‘Perfect Revenge’ highlights her knack for sharp-tongued, irresistibly addictive lyricism. Written in LA with regular collaborators Mati Schwartz and Vera Carlbom whilst on tour in the US with Ed Sheeran, the track sees DYLAN play upon obsession, the wanting of something she can’t have, and how that can sometimes manifest into doing anything to get somebody’s attention.

“I understand that there is power in being the bigger person, and that ‘the best revenge is to have enough self-worth to not seek it’,” DYLAN notes, “but sometimes that is not always the answer. My perfect revenge is releasing a song called ‘Perfect Revenge’. I am hoping the person the song is about will hear it everywhere they go, making me completely inescapable. You can run, but you can’t hide!”

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The choir on ‘Every Heart But Mine’ was formed when Dylan approached some of her peers to tell them face to face about the message of the song. Cat Burns, Rachel Chinoriri, Mae Muller and Sody all agreed to add their vocals to the chorus; assisting Dylan in building a platform for every artist to rise up, support each other and grow together.

“I have been waiting for this song to come out forever because for me, it is the biggest confidence booster of a lyric.” explains Dylan. “I think the song has many meanings behind it. I see it as a reference to love, as a reference to career moves and as a ‘you have no idea what i’m capable of’ feeling.

“I felt like there was something missing in the track, so I invited some of my favourite artists that I’d been hanging out with – who all happen to be incredible women – to sing harmonies and backing vocals on the song. It was everything the track needed.”

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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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Having announced that their debut album will be set for release this November, Brighton’s Currls have shared an uplifting new single. A colourful ode to female friendship and owning your own unique individuality, ‘Honey‘ is propelled by an empowering energy as lilting, catchy hooks flow alongside frenzied beats and unifying, singalong refrains. And, as the soaring, soulful vocals of front person Holly take the lead, an enlivening dose of twinkling, scuzz-filled garage-rock is created; an energising and compelling anthem of self-love that’ll motivate and inspire on first listen. ‘Honey’ is accompanied by a vibrant, DIY video showcasing femmes coming together to celebrate each other and themselves. The perfect, sparkling energy-boost you need on during this lethargic heat wave. [via Get In Her Ears]

The Australian singer-songwriter Gordi has been doing a lot lately — a single with Troye Sivan, a Dolly Parton cover, a Julien Baker remix. Next month, she’ll release Inhuman, a new EP that she recorded in studios around the world. We’ve already posted first single ‘Way I Go,’ and now Gordi has also shared ‘Inhuman,’ a song about about transforming yourself into a robot as a way of coping with earthly stresses. Gordi was a doctor before she became a full-time musician, and ‘Inhuman’ draws on that experience. Gordi sings through a computerized voice filter over swells of synth and guitar, and she captures a certain sense of sad-but-comforting disassociation. Here’s how she describes the song in a press release: “When I wrote ‘Inhuman,’ I was thinking about the blackened roadsides on my drive from Sydney to Lismore in 2019. I had to turn back halfway because the fires were too out of control. I was supposed to start work in Lismore Hospital on the Monday, where I would meet countless patients who couldn’t be discharged because their homes had been destroyed. Hearing one story after the next made me numb, and being numb to that sort of tragedy feels like forgetting to be human.” Check out the Triana Hernandez-directed ‘Inhuman’ video above. [via Stereogum]

ALASKALASKA will release new album Still Life on October 14. The project truly operate in their own lane, with core partnership Lucinda Duarte-Holman and Fraser Rieley using barbed electronics as a means to dissect pop tropes. Working with Marathon Artists, the group’s debut album provides them with a broad canvas to operate with. Jas Shaw – of Simian Mobile Disco – produces the record, blending Brutalist synths with sharp-edged melodies. New single ‘Still Life’ is out now, the curled digitalism underpinning a hypnotic vocal from Lucina Duarte-Holman. A kind of extra-dimensional pop song, it puts us in mind of everyone from Cabaret Voltaire through to Factory Floor, while still demanding you meet it on its own terms. [via Clash]

