Samantha Urbani has put out quite a bit of music on her own over the years, but she’s never released a full-length album. That’s about to change. Now, Urbani has announced Showing Up, her debut solo LP, and it’ll be out in September. She previewed it last month with ‘More Than A Feeling,’ and she’s back with a second single, ‘One Day At A Time.’ Here’s Urbani’s statement on the track: “Ok ok. I am the tough guy and I am dead serious. I am an advocate, a protector, and an activist. I’m also a total crusher and yolo’er and I take the sweet risks and I justify it all to myself even when I know I myself am being the idiot. This is basically the cutie goofer song about wanting the player and drawing it out. Kissing you FEELS vital to my survival! I know its NOT! It’s just a FEELING! BUT THATS A BIG FEELING! THATS A HUGE LONGING! THATS A LONG ACHING! Urgh, can’t we just ween it off little by little? Once a week act in love? fuck it up one day at a time? Not fuck it up all at once? This is the sasser. This is the Tom Tom club. This is samandude of Friends the band – not Professor Urbani. I threw it back and got into character. Cause no matter how smart I get I am deeply her. I’m smarter? I’m older. You’re stupid. Come over.” [via Stereogum]

Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs shares her music video for ‘Bad’ via Arista Records. The track is off her recently released When Everything Went Dark EP while the official ‘Bad’ music video marks her directorial debut. “The truth is I have been undoing parts of my past for as long as I can remember. I think that’s part of being a woman and a human. When I was little, there was a huge emphasis on being “good” and a big part of being “good” was based on being polite,” Briggs says about the music video. “As I have grown up and experienced many iterations of #metoo, I’ve found that sometimes speaking the truth isn’t “polite” or “good” or “pretty.” Sometimes it’s bad, ugly and honest. I’d rather we see women being the latter and every detail in this music video puts emphasis on finding your voice no matter how hard it is to speak out. Thank you for taking the time to watch.” [via mxdwn]

American singer Iniko has officially dropped an official music for her sensational single dubbed ‘Jericho’ which has taking over the social media in recent weeks with over 2 Million views on TikTok. Iniko who has brought another perspective in the music industry takes us on another journey with with epic video depicting another world as portrayed in the lyrics of the song. The song talks about her possessing powers from outer space and beyond which makes her different from others. In the age of new technology and AI being our day to day to deal with, it is a relatable song which has become her signature. [via Zedscoop]

The queen of BimboTok is back with a banger. On Friday, Chrissy Chlapecka released the colorful video for her song ‘Brat,’ inspired by the iconic makeover scenes in the best Nineties movies, and featuring drag queens Sugar and Spice. “It’s campy, it’s fun. It’s a Nineties makeover montage, which is the most iconic part of every Nineties or 2000s movie! Sugar and Spice basically Bratzify me,” Chalpecka tells Rolling Stone. “It’s about becoming a little bratty bitch and stepping into your anger and rightful emotions.” The Michael Arellano-directed video follows Chlapecka as she undergoes a transformation from being a “plain Jane, doll-like girl” who can’t move on her own and is “very stuck” to getting out of her shell and embodying her full power through the help of Sugar and Spice. “Growing up I was so conditioned to not feel things and always put that smile on and literally be a plastic doll,” Chlapecka says. “In ‘Brat,’ it shows that difference in how much cooler I became after the people around me hype me up.” Despite the song’s silly, upbeat nature, Chlapecka says the lyrics were inspired by something more serious. The lyrics are a reflection of the power she wishes she had the night prior when she says she was assaulted. “It was inspired by a not-so-wonderful experience I went through the night before and the things I wish I said when I was assaulted,” she says. “It’s about all the things I wish I said: I wouldn’t touch a man with a ten-foot pole or I wouldn’t give a fuck if you’re bleeding.” The video was directed by the “fucking phenomenal” Arellano, who DM’d one of Chlapecka’s songwriters saying that he was interested in working with her. “It just started with him believing in me,” she says. “He changed my mindset from being really anxious in my career to ‘Wait, I’ve got this.’” [via Rolling Stone]

Rising singer-songwriter, maryjo is lighting up the summer with her new single, ‘Don’t Call Me’ via Atlantic Records. Her most upbeat release thus far, the high spirited new track is joined by an retro-fueled official visual, which can be seen now below. The song was produced by frequent collaborator Logan Maggio & Lionel Crasta and co-written by maryjo with Maggio, Beau Bailey (Thomas Rhett, Bailey Zimmerman), and Atlantic Records labelmate Knox. “‘Don’t Call Me’ is a sassy, upbeat, feel good summer song,” says maryjo. “It was a nice change of pace from the sad slower songs I have been writing. They say there are 5 stages of grief after a break up. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I thought it would be fun to showcase the anger side, but maybe in my not so angry way!” [via Prelude Press]

If there’s one thing that can be said about singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/video director/record label owner ZZ Ward, it’s that she can’t be pinned down. Dirty Shine is the name of her newly announced album, slated for release on September 8, and with this news comes ‘On One,’ a lead single with zombie-cowboy music video that fully encapsulates the creative freedom Ward is striving for as a newly independent artist. Blending a booming bass-heavy hip hop instrumental and bluesy songwriting, the song is filled with braggadocio and confidence, energy pumping from the lyrics and production. Its accompanying video is a delight to watch, drawing on a classic Western aesthetic as Ward fends off zombified cowboys, eventually leading to a dancing stand-off that leaves her undead opponents in the dust (and on the ground). [via mxdwn]

sophie meiers has released their new single, ‘someone to be there’, taken from their concept EP, spark__space, out on August 24. Part two of their immersive “portal” trilogy of EP’s, each one embodies its own unique sound, story, and feel. In this world, they explore the earthly and mundane: flesh and blood. Lyrically exploring themes of lust, devotion, attachment, and the nuances of human experience. In ‘someone to be there’ sophie articulates feelings of vulnerability and longing, discussing their hesitancy to trust after being hurt in the past. Built on a foundation of dreamy guitars imbued in a swell of gauzy synths and flurries of sparkly production flairs, a soulful breakbeat is added that builds on the laid-back vibe. On the inspiration behind the song, the multi-creative expresses, “I find myself in very complicated relationships; it’s really hard for me to be healthy and casual after the things I’ve experienced in my childhood. I have a tendency of getting attached to people I care about, and with this comes the fear of losing them. I’m always very upfront about my traumas and trust issues, so it’s very scary when somebody says that I can rely and depend on them.” [via Prelude Press]

