Samantha Urbani has put out quite a bit of music on her own over the years, but she’s never released a full-length album. That’s about to change. Now, Urbani has announced Showing Up, her debut solo LP, and it’ll be out in September. She previewed it last month with ‘More Than A Feeling,’ and she’s back with a second single, ‘One Day At A Time.’ Here’s Urbani’s statement on the track: “Ok ok. I am the tough guy and I am dead serious. I am an advocate, a protector, and an activist. I’m also a total crusher and yolo’er and I take the sweet risks and I justify it all to myself even when I know I myself am being the idiot. This is basically the cutie goofer song about wanting the player and drawing it out. Kissing you FEELS vital to my survival! I know its NOT! It’s just a FEELING! BUT THATS A BIG FEELING! THATS A HUGE LONGING! THATS A LONG ACHING! Urgh, can’t we just ween it off little by little? Once a week act in love? fuck it up one day at a time? Not fuck it up all at once? This is the sasser. This is the Tom Tom club. This is samandude of Friends the band – not Professor Urbani. I threw it back and got into character. Cause no matter how smart I get I am deeply her. I’m smarter? I’m older. You’re stupid. Come over.” [via Stereogum]

Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs shares her music video for ‘Bad’ via Arista Records. The track is off her recently released When Everything Went Dark EP while the official ‘Bad’ music video marks her directorial debut. “The truth is I have been undoing parts of my past for as long as I can remember. I think that’s part of being a woman and a human. When I was little, there was a huge emphasis on being “good” and a big part of being “good” was based on being polite,” Briggs says about the music video. “As I have grown up and experienced many iterations of #metoo, I’ve found that sometimes speaking the truth isn’t “polite” or “good” or “pretty.” Sometimes it’s bad, ugly and honest. I’d rather we see women being the latter and every detail in this music video puts emphasis on finding your voice no matter how hard it is to speak out. Thank you for taking the time to watch.” [via mxdwn]

American singer Iniko has officially dropped an official music for her sensational single dubbed ‘Jericho’ which has taking over the social media in recent weeks with over 2 Million views on TikTok. Iniko who has brought another perspective in the music industry takes us on another journey with with epic video depicting another world as portrayed in the lyrics of the song. The song talks about her possessing powers from outer space and beyond which makes her different from others. In the age of new technology and AI being our day to day to deal with, it is a relatable song which has become her signature. [via Zedscoop]

The queen of BimboTok is back with a banger. On Friday, Chrissy Chlapecka released the colorful video for her song ‘Brat,’ inspired by the iconic makeover scenes in the best Nineties movies, and featuring drag queens Sugar and Spice. “It’s campy, it’s fun. It’s a Nineties makeover montage, which is the most iconic part of every Nineties or 2000s movie! Sugar and Spice basically Bratzify me,” Chalpecka tells Rolling Stone. “It’s about becoming a little bratty bitch and stepping into your anger and rightful emotions.” The Michael Arellano-directed video follows Chlapecka as she undergoes a transformation from being a “plain Jane, doll-like girl” who can’t move on her own and is “very stuck” to getting out of her shell and embodying her full power through the help of Sugar and Spice. “Growing up I was so conditioned to not feel things and always put that smile on and literally be a plastic doll,” Chlapecka says. “In ‘Brat,’ it shows that difference in how much cooler I became after the people around me hype me up.” Despite the song’s silly, upbeat nature, Chlapecka says the lyrics were inspired by something more serious. The lyrics are a reflection of the power she wishes she had the night prior when she says she was assaulted. “It was inspired by a not-so-wonderful experience I went through the night before and the things I wish I said when I was assaulted,” she says. “It’s about all the things I wish I said: I wouldn’t touch a man with a ten-foot pole or I wouldn’t give a fuck if you’re bleeding.” The video was directed by the “fucking phenomenal” Arellano, who DM’d one of Chlapecka’s songwriters saying that he was interested in working with her. “It just started with him believing in me,” she says. “He changed my mindset from being really anxious in my career to ‘Wait, I’ve got this.’” [via Rolling Stone]

