Tackling identity, intuition, and naivety in her new song, German-Irish singer-songwriter Sinead Ann releases her Alternative Folk debut, ‘Lemonzest.’ Through juxtaposing grim lyrics and uplifting instrumentals, Sinéad captures the initial sting of biting into a lemon and the bitter sweetness of seeing true colours. Sinéad blends harmony and dissonance to illustrate her frustration with superciality and its dark consequences. ‘Lemonzest’ takes listeners on a journey through Sinéad’s development as a musician and artist, learning to trust her intuition and break the cycle of self-sabotage. The musical accompaniment inspires imagery of Irish landscapes and creates a mystical hypnotic effect, almost making the acidic lyrics sound sweet. ‘Lemonzest’ exudes that tart feeling you get when you realise someone’s true thoughts and intentions about you. This profoundly emotional song is about refusing to entertain what does not serve you and embracing the freedom of trusting your instinct. The word ‘gorgeous’ has lost value, and the backhanded flattery no longer holds its charm.

SRSQ has shared a trippy new video for ‘Used to Love’ off this year’s very good Ever Crashing. “Cinematographer Leigh Violet and I drew on visual references from many artists, people, and real-life locations including ‘Blue Velvet’, John Waters, the Madonna Inn, Creepy Gals, Busby Berkeley, the Cramps, Jayne Mansfield, and uncanny animatronics of yesteryear,’ says SRSQ (Kennedy Ashlyn). “The video cheekily plays at the fact that through it all, in this fantasy world as in real life, I will always have my music and my cats.” [via Brooklyn Vegan]

Suki Waterhouse has shared a new video for her current single, ‘Nostalgia’. The picturesque short film takes Waterhouse through floral fields, daunting cliffsides, and broad oceans – it was filmed in Ireland and focuses primarily on natural beauty. “I’m so happy to share the ‘Nostalgia’ video directed by Émilie Richard-Froozan,” Waterhouse says. “It’s the fifth video we’ve collaborated on together. We spoke a lot about how nostalgia is a place you go, a destination. Living there is a choice one makes unapologetically. To live in nostalgia is to dig your own grave, and that’s exactly what I did. The silver lining is that only you can dig yourself out again.” Richard-Froozan himself adds: “This is the story of a woman writing a letter to her childhood love telling him that she’s getting married. She hasn’t heard from him in years and often wonders what might’ve been. I wanted something sweeping and epic and unapologetic. When Suki sent me the song, I was driving through Doolough Valley and the landscape here fit the mood of the music so well,” he continues. “The lake in Doolough had my mind gravitate toward the story of Orpheus & Eurydice and crossing the river Styx. We were also highly influenced by Wuthering Heights and the cliff scene between Heathcliff & Cathy. The whole experience was pretty magical, like the last week of summer camp with a group of old friends.” [via Dork]

Last spring, Maryland indie-pop singer-songwriter Jordana released her debut album, Face The Wall, via Grand Jury. Since that time, she’s been on the road for her own headline dates, plus dates supporting Local Natives and Wallows, and released a one-off single ‘Is It Worth It Now?’ Soon, Jordana will head back out opening for Remi Wolf, and now she’s announcing a new EP, I’m Doing Well, Thanks For Asking; it’ll be out November 11 and also features ‘Is It Worth It Now?’ The EP’s lead single is a gauzy, cathartic jam called ‘SYT,’ which has a video directed by Graham Epstein. Opening up about ‘SYT,’ Jordana says: “It channels the feelings of empowerment and emotional awareness after a tough breakup.” [via Stereogum]

Priya Ragu has released a new single, ‘Adalam Va!’, which arrived alongside a combative and energetic music video. It is her second single of the year, with ‘Illuminous’ dropping back in March, and follow’s her 2021 debut mixtape. The new track’s title roughly translates to ‘Let’s Dance!’, which explains its electrifying core of South Indian sonics fused with rattling rhythms and pop production. It was co-written and produced by her brother, Japhna Gold, and Priya recalls: “I was outside the studio one day and Japhna was working on this new beat. I stormed straight in to find out what he was working on – I was convinced it was a banga. We immediately started to write out the lyrics and before we knew it we had the track completed that day.” Elaborating on the track, she explains: “‘Adalam Va!’ is about hope in the darkest of days. It’s about the fresh energy that emerges out of these times. We wanted to express that feeling through this song and to get everyone on the dancefloor!” The vigorously choreographed music video displays a flurry of dance routines and martial arts moves brought together under the influence of international cinema. “I’ve always wanted to shoot a video where dance moves and fighting combine together, which is well out of my comfort zone,” Priya details. “It was a huge challenge for me to do these movements, with no prior experience, but we did it!” [via Dork]

Dylan experienced a much-too-keen dinner date for the new music video of her latest single, ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’. The track is the latest cut from Dylan’s recently announced mixtape, The Greatest Thing I’ll Never Learn, which is slated for release on October 28. She teased the video’s arrival via social media, asking her audience: “ARE YOU READY FOR MORE CHAOS??” [via Dork]

With upcoming shows across Europe next month, Desire are back with their new video ‘The Young & The Restless’ – the eighth visual from their Escape album, which came out earlier this year via Italians Do It Better. In a foreshadowing glimpse into her crystal ball, Megan Louise simply says “Gone…” in the opening lyric. What more is there to really say sometimes? Drenched in the gauze of reverb, the track feels like disintegrated memories from a hazy dream. Originally composed by Barry De Vorzon & Perry Botkin Jr. for a film in 1971, it’s best known as the instrumental theme song to the American soap opera of the same name; soundtracking the day time drama since 1973. Desire’s vocal version is bookended by the somber flutes of a Mellotron & the eerie warp of a String Machine on magnetic tape. As an out of tune player piano plays alone in the vacant lobby of a hotel, we see the blur of the afterlife flickering in a single candle. Theatrical melodrama, plot twists, and character themes unravel in the vanity of youth in ‘The Young & The Restless’. Climaxing with a growling ensemble of synthesis, the instruments claw their way out of the grave.