Next month, Jennifer Vanilla — the alter ego of New York-based performance artist Becca Kauffman — is releasing their debut album, Castle In The Sky. It includes the previously shared ‘Body Music’ and ‘Take Me For A Ride,’ and now Kauffman is putting out another single, an enticing, svelte, sinister earworm called ‘Humility’s Disease.’ Its Luca Venter-directed music video introduces another alter ego: Johnnifer Vanillo, a devilish figure plagued by two angels. Here’s Jennifer Vanilla’s statement: “Have you ever worried that there was something truly and absolutely wrong with you, deep down inside and from every possible angle? Sat on a secret feeling that you were an unlovable monster, a massive disappointment to the world, utterly rotten at your core? Feared that your instincts were completely fucked, that your anger made you evil, that your mind was an inhospitable trap you would never escape, that your own body would never do, that you ought to be ashamed of yourself, that the world wasn’t meant for you? Don’t be so humble! Johnnifer Vanillo is here to talk you out of it all. Johnnifer Vanillo is my alter ego’s alter ego— Jennifer Vanilla with the skin off, on the verge of spontaneous combustion due to intense internal friction. Toxic sludge is bubbling up, the guck stuck under the surface of the burning nether regions we condemn. Their monologue is an eruption, a confrontation, a coach’s pep talk to let the ego sing— if only to quell the inflammation and then settle into a balanced peace. In this world, the edges around “good” and “evil” dissolve into a puddle of damp, sputtering flames, angels and devil-figure swirling the elements of their supposedly oppositional poles into a perverse reworking of whatever you thought right and wrong ever were. There’s nothing wrong with humility— it’s just that too much of it can destroy you like a disease.” [via Stereogum]

DYLAN shares her anticipated new single ‘Girl Of Your Dreams’, her first release for Island Records UK/Republic Records. The track arrives alongside a new video, co-directed by Dylan and Carla Dauden. ‘Girl Of Your Dreams’ is a headrush of spiky energy that sits somewhere between pop perfection and a classic stadium rocker. The track is defined by a reckless sense of momentum, seamlessly merging alt-rock and pop sensibilities to create a sound that is unmistakably Dylan. Honed into its current form by months on the road, it is the product of a popstar who truly understands the power of live performance. “’Girl of Your Dreams’ is very simple and straight to the point.” notes Dylan. “The day I wrote it, I was feeling a lot of frustration towards someone who sadly had absolutely no interest in me. Ultimately, they hadn’t done anything wrong, so instead of writing a “screw you” song, I wrote a “want me!” song.

It’s all fun and games until your cheer squad tries to kill you. That’s the premise of Jackie Cohen’s new visual for ‘Moonstruck,’ the creeping, frenzied lead single off her forthcoming album Pratfall. In the video, directed by Sloppy Jane’s Haley Dahl, Cohen joins two pals for dance practice on a tennis court, but what starts out as a sunny choreo session eventually turns into a bloodthirsty chase through the hills. It’s a wild, campy ride, perfectly in line with the adrenaline and doom Cohen channels in the song. “Haley was really thoughtful about creating this video,” says Cohen. “She wanted to help me tell a story that was cinematic but also true and cathartic, and the cannibal-cheerleader concept came about sort of as a response to the cutesy, peppy, performative version of myself that exists but is actually pretty dislocated from the reality of me. I always felt like it was my responsibility in my life to remain small, unobtrusive, palatable, accommodating, and I developed this self-abandoning way of being in the world that was really corrosive to my identity,” Cohen continues. “We talked a lot about trauma, emotional fracturing, horror, the uncanny, the death moth that’s been following me around—appearing in the last shot as a charm—and about the relationship between femininity and screaming. So much of this record has to do with realizing in a split-second of delayed sentience and absolute panic that the quaint, idyllic, well-kempt, well-rehearsed dream has become a nightmare.” In ‘Moonstruck,’ that dream-turned-nightmare comes in the form of homicidal cheerleaders, but it also comes in the form of heartbreak and suburban dread. The song’s title, meanwhile, is a nod to the 1987 film of the same name, which co-starred Cher and Nicolas Cage. “Get the knife, get the big knife,” Cohen screams in the bridge, almost gleeful in her sense of duty, like a survivalist taking charge at the end of the world. But Cohen doesn’t sound fatalistic—she sounds energized. [via Flood]

