New Song Releases
Guided by Voices Announce Third Album of 2020, Share “Mr. Child”: Stream
Proving the pandemic hasn’t put a major dent in their plans, prolific band Guided by Voices are announcing their third album of 2020. Titled Styles We Paid For, it’s due for arrival December 11th via the aptly named Rockathon Records. The upcoming project follows closely behind February’s Surrender Your Poppy Field and July’s Mirrored Aztec. Frontman Robert Pollard originally envisioned it to be an all-analog LP called Before Computers, but with lockdown in place, GBV were forced to take their creative process online. “The pandemic obviously changed our recording plans and ironically it was all recorded digitally on computers,” Pollard told Rolling Stone. Each member contributed their parts from their own faraway quarantine locations — guitarist Doug Gillard in New York, ba...
Shura Remixes Becca Mancari’s “Lonely Boy”: Stream
Back in June, Becca Mancari released her excellent debut album, The Greatest Part, via Captured Tracks. Today, our former Artist of the Month has shared a remixed version of the single “Lonely Boy” by none other than our former CoSign, UK electro-pop artist Shura, Although The Greatest Part was produced by Paramore’s Zac Farro, Mancari’s sound has more roots in indie music than pop or pop-punk. The original version of “Lonely Boy” is a catchy indie rock track with a bumpy bassline and a dreamy hook, but there’s a spaciness to the song that translates really well in Shura’s dance-pop context. In the remix, the main hook of the tune remains intact, but Shura adds some clubby flair and an epic drum breakdown that transitions into a dazzling synth melody. In their respective press st...
Mac DeMarco Joins Benny Sings on New Song “Rolled Up”: Stream
For Record Store Day, Mac DeMarco released not one, but two new demo albums for 2019’s Here Comes the Cowboy. The jizz jazzer has returned now with a feature on “Rolled Up”, the latest single from Dutch pop artist Benny Sings. DeMarco’s lo-fi and lax aesthetic is well represented here, as is Benny Sings’ throwback groove, which sounds like a cross between the Bee Gees and The Stylistics. For all the chillness between them, though, “Rolled Up” is full of heavy existential reflection: “Rolled up, tossed out/ Trying to understand why my life turned south/ Oh I’m holed up, locked out, shut in, held down,” the opening verse reads. In a statement, Benny Sings talked about the track’s meaning and how it came together back during pre-coronavirus times: “The song is about being in the dumps without...
The Knife Unveil Anti-Nationalist Anthem: Stream
In 2014, Swedish electronic duo The Knife wrote the theme song to the anti-nationalist cabaret Europa Europa, which toured the world for the next two years. “För alla namn vi inte får använda” was previously only available in Sweden and on YouTube. But as far right political groups have continued to gain power, The Knife have decided to give the track an official release. “För alla namn vi inte får använda” roughly translates to “For all the names we cannot use.” Via Google Translate and r/Svenska, the lyrics are from the perspective of “illegal immigrants,” though as the song points out, “We can never be illegal.” In a statement, The Knife’s Karin and Olof Dreijer explained why they wrote the song and how it’s meaning has changed over time. They said, “In 2014 we made music for an anti-na...
Tom Petty’s Estate Releases Wildflowers & All the Rest Reissue: Stream
Tom Petty originally envisioned 1994’s Wildflowers as a double album, but was forced to leave off a number of songs when it came time to finalizing the official tracklist. Some of those eventually ended up on later projects — such as Petty’s She’s the One soundtrack — however, most were stashed away in the vault for decades to come. Now, those “lost” recordings have finally been unearthed as part of a massive and long-awaited reissue titled Wildflowers & All the Rest. Stream it in full below via Apple Music or Spotify. This comprehensive, multi-disc collection pairs the original album with a long list of bonus material sure to have fans both nostalgic and giddy. Five previously unreleased tracks are contained on the “All the Rest” disc, while “Home Recordings” consists o...
Justin Bieber Drops New Single “Lonely”: Stream
Pop superstar Justin Bieber has unveiled new single “Lonely”, produced by Benny Blanco (Rihanna, J Balvin, Sia) and FINNEAS. Watch its corresponding music video below. In the clip, a young boy played by actor Jacob Tremblay (Room) is seated by himself at a backstage styling mirror with a bouquet of roses. It’s assumed the kid is a young 13-year-old Bieber, fresh from signing on with Scooter Braun’s record label, and catching his first glimpses of the superstardom. He eventually makes his way through the venue’s backstage and onto the stage — only to find his future self as the lone audience member. “benny and Finneas are both extraordinary writers, and it’s been amazing collaborating with them on ‘Lonely,’” Bieber said in a statement. “To be honest, the finished song is tough for me t...
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...
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 (...
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...
