Confidence Man, the Australian electro-pop mavericks, now based in London, have released ‘Sicko,’ the latest single from their new third album 3 AM (LA LA LA), out now via Casablanca. While known for their high-octane, dance-infused sound, ‘Sicko’ embraces a more subtle ‘90s indie-dance crossover vibe, a little less frenetic than much of the album but still unhinged and unmistakably Confidence Man. The single arrives alongside a stunning black-and-white video that almost resembles what might happen if you tried to make a musical based on Reservoir Dogs and Trainspotting—stylish, edgy with a gritty film noir sensibility and laced with a dark, twisted sense of humor. [via Under The Radar]

Ellie Dixon releases her new single and video for ‘Renaissance’, kicking off her energised new era of music. Mixed by Manon Grandjean (FLO, Cat Burns, Stormzy), ‘Renaissance’ soars with Ellie’s newfound and inspiring display of self-assuredness and self-confidence; “I’m in my renaissance, I got a new paint job”. Always refreshingly open about her experiences with anxiety and depression, especially on tracks like ‘Green Grass’, ‘‘Big Lizard Energy’ and ‘Dopamine’, this is the same beloved Ellie, but with a mediaeval twist and a wealth of life experiences, “On this day a great knight hath fallen, but an even greater knight hath risen”. “Renaissance is a musical phoenix from the ashes”, Ellie says. Grabbing the listener by the throat from her first uttering, expertly juxtaposed with a backdrop of sonic shimmering, ‘Renaissance’ opens with “Took a sword to the chest, bled out on my double bed, a hero’s got to fall I guess”. After unexpectedly parting ways with her label Decca Records earlier this year, Ellie “went through quite a deep depression while processing”. She elaborates: “after the pain came relief, a sense that this would let me carve my creative path. And then one 2am, after coming back from a Doja Cat concert, Renaissance was born. I was feeling inspired by her mix of magical soundscaping and grounded groove, so I put my twist on it. I blended the softness and hardness of the pain of rejection and change. I wanted to write a victory song, not a sad song. This was the beginning, not the end.”

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Sorry. In 2022, the British indie rock band released Anywhere But Here. In July of last year, they shared ‘Screaming In The Rain Again,’ a revised version of the track ‘Screaming In The Rain.’ Now, they’re back with a trippy song called ‘Waxwing,’ out now via Domino. ‘Waxwing’binterpolates a set of lyrics from Toni Basil’s ‘Hey Mickey.’ About it, Asha Lorenz says, “Mickey is desire ? Mickey is the bomb? Mickey makes me money? Mickey makes my songs? Mickey makes a poem? Mickey in the drugs ? Mickey is liar ? Mickey making love? Mickey is desire ?” The mischievous earworm — which, I think, is a (convincing) attempt to seduce Mickey Mouse — is paired with an equally eccentric music video directed and produced by FLASHA. [via Stereogum]

f5ve have released their new single ‘UFO’ via LDH Records. The track, co-produced by BloodPop, A.G. Cook, and Nomak, is inspired by Japan’s popular claw game machines, and follows on from previous singles ‘Lettuce’ and ‘Underground’. The accompanying music video, directed by Charlotte Rutherford and Crystalline Structures Studio, depicts f5ve as extraterrestrial beings abducting Tokyo residents with giant claws. [via Dork]

FKA Twigs has shared her new single ‘Perfect Stranger’, alongside a music video that features cameos from Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Yves Tumor. ‘Perfect Stranger’ is the latest single from Twigs’ upcoming album EUSEXUA – the long-awaited follow-up to 2019’s Magdalene – which will be released on January 24 via Young. Last month, the singer shared the album’s title track and its Jordan Hemingway-directed music video. Now, she’s given fans a second taste of the LP – with another video helmed by Hemingway. An intoxicating ode to fleeting relationships, Twigs sings: “I don’t know the name of the town you’re from/Your star sign or the school you failed/I don’t know and I don’t care,” while testing out roles as a half of different couples. Elsewhere in the video are appearances from Fleabag‘s Waller-Bridge and Yves Tumor. [via NME]

GRAMMY-nominated recording artist Ari Lennox (Dreamville/Interscope Records) makes her highly-anticipated return with her new single ‘Smoke.’ ‘Smoke’ is the first official release for Ari in 2024, following her 2023 single ‘Get Close.’ Directed by Chris Robinson, Ari is held at a mental asylum, where all the patients are running amuck, including her. Instead of sulking, Ari masterminds a plan to escape and dupes the employees during her performance. After a short hiatus, Ari is fiercer than ever, lashing back at her detractors, urging them to “f—k around and find out” on the unapologetic anthem. With ‘Smoke,’ Ari reclaims her power, showcasing her strength as a powerful Black woman beyond the booth.