In ‘Nomad’, ZADA confesses and even prides herself in being one.. “Pick up myself, and dust off this place/I’ll be the stranger with something to say/Constantly changing it’s been my way” she thoughtfully rhymes with a graceful Hip-Hop swagger that cuts through the air with very precise intent- with this song, she isn’t just letting us now that her transatlantic journey has turned her into who she is, but that it’s likely in her DNA too, and that a Nomad she will remain as she hops from stage to stadium across the globe in the years to come. It bears mentioning that the video features some absolutely stunning nature shots of beautiful British Columbia, and ZADA looks completely enamored with the place as she re-enacts scenes from her own pen. [via Ladygunn]

Bella Poarch has released her second proper single, and it’s got a video where Poarch and Grimes get into a super-powered sci-fi fight scene. Poarch’s Billie Eilish-ish new song is called ‘Dolls,’ and she recorded it with Sub Urban, the New Jersey producer who also worked on ‘Build A Bitch.’ Grimes didn’t have anything to do with the song, but she’s key to the video. Director Andrew Donoho‘s ‘Dolls’ clip is full of cameos from YouTube and social media personalities who are extremely famous to anyone under 20 and probably completely foreign to anyone who’s older than that (that’s me!). They include Bretman Rock, Dream, Valkyrae, Chloe Cherry, Ludwig, and Madison Beer. It’s got a storyline about Poarch, playing a one-armed robot, leading some kind of AI revolution. The clip ends when Poarch tries to attack the boss figure, played by masked Minecraft streamer Dream. Dream’s bodyguard is a glowing-eyed Grimes, who gets into a fairly well-choreographed fight scene with Poarch. There’s probably heavy stunt-performer involvement in this one, but the two performers had to do at least some of the John Wick stuff themselves. [via Stereogum]

Ellie Goulding is back with her first release of 2022, ‘Easy Lover’, which sees her team up with Big Sean. ‘Easy Lover’ is Goulding’s first outing as the lead artist since her 2020 Brightest Blue album, although she did feature on Silk City’s ‘New Love’ last year, and sees her collaborate with Big Sean. Goulding says of the new single, which is accompanied by a Sophia Ray-directed video, “I wrote ‘Easy Lover’ in LA with Julia Michaels after conversations about the age-old tale of being infatuated by someone cool and beautiful knowing that they will never quite feel the same. It’s about going back to the same dangerous person to feel alive when you know they have hurt people again and again before you. Having the legendary Greg Kurstin produce any song of mine is always a dream come true. He always understands the assignment!” [via Line Of Best Fit]

Demi Lovato has dropped a raucous new single, ‘Substance.’ The anthemic pop-punk number is the second track off their forthcoming eighth studio LP, Holy Fvck, out August 19 via Island Records. The song arrived with a video directed by Cody Critcheloe that nods to late ’90s and early ’00s pop-punk music videos. In the clip, Lovato stomps into a board meeting, joins some pals at a diner, and gets wild at a house party. The video ends with an appearance on a red carpet that features a cameo from Paris Hilton. ‘Substance’ was written by Lovato, Oak, Keith Sorrells, Alex Niceforo, Laura Veltz, and Jordan Lutes, and produced by Oak, Sorrells, and Niceforo. “I’m so excited to share another taste of what’s in store for this album,” Lovato explained in a statement. “We can all relate to searching for something more in life, and I want this song to make you feel like you’re having a damn good time while doing it.” [via Rolling Stone]

