Last week, Philadelphia indie-punks Mannequin Pussy announced some big plans. They’ve bought back their masters from Tiny Engines, their former label, and they’re reissuing their 2016 sophomore album Romantic on their own newly-formed label Romantic Records. But Mannequin Pussy aren’t just reissuing their older music. They’ve also just released a brand-new single. Mannequin Pussy recorded their new single ‘I Got Heaven’ with veteran indie rock producer John Congleton, and it’s a revved-up anthem that moves from stomp-scream fuzz-rock fury to twinkly shoegaze melody and back again. Lyrically, bandleader Marisa Dabice is on her Patti Smith shit: “And what if we stopped spinning?/ And what if we’re just flat?/ And what if Jesus himself ate my fucking snatch?” It’s Mannequin Pussy’s first new song since their 2021 EP Perfect, though Dabice appeared on the remix of Dazy and Militarie Gun’s ‘Pressure Cooker’ last year. Mannequin Pussy haven’t announced a new record yet, but there’s more new music on the way. Here’s what Marisa Dabice says about ‘I Got Heaven’: “‘I Got Heaven’ is a song intended to merge the sacred and the profane and to serve as a reminder that we are all perfect exactly as we have been made and that no one gets to decide how a life should or should not be lived. Heaven is here on a planet that gave us everything we needed to survive. Heaven is in the plants and in the water and in the animals who we share this world with. Heaven is inside of me and inside of you. The weaponization of Christianity for political means, for individual profit and power, as a tool to intentionally divide us, is one of the greatest threats to our modern world and a threat to our ability to find solidarity through love. To allow the hatred and the violence and the noise to rise is to reject our sacred purpose as individuals, which is simply to love.” Mason Mercer and Anthony Miralles directed the ‘I Got Heaven’ video, which has a sunlight gothic folk-horror storyline and which might be lightly NSFW. [via Stereogum]

Sheffield’s Gia Ford has shared her striking new single ‘Alligator’. Word of mouth hype in her home city indicates that Gia Ford is pretty special, playing cafes and bars around the city. New single ‘Alligator’ is out now, a superb distillation of her influences. You can hear aspects of Nick Cave’s brooding torch songs in her work, alongside a penchant for Fleetwood Mac at their deliciously dark best. There’s a vein of originality, however, with Gia Ford pushing her own voice high above those reference points. The lyric yearns for emotional validation, with the songwriter urging others to accept her feelings as being real. Beautiful but also flecked by intensity, ‘Alligator’ is a fine start from a bold talent. She says… “‘Alligator’ is a song about a desperation to be seen and heard. I am being facetious by painting myself as multiple unbelievable creatures to garner attention. In the opening statement, I am an Alligator. Then, when that goes ignored, I am “Ten feet off of the ground, with feathers” — a whole new creature, perhaps still the Alligator, perhaps something different. The emotionally human nature in the first lines of verse two; “too far along now, I wouldn’t even know how to turn around” sees the Alligator swimming through a broken and contaminated landscape that it is getting used to and triumphantly withstanding. In the chorus, the final line “Albatross in the sky, aim my crossbow in the night” is a reference to ‘Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner’ by Coleridge. In the poem, the mariner is cursed after he shoots down the bird; it represents a self-inflicted burden.” [via Clash]

Problem Patterns have announced their debut album. Recorded and mixed by Niall Doran at Start Together Studios and mastered by Peter J Moore at The E Room, the Belfast-based punks will drop Blouse Club on October 27 via Alcopop! Records. To celebrate the news, the band have also shared new AA single ‘Lesbo 3000’ / ‘Poverty Tourist’. Bethany Crooks says: “‘Lesbo 3000’ was written partly out of frustration and also to reclaim and have ownership over my sexuality. The frustration is that lesbianism is consistently invalidated, we’re told that we just haven’t ‘met the right man’ yet or that some random man in a bar has a magic appendage in his trousers that will completely negate your attraction to women. The reality is that homophobic attacks are becoming more and more consistent with right wing social media emboldening bigots, while ‘lesbian’ remains one of the top search topics on all porn websites. (Mostly) men think that lesbians exist for their sexual gratification, but if they see two women holding hands they go absolutely berserk. I also thought it was important to reclaim the slur ‘dyke’. I’ve been called a dyke multiple times by homophobes who want to hurt me, but if I can reclaim that word it completely takes the power out of it. Yes I am a dyke. And that feels really powerful to say.” [via Dork]

