Multi-award winning and world-class violinist Lindsey Stirling has joined forces with alt-pop star Royal & the Serpent for her new genre-defying single and video ‘Inner Gold’. With Royal’s gorgeously strange vocals and Lindsey’s strutting rhythms, ‘Inner Gold’ is the second track taken from Lindsey’s forthcoming album Duality out in June and tells the tale of suffering through deception and emerging with a renewed sense of self-reliance. The visuals are huge, featuring both Royal and Lindsey in a choreographed performance.

Imogen And The Knife makes her debut with new single ‘Mother Of God’. The songwriter is already becoming a name to drop, with word of mouth settling on those triumphant live shows. Set to play Abbie McCarthy’s Good Karma Club on May 2nd at London’s Lexington venue, she’s just emerged from the shadows with a full single. Her debut, Imogen And The Knife stakes a claim on ‘Mother Of God’ with its powerful, theatrical vocal and piercing arrangement. Reminiscent of PJ Harvey and Florence + The Machine, the song is strident, full of life, and at times unstoppable. Penned alongside Will Lister and co-writer / producer Alex Parish, ‘Mother Of God’ does what every good debut single should do – it presents an entire world for fans to inhabit. Harv Frost directs the video, which draws on surrealist cinema. “It made sense to reference 1920s surrealist films and artists such as Man Ray and Dora Maar,” tells Imogen. “Where the uneasiness is told through lighting, the deliberate placement and distortion of objects and extreme close ups.” [via Clash]

Earth Tongue blast listeners into a hellscape vortex of sludgy riff overload with their new single ‘Grave Pressure’. Bursting from the soil born anew in the accompanying clip filmed in Berlin and directed / produced by Caity Moloney and Tom Mannion, the zombified duo of Gussie Larkin (Mermaidens) and Ezra Simons seem even more glamorous the second time round — made up and stylishly garbed for their journey into the great beyond, with the bonus addition of grit and grass. Like cosmic beings beaming their undead anthem from outside of time and space (I’m feeling shades of the infamously spooky Sapphire & Steel finale), Earth Tongue’s second studio album Great Haunting will be out on June 14 via US imprint In The Red Records. “If this song was a movie, the protagonist would be trapped in a torturous space between life and death… It’s totally schlocky, and we wanted a video to match that,” says Gussie Larkin. [via Under The Radar]

Northern junglist Nia Archives has just released her debut album, Silence Is Loud, a climactic 13-tracker that has been years in the making. Since seizing everyone’s attention with ‘Headz Gone West’ and the Forbidden Feelingz EP back in 2021, the world’s been clamouring for more and Nia has not faltered. One such track, ‘Cards On The Table’, also just got a video. As with some of the other tracks on the project, ‘Cards On The Table’ leans more on her singer-songwriter chops. There’s still a flighty breakbeat beneath it, but the stars of the show here are her heart-on-the-sleeve vocals and lyrics and the indie, almost Britpop guitar licks. Nia Archives has been showing us her versatility beyond the jungle sphere since day one, but Silence Is Loud gives us the most comprehensive look yet. [via Complex]

Gimme more GIMMY! Hot on the heels of the awesome ‘Things Look Different Now’, the Gemma Owens led, Byron-based garage rockers are back with their forthcoming album’s second single. Taking things in a more playful direction than their previous post punk cut, ‘Bathrooms’ fuses elements from new wave and art rock, taking cues from the likes of Talking Heads, B-52s and David Bowie. Capturing the 80s vibes of the track beautifully is the music video, filmed around the Northern Rivers / Bundjalung Country, featuring some idiosyncratic, synchronised sequences… and Bathrooms, of course. GIMMY’s new album Things Look Different Now is out May 31 via Third Eye Stimuli. [via Pilerats]