While most of us were worried about losing our minds, it turns out we should have been more protective of our hearts. Morgan Saint understands the balance between the two, and the vulnerability that comes with safeguarding on our continuous path to wellness. The New York artist — a singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, director, and designer — recently traded the hustle of Manhattan for the wine country chill of Long Island’s North Fork, and her first new single in years is a sparking and warm synth-pop comfort bop called ‘Did You Lose Your Heart.’ There’s no question mark at the end of that title, offering up as much a statement as inquiry. “This song encompasses both sides of me — half melancholy, half high in the clouds with the sun in my face,” Saint says. “Equally puzzled and in awe of the universe and my place in it. My life has been a series of heartbreaks and breakthroughs. Right between the two is where I’ve always felt the most in-tune with my deepest emotions. This song lives right in that scary, magical space.” ‘Did You Lose Your Heart’ also arrives with an accompanying music video self-directed by Saint alongside her wife and creative partner Carley Ridersleeve. “The music video is me working towards my highest self,” she adds. “I’m picking up the pieces from a storm, and building myself back up one luminescent brick at a time. Searching for the light, for peace, and for a deeper understanding of myself.” [via Vanyaland]

piri & Tommy Villiers have dropped their latest single, ‘lovergirl’. The song follows on from ‘nice 2 me’ and ‘updown’, and arrives with both a Mario Kart-inspired video. Speaking about the track, piri says: “Lyrically, ‘lovergirl’ was written from the perspective of me singing to myself, writing this song felt so personal and uplifting. it’s about that feeling after a relationship where you reflect on how much energy and time you put into another person, it’s easy to get angry at yourself and see it as a waste of effort, but in this track i’m saying “no, you should be proud to be a lovergirl!!” [via Dork]

Jessie Ware has enlisted Róisín Murphy for a new version of her That! Feels Good! track ‘Freak Me Now.’ Ware said in a press release: “It is a huge honour to have the queen of disco, Róisín Murphy on ‘Freak Me Now.’ I messaged her hoping she may be interested in featuring on the song and before I knew it she was in the studio. She recorded all her vocals for the track and sent them over to us. I have admired her work for so many years & respect her so much. To have her on one of the most fun tracks on That! Feels Good! Is amazing. I can’t wait for us to do this together live in the future! I know my fans are gonna go crazy about this, as am I. I still can’t quite believe we are on a track together and have done a bonkers video together. She is graceful, she is generous, she is pioneering, she is Róisín Murphy and she is on ‘Freak Me Now!’” Murphy added: “Jessie is just brilliant, a super talented songwriter and an amazing singer. She’s truly beautiful but she’s also very funny and never take’s herself too seriously. We’ve been talking about working together for a while. When she sent me ‘Freak Me Now’ I just adored it and felt it was perfectly right for me to be on the song. We had mad fun dressing up on the day of the video, it was fashion chaos!! Like a high-class jumble sale, behind the scenes. We laughed at our ridiculousness and we were very silly all day! Just love her and loved everything about working with her.” [via Pitchfork]

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Having established herself as one of Australia’s most important voices and striking songwriters of recent years, Melbourne-based artist Eliza Hull has proven the longevity of her art, and continued evolution. With the release of her new single ‘Running Underwater’, the songwriter and musician embraces a beautiful new chapter of creative and personal expression; the threads of experiences from both sides of her being knitting together beautifully in creating a gorgeous piece of new music. ‘Running Underwater’ saw Hull work with ARIA Award-winning producer Pip Norman (Baker Boy, Missy Higgins) on production, recording the track at BIGBANG Studio. Mixed by Simon Lam (Woodes, Cub Sport) and mastered by Idania Valencia (Sam Smith), ‘Running Underwater’ – in its final form – lets the dynamism of Hull’s vocals and arrangement take prominence, flourishing with each sonic swell. ‘Running Underwater’ is the first song Hull has written about being disabled and living with a condition called ‘Charcot Marie Tooth’. The condition, a degenerative nerve disorder, has affected Hull’s walking for a long time; it was a disability that she kept hidden, specifically in the music industry. In recent years however, Hull has emerged as an accessibility advocate within the industry; her determinism and approach to educating and spurring on change in perspective and structure, when it comes to the way disabled musicians are treated within the industry, has been incredibly influential. ‘Running Underwater’ is a powerful musical representation of Hull’s strength, and an example of the artist coming further into her own.“For a long time I hid my disability, especially in the music industry. This was due to under-representation of disabled musicians and I was constantly shown that disability was a deficit or something that should be feared and hidden. It was such a heavy weight holding onto these beliefs, it was exhausting to constantly hide. This song is about pushing up against society’s view of disability, it’s about letting go of the fear and being authentic and true to myself and showing that it’s ok to be different.“ Working with director Keiran Watson-Bounce, Hull has also produced a moving music video for ‘Running Underwater’, filmed at The Goods Shed in Castlemaine. Featuring the talents of dancer ‘roya the destroya’, the experience allowed Hull to bring the song to life in a beautifully unique way onscreen. And in doing so, has represented disability onscreen in a way not generally seen. “The music video features my very good friend ‘roya the destroya’. She is a brilliant disabled dancer who moves like nobody I know. She actually started busking with an early version of the song and sent me a video of her performing with it. When I watched that video I knew I had to collaborate with her on the official music video. She has a beautiful ability to inhibit what I am feeling in my music and then express that through movement. In the music video she is like my alter-ego, almost like the spirit part of what I am feeling in the lyrics. Keiran Watson-Bonnice is the director of the music video. We have worked together in the past on the ABC Kids TV show And Then Something Changed, which I produced and wrote the music for. We shot the clip in one day, in mostly one take in the Goods Shed on a freezing winter’s day.“

Next month, Christine And The Queens are releasing a new album, PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE, recorded with super-producer Mike Dean. We’ve heard ‘To Be Honest’ and the 070 Shake-featuring ‘True Love’ from it so far, and now Chris is sharing another new one, ‘Tears Can Be So Soft.’ “Tears can be so soft was born out of the marriage of a Marvin Gaye sample that caught my attention, this intoxicating, elegant, almost poised in its melancholy string arrangement,” Chris said in a statement, adding that they wanted to create “this deep sense of almost womb-like, hypnotic space where the voice could soar in its loneliness, [an] interplay between the suffering that motivates tears and the gentle healing effect they can have.” [via Stereogum]

In June, This Is The Kit will release a new album, Careful Of Your Keepers, which follows 2020’s Off Off On and is produced by Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys. We’ve already heard lead single ‘Inside Outside,’ and now they’re back with another album track, ‘More Change,’ which comes with an animated video created by Benjamin Jones. Jones explains of the video: “With this video I wanted to create something that felt homemade, organic and very much alive. Using very simple puppetry with some old coat hangers and some basic stop motion (and some surprisingly willing neighbors who lent me their faces) I’ve tried to create a few characters and scenarios which are connected in some ways, but also reflect the themes I picked up from the music – sadness, compromise, exploring new ground, and finding new ways to help each other move forward.” [via Stereogum]