Having left her hometown in Romania to pursue her lifelong goal of making it big in the music industry, rising pop talent Sorana is living the dream. Having already penned chart-topping multi-platinum hits for the likes of The Chainsmokers, David Guetta and Charli XCX, Sorana is stepping into the spotlight with a string of solo singles. Now, Sorana returns with her latest single ‘Happy Birthday Sadness.’ Building off the dance-pop sound she’s perfected alongside producers like David Guetta and Alan Walker, ‘Happy Birthday Sadness’ serves up a glowing house beat with a bouncy bassline and cheery guitars, all topped off with a catchy vocal hook. Offering a new spin on the “crying on the dancefloor” trope, Sorana finds melancholy in what would otherwise be a traditionally happy occasion, fending off feelings of loneliness and yearning as she blows out her birthday candles. “Birthday songs are always happy but I’ve always felt kinda melancholic on my birthday especially at my party when my friends bring out the cake and say ‘make a wish’ because in that moment I think of everything that is missing,” Sorana explains. “I moved from country to country so many times that no matter what, I always end up missing someone on my birthday. Songwriting is my therapy and with my birthday coming up, I wanted to write a dramatic birthday song to express a feeling I’m sure a lot of people have felt. It’s not always popping champagne, eating cake and laughing with your friends. Sometimes you’re alone or surrounded by the wrong people, away from your family, or lover or maybe you just want to cry at midnight. ‘Happy Birthday Sadness’ is a song for anyone who has ever felt the loneliest on what’s supposed to be our happiest day.” [via PAPER]

Berlin based Mulay has shared her new IVORY EP in full. An artist with an awareness of classical music, Mulay studied in the Netherlands before immersing herself in Berlin’s creative communities. Drawn to electronic production, her artful touch lit up debut EP ANTRACYTE before Mulay secluded herself back in the studio to focus on a follow up. Out now, IVORY finds the Berlin artist moving up a level, with the enticing introductory passage leading into four assured, emotive tracks. The sound of an artist moving with incredible confidence, IVORY blends the digital with the organic, with her beautiful voice acting as a guide through this ethereal realm. Watch the video for the title track above. [via Clash]

Willow’s follow-up to last year’s Lately I Feel Everything is here. COPINGMECHANISM is her newest LP, whose anticipation was built through tons of great singles like ‘Hover Like A Goddess’ and ‘Curious/Furious.’ To accompany the release of this new record, Willow unveiled a music video for the track ‘Ur A Stranger.’ It’s a metallic, bitter heartbreak anthem that’s propelled forward with caustic riffs and Willow’s pained vocals. The video finds her expressing that frustration as fully as possible, having something of an exorcism. There’s also lots of alcohol. After the flash of chaos, the video ends with Willow getting kicked out of a bar. [via UPROXX]

chloe moriondo is sick of indie boys, and now she’s experimenting on them in her new music video, ‘Plastic Purse.’ The high-energy single comes off of moriondo’s album Suckerpunch, which is out now. From the inside of a vibrant science lab, the 20-year-old pop singer towers over the shrunken, beanie-wearing boys before dropping them in her bright plastic purse. Moriondo’s playful persona in the song, written for “girls who want to feel better about themselves, and maybe go key somebody’s car,” captures the unpredictability of the uninhibited 13-track album. Suckerpunch is moriondo’s third full-length album following 2021’s Blood Bunny and 2018’s Rabbit Hearted. Though she rose to fame with understated indie-pop and pop-punk hits, she is taking her new album in a completely different direction, drawing inspiration from the early 2000s pop stars she grew up on. Exploring self-image, obsession, and power, moriondo is trying out a new sound as she expresses her experience as a young woman in the music industry. Ahead of her tour that begins October 12, moriondo implores fans, when listening to the silly yet sincere album, to “take it and love it and dance with it, or sit with it and chew on it and spit it out. ” [via PAPER]

Even R&B Ari Lennox isn’t immune to the tomfoolery of the dating scene, as displayed in the new visual for her single ‘POF,’ from her latest album, age/sex/location. Since ‘POF’ is all about plenty of fish in the sea, the video sees Lennox go on a number of nightmare dates, from an overly zealous mini golf player (played by special guest Smino) to a Netflix N Chill hangout with a man who still lives with his mom. But there’s a glint of light on the horizon for the singer. Without revealing too much, let’s just say that things may turn around for her by the end of the video, in an unexpected way. [via udiscover]

corook has shared her sneakily catchy and heartfelt new single, ‘your mom,’ alongside a bittersweet yet heartwarming music video, starring corook and her actual girlfriend. “I wrote this song when I was dating a girl in the closet,” shared corook. “I was really fortunate to have already come out so I wanted to extend support if she wanted it, as well as the time and space to make her own decisions about it. I think the line ‘You don’t have to tell your mom about me’ can relate to so many couples in that giddy beginning, living in their little love bubble not wanting to pop it too soon. I hope this song gives people the patience, love and compassion that they truly deserve during the coming out process.” [via Prelude Press]

Singaporean indie band Sobs have released their first new material in three years with the bubble-grunge meets skater-punk title track of their upcoming album ‘Air Guitar’. Released on Friday alongside a music video, the single sees Sobs draw inspiration from Weezer, Demi Lovato and Liz Phair with a single that blends alt-pop melodies with a distinctly disenfranchised tone in lyrics like “Rewind the tape and show me all your scars / I liked you better being silly with your air guitar” and “Your lips don’t taste the same you’re no longer mine / You’re not worthy of a fight / Like the sweetness of my cherry pie / I can’t stop but I’ll try”. The music video, which was directed by Edward Khoo, sees Sobs’ frontwoman Celine Autumn dragged into a contract agreement and transformed into a model. She seems to revel in the glamour at first, before discovering that she signed over the rights to her soul. [via NME]