Pop-punk powerhouse Taylor Acorn has shared her brand new single ‘Greener’, out now. A vibrant and soaring track about realizing that things can be so much better than you ever imagined, ‘Greener’ serves as a follow-up and juxtaposition to Taylor’s previous single ‘Gray’. In a statement about the single, Taylor said: “‘Greener’ has to be one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written! I wanted this song to capture a feeling of revelation in that ‘grass is greener’ turn of phrase that we all know — and I think the music video does a great job in showcasing it too!! We all go through struggles and tough days where we beat ourselves up emotionally, and then when the going gets good, the grass feels so much greener!!” [via Broadway World]

Girl in Red celebrated the release of her new album on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. The 25-year-old Norwegian singer-songwriter performed her song ‘Too Much’ during Thursday’s episode of the NBC late-night talk show. Girl in Red, born Marie Ringheim, took to the stage in a pinstriped brown blazer and pants against a backdrop of red curtains. ‘Too Much’ appears on Girl in Red’s second studio album, I’m Doing It Again Baby!, released now. The album also features the singles ‘Doing It Again Baby’ and ‘You Need Me Now?’ with Sabrina Carpenter, along with seven other tracks. Girl in Red released a music video for the song ‘I’m Back’ alongside the album. The video shows the singer wander lush green hills on a sunny day. [via Upi]

Dua Lipa has released the latest single from her highly-anticipated third album, Radical Optimism. ‘Illusion’ arrives with a Tanu Muino–directed music video shot at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc in Barcelona. Watch Lipa perform at the luxe pool amid dancers, high divers, and synchronized swimmers below. The picturesque swimming pool in the ‘Illusion’ clip was also the site of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Slow’ video shoot from 2003. Muino’s visual culminates with Lipa climbing a structure inspired by traditional Catalonian human towers, called castells. Lipa co-wrote ‘Illusion’ with Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr., and Kevin Parker, who contribute across the album. The single was co-produced by Harle and Parker. “‘Illusion’ was the first song Caroline, Danny, Tobias, Kevin and I worked on together, and it really broke the ice for the record” Lipa said in press materials. “It’s about knowing what you’re getting yourself into, but staying for the hell of it. The joke’s on them, it’s the fun of playing someone at their own game because ultimately you won’t fall for an illusion.” [via Pitchfork]

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Portland band foamboy shares another new single from their upcoming sophomore LP, Eating Me Alive, out on March 8. The video for ‘COOL!?!’ is centered around a run-in with a unnamed rival band on the kickball field. Katy Ohsiek on the track: “‘COOL!?!’ is meant to be fun and tongue-in-cheek. Wil’s instrumental here really reminds me of Sure Sure: groovy but also a little silly and a little cheeky? I was inspired to write lyrics from a more petty, whiny place for effect. My favorite part of the song is the half-step modulation up at the end with the lavish guitar solo. It always makes me think of the final lap in Mario Kart, when the music speeds up. It also makes me think of the rippin’ saxophone solo on the Dolphin Shoals track in Mario Kart 8.”

LA-based singer-songwriter and experimental pop auteur Angélica Garcia further cements her ethnic and spiritual prowess with the cumbia-inspired, avant-pop single ‘Juanita’ about a limitless woman. The official video for ‘Juanita,’ also out on Partisan Records and starring Angélica, was directed by Sonia Malfa, an award-winning documentary filmmaker from Puerto Rico, and explores liberation from restrictive gender roles through its dualling characters. Steeped in Angélica’s love for her culture and passions for visual poetry and storytelling, the black and white video further explores spirituality and Angélica’s Latin heritage. “Your voice, the sound of stars/Not even the gods can draw you,” Angélica sings on ‘Juanita,’ an expression of beauty in a song that also probes the chaos inherent in cycles of generational trauma, and the possibilities of breaking them. Or as Angélica puts it: “I wanted ‘Juanita’ to feel like the story of my life, but one that was also true in a past life. I wanted the song to have a never-ending quality.” The track has its roots in 2020, as Angélica was sitting before an altar that she constructed in her bedroom, a culmination of her new inquiry into ancestral veneration: looking into the past to inform the present with familial knowledge. Raised by an Episcopal priest father in a traditional Latino family structure, Angélica has devoted her recent years to the process of deconstructing religion, spirit, heritage, and womanhood, confronting grief and healing. On the production style and lyrical weight of the song, Angélica adds, “Many cumbias have lyrics about pain and longing… My intention was for the tension and confusion in the song to feel like remembering a past life. I wanted to capture what the shadow side of grief does to us.”

