Singer-songwriter Harriette has shared a new single, ‘bc i love you’ via AWAL Recordings. The song balances airy synths and chugging electric guitar with a postmortem examination of a failed relationship. “I wrote this song a day after I got broken up with – I was trying to figure out what went wrong and was blaming myself,” Harriette explains. “It’s crazy the hoops we jump through to try to make something work because we don’t want to be alone. I guess this song is the product of me processing that phenomenon. It’s why I felt so crazy and alone in this relationship. The song came together so quickly and it was almost effortless to put together in the studio. It is also my favorite song to sing on the EP :).”

Last month, LA trio Gal Pal returned with the one-off single ‘Mirror,’ which reflected the jagged, clanging guitar sound groups like Palm have made popular lately. Yet their follow-up single and the track that properly introduces their new album This and Other Gestures—set for release on June 2—takes a considerably more pop-punk approach, with ‘Angel in the Flesh’ sounding like fellow Angelenos Cherry Glazerr at their grungiest. “I grew up listening to a lot of pop-punk and emo bands,” the group’s Nico Romero explains of the track’s inspiration. “I was a big fan of labels like Fueled by Ramen and Decaydance as a kid. I think this song definitely comes from that background a bit.” As with those pop-punk groups, much of the track’s emotion comes from a sense of longing covered in the lyrics, with Romero and co-vocalist Emelia Austin singing about leaning into love. “It’s easy for me to want to sing about crushes and longing because it’s a fun feeling to indulge in and romanticize, even when it hurts,” Romero continues. “So when I sent a demo to Emelia, I sang the chorus, mostly for reference of how I thought the vocal melody could work. She liked the lyrics so we stuck with it and she built the verses around that initial feeling. Our producer, Danny Nogueiras, saw where the song wanted to go and helped push it further, leaning into those emo-pop roots.” The track arrives with a video that’s less an examination of crushes and more a guilt trip about forgetting your pet’s birthday, told through the over-the-top emotiveness of ’90s sitcoms. [via Flood]

Tragic Sasha‘s latest single ‘The End of The World’ is a haunting and timely piece of music that eerily reflects the anxious state of the world today. Written with her two friends Kaity Rae and Scott Colcombe just before the pandemic in 2019, the song speaks of the fear and uncertainty that was already creeping into our lives. Tragic Sasha’s songs often seem to prophesy the future, and ‘The End of The World’ is no exception. As she says, “little did I know what was just around the corner.” The song’s emotive lyrics and epic synth chords combine to create a powerful sense of foreboding, while its accomplished pop songwriting ensures that it’s an instant earworm. The accompanying music video, which Tragic Sasha made with Dottie Kay, was shot in her grandmother’s old Tudor house in the country. The house, which has been crumbling for many years, provides the perfect backdrop for the song’s apocalyptic themes. Speaking on the new single and video, Sasha explains: ‘I wrote ‘The End Of The World,’ with my two friends Kaity Rae and Scott Colcombe, just before the pandemic in 2019 about being anxious for the state of the world- little did I know what was just around the corner. My songs sometimes have a habit of prophesying the future! I made the video with Dottie Kay in my Grandmother’s old Tudor house in the country. The house itself is beautiful but it’s been crumbling down for many years and I knew it would be the perfect location.’ [via Earmilk]

South London post-punk auteur Heartworms has shared her debut EP, A Comforting Notion via Speedy Wunderground, alongside a video for the blistering track, ’24 Hours’. “‘24 Hours’ is about general struggles of teenage growth, secondary school and moments of regret,” she says. “I wanted the video to be in a school…Gilbert instantly clicked with the idea I had.” The intense monochromatic video depicts a teenaged misfit suffering her way through a day in an oppressive scholastic environment. Her bloodied face and thousand-yard stare, reminiscent of shellshock war victims, is juxtaposed with an onstage performance where she has the high ground – and, therefore, total command of the school battlefield. She finally breaks free of the school uniform by trading it in for a quasi-military uniform, harnessing her power onstage, and literally rising above the bullies who make her life miserable. With this visual, Heartworms lampoons the sassy schoolgirl trope made famous by Britney Spears – and embraces the aesthetic of hip-hop giants Public Enemy, who famously don military uniforms to serve as their own security force. ’24 Hours’ shows the bleak reality of what it’s like to be at the bottom of the high school henpecking hierarchy, and the ferocious rebellion it takes to burn it all the hell down. Heartworms and video director Gilbert Trejo forged their collaboration through Instagram after he followed her and bought a t-shirt. “Gilbert, with kindness and vision for Heartworms, just wanted to help create something special,” she says. “The way he works in favour of the artist, he doesn’t want to take over, he wants to bring to life the small spark that starts in the soul of the artist. He’s a genius.” “Working with Heartworms has been incredibly natural,” Trejo replies. “Being so singular in her vision and having such a strong voice, she knows exactly what she wants and has the strength as a performer to do anything. This video is one of those rare occasions where everyone came together to shoot exactly what was in our heads from the very beginning.” [via Post Punk]