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Nothing could’ve prepared us for what a beautiful couple Lizzo and fashion supermodel Tyson Beckford would make in her new music video for ‘2 Be Loved (Am I Ready).’ Making her wildest dreams come true, she brought the 51-year-old heartthrob to the desert for her self-titled album single. The visual follows Lizzo as a runaway bride, recreating scenes from her breakout ‘Truth Hurts’ music video in 2019. After leaving herself and a shirtless pastor at the altar, she speeds across the desert highway in a red convertible and stomps through sand hills wearing white platform combat boots. When all hope seems lost, Beckford appears on a motorcycle. A sight for sand-filled eyes, it seems almost too good to be true. The two get cozy and Lizzo goes in for the kiss, more ready than ever. Just as she does, her friends arrive to retrieve the runaway bride. What they find, though, is not a pretty picture: Lizzo making out with a tree, no supermodel in sight. But she doesn’t let biting on a little bark get her down. Quickly bouncing back with a bottle of Patron, nonetheless, Lizzo and her bridal party pull out all the stops. With choreographed numbers, campfires and blinding blinged-out lingerie, this party is decidedly better than Lizzo’s wedding, anyway. The ‘2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)’ video is an unapologetic ode to taking your time and loving yourself. So don’t settle for anything less than french kissing a supermodel on a motorcycle in the desert, even if it is a mirage. [via PAPER]

This week, THICK released their sophomore album, Happy Now and they’re also back with one last single, the gleaming and spiky ‘Happiness.’ “This song explores the ways we seek validation and how it motivates the way we interact with the world around us,” the band said in a statement. “Whether you look for it externally or internally, it begs the question, ‘Who is this all for and is it ever enough?’” [via Stereogum]

Canadian singer-songwriter Olivia Street and her band King of Foxes are the makers of delightful yet peppy indie-pop. Their recent single release of ‘Pleasant Solutions’ is a perfect demonstration of why her music connects with fans in such a unique way. She has a unique artistic method, that’s versatile and has the ability to create old-school retro sounds with a modern twist. There’s no lack of tongue-in-cheek throughout her music, with each music video bringing a playful vibe, the latest takes place in a dull office, before the staff take matters into their own hands. The lyrics and meaning throughout Only Here On Loan is about being confident, and holding on. The band writes, “When it comes to writing lyrics, I love finding universality in the specifics. I hope that people see themselves in the song — we’re all hurtling through space on a rock together, trying to hold on to what we think we know. There is beauty in realizing that nothing really belongs to us, that everything we have is ‘only here on loan.'” Taken from their forthcoming album, ‘Pleasant Solutions’ offers a rustic sound to modern indie. It’s full of quirky and catchy hooks that’s rich with a nostalgic touch. [via Earmilk]

Chloe Moriondo will release new album Suckerpunch on October 7. Moriondo takes full control of proceedings, augmenting her vision with contributions from Oscar Scheller (Rina Sawayama, PinkPantheress, Charli XCX), David Pramik (Machine Gun Kelly, Oliver Tree), and Teddy Geiger (Caroline Polachek, Olivia O’Brien). A 13 tracker, Chloe Moriondo will preview the album with a night at London’s iconic Heaven club on August 24. New single ‘Fruity’ is online, blazing a trail for the full length, her first since 2021’s ‘Blood Bunny’. The single bursts out of the traps, future-pop stylings with a punk-like sense of defiance. She comments… “’Fruity’ and this album in general are going to be a slap in the fucking face!! I liked the idea of naming the album for something that means an unexpected hit—something you never saw coming. It means the world to me to have the creative means to explore different shiny sounds and work with people I love so dearly on a project that is so new and exciting for me.” [via Clash]

Returning with her sassy pop sheen to prowl over the R&B scene, DEJA releases latest single ‘Boom Boom Bah’. DEJA’s badass and feisty female energy comes in with ‘Boom Boom Bah’. Empowering every girl with that whining and grinding confidence, DEJA shows appreciation to her body heritage in this atypical ode to her mother. Loaded with radiating hip beats and audacious elation, ‘Boom Boom Bah’ is a sass-soaked single. In her own words, DEJA explains;“Even though all the women in my bloodline were, I was not blessed with ample booty. In my family, this has been a running joke for as long as I can remember! Mama blessed me with no nyash, still every single man want that. ‘Boom Boom Bah’ pays homage to my mama and our heritage but in the most light-hearted way. I’ve written ballads about my love for my mother but I wanted this one to make her smile and shake body!”

Possessing a natural knack for genre-bending, Oregon-born artist Haley Johnsen has lent her musical magic to her retro new single ‘Renegade’. Indie-pop and folk-rock join forces here to create a unique sound, underpinned by soaring vocals and introspective lyricism. Having already built up an impressive fan base after her critically acclaimed debut album, Golden Days, the universally loved star’s return has been a sweet one, wrapped up in a nostalgic 80s and synth-laden tinge. Assembling the ultimate dream team on the new project, Johnsen brought to the mix award-winning, time-travelling filmmaker/ TikTok star, Maris Jones, for the track’s accompanying music video. The two creatives transport us to an entirely different decade in the new cut, flaunting all things 80s. Proving that self-love is a global currency when contemplating her newest cut, Johnsen explains, “‘Renegade’ is about fully stepping into who you are and what you’re meant to do in this life, which I believe is one of the most badass, rebellious things we can do. I needed to write this song to remind myself that even though I still struggle with my self-esteem and trust in myself at times, that I am still brave enough to be continuing to push through and follow my dreams. In this video made by the incredible Maris Jones, I get to become the superhero I always hoped I’d be for myself. Saving the world from evil storms of self-doubt and battling it with self-love and courage, one day at a time!” [via Wonderland]