The Kills, the long-running collaboration between Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, haven’t released a new album since 2016’s Ash & Ice. In 2020, Mosshart and Hince released the B-sides/rarities collection Little Bastards, and last month they released a pair of singles, one for each of the coasts: ‘New York’ and ‘LA Hex.’ Now, the Kills have announced their sixth studio album, God Games, which is coming October 27 via Domino. In addition to the album announce, the duo are sharing a new single, ‘103,’ which comes with a video directed by Steven Sebring. According to a release, ‘103’ is a temperature measured in Fahrenheit and “highlights the brutal reality of daunting uninhabitability through the lens of a dark twisted love song.” [via Stereogum]

Holy Wars have signed to Pale Chord, and are celebrating the news with an explosive single, ‘Deus Ex Machina’. The Los Angeles duo – vocalist Kat Leon and guitarist/producer Nick Perez – are building on early momentum with an impressively realised sound and vision, with Kat sharing of the band’s new song and what it all means: “’Deus Ex Machina’ was inspired by my love of psychology and how fascinating the brain is. The God of the human machine. Deus Ex Machina meaning God from the Machine really helped shape the message of what I wanted to say lyrically in this song, how our personal narrative is powerful. We often rewrite our stories as the hero’s tale but we very possibly could be the villain in another’s. Our words are powerful and our story is our legacy. In this song I wanted to display the attack side of the narrative, how any issue I have had with another has stemmed from projection, a choice and the power I allow it to have. The ghost in the machine haunting my thoughts and puppetting my actions. ‘Deus Ex Machina’ is a hard-hitting wild sonic ride of the mania that lives underneath us all.” [via Kerrang!]

Canadian-Dutch-Korean singer-songwriter Jeon Somi has shared the music video for her single ‘Gold Gold Gold.’ The music video comes fresh off the heels of her EP, Game Plan, of which’“Gold Gold Gold’ is the first track on the album. Game Plan marks Jeon Somi’s comeback after two years. That era was capped by the release of her debut album XOXO. Now she begins a new chapter, evolving both musically and as an artist, offering a more elevated look and sound. Jeon Somi participated in the songwriting of ‘Gold Gold Gold,’ showcasing her growth as a singer-songwriter alongside TEDDY and Danny Chung with production by 24 and Dominsuk, who are known as the hitmakers behind BLACKPINK. ‘Gold Gold Gold’ has Jeon rapping and singing with overflowing confidence over a trendy and infectious beat with a melodic bridge and addictive chorus. In true Somi fashion, the music video for ‘Gold Gold Gold’ is colorful, energetic, and full of glitz, glamor, and unbeatable choreography. [via uDiscoverMusic]

Following on from 2019’s Flamboyant and 2020’s My Agenda, Dorian Electra’s pending third LP promises to continue building their fantastical world of boundary-pushing pop – at least, that’s if new track ‘Puppet’ is anything to go by. Playfully merging traditional musical influences (the intro samples Beethoven’s ‘Fur Elise’) with thoroughly contemporary touches, it explores notions of control via both its lyrics and accompanying video (which you can watch below). [via DIY]

Following on from the success of her hit track ‘Padam Padam’ everyone’s favourite Australian popstar, Kylie Minogue, is here with another banger to see us through the end of this drizzly old summer. Her new single is called ‘Tension’. And so is her upcoming album, available for fans to gouge on in full come September 22. Of course, the 55 year old looks about 20 in the new music video – as she does – which sees her rocking a number of different guises, including a red-haired, silver-sequined goddess and a gothic, lace-clad blonde. As if some funky outfits weren’t enough, Kylie is also frolicking around in an imagined ‘retro future’ alternate reality. ‘Tension’ is the fourth song on the album, the second single to be released after ‘Padam Padam’, and was written by Kylie and long-term collaborators Biff Stannard and Duck Blackwell. Never has ‘do, do, do, do’ been so catchy than it is in the chorus of this instant club classic. It’s full of the enthusiasm of ‘Padam, Padam’, and laced with sass queen energy. The music video sees retro Kylie strutting into a futuristic world, with a sparkling, huge Kylie hologram stepping out of a screen and into reality. Retro Kylie – in a vintage hat and dress – sheds some layers and has a little flirtation with gothic, blonde Kylie, and the film unravels into disco chaos. ‘Tension’ gives seriously empowering vibes, and seems to be more about self-love than a partner when Kylie sings repeatedly in the chorus ‘touch me right there.’ The end of the music video sees the Kylie multiply into many forms in an electrifying crescendo, as the pop queen exits the world with energy still visibly buzzing in and out of her body. [via Metro]

