October And The Eyes return with new single ‘Public Image’. The songwriter is prepping her new Certificate Of Participation EP, another display of artful creativity. Constructed on her own terms, it’s an art-pop song cycle, one that frames her relentless ambitions and urge towards expression. Take new single ‘Public Image’. Out now, it’s driven forwards by October’s intense grasp of musicality, with sessions absorbing the assistance of Yves Rothman as co-producer. Over-layering different perspectives, the lyrics analyse our social media selves, and the myriad ways our identity is explored through technology. October comments… “‘Public Image’ in its simplest form is inspired by the idea of the digital panopticon. It’s about my relationship with social media and the incessant pressure to constantly be seen and be seen doing well, but also the relationship between surveillance (CCTV) and voluntary self surveillance (social media) and the lack of actual autonomy we have over our public image.” The striking video was shot by revered visual artist Rei Nadal, a former student of the famed British fashion photographer, Nick Knight. Of the video, October adds… “While inspired by a current reality, I think ‘Public Image’ sets the tone and foreshadows the apocalyptic and science fiction based themes that are presented later in the EP.” [via Clash]

British-Brazilian artist Liana Flores details the release of her debut album, titled Flower of the soul, out June 28 via Verve/Fiction Records. Flower of the soul is described as a transportive release, with Flores painting “vivid pictures of nature, fantasy, love and loss” with a clarity in vocal that imports the the listener right into her inner sanctum. Last month, she shared the bossa-inspired single ‘i wish for the rain‘. With the album announce Flores shares new single, ‘Nightvisions’, a folky lamentation building to a string-laden crescendo, painting evocations of a first love influenced by her favourite gothic romances. Of the album, Flores says: “Flower of the soul wanders through many stylistic influences, from sunshine pop, to bossa nova, to 60s psych folk, evoking the changing seasons of life and nature, and the core emotions that persist throughout.” [via Clash]

Queen of girlie pop and bisexual TikTok sensation Chrissy Chlapecka releases cheeky new single ’10 Boyfriends’ ahead of her highly anticipated debut EP Girlie Pop out June 5. An explosion of fun synthy pop with 80’s sitcom visuals, the boppy track is quintessential Chrissy. The tongue in cheek lyricism is all about having fun, being hot and living by the absolute truth that “a pretty girl should never have just one guy.”

Beth Gibbons releases ‘Lost Changes’, heralding the release of her debut solo album Lives Outgrown on Friday. The evocative video for ‘Lost Changes’ is the directorial debut by acclaimed British photographer Juno Calypso, known for her hyper-feminine, humour-filled and deeply sinister art.

Sacramento punks Destroy Boys have dropped a new song, ‘Plucked,’ produced by Carlos De La Garza (Paramore, The Linda Linda’s, Best Coast, etc). Their first music of the year, ‘Plucked,’ is a tenacious piece of shimmering pop-rock that slowly veers into post-punk territory. On ‘Plucked’, the band notes: “’Plucked’ is an entry to a new era. It’s focused on freedom of expression & learning how to embrace your quirks. It’s ultimately just a little pop-rock banger. It’s super fun to play – we’re excited to play it live in future shows!”

Aotearoa’s Earth Tongue elevate our week with the lurid riff-worship of their new single ‘Out of this Hell’. Gussie Larkin and Ezra Simons go full mondo horror mode with this one, sounding not unlike a pair of town criers possessed as they spread dark word of the hooved one’s mighty return, with cheeky nods to Claudio Simonetti’s classic squelching synth work. Directed by Levi Strauss Cranston, shot on 16mm film by Simons, produced by the group and made with support from NZ On Air, the accompanying clip is a spine-chilling, blood-drenched cinematic masterwork, starring a glamorous Larkin wandering a remote west coast landscape overwhelmed by cult dread. “I couldn’t wait to unleash some screams like a wannabe scream queen. I even cried real tears for this! There’s something a little spooky about the west coast, particularly at night when you’re standing in the cold wielding a knife for the camera. It’s such a wild, remote coastline and there weren’t any houses or people around for miles. I think that helped me with channelling that sense of isolation and turmoil,” says Gussie Larkin [via Under The Radar]

Night In Athens is a dark synth project that was formed in East London in 2020. Unsettling vocals pierce their music with whispers, cajoles, and screams. They delve into the shadows, unearthing the murk and sociopolitical decay of what were once brave societies. Their haunting tunes are dynamic dirges that expose the corruption festering within the human condition. Their latest single, ‘Words Unspoken’, delves into the profound serenity of silence amidst the cacophony of modern existence. Initially, it may seem like a dark wave tune, yet it reveals silence as unsettling, odd, and even frightening. The lyrics portray silence as a sanctuary, a place of wisdom and peace, standing in stark contrast to the world’s turmoil. Through hushed whispers and unspoken words, the song underscores how silence offers true freedom and respite from constant demands, highlighting the modern struggle to communicate emotionally and love genuinely. Silence is often more than just a lack of sound. The haunting video for ‘Words Unspoken,’ a performance piece, was filmed in a North London industrial warehouse, under the direction of Simone Pellegrini. The stark, eerie setting perfectly complements the song’s exploration of silence and its unsettling power, creating a visual counterpart to the song’s theme of finding sanctuary amidst chaos. [via Post Punk]