One of Australia’s brightest young talents Charley is back with her new single ‘Worst Taste In Girls’. Written with acclaimed production duo DNA (Jessica Mauboy, The Veronicas), the single is a blast of pure pop joy. A shimmering introduction leads into an addictive electronic beat with hints of the 1980s, before the chorus explodes in delicious melodies and an anthemic chant. The song is based on Charley’s experiences of heartbreak and the challenges of trying to love someone who is emotionally unavailable. “I lay my heart out on the line / They wanna leave it out to dry / Out there, oh, I swear / I’ve got the worst taste in girls,” she sings. “This song came from a place of heart break and needing an outlet to release all my anger that life has thrown at me,” Charley says. “But in writing this song it made me realise that I just need to embrace the heartache, be in love and go for what I want because at the end of the day we’re gonna die so may as well make life interesting while it lasts!” Also out is the music video for ‘Worst Taste In Girls’. Directed by Sean Higgins & Adrian Spuria of Shotography, the video is inspired by the over dramatic American slasher films from the 1980s such as Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday The 13th. [via Women In Pop]

Hot off the heels of her acclaimed debut album Wellif, Tristan aka Isolde Van den Bulcke, is back with new single ‘More Like Her,’ one of Tristan’s most playful and light-hearted productions to date. ‘More Like Her’ comes with a lovely, unpretentious video which Isolde shot together with a couple of her besties. Featuring characters such as “The Slutty Deer”, “The Dandy Bear” and “The Delicate Cheetah” the video is all about unleashing your inner animal. [via Frontview Mag]

In the wake of her edgy, operatic dubstep number ‘Ego’, American-born experimentalist Alex Rapp shares the music video of her single. In the hands of German screen director and photographer Jendrik Schröder, Rapp’s depiction of psychological turmoil turns into a richly symbolic Tarkovskian treat. Combining spectacular costume design with striking low-key lighting and fluid camerawork, three different alter-egos of the main protagonist (Rapp) – a Namibian woman (Yozika Kahuure), a little girl (Kimberley Anne), and a mysterious dark horse – travel through unforgiving landscapes of her psyche. “Establishing the contrast of movement and immobility, of vastness and narrowness” became the main motif for the video. “Isn’t self-absorbed ego also extremely immobile?” he proposed. Starting from the filming location, the project was not short of challenges. Schröder’s recce to Lieberose – the largest desert of Germany 100km south-east of Berlin – with the executive producer Markus Pitta revealed a serious occupational health risk owing to the fact that the area had been a former training ground of the Soviet Tank Corps during the Cold War. “Unfortunately, we found out that the desert was used by the military and there were still mines on the site,” Schröder concluded. While the location they settled on – The Namib Desert in Southern Africa – was clear of landmines, it did have other obstacles that threw sand in the gears. “Because we only had a period of 1-2 hours in which we could shoot with the right light, one of the biggest challenges was to shoot all the scenes of a location before the light disappeared completely.” Another one was the wind. “When we scouted the locations, it was almost windless in the evening,” Schröder said. “Already on the first day of shooting, the wind was so strong that it was almost impossible to put the huge blanket over the horse,” Schröder describes. “The wind was so extreme that the mirrors in the sand were hard to fix and kept falling over.” This affected some cast members more than others. “It also made the soundscape extremely loud, which increasingly stressed the horse.” While the weather conditions might have shaken Schröder’s confidence at times, the footage they captured exceeded his expectations. “In the edit, it was precisely the wind in the horse’s clothing and the trembling of the mirrors that made the shots so magical.”

