Friedberg have released their brand-new music video for their latest energetic single ‘Hello’, directed by Talia Beale. The track is the first instalment of their debut album, due for release later this year. Talia Beale is a director and artist who creates through the lens of a queer woman of colour navigating her twenties. Known for her quirky, vibrant and original style, she has directed videos for various talented artists including NiaArchives and Valencia Grace and most recently worked with Friedberg to bring their vision to life. In the music video we are placed in a warped ‘Friedberg room’ where Anna has melted into one of her walls, ultimately becoming a part of the furniture. ‘Hello’ is written from the point of view of spending the night living in someone’s head, so the visual is a reflection of the motion of all our passing thoughts: they are overwhelming, nonsensical, detaching, comforting, erratic, tempting yet disorientating; all the while making so much sense. Anna, lead singer of Friedberg, says “​​I already fell in love with Talia’s initial idea of me reciting the lyrics of the song whilst my head is stuck in a wall. Over a good cup of cappuccino we instantly bonded over the idea of a leaf blower blowing the band’s hair while we are performing the song. I loved everything else we came up with that day – like taping the band to the wall. When I wrote the song I imagined spending the night in a stranger’s mind and thinking all of these things that I never thought… Saying all of these things that I never said. And get a holiday from my own mind. So the concept of the video just worked perfectly for the song.” Talia Beale, Director, says “This project’s been a dream to work on! Anna’s an artist who takes the risk of thinking outside of the box and pushing creative boundaries. It’s provided a playground to explore our most surreal ideas, the ones maybe we often try to dull down by attaching too much rational thought to in the name of commercialism.”

Australian artist Winifred is back once again to unveil her captivating new single ‘Blue Fire’. Lifted from her eagerly-awaited new EP Carpet of Flowers, the follow-up to 2022’s breakthrough debut collection EP1, ‘Blue Fire’ sees her continue more of those ambitious alt-pop textures she has been building for herself since she first emerged. With her voice and performance as enthralling as ever, she looks to embark on the next phase within her ascending career with this powerful new release. Speaking on the new single Winifred commented: “I wrote ‘Blue Fire’ as a mood piece. To me it’s a sensory-inspired phrase. It’s a reflection on desire and self-awareness. When your desire is just out of reach, maybe in some rare cases, that’s where it’s meant to stay. My aim was for the production to feel simultaneously ethereal and gritty while remaining kind of understated throughout. Low-key bedroom bop energy.” Accompanying the new single is a brand-new music video shot in a whirlwind ‘one night’ shoot with director Luis Campbell. Winifred added about the video: “I shot the music video for ‘Blue Fire’ in one night at VENTspace studio with director Luis Campbell and Kurt Schwerdt on camera. It was a breezy shoot, and a great team to work with.”

Melbourne’s Charm of Finches (sisters Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes) share new track ‘Middle of Your Mess’ from their forthcoming album Marlinchen in the Snow. “’Middle of Your Mess’ is a tongue-in-cheek bop on when sometimes women like to blame other women for their own internal issues when it comes to relationships,” explains Ivy and Mabel. “At the time of writing this one, we were listening a lot to Nora Jones’ album Little Broken Hearts and we think some of her brazen brutal honesty was an influence on this song.” Known for their otherworldly DIY aesthetic, Charm of Finches also release a self-directed video for ‘Middle of Your Mess’ via YouTube inspired by Saltburn, Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, as well as some of the sisters’ favourite films such as Picnic At Hanging Rock and Heathers.