Water From Your Eyes have released a new single and video ’14’, the latest preview from their forthcoming album and Matador debut Everyone’s Crushed, out May 26. A crescendo of swelling strings, pizzicato and electronic drone moving around a cyclical vocal refrain of “How many is 14?,” the band describe the song as “a quasi-serial inkblot signifying submission to personal demons and the realization that change is both necessary and inevitable.” Watch the widescreen black & white video directed by the band’s Rachel Brown below. On the video, Brown says: “I was largely inspired by Meshes of the Afternoon, Last Year in Marienbad, and Spirited Away, as well as the painting The Triumph of Baccus by Diego Velázquez, a favorite of Nate’s. I wanted to capture the feeling of being haunted by one’s own inner turmoils and the act of letting those conflicts go.”

Late last year, art-pop masterminds Kate NV and Angel Deradoorian announced that they’d joined forces to form a duo called Decisive Pink. Next month, they’ll release their debut album Ticket To Fame. Now, they’ve also shared a joyous piece of spiky weirdness called ‘Dopamine.’ ‘Dopamine’ is a six-minute piece of deadpan art-funk about the emptiness of consumerism. Kate NV and Angel Deradoorian chant the names of products with arch, sarcastic glee as their music mechanistically tics away. In the video, director JJ Stratford films the two of them in theatrical makeup as they work in a warehouse full of boxes. Both musically and visually, ‘Dopamine’ recalls some of the artiest post-punk of the late ’70s and early ’80s. [via Stereogum]

Ashnikko has unveiled the official video for her single ‘WEEDKILLER’, directed by Furmaan and Vasso. It follows the release of her other recent singles ‘You Make Me Sick!’ and ‘Worms’, which will appear on her highly anticipated debut album of the same name, due to arrive imminently via Parlophone Records. “This song is the one that gave birth to the whole album,” stated Ashnikko. “It’s the climax of the record, the epic fight scene in the wasteland. Swords drawn, roots deep into the ground, I have come here to photosynthesise and eliminate the weedkillers. It is a violent fantastical storytelling set in my realm.” [via Dork]

Louise Post – of seminal band Veruca Salt – is sharing the video for her first debut solo track ‘Guilty,’ a perfect reverie of guitar haze. Directed by Meeno and written and produced by Post, the video showcases a married couple’s relationship on the fritz with no one person more guilty than the other in their wrongdoings. About the song, Post reflected, “I wrote this on a Tuesday and recorded it on Thursday, writing most of the lyrics on the drive from my house over to the studio. This song literally poured out of me. I was sleeping when it woke me up and demanded to be written. The first verse and chorus landed as an accusation, but then I realized it was far more interesting, and much more true to life, to have everyone in the song be guilty of something. To have the narrator own up to her own guilt, and then acknowledge the universality of it all. I mean, what would we be without our secrets? The song is ultimately about not taking ourselves so seriously.” [via AntiMusic]

Singapore-born, London-based artist Yeule has released a new single, ‘Sulky Baby’, alongside news of new US and UK headlining shows later this year and their signing with Ninja Tune. ‘Sulky Baby’, which is accompanied by a visually stunning music video directed by Yeule themselves and Jaxon Whittington, is a melancholic tune that blends 2000s alt-rock and shoegaze. Yeule said of the newly released track via a press statement: “‘Sulky Baby’ was like a 2000s alt-rock shoegaze hybrid tinted in sad satire. I felt like I was talking to a younger version of me, stopping her from crying, looking back at the ways I betrayed and neglected that innocence from myself. I failed to protect her and I felt like I needed to go back in time and fulfil what she was starved of. So that she could return to my side. So that I can smile like a little kid again.” They continued: “The song gives quite vivid descriptions of a depression I felt with almost a burning passion, yet I tried to give it a light-hearted tone. I think romanticizing is not always that bad. It helps to do it sometimes when you’re dealing with a repressed memory. I think it is called an advantaged delusion? Sometimes, that’s the only way I can remember parts of me I don’t want to remember, so that I can lay her to rest and heal. My mother used to tell me as a child, not to sulk all the time. I guess that’s why sulking is so special to me.” [via NME]

Lana Del Rey has released the 10-minute music video for ‘Candy Necklace’ featuring Jon Batiste from her new album Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd. The video, directed by Rich Lee and shot in Los Angeles, sees the singer take on the role of numerous Hollywood starlets throughout history like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Short, also known as the The Black Dahlia. The black and white video features behind the scenes shots of Del Rey through the camera finder, in the make-up chair and alongside collaborator Batiste at the piano. “The whole thing about the video — why it was all supposed to be behind the scenes — was because all these women who changed their names and changed their hair, like me,” Del Rey tells the crew at one point in the video. “It’s like they all fell into these different snake holes. So the whole point is like, how do you learn from that and not fall into your own thing?” [via NME]

‘The Most Wanted Person In The United States’ — the recently released 100 gecs track — has finally received the goofy visuals to match its irreverent sonics. The new video finds Laura Les and Dylan Brady masking up to steal packages off of porches, brandish plastic swords at Ring doorbell cameras, kick a life-sized plastic horse, and hold up a convenience store with automatic weapons made of Monster Energy cans, among other misadventures. [via The FADER]

Borderline Toxic have made their long awaited return, releasing latest single ‘Sir Satan’. The band’s desire to explore emotive, personal lyricism paired with a raucous background of scuzzy riffs is exhibited in full. Featuring another flamboyantly crafted video, Borderline Toxic continue to illustrate why their sound has struck a chord with press both at home and abroad. ‘Sir Satan’ delves into themes about our own character, our flaws, our strengths, our relationships and how these individual traits are influenced by both positive and negative experiences that have shaped us. Hypnotic front-woman Kerry Glass delivers the line, “…nothing is A-Ok, said Sir Satan…” with stinging aplomb. Kerry is telling the listener that our demon is always in the back of our mind causing doubt and, ultimately, sabotaging the healthy relationships we create. Kerry’s own personal rebuke to the paternal issues she has faced growing up are laced throughout the song and are cocooned by filthy, face melting guitar riffs, biting drum beats and a grooving baseline.

Sweden’s Hot Breath returns with the new hot single and visually stunning music video ‘Keep On Calling’. The track is a highly energetic rock explosion with powerful vocals and thrilling riffs, of which the band comments: ”’Keep On Calling’ is a song about trying to break free from forbidden duets – even though your body is as tense as a bow-string”.

