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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The post appeared first on She Makes Music.

Born from Riot Grrrl, VENUS GRRRLS are an alternative rock band from Leeds. From twinkling synth motifs to raspy guitar lines, the girls present the dark yet empowering discourse surrounding their own synergistic experiences. Seeing someone you care about manipulated, demeaned, and have their self-esteem crushed by a narcissistic individual can evoke a sense of helplessness and frustration. ‘Liar Liar’ is written from the abuser’s grip, but encourages the idea that people can reclaim their autonomy, rediscover their worth, and ultimately, forge a path towards renewed emotional well-being and empowerment. The band say, “‘Liar Liar’ took some time to finish, both lyrically and instrumentally. The topic, often very personal and contextual was something I wanted to make sure was adequately represented despite its vast nature. The idea was that the ‘narrator’ of the song has become aware of the dynamic of another relationship, and that it isn’t necessarily a good dynamic. Spotting patterns of emotional manipulation and abuse, the narrator seeks not only to empower the victim but to let the perpetrator know that they’ve figured out what’s happening despite the ‘games’.”

Acclaimed indie R&B singer, songwriter Celine Love shares the gorgeously cinematic music video for her new single ‘Gold Plated Tears’. The track is taken from her upcoming new EP Colouring In, out on October 26. Following the release of her breezy, summer single ‘Candy Eyes’, the new single slows the pace down and showcases Celine’s love for indie and folk music. With a haunting guitar riff at its core, Celine’s gorgeously sultry vocals take centre stage. Lyrically, it explores situationships that you find yourself pouring too much of yourself into. She says, “I am a sad guitar girl at heart and find that I get to be me truest as an artist when writing with an instrument in my hand. My love for Jeff Buckley definitely comes to light in this track through dark and deep metaphors with an emotional and soulful performance. The song is about a situationship I poured far too much of myself into. The first half was written when I was still very confused about it. By the time I recorded the song and wrote the rest of it I was more angry and hurt, which is why the song takes a turn emotionally. The idea behind the ‘gold plated tears’ line was a happy accident because I was simply trying to make the song fit the colour theme of the EP. However once I wrote that line, it shaped the meaning of the track. Tears were spilled because of the sadness and anger I felt but because I get to create art from my experience they became valuable. Plated in gold. I can only hope the listener is inspired to be true to their emotions. This is one of the most honest songs I’ve ever written, and I especially struggle writing about people who have hurt me. If sining or crying along to the track can give anyone some sort of catharsis, then the message has been delivered.”

“Our hostess starts out perfect, but gradually begins to unravel as the song progresses,” says SURVIVAL GUIDE, a.k.a. Emily “Agent M” Whitehurst (former vocalist for punk standouts Tsunami Bomb) about the deranged Stepford Wives treatment for her video for ‘Pie,’ the third single off her fourth full-length electropop Survival Guide album deathdreams, out October 19 via Double Helix Records. The vivid metaphor in the lyrics as a protector (“Let me bubblewrap you / Hide you from his eyes”) begins to reveal itself as she dreads younger women having to endure some of the darker things she’s been through. The song’s origin as a “basic demo” with just a “weird clicky drumbeat, a few bass synths and the vocals” was fleshed out at Mesa, AZ’s Flying Blanket Recording Studio with producer Bob Hoag (Dear and the Headlights, The Ataris, The Format) who added in some various layers in production to make the song shine. “Bob really filled it in with harps, violins, mellotron flutes and so much more, and turned it into this unique song,” she says. “Also, I really love desserts and baking, so I’m excited that I figured out how to make pie such a focus in one of my songs.” “Some of the instrumentation on ‘Pie’ gave it a hint of a 1950s sound, which inspired video director Bryan Heiden and the team at The Motivated Mind Group to create the look and feel of the music video,” she adds on the video’s treatment. “Even though the song isn’t literally about pie” she laughs, “we all wanted to use the imagery of it, so we filmed a cooking show set in the ‘50s. I loved getting to attempt all the different emotions that went into this character. And since I enjoy baking so much, it was super fun to do an exaggerated version of a baking show for the video. It even comes with a few commercial breaks!” The deviant ‘Pie’ video follows in tune with the previous action-packed videos: ‘Lady Neptune’ which follows a narrative driven ‘rise and fall’ type story that features a plot of a character who wants something more out of life, but ends up choosing organized crime,” and the macabre and blood-splattered short film-esque music video for ‘Blood Perfume,’ which stars Em as a deranged serial killer who outsmarts her victims.

London-based newcomer Lola Wild shares her debut single ‘Rendezvous’ via Tip Top Recordings. The single, a pensive indie burner for fans of artists like Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten and Chromatics, is the first to be taken from her forthcoming debut EP. The single is accompanied by a striking music video featuring showgirl dancer Coco Belle and directed by Jack Satchell and Mars Washington. ‘Rendezvous’ is a retro-tinged ode to pansexuality and sexual fluidity. The story of the single holds a more poignant meaning than the up-beat crooney, Fosse inspired video lets out. Written about two same sex lovers and the social pressures of where they should sit with their sexuality and gender roles, the song recounts Lola’s own experience at the time she began exploring her sexual identity. It details the challenges faced by two friends falling in love and fear of the judgement and stereotypes that came with it. Of her new single, Lola says: “Bob Fosse is one of my biggest idols, he influenced the choreography in the music video. Films like Sweet Charity and Cabaret inspired me to make music in the same way that Fosse made films. He created an entire signature style through embracing insecurities and experiences, ditching emulation and embracing individuality. I never thought that ‘Rendezvous’ would end up turning into a queer love song. It’s loosely based on my own experiences and the stereotypes I faced when exploring my own sexuality.”