Liz Lawrence has confirmed the details of her next studio record Peanuts and unveiled its lead single and opener ‘Big Machine’. The single reflects on, ‘the feeling of carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders’, according to Lawrence, who added: “The frustration of trying to solve the climate crisis whilst the political classes drag their feet and the desire to do a Thoreau and go live in the woods. It’s a nod to alternative living and the battle of the Beanfield. It’s the book of trespass, it’s the guarding of statues, it’s my pot boiling over with frustration at the state of it all.” [via Live4Ever]

East-London artist Nuha Ruby Ra has unveiled her brand new single, ‘Fetish 2 Forget’. “‘Fetish 2 Forget’ is a dance floor in a factory, with a few doms present. We’re at a warehouse party again, with other thoughts on our minds. The ‘wasted man’ is the same guy who’s likely playing his own song on guitar at 6 in the morning, but the essence of the song lies in the lyric ‘Freaks trying hard at life, we’re dancing on the line, we pray to see the light, when we whisper in the dark’,” Nuha Ruby Ra explains. [via Line Of Best Fit]

Shelf Lives have released a new video for ‘PVC Real Estate’. It’s a cut from their not-long-dropped new EP, You Okay?, which arrived towards the end of last year. The band explain: “’PVC Real Estate’ is essentially about LA’s growing homeless population, specifically focusing on the city’s struggle with maintaining its glamourous façade despite it. It highlights the dark contrast of hitting rock bottom and being homeless in a city that is often glamorized for its sunny and luxurious lifestyle. “We paired the California dreamin’ and sunny disposition that permeates the city with lyrics that touch upon the persistent ‘itch’, both from drug addiction and the desire to “make it” in LA, contributing to the complexities of being a resident of the city as well as the homeless experience.” Director Holly Hunter adds: “I loved the song’s concept that LA is an artificial set, built to appear perfect and pristine, but in reality, there’s a lot of fakery and facade going on! We brought this to life by playfully creating a hyper-real California beach constructed totally out of trash and repurposed materials (complete with a team of LA street cleaners) and put Shelf Lives at the heart of the LA fantasy.” [via Dork]

Queen of Hearts, the forthcoming album from rising pop star Zolita, is set for release on May 31 via AWAL. In conjunction, Zolita’s latest track ‘All Girls Go to Heaven” debuts. Showcasing themes of happiness and self-acceptance within the LGBTQIA+ community, the track is an uplifting anthem, encouraging listeners to live their lives to the fullest. Of the song, Zolita explains, “’All Girls Go to Heaven’ came from a place of pure queer joy and wanting to write a song that would make people feel empowered by who they are. The chorus is designed to be sung along to, and I can’t wait to hear people screaming it at my shows.” [via Broadway World]

After celebrating the label’s first birthday earlier in the month, UTOPIA releases Orchid’s ‘heaven/jealous’, a sparkling UK-garage track set in an otherly world. Self-described as tongue-in-cheek and sensual, ‘heaven/jealous’ is a sweet re-introduction to Orchid. Inspired by a poem by Persian Rumi, in a book about a mushroom wonderland where is mentioned that ‘sometimes liquid love on earth makes the sky jealous’, ‘heaven/jealous’ celebrates love in a material, physical world full of hedonistic pleasures. “I heard this quote from Rumi and it took my breath away, about how having a physical body to love others with is better than any prize of an afterlife or immortality can give. I think our world and being alive is underrated,” Orchid explains. “I wanted to write something that celebrated the fleeting reality of love and being a mere mortal, and capture that euphoria and romance… imagining love in a glutinous, effervescent indulgent earth with all its material things, like this maximalist thirst trap made just for Heaven.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

Infusing a nostalgic, feel-good early 2000s pop rock vibe with a modern bedroom pop twist, Jewelia’s enchanting sound has captivated a loyal following since her move from Bucharest, Romania to London. Her debut album, City of My Mind, along with subsequent successful releases, have solidified her place in the indie-pop scene. In her latest single, ‘Loser,’ Jewelia showcases an evolved version of her distinctive sound, featuring sharp pop hooks, evocative sonic elements, and introspective lyricism that resonates with listeners. The song’s composition is characterized by dynamic percussion and lively guitar riffs, creating an energetic and infectious atmosphere. Paired with captivating visuals, the music video for ‘Loser’ embodies the enigmatic and wistful essence that defines Jewelia’s unique brand of nostalgia-infused indie-pop. Co-written and co-produced by Jewelia and Andy Denyer, with mixing by Niko Battistini (known for his work with Charli XCX and Caroline Polachek), the spirited track sets the stage for Jewelia’s highly anticipated upcoming album, Little Wins. Jewelia explains the track’s narrative and inspiration, commenting, “‘Loser’ is about all those times when we couldn’t push ourselves out of our comfort zones. When we wanted to say something but were too embarrassed or shy to say it. When we wanted to learn how to play an instrument or learn that new language but always found an excuse that there was no time. When we let an opportunity slip away because we lacked the courage or the confidence. This doesn’t make us losers, just humans.” [via Wonderland]