Ukrainian refugee and pop singer-songwriter Natisa Gogol has shared the video for her latest single entitled ‘Aesthetics’. The disco-infused dance pop anthem is a love letter to the LGBTQ+ community, especially those in Russian occupation who are further discriminated against. Natisa confides, the song “is a tale of love that is more powerful than life itself, overcoming injustice, prejudice, and any obstacles it may encounter.” The futuristic video is a dedication to the LGBTQ+ community, portraying a love affair between two women that transcends space and time. ‘Aesthetics’ further highlights many people’s concerns that if Russia occupies Ukraine, the LGBTQ+ population will have their current rights taken away. Natisa’s music delivers a powerful message about holding onto strength and hope, even in the most disastrous and dark of times, as she herself was forced to flee her home in Ukraine to begin a new life.

Toronto–based songstress Sam Casey wears her authenticity like your favourite pair of well–worn jeans. Her unfiltered and unapologetic songs are inspired by the past two years of her life: all the breakups, the makeups, the drugs, the dancing, the crying, the anxiety and the love. Her passive aggressive song, ‘7 Second Superstar,’ was inspired by TikTok fame. It comes off as judgmental because it is. Sam and her co-writers, Julianna Eye and Chloe Kay, felt critical of social media – TikTok in particular – and how it promotes a culture of one hit wonders. “Julianna, Chloe, and I wrote this song over Zoom in 2021 with TikTok reaching its height of popularity and all of us being quite literally forced to participate on the app,” Sam explains. “After a conversation regarding our experiences in the early-2000’s and late 90’s (before social media existed), we decided to try a blink-182 vibe and about 2 hours later we had a song.”

Grace Potter is gearing up to release her fifth studio LP Mother Road via Fantasy Records on August 18. An audacious and heart-pounding map of the soul, Mother Road finds Grace deconstructing her deepest fears and darkest regrets, charting the fallout with brutal honesty and emotional daring. To celebrate the release, Potter has shared the inviting, irresistibly twangy title track. The single comes alongside an endearing Pulp Fiction meets Thelma and Louise styled video. Grace Potter reflected on the meaning of Mother Road, saying, “In Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck called Route 66 the ‘The Mother of all roads…the road of flight.’ As I zeroed out my odometer and started west on my road trip across the US, I hoped that driving the road of flight would give me a bird’s eye view of my life. But it didn’t take long to realize that I was not flying; I was running away. In the solitude, I found myself smashing open the piggy bank of deeply-buried memories. Those gems of my real-life exploits spilled into my creative consciousness and emboldened me to write an album that reaches far beyond what actually happened–launching me down the alternate-reality roads of what could have happened.” [via uDiscoverMusic]

Grammy-nominated Nigerian dance-pop vocalist Kah-Lo releases her new single ‘fund$’ on Epic Records. Spinning a tale of greed and glory, Kah-Lo’s latest single sees her fierce vocals cut with a darker edge. A powerful anthem that flaunts Kah-Lo’s intrinsic ability to seamlessly blend genres at her will, ‘fund$’ commands attention with its shiny synth stabs, punchy basslines, and rhythmic percussion. Kah-Lo’s playfully audacious lyrics add a feminist flare to the track as she sings, “Girls just wanna have funds, can’t have fun if you don’t have funds”. As with all of Kah-Lo’s originals, her vibrant persona shines through on ‘fund$’ as she teases her more rebellious side. ‘fund$’ arrives with an official music video that sees Kah-Lo take a murderous turn to enact revenge on those who have done her wrong. Portraying a femme fatale in this Kill Bill-esque music video, ‘fund$’ is an enticing introduction into Kah-Lo’s villain era. [via Find Your Sounds]

Madeline Kenney has announced her fourth album, A New Reality Mind, arriving July 28 via Carpark Records. Following 2021’s Summer Quarter EP, A New Reality Mind was produced and recorded by Kenney in her basement and processes the abrupt end of a long-term relationship. Along with the album news is a lead single, ‘Superficial Conversation,’ which also has a self-directed video. “‘Superficial Conversation’ is my way of looking back at the ways I shrunk myself or ignored my own needs in favor of the needs and desires of others,” Kenney explains. “While I wish I had acted differently, I want to be kind and forgiving to my past self and be able to grow and move forward with more power and love.” Of the video, Kenney says: “I wanted the video to show a forced transformation, from the inside and out. Jess Bozzo’s choreography really captured what I wanted to evoke; a painful change that becomes a pretty joyous opening with room for desire and play.” [via Stereogum]

Australia’s acclaimed alternative dance trio Haiku Hands have returned with a new single and music video. Claire Nakazawa, Beatrice Lewis and Mie Nakazawa are on fiery form on their new track, titled ‘Nunchucka’. A dancefloor cut with punk energy, the addictive track offers an instant sonic adrenaline rush. “A super charged high energy self affirmation anthem for anyone who wants to wipe off the patriarchal stain of self-loathing,” the band says about their single. “A song to listen to before you go out, when you’re out, and when you get home. Enjoy your life.” The accompanying music video, directed by Triana Hernandez, sees Haiku Hands and a set of mysterious characters matching the rebellious spirit of the track. [via The Brag]

Up next from LA’s resident femme-punk royalty, The Aquadolls, comes ‘Far Far Away,’ the final single before the June 2 release of their album Charmed. A slice of upbeat summer optimism, the song featuring production by Chris Szczech (The Goo Goo Dolls), is a call to arms for anyone looking to ferociously take back their independence. In the single’s official video directed by longtime creative collaborator Jenna Houchin, the band is drenched in a retro malaise as they attempt to bust out of the norm. Lead singer Melissa Brooks said, “’Far Far Away’ is a fairytale twist on the working class, discussing that the only person who can truly save you is yourself. Recorded by Chris Szcech, this up-tempo track features surfy guitar licks reminiscent of early Vampire Weekend and hand claps to ensure that anyone can clap and chant along to this modern self-love fairytale.” Bassist Keilah Nina chimed in saying that this is, “A tune about struggling with work-life balance. The painful reality of getting trapped in the same 9-5 routine and feeling blocked or detached from personal growth, success, and/or love as a result. It’s also a tale of acceptance, sometimes you have to pull yourself out of the dirt, and that’s okay!”

Sarah Kinsley is pleased to share details of a new EP, Ascension, for release next month via Verve Forecast/Decca Records UK. The EP is released on June 9, and previewed with ‘Lovegod’ and accompanying music video. The video is produced by Sarah who also hand-crafted the ‘Lovegod’ character who features throughout the video. The song itself was written, performed, recorded, produced, and mixed by Sarah. Sarah Kinsley on the new track: “’Lovegod’ is the most devious I think I’ve been in my writing, My own ‘lovegod’ is a perfect lover, an answer to a prayer, an antidote for romantic pessimism. Where can one find love these days? Why do we need it? Why do I find myself begging for some spiritual deliverance?”