Scene Queen has released a new single, ‘Pink Push Up Bra’. “I wanted a song about finally getting the Justice you deserve because I realize that doesn’t happen for a lot of women,” she explains. “I was having a not so great day that ended up turning into one of my new favorite songs. The idea for the song actually came to me in the shower as I was getting ready for the studio session because I was feeling very triggered that day. I was an hour late to the session because of it, but knew it would be a quick write. The whole song top to bottom took about 2.5 hours total to write and record. It’s probably my most rage-filled song and one of my heaviest. I hope anyone that relates gets the Justice they deserve or at least can use it as an outlet for all the complex emotions that go along with the trauma of assault.” [via Dork]

This past Friday, CHAI released their new self-titled album, the Japanese group’s fourth full-length overall, and they’ve been rolling it out over the last few months with ‘We The Female!,’ ‘PARA PARA,’ ‘NEO KAWAII, K?,’ and now they’re sharing the video for ‘GAME’. Here’s what the group’s MANA had to say about it: “Winning isn’t the goal, it’s the strategizing and challenge that matters♡ So it doesn’t matter if you lose. Take that loss and turn it into an even better strategy! Life’s a game! We made the video with our lovely friend Ginger Root♡ It’s fun and NEO KAWAII♡ As long as you’re living, you can play the game as many times as you want. Be honest to your heart, don’t take it too seriously, and live life.” [via Stereogum]

Experimental pop artist Eartheater has released her sixth full-length studio album Powders. The project is available via her own label, Chemical X, and features the previously released singles ‘Pure Smile Snake Venom’ and ‘Chop Suey.’ The latter is a blissed-out cover of System of a Down’s nu-metal classic. Producers and contributors on Powders include Yves Rothman, Sega Bodega, Lecx Stacy, Casey MQ, Elliott Kozel, Tony Seltzer, Luis Aponte, Isaiah Barr, Sammy, and Kiri. Powders arrives alongside a video for the album track ‘Crushing.’ Andrew Thomas Huang, who has previously worked with Björk, FKA twigs, and Kelela, directed the video, which culminates with Eartheater shattering a wine glass with her extraordinary voice. In a statement, Huang says, “The video concept for ‘Crushing’ arose out of a mutual intention between me and Alex [Eartheater] to focus on process instead of results. After long conversations about the themes of chance, entropy and chaos behind Powders, we landed on the idea of breaking a wine glass with Alex’s voice as a simple, powerful performance act. The resulting video is builds to this climax while drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of erotic thrillers of the early 90s, the introspective surrealism of Albrecht Durer’s Melencolia, and the ‘memento mori’ eroding dice collection of the late actor magician Ricky Jay exhibited at the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Ultimately, ‘Crushing’ is a portrait of the artist as an observer contemplating the unraveling universe both in the external world and in the crashing inner depths of the heart.” [via The FADER]

Lime Garden are a Brighton four-piece who, whilst growing into adulthood together, are writing coming of age indie-rock with the influence of the modern pop culture that surrounds them Horrifying and brilliant in equal measure, Lime Garden’s video for new single ‘Love Song’ dropped earlier this week at your peril! Last week, the band announced that their debut album One More Thing will be released next February and they’ll be going on a big ol’ UK tour so they can bring all your favourite newbies to life. The debut album One More Thing is the band’s love letter to the indie music they surrounded themselves with in their formative years, as well as a statement of love, fear, gratitude and embracing imperfections. [via The Fat Angel Sings]

Sadness & Complete Disappointment have released the second instalment of their forthcoming GBH EP. The ‘B’ of the EP, ‘BARB’, is out now. Says drummer and lead vocalist Esmee Baker, “Everyone thinks this song is about someone called Barb. And I am happy to let them believe that. BUT alas, it is not. My grandmother’s name was Barbara though – she changed it to sound more English – yuck. BACK TO THE SONG – this one is simultaneously about wanting to fuck someone’s brains out (not grandma), but also knowing they are a terrible person. And then it’s also about how, no matter how we wile away our mortal hours, we are all on the slow march to the grave (like grandma).” As is becoming the band’s signature move, a delicate and atmospheric overture of falsetto vocals gives way to a magnificent riff-edged finale.

Girli has released a new video for ‘Matriarchy’. The single follows her 2023 EP why am I like this?, and arrives to coincide with a headline tour of North America. She says of the track: “I wrote ‘Matriarchy’ about sapphic relationships and how they feel like an act of rebellion towards the patriarchy. Women are taught that they exist for the male gaze, so when women love women, it’s like putting a massive middle finger up to the homophobic, transphobic, misogynist, patriarchal society we live in and saying “f**k you, I exist and I’m gonna have fun”. Existing in the female gaze feels so liberating. When I’m in love with a woman, it feels like we’re rewriting the rules of society and creating our own brand-new world.” Of the video, she adds: “I wanted to create a dreamy her-storical matriarchal world ruled by sapphics, set in a forgotten era of the past. We shot the video at a palatial manor house and had an amazing cast and crew of women. It’s sensual, powerful and queer. It’s the kind of music video I wish I’d seen growing up and figuring out my sexuality.” [via Dork]

Pop sensation Slayyyter has just released the highly anticipated music video for her latest single, ‘I LOVE HOLLYWOOD!’ The track is part of her new album, STARFUCKER, which has been generating buzz among fans and music critics alike. The ‘I LOVE HOLLYWOOD!’ music video exudes a sense of glamour and extravagance, perfectly capturing the essence of the album’s theme. Set against the backdrop of the luxurious Chateau Marmont, the video features stunning visuals, vibrant colors, and Slayyyter’s signature edgy style. It is a true visual feast for fans and a testament to Slayyyter’s creative vision. [via Foggy Media]