Listen to the euphoric folk of Karin Ann Masters’ ‘a stranger with my face’. The symphonic folk-tinged tune is about losing parts of yourself when gaining feelings for someone else, becoming a version of the other person, or who you think they want you to be. Backed by bluesey guitar lines and flawless, Fleetwood Mac-esque harmonies, Karin Ann sings on the theme of over-idolisation. Of the track, Karin Ann says: “Some of the lyrics almost felt religious to me, so I wanted it to sound like a choir on the chorus. It’s almost like you’re making that person your God, you’re worshipping them in a very toxic and unhealthy way. You end up talking their slang, adapting to how they speak… it’s not even about trying to make them like you, more so that you like them so much that you almost want to be more like them. You end up not knowing who you are without them.” The accompanying video is part 1 of a short film by American director duo, TUSK (Camila Cabello, Alessia Cara, Tate McRae). Shot in Prague, Czech Republic, the visual follows a queer spy romance, set in 1950’s Hollywood. Starring Karin Ann alongside British-American athlete and actor Gus Kenworthy, and US actress Ashley Moore, the story follows a young secretary (Karin Ann) at a Hollywood film studio, who is tasked with finding out the truth about a movie star’s (Moore) scandalized love affairs with various men. Upon spying, the secretary finds out that such affairs are all a cover up for her true sexual identity, very much taboo at the time. During the film, it seems as though the secretary and actress may indeed have a connection between themselves… To be continued, part 2 will follow as the music video for Karin’s next single, coming soon. [via Soundsphere]

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Poppy wants that real shit. She makes it abundantly clear on her new single, ‘Knockoff.’ A pulsing, sultry, industrial-tinged dancefloor killer, the song arrived accompanied by a surreal music video filled with tarot card imagery and Suspiria-esque choreography. ‘Knockoff’ is the lead single off Poppy’s forthcoming new album, Zig, the full-length follow-up to 2022’s Stagger EP, which was recorded with producer Ali Payami, as well as her long term collaborative partner Simon Wilcox. [via Revolver]

Step into the neon-lit arena of avant-garde pop, where the ultimate provocateur, Dorian Electra, reigns supreme. Brace yourselves, dear happy readers, for the eagerly awaited opus, Fanfare, slated to hit the airwaves on October 6 via via MTheory/Virgin Music Australia. A declaration of unyielding creativity, this audacious artist has already set ablaze the ether with their latest single and video, ‘anon’, igniting a firestorm of anticipation that surges through the ether. In this enigmatic odyssey, Dorian Electra embarks on an exploration of parasocial relationships, as they fearlessly navigate the terrain of claims we stake on the lives of figureheads, embracing the fervor of obsession, idolatry, and pop culture as a living mythology. With a dexterity that defies categorization, the line between love and loathing, fandom and control, blurs like watercolor dissolving in the rain. Fanfare represents an unapologetic rewriting of narratives thrust upon us by a conformist society, as Dorian dismantles the shackles of heteronormativity with unwavering conviction. Collaborative synergy pervades every beat of this magnum opus, with a talented cadre of creatives in tow, including the venerable Clarence Clarity and the visionary Weston Allen, alongside the likes of Casey MQ, Count Baldor, and Klaxons’ Jamie Reynolds. Together, they pose a rhetorical query that hangs tantalizingly in the ether: what, dear voyagers of sound, do we truly expect—or dare I say, demand—from our public icons? Directed with artful prowess, Dorian Electra and their creative partner, Weston Allen, present the music video for ‘anon’, laying bare the multifaceted nature of stan culture that, like a capricious gale, propels one to soaring heights or plummets them to the abyss of anonymity. [via Happy Mag]

LØLØ has returned with the fiery new single ‘hot girls in hell.’ The scathing track is an instant breakup anthem as LØLØ belts: “You’re fucking disgusting/You’re good for nothing/You think you’re special/I think you’re mental/I hope there’s no hot girls in hell.” The song begins with a gentle, acoustic verse before exploding into thrashing guitars and combusting percussion, neatly demonstrating the Toronto-based artist’s talent for blending vulnerability and unapologetic authority within the same track. “I wrote the first half when I was really sad and the second half when I was really mad,” LØLØ says of the track. “The person I wrote this about is definitely going to hell, so here’s hoping there’s no hot girls there for him to f**k.” [via Alt Press]

