New Song Releases
Jeff Rosenstock Releases New Demos EP 2020 DUMP: Stream
Jeff Rosenstock made the first leg of quarantine a lot more bearable by surprise releasing NO DREAM, his fifth solo full-length and one of the best albums of 2020 so far. Now, he’s back to lift our spirits once more with a new EP of demos called 2020 DUMP. Stream it below via Bandcamp. 2020 DUMP follows the aforementioned NO DREAM, the 2019 collaborative Neil Young covers EPStill Young, and his stellar 2018 record POST-. In total, this new demos collection includes four songs: “DEPT OF FINANCE”, “COLLAPSE!”, “ACAB”, and “DONE DONE DONE”. Rosenstock recorded the whole thing at home during the pandemic, but that didn’t stop him from tapping a few longtime friends to contribute as well; Jeremy Hunter plays on “COLLAPSE!” and “ACAB”, and Laura Stevenson sings on every track except “ACAB”. The ...
Thou Unleash Crushing Cover of Alice in Chains’ “Them Bones”: Stream
Alice in Chains classic 1992 album Dirt is the latest entry in Magnetic Eye Records’ ongoing Redux series, which re-imagines classic heavy album with cover versions by underground bands. With the September 18th release of Dirt [Redux] approaching, Louisiana doom outfit Thou have shared their cover of the iconic opening track, “Them Bones”. The original song’s verses are built around Jerry Cantrell’s chugging riff — one of his best. That central riff is well suited for Thou, whose southern sludge transforms the song into a crushing piece of extreme doom. “It seemed inevitable that we’d do another Alice in Chains song since their music was such a big part of [guitarist] Matthew [Thudium]’s and my formative years,” singer Bryan Funck said in a press release. “We had covered ‘No Exc...
Faye Webster Shares New Song “Better Distractions”: Stream
Faye Webster has returned with a new song called “Better Distractions”. Additionally, our former Artist of the Month has announced her first full-band livestream performance of 2020. “Better Distractions” follows the excellent one-off single “In A Good Way” from April, and marks the second offering since her 2019 LP Atlanta Millionaires Club. As with its predecessor, today’s track continues to push Webster’s sound in a gorgeously singular direction. It finds harmony between smooth R&B and minimalist indie rock, with the added bonus of a weepy slide guitar lead and a meandering jam in the vein of Kurt Vile or Courtney Barnett. In a statement, Webster revealed that the song flowed out of her with very little intention or purpose. “It’s a kind of free association, just thoughts running st...
slowthai Unveils New Song “Feel Away” Featuring James Blake and Mount Kimboe: Stream
slowthai (photo by Edwardx via WikiCommons) and James Blake (photo via Instagram) British rapper slowthai has unveiled the new song “Feel Away” to mark the anniversary of his little brother’s passing. The emotional track features James Blake and Mount Kimbie. The artist born Tyron Frampton has spoken many times about the impact of losing Michael Frampton at the age of one due to muscular dystrophy. slowthai was 8 at the time, and during an interview with The Guardian last year, he spoke about going into a tailspin of rage, seeking help in anger management classes, and finding solace in an old VHS copy of Eminem’s 8 Mile. In an Instagram post yesterday, slowthai announced “Feel Away” and wrote a tribute to his brother. He said, “today is the anniversary of my baby brothers p...
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Drop New Song “Straws in the Wind”: Stream
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard showcase a sitar and a sense of humor on their new song and music video for “Straws in the Wind”. Listening to a fresh cut from the prolific Aussie rockers is like cracking open a Gumpian box of chocolate — it really does seem like anything is possible. For this song, led by bandmember Ambrose Kenny-Smith, King Gizz dips a toe into Beatles-esque psychedelia. Over discursive acoustic guitars and driving drums, Kenny-Smith sings out apocalyptic lyrics in a sweet tenor voice: “Straws in the wind. Is it all ending?” He adds. “Like a blunder brewing full to the brim. I can hear hells kitchen and they’re singing hymns.” Cook Craig cracks out the sitar, and Stu Mackenzie joins in with otherworldly flutes. The accompanying music video is a celebration of green sc...
The Avalanches Share New Song “Take Care in Your Dreaming” Featuring Denzel Curry and Tricky: Stream
Last week, The Avalanches formally announced the title of their new album, We Will Always Love You. Now, the Australian electronic music outfit has landed on December 11th for the release date, as well as shared two new singles off the record. First up is “Take Care in Your Dreaming”, a collaboration with rapper Denzel Curry, trip-hop artist Tricky, and Melbourne rapper-singer Sampa the Great. With the help of their trio of guests, The Avalanches ponder life’s surprise twists and turns and countless what-ifs. The second offering is called “Music Makes Me High”, and its euphoric disco-funk glow is said to be inspired by The Whispers’ “And the Beat Goes On” and Stardusts’ “Music Feels Better with You”. Although no prominent names pop up, a gospel choir lends its heavenly vocals throughout. E...