Last year, the impossible-to-categorize New Jersey artist 070 Shake released her album You Can’t Kill Me. This year, Shake appeared on RAYE’s massive UK pop hit ‘Escapism’ and on Christine And The Queens’ ‘True Love,’ and her sampled voice popped up on the Fred again.. banger ‘Danielle (Smile On My Face).’ Right now, Shake is touring American stadiums as Coldplay’s opening act. She’s got another new LP in the works, and she’s just dropped its first single. The new 070 Shake song ‘Black Dress’ is a banger. Shake recorded the track with her longtime collaborator Dave Hamelin and with Johan Lenox, a producer who’s done a lot of work with Metro Boomin. Shake has been performing ‘Black Dress’ live all year. It’s a ghostly, pretty song with heavy, churning guitars, blurry synths, and trap 808s — the kind of thing that might happen if the Deftones tried to make a Future song, or vice versa. The song’s Noah Lee-directed video starts out with Shake stuck in a tree, hanging from her parachute, with the wreckage of a crashed plane strewn on the ground around her. From there, things get psychedelic. [via Stereogum]

In addition to dropping her fourth studio album, Scarlet, Doja Cat also released a music video for her song ‘Agora Hills.’ The song is the ninth track on Doja‘s latest album, and has already amassed over 1 million views on YouTube. The highly stylized, mildly hellish video features Doja Cat in several unique outfits, hanging with friends at a dystopian mall setting, as well as sitting on a sign that says ‘Agora Hills.’ The video is directed by Hannah Lux Davis & Doja Cat. [via American Songwriter]

The post appeared first on She Makes Music.

DEBBY FRIDAY is sharing the incredible official video directed by herself and Kevan Funk for ‘WHAT A MAN,’ a standout from GOOD LUCK, her full-length debut, available now worldwide on Sub Pop. In a statement for the video, DEBBY FRIDAY offers this: “The ‘WHAT A MAN’ music video is loosely based on the famous essay, Ways of Seeing, by English art critic John Berger as well as paintings by the Italian Baroque painter, Artemisia Gentileschi (in particular, her iconic work “Judith Slaying Holofernes”). In 1972, Berger released “Ways of Seeing” as both a television series via the BBC and a book. Both the series and the text function as image-based explorations of the depiction of women in Western art and culture. This work has been massively influential in cultural theory, as it introduced the concept of “the male gaze”. Gentileschi is distinctive for being one of the only female professional artists of her era. Her paintings draw from myths and Biblical stories and almost always feature women as protagonists and equals to men. Arguably her most famous work, Judith Slaying Holofernes, is thought to be a self-portrait that depicts her as Judith slaying a Holofernes who resembles Agostino Tassi, a man who raped her when she was 17. Both the essay and the paintings served as frameworks for the video. The same way that Gentileschi painted herself into images of other women is the same way I feel that every woman can see ourselves in much of Gentileschi’s story and her work. To be a woman and an artist in this world is to be, in a way, a shapeshifter. You take on the shape of whatever and whoever is looking at you – whether that be a camera, a phone, a lover, a thief, a killer. Always and all at once, you are a spectacle, a flower, a treasure, a ditch, a bitch, a miracle. When I look at Artemisia’s paintings, I feel myself transported and transformed into the emotional field of Judith, of Jael, of Susanna. Her hand is my hand, her sword is my sword, her pain is my pain. I have always identified with women who were wild and brazen – survivors, people who exist and persist despite. I have always looked up to women who were willing to be ‘bad’ in the name of living thoroughly.”

Multihyphenate creator Nicole Daddona, who performs as FRIDAY, has shared her new single and video ‘Dear God.’ Daddona reclaims her emotions in the grunged-out ballad that slowly builds before devolving into an all-out rocker. The accompanying video by Daddona’s production company Magic Society Pictures shows FRIDAY dressed up as a crying, cigarette-smoking clown as she takes over an empty indoor children’s entertainment facility. “‘Dear God’ is a grunge-pop song with deep emotions that delves into the themes of self-sabotage and sacrifice,” Daddona says. “It explores the concept of willingly setting oneself up for disaster, even if it causes pain, in order to protect yourself or someone else. The song acknowledges the difficulty of doing the right thing, which often requires walking away from someone or something you love and trusting the unknown. Sometimes, making a mess and looking like a fool is necessary to move forward. The lyrics read like a personal diary entry, expressing the sadness and emotional aftermath of a tough decision. My hope is that the song provides a cathartic outlet for those moments when you need to release some pent-up anger or sadness – ideally over In-N-Out Burger.” Through her whimsical and eclectic solo musical project, FRIDAY explores themes of love and loss with a touch of nostalgia and DIY aesthetics, all heard across a unique sound that she describes as “Harry Nilsson meets Nirvana.”

Tribe Friday has released the official music video for new single ‘Swimsuit’ off their upcoming sophomore album, Hemma. The 80’s styled iridescent track mastered by Stephen Marcussen (The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, Cher) touches upon bouts of survivor’s guilt and self reflection. Bolstered by a driving beat, the music video sets the stage for an explosive chorus that channels pent-up frustrations stemming from loss, built up anxieties and regret. Blurring the line between dream and reality, the evocative vocals paired with the fantastical visualization of losing a loved one creates for a heartfelt, cathartic release with their signature bubble-gum emo charm. Singer and guitarist Noah Deutschmann said: “This video expands on some of the themes in the song – survivor’s guilt, unhealthy relationships, addiction, that sort of thing. I love the way Benjamin, Klara and Carl interpreted these ideas and made them come to life. We’re usually hesitant to give away creative control to other people, but I don’t think we could’ve found a better fit this time around. Bonus points to actor Johanna for actually eating that shrimp+fizzy pop jello cake with a straight face. Watch the video and you’ll see – it’s quite impressive.”

