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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Leicester-born, London-based Shivani Day releases her debut single, ‘Rhetoric’ via FAMM. Laying fresh roots into untouched soil, ‘Rhetoric’ was co-produced by Shivani and close collaborator Minas who weave traditional South Asian musical forms into textured elements of Electronica and R&B. Having discovered her moral compass at an early age, the creative process encouraged Shivani to re-visit early memories to inspire themes of identity, equality and integrity. The Erea Ferreiro(Ojerime, Odeal) directed video resembles ‘Rhetoric’ according to Shivani’s vision – and her initial mood board – with subtle nods to her heritage, from styling details to a mesmerising snake which is an integral symbol in Indian mythology. Dedicated to conquering her self-inflicted limitations, Shivani intends to let her carefully curated soundscape speak for her inner thoughts.

Directed by Maegan Houang, Mitski‘s ‘Star’ video feels timeless, and like a modern film by famed Japanese director Kenji Mizoguchi boiled down to its most abstract elements. “Unlike the more narrative/concept driven videos Mitski and I have done together in the past, I wanted this video to encapsulate the impressionistic circularity we all experience. Our lives oscillate between light and dark repeating itself in an endless cycle where nothing is permanent. The best moments are fleeting, but so are the bad,” states Houang. The ‘Star’ video was filmed on a small pond overnight in summer 2023 and presents Mitski performing on a boat in real water amongst painted pieces of wood, creating the illusion of mountains in the background and eliciting what Houang describes as “an otherworldly, atmospheric feeling” to perfectly match the song. Mitski and Houang have a history of collaborating.

Glaswegian alternative indie-pop artist Zoe Graham shares new single ‘Evilin’ – a brass-backed journey of confusion created by a person who’s no good for you. Guitars curdle with plush synths and tautly machined drums, as Zoe draws influence from Kate Bush (she shares a knack for catch-you-off-guard choruses with the ‘80s icon), St Vincent (Daddy’s Home was a regular backing sound during writing sessions), and Beck (“he’s very free as a songwriter; everything’s thought through, but it’s not painstaking”). She leans on David Bowie’s advice not to stay grounded in your deep pool of ideas, but rather to push up and off, and let your toes just brush the floor from time to time. “’Evilin’ is a battle cry” says Zoe. “It reads like a reenactment of how it feels to be purposely confused. Evilin is a channeller of emotional exhaustion. Someone you feel like you depend on and feel scared of all at once. Someone you will put before yourself, and not in a fun way. She isn’t good for you, but there’s something about her you wish you could be more of yourself, a determined independence, relentlessness but a lack of empathy.” The track is accompanied by a video starring Evilin (played by Zoe’s mum, Annette Staines), a cook and 70s star who becomes trapped in her own television show. “Imagine if Fanny Cradock and Killing Eve’s Villanelle were forced into a room together to make a prim and proper cooking show. What would that look like? How would the chaos ensue? How would these two ferocious women work with each other? Well, I knew I was going to be involved, but the only way I was really ever going to create such drama, such stylish feist, was to call my mother and ask her to star in my music video.” said Zoe. “Watching your own mother smash up cakes and jelly soundtracked to my new single, using rolling pins and spatulas as props was utterly wild. It may have been the strangest day of 2024 so far.”

The Brooklyn-born, LA-based singer Zsela has spent the early years of this decade popping up all over the cooler corners of the music industry. Her debut album Big For You, coming this June via Mexican Summer, includes contributions from Marc Ribot, Nick Hakim, Casey MQ, and Jasper Marsalis (Slauson Malone 1), and Zsela’s co-produced it with Daniel Aged and Gabe Wax, who’ve worked with names like Frank Ocean and Soccer Mommy. Zsela teased the album last month with the release of the fizzy, funky, sophisticated synth track ‘Fire Excape.’ Now, along with the proper announcement, comes opening track ‘Lily Of The Nile.’ It’s a slow-burn art-pop song that makes abundant use of Zsela’s low bellow, and it arrives with a video directed by Chester Raj Anand. A statement from Zsela: “It was important for me to stay open in this process, finding the truth of what the songs want to be. That meant breaking them down and building them back up again and again, not being precious and trying to listen… At the heart, it touches on the causal versus intentional dance we play between being “full of you” and “full for you” — the complexity and magnitude of the space we take and fill up for love.” [via Stereogum]

