe in, shit ain’t goin’ right,” Lil Durk spits over a wistful yet clacking beat from TurnmeupJosh. “I just dropped a tear inside the funeral, ain’t more right?” Even if it’s hard to connect with some of the finer details, the overall feeling is still something to which we can all likely relate. “The Voice” is accompanied by a simple visual that depicts Lil Durk rapping in front of a fleet of white cars and on a private jet. Take a look below. Editors’ Picks Lil Durk’s latest solo offering comes amidst a summer season filled...
Haim Drop The Summer Girl Remixes Volume 1
Following the release of their Women in Music Pt. III in June, Haim just dropped a remix bundle called The Summer Girl Remixes Volume 1. The new set includes five versions of the track, featuring Lauren Auder, mmph, Amber Mark, Solomonophonic as well as Jack and Henry. With the addition of horn sections and chopped-up electronic distortions, each take is sonically different from the other. And considering all the choreography that the Haim sisters have shared on social media during quarantine, this is perfect to add to your next Haim-fueled dance party. While the pandemic stopped all tour plans, Haim celebrated the release of their latest album with a live-streamed deli show. They also released “I Know Alone,” “Don’t Wanna” and “Gasoline” prior to Women in Music Pt. III’s release...
Gone Is Gone (Mastodon, QOTSA, At the Drive-In) Unveil New Song “Sometimes I Feel”: Stream
Gone Is Gone — featuring members of Mastodon, Queens of the Stone Age, and At the Drive-In — have released another new stand-alone single, “Sometimes I Feel”. The track marks the third new song the supergroup has unveiled in the past year. “Sometimes I Feel” follows “No One Ever Walked on Water”, which arrived in December 2019 as the group’s first new music in three years, and “Everything Is Wonderfall”, which came out this past July. The band features Mastodon singer-bassist Troy Sanders, Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, At the Drive-In drummer Tony Hajjar, and multi-instrumentalist Mike Zarin. “Sometimes I Feel” has a trippy psychedelic vibe and is not as heavy as the band’s previous singles. Sanders’ lead vocals are more ethereal than metal, as the song takes some twi...
Rosalía and J Balvin Join Sech on Empowering New “Relación” Remix: Stream
Following their “Con Altura” collaboration last year, Rosalía and J Balvin have reunited. The Flamenco pop artist and Colombian reggaeton star appear together on the new “Relación” remix from Sech, alongside Daddy Yankee and Farruko. Sech’s original version was about a woman emerging from an unhealthy relationship, ready to heal and love herself. “Everything changed now, it’s her turn/ A party and a bottle/ Thanks to the abuse, she got more beautiful/ Now you want her but she doesn’t want you,” reads the chorus. Today’s reworking continues that theme, with Rosalía leading the way and proudly singing, “You thought you had me but you never did because I’m la Rosalia.” In a statement to Billboard, the Latin Grammy winner said it was important for her to be part of “Relación” and its empo...