Rising singer-songwriter, maryjo is lighting up the summer with her new single, ‘Don’t Call Me’ via Atlantic Records. Her most upbeat release thus far, the high spirited new track is joined by an retro-fueled official visual, which can be seen now below. The song was produced by frequent collaborator Logan Maggio & Lionel Crasta and co-written by maryjo with Maggio, Beau Bailey (Thomas Rhett, Bailey Zimmerman), and Atlantic Records labelmate Knox. “‘Don’t Call Me’ is a sassy, upbeat, feel good summer song,” says maryjo. “It was a nice change of pace from the sad slower songs I have been writing. They say there are 5 stages of grief after a break up. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I thought it would be fun to showcase the anger side, but maybe in my not so angry way!” [via Prelude Press]

If there’s one thing that can be said about singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/video director/record label owner ZZ Ward, it’s that she can’t be pinned down. Dirty Shine is the name of her newly announced album, slated for release on September 8, and with this news comes ‘On One,’ a lead single with zombie-cowboy music video that fully encapsulates the creative freedom Ward is striving for as a newly independent artist. Blending a booming bass-heavy hip hop instrumental and bluesy songwriting, the song is filled with braggadocio and confidence, energy pumping from the lyrics and production. Its accompanying video is a delight to watch, drawing on a classic Western aesthetic as Ward fends off zombified cowboys, eventually leading to a dancing stand-off that leaves her undead opponents in the dust (and on the ground). [via mxdwn]

sophie meiers has released their new single, ‘someone to be there’, taken from their concept EP, spark__space, out on August 24. Part two of their immersive “portal” trilogy of EP’s, each one embodies its own unique sound, story, and feel. In this world, they explore the earthly and mundane: flesh and blood. Lyrically exploring themes of lust, devotion, attachment, and the nuances of human experience. In ‘someone to be there’ sophie articulates feelings of vulnerability and longing, discussing their hesitancy to trust after being hurt in the past. Built on a foundation of dreamy guitars imbued in a swell of gauzy synths and flurries of sparkly production flairs, a soulful breakbeat is added that builds on the laid-back vibe. On the inspiration behind the song, the multi-creative expresses, “I find myself in very complicated relationships; it’s really hard for me to be healthy and casual after the things I’ve experienced in my childhood. I have a tendency of getting attached to people I care about, and with this comes the fear of losing them. I’m always very upfront about my traumas and trust issues, so it’s very scary when somebody says that I can rely and depend on them.” [via Prelude Press]

While most of us were worried about losing our minds, it turns out we should have been more protective of our hearts. Morgan Saint understands the balance between the two, and the vulnerability that comes with safeguarding on our continuous path to wellness. The New York artist — a singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, director, and designer — recently traded the hustle of Manhattan for the wine country chill of Long Island’s North Fork, and her first new single in years is a sparking and warm synth-pop comfort bop called ‘Did You Lose Your Heart.’ There’s no question mark at the end of that title, offering up as much a statement as inquiry. “This song encompasses both sides of me — half melancholy, half high in the clouds with the sun in my face,” Saint says. “Equally puzzled and in awe of the universe and my place in it. My life has been a series of heartbreaks and breakthroughs. Right between the two is where I’ve always felt the most in-tune with my deepest emotions. This song lives right in that scary, magical space.” ‘Did You Lose Your Heart’ also arrives with an accompanying music video self-directed by Saint alongside her wife and creative partner Carley Ridersleeve. “The music video is me working towards my highest self,” she adds. “I’m picking up the pieces from a storm, and building myself back up one luminescent brick at a time. Searching for the light, for peace, and for a deeper understanding of myself.” [via Vanyaland]

piri & Tommy Villiers have dropped their latest single, ‘lovergirl’. The song follows on from ‘nice 2 me’ and ‘updown’, and arrives with both a Mario Kart-inspired video. Speaking about the track, piri says: “Lyrically, ‘lovergirl’ was written from the perspective of me singing to myself, writing this song felt so personal and uplifting. it’s about that feeling after a relationship where you reflect on how much energy and time you put into another person, it’s easy to get angry at yourself and see it as a waste of effort, but in this track i’m saying “no, you should be proud to be a lovergirl!!” [via Dork]