Melbourne post punk/new wave/art pop band Kosmetika have announced the release of their third studio album Luxury. The announcement comes with the release of lead single ‘Pictures Are Gone’ and its accompanying video. The 10-track record will be out on July 12 via Spoilsport Records. Following their impressive DIY home-recorded effort in their sophomore album Illustration, Kosmetika turn to a more studio focused record featuring engineering from Erik Scerba. They also depart from the more duo focused sounds, to a band heavy approach featuring all five members inputing vocals, song ideas and creating a diverse and detailed 10 tracks channeling a combination of their two previous releases. The new single is a first taste of a more collaborative endeavour from Kosmetika, sitting somewhere between the 80’s melancholic new-wave of the last record and some of the faster paced pop songs yet to come on Luxury. The track settles into a psych-tinged shoegaze slow burner, featuring Eno-like melodic bass lines and washed out distorted guitars. It features Veeka Nazarova, the sole vocalist of ‘Illustration’, and maintains her usual new-wave tinged pop, also found in album hits ‘Automobile’ and ‘Halp’. [via Kool Rock Radio]

Alt-pop sensation Girli has unveiled her latest album, Matriarchy. The new album showcases Girli’s unique blend of electro-pop and introspective lyrics, cementing her status as a leading figure in the alt-pop genre and an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. Girli described the new album: “Matriarchy is an album of honest, authentic, confident but also painfully self-aware songs. It’s a story of the pain of growing up and healing from experiences that diminish your self-worth to nothingness. It’s about building yourself back up again after pain, setting boundaries and becoming a queen of your own queendom. It’s about the pain and joy of the queer experience, the rollercoaster of adulthood and mental illness, setting boundaries and learning to love yourself and ultimately finding your people, your community, your matriarchy.” The album release is accompanied by a new single, ‘Feel My Feelings’, which Girli describes as a song about being “an oversensitive, overemotional, over-reactive person.” She adds, “It’s an apology to a partner who’s getting frustrated with how emotional and dramatic I am. It’s about not being able to control my emotions and mood swings and complicating my relationships beyond my control.” The music video for ‘Feel My Feelings’ enhances the emotive themes, depicting a modern Renaissance banquet where Girli and her love interest convey their overwhelming emotions through surrealist imagery. Girli notes, “This video captures the love and hate embodied in toxic relationships. We see Girli submerged in a water tank, drowning in her emotions, while her lover stands on the other side of the glass unable to hear her.” [via whynow]

Virginia-based singer/songwriter/producer Ryan Wright creates songs that don’t make sense on paper–an ethereal voice singing angsty lyrics over confectionary synth-driven hooks. Her lyrics–at times profane, often tongue-in-cheek, occasionally devastating–reveal a searing wit and a sensitive heart. Her arresting voice embodies the kind of teenage heartache that is deeply personal and yet universal and timeless. Her latest single, ‘Quarter Life Crisis’ marks a new direction for Wright, as she ventures from clean indie guitars and crunchy production, married with a Roy Orbison-esque melody, into a bubble grunge sound with punky production and an edge that cuts deep. Heavily influenced by female artists like Mitski, Momma, Veruca Salt, and Blondshell, the result is a crossover between the grunge production of the 90s and the very female led category of bubblegum pop. Wright confides, “‘Quarter Life Crisis’ is the very essence of what it feels like to be in your early 20s to mid thirties. Although the age gap is vast, the feelings are mutual because in reality it’s not easy to become an independent adult. The song nurtures the very real feelings of the fear of becoming an adult and falling further and further away from youth. The song has a bit of longing that still clings to the urge to act young and dumb like you did as a teenager, but you’re stuck in your twenties feeling like your life is maturing way faster than you are. Quarter Life Crisis is the anthem for the trials and tribulations of aging.”

Irish songwriter Orla Gartland has shared new single ‘Little Chaos’. The artist has been working as one-quarter of bedroom pop supergroup FIZZ, playing some huge dates across the land. Next week she gets back to solo duties, kicking off an intimate tour of the UK and Ireland. Alongside this, Orla has shared solo single ‘Little Chaos’. Out now, the lyrics deal with the struggle of trying to show-up in a relationship, and her desire for emotional truth. As ever, Orla’s magical way with melody makes for enchanting listening, as she sings: “I struggle saying just how much I really love you / You can thank my mom for that”. Out now on her own New Friends imprint, the Dublin-born songwriter comments: “I think a lot about how to move through the world alongside a partner and for a long time I wanted to show up in relationships as easy-going & palatable, never taking up too much space – now I can’t think of anything worse. I can be loud, funny, clumsy, loyal, intelligent, annoying, caring, angry; this song is about showing up as all of it, all at once. I think dropping the act and showing your true self feels like the most vulnerable thing you can do.” The video for ‘Little Chaos’ is out now, shot by emerging Danish director Anne-Sofie Lindgaard. [via Clash]

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With a stomping, clapping beat set to the ubiquitous “Be aggressive! Be, be aggressive!” cheer, Chrissy sets a cheerleader’s “me on her” fantasy to pop music, owning her hyper femininity and sexuality.

The playful video conjures a classic sapphic scene a la 90’s queer classic But I’m A Cheerleader or last year’s Bottoms, celebrating that in fact, cheerleaders and queer girls should always go together.

The post Chrissy Chlapecka announces new EP Girlie Pop and release sapphic cheerleader single/video ‘Verse’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

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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