It’s a superstar pop crossover! ROSÉ has officially launched her new solo era by teaming up with Bruno Mars on a new single called ‘Apt.,’ which arrived on Friday (Oct. 18). The song arrives just a day after the duo announced it, taking to Instagram to share the collaboration’s cover art. In the artwork, the BLACKPINK superstar lounges in front of a drum set, with the ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ singer sitting behind it, holding the drumsticks. The pair, who are in black-and-white against a bright pink foreground, are matching in leather jackets and white t-shirts. [via Billboard]

Rebecca Black’s ‘TRUST!’ music videos opens in court, as influencers take the stand talking about what they love, hate and admire about the pop star. In the Mean Girls-style opening monologue, one person says, “Boiler rooms used to be cool, then Rebecca Black ruined them,” while another claims she slept with Elon Musk. The hilarious testimonies break away to show Black masked up, flashing lights and bodies surrounding her, as an intense dance beat grows behind the pop star and DJ, eventually breaking into a full-on choreographed dance routine in front of the judge. “It felt only right to kick off the next project with the loudest and brashest track I’ve put out yet,” Black tells PAPER, “and ‘TRUST!’ embodies the essence of the fearlessness in this project better than anything.” To bring the spicy dance video to life, Black worked with Director Olivia De Camps, telling PAPER that it was “so seamless from the jump because she really understood the vision I had, not only for this song, but for the entire project.” Black also says that the heart of her upcoming project is about “tapping into this essence of delusion of grandeur and glamour that led the writing process for me. Everything I breathe is laced with camp these days and this concept felt like turning a narrative on its head in a fierce and unapologetic way.” [via PAPER]

JADE continues to delineate her space as a solo pop renegade, sharing her third single of the year, titled ‘Fantasy’. Produced by regular collaborator Mike Sabath, ‘Fantasy’ is an irresistible assemblage of post-gay disco liberation, processed ASMR purrs and ecstatic vocal ululations, all melting into a euphoric club-ready mix that speaks to the judgement-free zone JADE is rendering this era. It’s further proof the singer from South Shields isn’t afraid of throwing the listener a sonic curveball as she continues to flesh out a more experimental repertoire post-Little Mix. ‘Fantasy’ follows clubland classic ‘Angel Of My Dreams‘ and the noirish follow-up, ‘Midnight Cowboy‘. The former has accumulated over 50 million streams to date, entering the UK Official Singles Chart at No.7 – the third highest new entry for a British artist this year. Of her new single, JADE says: “’Fantasy’ is a love song that I wrote with dream team Pablo Bowman and Mike Sabath about feeling safe enough with your partner to shamelessly explore your fantasies! We wrote this the day after ‘AOMD’ was written, and from then on I always knew it would be the second single. I can’t wait for my fans to experience more of my musical world.” JADE will perform the track for the first time on ‘Later…with Jools Holland’ on BBC Two tomorrow evening. The accompanying video was filmed in LA and directed by the legendary David LaChapelle. It takes visual cues from ’70s soul train performances and the supernatural horror film Carrie, featuring iconic drag queen Love Connie as the villain. [via Clash]