Jessie Ware has enlisted Róisín Murphy for a new version of her That! Feels Good! track ‘Freak Me Now.’ Ware said in a press release: “It is a huge honour to have the queen of disco, Róisín Murphy on ‘Freak Me Now.’ I messaged her hoping she may be interested in featuring on the song and before I knew it she was in the studio. She recorded all her vocals for the track and sent them over to us. I have admired her work for so many years & respect her so much. To have her on one of the most fun tracks on That! Feels Good! Is amazing. I can’t wait for us to do this together live in the future! I know my fans are gonna go crazy about this, as am I. I still can’t quite believe we are on a track together and have done a bonkers video together. She is graceful, she is generous, she is pioneering, she is Róisín Murphy and she is on ‘Freak Me Now!’” Murphy added: “Jessie is just brilliant, a super talented songwriter and an amazing singer. She’s truly beautiful but she’s also very funny and never take’s herself too seriously. We’ve been talking about working together for a while. When she sent me ‘Freak Me Now’ I just adored it and felt it was perfectly right for me to be on the song. We had mad fun dressing up on the day of the video, it was fashion chaos!! Like a high-class jumble sale, behind the scenes. We laughed at our ridiculousness and we were very silly all day! Just love her and loved everything about working with her.” [via Pitchfork]

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Josienne Clarke has released ‘Anyone But Me,’ the final single from her new album Onliness (songs of solitude and singularity), out now via Corduroy Punk Records. Darkly urgent, with distorted guitars reframing its folk origins to create a whole new sound for Clarke, ‘Anyone But Me’ is a study in possessiveness. The song’s grim and ominous music video directed by Alec Bowman_Clarke is a fitting visual companion as it follows the end of a marriage. “Maybe I just watched too many Hitchcock films in lockdown, but when I was commissioned to make a video for this song, I knew exactly what I had to do” explains Bowman_Clarke. “Bob Gallagher, the maker of Josienne’s wonderful ‘Chicago’ video, was kind enough to grant me permission to use his character, and Chris Newman jumped at the chance to reprise his role. I’m very grateful to them both for helping bring this vision to life.”

Fresh off the Valentine’s Day release of her sophomore LP, Main Character, Glüme returns with a new visual for album cut ‘Brittany’ that sees the artist turning the rose-tinted fog of infatuation into a psychedelic acid trip with a twisted come down. Co-written with Sean Ono Lennon, the track swoons with a carousel of synths and lilting guitars as Glüme indulges in the bliss of newfound love, letting the world melt away in the process. “Brittany was about meeting someone who makes it seem like the whole world changes for you and opens up,” Glüme says of the track. “It’s a beautiful dream, and then the come-down when it turns out it was just a dream, after all.” Glüme goes on to explain her decision to focus on the dreamy lovestruck early stages of a relationship: “There’s already so much out there about leaving this kind of unstable relationship, about the dissolution, but it’s also a thing where you can feel alone, even gaslighted, when you remember just how intoxicating it is in the beginning.” The music video finds Glüme dramatizing this fantasy in a high-glam haze of eroticized suburban domesticity before descending into trippy madness. Directed by Manny Liotta, the visual features works from artist Kendalle Getty, who also appears in the video and provided her own home as the backdrop for Glüme’s love drunk spiral. From crystallized chairs to stacks of half-finished plates of food and a screaming manticore-inspired portrait that is truly the stuff of nightmare fuel, the video sees Glüme push the banal hedonism of her infatuation into the realm of an Ari Aster-esque psychological horror as she loses her sense of self in the process. Glüme finds a certain fascination in being blinded by love. “It’s this feeling like you’re not in your regular life anymore,” the artist says. “The colors are brighter, there’s beauty all around, the curtains are always billowing in the wind, and then when it’s gone, it can be hard to believe. We talked about it like getting hypnotized, abducted by aliens, or like going on an acid trip. And while neither [Manny] nor I have done any of that, we could relate based on this feeling of being charmed.” [via Paper]

The UK pop and R&B singer Jorja Smith released her debut album Lost & Found way back in 2018, and in 2021 she released an excellent EP called Be Right Back. Now, she’s launching a new era with the DAMEDAME*-produced ‘Try Me,’ an impressive mixture of smooth presence and jagged rhythm that ends by disappearing back into a soulful twilight. As on Smith’s incredible ‘Addicted,’ the bass and drums on this could almost be rock music, but the overall vibe is more like if radio-ready R&B was Bond-theme glamorous, or maybe Adele if she did not have to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Smith says ‘Try Me’ is about “putting yourself out there, in front of a world that has many opinions, as it only ever used to be me really being my own critic.” It’s paired with a video by Amber Grace Johnson; as Smith explains, “The dancer, Andrea Bou Othmane, embodies a bull which represents the world and its opinions out of my control.” [via Stereogum]