Halflives have had a fantastic start to 2023, and are continuing the momentum with the release of a new single. ‘EVERYTHING SUCKS’ tells a tale of fighting back against negativity and feeling unfulfilled, channelling those emotions into something more positive and raising the middle finger to those who put you in such places to begin with. Produced and mixed by Jack Wilson (Fickle Friends, Hot Milk) and mastered by Grant Berry (All Time Low, Deaf Havana, You Me At Six), Linda Battilani’s songwriting has this time produced a bass driven track full of defiance. With yet another chorus destined to become stuck in the heads of listeners for days and weeks to come, Halflives brand of alt pop/rock shows more versatility on ‘EVERYTHING SUCKS’ while always containing those enormous hooks Linda has become so well known for. For more on how ‘EVERYTHING SUCKS’ took something negative and turned it into a positive, here’s Linda to tell the story: “It’s funny how randomly and in such a natural way I came up with ‘EVERYTHING SUCKS!’. It’s a song about frustration and rejection, and back when I came up with it I was feeling pretty low, looking for recognition and acceptance that wasn’t coming my way. So I was venting by text with my managers and, long story short, some of the texts I sent in that conversation became the lyrics of the first verse of ‘EVERYTHING SUCKS!’. From there something clicked in my head and writing this song felt so easy, honest and liberating. I told myself “whatever, just say it all, don’t hold back, say whatever you’ve got to say”. And now you’ve got it. Unfiltered, angry, frustrated Linda, bare and raw. Not pretending that everything’s fine anymore. Musically speaking, especially the vocal line in the verses, it’s a little different from anything I’ve released in the past, but you know I didn’t fight the way the song was “writing itself”, I just let it flow and I’m happy with the way it turned out. I’ve never experimented spoken/yelling vocal lines before and I think it really fits the annoyed/angry mood of the song. I also had fun creating my character and costume for the music video as I wanted to be this character who’s been driven crazy by her life and the people in it. The lyrics that inspired it all were “you made a monster out of me”, and from there I also designed (and made) the red “monster” jacket I’m wearing in the music video.” [via Werk]

Melbourne’s queer bubblegum-punk duo Cry Club are back with a new single and video ‘I Want More’. Cry Club have become known for their addictive, cathartic pop-punk, and ‘I Want More’ is no different. Inspired by the injustices faced by marginalised artists in the music industry, the band draws upon 2000’s emo rock influences to create an anthem of empowerment and perseverance. Filmed at The Forum in Melbourne, the accompanying video (directed by Heather and Jono themselves) is interspersed with live footage from their electric show supporting Marc Rebillet in January this year. [via OUT in Perth]

Ahead of the March 31 release of upcoming album Portals, multi-Platinum 12 billion-streaming artist Melanie Martinez reemerged with new song ‘Death’. The track, which furthers the multilayered story of her alter-ego ‘Cry Baby,’ is now joined by a captivating official music video with visuals and a narrative grand enough for the big screen. The cinematic music video, directed, conceived, and costume designed by Melanie Martinez herself, is now available. [via the Music Universe]

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Jockstrap have shared a fun new video for their song ‘Greatest Hits.’ In the video a celebrity trial between two pop stars plays out in full, from being caught by paparazzi as they enter to the drama unfolding inside the court. Cameos in the video include Jamie xx, Don Letts, John Foley, and Princess Julia. Director Aidan Zamiri, a regular collaborator of FKA twigs, says: “I think Jockstrap are one of the most exciting bands in the world and I’m stoked we were able to make this video together. We wanted this to have a bit of a reflection on the time we live in now, whilst still having a sense of humour about it. Georgia and Taylor are geniuses, and I was so grateful to explore this mad story with them. We did our best to make it as legally accurate as possible (with a few artistic liberties) and this was possible thanks to Jean Lee, our barrister consultant who also played the judge.” [via The FADER]