One of the busiest bands at SXSW was Be Your Own Pet, the indie-sleaze-era garage-punk band who blasted out of Nashville as teenagers in the mid-aughts, released two wild albums in two years, and quickly broke up in 2008. The band played their first show in 14 years last spring, and after gigging relentlessly at this month’s Austin music marathon they’re back with their first song in 15. ‘Hand Grenade’ races directly back to that BYOP sweet spot of ragged, unhinged rock ‘n’ roll and danceable howl-along pop. Jemina Pearl’s chorus is mightily catchy without shifting out of riotous shouting mode: “I’m not your victim/ I’m my own person/ I’m not some casualty/ I set myself free!” Pearl’s comment on the track: “’Hand Grenade’ started out as a threat to the people who harmed me, that I will make them suffer as I have suffered. But the song grew like a mirror to my own grief process, through anger, denial, sorrow. In the end I gain my power back not through violence, but through self acceptance and rejection of the labels others might put on me. I define myself, no one else.” Below, watch the ‘Hand Grenade’ video, directed by BYOP drummer John Eatherly and shot on an iPhone in a basement. [via Stereogum]

Emerging rockstar Lina Maxine explores her softer side with the release of her new Power-Pop single, ‘EADGBE (Crying Guitar)’. ‘EADGBE (Crying Guitar)’ is the US-based artist’s most intimate song to date, and it’s woven together brilliantly by Lina Maxine’s husky vocals, poetic lyrics and haunting melodies. The song feels like a diary entry, and opens with cinematic chords before transitioning into a lush guitar part and syrupy backing vocals, leading up to a striking slap bass groove in the chorus. The result is a massive banger with Rock and Trap influences that more than lives up to its expectations. And with a neo-gothic music video, Lina delivers a dramatic visual experience to reflect the song’s sultry and vulnerable depths. With production credits to Lina and her musical partner Dean Aladay, the song was also mixed by the pair and recorded in New York in the summer of 2022. Speaking about her sound, Lina says, “I love riffs, I love soaring top lines, and I love the song to be more of a roller coaster than a train ride.” [via Music Crowns]

Global superstar and multi-award-winning songwriter Tones And I has shared a new standalone single titled ‘I Am Free.’ Commenting on the new song, Tones And I shared, “‘I Am Free’ is a song about relationships in my life, that have ended. It’s about self-reflecting on those relationships, acknowledging that I still carry parts of them with me and taking my share of responsibility for what happened. I wrote the song, composed it, co-produced it, and recorded it with my choir and an orchestra. I also wrote and co-directed the film clip and wanted it to be powerful, joyful and anthemic.” [via Broadway World]

Mango In Euphoria has shared the video for her single ‘Hollywood’. ‘Hollywood’ is a dark electronic piece that had its first lines written at the start of 2022 after the artist spent the night at a hotel with a producer from Los Angeles. LA was a city she was always attracted to, in a weird way, but low-key felt dangerous to her soul. The first time the artist visited the city of angels was in March 2019 and she can still remember seeing the selling glamour but also quite a few people lost in the streets. Although the song contains references that are personal and real, ‘Hollywood’ is written in an exaggerated way. It’s to target anyone who would want to make it so bad that they’re ready to be corrupted. She explains further: “For this track, I really wanted to do an electronic mix of the music I listen to the most and grew up with : my first reference sounds were in the tracklist of Tron Legacy’s 2010 soundtrack album produced by Daft Punk. I really wanted to include this « Arcade Game feeling ». Hollywood both sounded futuristic and goth in my head when I first wrote it, so I later decided that I wanted an electronic bass like Mystic Grizzly (an artist that I absolutely love that I discovered last summer) to make love to it.”

King Isis (they/she), the latest signing on Dirty Hit alongside independent label No Matter, has released their debut EP scales. The EP arrives with new focus track ‘i’m fine, thx 4 asking’, that builds upon the indie rock futurism laid down in previous singles ‘taste of u’, ‘in my ways’ and’ 4leaf clover’. King Isis’ debut EP is a stunning exploration into self-discovery and affirmation. Their expressive vocals transition from the acquiescent to symphonic across its 6-tracks and they naturally lean into elemental themes of nature and balance with an emotional depth that far surpasses their years. Speaking on the apathetic focus track ‘i’m fine, thx 4 asking’, King Isis explains: “‘I’m fine thx 4 asking’ comes from moments of self-doubt and self-destruction, traversing through a place of hopelessness to hopefulness. This slump is expressed through the verses, like a cloud of dissociation, but then you’re slapped in the face with a punchy chorus that represents a breakthrough moment of clarity and realization. So now you’re kinda like wait — I think I can get through this — I know it’s gonna take a lot of work but I swear I can do this. It is the moment of realizing that you have the agency to let go of your demons and work with your shadows, not against them.”

Five-time Grammy nominee Chlöe has released her debut album In Pieces via Parkwood/Columbia Records/RCA. Over three years in the making, the fan-demanded project showcases songs written, arranged and executive produced by Chlöe. The 14-track album features collaborations from Missy Elliott, Future and Chris Brown. Launching alongside the album is the official video for ‘Cheatback’ featuring Future and a cameo by Joey Bada$$. The visual finds Chlöe flipping the script on her cheating ex and instead of getting mad, she decides to get even, giving him a taste of his own medicine.

She’s the voice behind radio anthems ‘Stay The Night’ (with Sigala) and ‘Sweet Lies’ (with Nathan Dawes) but now Talia Mar is going it alone and has released self-worth anthem ‘Self-Portrait’. The video, directed by Kassandra Powell, sees Talia reflect on herself through a series of mirrors, glass, crystals and TV screens – acting as a metaphor for when a toxic relationship can make you not recognise who you’ve become and remembering you need to put yourself first and not lose sight of the bad bitch you really are. She said: “I really love it because of the sentiment. It’s an anthem but it has a heartfelt end to it, so you can get the feels. Self-love moments are the most important. That’s where I am right now mentally.”

In the midst of playing her first ever run of US headline shows, girli has announced her brand new highly-anticipated EP. why am i like this?? will arrive on May 12, and include previously released singles, ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and ‘I Really F**ked It Up,’ plus the unheard ‘Inner Child’. Continuing on her unapologetically pop-laden path, girli has also released her new single, ‘Cheap Love.’ The track culminates in a rapturous sing-along chorus, which is already going down a storm live. Written retrospectively by girli, the song explores the beautiful innocence of teen love and not being concerned about being materialistic. ‘Cheap Love’ is the third single to be taken from the forthcoming EP, and follows in the successful footsteps of the previously released singles. “I wrote ‘Cheap Love’ about my first ever relationship I was in, when I was still a teenager,” explains girli. “It’s about being in love on a budget; not having loads of money to take each other out for expensive dinners, or even having a car to pick them up in, but it doesn’t matter because being in love makes you feel richer than anyone else. It’s a love song to love; even if you do have the money to do those things, most of the time it’s not the cash being spent that makes it special, its actually just the time you get with that person that matters the most.” Teaming up once again with director Kassandra Powell, girli has revealed the high-octane video. The playful and sensual visuals see the London-based artist tearing around a warehouse on the back of a motorbike, driven by her love interest.