At the end of the month, Jessie Ware is releasing a new album with the emphatic title That! Feels Good!, her follow-up to 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure? We’ve heard two singles from it so far, ‘Free Yourself’ and ‘Pearls,’ and now the British singer has returned with a third, ‘Begin Again.’ “On a miserable afternoon during lockdown, James Ford zoomed Shungudzo and Danny Parker in Los Angeles,” Ware said, setting the scene in a statement. “They were just waking up, it was already dark in London. Frustrated yet completely focused, we set about writing in a new – and unnatural – way over the internet.” “Dreaming of human touch, escapes to Brazil, beach bodies, holiday romances, all of it!” Ware continued. “I absolutely adore this song and I’m so excited for you to hear it, to hear the beautiful production by James and horns by KOKOROKO, it’s the song that I knew I wanted to make as soon as I finished ‘Remember Where You Are.’” Watch a video directed by Charlie Di Placido below. [via Stereogum]

LA-based alternative/electro-pop band CANNONS have returned with their entrancing new single ‘Loving You.’ Marking the group’s first offering of new music since their 2022 album Fever Dream, ‘Loving You’ builds on CANNONS’ signature sound, alternating between flashes of gauzy introspection, glitter-drenched dancefloor ecstasy, and gritty sensuality. The track arrives alongside an Anastasia Delmark-directed official video. Shot in Los Angeles, the visual encapsulates the song’s themes of self-acceptance and freedom from inhibition. In speaking about ‘Loving You,’ CANNONS say: “One of the most beautiful things we have witnessed over the past year of touring consistently and meeting our fans is music’s ability to create a sense of belonging between individuals, a safe space, a family. ‘Loving You’ is our love song dedicated to every single one of you who has supported us during every step of this journey.”

Sarah Kinsley is excited to share a new single, her first as a newly signed artist to Verve Forecast/Decca Records UK. ‘Oh No Darling!’ is streaming now. Written and produced by Sarah from the confines of her New York apartment, everything that’s heard in this shimmering, ethereal pop track is performed solely by Sarah too; synths, midi drum programming, guitar, and strings. It’s a dramatic introduction to a brand-new era for the Columbia University graduate who has achieved so much in a short period of time, and her dexterity as a fast-rising, singular artist/producer shows no sign of abating. Sarah on ‘Oh No Darling!’: “’Oh No Darling!’ is a massive rush of chaos, unashamed irony, a distinct rejoice in the stupidity and silliness of youth. The track is enlivened by ambiguity: the impulse to leave, to run, to shut the door on childhood: to say, “I am new and I am not who I was before!”. And yet here I am questioning at every point: do we ever really know? Was the illusion ever really there? “’Oh No Darling!’ is my tumbling into the ‘second decade’: of feeling and falling, of being unsure and yet free.”

VOLK have shared the video for their song ‘Stand the Test’. “‘Stand the Test’ is the break-up song we all need right now; for your grief, your transformation, your perpetually evolving self,” explains the band’s Eleot Reich. “As the first single off our upcoming sophomore album, On the Other Hand, You Have Five Fingers, we wanted to lead with a song that is as danceable as it is emotive. Two of our favorite musicians, Christopher Tait and Matt Van from Electric Six, play synth and bass respectively on the track. While we don’t currently have plans to expand beyond our duo set-up live, we felt strongly that the record demanded other elements. This is a tune to crank and dance along to in your kitchen. It’s alright if you actually don’t stand the test. We are so much bigger than our results.” Director Patrick Pierson had this to say about the video: “You could say that the inspiration for this is a little bit Flash Gordan, Bill and Ted and the movie, Explorers. As it’s more of a ballad, I wanted to put the focus on the performance and the song itself with a few otherworldly elements thrown in to elevate that. Think of this as an intergalactic cantina floating through a colossal cosmos in the silence of space. Boldly going forever” [via The Big Takeover]

The Canadian alt-rock duo Miesha & The Spanks return to release their eagerly-awaited new album Unconditional Love In Hi-Fi, alongside the raucous new single ‘So Mad’. Unconditional Love In Hi-Fi marks one of their most explosive full-lengths to date. ‘So Mad’ is a single that drips with a feminine ire that turns toxicity into sheer freak-out fuel. The three minute song is full of energy and condenses the essence of their new release. “’So Mad’ is about the day to day of what women deal with – from losing the autonomy of our bodies as the United States slowly revokes laws surrounding abortion and birth control, to being able to safely walk home at night – and the expectation that we can’t be too angry about it, and to just… smile more,” the band says when asked about this song, which is likely to be a fan favourite. [via Metal Mag]