Australian trio Telenova have shared new single ‘Teardrop’. The band have caused a whirlwind of hype in their native Australia, and seem poised to breakout in 2024. Snapped up by Fiction, new single ‘Teardrop’ opens a fresh chapter, and it’s a gloriously inspired piece of pop songwriting. The loose yet contagious drum beat points to those vintage Saint Etienne singles, while there’s a 90s sheen to the production. It’s all done from a fresh vantage point, however, with the fuzzy guitar break shattering the song into pieces. ‘Teardrop’ has a wonderfully visual quality, and it leans itself natural to the beautifully shot video – directed by frontwoman Angeline Armstrong, and fellow director Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore. Angeline Armstrong says… “We wanted to capture the volatile nature of our ever-changing human emotions in this song. I have this innate longing and hope for stability and joy, but in tension to that, I often find myself doing and saying things I don’t mean to say or feel. Josh and I were interested in exploring that tension in the lyrics, how sometimes even the journey towards happiness and light can be tinged with a sadness or darkness, ‘a teardrop on the sunshine”. [via Clash]

UK producer Anna Prior has shared her track ‘Tech Não’. The musician is perhaps most immediately recognisable as Metronomy’s drummer, maintaining the percussive pulse that fuels the long-running alt-pop outfit. Her own production work – and her skills as a DJ – have made Anna Prior a quietly imposing figure in club culture, maintaining a steady catalogue of glittering solo work. This year promises to be something special, with Anna Prior gearing up to a larger project as a solo artist. Out now, new single ‘Tech Não’ leads the way – supple, tech-edged electronics, her pop instincts transform the melodies into something engaging yet also other-worldly. Released through House Anxiety, ‘Tech Não’ finds Anna Prior cross swords with James Greenwood (AKA Ghost Culture), who has previously worked with Daniel Avery, Kelly Lee Owens, and HAAi. Tom Furse helms the visuals, blending rave imagery with a feeling of melancholy. Anna Prior comments… “On the surface, it’s about losing friends in the crowds, helplessness and vulnerability but underneath… It’s about when the energy in the room starts to turn towards the unfamiliar and you’re not sure if what you just saw was real and when the euphoric highs aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. But this song has a happy ending, which I didn’t end up writing lyrics for directly, but I feel it when I hear it; it’s about the relief of being found and saved by friendly strangers and beloved old friends.” [via Clash]

The latest single from power pop band, Shadow Show, is called ‘On A Cloud.’ Taken from their upcoming LP called Fantasy Now!, that will be out everywhere music is sold on February 16, this electric track channels the band’s love of 60’s psychedelic rock paired with pure pop bliss in their hooks. The band shared, “‘On a Cloud’ is the finale of our upcoming album, Fantasy Now!, With this track we offer a mantra of hope, peace and triumph over adversity. As a personal favorite, we strive to share the joy we felt while creating this song with the listener.” [via chorus.fm]

Zara Larsson has released a new video for ‘You Love Who You Love’. It’s a cut from her new album, Venus. The record is out now accompanied by a spring UK and European headline tour. The track was produced by MTHR in collaboration with MNEK and Danja. Zara explains, “we started writing over PRIDE, and began talking about how amazing it is that anyone can love anyone – but that doesn’t mean you always should! We’ve all had that friend, or been that friend, who keeps going back to someone who’s bad for them, and ‘You Love Who You Love’ is saying enough is enough.” [via Dork]