Following the release of their first album in six years Radiate Like This, Warpaint are sharing the video for LP cut ‘Hips’. “’Hips’ has a scuttling intensity to it,” director Jim Hosking says. “It sounds like someone desperately trying to find something. Or at least that’s what it seemed to me. I listened to it repeatedly and kept seeing women desperately searching for each other in a seaside town. Ideas present themselves and it’s not about logic or reason, it’s about emotion. And here the emotion suggested identically dressed women finding each other in an old seaside town in England called Southend On Sea.” “We are thrilled to share this strange and beautiful video for ‘Hips’ from the brilliant mind of Jim Hoskins,” the band add. “Give it a watch.” [via DIY]

Artist on the rise, EMELINE returns with her strong-minded and sensually charged new single ‘Strut’ and its accompanying video. Co-written by EMELINE, ‘Strut’ finds the Los Angeles-based artist fully owning her sexuality and turning the track’s chorus into a supremely catchy statement of freedom: “I don’t do the walk of shame, I strut.” A dance-ready anthem of self-celebration, ‘Strut’ follows the Rhode Island-born singer-songwriter’s viral smash hit ‘cinderella’s dead’. In a departure from the slow-burning dark-pop of ‘cinderella’s dead,’ ‘Strut’ brings EMELINE’s breathy vocals and sophisticated wordplay to a high-energy backdrop of diamond-hard beats, glistening synth, and retro-flavored horns. Both playful and unapologetic, the result is the latest proof of EMELINE’s gift for transforming self-reflection into spellbinding songs with a powerful impact. Co-directed by EMELINE and Kate Zamudio, the video for ‘Strut’ follows the free-spirited phenomenon as she struts along city streets, endlessly turning heads with her unbridled confidence. A glorious explosion of pink, the visual also captures EMELINE making out in a vintage car and an old-school phone booth, ultimately inspiring the scandalized bystanders to shake off their inhibitions and dance along with her.

Los Angeles-based DIY rock band The Paranoyds share new single and accompanying video, ‘BWP’. Alongside the single, the band announces a UK tour this fall with tickets on sale now here, in addition to their North American dates, ahead of their highly anticipated sophomore LP, Talk Talk Talk due out September 9 and available for pre-order now, via Third Man Records. After some audio feedback and a steady guitar loop begins, ‘BWP’ opens the album with an attempt to escape the monotony of daily life. Over warbled vocals, expressing disappointment with how the once-alluring future turned out, guitarist and vocalist Lexi Funston sings, “Up on my bed / I’m looking to mend / I contend I’ve got a case / A fight in my head / I’ve got a ten I’m willing to spend / A day is long when not much is coming in / Cross off 60 more, this future was a bore” Funston explains the fuzzy jam is inspired by feeling stuck in an endless routine for so long, daydreams no longer feel special or significant–they’ve just become the norm. “Every now and then there are those days and sometimes even weeks where it just feels like you’re in a rut–for me they’re usually induced by some sort of gnarly LA heatwave or fire (if i’m really unlucky, it’s both!). All you can really do to escape the heat is daydream, but daydreaming day-to-day…it’s just not the same.” Speaking to what the title’s three letters stand for, Funston adds, “I wrote the demo for the song at a time where it felt like all of a sudden Spotify was overcompensating for years of only boosting male rock bands, in this super disingenuous way (2019). There was this playlist called “Badass Women’s Playlist,” which I thought was such a cringe title for a playlist (looking at the playlist now, they dropped the “Women’s”). “But, on the other hand,” Funston admits, “I wanted our music to be on this playlist…I figured if I wrote a song with that intention in mind and named it after the playlist, we might finally get some subliminal love from Spotify…I guess that makes it a self-referential song about selling out.” Directed by Max Flick, the track’s accompanying video allows each band member and their instrument shine as each shot corresponds seamlessly with each note played. Against a black backdrop, hues of red, yellow and blue along with a single spotlight bring the floating heads of each band member in and out of view. Similar to previously shared visuals, the band brings their retro spirit with them into the future, creating something brand new altogether. Flick, who has previously collaborated with the band, was thrilled to be able to direct the latest video. “Since the first time I saw The Paranoyds play at the original Non Plus Ultra I was an instant fan and knew I wanted to make a video together. We have worked on many projects over the years, but this is my first time directing for them.” After listening to the track, Flick had a clear vision for the visual. “Listening to ‘BWP’ immediately provided me with these vivid images that we were able to make come to life and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”

Sudan Archives has shared a new video for her song ‘NBPQ (Topless),’ a track from her forthcoming album Natural Brown Prom Queen. Agusta YR directed the busy, surreal visual. [via Pitchfork]

Annie DiRusso shares her new single ‘Call It All Off.’ “The song is about losing yourself in someone or something and trying to reenter the world once that chapter closes,” DiRusso shares. “This song was born from a time when I was so caught up in a relationship that I didn’t realize I had isolated myself from friends, family and a lot of good things in my life. When I realized how much I missed, I found myself wanting to just give up & ‘call it all off’ rather than reconnect with the outside world because it seemed like too big an undertaking. Releasing this song is a good reminder that there’s life on the other side.” Annie DiRusso also shared about the song, “It’s like me walking out of that relationship and reentering the world and realizing, like, I had a neglected relationship with my friends. Or like, I think often what happens in those kinds of relationships is when someone tells you, like, you should break up with him, then you’re like, ‘yeah, yeah.’ And then you like, just like, don’t talk to that person for a while because I don’t want to break up with your boyfriend. Like, and that was something that had happened with a lot of my friends. And so I think there was that period of kind of getting out of that relationship and being like, Hey, I broke up with him finally. All my friends were so welcoming, too. And it’s just a feeling, like, I think it’s about that fear of, like, I feel so disconnected from everyone, and everyone’s life moved on while I was, like, in this bubble. And I feel weird, like having to reenter now, you know, after missing so much.” [via Guitar Girl Mag]

