New Music
Listen to R.E.M.’s Original Hib-Tone Mix of ‘Sitting Still’
While we wait for the upcoming first-ever reissue of R.E.M.‘s rare 1981 release “Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-Tone Single),” the b-side, the original Hib-Tone mix of “Sitting Still,” is available digitally today for the very first time. Listen to “Sitting Still” below. [embedded content] This track will be available on the upcoming “Radio Free Europe” seven-inch record, presented in its original format: a 45-RPM single, housed in a jacket featuring photography by Michael Stipe. “Radio Free Europe” has been unavailable for 40 years in any format, so fans are thrilled to get their hands on the band’s earliest recordings. As an homage to the band’s hometown, the single was pressed in Athens, Georgia at Kindercore Vinyl. You can pre-order the “Radio Free Europe” seven-in...
Angel Olsen to Release EP of ’80s Covers
Singer-songwriter Angel Olsen has had a busy past year or so with the release of her most recent album, Whole New Mess, and now, she’s got some more good news on the way. On Tuesday, Olsen announced her new EP titled Aisles, which will consist of ’80s covers and that the release will be put out on her own Jagjaguwar imprint that will be called somethingscosmic. “I know it’s not really in my history to do something unintentional or just for the hell of it, but my connection to these songs is pretty straightforward, I just wanted to have a little fun and be a little more spontaneous, and I think I needed to remember that I could!” Olsen said of the EP in a statement. The EP was recorded in Asheville, North Carolina in the winter of 2020 with co-producer/engineer Adam McDaniel. The firs...
Hood Politics Ushers in Brighter Days and Longer Nights With “Hood Poli Summer Of Love” Compilation
As dance floors begin to beam back to life across the world, Hood Politics Records has returned with a fitting compilation for the occasion. Staying true to their mission of highlighting the best in new tech- and G-house, Hood Poli Summer Of Love is a powerful prescription to sustain through the late nights. “The beauty of this compilation is that we’re really capitalizing on Hood Politics first-timers here, artists that we love, who have been on our radar that we wanna put on. I feel it’s super important to capitalize on this contrast to make these releases amazing,” label founder DJ Susan explained. “The amount of mind-blowingly amazing fresh talent out there is incredible. I want to be the label manager that really shows love a...
Courtney Barnett Announces New Album, Things Take Time, Take Time, Releases New Single, ‘Rae Street’
The three-year wait for a new Courtney Barnett album is almost over, as the singer/songwriter/superstar just announced that her third studio album, Things Take Time, Take Time will be releasing on Nov. 12 via Mom+Pop Music / Marathon Artists. Of course, it’s not exactly the first new album from Barnett since 2018’s Tell Me How You Really Feel, as she dropped a pair of live albums in the interim, but it’s her first new material since 2019’s lone single “Everybody Here Hates You.” Alongside the album announcement, Barnett released the first single and video from Things Take Time, Take Time, with the album opener “Rae Street.” The track gives an early indication of what the Stella Mozgawa-produced project may sound like (which is pretty much exactly what we’d expect from Courtney Barnett...
OFF! Covers Metallica’s ‘Holier Than Thou,’ Their First New Song in Seven Years
Following seven years of relative silence, punk supergroup OFF! are back with a new lineup, label, and tune. The group, formed in 2010 by Keith Morris of ex-Black Flag/Circle Jerks, and Dimitri Coats of ex-Burning Bridges have released a music video, a ramped-up cover of Metallica’s 1991 record “Holier Than Thou,” which will be on The Metallica Blacklist that is due out on Sept. 10. The duo also unveiled two new members: bassist Autry Fulbright II, and drummer Justin Brown. The video for their take on “Holier Than Thou,” which is filmed like a sitcom and filled with humor, depicts a dirty pastor attempting to fulfill his not so pastor-esque desires while vulgarly antagonizing his altar boys about “lost profits” in the church. Following the first three minutes, OFF!, now standing...
Amen Dunes Releases New Single ‘Feel Nothing,’ Signs With Sub Pop
Amen Dunes, the project of rock-songwriter Damon McMahon, has shared a new single “Feel Nothing,” his first new song release since 2018. Additionally, the artist also inked a deal with Sub Pop. “Feel Nothing” combines hurt lyrics with a chill synth beat, bringing in a little more life around the four and a half minute mark which is said to represent the rhythm-heavy next chapter in Amen Dunes’ sound. On both ends of the listening spectrum, it is quite a cool creation that enlists Sleaford Mods and Panoram in its making. Listen to “Feel Nothing” below. [embedded content] Freedom, the last album release, was a breakthrough moment for McMahon. A remix of Freedom’s closing track “L.A.” was released in 2019 with London-based artist Westerman. But since then, fans had heard nothing from Amen Dun...