The post appeared first on She Makes Music.

Singer-songwriter Harriette announces that she has signed to AWAL Recordings. The Texas-born but Brooklyn-based artist has also announced the April 27 release of her debut EP, I Heart The Internet and shares the first taste via the single ‘Goodbye Texas’ which embraces a Western dancefloor glow as she ironically examines her lack of place in her home state—a concern that hit close to home after the political contests of the last few years drove friends and families apart. She says, “I wrote ‘Goodbye Texas’ two years ago as I was driving out of Texas after Christmas. I lived there for 18 years and always felt like I stuck out. As I got older it seemed like everything I wanted to achieve was going to happen elsewhere. It came to a point where I really needed to take some space from being home and this song was my key to the door out.” She continues, “The song was surprisingly easy to write, it felt like everything I wanted to say came out so naturally. It was easy to recall what I have always admired about the state – the sunsets, wide open spaces, bluebonnets and yellow roses. But just like the song explains, the sunsets became too hot, the spaces weren’t green anymore and I felt like the bluebonnets had forgotten my name.” Watch the video, directed by Jacqueline Justice & Muriel Margaret below.

Maisie Peters has dropped a new video for her latest single, ‘Body Better’. The first cut from her soon-to-be-announced second album, it was penned alongside Ines Dunn (Griff, Mimi Webb) and producer Matias Téllez (girl in red, AURORA). “’Body Better’ is one of the most honest songs I’ve ever released, and definitely the most personal,” Maisie explains. “I wrote it after a breakup and it deals with the ugly things you think to yourself in the aftermath, when you’re painstakingly going through everything small thing you did and were and wondering what you could have changed. It’s a song about insecurity and vulnerability, about giving a lot of yourself away to someone who decides they don’t want it anymore and knowing where to go from there.” [via Dork]

Ailbhe Reddy is sharing the video for ‘Last To Leave’, the latest single to be taken from her forthcoming second album Endless Affair, which arrives on March 17. ‘Last To Leave’ is a beautiful and dreamy lo-fi journey of love, romance and embarrassment. Ailbhe says: “It’s about having an infatuation with someone who you find frustrating and watching as they make a fool of themselves at a party, while knowing you might be doing the same thing.” Of the video, she continues: “I sent the album onto Mark Logan & Collective Dublin a few months after it was finished in August 2021, Mark immediately connected to Last to Leave and we decided to work on something together. He had so many amazing ideas for it and was so passionate about bringing them all to life! Shooting with the crew and cast over 2 days was incredible, especially Danielle Galligan who managed to help me act as well as being the emotional driving force behind the narrative! Big thanks to Elton the pig for playing me in the final shots too!”

Kicksie, the project of Toronto musician Giuliana Mormile, has been home-recording and self-releasing since 2018, and they’ve been very prolific. Her last album, 2020’s All My Friends, was given a wider re-release by Get Better Records, and now she’s got a new album called Slouch–her fifth LP overall–due April 14 via Counter Intuitive Records. Alongside the announcement, they’re premiering single and music video ‘You’re On.’ The song rings with fun, guitar-forward emo-pop, taking cues from the early 2000s. [via Brooklyn Vegan]

Amber Arcades has shared the suitably moody music video for her latest single ‘True Love’, from her new album Barefoot on Diamond Road out now. [via Dork]

The Santa Cruz rock band Scowl are about to head out on a massive North American tour with Show Me The Body, Jesus Piece, Zulu, and TrippJones. Now, they’ve announced the Psychic Dance Routine EP, their follow-up to their 2021 debut album How Flowers Grow. It was produced by Will Yip, and they’re introducing it with the fearsomely catchy ‘Opening Night.’ “‘Opening Night’ is a song I’m particularly excited about because I really worked on this song’s structure with the boys in the band,” Scowl’s Kat Moss said in a statement. “I felt inspired by early 2000’s indie rock songs written by bands like The Strokes and Vampire Weekend.” Moss continued: “Lyrically this song takes a pretty literal stab at my experience of feeling jolted from stage to van, and back again, every single night. I also had experiences on tour where I was seeing faces in the crowd that belonged to people from my past, and it was pretty shocking.” [via Stereogum]

Ashnikko is back with her first new single since 2021, ‘You Make Me Sick!’. ‘You Make Me Sick!’ is their first outing since covering ‘Carol of the Bells’ for Spotify in November 2021, and is accompanied by a Saam Farahmand-directed video. Ashnikko says of the track, which was written with longtime collaborators Slinger and Oscar Scheller, “I’ve decided to come back with my angriest, most cathartic song to date. My own personal rage room for me to smash my plates.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

While physically thousands of miles apart, the partnership between Greek pop artist KID MOXIE and German pop artist NINA came organically. Upon connecting, it was instantly clear the two were “synth sisters” destined to make music together. The result is a 5-track EP collection titled Lust set for release on March 24 via Italians Do It Better. The title track ‘Lust’ is out now alongside an edgy and seductive neo-noir music visual shot in Athens by director Paige Von Bank. The Lust project first began as a desire by KID MOXIE, the musical moniker of Greek born, LA-based composer and musician Elena Charbila, to recreate the Jennifer Lopez hit ‘Waiting For Tonight.’ After connecting with synthwave doyenne NINA (Nina Boldt) via Zoom, the idea emerged that a sultry female duet is exactly what this track needed. The notion of a duet-driven project was very appealing to both artists who’ve firmly established themselves with successful solo releases, and notable past collaborations. It was clear both pop/synth songstresses shared a similar headspace and bonded over their affection towards dark cinematic scores such as Blade Runner, Twin Peaks, and Drive.