Ghost Car, the London-based international punk quartet, announced their debut album Truly Trash following their signing to One Little Independent Records. The riotous, quick-witted collection of 11 garage-rock bangers will be released on October 28. The album provides Ghost Car with a platform to rage against political injustices, as their unified harmonies attack patriarchal inequality, homophobia, racism and toxic relationships. Truly Trash is a call to reclaim autonomy and to revolt against the powers that uphold an archaic nationalist system. The jumped-up chaos of their glorious new single ‘Conch Pearl’ perfectly matches its B-movie style visual, by upcoming videographer Cath Shayler. She says that “Ghost Car become collectively entranced by a mysterious pearl object. Obsession quickly turns to possession as the pearl transforms into an all-encompassing hypnotic orb”. The band describe ‘Conch Pearl’ as “a feminist commentary on women/queer community being ‘shrunk down’ to fit a mould. The idea of a conch shell closing up, closing yourself off to the world vs opening up. We wanted to use the obsession with the pearl to represent the possession that is sometimes manifested towards women, something all of us have experienced first-hand at some point in our lives”. [via SoundSphere]

LØLØ’s new single ‘u turn me on (but u give me depression)’ is an excellent summer anthem for anyone who secretly hates their partner. “I wish I fell for an ax murderer instead of you / He’d kill me too but at least he’d make it quick.” LØLØ rolls her eyes, arms crossed over a bright orange bedspread, as she delivers her first line, in the music video, next to a man who is fast asleep. “No he wouldn’t get me hot and heavy / Then pretend he never met me and make me such a crazy bitch.” ‘u turn me on (but u give me depression)’ is a pop-punk battle cry rich with upbeat instrumentals. The music starts off with a bare-bones guitar riff before building up to crisp drum claps and a resonant bass line. Speaking of the new track, LØLØ says, of the lover, “Instead of being dead, I live in a constant state of purgatory – flip flopping from happiness to sadness. I love him, I hate him. He turns me on. He gives me depression. But most importantly, he helps me write the best songs.” [via SPIN]

Whimsical, imaginative and ethereal are all words to describe Arizona born and bred indie pop artist Summy. Now based in Los Angeles, the young social media influencer and otherworldly songwriter crafts music inspired by her personal experiences and her deepest desire to inspire other women to be strong, embrace growth, and to love themselves for who they are. Inspired by a wide array of musical influences including Whitney Houston, Phil Collins, Chicago, Elton John, and Lady Gaga, Summy writes music that is genre-defying and introspective. Her latest single ‘Said It After’ is about “when the relationship ends, the person comes to say all the things you wanted to hear when you were together but now it’s too late, because they said it after.” Summy’s lush and intimate vocals glide effortlessly over enchanting electronic pop soundscapes culminating into a magnetizing musical release. Summy has an uncanny ability to tap into the shared human experience and highlight our deepest emotions for music that is cathartic, tender, and emotive. In addition to her music, she embodies an aesthetic that is creative and vibrant, building a fantastical world for her and her fans. “I’ve always been very drawn to an ethereal and colorful energy for the clothes I wear and the makeup looks I do. I think one of the reasons why I’m more attracted to that kind of vibe is because it really helps me cope with my depression and mental struggles. It’s much harder to cry if you’re in fairy wings,” confides the songwriter. [via Substream]

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Bonnie Trash is the drone-rock project of Canadian-Italian twin sisters Emmalia and Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor. They’ve shared new single ‘Teeth’ – a first glimpse at their debut album, which is due to be released later this year by Hand Drawn Dracula. ‘Teeth’ sees Bonnie Trash at their poppiest, recontextualizing a ‘Be My Baby’ beat (a nod to Ronnie Spector up above) before a wash of swoony, microtonal drones, the words telling of a love story that might be toxic. The band share the track with a self-directed video, commenting: “We created a short film to help narrate stories our Nonna Maria told us about being haunted and followed by a curse in her hometown of San Zenone degli Ezzelini in Treviso, Italy. That short eventually became the concept of our album, which is woven into our first music video, ‘Teeth.’ Shot at the Apollo Cinema in Kitchener, Ontario, ‘Teeth’ bridges generations of being haunted – we see ourselves watching our work without understanding that we too have conjured the curse. A malocchio follows.”

Manchester’s very own Robin Knightz is back with a new single dubbed ‘It’s About Time’ alongside visuals. The 23-year-old riser has been turning heads up and down the country since releasing her single ‘Fiji Drip’ back in 2018. Now signed to Sony 5K Records, the young artist has her sights set and is someone that should definitely be on your radar. Releasing a brand new single, ‘It’s About Time’ alongside some vibrant visuals, Robin Knightz has once again blown us away. The artist signature style of rap and pop sound complements the neon futuristic visuals perfectly. [via GRM Daily]

Later this summer, TOPS keyboardist Marta Cikojevic is releasing her debut album as Marci. We’ve heard a pair of tracks from it already, ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Immaterial Girl,’ and now she’s back with another one, the gauzy and breezy ‘Terminal.’ “’Terminal’ is my joke vapid lingo about being dead because something is soooo cool,” Cikojevic explained. “The song is about how music can be so overwhelmingly good it allows you to fully escape. David [Carriere] and I wrote the seed of this song while we were pregaming for a party that turned out to be shit.” [via Stereogum]