Berlin-based, Belgium-raised rising pop icon MOLI returns with her dreamy new single ‘It’s Not My Fault’. Produced by JUNGLE’s Tom McFarland, this nostalgic new cut evokes the 80s with its shimmering electro-pop leanings, wavy synths and MOLI’s signature delicate, soulful vocals. Speaking on the single, MOLI said – “‘It’s Not My Fault’ is about coming to the realisation that you need to leave something that is bad for you and finally feeling a glimpse of that sense of freedom you were missing after feeling pulled down and heavy for so long. I personally felt like certain romantic situations I was in really weighed me down. They felt very one sided. Always chasing people, putting them on a pedestal and putting so much of myself and emotions into it only to end up feeling like I was never enough for them. I would feel so vulnerable and susceptible to being taken advantage of. I didn’t feel like being my true self was okay as I was so focused on pleasing the other person. Making it to the other side of that and experiencing healthier relationship dynamics made me feel so much lighter, confident and independent. It is so freeing to be unapologetically me. At the same time, I have been learning to navigate a very male dominated industry. I feel a lot of growth has happened for me over the last few years. I have my own opinions and I am confident in what I do which has made such a big difference if ever I do end up in a room with someone who I do not feel respected by. It is a very liberating feeling to not be so dependent on someone else’s validation, opinion and it’s that sense of freedom and confidence that I hope ‘It’s Not My Fault’ portrays.” The single arrives with a slick and sumptuous video shot by director Marek Partyš and inspired by the drama and hijinks of old films. Transporting viewers back to the 80s, the visual is set in a casino following a host of glamorous con-men manipulate a roulette wheel, before MOLI in her most baddass, empowering performance yet, unexpectedly swoops in and steals the final riches. Speaking on the video, Partys said -“The first time I listened to the song It is not my fault, I got a whiff of the 80s. The mysterious club, the strange characters, the detective, the casino, the smoke, all popped into my mind while listening to the song. It was a fun ride to piece all these elements together into a story where the singer Moli herself plays one of the main roles. And I’m convinced that she did it perfectly. The whole crew deserves a lot of thanks and respect for helping us with the whole production process.”

Sydney Sprague has released ‘smiley face’ via Rude Records. The video, which was done entirely through CGI and a phone app called “in3D”, which takes viewers through an metaverse driven, wild world of Sydney and her band as avatars, complete with dancing and an epic ending of Sydney flying into the sun. “The visual parts of making music can be really stressful for me,” explains Sydney” “… so going into the making of this video the most important thing to me was that everyone involved was having a good time. That’s why I really love this video, because every part of it was us going “what’s the dumbest thing that could happen” and doing that.” “smiley face: dance-y indie pop/rock. I wrote ‘smiley face’ about this dream I had that made me wake myself up because I was laughing really hard out loud, ” she continues.

Turning the page to a new chapter, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs shares a confessional new single entitled ‘Baggage’. Bishop also announces the arrival of her highly anticipated new EP, When Everything Went Dark – out June 23. On the track, Bishop embraces her stark humanity like never before. She adds, “I am not perfect. In fact, I’m quite messy. I could say life is messy, which it is, but part of becoming an adult has been acknowledging the messiness that I have too. ‘Baggage’ is the first song where I stand in the mud and triumphantly stomp my feet in it. I can only hope that others feel empowered to own their version of messy and know that they aren’t alone in it. I have found that when I unabashedly show my imperfections and my wounds I am growing. So, there you have it, that’s my baggage.” Re: the striking accompanying music video for the track, Bishop comments: “I didn’t know how well I could hide my sorrow until I did it. Outwardly I would have fleeting moments of socially acceptable niceties and then the minute I was alone I would dissociate, completely unable to function. How could these two extremities exist in one body? It was and is exhausting. I wanted this music video for ‘Baggage’ to show that our blue circles aka our trauma can be meticulously hidden even if someone appears okay on the outside. I hope that whoever watches knows that they are not alone and that there’s a community of people waiting to be supportive.”

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Remaining prolific this year, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs unveils an empowering and engaging new single and music video entitled ‘superhuman’ via Arista Records. Regarding the single, Bishop commented, “I wrote ‘superhuman’ when I was 8 months pregnant. I really felt like I was in a space where I was seeking positivity and light for my little one who was about to arrive. This song quickly became a poem about encouragement and knowing you have the strength to continue on no matter what comes your way.” Once again, Bishop delivers an uplifting anthem highlighted by her dynamic vocals and a powerful affirmation on the hook where she assures, “You’re superhuman. Bulletproof as can be. I know the truth is you can do anything.” She encodes a thoughtful message within the music and lyrics. Fittingly, the song soundtracks the ‘Rise To’ campaign by Rise – an initiative of Schmidt Futures and The Rhodes Trust that finds brilliant young people who need opportunity and supports them for life as they work to serve others. The integrated campaign invites global talent to apply to Rise as they continue to turn opportunities into action and ‘Rise To’ solve the world’s most pressing issues. Meanwhile, the track’s accompanying visual illuminates true superheroes in everyday life on-screen. Bishop adds, “Hearing each others stories is the human experience that I have valued so much in my hardest days. I wanted people to leave the music video knowing they are not alone and that they are capable beyond belief. I’m really grateful for Hunter Moreno (and Jake McKenna) who created something I will be proud to share so many years from now.”

Meghan Trainor has released her anxiously awaited fourth full-length album, Takin’ It Back. This time around, she made a conscious decision to hark back to the signature sound she introduced on her 2015 full-length debut, TITLE, and bring it forward to today. About the album, Meghan said, “I tried to do the doo-wop feel I had at the beginning of my career, but the 2022 version of it. This is from the new Meghan who is a wife and mom with a baby. This is from me right now. I decided to give the people what they want, but with my spices added to it. I wanted to make my Title 2.0.” Accompanying the album’s release is a video for Meghan’s new single, ‘Made You Look.’ The spunky track has horns that pipe up as her doo-wop harmonies double up the attitude on the chorus, “I could have my Gucci on. I could wear my Louis Vuitton, but even with nothing on, bet I made you look.” The vibrant and stylized music video sees Meghan moving between different colorful worlds – from Hollywood set ups to a big finale dance performance. By Meghan’s side are TikTok personalities Chris Olsen, Remi Bader, Becca Means, Drew Afualo, along with JoJo Siwa, Scott Hoying, and husband Daryl Sabara. Regarding ‘Made You Look,’ Meghan said, ““After having a baby, I struggled really hard to feel sexy. I actually wrote this song when I was ass-naked singing the chorus in the shower,” she admits. “I can wear all of these gorgeous things, but I look better without all of that shit on. I wrote a self-love anthem for myself. Even though you had a baby, went through it, and your body shows it, you’re still sexy.”