CHVRCHES’ vocalist Lauren Mayberry has released a new video for ‘Change Shapes’. The track follows on from her recent drops ‘Shame’ and ‘Are You Awake?’, and a solo headline tour that saw her play London’s KOKO. “I feel like I perform to the general public but also play a character inside the internal experience, because there is so much negotiation involved in my existence there,” she explains. “How do I keep people happy enough that they’ll let me do the creative work that I want to? I feel quite fake and hypocritical sometimes because so much of the narrative around the band is “feminist”, but my experience inside of it hasn’t been a lot of the time. I feel like I did all this work to make things function but when you DO adapt yourself in that way, it’s seen as manipulative, in order to get what you want.” [via Dork]

Lava La Rue has announced their debut album, STARFACE. The full-length is teased by the London artist’s new single ‘Push N Shuv’, with the full record following on 21st June. Lava explains: “I wrote ‘Push N Shuv’ 5 years ago before Covid (the vocals you hear on the song are still my 21 year old voice) and I knew when I wrote it 2019 that if I made an album that’s what I wanted it to sound like. It’s literally been years in the making and honing in on that sound and it only feels fitting that this is the song that I announce the album with.” [via Dork]

Sia has released a new video. It’s a cut from her recently-announced new album, Reasonable Woman, with teaser track ‘Dance Alone’ created with previous collaborator Kylie Minogue. The record also features guest turns from Chaka Khan, Paris Hilton, Tierra Whack, Labrinth, Kaliii and Jimmy Jolliff. Her first proper album since 2016, Reasonable Woman will be released on May 3 via Atlantic Records. [via Dork]

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Australian folk-drenched indie pop sister duo Charm of Finches have shared a new single and video. Called ‘Clean Cut’, the duo confide, “Going away on tour served as the catalyst for a break-up and ‘Clean Cut’ is some self-advice. We stayed with a lovely lady in Oslo, Norway who let us play her gorgeous grand piano and the first part of ‘Clean Cut’ was penned. We created a music video for this song with the help of lots of friends who were willing to dress up as dolls and clowns. This was a huge 22 hour shoot in a warehouse in Melbourne creating the world of a mysterious haunted doll museum.” The track features stunning dark-hued harmonies over spellbinding strings and driving folk pop rhythms.

Indie-pop sensation PEGGY, with her enchanting acoustic guitar melodies and boundless vision for the future of pop music, is gearing up to captivate audiences with her debut EP, Dear Reader, set to release on March 22. The project explores the universal themes of relationships, self-love, mental health, and more. Now, she announces the EP alongside her mesmerizing new single, ‘Flight Risk.’ “When I listen to the songs on the project, it’s like I’m escaping into a sanctuary or a safe place. I get overwhelmed very easily, and the world can be too much. Sonically, I’m creating the world I want to create. I get calm from the music, so I don’t feel so overwhelmed. My world is less of a ‘place’ and more of a feeling,” says PEGGY. We get another sneak peek into PEGGY’s world with ‘Flight Risk’ – the feedback from a pilot’s intercom dissolves into a quirky beat topped off by twinkling piano and her magical voice. “It’s a song about air travel, but it’s all a metaphor for commitment issues and running away from people,” PEGGY explains. She continues , “In society and just in general, I put on this face, and then when my full personality comes out, I’m always afraid it’s going be too much for somebody. If I’m getting too close to somebody in a way that it’s scary, I pull away.” PEGGY draws inspiration for the incredibly creative official music video from the Talking Heads’ ‘And She Was,’ infusing the visuals with a captivating blend of whimsy and nostalgia that pays homage to the iconic band’s groundbreaking style.