G Flip has shared a poignant new single titled ‘Waste Of Space’, wherein they reflect on and celebrate their non-binary identity. It comes in commemoration of International Non-Binary People’s Day, which is observed globally today (July 14). The song puts a unique spin on Flip’s established alt-pop style, with the artist singing emotively over a tight, droning electric guitar line and simmering string harmony. As the intensity of their vocal performance builds, so too does the instrumental, before it erupts into an explosive, drum-heavy crescendo around the two-minute mark. ‘Waste Of Space’ arrives alongside a music video directed by Nas Bogado, produced by Ash Davis and filmed by Sasha Paskal. In addition to Flip theirself, it features an eclectic cast of 19 people, all of whom are either non-binary or genderfluid. In addition, as Flip noted in a press release, over 85 per cent of the video’s crew identify as queer, and 55 per cent are gender non-conforming. “For everyone involved with ‘Waste Of Space’, it wasn’t just another day at work,” they said. “We are all passionate about the overall mission of my project to bring queer and non-binary representation to the world. Alongside the new single’s release, Flip shared an essay expounding on their personal journey as a non-binary person. “I wasn’t sure if I would ever release this song,” they admitted, explaining that they were polarised by the attention they’d received after coming out last June, but ultimately decided to release ‘Waste Of Space’ because “I know that if I had this song as a kid, it would have changed my entire life”. They wrote: “A few months ago, my gender identity was thrown into headlines and talked about more than I ever thought was possible. I’ve been flooded with messages and questions about being non-binary. There have been many positive messages including from parents reaching out and asking on how to best support their non-binary children, as well as messages from people who just want to understand what being non-binary is and means. But there have also been a lot of hateful messages about my gender identity and people even telling me that I’m not non-binary. As I receive more and more of these messages, I realise how much education the world needs when it comes to gender identity. Even though I wasn’t sure if I’d ever release this song, the more I thought about it, I realised how much the world needs this song.” Flip went on to discuss the ways their upbringing affected their relationship with the social construct that is gender. “My first memory of being confused about my gender was when I was seven,” they wrote. “I played with the boys and wore the boys uniform to school because I thought I was one of them. One day, the boys told me I couldn’t play with them anymore because I was a girl. I went to the girls table in hopes that I would belong there. But they also told me I couldn’t play with them because I was dressed like a boy. I was left in the middle, with no one to play with. The kids would call me a ‘waste of space’ and I was ostracised. This left me confused.” On how they currently perceive theirself in relation to the gender binary, Flip said: “When you Google ‘non-binary’ it says neither a man nor woman, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a spectrum. I’m not neither, I feel like I’m both. Everyone lies on a different part of the spectrum, even those who identify as a girl or a boy. Representation in the media matters. I, along with so many other gender non-conforming souls, are here. We are present and we are going to make noise so that this generation and future generations aren’t ostracised for being their beautiful, authentic selves. To anyone who’s ever felt like a waste of space, you’re not. You’re important, you matter, and you have purpose in this world.” [via NME]

Rose Gray has shared a brand new EP, Synchronicity. Featuring previous singles ‘Last Song’ and new track ‘Cupid’. On ‘Cupid’, she says: “’Cupid, cupid why are you so stupid? Don’t you think before you shoot it?’’ – do I need to say any more?! I wrote this song about how sometimes we fall for the wrong person. Cushioned between heavy breakbeat drums and 90’s house chords, I playfully joke about falling victim to love – again. When I wrote this song I remember thinking this truly captures that feeling of being out of control. I sometimes question if Cupid really is up there in the clouds with a bow and arrow.” [via Dork]

IC3PEAK‘s new track ‘Kiss Of Death’ is out now accompanied by a music video. The importance of Russian folklore is crucial in IC3PEAK’s work. The ‘Kiss Of Death’ music video features numerous elements of Russian culture. For instance, the men consume baranki and “blood” from the samovar. Additionally, the musicians stayed true to their typical simplicity and avoided any semantic puns. ‘Kiss of Death’s meaning is straightforward: “a woman feels upset that, while she is succeeding, she is not needed. She is only necessary while she is struggling.”

Never has an artist’s name felt more fitting than Spacemoth; Maryam Qudus’ sound is able to transport you into alien worlds, while still managing to feel ethereally light. In the lead up to her July 22 debut LP No Past No Future, Qudus’ liminal sound is slowly taking form. Latest single ‘Round in Loops’ continues to showcase her penchant for woozy distortion. ‘Round in Loops’ is a glittering haze of stardust. The track feels like a smear of nostalgia, distorted synths and gently muffled vocals unsettling yet oddly comforting. Snapshots of memories float by as Qudus’ experimental sound lures you in, the entire experience a quirky psych-pop delight. The single perfectly fits in with the tracks teased thus far; ‘Waves Come Crashing’ and ‘This Shit’ in particular are similarly jagged, capturing that same distorted tranquility of Spacemoth’s enticingly alien realm. Qudus’ push for unique sound has been somewhat of an uphill struggle due to her background; “Women are often discouraged from pursuing music in the Afghan & Muslim community, and those who follow that path receive a lot of heat,” Qudus has previously noted. Yet, despite those who may attempt to limit her art, Qudus is instead thriving, making a name for herself as a well-respected producer and composer in the scene. And, with her debut on the horizon, it’s finally time for her to allow her own wistful and complex mind to be heard. [via Clash]