Damon Albarn Shares ‘Polaris’ From Upcoming Solo Album
Damon Albarn has released the second song off his upcoming solo album, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows. Titled “Polaris,” the song comes with a live performance clip that is shot in black-and-white and sees the Blur/Gorillaz musician perform with a string quartet. The video is the first in a series of short films titled Sublime Boulevards – Performance Films directed by Transgressive Records founder Toby L. There will be additional clips from the album that will be released in this fashion. Check out the performance of “Polaris” below. [embedded content] The album was originally intended to be an orchestral piece inspired by the landscapes of Iceland, but the lockdown changed that. Instead, Albarn went back into the studio and redeveloped the music to take a l...
Seven Lions’ “Advent” Series Returns With Third Compilation
Last year, Seven Lions‘ Ophelia Records imprint released two eclectic compilations featuring dozens of fresh faces. While both EPs were bass-centric, they championed the diversity that Ophelia has displayed since the launch of the label. Today they’re back with yet another excellent compilation. Advent Volume III puts Seven Lions’ tastemaker abilities on full display. Though the majority of names are new to the label, their sound is a perfect match for the vision of Ophelia Records. This installment of the Advent series is more bass-leaning than its predecessors, embracing genres like melodic bass and drum & bass. The EP includes six tracks from newcomers such as MEDZ, Lama & XimFny, Darby, and more. Dimibo, who has released music alongside Se...
TroyBoi Flexes Signature Sound on Woozy Trap Banger “MADTING”: Listen
TroyBoi is back with his latest trap hit, a woozy banger called “MADTING.” The revered electronic music producer, who was named one of EDM.com‘s Best Music Producers of 2020, flexes his signature sound on “MADTING.” With its spacey, minimalistic arrangement and thick low end, it’s classic TroyBoi. There is perhaps no one more astute when it comes to producing in-between the bars than TroyBoi, whose nuanced sound is on full display here. He makes sporadic use of metallic wobbles—akin to the ones heard in his Skrillex-assisted hit “Warlordz”—but they’re strategically splayed throughout the mix so they don’t overpower its other intricate elements. Those include pitched vocal chops and playful flutes, among other production maste...
ILLENIUM and Matt Maeson Collide on Emotive New Single “Heavenly Side”
Last week, ILLENIUM promised fans a final album single if the number of pre-saves hit 10,000. After accomplishing that goal in just a few days, he has delivered just in time for his massive “Trilogy” live show. Today ILLENIUM unveiled “Heavenly Side,” a collaboration with Matt Maeson, to prepare fans for the release of his highly-anticipated fourth studio album Fallen Embers. Many of ILLENIUM’s recent singles—such as “First Time” and “Hearts on Fire”—make heavy use of organic instruments blended with light electronic elements. “Heavenly Side” has a similar feel, as whimsical keys, melancholic guitar riffs, and dynamic percussion mix expertly with Maeson’s commanding vocals. Though we havenR...
“She Had a Dark Side of Her”: How Sharlitz Web Developed Her Artistry After Losing Her Sister
Fueled by the pain and beauty of her own journey, blossoming electronic music producer Sharlitz Web entangles listeners into her web of liquid basses and dark melodies. Growing up playing the flute and having a musical background in sound design, the “young Black Widow” started experimenting with flow art and making her own bass mixes to dance to. The natural high of self-expression through movement and music allowed her to progress and unlock more of her creative potential. But it wasn’t until her sister’s tragic death that she truly started developing as an artist. Sharlitz Web. Alex Varsa “My sister truly was my best friend and most important person in my life. Carrying this pain is what molded me into the artist I am today,” Sharlitz told EDM.com. “Spiders ...
Big Red Machine and Taylor Swift Team for ‘Renegade’ From How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?
Big Red Machine just released their latest track, “Renegade,” and this is the one people have been waiting for. The third track from their recently announced sophomore album, How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, features none other than Taylor Swift. While it’s not the first major feature from the indie supergroup’s latest album (“Latter Days” featured Anaïs Mitchell) it’s hard to get bigger than Swift in this kind of scenario. Of course, both halves of Big Red Machine previously collaborated with Swift, as The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon have each worked on the megastar’s albums in recent months, but that doesn’t make “Renegade” any less of an indie-pop banger. “While we were making Folklore and Evermore last year, Taylor and I sometimes talked about experimen...