Georgia Mooney reveals her stunning debut offering ‘War Romance’. Cinematic and full of emotion, ‘War Romance’ is here as an incredible debut solo moment from Georgia Mooney. Offering dreamy escapism and fantastical romance, the Australian musical polymath has put her best foot forward and proves to be a one-of-a-kind artist to watch. Georgia Mooney is an ARIA-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Sydney. Her music is ornate and hand-crafted, sculpted by a strong mind and a delicate heart. ‘War Romance’ is the first taste to be taken from her upcoming debut album, coming later this year via Nettwerk. Taking inspiration from the beauty and potency of vulnerability, and the complexities of connection and perception, Mooney’s talent for songwriting is showcased by her soaring ethereal voice and lush soundscapes. Influences from every member of the Wainwright family, Laura Marling, Joni Mitchell, the sophistication of the Great American Songbook and even classical composers sift through her songs seamlessly, alongside fuzzed out guitars and production that evoke the unsettling genius of Kate Bush – both her idiosyncratic wall of sound instrumentation and unexpected turns of chords and melodies. ‘War Romance’ is born out of the maelstrom of the contemporary world – climate change, covid, political unrest and relentless waves of global tragedy. When life is beyond your control and the world seems to be slipping beyond the bounds of repair, we cling to the clarity and desperation of love. On the single, Georgia Mooney shares, “I have always loved wartime films & novels for the way they portray relationships. When life is fragile and we are faced with our mortality on a daily basis, we cling to one another for comfort. Superficial problems fall away and the bonds of love feel extraordinarily strong and vital. It’s a bit melodramatic, but romantic and earnest too. Like standing on a cliff, clutching a letter, staring out to sea.” The ‘War Romance’ music video stars award-winning comedian and guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Rhys Nicholson (they/them) making their drag debut as Georgia Mooney, and Mooney herself as Nicholson. Romantic and fantastical, the clip sees them move and sing around a beautiful old hotel in a time and place that is impossible to define.

Tove Lo is already following up her 2022 album Dirt Femme with a funky new single called ‘Borderline.’ If you’re thinking that ‘Borderline’ sounds like it could’ve been pulled from Dua Lipa’s latest album, there’s good reason: “Tons of love to @DUALIPA for trusting me with this baby,” Tove Lo wrote of the track on Twitter. “This is the very first song we wrote together and the very start of our friendship so this feels extra special.” But like many of Tove Lo’s best hits, ‘Borderline’ is a love song with an air of darkness: “I like to feel my bones when they crash into my heart/ I like the taste of blood when you’re tearin’ me apart,” she sings against the song’s heavy, thumping bass line. Watch the Nogari-directied video for the track below. [via Consequence]

With her trademark hot-pink hair, brassy London belt and punky electro-pop, girli is hard to miss — but in ‘Imposter Syndrome,’ the artist is unrecognizable to herself. “I’m so paranoid that everybody hates me/ Wear a big smile when it’s in style,” girli sings in the single’s music video over a breakfast of eggs, toast and ketchup reading ‘Fraud’ as a circus ensemble of diner characters steal glances at the superstar. Becoming more surreal by the second, the crowd of eccentric on-lookers jeer and scowl at girli, pushing her from the trippy diner into a dark alley, where she dodges the spotlight, finding herself swarmed by a crowd of real-life fans protesting the pop star. Signs reading ‘FAKE’ push against girli as the mob grows volatile, silently mouthing “fake,” “fraud” and intelligible screams under girli’s anthem. As the visual closes, the crowd dissipates in a cloud of smoke and girli finds herself alone, begging the question of how much of the raucous scene was imagined by the singer herself, creating characters of her intrusive thoughts as if building her reality from smoke. Milly Toomey (AKA girli) has been on a journey of self-discovery, which comes out through ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and previous single ‘I Really F**ked It Up,’ arriving at the conclusion that she will always surprise herself — and it’s okay to not know what comes next. “I was overthinking everything, feeling like a fake, scared that I was an underachiever and that everybody knew it and was laughed behind my back about it,” girli says. “I kind of go through life feeling like everybody else has a guidebook, and I’m just making it up as I go and getting it wrong. This song is about wanting to run away because of that feeling and being so unsure of yourself it scares you.” [via PAPER]

Bite Me Bambi have released a new single, just in time for Valentine’s Day, ‘Let Me Love You’. Along with the song comes a new video, a veritable special effects extravaganza. Just watch out for Cupid’s arrow! [via that’s good enough for me]

Athens, GA psych-folk group Immaterial Possession, who are led by Cooper Holmes and Madeline Polites and include Kiran Fernandes (son of Olivia Tremor Control’s John Kiran Fernandes), will release their second album, Mercy of the Crane Folk, on May 5 via Fire. They’ve just shared ‘To The Fete,’ which should appeal to fans of Syd Barrett, Broadcast, and the places in between. The video, shot and directed by the band, feels like a lost short from the silent film era. [via Brooklyn Vegan]

The post appeared first on She Makes Music.

The London-based artist has explained of the song, “I was overthinking everything, feeling like a fake, scared that I was an underachiever and that everybody knew it and was laughed behind my back about it. I kind of go through life feeling like everybody else has a guidebook, and I’m just making it up as I go and getting it wrong. This song is about wanting to run away because of that feeling and being so unsure of yourself it scares you.”

The post girli returns with relatable new single ‘Imposter Syndrome’ appeared first on She Makes Music.