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Indie rock royalty Hayley Mary announces Australian tour in support of her debut album, Roman XS out October 25. The tour announcement comes alongside gothic-synth pop single, ‘Eighteen’, and a vampire-themed music video co-starring Bryn Chapman Parish from Heartbreak High and Mac The Knife. On ‘Eighteen’, Hayley finds herself yearning for a past she was once so desperate to escape. She recounts, “I was on a road trip in LA, driving a Mustang, when ‘When You Were Young’ by The Killers came on. Suddenly, I felt nostalgic for my youth. Then I realised—I was living the dream my 18-year-old self had, driving a Mustang through America. It’s ironic to long for a past I wanted to escape.” This sense of haunting nostalgia is symbolised in the accompanying video directed by Sami Swilks, where Hayley is attacked by her vampire boyfriend, Heartbreak High star Bryn Chapman Parish, and becomes trapped as an eighteen-year-old vampire for eternity. [via Good Call Live]

Manhattan four-piece cumgirl8 have shared ‘ahhhh!hhhh! (i don’t wanna go)’, which is taken from their debut album, the 8th cumming. The arrival of ‘ahhhh!hhhh! (i don’t wanna go)’ additionally comes alongside an accompanying music video directed by Leah Hennessey (best known for HBO’s John Early: Now More Than Ever, and the cult webseries Zhe Zhe). Speaking of the video and its concept, Hennessey said: “We shot the video at 93 Canal, this experimental live streaming studio in Chinatown, which is carrying on the tradition of public access/pirate broadcasting downtown. The fictional show ‘Feminist or Feminot’ is hosted by the AI Hologram of The Collective Unconscious Perception of Second Wave Feminist Philosopher Susan Sontag (played by me and actress Roberta Colindrez), who is grilling the band about their particular brand of surrealist sex positive feminism. The conversation seems to splinter hologram Sontag into two, and when she encounters her double in the heart of Dimes Square, she’s forced to confront the erotic consequences of a level narcissism only made manifest with the help of AI.” [via The Line Of Best Fit]

Friedberg share vigorous new single ‘Hardcore Workout Queen’, the title track of their upcoming debut album of the same name. The track comes alongside an absurdly fun, stylish 80s-inspired music video, directed by the Nüesch Sisters, where fitness magazine covers spring to life and their stars break free from their glossy pages -watch here. Friedberg will also be performing their first UK headline show to celebrate their album release on 4th November at The 100 Club in London, buy tickets here. The album’s title track is a thrilling example of the band’s live spark, with it’s driving bass line, dreamy production and Anna’s clear-cut vocals, it’s a track that both evokes festival legends like Wolf Alice or Wet Leg, as well as being classically Friedberg. Written by Annaof Friedberg when she was in“a wake and bake mood”, she says“It’s about being the Champion of the slobs, whilst cheering for the Hardcore Workout Queens, who run past your bedroom window early morning, when you’re just tucking into your second breakfast. It’s kind of you do you and I do me and maybe one day we’ll switch. It’s the perfect song to listen to whether you’ve got a protein shake or a beer in your hand, whether you’ve got a popcorn machine or a rowing machine in your home, whether you’re a wake and baker or a record breaker.” Following up on their previous work for the band for ‘My Best Friend’, the Nüesch Sisters have outdone themselves with the new music video for ‘Hardcore Workout Queen’. This time, the band takes the spotlight on the covers of fitness and health magazines, but with a twist -they’re showing off workout routines that involve doing absolutely nothing. “The idea was that it’s muscle beach without the muscle. It’s a fitness video for lazy people”, explain Kim and Florine Nüesch.“The only problem? There’s one real Hardcore Workout Queen in the bunch, and as she starts to flex her actual workout skills, the other cover stars get a little… jealous. They start breaking free from their magazine prisons, hopping from one cover to another, causing absolute comedic mayhem.”

Hearts and Rockets return with a new music video created by Kalindy Williams herself, for ‘The Promise’, a synth-heavy track originally released last March as a split 7″ single, co-released on It Records, with fellow Aussie speed ‘n roll crooner Cong Josie. Hearts & Rockets’ new synth-heavy single ‘The Promise’ sounds like the indie sleaze offspring of The Cramps and The B-52s. Kalindy’s bratty vocals demand servitude, while Kurt’s stabbing bass punctures the synth’s driving melodies, all set to a disco beat. ‘The Promise’ conjures nostalgic pacts we all made to each other as kids, a reminder of the trust we put in those first and important friendships, igniting a vibrant and nostalgic high-energy rush of steady bouncy rhythms and jittery chunky bass stabs, obsessively topped by dire buzzing and flickering synth drifts, whilst bratty ecstatic vocals tease and taunt with relentless passion. The colorful visuals by Kalindy Williams create a punk Alice in Wonderland tea party to sync with the off-kilter exuberance of the soundtrack. You might at first think you are watching a typical Alice reenactment until you notice the risque leather bondage bra and black lace gloves accessorizing the cute powder pink dress. The rainbow tinsel-strewn walls make a perfect backdrop for Hearts and Rockets as Kurt hops around in a motorcycle jacket playing bass and Kalindy searches through a wide variety of iced saccharine treats. [via WL//WH]