FIZZ have shared the cute new video for ‘The Secret To Life’. Created by Lulu Vicedomini, the new clip focusses on the title track of their debut LP, with ‘The Secret To Life’ transformed into an array of circus characters escaping from a fantastical world. Discussing the song, FIZZ recall… “Orla brought a wonky guitar riff to the table which the group tweaked and before long it had morphed into something new entirely – meanwhile Pete Miles (producer, wizard) recorded a loop of the group stomping on the live room floor. From there, it’s all a blur… The creation of this song will forever remain a mystery, even to the band.” [via Clash]

Dance star Kiesza is back with new single ‘Heaven Ain’t Calling’ featuring Sugar Jesus. The star, who had a huge breakthrough hit with ‘Hideaway’, returns to the house-infected pop sound that made her a global star. ‘Heaven Ain’t Calling’ is the first taster from Kiesza’s upcoming new album. The video for the track is described by the star as ‘a futuristic spaghetti western film noir’. On the new single, Kiesza comments, “People step onto the dance floor to be themselves, whether they seek to disconnect or are in search of a deeper connection with others. It unlocks a part of ourselves that often lies dormant in our daily lives. The dance floor offers an escape from a world that tries to funnel people down the same cookie-cutter pathways, even though no one is built for the same path.” She continues, “A friend of mine once said, ‘If none of my friends are going to Heaven, I just want to go where they’re going’. It made me think about the oppression that can come with self-expression and the courage it takes to wake up every day and be completely yourself. In ‘Heaven Ain’t Calling,’ the underlying message I’m conveying is that nothing will stop me from being exactly who and what I was created to be. And if Heaven Ain’t Calling me, I’m going where all the people go!” [via Entertainment Focus]

Giolì & Assia‘s latest release, ‘The Point of Living,’ delves into the existential inquiry: What is the meaning of life? The duo combines electronic beats with introspective lyrics to provoke contemplation on this profound theme. It’s the first release of 2024 from the innovative duo Giolì & Assia. After the stunning song ‘Young Forever’ that came out at the end of last year, Giolì & Assia are back with another powerful track. It shows how raw and personal they are with every release. A soundscape that leans more toward clubs, with resampled voices that sound like sirens. The song features also driving percussion and a mix of synths and orchestral elements. They work together to make the full range of sounds that fans have come to expect from a Giolì & Assia production. Giolì & Assia are passionate writers. The upcoming music video is yet another visual masterpiece that truly shows how creative they are. The music video is a powerful visual interpretation of how fragile life and love are, going deeper into the song’s meaning. “‘The Point of living’ is the second single from our new EP Resurrection” say the duo. “Following the dark yet melodic tones of ‘Young Forever’, the lead single off the EP, this time our lyrical focus was on the existential question – what is the meaning of life? At the same time, we wanted to conjure an electronic, romantic sound that evoked the sublime feeling of the ocean’s wave, from the opening verse, chorus, right up until the drop. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have creating it!” [via The Groove Cartel]

Keaper have been busy in the couple of years since they formed in 2020, already with two EPs to their name and now announcing their new concept album Waking Dream with fuzzy, atmospheric and melodic new single ‘Alone’ featuring a gorgeous semi-animated, semi-stop motion video. A key part of Waking Dream’s story, ‘Alone’ tells a tale through the eyes of the album’s protagonist as she explores a strange new world in her dreams, delivered by vocalist Ameya Ajay’s evocative vocals. “‘Alone’ was the first song we wrote off the album during a little writing retreat in South Australia. It relates to the “transformation” step of the “hero’s journey”, just after the character experiences their lowest point,” explains Ameya. “It’s about daring to be different and authentic, potentially challenging the status quo and coming to terms with standing alone in that space. That’s conveyed in the empowering energy of the music as well. Meanwhile, the striking video shot by Ramsay Waterhouse / Papermoon Projects and edited by Ameya channels the adventurous vibes of the single in a playful manner, featuring light houses, boat journeys and… vampires! After releasing many reflective and meaningful music videos, we wanted to make a fun and silly one. By juxtaposing visual influences such as Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse with a “school play” style set design, we could make it both childlike as well as strange and supernatural,” says Ameya. [via Pilerats]