Baby Queen has shared a brand new song and video – watch ‘We Can Be Anything’ below. The video was premiered on the Instagram page for Netflix show Heartstopper, which Baby Queen contributed the song ‘Colours Of You’ to in 2022. Discussing the idea behind the new song, Baby Queen said in a statement: “I’ve been having a prolonged existential crisis for the better part of the past 5 years and would consider myself to be a nihilist in many ways, which has made being alive quite bleak at times. I think human beings really crave purpose but there is ultimately no clear-cut reason we’re here and if there is one, we’re just not intelligent enough to figure it out. “Despite it all, life is beautiful and i think our lack of purpose and our insignificance gives us the greatest level of freedom. Society, culture, rules, laws – these are all constructs. I like to believe that as long as you’re not hurting people, you do have the freedom and the prerogative to do with your life what you will.” She added: That’s what this song is about: non-confinement and non-conformity in the face of what is essentially absurdity. I just want people to listen to it and feel free – because they are free.” [via NME]

Kenzie Ziegler has just released an intimate and personal new track ‘anatomy’. The 19-year-old entertainer addresses the absence of her father during her childhood years and navigating through life without him. She also debuted a new music video, with choreography by her older sister Maddie. Kendall Ryan Krajewski portrays a younger version of Kenzie. “’anatomy’ is a very personal record to me, because it’s the first time I’ve publicly opened up about the absence of my dad while growing up,” Kenzie shared in a statement about the song. “The team I wrote it with gave me the safe space to finally share my story, and that was a really empowering moment for me. When I listen back to it now, I’m just proud of what we made because I think a lot of people can relate. If you grew up without a parent, I hope you know that you are not alone, and I hope this record can provide some type of peace and safe space for you all.” Kenzie penned the track alongside Ellen Murphy, Elizabeth Jane Murphy and Bill Maybury, and it was produced by Lenii. Henry DaCosta directed the music video. [via Just Jared Jr]

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Last year, the Nashville snot-rockers Be Your Own Pet reunited for the first time in over a decade, and they spent this past March darting around SXSW with all the pent-up energy of an upstart band. And that was all in service to a good cause: Be Your Own Pet’s first new album in 15 years. The just-announced Mommy lands in August, and it reunites the band’s founding members Jemina Pearl Abegg, Jonas Stein, and Nathan Vasquez on record, alongside longtime drummer John Eatherly. “For better or worse, we all were slapped in the face that it wasn’t as easy on our own,” Stein said of BYOP’s time away. “We were all moderately successful, but nobody found that Be Your Own Pet chemistry.” They already teased the album with single ‘Hand Grenade‘ back in March, and now they’re sharing another new song, ‘Worship The Whip,’ a giddily amped-up one with a sadomasochistic bent. “‘Worship The Whip’ is about the right wing authoritarian personality,” Pearl said. “Aggressive and domineering to people who don’t think like them, while at heart being a submissive to the authority figures who use and abuse them.” Watch a video for the track below. [via Stereogum]

Delilah Holliday has released a brand new track, ‘Silent Streets’. It’s taken from her forthcoming EP Invaluable Vol. 1, which is set to arrive July 7 via One Little Independent Records. “People were too scared to go out. And the streets were kind of silent still,” she says. “Nobody was really interacting. And I just thought that was a really abstract, interesting concept to put in the song and sort of make it dancey, of being too scared to mingle, but it’s a clubby track. I like the juxtaposition. This whole project really is about juxtaposition and mixing things together that don’t really go because that’s how started. It’s the spark that inspired all the other songs. Genre blending and putting pieces together that don’t quite fit.” This informed the creepy accompanying music video for the track: “For the ‘Silent Streets’ music video, me and Swarmm wanted to create an apocalyptic metaverse inspired by London, reimagined if the pandemic lasted for 20 years and how that would effect the natural phenomena around us. Which the song also touches on. We achieved this by 3D Scanning my body and inserting into the environment Swarmm created. The whole aesthetic of the video is inspired by the dawn of artificial intelligence.” [via DIY]