Black Honey are back with news of their third album A Fistful of Peaches, and have shared new single ‘Heavy’ to accompany the announcement. ‘Heavy’ is teamed with a video directed by and starring Drag Race UK’s Dakota Schiffer, and will appear on Black Honey’s forthcoming album with last month’s ‘Out of My Mind’ single and August’s ‘Charlie Bronson’. Lead vocalist Izzy Phillips says of the single, “We wrote this song the day I found out the founder of our fan club passed away from Covid-19. We were talking about the weight of grief and the way it holds you down, about the parallels between grief and depression. The weight of mental illness and how it brings you a deeper understanding of grief. There’s always a glimmer of light though and I love how Heavy has that kind glitter darkness. It’s in my nature to become co-dependant and I think in this song I’m reaching for someone to help me climb back out. I talk a bit about the never-ending story as it was my first dialog with death and depression as a child. Watching Artax the horse getting swallowed by the nothing whilst Atreyu screamed helplessly from the edges of a swamp really spoke to me.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

When she’s not co-fronting Nice Biscuit, you can catch Grace Cuell making some cool sounds as Baby Cool, who returns with new single and music video ‘Poison’ ahead of her debut album Earthling on the Road to Self Love, set for a February 2023 release. A breezy slice of indie-pop meets psych-folk with just a dash of alt-country, ‘Poison’ takes the listener on an effortless, floating journey through it’s guitar twangs, relaxed rhythm section and Cuell’s smokey, entrancing vocals. Explaining the inspiration behind the song, Cuell says “I wrote this song as a playful way to move through the feelings of rejection that can surface after a break up. The meaning has morphed into different things over time. Mostly it’s about expelling bad energy from your soul so that you can move through life a little lighter. I like to sing it to that painful voice of self loathing that surfaces whenever I’m feeling vulnerable in some way – that voice for me is the true poison.” ‘Poison’ arrives alongside a playful music video that’s “part two in the visual trilogy initiated by ‘The Sea’, and combines surrealist styling and visuals with the lush foliage of the rainforest behind Cuell’s Byron Bay home to create a dreamlike visage. Filmed by photographer Imogen O’Doyle, styled by and starring Brisbane-based artist Miri Badger as the visual representation of ‘Poison’, edited by and co-starring Cuell herself, and colour/VFX work done by Tom Carroll, the new clip mirrors the ethereal ambiance of the track.“ [via Pilerats]

yunè pinku is 19-year-old Irish Malaysian-Londoner Asha Yunè, who debuted earlier this year with Bluff, an EP that bent the past three decades of rave culture to her own will. Now, she returns with a new song called ‘Fai Fighter,’ which digs deeper into her feelings and comes out howling. ‘Fai Fighter’ begins with a synth riff worthy of any ’80s pop hit and marries it to a four-on-the-floor beat that stays stomping throughout. Yunè’s vocals are chopped up and scattered across the chorus, leaving her to get her message across in the verses. Her lyrics mix the macabre with the every day to amusing effect. “My head just severed,” she sings at one point before undercutting the drama with a well timed, “Oh babe, whatever.” The song comes with a video that — and you may detect a theme here — features the producer and artist wielding a sword as she poses for the camera. There’s a chaotic nature to the visual that feels in tune with the song, featuring nods to her Irish heritage and Celtic witches. “’Fai Fighter’ is a sort of homage to the chaos of vulnerability,” yunè tells The FADER. “I imagined it existing in a metaverse arena or a futuristic realm of some sorts. I think for me I struggle to articulate the meaning of this track because it’s much more of a feeling than a specific word. But it’s sort of a phoenix rising, an embrace of femininity.” [via The FADER]

Creating tracks that feel both catchy and feeling honest and vulnerable seems to be second nature for Madisyn Gifford, an artist who’s lush pop sound continues to earn her plaudits both for its creative potency and her unerring level of consistency. The latest release from the artist is her new single ‘Hospital Beds’, a track that sees the artist aiming criticism at herself for her tendency to sabotage things and then mope around in the aftermath. Everything from it’s forthright lyrics to the upbeat and energetic alt-pop styling of the track feels vibrant and exciting, with the creative young artist showcasing boatloads of personality and appeal, as she always does. Madisyn is a potential star who reaffirms that fact every time that she releases something and reminds us of her immense potential. “The song ‘Hospital Beds’ is a really interesting one for me and also a song that I’m insanely proud of.” Madisyn says of the track. “I originally wrote it in October of 2021 as a slow melancholy acoustic song and it wasn’t until August 2022 that my producer and co-writer Jared Manierka and I decided to take a completely different approach and turn it into the tongue and cheek alternative pop song it is today. Essentially throughout the track I am making fun off and calling myself out for my own victim complex and tendency to self sabotage my own relationships. Although I think the song is really funny and fun lyrically I also think it manages to be very vulnerable and honest at the same time which is something that I am very proud of. I’m so excited about this track and for it to finally be out in the world!“ [via Clout]

