Shortly after the breakup of their band Calpurnia late last year, singer-guitarist Finn Wolfhard and drummer Malcolm Craig decided to team back up to form The Aubreys, a new indie rock band that’s more influenced by Jay Reatard than The Strokes. Today, the duo is back with a brand new song under that moniker called “Smoke Bomb”, and it comes with an excellent on-brand music video, too. This is the second track we’ve heard from The Aubreys so far following “Getting Better (otherwise)”, their debut single. It doubled as a contribution to the soundtrack for thriller The Turning, too. Whereas that track was meant to be an angst-filled burst of fuzz, though, “Smoke Bomb” is full guitar-pop bliss, complete with scruffy feedback tones. In the music video for “Smoke Bomb”, Wolfhard and Craig photo...
Earlier this summer, New York City collective MICHELLE returned with “Sunrise”, their first single since 2018. Today, the R&B-inspired group of mostly queer PoC are releasing an alternate version of that song featuring new contributions from British poet and bedroom pop artist Arlo Parks. This new collaboration doubles down on the feel-good warmth of the original track, breezy, sunbaked melodies and all. Its air of longing — specifically for someone who’s definitely not worth a second chance — also remains, but is further emphasized by Parks’ additional verse. Although just 20 years old, Parks has earned a reputation for brutally raw and honest songs — including perhaps one of the most devastating of the year — and she shows that same self awareness here, recognizing that she needs to ...
YoungBoy Never Broke Again, aka NBA YoungBoy, has unveiled his new album TOP. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. This new project is technically the Baton Rouge rapper’s second proper full-length album after 2018’s Until Death Call My Name, however, it follows a very long list of EPs, mixtapes, and collaborative projects. In fact, it’s YoungBoy’s third release in 2020 alone, coming just months after the ‘tapes Still Flexin, Still Steppin and 38 Baby 2, shared in February and April, respectively. In keeping with this prolific nature, the 20-year-old has teased TOP with six singles: “Callin” feat. Snoop Dogg, “House Arrest Tingz”, “Sticks With Me”, “All In”, “Kacey Talk”, “Murder Business”, and most recently “Soul Stealer”. The album also promises a collaboration with Lil...
Earlier in the year, James Blake shared an intimate piano performance of Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed” on Instagram. Today, he’s released an official studio version of his cover. Blake is extremely familiar with the Blonde cut, considering he provided both production and arrangement for the track. He’s also been known to whip out his solo version during live shows. But he’s done something an extra special for this official version: He’s actually dyed his hair platinum blonde, so now he’s a blonde playing Blonde. Obviously, his take is very faithful to the one Ocean recorded, only without the studio flourishes. It’s as sparse and evocative as ever, though, as you can hear below, followed by the Blonde rendition for comparison’s sake. Via his Instagram, Blake has delivered a number of other ...
PJ Harvey is continuing her year-long archival campaign today with a new album consisting of demos from To Bring You My Love. Stream it in full below via Apple Music or Spotify. This demos collection, which comes paired with a proper reissue of the original 1995 LP, features early recordings of singles “Down By the Water”, “C’mon Billy”, “Send His Love to Me”. There are also raw takes on “Working for the Man”, “Long Snake Moan”, and “I Think I’m a Mother”. Audio was mastered by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of Harvey’s longtime associate John Parish. If that name sounds familiar, Parish actually co-produced the acclaimed official version of To Bring You My Love alongside Harvey and Flood — marking the trio’s first of many collaborations. Editors’ Picks Harv...
Hip-hop supergroup Spillage Village have reunited after four years for the release of a new album called Spilligion. As a preview, the Atlanta artists have shared the first single, “Baptize”, featuring group members EarthGang and J.I.D. Spilligion is the collective’s fourth album overall, following on the ursine trilogy Bears Like This (2014), Bears Like This Too (2015), and Bears Like This Too Much (2016). By the time the latter record was released, the Village had grown to include EarthGang, J.I.D., 6LACK, Mereba, JurdanBryant, Hollywood JB, and Benji. They were bearly barely getting started when, in late 2016, 6LACK broke out with the single “Prblms”, followed by EarthGang and J.I.D. signing to J. Cole’s Dreamville label the next year. The gr...
David Guetta and Sia are no strangers to a powerhouse electronic pop collaboration. After a string of chart-topping hits like “Flames”, “She Wolf (Falling to Pieces”, and the ubiquitous “Titanium”, the pair are back together for a 2020 anthem called “Let’s Love”. With a slapping ’80s beat that’s a few electronic note removed from Sing Street, the uplifting track is meant as a counterweight to the negativity that’s overwhelmed this year. “This too shall pass/ We’ll get through it all together,” Sia reassures on the hook. “I love producing club tracks but at the same time, especially now, I feel like creating ‘feel-good’ music,” Guetta said in a press statement. “‘Let’s Love’ is a message of love, hope and bringing people together and once again, Sia has out done herself on the vocals.” Orig...
Legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is cracking open her vault for the very first time to present fans with a comprehensive archival series. Simply titled Joni Mitchell Archives, the campaign will highlight unreleased material from throughout her career, showcasing the artist’s evolution and lasting impact over the decades. The series massive archival project begins with Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967). Set to hit streets on October 30th, the five-CD collection includes Mitchell’s earliest-known recording, a 1963 in-studio radio performance for CFQC AM in her hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. There are also early versions of songs like “Michael From Mountains” and “I Had a King”, a 1965 mini set for Let’s Sing Out on CBC TV, and her rare Neil Young cover of “Sugar Mo...
Conway the Machine and Freddie Gibbs have done some things they regret on the new collaborative track “Seen Everything But Jesus”. It’s off Con’s upcoming album From King to a GOD, which drops tomorrow, September 11th. The cut is a Beat Butcha production, with simple, descending piano chords playing off the urgent click of drums. That’s Conway’s voice on the hook, but while the Machine may be singing, it’s definitely not autotuned. The whole song benefits from this off-the-cuff delivery, especially given the rawness of the subject matter. “Look, Lil Lotto got shot,” Conway begins, “Mikey B got shot (Pssh)/ Lil Jojo got shot, ChineGun got shot (Rest in peace, n—-s)/ I start my verse sayin’ they names to show we haven’t forgot (Uh huh).” This is context for the pained chorus, as Co...
Although the pandemic continues to keep us apart, and political tactics seek to divide us, we’re all inherently connected as one human race. That’s the message British art-rock outfit Django Django want to remind us of on “Spirals”, their first single in almost two years. The track follows the group’s pair of 2018 releases, Winter’s Beach EP and full-length album Marble Skies, and picks up musically where those projects left off. With frontman Vincent Neff leading the way with a spell-like cadence, “Spirals” chugs along with propulsive energy until its guitars and drums lock into a looping groove. Its accompanying video, directed by Maxim Kelly, continues this spinning theme. Imagining Neff as something of a hybrid human and double helix, the clip “uses the image of DNA to muse on how...
Tom Petty fans will soon have a new prized piece to add to their collections: Wildflowers & All the Rest, a sprawling reissue of his 1994 album. In addition to cozy home recordings and fascinating alternate takes, the box set boasts a disc containing five previously unreleased songs. Today, one of those tracks has been unearthed, a contemplative yet optimistic tune titled “Confusion Wheel”. “One of these days my old friend, you and I won’t have to worry no more/ One of these nights it’ll all wash away,” sings the music legend, as though comforting us and our weary, pandemic-worn souls from the grave. “And we’ll wake up singing a brand new song/ We’ll wake up singing a whole new song.” The song’s corresponding visualizer looks like the inner workings of a mind curious about the truths o...