BIBI has unveiled the music video for ‘Animal Farm’, from her upcoming studio debut Noir: Lowlife Princess. The release also marks the musician’s 24th birthday. In the blood-soaked new visual, BIBI shows up at a lavish party attended by masked elites. Brandishing a katana, she begins to behead each partygoer, revealed to all have pig snouts in the place of noses, one by one. “Sing the song of lies to death / Dance like the devil / Under the big guillotine at the centre of the grand feast / Whose neck is that?,” she sings in the chorus. ‘Animal Farm”s music video also introduces a figure named Oh Geum-ji, inspired by the character Lee Geum-ja from famed film director Park Chan-wook’s 2005 revenge-thriller Lady Vengeance, who the narrative of BIBI’s album will be based upon. [via NME]

Weyes Blood has shared the music video for ‘It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody,’ the first single from her anticipated new album And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow. Directed by Charlotte Ercoli, the video casts Natalie Mering in a post-apocalyptic musical where, Omega Man-style, she is the last person alive on earth, though she does dance amid the debris and the dead with an animated smartphone. Natalie herself calls this video “demented” and you can watch it above. [via Brooklyn Vegan]

Baby Queen has shared her much teased new single ‘Lazy’. Following on from her stint supporting Olivia Rodrigo on the European leg of her ‘SOUR’ world tour, and coming ahead of another support slot with fellow icon Conan Gray on his US dates throughout October, you can check out the track above. A press release claims Baby Queen – aka Bella Latham – “was asked to elaborate on the track but, in line with the sentiment expressed, she’s too f*g lazy.” [via Dork]

Explosive and energetic femme nu punk/grunge-rockers DOWNGIRL have doused stages around their hometown in Gadigal land in their highly flammable sonic kerosene and are kicking things up a notch with the release of their track, ‘Manic’. Bursting onto the scene with the dynamite ‘Beauty Queen’, this epic second track, ‘Manic’, off the group’s upcoming EP is 4 and a half minutes of powerful punk goodness. The gradual build of gritty riffs and fury-driven drums match the energy of the lyrical confessions that escalate with a fight or flight intensity. By the time it gets there, it fervently begs for relief with a euphoric, wall-to-wall noise-filled chorus and its refrain, ‘Manic’. The song hits like shots of cinnamon whisky – hard, fast and to dizzying effect, with a sweet but spicy aftertaste. Each member gives it their all, and collectively let go like an unrelenting force of nature. The enthralling track begs your worst enemy, ‘Do I have to keep reminding you I’m not too much for you?’. DOWNGIRL on the track’s origin: “‘Manic’ was written during Sydney’s last pandemic lockdown as a back and forth via the WWW. It explores mental health issues and the responsibility we must take for them during a time which is insular and introspective.” Filmed and directed by Stackhat, the music video for ‘Manic’ reflects a distorted reality with scenes of the band members at home, but flipped upside down. Things progressively get weirder. One band member draws a widening circle of smudged pink lipstick in repeated motions while forcing an unconvincing smile. Another beats drumsticks against a box of Froot Loops, while a third screams into the bathroom toilet. It’s disorienting and uncomfortable to watch, much like experiencing the timewarp of lockdown and getting caught in the mental battlefield of too much time spent alone. The mania-fuelled chorus is emphasised with DOWNGIRL piling into the car for a head-banging / scream-along drive down a tree-lined road.

‘Repeat After Me,’ the new single from Cornish singer-songwriter Nell Davies, is a witty indie pop song about being replaced in someone’s affections. Like all Nell’s songs, it’s a completely DIY production, recorded in a converted pigsty in the garden of her house near Penzance. The video, which features Nell’s evil twin, and was inspired by equal parts The Parent Trap, Twin Peaks and Fight Club, was filmed guerrilla-style at a remote Victorian folly in the early hours of the morning, before the tourists turned up. Nell says, “’Repeat After Me’ is about people going through life stubbornly refusing to learn from their mistakes, so making the same ones over and over again. It’s a trait I find extremely irritating, especially in myself.”

flowerovlove has shared a video for her most recent track, ‘I Gotta I Gotta’. Following up on recent singles ‘Get With You’ and ‘Hannah Montana’, she explains: “‘I Gotta I Gotta’ is fueled by searching for where you want to go in life and not knowing where that is, but needing to go now, fearing a lack of time.” [via Dork]

Now that Paramore have returned, it makes cosmic sense that Florida pop-punk trio Meet Me @ The Altar should release a new song too. In the midst of their tour supporting MUNA, Meet Me @ The Altar are back with a brand-new song, ‘Say It (To My Face),’ and it’s a banger. Built on a foundation of soaring, shout-along choruses and chunky guitar, ‘Say It (To My Face)’ is about shutting down anonymous social-media haters and is set to appear on the band’s forthcoming debut album, coming early next year. [via Stereogum]

Sam Smith unveils the official video for their new single, ‘Unholy’ ft. Kim Petras. Directed by the inimitable Floria Sigismondi (The Runaways film, David Bowie, Christina Aguilera) and choreographed by French dance collective (LA)HORDE, the provocative film is set in ‘The Body Shop’, a debauched show-world of wonder and danger. Leading a diverse and Queer cast, Sam Smith stars as the singing MC and Kim Petras as a dancer in a lustful extravaganza of costume, dance, and sexual power. Marrying the spectacle of Bob Fosse rubbing up against the unrestrained nihilism of A Clockwork Orange with a touch of vaudeville thrown in, ‘Unholy’ is a visual feast. Cameos include Gottmik and Violet Chachki (RuPaul’s Drag Race) and adult film star Paddy O’Brian.