Hayley Mary has returned with a new single and a music video ‘One Last Drag’, which is a pop song about glorifying self-awareness. The song is co-written and co-produced by Hayley’s husband who also happens to be the DMA’s guitarist, Johnny Took. They happened to write the song in a hotel room! The song is also co-produced by the producer of The Jezabels’, Lachlan Mitchell. “I was sitting on the balcony with a wine, borderline chain-smoking, knowing that I would be regretting the cigarettes in the morning but unable to stop. He started looping a guitar intro that he was working on for Gwen Stefani and I just started writing a poem to it in my head. I asked him if I could record it so I wouldn’t forget it, and those draft vocals ended up being the final vocals you hear in the verses.” explains Hayley Mary. The song is a dark post-punk banger that talks about cigarettes and addiction. The cigarette in the song portrays anything that looks or feels good at the moment, but eventually ruins one’s life. It talks about how addiction is harmful to everyone. “I fell for the excitement, the promise of relief, of sexy malaise when real life was too high definition. In recent years, however, I’ve become aware of the potential emptiness of that promise as well,” says Hayley. [via Music Feeds]

Grab your roller skates, baby, Bonnie McKee has news. She’s ramping up to release a new album and trying to steal your man (but only musically and jokingly). In her latest single, ‘Jenny’s Got a Boyfriend,’ she gets campy, sassy and dancey as she falls for your boyfriend in a gender-swapped take on the ’80s hit ‘Jessie’s Girl.’ “I’ve always wanted to write a song that had someone’s name in it like ‘Jessie’s Girl’ or ‘Hey Mickey’ or ‘Billie Jean,’ McKee tells PAPER. “I had this experience because I had a friend who had a boyfriend who was just such a flirt. He was incredibly hot and he knew it. He was always giving me the wrong idea. Not just me, me and all of the girlfriends in the group. We were all convinced that he had a secret crush on all of us. Nothing ever happened. He was such a rake, I guess is what they call him, and I wrote a song about it. Then me and my girlfriends would bop around in the car to it.” The visuals for ‘Jenny’s Got a Boyfriend,’ are a neon, retro, skating-rink fantasy. “I’ve always wanted to do a skating music video, I can skate but I’m not like amazing,” she says. “I’ve always been obsessed with Boogie Nights and Xanadu. I love the ’70s and ’80s roller skating style — the whole aesthetic of that. The song feels like a roller Boogie moment.” In the video, McKee’s part of a “love triangle between Jenny and Jenny’s boyfriend” as they all work together at the rink. “I needed to have some story I could tell that made sense,” she says. “So it seemed like a workplace romance made the most sense. I just put us in little uniforms, and we were in the roller rink after hours. And things get spicy. I love that.” [via PAPER]

Bristol-based artist Emily Perry – AKA Pem has announced her forthcoming EP, cloud work, alongside the new single, ‘grips’. On the new single, Pem says: “A song about wanting to hold on tightly to other people to escape and “forget” everything else for a while. It is inspired by my favourite song ‘Forget About’ by Sybille Baier.” cloud work is a collection of five songs that Pem wrote during an intensely challenging chapter in her life. Full of references to water, sky, flight, memory, and birds, these are the metaphors and symbols that helped her work through the grief of losing her father last year. She says, “the process of creating cloud work enabled me to find beauty, meaning and comfort in a very difficult time.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

Softcult share a final preview of their blissful EP with ‘One Of The Pack,’ a fuzzy inclusionary anthem that depicts their idea of Heaven as one that champions ALL women. Mercedes and Phoenix explain: “When we wrote this song, we wanted to celebrate women supporting women, and of course that includes POC and transgender women. It’s sad that that’s something that I feel I need to specify and include in a statement like this, but the truth is there are some TERFs out there trying to exclude certain communities from feminism and even the term ‘woman.’ We pride ourselves on being intersectional feminists, even introducing riot grrrl feminism and activism to the shoegaze community in our own way, and we want anyone listening to our music to know that POC, trans women, and non-binary people will always be a welcome and crucial part of our grrrl gang. This song is hopefully one you can sing to your best friend to let them know; ‘I know you have to deal with a lot of bullshit from other people, but I will always be here for you. I see you, I’ll support you, and I love you.’”

This is already an iconic Eurovision collaboration: Aiko (Czechia 2024) and TEYA (Austria 2023, as part of Teya and Salena) have released a song together. In the song ‘Hunger’, Aiko and TEYA sing about the experience of feeling like you need to have a certain body to fit in with societal standards. For women in particular, they address the pressure to appeal to the male gaze. With this powerful message, they show that women are taught from an early age to eat less so they can fit in, seeing their bodies as the enemy, hence the title ‘Hunger’. In the video, you can see them walk on treadmills, emphasising this point as well. It is a great song with an important message, and yet it is catchy at the same time! Aiko and TEYA did a great job by combining their songwriting skills. [via ESCXTRA]

In November 2022, Christine And The Queens released Redcar les adorables étoiles, which was followed by PARANOÏA, ANGELS, TRUE LOVE in June 2023. Now, the French musician is back with a new song called ‘rentrez chez moi.’ ‘rentrez chez moi’ was written, composed, and produced by Chris. The music video was directed by Sasha Mongin, produced by Premier Cri, and shot in Paris and Hanches. [via Stereogum]

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