Taylor Swift has shared a new official video for the new version of ‘Karma’ featuring Ice Spice. Swift recently dropped a new deluxe version of her 10th album Midnights, titled Midnights (Til Dawn Edition), featuring the Ice Spice remix of ‘Karma’ among other tracks. That same night, the rapper joined Swift to close out the first of multiple nights at East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium for her ‘Eras’ tour. In the official video for ‘Karma’, which dropped after the performance and was directed by Swift, she appears in a host of different locations including on a yellow brick road, trapped in an hourglass and inside a lightbulb. Once Ice Spice joins the party, the pair row a boat across the sea. [via NME]

Dorian Electra has disclosed their new single ‘Sodom & Gomorrah’. Watch the video, directed by Electra and Weston Allen, below. It follows on from Electra’s recent release, the ‘Freak Mode’ single, in April. Speaking about the song, Electra has said, “Sodom & Gomorrah is the biblical story of two cities that were so sinful that God destroyed them. The word Sodomy – derived from this story – has often been used to oppress queer people, so I wanted to reclaim it in a bratty, slutty, sexy song. Musically, I was inspired by the pop I grew up on (Britney Spears, Missy Elliot), but with a modern twist, and heavy guitars.” Electra has recently embarked on a viral marketing campaign that involved spreading posters featuring the phrase ‘I <3 SODOMY’. [via DIY]

The name on everyone’s lips, BIG WETT, returns with another banger in ‘GSPOT’ accompanied by the new video. The track is taken from her debut 6-track EP P*$$Y set for release September 22 via Play It Again Sam. Sirens, fat bass, skittering hi-hats, a deep, booming vocal driving it forward, ‘GSPOT’ is another electronic-laden track with BIG WETT’S unmistakably catchy, filthy and fun lyrics. “This track has it all. If you didn’t know where your G-spot was before, you do now,” proclaims the artist. Taking the global dance music scene by storm, her songs are tinged with undertones of queer pride, femme power and sexual empowerment, making her one of the moment’s most intriguing new artists with an overwhelming stage presence and personality to match.

K.ZIA is an artist engrossed in culture. Brussels-born, now Berlin & Dakar-based, the singer-songwriter is experienced in the modern world and its intricacies, and you can hear that in her sound. Amalgamating elements of R&B, soul, pop, Afrobeats and more, the songstress holds the unique collection of stylistic characteristics together with her endearingly soulful vocals. Moving to the German capital back in 2017, she began pursuing a career in music ad released her debut EP the following year. January 2022 saw her release her impressive debut album, Genesis. A year a half or so later, K.ZIA has returned with her latest body of work, this time in the shape of vibrant EP Kintsugi Heart. The EP portrays a journey through difficult times, with the artist open about her struggles with depression across the tape. Eclectic, groove-laden instrumentals provide a serene and sultry backdrop for K.ZIA to immerse listeners in her stunning vocals and personal, thoughtful lyrics. Speaking on the EP, the singer comments, “After struggling with depression for the first time in 2020, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and spiritual reconnection. I traveled, practiced sports, and wrote extensively to understand my life’s purpose and spiritual state. Through these experiences, I was able to heal myself and create a potion that I hope will help others heal too. “Kintsugi Heart” – from the Japanese pottery practice Kintsugi where they mend broken pieces with golden glue is a metaphor for embracing our flaws and imperfections and emerging from difficult times more beautiful with our scars. This EP is the acknowledgement of a time of deep sadness, accepting it, expressing it and healing from it. It is a journey through love, struggle, darkness, introspection, growth and light. It is the final burial of my depression and the Panacea to hopefully prevent another.” [via Wonderland]

Pop veteran NJOMZA plays Doctor in her new music video for production led, R&B earworm, ‘Love Again’, the lead track from recently released EP, STAGES. The creator of ‘The Love Again Method’, Dr. NJOMZA works with a group of volunteers to be part of her groundbreaking new treatment to return the spark in their relationships – Phase 1: therapy, phase 2: a questionable physical treatment, and phase 3: reintegration; which appears to go wrong as the couples pair up with the wrong partners. Directed by Mac Grant, NJOMZA stars in this fun, comical short film. A collection of late-night R&B, atmospheric dance sonics and synth-pop sensibilities backing NJOMZA’s sultry vocal, STAGES sees the singer-songwriter at her most authentic, having created a signature style formed from an impressive melting pot of influences. [via Broadway World]