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On the heels of Donzii‘s debut LP Fishbowl comes the newly announced For The People – a collection of their first two sold out EPs repressed together on one vinyl, sandwiched between never before heard tracks. The first of these new offerings is ‘Disco Rosie’ which arrives alongside an official video. Donzii has signed with Born Losers Records for the March 23 release of their vinyl compilation. Aptly arriving on Valentine’s Day, ‘Disco Rosie’ is four minutes of pure musical excess that could fuel any night of strobing lights, full dance floors and swaying sweaty bodies. The official video starring the band and a collective of friends feels like a psychedelic walk through a previous decade. Keeping things short and sweet, the band said, “’Disco Rosie’ is for lovers.”

Oakland band Blues Lawyer joins Dark Entries for their third full-length, All in Good Time, a record of pop-rock songs about living in a world that wants to put your existence on the clock. This week the band shared the Monty Python-inspired video for ‘Make Up’ ahead of the album release on Friday: Rob Miller said: “‘Make Up’ is about reluctantly accepting that a relationship has run its course because neither person is willing to be vulnerable and open with each other anymore. In typical Blues Lawyer fashion, we chose to make light of the song’s lyrical themes and made a Monty Python inspired video where Elyse and I’s characters embark on a heroic quest only to (spoiler alert) meet our demise. The video was directed by Blues Lawyer drummer/vocalist, Elyse Schrock and frequent collaborator, Richard Alex Olsen.”

Iconic singer-songwriter-rapper-artist Brooke Candy arrived fully charged this Valentine’s Day with her new single, ‘Juicy Fruit.’ Co-written by Candy, Jesse Saint John (Britney Spears, LIZZO, Saweetie), Nick Weiss and Cecile Believe, the sex-positive, electro-powered track is joined by an official music video. “It’s unique and a lot different than what I’ve done in the past. The visual taps into a different era that I cherish. It’s a little bit ’80s, and I want to run with that,” Candy tells Jack Irvin or People Magazine. “I’m just happy to still be able to make music, express myself through art and make a living doing it. I feel really lucky.” “If I can make someone smile with this song or video, that’s incredible, and I did my job,” Candy continues about what’s to come. “That’s all I want — to bring a little bit of positivity to the world.”

Eaves Wilder has shared new single ‘Are You Diagnosed?’ The London songwriter has signed to Secretly Canadian, with her debut EP Hookey set to land on March 24. Dubbed by its maker as being “about bunking off”, it touches on some incredibly personal topics. New single ‘Are You Diagnosed?’ is a case in point. A tongue-in-cheek indie burner, it actually touches on mental health, and the (lack of) services available to those in need. Still only 19 years old, it discusses her experiences with the British mental health service CAMHS – while also asking for a bit more help for those who need it. So, over to Eaves… “I first entered the Child and Adolescent Mental Health services – or CAMHS – when I was eleven. Although they did finally help me, and I left at the age of fifteen, ‘Are You Diagnosed?’ is basically a stream-of-consciousness, scream for help rant/report about what it’s like in those awful, quiet waiting rooms, and consulting rooms. As CAHMS is so dangerously underfunded by the government, the deal is- the closer you are to death, the higher up the waiting list you go. Which on average is around 16 months. And people with eating disorders are competitive anyway, so it’s very easy to look around the waiting room, and think, ‘I need to be the most ill person here. I need to get … ill-er than the girl with the bandages on her arms, or the tube up her nose – or I’ll never get treated. I’m going to make my way up that list.’ The key thing is getting your diagnosis. There’s no treatment until diagnosis. You don’t know what is happening to you. And a lot of people doubt you are ill anyway. They (friends, family, teachers) think that you’re making it all up, I think that’s easier for them. And so the biggest question is, over and over: “Are you diagnosed? Are you diagnosed?” [via Clash]