Returning with two new tracks and a stunning short film, PVRIS has shared ‘Anywhere But Here’ and ‘Animal’. “At its core, ‘ANYWHERE BUT HERE’ is about wanting to escape your surroundings,” Lyndsey Gunnulfsen explains. “My whole life I’ve always found myself restless and eager to be somewhere else. I always imagine existing in different times and different places; everywhere and anywhere but where I am in the moment, even the good moments. I think a lot of us experience that to some degree, a longing to be somewhere or with someone you can’t necessarily identify.” “‘Animal’ is all about defiance, breaking free of control whether it’s from other people, or from ourselves,” she adds. “It can even be looked at through a wider lens and interpreted as defiance towards ‘the man’, government, or the algorithms that run our lives, that ‘know us’. It’s about challenging the identity the outside world chooses to give you. It’s also a comment on fame and spectacle. I feel like we as a society are quick to dehumanize each other and hold people in fixed forms denying one another the opportunities to grow and evolve. I think this holds true especially those in any scale of a spotlight; artists, actors, influencers, models, athletes, politicians, etc… this can be true for personal relationships as well. We do each other a disservice by restricting one another to these metaphorical cages. ‘ANIMAL’ is about challenging that.” [via DIY]

Lowertown have just dropped their debut album, I Love To Lie. Their new single, ‘My Friends’, has also been shared with a music video accompaniment. The new arrival follows the release of recent singles ‘Bucktooth’, ‘Antibiotics’, and ‘No Way’. Lowertown’s Olivia Osby says: “I wrote ‘My Friends’ when I was 19 in the summer of 2021 about the first group of people I fell into when I first moved to New York. Their way of life was incredibly fast-paced, volatile, and dramatic. It felt so enticing because I had never experienced anything like it before. They were all larger than life people, always so spontaneous and ‘cool’. There was always a plan, always a story, always something to do or talk about.” “They felt like caricatures of the ‘cool’ people I’d seen in movies,” she continues. “We’d drive around the city and bar hop, and walk around until the sun came up. It felt great. I felt like I was finally living the adult life that was taken from me with the pandemic, but slowly I began to realise it was all wearing on me, on all of us. The fantasy I had built in my head was not the reality I was living. I was sick all the time and kept losing my voice. I was always in pain and my stomach was always upset. I started losing sight of anything that seemed important to me before I’d moved to New York. I saw my friends dissolve; their behaviour was erratic, spiteful, and illogical. They wouldn’t sleep or eat for days then they’d have outbursts of anger and paranoia towards me and each other.” “This kind of life had consequences, and I realised everyone around me was just as lost as I was,” Osby admits. “We were swimming in quicksand, trying to get out and trying to make ourselves feel better, but just getting sucked further in.” [via Dork]

Just before the release of her new album Midnights, Taylor Swift promised “a special very chaotic surprise” at 3AM. True to her word, three hours after the album itself was out in the world, Swift released Midnights (3am Edition), a version of the album with seven extra tracks. On Instagram, Swift writes, “Lately I’ve been loving the feeling of sharing more of our creative process with you, like we do with From The Vault tracks. So it’s 3am and I’m giving them to you now.” This morning, Swift also released her video for ‘Anti-Hero,’ which is apparently serving as the single from Midnights. (That’s the “everyone’s a sexy baby” song. Bold choice!) Swift wrote and directed the video, which is a lot of fun. Much of the clip is Swift hanging out and getting drunk with her own wilder doppelgänger. The video also has some visual quotes from Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman and a mid-song comedy sketch where Swift imagines her own funeral. The great stand-up comic Mike Birbiglia and John Early from Search Party play her adult sons, while Mary Elizabeth Ellis from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia plays her daughter-in-law. [via Stereogum]

Japanese-Australian brother-sister electronic duo Lastlings has just unveiled its latest musical outing with the release of ‘Get What You Want’. Produced by Lastlings with help from UK dance heavyweight Alex Metric, ‘Get What You Want’ presents lush chords and ethereal, textured vocals over a solid low end as artists showcase their musical maturity and evolution. “We spent a week writing in 2021 and this was one of the first songs that came from the session. We had two rooms. One writing room for Amy with a piano and one for me where I made the instrumental.” says Josh. “It explores mental health and the relationship that I have with myself. It’s about putting myself out there and not letting doubt get in the way of what I truly want. ‘I’ve got a lot of enemies that live inside my head’. This song isn’t about love for another person, it’s about my relationship with myself. ‘You’ refers to a darker version of myself that I am trying to fight and overcome.” further explains Amy. In line with the drop, Lastlings also shared the official music video for ‘Get What You Want’, which “explores an abstract interpretation of spaces inside the mind”. [via Electronic Groove]

Before she releases her new album next month, Anna of the North shared another preview in the form of her song ‘I Do You.’ It’s the latest from the full album Crazy Life, which is out November 4. The new song finds the singer taking her power back from past experiences and past relationships, turning it into a delightfully reassuring new single. “Too many times have I been in the situation where I put other people before myself,” says Anna. “I imagine everyone around me being so happy and successful. Like other people are so in control of themselves and their feelings. It’s like I give other people superpowers. We say that we’re our own worst enemy. And I’m definitely mine. I wish sometimes that I could see myself from another perspective. I wish that I could look at myself, like I look at others…If I did me, like I do you.” [via Variance]

Scottish singer-songwriter Katie Gregson-MacLeod has dropped a new music video for ‘complex’ directed by Sam Bailey. Back in August, she released ‘complex (demo)’ along with the music video. Prior to the release of the song, a minute-long chorus of the track quickly became a viral TikTok phenomenon and racked up over 7.2 million views. Earlier this month, she released the new version of the song. This time, she crafted the video for the new version. The track was written by Katie and produced by Greg Kurstin. The video is inspired by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton’s 2002 debut song ‘A Thousand Miles’ video. Katie Gregson-MacLeod said of the video, “The video for ‘complex’ definitely shows a different side to the song and to me. I don’t think the song is entirely earnest, and I wanted the video to reflect that. We were discussing concepts for a wee while but when the idea came up of recreating an iconic music video in a totally different setting, the Vanessa Carlton video was a given. We were definitely keen to see how ridiculous we could get with the Scottish parallels but all the while not having it look like too much of a piss-take or too much like a Visit Scotland ad. After a short couple weeks of planning and the odd ‘I can’t believe we’re actually doing this’, we shot the video in and around Edinburgh. We started off in Holyrood, going around Arthur’s Seat. In fitting form, it was the rainiest and windiest it could have possibly been in the first few hours of the shoot. Nonetheless, strapped into the back of a van and sitting at a grand piano singing my piano ballad, we zoomed around.” She continued, “My favourite part was for sure getting my pals along as extras. We had some of my childhood best friends pull out their acting chops as ‘people on table at pub’ numbers 1-7 and got Hamish Hawk along to perform his supporting role as ‘beer-drinking man engrossed in conversation’. It was my first proper video shoot and although a really crazy day, it was a lot of fun. The team nailed it. I hope Vanessa Carlton enjoys our homage, that’s the main thing. It’s an iconic video and we wanted to honour that.” The song will appear on her upcoming EP, which is expected to be released in 2023. [via pmstudio]