Next month, Chicago’s Beach Bunny will release their sophomore album, Emotional Creature. So far, the indie-pop cover stars have shared lead single ‘Oxygen,’ ‘Fire Escape,’ ‘Karate’ (with a video featuring a cameo from Bob Odenkirk), and now they’re back with another new single and video: ‘Entropy.’ Like the previous Emotional Creature offerings, ‘Entropy’ is a Y2K-era pop-rock blast, full of melodic guitar riffs, which are punctuated by Lili Trifilio’s yearning vocals. The video, meanwhile, continues down the previously discussed sci-fi aesthetic, with the band crafting a full action-adventure storyline inspired by Star Wars and Star Trek. [via Stereogum]

The A’s is a duo featuring two thirds of Mountain Man: Amelia Meath (also of Sylvan Esso) and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig (also of Daughter of Swords). Their debut album Fruit comes out July 15 via Psychic Hotline, and it features new interpretations of “lullabies, traditional ballads and rural standards […] and other music that Meath and Sauser-Monnig simply love to sing,” plus the original song ‘When I Die.’ It was produced by The A’s and Amelia’s Sylvan Esso bandmate Nick Sanborn, and it was “made with a makeshift orchestra of nylon shorts, hair, shoes, ice chunk, gravel, frog samples and other unexpected objects.” It also features vocals, electronics, and more from Nick Sanborn, guest vocals from Jenn Wasner (Flock of Dimes, Wye Oak) on the original song ‘When I Die,’ backing vocals from Alli Rogers, string arrangements from Gabriel Kahane on ‘He Needs Me,’ saxophone from Sam Gendel on ‘Copper Kettle,’ and guitar from Alan Good Parker on ‘Swing and Turn Jubilee.’ The first two songs released are a rendition of Harry Nilsson and Shelley Duvall’s ‘He Needs Me’ from the 1980 Popeye movie, and a rendition of the DeZurik Sisters’ ‘Why I’m Grieving.’ The former is sweeping and vintage in an early 20th century pop kind of way, while the latter is a whimsical, yodeling a cappella. [via Brooklyn Vegan]

Pixey is back with her new single, ‘Come Around (Sunny Day)’. The Liverpool newcomer’s first new music since last October’s Sunshine State EP, it arrives ahead of a project coming later this year. “‘Come Around (Sunny Day)’ is a 90s style summer tune I wrote around looped guitars and breakbeat samples,” Pixel explains. “I wanted to create a tune with an upbeat vibe but with the lyrics keeping to a more anxious undertone. It’s about struggling to say what you mean when someone won’t hear you out – something I definitely relate to!” [via Dork]

Bells Larsen has announced their debut album, Good Grief. Set for release on September 9, news of the record is accompanied by teaser single and video, ‘Double Aquarius’. “I love this song because it was born during one of the darker periods of my life, but is sonically quite bouncy and upbeat,” Bells explains.”I was listening to a lot of Soccer Mommy, Courtney Barnett, and Frankie Cosmos at the time, so I had developed an affinity for tongue-in-cheek lyrics melded with memorable hooks. This song is about blaming your blues on astrology.” Of the video, they add: “Contrary to what ‘Double Aquarius’ might imply, I’m not that big into astrology. I do know, however, that Aquarians tend to be spacey. I thought it might be fun to run with the astrology theme and have the video take place in space. Director Jack Harrison’s retro visual aesthetic lent itself really well to the video and we had a ton of fun playing around with the special effects (like me floating!). When I’m feeling off, I tend to ask myself if there’s something going on with me or if there’s just something in the stars. This video splits the difference and shows that it can be a bit of both.” [via Dork]

Nina Nesbitt will release new album Älskar on September 2. The title means ‘to love’ in Swedish, a nod to her heritage and a country that played a key role in the making of the record. Sessions for Älskar date back to 2019, but when the pandemic intervened Nina Nesbitt began completing sessions over Zoom, using the spare bedroom in her mother’s house. She comments: “Making this album was a completely different experience to anything I’ve made before, although a lot of the music was created remotely, I feel that I’ve processed so much and learnt a lot about the relationships in my life during the last few years. I wanted to capture all types of love in their raw forms, whether it be romantic, heartbreak, friendship, coming of age, familial or self love.” New single ‘Pressure Makes Diamonds’ is out now, a polished return with a lyric that discusses the way society treats women as they mature. Crafted alongside producers Jack & Coke, Swedish artist SHY Martin was also on hand during the sessions. Nina adds: “I wrote ‘Pressure Makes Diamonds’ about trying to navigate my way through the societal pressures I started to feel as a woman in my mid-twenties.” Director Wolf James worked on the video, a playfully stylish return from Nina. [via Clash]

Danish-Faroese Brimheim released the critically acclaimed album can’t hate myself into a different shape in January this year, and now she’s finished the music video for the title track. It’s a visual gem, made with the Danish director Tone Ottilie behind the camera, about bodies, shame, acceptance and the music video showcases different queer couples in their homes and intimate spaces. “We asked the actors to show us something meaningful for them. Friends, creativity, partners or spouses and we tried to show a pallet of heartwarming ways that queer people express their passions and show their intimate spaces. I think I kinda ended up making the video I needed to see myself. The overall message is that self love and love for others can be a way out of self loathing”, Tone Ottilie says.