Klypi’s latest track, ‘Kiss Me,’ emerges as an exquisite snapshot filled with tender expressions, blossoming amidst the desolation of self-doubt. It serves as both a beacon of hope and a gentle reprimand to the reticent beloved, articulating through its poignant lyrics a readiness to surrender for a simple touch, a kiss, an opportunity. Captured by LA-based videographer Vik Grossling, this video piece stirs a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of Kate Bush and Enya’s music videos, the kind once discovered on bootlegged cassettes. The transitions, crafted by Dennis Stein from Introvertmusic, give the impression of a message being transmitted through fragile, old technology. This effect is intensified by Klypi’s skillful montage editing, alongside the deliberate preservation of incidental audio-visual glitches that occurred during production, adding a unique layer of authenticity to the work. Klypi explores the myriad facets of self-identity through an ever-changing tableau of silhouettes, poses, outfits, and layered images. Drawing inspiration from the unique blend of cult-smut-sci-fi seen in films like Liquid Sky and Brazil, along with the ethereal vibe of those late-night, as-seen-on-TV Pure Moods compilations, this dynamic visual expression celebrates the coexistence of Klypi’s multiple selves in all their glory. The video’s nuanced choreography resonates with the aching void of longing for an absent partner, reaching into the space they should occupy. With a determined expression, Klypi seeks a direct confrontation with the lover, demanding their full attention and engagement. Klypi dazzles with their exclusive eyeshadow palette, “You See Me,” presenting themselves openly to the gaze of the audience and provoking the poignant inquiry – if this is truly love, then why the hesitation to express it? [via Post-Punk]

Following the announcement of her forthcoming second album, I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!, girl in red shares the album’s lead single, ‘Too Much’. “I’ve always been told I’m too much. Throughout my whole childhood and in my adult years. Getting shut down when I’m at my happiest or most excited made me feel self-conscious, alienated, and weird,” shares Marie Ulven. “It wasn’t until I encountered the same feeling in my relationships, that I realized how much it actually hurt me to never feel fully accepted for who I am. As well I think culturally people tend to be too cool to have fun or to show true excitement and emotions, and I’m so tired of that facade.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

Zolita is a movie maker. Her cinematic queer experiences, like the viral ‘Fight Like a Girl’ and ‘Somebody I F*cked Once,’ are the cherry on top to her already lush sonic universes. “I tell sapphic love stories through my music videos, and I’m always brainstorming new settings and environments to tell those stories in.” Her new music video for ‘Bloodstream,’ premiering on PAPER, is maybe the best yet. Featuring Kyra Green of Love Island US fame It tells the story of two contestants in a beauty pageant who, through the craziness of the whole pageant circuit, end up falling in love. “In 2022 when I heard the news of Miss Puerto Rico and Miss Argentina getting married, my gears started turning,” she says. “I couldn’t stop thinking about their story. I was flooded with so many images of what must have went down.” The track itself is a moody alt-pop number all about wanting to be connected with your lover in the deepest, most visceral way. “I wanna be in your bloodstream, run through your veins / I wanna know how it feels to be in your DNA,” she sings over glimmering guitars. “I love making music that invokes nostalgia and I am endlessly inspired by early 2000s romcoms and the soundtracks that go along with them,” Zolita says. “Someone recently commented that ‘Bloodstream’ was very Michelle Branch and Liz Phair coded and that’s exactly the energy I was going for.” At the end of the day, Zolita says her “greatest strength is telling authentic stories that resonate with queer audiences.” There’s only more to come from the budding pop star and we can’t wait to hear where she’s going. [via PAPER]

Kacey Musgraves has announced the new album Deeper Well. The Texas-born singer will release her Star-Crossed follow-up on March 15 (via Interscope/MCA Nashville). The album’s first single is the title song, and it comes with a music video made by creative production studio London Alley and director Hannah Lux Davis. “Sometimes you reach a crossroads. Winds change direction. What you once felt drawn to doesn’t hold the same allure,” Musgraves said of ‘Deeper Well’ in a press release, “you get blown off course, but eventually find your footing and forage for new inspiration, new insight, and deeper love somewhere else.” Watch the new video below. [via Pitchfork]