Hot off the back of her headline slot on the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading and Leeds Festival this year, feminist rage queen and Brat punk princess DELILAH BON has dropped her brand new album, Evil, Hate Filled Female. Her second full-length also features newly released focus track and music video for ‘I Am The Best (Just Ask Your Momma)’. On the video, DELILAH BON comments: “This is a song I wrote about my online haters commenting and sharing my videos on social media, their engagement pushing them even more in the algorithm. It’s about how certain men online perceive me, how they despise everything I stand for, lyrically addressing their obsession and pointing out that their Momma’s would probably love what I do. It’s a middle finger to all those that have demonised me online, the soundtrack of my villain era.” [via Original Rock]

Rising to the stratosphere as one of Poland’s brightest stars, LUNA, the 2024 Eurovision representative, has launched her highly anticipated new single, ‘Wild West’. This dynamic electro-pop anthem, crafted in collaboration with British producers Paul Dixon and Josh McClelland, promises a fresh sound and a profound commentary on the trials and triumphs of modern life. Alongside the single, LUNA has also unveiled an impressive music video and announced the release of her sophomore album, scheduled for November 15. ‘Wild West’ delves deeply into the essence of contemporary existence, portraying a world as rugged and unpredictable as the untamed frontier. Written just before LUNA’s Eurovision journey, the track mirrors the struggle to stay true to oneself in a harsh environment where trust is scarce, emotions are concealed, and every advancement demands immense strength. The ‘Wild West’ serves as a powerful metaphor for a realm of endless possibilities, where dreams can be achieved but only through difficult choices and sacrifices. With its driving beats and compelling lyrics, LUNA guides listeners through a landscape where the pursuit of success is both thrilling and fraught with obstacles. [via Press Party]

FKA Twigs has shared details of her third album, EUSEXUA, and shared the captivating lead single – check it out below. The project comes as the long-awaited follow-up to her 2019 album Magdalene, and has been teased by the singer in recent weeks. Now, Twigs has shared full details about the new record and confirmed that it will be released on January 24 via Young. To celebrate the announcement, the singer-songwriter has dropped the title track as the lead single, as well as an accompanying music video directed by Jordan Hemingway. “King sized, I’m vertical sunrised / Like flying, capsized / Free, I see you are Eusexua,” Twigs sings, with ethereal vocals sitting on top of the pulsating, electronic rhythm. “Do you feel alone? / You’re not alone/ And if they ask, you say you feel it / But don’t call it love.” [via NME]

Electro-pop évocateur Viola Odette Harlow, formally known as Glüme, returns with her brand new single, ‘Human’. It is the first official release since her phenomenal sophomore album, Main Character, which was released in February 2023. On ‘Human, Viola creates a sumptuous yet haunting and heartbreaking ballad. Beautifully depicting Viola’s experiences within both her personal life and the entertainment industry, the single is bold and fiercely earnest. It is the perfect way for Viola to begin the new chapter of her continuously creative and diverse career. The accompanying music video was directed by Manny Liotta. Speaking about the ‘Human’ music video, Viola said: “The music video for ‘Human’ was inspired by the films Metropolis and The Red Shoes. Metropolis is the story of a woman turned into a robot to serve the narrative of a larger system. The robot then rebels against its makers and the real Maria still exists after all. In The Red Shoes, the character Victoria Page becomes locked into a role where a pair of red ballet shoes won’t let her stop dancing, and famously dances until her demise. These themes resonated with the last year of my life. I think I’ve also watched Blade Runner a lot and that is evident, too.” [via Mc Gig Music]

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