Madison Beer isn’t silent anymore! After a million years (not really, but it feels like it) we’re finally getting a new Madison Beer album! ‘Home To Another One’ is the latest release from her upcoming new project. In this alien-themed video, Madison craftily blends both vintage and futuristic vibes to create a mystical, magical intergalactic fantasy. A posh take on classic tv shows of decades past, Madison plays a housewife who knows she isn’t the only one in her lover’s life. Beautifully crooning the woeful phrase, “Call me baby, I know you go home to another one,” it’s clear that although this isn’t a healthy love it’s impossible to let go. [via The Honey POP]

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Cyn releases new video for her new single ‘Losing Sleep’ via Unsub Records. “I wanted to bring mine and Lissyelle Laricchia’s art direction to life!” Cyn says about the video, “I let the lyric ‘it’s a dreamlike reality cuz of you’ inform every artful decision. I wanted to create a dream world, liberated from the logical or familiar. I’m so grateful to the entire team for helping me bring this vision to life.” Maintaining a reputation for show-stopping visuals, the songstress pulled out all the stops like she always does. Once again, she teamed up with filmmaker and New York Times Bestseller, Kyle Newman [Fanboys, Barely Lethal, 1Up] behind the camera for the video. Newman says, “Cyn’s clever lyrics and unique sound elicit strong visuals. The song’s overall playfulness inspired our exploration of the surreal. The collage stylings were a creative and effective way to play with scale akin to Alice In Wonderland and setting by placing her in a multitude of unconventional locations.” The clip co-mingles live action, collage animation, and immersive backdrops to create a gorgeous aesthetic of its own. As she tries and fails to catch some shuteye, it finds Cyn on the moon sipping a cocktail, towering over the pyramids as a UFO circles, overlooking Los Angeles Godzilla-style, and dancing in a cowboy hat on a pasture. It evokes the deliriously catchy melodies of the track with commensurate cleverness.

Poppy has released her new single ‘Church Outfit’. It comes on the back of her newly inked record deal with Sumerian Records. Poppy performed a sold-out show in London last November, and dropped her last EP Stagger in October. Poppy adds: “It’s an artist’s responsibility to always change. I don’t think I’d want to be in my body if I was repeating the same thing over and over again. I’m only competing with myself. I will continue to write the story until I get tired of the book. Then, I’ll write another one.” [via Dork]

This week, the producer Yaeji released her her debut album, With A Hammer. Before that. Yaeji returned with one more album preview: ‘Passed Me By,’ which comes with by a video directed by Enayet and Zanzie. In a recent interview with New York Magazine, Yaeji describes how ‘Passed Me By’ is directed toward her younger self, in particular the Korean-sung lyric “I almost didn’t recognize you”). “She’s always been looking at me, but I was always averting my gaze and rejecting her existence,” Yaeji explains. “And this is the moment I lock eyes with her, and I’m like, You’re there. I see you.” [via Stereogum]

Iraina Mancini has shared her wonderful new single ‘Cannonball’. A retro-pop amalgam, Iraina seizes on the best aspects of the past, blurring those impeccable 60s and 70s influences with a touch of modernity. A full album is incoming, with new single ‘Cannonball’ online now. It feels like the lost theme to a 60s spy film, a kind of Modesty Blaize character updated for the modern era. A female-forward slice of action-packed pop, it was co-written alongside Simon Dine, and produced by Sunglasses for Jaws (with the redoubtable Erol Alkan on additional production). The neat keyboard arpeggios in the background recall the Killing Eve soundtrack work constructed by Unloved, while the loping bassline is sheer McCartney. A psych-pop whirlwind, ‘Cannonball’ finds Iraina yearning for freedom. She comments… “I wrote ‘Cannonball’ about taking a chance in life and following your heart. It’s that moment where you meet someone or something and it knocks you for six! Your intuition kicks in and you’ve got to go with what it’s telling you. I really wanted to write something that grabbed people’s attention, I got lost in my head in an action packed, 60s stylish thriller film.” Equipped with some lovingly kitsch visuals, you can check out ‘Cannonball’ below. [via Clash]

It’s been about two years since the Japanese band CHAI released their last album, 2021’s Wink, and since then they’ve dropped a series of singles. Now, they’re back with a fresh song for us, the energetic and bright ‘We The Female!’ “We are human and were born as female, but we have both female and male aspects in each of our souls, each with our own sense of balance,” CHAI said in a statement. “We can’t just label ourselves into clear-cut, simple categories anymore! I’m not anyone else but just ‘me,’ and you are no one else but just ‘you’. This song celebrates that with a roar! Yooooooooo!!” [via Stereogum]

Indie-rock rising talent Mazey Haze (aka Amsterdam based musician Nadine Appeldoorn) releases her new EP Back to the Start and shares the video for its title track. The EP’s titular, opening track perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the project. Announcing itself like a Californian daydream, awash with synths, heavenly vocal harmonies and jangling guitars, the song’s accompanying video was directed by Pasqual Amade. The EP’s title track captures a certain struggle Appeldoorn has untethering herself from the umpteenth setback. “I’m just being very honest and very real, being like, ‘I went through all this shit for a reason, but now I’m clueless again,’” she explains. “But I think that’s basically what life is: you constantly get over these really hard, big things.”