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With ‘My Love Is Right,’ the first track from her new album Ne pas trop stay bleue (to be released February 10), Laure Briard reconnected with her audience in a declaration of intention and love. Now the singer sheds light on the title track of her album, a song of personal motivation, a call to optimism and accomplishment, soaking in soul and sun. Set to music (spirited, playful) by Julien Gasc, and put to image (surreal, clairvoyant) by Ruby Cicero, ‘Ne pas trop rester bleue’ is – like the album that takes its name –timeless and warm, and sets its sights toward the future and making dreams come true. “I’m quite pessimistic in life,” explains Laure, “and this song is a way of reminding myself that you have to know how to put things into perspective. Rather than staying too down or brooding, I want to take advantage of all of life’s stages that pass us by so quickly.” “All of life’s stages that pass us by so quickly,” is what the Sicilian director Ruby Cicero dramatized for the track’s music video. Childhood, the journeys of adolescence, a wedding, childbirth, work, success, old age and, finally, death (or rebirth) appear together in the 3mn 25s clip which depict a surreal meeting between a fortune-teller and the singer, each surrounded by the whimsical embodiments of different phases of life. After having been inspired by Quentin Tarantino and David Lynch for the clip of the song ‘Não me diz nada’ (released in 2021 on Laure’s EP Eu Voo), Ruby Cicero pays tribute here to the Franco-Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky, with nods to the dreamlike, symbolist, and stylized aesthetics of his films (The Holy Mountain, El Topo) and to his activity as a cartomancer (Tarot de Marseille). A hint of Juliet of the Spirits by Federico Fellini also inspires this joyful and colorful production, where the blue of the costumes contrasts with the bright yellow of the sets. Enough to make the pupil quiver. “Several lives in a single life”: this is also what the clip of ‘Ne pas trop rester bleue’ reveals. In this swirling illustration of the song, the multiplication of the protagonist’s possible destinies are dizzying.

Christine And The Queens has shared new song ‘La chanson du chevalier’. The French artist’s new album Redcar les adorables étoiles is out next month, and will be accompanied by a short burst of live shows. Set to play two nights in Paris, he then crosses the channel for a special evening at London’s Royal Festival Hall on November 22. The latest preview has just gone live, featuring Chris in full flow at Redcar, accompanied by a masterpiece in late 19th century French sculpture. The use of l’Age d’airain in the video invites the viewer to contemplate representation of the male form, while the song itself – deeply atmospheric synth pop – sings of longing for a lost knight. Elements of the project’s previous work remain, but this feels emphatically new, playing with those familiar tropes in a refreshing way. [via Clash]

Rising dance duo piri & tommy have released a new music video for ‘on & on’, a single from their upcoming debut album, froge.mp3 which is due to drop next Friday, October 21, via Polydor Records. The record was announced last month. On the video, piri & tommy jest: “If you wanna see what a frog-induced trip looks like, go no further!” [via Dork]

Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson have released their collaborative album as Plains, I Walked With You A Ways. It comes with a music video for the track ‘Hurricanes’ that was directed by Aidy Bryant and inspired by the late Loretta Lynn’s ’70s television performances. “I had always had a vision of Aidy’s involvement in this video that really ended with just getting her in the room,” Crutchfield said in a statement. “I trusted that she had the answer for the perfect way to visually accompany this song and from the jump she just deeply understood our vision, at moments better than we could have even explained it ourselves. I’m thrilled that she was so generous with her time and creative energy and I’m thrilled with how this turned out.” Bryant added: “I’ve been a fan of Waxahatchee and Jess Williamson for a long time so when Katie asked if I would direct a music video for Plains I jumped at the chance. We had a talented, hardworking crew and paid homage to Loretta Lynn’s 70’s TV performances. I’m also going to drive the bus for their tour, so see you on the road!” And Williamson talked a bit more about the song: “’Hurricane’ was the last song that was written for our record. We knew we needed one more, and when Katie brought Hurricane to the table we both knew the album was complete. It was incredible for me to watch this song reveal itself; from the early moments of Katie playing it for me on an acoustic guitar just days before we went to make the album, and then blossoming in the studio with the band into this total banger with huge choruses. Aidy’s video is the perfect companion for this tune, and we had a blast working with her and her team to make the visual world for this one come to life.” [via Stereogum]