A remarkably precocious multi-hyphenate, this songwriter, producer, and vocalist is busy doing it her own way, melding towards R&B with shards of ultra-colourful pop music. Recent single ‘Will We Ever Get This Right’ was a radiant offering, but we reckon floweroflove could have surpassed herself with the follow-up. Out now, ‘Hannah Montana’ has a cute sense of innocence, but it contrasts this with the world-weariness of an artist in bloom. Aiming for something “nostalgic, versatile, mellow, warm, and the feeling of home” she twists between her dual roles: the academic young student, and the hotly-tipped artist. As she puts it: “‘Hannah Montana’ is a reflection of how I’m a regular student on the weekdays but on the weekends I’m Flowerovlove.” [via Clash]

We are here to provide you with some much-needed escapism in the form of Hēir’s ‘Vertigo’. An ethereal tune that promises to enchant thanks to its all-consuming atmospheric production and the Russian singer’s other-worldly tone, we can guarantee that the woes of the real world will feel like a very distant memory upon first listen. “‘The difficulty in maintaining balance and the fear of letting go. The song symbolises the transformation we experience as soon as we leave a relationship behind, when we feel lost yet attracted to a new beginning and the unknown,” explains the artist when discussing her newest release and the meaning behind the tune. “The sample within the song is meant to simulate a video game, where you fall and get back up until you pass onto the next level. ‘Vertigo’ is the jump to the new level.” And, the accompanying music video is as out-of-this-world as the track itself. With the artist taking to a set of escalators underneath a celestial sky, the project promises to transport viewers away from their desks and into the depths of Hēir’s sweet-sounding and slightly trippy world. [via Wonderland]

Fearsome shredder, songwriter, producer and unconventional rock luminary KAYE is officially back with the single and video ‘Neon God.’ This week’s release, the title track off of her upcoming EP set to be released on August 5, ushers in the funky, flamboyant response to 2020’s acclaimed Conscious Control. “This song has so many layers of meaning for me. I was raised in a conservative Christian household, and to my Chinese immigrant parents, becoming a rock star was the most Satanic thing I could possibly do. I had a promise ring! I went to church camp,” laughs KAYE about ‘Neon God’. “One day, I snuck out of the house and experienced my first punk show, and that was when I was TRULY evangelized. I found belonging with all these other misfits, and THAT became my church. Since then, I’ve been fascinated by this idea of how not just rock stars, but politicians, celebrities, actors, tech leaders, news anchors—all have their own cults of personality. It made me think about what I worship now, as opposed to back then—has one idol just been swapped for another?” The official video for ‘Neon God’ was directed by KAYE’s sister, acclaimed filmmaker Liann Kaye (‘The Blessing’). This choreographed storyline flashes between the dark and the light as KAYE contemplates what in life is worth worshiping. In full rock-and-roll Devil style, she shreds on her guitar while adorning black angel wings. If one thing is clear from the video, this is KAYE’s pulpit and we all better tune into what she has to say.

Brooklyn-based alt-pop singer-songwriter, Sabrina Song, shares her first single, the contemplative track, ‘Doors’ and its accompanying video, from her forthcoming EP due out this winter. ‘Doors,’ sees Song gently explore toxicity, reckoning with ways to address a relationship that has remained unsustainable. A quiet edge exists throughout the track, where listeners may find themselves waiting for the beat to pick up, or explode, but it never does, brilliantly capturing the feelings evoked by the lyricism and song itself. Song explains,”‘Doors’ is about a toxic relationship where no matter what you do or say, they are never satisfied. I reference specific moments throughout my life where it feels as though I was letting someone down or being let down myself, yet was still made to feel as though it was my fault. The chorus shows that feeling you have when you just need to get out of a situation and be alone to process: “I don’t care how it sounds, I just want to go home.” The music video, directed by Zac Dov Wiesel, sees Song reliving high school moments, from getting ready for prom, to high school football games, a birthday party and more. One of the high school football players can be seen throughout the video, with whom things continually seem tense. Explaining the idea behind the video, Wiesel adds, “We wanted to capture this time in adolescence that is filled with such an odd mix of feelings. To portray something that is so serious yet so silly. Capture something that feels so real and is also filled with artifice. We imagined a lot of these scenes like moments frozen in time, like photographs. What does it look like to be winning but also be so hurt?” Tying the song into the video, Wiesel continues, “The song is about how the little actions a toxic person does can feel so big. We wanted to portray something that could be perceived as silly with real weight. We always wanted to create a mixture of tones, and I feel like that makes people uncomfortable, and I love that.” Speaking to the video’s juxtaposition of winning while also losing, Song explains, “We wanted to show these hyperbolized scenes of winning and success, and contrast them with the presence of this one intrusive figure. That feeling of everything going great, and having this one person who’s capable of spoiling every moment.” With the visual paired with the track, Song captures the intricacies of walking away from something that can feel good, but ultimately causes pain as she finds the strength to choose herself.

Dropping her new single ‘BONNIE (B-SIDE)’, KENZIE TTH pushes the boundaries on experimentation and effortlessly blurs the lines between alt-R&B and contemporary pop. Showcasing her smooth unmistakable vocals and slick songwriting prowess, the singer-songwriter layers this over an eccentric ear-worming production that instantly brings the vibe. Accompanying the release with an equally as creative video, the artist takes full control and provides an abstract visual that brings her non-conformist attitude to life. Speaking on the release, the artist said, “To me, Bonnie as a character is the girl that gets labelled ‘quirky’ or the ‘eccentric manic pixie dream girl; and feels like she plays a supporting character in her own life. I think we all have some Bonnie in us — the presentation and performance of self that then gets commodified and flattened into a two-dimensional object by others.” [via Wonderland]