Multi-platinum recording artist RAYE continues to evince herself as a powerhouse star with the release of her ‘Escapism.’ music video. Giving an emotional, adrenaline-rushing performance, RAYE reenacts her darkest days of numbing her pain with temporary fixes. The visual includes a rare, special appearance from featured artist 070 Shake and is the latest offering from RAYE’s upcoming debut album, My 21st Century Blues., set to release on February 3, 2023 via Human Re Sources / The Orchard. “We worked really hard to create an honest depiction of where I was at that time in my life,” RAYE shares. “It was fun and wild. We shot it over a couple of days and wore point-of-view cameras during a wild night out at many different clubs. I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and I ran 150 meters in 5 inch heels. We really took it there! I am really proud of it and hope everyone enjoys the visuals.”

Multiplatinum pop singer, songwriter and Academy® Award-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld releases the highly anticipated music video for ‘Coast’ [feat. Anderson .Paak]. Shot in California as an homage to the artists’ roots, Anderson .Paak also directs the video, which sees Hailee daydream about a psychedelic surf competition in which she and Anderson feature as the main event.

‘Addicted’ is the debut track and music video from Chloe Jane, a 19-year-old pop singer, songwriter, and DJ who grew up in the club scene in NY and Ibiza. This track is a perfect representation of Chloe’s artistry – fun, dancey and infectious while also tackling real life problems – being ‘Addicted’ to our screens. Chloe says: “I wrote ‘Addicted’ about how in today’s society, people seem to be totally reliant on their phones and are losing touch with reality. I hope ‘Addicted’ inspires listeners to put their phone down and live in the moment.”

Izzy Camina has released ‘Alprazalam’, and announced that her new EP ANG3L NUMB3RS will drop early next year. ‘Alprazalam’, which Izzy co-produced with Aaron C Harmon, sees the LA-born artist continue in a new direction since her debut EP Nihilist In The Club was released back in 2020. The single drop includes a brand new video by the artist, which sees her take on the role of a crab to speak to the otherworldly quality of the track. [via Dork]

Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and actress Sabrina Carpenter releases the music video for her hit song ‘Nonsense.’ A fan-favorite from her newest album emails i can’t send, ‘Nonsense’ is a playful earworm that chronicles all the nervous, exciting, and nonsensical feelings that come along with a new relationship. The video, directed by Danica Kleinknecht, perfectly complements the lighthearted track as viewers watch Sabrina and her friends embark on a night out where they cross paths with a few familiar looking men at a house party. [via Broadway World]

Honey Revenge have shared a catchy and relatable new single, Rerun. A very timeless release, the duo – guitarist Donovan Lloyd and vocalist Devin Papadol – explain of the song: “We’ve all struggled with things not going the way we planned. It’s not easy to bounce back from being let down. ‘Rerun’ dives into the hopeless experience of feeling like you’re living the same bad day over and over again and trying to stay positive in spite of being at your worst. I wrote the song in a state of severe impatience wondering when the hard work would start paying off. It’s cathartic to know it’s finally making its way into the world especially now that I’m in a much better place.” [via Kerrang!]

HALFLIVES have released a new music video. The new music video, for the track ‘sorry mom x,’ is the brand new single from the French melodic alternative rock band and follows on from their last single, ‘Dynamite,’ which was released back in April. Speaking about the new single, vocalist Linda Battilani says, “the writing of sorry mom was incredibly natural and fast. I started singing on a guitar riff and the lyrics were somehow immediately right. I was particularly inspired by how I was feeling on the moment and it quickly became a stream of consciousness. The whistle you hear at the beginning of the song is actually me!” [via Distorted Sound]

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