Kimbra announces her upcoming studio album A Reckoning. To coincide with the announcement, she has debuted new single ‘Save Me’ alongside a music video directed by Yvan Fabing. Set for release in 2023, A Reckoning is primed to be a reflective record capturing the macro reckonings that impact our world around environment, race, feminism health and patriarchy through the eyes of the archteypal Mother. But at the heart of her record is the war with the micro reckonings that Kimbra faces internally. It’s the most sonically autonomous and confessionally raw she has ever been, finding influence in everything from modern movie soundtracks to electronic and industrial worlds. The album was first imagined in 2018, during Kimbra’s tour with co-producer Ryan Lott of the band Son Lux, who recently scored A24’s Everything Everywhere All At Once. On ‘Save Me,’ Kimbra shares a moment of deep yearning set on a bed of unsettling warped pianos. She explores how two internal realities can be present at once : chaos and contemplation, rage and still life-force. Inspired by a singular moment, she searches her insecurities with hopes that someone will save her from herself. The track is brought to new light in the music video that shows the pop singer in Iceland, traversing dangerous, surreal terrains as she seeks to heal her relationship to self, to other women, and finally to our Mother Earth. [via 360 Mag]

Elle King is offering fans a taste of her upcoming full-length country album, Come Get Your Wife, with the release of a new song, ‘Try Jesus.’ In the tune — which King co-wrote with Geoffrey Warburton, Casey Cathleen Smith, Ashley Gorley and Ben Johnson — the singer decries a struggling love life full of less-than-worthy men. After listing some of the dead-end partners she has encountered, she concludes that it may be time to try a different route: one with a little more faith. “I should try Jesus / See what all the fuss is about / Thinkin’ I should try Jesus / ‘Cause every other man let me down / Got me singin’ ‘Hey Hallelujah, A-freakin’-men’ / Baby, I don’t need me anybody but him,” she sings in the chorus. The song is full of amusing lyrics as King makes her decision to ‘Try Jesus’ instead of the current dating scene, and the video offers more of King’s signature humor. Directed by Edi Patterson, the music video finds King entering a dollar store where the main characters of all her worst dating stories come to life, with King playing all the parts herself. After being handed a shopping cart by Jesus, himself, King comes face-to-face with her past. A supermarket dance party then breaks out, and King finds herself in an unfortunate predicament involving baked beans. Luckily, the store employee named Jesus is there to clean up her mess, and she finds happiness. In a social media post she shared prior to the release, King says she pulled from her background in religion to write the tune. “I grew up with a very religious grandmother,” she writes. “Pentecostal, speaking in tongues. I know a thing or two about the Bible. At least enough to know that I do lots of stuff my sweet Mawmaw is up there cringing in Heaven, I can hear her now ‘No no no no no!’ All she ever wanted for me, for anybody, was to have a little faith. I always say, I’ll try anything twice! And even though as a little kid I got poison ivy up my ass at church camp, I stay true to my word. So cheers to round two!” [via Taste of Country]

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The track’s breathy verses give way to a rapid cadence on the bridge in lockstep with a military-style drum march. As the momentum reaches a breaking point, she screams, “Welcome to my revolution,” while guitar and 808s wail beneath her strong declaration. The vocals swing from what resembles a manic internal dialogue to a pure cathartic howl.

About the song, she commented, “‘Revolution’ is the answer to my feverish desire to find strength wherever I can amidst this painful time. I have found it deeply healing to project power into my music even if I’m feeling powerless in my own life. My goal is for someone out there to hear this song and feel not only capable but invincible!”

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Zolita has delivered the sapphic romantic comedy of our dreams, and it comes in the form of a trilogy of music videos. The latest of these videos, ‘I Fcking Love You,’ is out now, and it certifiably rules. “The Trilogy,” as she simply calls it, started with ‘Somebody I Fcked Once,’ a pop-punk infused single set in the halls of high school where cheerleader Zolita fell in love with a bad girl named Gia (played by Tatchi Ringsby, who was originally one of Zolita’s sister’s friends IRL). Next, we saw ‘Single in September,’ where the girls graduated and broke up. Now, it all comes full circle. In the new video, it’s five years later, and Zolita is a big pop star doing her usual photoshoots when she sees a familiar face. One of the photographers is her ex, the one that got away, Gia! After years of will-they-won’t-they, we finally get the satisfying reunion we’ve been dying for. Zolita talked to us about the new song and The Trilogy of videos. “‘Somebody I F*cked Once,’ that was the first video, and I had always wanted to do a high school video that kind of played on the classic rom-com tropes that I grew up with, but make it gay,” she says. “And when I put that up, and that obviously went crazy, it went viral, and everybody was really connecting to it. I realized that I wanted to expand upon the story,” she continues. “Especially because I feel like there’s such a lack of girl-on-girl storylines with happy endings.” So she decided to write and direct her own. “I think it kind of serves two purposes,” she says. “It both presents a familiar narrative structure to people that may not be as accepting, so hopefully can change people’s hearts and minds, but also it’s really healing for queer people to see the classic storylines that they grew up with, but in a queer way.” Zolita says that as soon as she saw the chemistry that she and Ringsby had on screen, she knew she wanted them back for more.“We just had such an insane, natural chemistry together,” she says. “And then obviously the second one even more so because we had been hanging out so much and had been able to build off of the excitement of the first one. They’re just such an incredible collaborator and such an amazing, truly my favorite person that I’ve ever worked with on a video.” The singer says that indulging in a lesbian rom-com, especially one with a happy ending, was one of the best parts about writing these songs and filming the videos. “I feel like right now, especially just in the world, people want things that feel good and that are positive. And I think I just didn’t grow up seeing a lot of happy endings for queer women. You even see with the Killing Eve ending how, just again, playing into the classic trope of ‘kill your gays.’ So I wanted to do the opposite and wanted to give people a sense of hope,” she says. It was also healing for her personally, as she had recently had a falling out with her first love, the person The Trilogy is loosely based on. [via Out]

Following the release of her emotionally charged singles ‘High Water’ and ‘Art of Survival’, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs shares the powerful music video for ‘Art of Survival’. Co-written by Benji Madden as an ode to her late sister Kate, the track was written from “a place of choosing to keep fighting to live fully”. Regarding the ‘Art of Survival’ visual directed by Tim Mattia, Bishop adds, “I feel so grateful to be sharing the ‘Art of Survival’ music video with all of you. My hope behind this song was to bring this positive energy into my current headspace. Perhaps the more I sing this song and the more I read these lyrics I will find that power within myself to continue living life in a way that my sister would be proud of me. Thank you for being here.”