Garage rocker Olivia Jean has shared ‘Raving Ghost,’ the title track of her third solo album arriving via Third Man Records on Friday, May 5. The track is accompanied by an official music video directed by Olivia Jean herself alongside Erica Salazar, a perfect complement to the slinking, noirish quality of the music.

Breaking up with a friend is a tricky scenario to navigate, not least because the moment of realization that the relationship isn’t working can take so much longer to come into focus. That is the central tension at the heart of ‘Aspartame,’ the latest single from New York-based May Rio. Named after the artificial sweetener that can cause digestive issues and increased blood sugar in some people, ‘Aspartame’ compares a friend whose company slowly reveals itself to be a similarly toxic influence on her life. Themes of co-dependence and low self-esteem are laced through the song’s lyrics as Rio sings “You’ve got a lil problem, It’s not my job to fix it” and “Maybe the problem, Was I just felt so lucky, Just to have anything.” The words are the main focus here, with a minimal percussive backdrop putting thoughts of how voids get filled front and center. Speaking via email, Rio says: “I wrote ‘Aspartame’ in one day. It was born out of an important but complicated friendship that I needed to exit. The song has a melancholy, but it’s also angry. In the midst of that crossover, I found empowerment. Like I said I wasn’t going to take this shit anymore, and here I am, not taking it anymore.” [via The FADER]

After teasing fans over the past week, via their social media pages, Dorian Electra has officially made their comeback. When an artist wipes their socials and updates their profile picture, it’s safe to assume that they’re about to enter a new era. Singer-songwriter Dorian Electra did just that, at the end of the March, leaving fans speculating as to what may be happening behind the scenes by asking them to “pledge to Freak Mode” via a link to their website. Now, Electra debuts their first release of the year with ‘Freak Mode’. Co-produced by Clarence Clarity (Rina Sawayama), the single comes with a music video which was co-directed by Electra and Weston Allen. [via Line Of Best Fit]

Nikki Lane has released the video for her single ‘Denim & Diamonds,’ the title track of her latest album, directed by Desert 5 Spot’s Wade Crescent and Chase Manhattan. Filmed in Los Angeles, the video is the result of a crafty production, emphasizing the underlying theme of women’s empowerment that the song conveys. The video has a vintage feel, with scenes of casual glamour following several women’s unique yet unifying experiences. The set design and styling consist of custom Western apparel with one-of-a-kind pieces from Nikki Lane’s new Nashville vintage shop, High Class Hillbilly. Amongst Black Leaf Flower floral arrangements, the singer-songwriter wears a Catherine D’Lish gown, a custom hat from Ben Kennimer, with diamonds and jewelry by Esteembale Objects. [via Flaunt]

Caroline Polachek has unveiled a new live performance music video for ‘Smoke.’ In the clip for her Desire, I Want to Turn Into You song, Polachek performs with her band amid volcano sculptures, smoke, and glowing red scenery. Polachek’s band comprises Maya Laner, Matthew Horton, and Russell Holzman. Watch the Matt Copson–directed visual below. [via Pitchfork]

American singer-songwriter Eva Grace has dropped a new music video for ‘always be a fan’ directed by B. It was written by Eva Grace and produced by Josh Nabors. Eva Grace shared on social media, “this song always hits harder in the car”. She planned to release one new song and corresponding music video every month for a year, starting in August. Eva Grace told Tucson Weekly about her music, “I love the idea of creating visual art that represents all of my auditory art. I’m extremely excited to have music videos to go with everything. I think that it brings new life to the songs and really illustrates the kind of feeling that I want people to get from the songs.” She continued, “I’m always writing songs and trying to beat myself and make better songs than I did previously. It’s really just picking my favorite ones that I’ve done. I only want to put out my best work.” [via pmstudio]

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