Newcastle folk/chamber-pop artist and songwriter Ruth Lyon releases her new single ‘Clown’, the second track to be heard from upcoming EP Direct Debit To Vogue, out November 26 via Pink Lane Records. The new EP was produced by John Parish (Aldous Harding, PJ Harvey, Parquet Courts) at his Bristol studio, and will also feature the recently released single ‘Trouble’. New single ‘Clown’ is released alongside an eye-catching video, created by filmmakers Antonia Luxem (Ex:Re) and Tegid Cartwright. A vivid explosion of colour and texture, surreal even without being comical or circus, the video seeks to reframe the idea of the “freak”, or perhaps, a Clown. Commenting on the video’s creation, Ruth said: “Working with filmmakers Antonia and Tegid with their direction, support and friendship gave me the confidence to explore a side of myself that we haven’t explored visually so far. I adore making videos but we always have a dilemma – how to portray the story and the movement without me being able to actually move that much? This is the first time I have used a mobility aid front and centre in my creative work and we had many discussions on how to frame it. We wanted to explore this idea of the inner clown; the line “though I may be bound down, I’m bonded to my own clown”. Being able to creatively explore myself through music, dance and costume gives me an immense power that societal constructs can often strip away from my community and this video is a celebration of that bold energy. I absolutely loved leading these wonderful dancers through the trees in a vibrant procession past dog walkers and morning joggers. People are gonna stare when you look different so I want to give them something to really stare at.” Exploring the temptation of reckless decisions, ‘Clown’ moves at an alluringly steady pace; led by a skittering drum beat and lilting piano progressions, Ruth’s sharp, self-aware prose (“I fell into the rhythm of you, dance like a Demon till the afternoon / Got hooked on feeling nothing, nice to be numb”) weave around the instrumentals in seamless fashion. Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration behind new single ‘Clown’, Ruth said: “Jim Morrison said of himself: ‘I think of myself as an intelligent, sensitive human but with the soul of a clown which always forces me to blow it at the most crucial moments.’ I totally relate! We’ve all got that clown living inside of us, leading us down a crazy lane, tripping us up at the last turn in the road when we think it’s all going so well. But, that’s sometimes when I feel most alive.”

Gemma Laurence has shared one of her catchiest songs yet: ‘Watchdog.’ ‘Watchdog’ hurdles us into the snowy foothills of Vermont to witness the beautiful, fickle, and anxiety-producing beginnings of a new relationship. Painting a picture of woodsmoke lingering in crisp cabin air and the rosy alpenglow dancing off the Green Mountains, Laurence transports her listeners into a scene so picturesque it’s too good to be true. “I think I’d like to learn to trust you a little more,” she sings, “But my watchdog heart is sleeping by the backdoor / With one eye open, waiting for you to go with the next snow.” Laurence shares a short film to accompany the single directed by Kyle Wright, written by Devin McGrath-Conwell and Wright, and produced by Wright, McGrath-Conwell, Paul Steiner and Emilee Bae. It was shot by Conor Murdock and stars Lauren Norvelle alongside Gemma Laurence in her on-screen debut. Inspired by 1970’s Mafia films, ‘Watchdog’ (the film) dives head-first into the gritty underworld of the 70’s crime scene…. but this time, it’s gay. The film finds The Don (played by Laurence) sitting in her office surrounded by her rat pack, feeling jaded despite her newly found success. She’s Brooklyn’s newest top dog in the underworld crime scene, but it’s lonely at the top. Enter: Adrienne (played by Norvelle), her newest right-hand-woman and confidante. Adrienne presents a new romantic intrigue, but also represents the scrappy, ambitious, up-and-comer that the Don once saw in herself. The video grapples with their relationship with each other, and also with the Consigliere (played by Francesca Pastore), who has her own secrets up her sleeve. A gritty, bloody love triangle ensues in the highly stylized landscape of a 1970’s underworld crime syndicate. On making the film, director Kyle Wright shares: “When Gemma and I first started talking about making a short for one of the songs on Lavender, we bounced several ideas back and forth. All the while, one unifying theme consistently made itself known: trust, and learning how to trust again after being hurt. For me, of all the wonderful songs on her album, Watchdog projects this question most earnestly.” Wright adds: “As a filmmaker, I seek to pair seemingly contradictory elements that comment on each other with strange fluency. It was in thinking about this and Watchdog that I realized why I love crime movies. The genre necessitates vulnerability from the hardened. The stories pivot around the fragility of characters in violent, unforgiving worlds. In these films, one theme always remains central: trust, and the consequences of violating it. While my favorite crime epics often climax in tragedy, Watchdog demanded the possibility for hope, for learning to trust again. With the support of an incredible crew and cast, that intention allowed me to find the kind of unexpected juxtaposition I crave and, I hope, brings Gemma’s intimate and confessional music into even sharper focus.” Laurence shares: “The music video is off the walls – there’s gunshots and blood and intense Sapphic yearning gazes and crazy 1970’s leather bell bottoms. It’s this intense crime-ridden love triangle that’s bloody and violent and gay as hell.” Laurence continues, “I had never acted on screen before and it was such a delight working alongside Kyle and Lauren and such an accomplished cast and crew – I mean, these people have worked on huge movie sets, and now they’re helping me make a music video? That’s insane! I felt completely overwhelmed with gratitude and awe while on set, watching these people in their element. There’s so much hard work and dedication that went into this production, and I couldn’t be more proud of what we made.”