The Mountain Goats Reveal New Single “Get Famous”: Stream
Next month, The Mountain Goats will drop their second album of the year, Getting Into Knives. A first preview came via “As Many Candles As Possible”, which featured contributions from Al Green’s own organist Charles Hodges. The indie outfit is now sharing another single in “Get Famous”. While most wish for popularity and success, The Mountain Goats are making us seriously reconsider these lofty dreams. The new song encourages listeners to follow their ambitions, but paints fame as something not at all worth coveting. Or as a press release succinctly puts it, frontman John Darnielle sings the title “as if it were a curse.” “Cold, grey world/ All these obedient sheep/ They act like they know, but they’re all sound asleep/ You arrive on the scene like a message from God/ Listen to the people ...
War on Women Announce New Album Wonderful Hell, Share Title Track: Stream
Baltimore outfit War on Women have announced their third full-length album, Wonderful Hell, will arrive on October 30th. The politically charged hardcore band have also shared the LP’s ferocious title track. War on Women make no mistake about their views on modern society or the state of politics in the United States. Their songs read like a manifesto, and “Wonderful Hell” is no different. Singer Shawna Potter wrote the song during a period when she felt especially “exhausted and overwhelmed by the Trump era.” “I can’t ignore what’s in front of me/ That fear is real, but not the enemy,” shouts Potter. In the lyric video, there is a notebook emblazoned with the hashtag “#VOTE”. It’s at the core message of the song. “I think it expresses something that a lot of people are feeling,” Potter sa...
The Flaming Lips Unveil New Album American Head: Stream
The Flaming Lips have released their new album, American Head. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. The effort is the 21st (!) record from the Oklahoma psych-rock heroes, following their 2019 album King’s Mouth and their collaborative album with Deap Valley from earlier this year. As its title implies, American Head is the Lips’ embracing their identity as an American band. When they announced the album back in June, frontman Wayne Coyne published a short essay about how they always considered their homebase to be “Earth”, but that they wanted to see what would happen when they consciously channeled so-called traditional American rock ‘n’ roll. All of the album’s many singles — “Dinosaurs On The Mountain”, “My Religion Is You”, “You n Me Sellin’ Weed”, “Mother P...
Yusuf / Cat Stevens Reveals New Duet Version of “Father and Son”: Stream
Yusuf / Cat Stevens is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Tea for the Tillerman with a new version of the classic album. Titled simply Tea for the Tillerman², it consists of re-recordings of all 11 of the original songs. Some of the updates are more straightforward, while others, such as today’s rendition of “Father and Son”, have been completely reimagined for 2020. The narrative of this reworking of “Father and Son” remains the same, recounting the strain and discord that often exist in families as a result of a stark generational gap. What makes this version stand apart, however, is that it features Yusuf’s original 1970 vocals alongside voice arrangements recorded in 2020 — in effect allowing for the songwriting legend to “duet” with himself as both father and son. Neat trick, huh? “‘...
Audrey Nuna Uncorks New Song “damn right”: Stream
Emerging singer/rapper Audrey Nuna has uncorked her new song “damn right”. This satirical stunt track is the first single from her forthcoming debut EP. Nuna grew up in New Jersey, releasing Instagram covers that eventually attracted the attention of manager/producer Anwar Sawyer. After high school, she split time writing with Sawyer and attending the prestigious Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU. But soon, her studies had to give way to the real thing. Now 21 years old and signed to Arista Records, Nuna has released a string of buzzworthy singles, of which “damn right” just might be the best. Producer Nate Donmoyer has built a thumper of a beat, but with delicate synth touches which keep the track from sounding overly serious. Nuna kicks off with a slurred, chest-banging flow...
Angel Olsen Covers George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness” from Quarantine: Watch
The pressure to be productive while in quarantine continues to be very real, but Angel Olsen has made it look fairly effortless. In addition to rolling out a stellar new album, Whole New Mess, she’s spent the last few months sharing cover after cover. In March, she took on Roxy Music’s “More Than This”, followed by the Tori Amos original “Winter” in April. For her latest reworking, Olsen has tackled “Beware of Darkness” by George Harrison. Originally appearing on The Beatles guitarist’s All Things Must Pass album, the 1970 track was described by Olsen as “pretty great.” Her rendition, uploaded directly to IGTV late Thursday night, is similarly impressive in its vulnerability and starkness. “I’m just messing around like a tired sad shit,” Olsen wrote of her version, which was filmed in...