With a decade of acting behind her, YDE aims to conquer the music world as duelling identities dominate her new single ‘Old Her’. ‘Old Her’ adds to her already sizeable fan base built from years of acting in Nickelodeon and Netflix tweener shows like The Haunted Hathaways, School of Rock, and Malibu Rescue. But like fellow thespian Jared Leto, YDE doesn’t consider music to be a sideline. She plays every instrument needed for a rock band – guitar, bass, keys and drums – and her piano skills are a prominent part of ‘Old Her.’ In the new video, the new and old YDE personas dance and grapple with each other while the lyrics summarise the ongoing struggle: “She miss the old her, even though the new her is better than the old her“. “The song is my perspective on growing up and feeling like life never gets easier,” YDE shares. “Each verse is a real-time reflection from different chapters of life that all point back to the sarcastic conclusion that ignorance is bliss.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

Chloe Moriondo returns with new single ‘Hell Hounds’. Out now, the single appears on the deluxe edition of her new album, with Blood Bunny Deluxe boasting alternate and acoustic tracks. ‘Hell Hounds’ is a single that has been brewing for some time, a perfectly-primed dose of rebel pop from the outlaw talent. “I’ve been waiting SO FUCKING LONG to release this and am so excited for everyone to hear it,” she comments. “This is the beginning of a shiny new era and i hope everyone loves it!! <3” [via Clash]

Brooklyn indie pop duo, Daisy the Great have returned just in time for summer with their new single, ‘Easy’ via S-Curve/Hollywood Records. The vulnerable breakup track comes accompanied by an official music video, co-directed by Daisy the Great and NYC-based filmmaker Edoardo Ranaboldo (AJR). “‘Easy’ is a breakup song about all of the complicated – i.e. not always easy – feelings that come along with the end of a relationship,” say Daisy the Great about the song, “The song is about learning to trust yourself, finding joy in loving yourself, feeling hope! At the same time, it’s about how sometimes even when something isn’t right, it still hurts to let it go. The music video was filmed in Brooklyn and features our whole band as well as choreography by our dear friend Matilda Sakamoto. With the video, we wanted to explore a lot of the ups and downs of a breakup. Sometimes we might feel chaotic, or really free and independent, or we might experience true grief for something lost. And in those tough moments we lean on our pals. So even though the video is a lot about the break up, it’s also about friends being there for each other.” [via Prelude Press]

Allison Ponthier wants to know: “When celebrities — especially misunderstood famous women — pass away, what happens after they die?” On Thursday, the songstress asked that question and explores utopic afterlife in the funky music video for ‘Hollywood Forever Cemetery’ off her new Shaking Hands with Elvis EP. “In this video, ‘Hollywood Forever Cemetery’ is a haven for those whose value and talents were taken for granted in life,” she tells Rolling Stone. “While I truly believe that anyone can receive the help they need to make life worth living, I always wanted to imagine the stars that were gone too soon in a place that respected them.” The video introduces viewers to “Hat Girl” after she dies and realizes she’s only remembered for being a starlet as she reads headlines dehumanizing her with headlines like “Starlet’s Latest Role: Coffin Filler” and “Hat Girl Sheds Final Tear.” She’s then accepted by the “kooky but lovable characters” at the cemetery, including a furried Elvis. [via Rolling Stone]

Two-time Grammy nominee Madison Cunningham announces new album Revealer and is set for release on September 9 via Decca Records. “’Hospital’ is written from this sort of half awake, slightly drunken, on the cusp of a nervous breakdown perspective,” Cunningham explains of her new single. “I think ultimately it speaks to the impossible condition of being sedated with information and trying to hold onto your sanity.” [via Total Entertainment]

Canadian goth pop artist POESY has released her haunting new single, ‘Multiply’. Her second taste of new music to come from her upcoming debut album, I Exist, ‘Multiply’ is about facing an all encompassing rage in the midst of pain. ‘Multiply’ follows POESY’s powerful and positive track, ‘Still Breathing’, serving as a perfect contrast to the other uplifting song. Eerie synths and sinister string arrangements really drive the track home as POESY admits, “I swear I didn’t mean it to end like this, but you know what you did.” She may not have wanted to fight fire with fire, but sometimes, as she states, “rage is a pretty thing”. [via Prelude Press]

Abby Roberts has shared the new video for ‘Video Girl’, the latest track to arrive from the singer’s anticipated debut EP Ashes. The new video sees the Leeds singer satirising unrealistic expectations placed on our lives by social media. It sees her taking a powder called Miracle-Lax in order to achieve an “insta-perfect life”, which is in keeping with the song’s powerful critique of social media’s dark side. “I wish that I looked like you. And lately I’ve been working on my smile too,” she sings on the new alt-rock driven track. Speaking to Rolling Stone UK, Roberts said of the new video: “I’m so in love with how the music video turned out. It was probably our most ambitious one so far with so much going on, there’s so many easter eggs & references, I recruited some fans from Tiktok too and you may even spot a few familiar faces! It was the most fun i’ve ever had filming a music video.” [via Rolling Stone]

Rising star, Iyla has returned with a brand-new single, ‘2LATE,’ out now via 3T Entertainment/Astra Velum/EMPIRE. ‘2LATE’ serves as the follow up to ‘Sad Bitch Bad Bitch,’ which marked the first taste of new music from the California-born artist and songwriter. ‘2LATE’ was written by Iyla and Y2 and produced by longtime collaborator Kadis. As one might expect with a new Iyla release, ‘2LATE’ arrives with an epic and otherworldly music video. The video was filmed on location in Frazier Park and Crestline in California and directed by longtime collaborator Patrick “Embryo” Tapu, with styling from Brookelyn Styles. Her exemplary, other-worldly visuals are fast becoming an Iyla trademark, each one delving deeper into her avant-garde approach to her art and fueled with important messages. “I wanted ‘2LATE’ to tell the heart-aching story of moving on from a toxic relationship, falling in love with someone new, and having your heart torn in two places at once,” Iyla reveals about the track. Speaking about the video, she adds, “The music video explores the pain of what that love triangle would look like if all three parties were forced to watch it unfold.” [via Vents Magazine]

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