The seamless combination of Carly Rae Jepsen and Rufus Wainwright is rivaled only by the balance Jepsen strikes between disco and pop in her latest single ‘The Loneliest Time,’ the title track of her forthcoming sixth studio album due October 21. The cinematic music video only adds fuel to the duo-we-never-knew-we-needed fire. The video looks like it’s taken directly from old Hollywood, bringing to life what Jepsen and Wainwright harmonized in the first verse, “Just like Shakespeare wrote a tragedy / But our story, never finished it / ‘Cause our love, we never finished it.” Jepsen flies (literally) from her apartment window to Wainwright’s rooftop, where they delightfully dance and commit to giving elusive love another try “’cause we’ve had the loneliest time.” [via UPROXX]

Vera Ellen has shared her first new release since 2021’s Flying Nun solo album It’s Your Birthday. ‘Homewrecker’ plays with the idealised fantasy of sparking chaos in perhaps not others’ lives, but in one’s own. Directed by Albert River and made with support from NZ On Air, Ellen struts on a roof amongst a cast of models and smokes in a vogueish recline in the song’s accompanying clip — a nod to “The King of Cool” Dean Martin’s 1983 visuals for ‘Since I Met you Baby’. The graphic assault of colour and glamour work against Ellen’s desolate lyrics, where the Herculean body of water seems as biting as it is rich. The clip later reveals the green screen, as if to lift the curtain on the attractive intensity of fantasy. “‘Homewrecker’ is the personification of my inner demon forcing its way in to create chaos where it senses harmony. I’m my own home wrecker. Ain’t we all?” says Vera Ellen. [via Under The Radar]

Australian indie pop artists Holly Hebe, Ivoris and Zhuli have joined forces on the endlessly engaging new single ‘Supervillain’, showcasing an effortless sense of chemistry and charm on the new release. The track tackles the idea of people who like to create alternative stories and realities within their head to justify their behaviour and make them the “good guy”, making you the villain in the process. Despite this however, ‘Supervillain’ has an gorgeous, breezy and feel-good nature to it, with a soundscape that melts you within its immersive softness and appeal. The track just has this incredible sense of chemistry, feeling smooth and affable throughout. The vocal performances have this soft sense of power to them, and the production creates this cloud-like sense of euphoria and bliss throughout the track. This is a really rewarding and likable release that elevates everybody involved in it. [via clout clout clout]