Do you crave the gothic sounds of ’80s and ’90s post-punk and industrial — and updated with everything we could want in 2024? Do you also wish there could be video that takes it and channels it with the energy and atmosphere of a Gaspar Noe film? Then you need to watch and listen to Vosh‘s video for ‘Perfection.’ The song comes from the band’s stellar album Vessel, which came out last March, and the video allows the band to further expand on the song’s themes. Here is how the band describes the video: “Perfection is impossible within the confines of our human form. We beg and ache and reach for grace but find ourselves flesh, blood, and mortal. We use some special moments to be released from this captivity. In the end, we cannot break free from ourselves. From the visionary Brandon Pierce and fabulous art director Anastasia Bobrova comes ‘Perfection,’ starring the unmatched skill and poise of Charlotte Sartre and our own Josephine Olivia.” [via Decibel Mag]

Gearing up for what promises to be an unforgettable next phase, the alternative sister-trio from Monterrey, Mexico, The Warning, unleash a brand new single and music video entitled ‘S!CK’ via Lava Records/Republic Records. Showcasing their evolution, the single shows a new side of the band, leaning into an evolved yet familiar sound.“Kill the silence. Till it makes me feel, till it makes me feel, till it makes me feel…SICK!” A hypnotic bridge takes hold punctuated by haunting harmonies only for the momentum to pick up with one last blast of energy. The accompanying video mirrors this ebb and flow of the song as it simultaneously captures the band in the throes of a powerhouse performance. On the new track the band said: S!CK: A song about fearing that you never lived out your life and desperately wanting to live it.

Hannah Grae captures the trials and tribulations of navigating a breakup on her new single ‘Better Now You’re Gone’ – a track which arrives alongside the announcement of the breakout star’s second mini album. Nothing Lasts Forever will arrive March 15, and follows her debut mini album Hell Is A Teenage Girl, which arrived in April last year. Speaking to Rock Sound about her previous project, Hannah explained: “I had basically just left school when I wrote that project and I had so many stories and a lot of anger and bitterness to get out. Because I had a pretty tough experience and never really got the chance to get closure or I guess get revenge. And so my way of doing that was writing Hell Is A Teenage Girl.” Nothing Lasts Forever picks up where that project left off, which you can get a sense of via the new single ‘Better Now You’re Gone’ – check out the Lola Webster-directed video for it below. Discussing the inspiration behind the new track, which was co-written and produced by Rob Brinkmann, Hannah says: “‘Better Now You’re Gone’ is about that stage of a breakup where you’re trying to convince yourself that you’re better off without them. The song starts in an extremely convincing way and it’s almost as if I truly believe that I’m better off. But as the song unravels, it becomes a bit clearer that maybe that’s not the case at all. It’s such a fun song and it’s one of my favourites that I’ve ever written. It’s full of denial and regret; my perfect idea of a breakup anthem. It feels so authentic to me and my chaotic mind and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.” [via Rock Sound]

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After touring extensively in UK/Europe and Canada in 2022/23, the duo recorded in the woods of rural Nova Scotia, Canada during the depths of winter with acclaimed Canadian producer Daniel Ledwell. The track is accompanied by a captivating music video filmed on a frozen lake just outside the recording studio they were bunkered down in for a month recording.

The duo say of the track: “’Atlantis’ is a place to retreat to when overcome by intense emotions. We’ve witnessed friends we care about sinking into dark places, like being underwater. Water has always been a recurring motif in our music to express the fluidity and intensity of feeling.”

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