Australian band Body Type share the latest cut from their forthcoming album, ‘The Charm’, an assertive call to stand one’s ground. Their debut album Everything Is Dangerous But Nothing’s Surprising ushers in a new era for the band, and will be out May 20 on Poison City Records (Camp Cope, Cable Ties). ‘The Charm’ sees the band snatch back the reins for themselves. Vocalist Sophie McComish shares, “This track is about how women are held to higher standards than men in the music biz. It’s harder for us to get away with being a bit shit or making mistakes. Some guy once told us the ‘charm’ was gonna wear off if we didn’t get better at our instruments, that we had to do our 10,000 hours before we were worthy of the hype. This is our response.” The new track, which follows previous singles ‘Sex & Rage’ and ‘Buoyancy’, brings into focus the fearless autonomy and joyful rebellion that Body Type have come to embrace – empowered by their own strength and independence. ‘The Charm’ is all snarl, bite, and facetious wit in the face of condescension. Advice and authority dubbed as “birth control for rock and roll”, Body Type take that unsolicited advice and shove it down the bin. Contraception stands no chance with over-processed guitars and gruff refrains in control, juxtaposed against retro sweetheart-style backing vocals. The video, filmed on Dharawal country, is a cheeky and rambunctious statement directed by long time collaborator Madeleine Purdy. The clip shows the band stuck in the mud, literally and figuratively. They’re fighting through expectations that see them bogged down in the industry. Purdy says the video inspiration comes from a corner of the internet about Car Stuck Girls, where rev-heads like watching women getting stuck in the mud. “The fantasy sticks in the head of the viewer, once the cameras cut the women get out of the mud easily, have a shower, pocket their cash and go about enjoying themselves. I think this video works perfectly for what ‘The Charm’ is about.”

Ama Lou has accompanied the release of her latest track, ‘Same Old Ways’, with a clean set of visuals. Taken from her 2021 EP At Least We Have This, ‘Same Old Ways’ is an upbeat offering from north London’s Ama Lou who flexes her versatility by both singing and rapping over Maestro The Baker’s production. Ama’s creativity is evident in the visuals too – which she also directs – where we see her joining a private school filled with good vibes. [via GRM Daily]

Breakout alt-pop star Madeline The Person has returned with her empowering and honest new single, ‘MEAN!’. The song’s raw, relatable message is reflected in the Tess Lafia-directed video, which showcases the young artist’s inspiring outlook on otherness. ‘MEAN!’ serves as the introduction to Madeline’s much-anticipated upcoming EP, Chapter 3: The Burning. The video finds Madeline dressed as a clown at a party. Outcast by the cool kids, the singer-songwriter ultimately connects with another like-minded soul — also rocking clown makeup. “One single event, or even a couple of words, can literally impact your whole life and crush your self-esteem,” Madeline says of the song and video, which she made “in the hopes of letting others know they’re not alone in the sinking feeling that rushes over you when you hear hurtful words. The cool part about it all is that you will find people that love every part of you.” [via Prelude Press]

Ava Max is back, and teasing the follow up to her debut album, Heaven And Hell. After popping up in late 2021 with the dark and rebellious banger, ‘The Motto,’ a collab with Tiësto, Ava is back out on her own and thinks ‘Maybe You’re The Problem.’ In the lead single for her second album, Ava takes on the old adage that “it’s not you, it’s me,” and turns it on its head. Swapping out her short/long blonde hair for some fiery red locks, Ava finds herself agreeing with a former partner’s ex-girlfriends opinions on this breakup anthem. “Everyone always says ‘it’s not you it’s me’ but sometimes the problem really isn’t me, it’s you!!” Ava said of the song. “’Maybe You’re The Problem’ was so much fun to create. This new music I’ve been working on is the most personal music I have ever made. I can’t wait to share it with you very soon.” In the Joseph Kahn-directed clip, Ava sunbathes in the snow, gets inserted into a video game, and reflects on a relationship she couldn’t be happier to be out of. [via UPROXX]

Teenage Joans have returned with their first release for the year, a belting new single titled ‘Terrible’. Landing this week as the first song to follow the Adelaide duo’s debut EP, Taste Of Me, the track builds on that record’s jaunty punk-pop flair and self-deprecative themes, with more bite in the guitars and a slightly more optimistic spin put on the narrative. In a bridge that starts off gently and builds into a flurry of screams and distorted riffing, the duo chant: “It’s terrible, but it’ll do / I’m terrible but I’m not you.” ‘Terrible’ comes alongside an eye-catching video by Lemonade City, with direction via Tom Parolin and Kamryn Henschke. It starts with Teenage Joans being drawn to a VHS copy of an old horror film, A Terrible Tragedy, which the band themselves appear to star in. They soon find that the tape is cursed, and are chased down their street by a horde of possessed townsfolk. After finding refuge in a house, they’re compelled to venture down into its basement, where satanic clones of singer/guitarist Cahli Blakers and drummer Tahlia Borg use their instruments to brutally murder their innocent counterparts. [via NME]

Damn The Witch Siren has released the lead single ‘Vulture Culture’ from their new album Gold Magic (out July 29 on their own label, Baddest Bitch Records). The song precedes the release of the feature film Poser, produced and directed by Loose Films (the movie is getting a national theatrical release on June 3, distributed by Oscilloscope Labs). Bobbi Kitten and Z Wolf co-star in the film as themselves, and it features several of the band’s songs as well as some original score by Z Wolf. ‘Vulture Culture’ and its accompanying self-directed music video are a searing look at social media and celebrity culture, and how something that should have helped us through the pandemic had the unfortunate side effect of making many of us feel even more isolated. As the wildfires burned and the Capitol was sieged, it was hard not to feel like we’ve all locked ourselves into a virtual prison and thrown away the key.

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