Rising alt-pop artist KiNG MALA (AKA Areli Castro) has released her sophomore EP, honey catching season via Handwritten Records. The nine track EP finds the artist embodying the idea of radical self acceptance and finding a renewed sense of identity and purpose. “I’ve spent the past 24 years coming to terms with who I am, my past, my mental illness, my body, my sexuality, my failures, my wins, my career, my love life and everything in between,” Castro explains. “For me, these songs are about finding a way to love myself through any means necessary.” The release highlights new track ‘martyr’ with a seductive new music video. “’Martyr’ is about a lover of mine that made me feel like I was everything, like I was the beginning and the end of his universe. It’s as simple as that, it’s a song about being adored (as you should be) by the person you love. It’s about being someone’s saint, church and religion.” [via Prelude Press]

One of girl in red’s breakthrough hits was ‘We Fell In Love In October,’ a wistful indie-pop love song built on simple drums, echo-laden guitars, and elegant orchestral strings. Now, girl in red has released a sequel. The standalone single ‘October Passed Me By’ pushes further into that autumnal sonic palette. It was produced remotely by the National’s Aaron Dessner, who helped Taylor Swift achieve a similar aesthetic on folklore and evermore. The lyrics are somewhat Swiftian as well: “Yeah, I got bitter when you got cold/ Could you really blame me though?/ You know this song is about you/ Who else could it be?/ You were the first to make me/ Feel like I was me/ You’re just a memory.” Marie Ulven, the girl in red herself, shared this statement about the song: “‘October Passed Me By’ has been living in the back of my head since June 2021. Every fall since I put out we fell in love in October in 2018, I was encouraged to do things on social media to talk about the song again. Making TikToks, Instagram posts and other things about a song I made years ago never felt honest. I’m not in the same place as I was when I wrote the song, emotionally or artistically, so pretending to be so felt boring and uninteresting. So, I never did any of that; but last year something happened in my personal love life that brought up a lot of feelings that I had to confront internally. I met Aaron Dessner in the fall of 2021. I told him I had this song that I had written and wanted to make but I hadn’t started recording it yet. I had never worked with him, so for me it felt like an interesting and also lowkey thing to try out. I finished writing the song in Oslo and LA, working remotely with Aaron and with my great friend Matias Tellez on mix. ‘October Passed Me By’ is where I’m at today, emotionally and musically. Grateful for what has been, and full of love for a very special person that made a huge impact on me as a person. And also, I thought it was way cooler to expand the we fell in love in October universe artistically, rather than making some uninspired videos that will disappear into the black hole of content that is TikTok. PS: I will probably make TikToks too. lol.” ‘October Passed Me By’ premiered along with a short film directed by Gustav Johansson, starring Lisa Loven Kongsli and Ruth Vega Fernandes as older versions of the characters from the ‘We Fell In Love In October’ video. [via Stereogum]

Montreal artist, Hanorah has released a stunning new video for her song ‘The Drudge’. The song is the third single from her debut album Perennial, out now. “Paul De Rita, who I’ve been playing and writing with since I started out, is the mastermind behind this one,” Hanorah says. “He made a really unusual-sounding demo that was groovy and strange, unlike anything either of us had done before. I need to quote him here: “I was but a channel for ‘The Drudge’. It already existed, but it chose me as its channel, so I cannot claim its creation.” When he brought this wild recording to me, I asked him what story he wanted. He imagined something that evoked the same mood as Toby, from The Office. So I wrote out some burnout words inspired by the show and by Paul’s own catchphrases and came up with the melody at the mic as he sat next to me at the computer. I still get nervous doing that now. The final version we made with Jacques at Studio Opus is perhaps cleaner but still has the off-kilter quality that the delirium of the 9-5 merits. I made up the bridge vocals on the last day in the studio, which my best friend Christian sang. It was inspired by a close yet mysterious acquaintance of ours who drives a Cadillac, which we have borrowed to get to the studio a few times. I often wonder how people can afford their lives, and that Cadillac just stuck with me. I used to hate music about money, but the older I get, the more I understand. Paying bills is a drag, and they just keep coming.“ [via Montreal Rocks]

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