Tami Neilson new album Kingmaker is out now with title track ‘Kingmaker’ now on video. Tami Neilson said of the clip: “It felt so fitting to work with an incredible team of women on this video for a song of empowerment, led by Director Alyx Duncan and Producer Emma Mortimer. Alyx really poured her heart and soul into making ‘Kingmaker’ come to life with her incredible attention to detail and she suggested approaching the owner of the historic St James Theatre located in the heart of downtown Auckland. The once-grand theatre that had hosted Queen Elizabeth herself in 1963 is now crumbling and dilapidated, shuttered for years as work to renovate it came to a standstill. This created the perfect symbolism for ‘Kingmaker’ – a group of women, alive and powerful, rising from the ashes of the old colonial institutions that once excluded and oppressed them. Art director and stylist Evie Kemp created the throne room and my crown, like a renaissance painting come to life. I wanted the visuals to reflect the cinematic feel of the song, which includes a choir of some of my dearest friends, Julia Deans, Anna Coddington, Bella Kalolo and Zoe Moon – all incredible New Zealand artists in their own right. I asked each of them to dress in what they viewed as regal and what made them feel powerful. (Bella wears Samoan traditional dress, Zoe wears cowrie shells- the ancient pan African symbolism of wealth and fertility, Anna wears a Maori necklace carving and a feather shrug that nods to the traditional Maori kākahu by indigenous designer Kiri Nathan) Having these women who support and surround me both in music and in friendship serves as a reminder that when we are united, we are so much stronger.” [via Muzic.Net]

Tell Elon, she said, “zoom, zoom!” On Friday, Cyn dropped her single ‘House with a View,’ the track she wrote while handling the not-so-fun aspects of being a new mom, as she manifests a good-ass life and luxury for herself (and her baby boy Etienne). “I felt like I was washing like baby bottle after baby bottle, and I was sitting there at the sink thinking, ‘If this is my life, like, it would be so much better if I could look out at a beautiful landscape,’ ” Cyn — the pop star signed to Katy Perry’s Unsub Records and behind the bop ‘Drinks’ — tells Rolling Stone over Zoom, hiding in her backyard, so her baby doesn’t see her on the phone. “Sometimes, I even pretend like I am on the ocean.” In the new song, she sings about wanting “that debt-free attitude” and hoping to see her “son with a trust fund by the time he’s four.” She also stars in a silly music video for the track, where she house and dog-sits for a “rich bitch living on Rich Bitch Avenue,” played by Katy Perry, while she’s away in Las Vegas for “literally 24 hours.” “I was like, how can I make this storyline work? Katy made perfect sense,” Cyn says. “I’m a songwriter trying to get a start in life with my art and my music. This is her way of being there for me as a mentor.” Perry describes Cyn’s new song succinctly to Rolling Stone: “Cyn is a savant songwriter and knows how to perfectly put into words the soundtrack to your late-night Zillow scrolls, and a musical middle finger to that student loan life.” In the video, Cyn completely takes over Perry’s house and pretends to live a lavish lifestyle in the mansion, bringing in an ice sculpture of her face, a personal guru, and an Architectural Digest-inspired photoshoot. Most of the folks featured in the video are a lot of the people who actually “support my art” IRL — including her fiancé Kyle Newman, who directed the video. “You’d think it would be something special, or it would be weird, but it just felt very natural,” she says of working with her fiancée. “I thought I was gonna be more nervous because he’s seen me give birth, and now we’re doing a music video. We’re collaborating on a lot now: children and careers. It was perfect!” [via Rolling Stone]

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