Royal & the Serpent has returned with the music video for ‘Death of Me,’ the second chapter of a five-part series. The latest installment from the Los Angeles artist (born Ryan Santiago) is a somber electropop train of thought, and the accompanying visual sees the singer-songwriter thrown into her own version of A Clockwork Orange. Santiago has been releasing a track and video each week as a part of a project dubbed happiness is an inside job, an effort that will allow listeners to join her in pursuit of happiness. ‘Death of Me’ marks the followup to last week’s chapter, ‘IM FINE.’ “It’s kind of like a journey through my thoughts on figuring out how the fuck to be happy (which you would think would be simpler, but they really don’t spell just it out for you!),” Santiago tells Consequence. “This week’s chapter is a song particularly referencing the notion that we’re all losing touch with ourselves and with one another — even though seemingly we’re more connected than ever,” she adds. Indeed, ‘Death of Me’ epitomizes the idea of harsh reality. In a world consumed by technology, Santiago realizes that screens and machines do the inverse of what they were intended for — keeping people connected. The despair of the track is matched by its video, thanks in part to its Kubrick-esque brainwashing sequence and cuts to an empty room colored by dark organs spewing out of Santiago.“The internet killed conversation, personality, and friends/ We’re all depressed and self-obsessed,” she sings over a soft, dragged guitar before shifting to an intense sound with drums to match. For Santiago, this track is sonically “a ride” — one that she is especially satisfied with. “I honestly very rarely am excited to listen to the music I make, but there really is something so special about this one,” Santiago notes. “It somehow still gives me chills and that really never happens if I’m listening to my own stuff. I feel like it’s a little piece of my heart and brain in song form.” [via Consequence]

Upcoming Welsh artist Thallo shares new Welsh language single ‘Pluo’ (transl. Feathering) and announces details of her forthcoming bilingual Crescent EP, inspired by a unique subject matter and one deeply personal to Thallo – immobility. On new single ‘Pluo,’ Thallo showcases her unique sound, one that is enveloping, otherworldly, and multi-instrumented, spanning bedroom and dream-pop with subtle, textured jazz infusions and contemporary classic touches, both ethereal and utterly enthralling. Pluo translates as ‘feathering’ in English, meaning ‘lightly snowing’ which relates to the song’s poignant opening line “I gather dust which is feathering stillness.” Inspired by the effects of a sudden condition that Thallo suffered in 2020 which caused chronic knee pain and debilitating mobility issues, Pluo touches on the peculiar pain of watching the world return to normal following lockdown, whilst Thallo was trapped in what she describes as “My own personal lockdown.” As she expands “I felt so stuck, unable to return to my normal life. But most of all, the song is a cry of fear for the loneliness and hopelessness of being left behind whilst everyone else moves forward.” ‘Pluo’s accompanying video, a collaboration with Welsh channel Lŵp (S4C) produced and co-directed by Aled Wyn Jones and Andy Pritchard, takes inspiration from psychological horror and is filmed at the popular ghost-hunting spot Bron y Garth Hospital – a former 1800s workhouse/hospital now abandoned and frozen in-time. As Thallo explains “The setting perfectly mirrors Pluo’s lyrics of feeling stuck and deteriorating.” It sees Thallo wake to find herself in a blood-filled bath on the decaying hospital floor, what ensues is a struggle to escape the derelict building peppered with eerie imagery and horrifying flashbacks that lead to the chilling conclusion – that Thallo is in fact dead and trapped in purgatory.

Atlanta-based art-rock band Mamalarky release their second full-length album, Pocket Fantasy, on Fire Talk Records. Along with the album release, the band have shared a new video for album track ‘Frog 2’, along with a video directed by Spencer Ford. “I don’t know if I’ve better synthesized the way I feel with words than in this song,” says singer/guitarist Livvy Bennett. “I think I successfully collaged what I feel every day. I was going through a majorly introverted time in my life, but I was feeling hopeful and grounded in that. I was feeling less and less alone in my own little musical world. Michael was bullied into writing this song honestly. We were sitting at this dinky Casio and I said WRITE SOMETHING, and he did somewhat begrudgingly. I wrote the words and harmonies over it on on a series of desert drives between Austin and LA, trying to make something materialize.”

girli is back, but not as you once knew her – she releases her very relatable single, ‘I Really Fked It Up’ via AllPoints/Believe. It is led by a thumping melody and culminates in an urgent chorus, showcasing girli’s soaring vocals. The artist has entered her most unapologetically pop era yet, and ‘I Really Fked It Up’ is just the beginning of the next long-awaited chapter. girli’s new era-defining glam and wardrobe complement a stunning creative directed by the inspirational Fiona Garden (Wet Leg, Years & Years, Grimes and more). Milly Toomey (AKA girli) has been on an explorative journey of self-discovery, only to conclude that she can’t be boxed in. The singer-songwriter had been questioning who she was and had put so much pressure on knowing the answer, but soon realised it’s okay to not always know. To mark this epiphany, girli wrote the music she has always wanted to release, and one of the outcomes is ‘I Really F**ked It Up’. girli explains, “I wrote this song about doing destructive things to feel excitement, and absolutely hating myself for it. Writing this song made the whole project fall into place; why am I like this? Who is controlling my puppet strings when I do things I don’t want to do?”

Alternative artist Molly Moore has released ‘Hate Myself,’ the latest single from her forthcoming album, Miserably Sublime, expected early 2023. The single, co-written with Nevin Sastry (Phem, PRETTYMUCH) and Josh Murty (Maggie Lindemann), is injected with anthemic energy as Molly speaks to the mental turmoil she faced while falling victim to depression and self-sabotage. Amplified by a blend of steady drum beats and searing guitar licks, the track features a sing-along chorus full of self-deprecating dry humor about coming to terms with how you see yourself and those around you. The accompanying music video was directed by Molly and Francesca Maldonado (Justin Bieber, Dixie D’Amelio, Ashley Graham) and leans into the track’s lyrical playfulness as Molly comes face-to-face with herself. “I wrote the song during a very transitional period of my life. I’d been going to therapy and becoming aware that I tend to have a negative narrative happening with myself in my head,” shares Molly. “I was feeling pressure seeing all of my friends living more stable lives than me, getting married and having kids, while I’m in LA writing songs every day. I was also falling in love with someone that was emotionally unavailable, so I wrote this song with a bit of a sarcastic tone to try and process all of this. My goal with this song is to create a conversation that allows people to face their negative internal battles and challenge those perceived truths with another, kinder perspective that we can be nice to ourselves and still be radically honest.” [via Broadway World]

The post appeared first on She Makes Music.