Next month, Gisela Fulla-Silvestre, the singer and producer who records as NOIA, will release her full-length debut gisela. Now, NOIA has teamed up with Ela Minus, the Colombian dance-popper who released the great ♡ EP with DJ Python last year, on a new single called ‘didn’t know.’ On ‘didn’t know,’ NOIA and Ela Minus sing in both English and Spanish over a slinky synth-beat that never sits still. It’s a haunted, evocative synthpop jam that still really moves. Lola Blanc directed the track’s very stylish video. In a press release, NOIA says: “’didn’t know’ is an ode to my friends in nyc. an ode to all the bad dating we’ve done in this city and how we’ve survived through staying together and laughing together. it’s also an ode to the nightlife of this city. I borrowed a couple of dialogue lines from Mad Men for the lyrics: this song is playfully centered around the idea of singing to the ultimate fuckboy, don draper. I have collected so many whatsapp audio messages (or whatsapp podcasts lol) from my friends sharing their late night experiences, so I wanted to bring those bits and pieces of dialogue into the song, that’s why there’s that sound design club bathroom moment in the song and that’s why you can hear them discovering the magic of autotune towards the end of the song. I had to invite Ela Minus to sing this song as a duet: she is one of my good friends with whom I’ve shared these experiences with, endless dinners in Brooklyn laughing away our love adventures. but also, when i started this beat (with a drum machine and not in the box as I usually make beats) I realized I was getting inspired by her amazing beat making style. so I sent the track to her during the pandemic and she recorded her beautiful airy vocals in it, half in English, half in Spanish. Musically this is my Prince song, it’s definitely a hot pink song. I wanted the voices to feel like a wall of airy rhythmic sexy vibes. but then the beat and the bass to feel chaotic and industrial.” [via Stereogum]

Paramore have released the music video for their latest single, ‘Running Out of Time’, from their recently released album This Is Why. Of the track, Hayley Williams says, “When we first started writing the album I wanted to challenge myself to write about ordinary things. I am horrific at time management and that feels about like the most mundane thing anyone could talk about… seemed like a fun challenge. It kept me from getting all deep and dark which is actually an easier place, internally, for me to dwell. Then again, expanding on those feelings isn’t all that different from the anxieties a lot of us feel about living on planet earth in 2023.” [via Dork]

Black Honey returns with punchy new rocker ‘OK’. The band’s new album A Fistful Of Peaches lands on March 17, led by comeback single ‘Up Against It’. Frontperson Izzy Bee Phillips used the lyrics to urge fans to be kinder to themselves, and these mental health themes permeate their new single. Out now, ‘OK’ punctures the happiness myth, and asks if something OK is actually something we should all strive for. If the guitar-based songwriting carries a real impact, then perhaps that is to drive the point home. Izzy Bee comments… “‘OK’ is a love story I wrote for my friend who was getting high all the time to dull anxiety. I didn’t want them to be struggling anymore and this song is like ‘I will stand by you and if you need a weird 10 mins where you smoke weed after drinking 8 pints till you whitey. If that’s what you need to do then it’s okay’. It’s too much to expect someone to be happy so just okay is enough. I’m also criticising myself for trying to be a Romeo-style hero when I’m so utterly ill-equipped to help anyone. I also somehow have the feeling of devotional dedication to a person that only rom coms ever show you and I didn’t really believe was real.” [via Clash]

Jessie Ware has shared a new video for her single ‘Pearls’, taken from her upcoming album That! Feels Good! The video, which was directed by Sophie Muller (Kylie Minogue, Rihanna) and Theo Adams (Elton John, Years and Years), sees Ware in a variety of dreamy, neon-drenched settings, which perfectly aligns with the ’90s-infused track. The song is a collaboration between Ware and Stuart Price, Sarah Hudson, and Coffee Clarence JR, and as Ware explains in a press release, it’s “a record that doesn’t take itself too seriously but demands you to have a dance. It’s inspired by divas like Donna Summer, Evelyn Champagne King, Teena Marie and Chaka khan and I guess attempts to show—in lightness—all the hats I try to wear (usually at the same time).” That! Feels Good! is the follow-up to Ware’s critically acclaimed album What’s Your Pleasure? In a statement, Ware said of the new record: “That! Feels Good! stems from over 10 years of understanding who I am, and who I enjoy being as an artist and the thrill of performance. It’s a record to be enjoyed, to sing and shout the words back at me and to each other. It’s a culmination of hard work and total pleasure appreciating the job I have and the worlds I get to dive into. I have never felt so ready for people to hear something I’ve made.” [via Dork]

LA-based pop trailblazer Grace Gaustad has shared their new single and video ‘The Cloud’. ‘The Cloud’ appears on Gaustad’s forthcoming multimedia concept album PILLBX: whts ur fantasy?, which will culminate this summer in an epic cinematic film. ‘The Cloud’ is a delicate and glowing art pop track, where Gaustad’s vocals are swirling and haunting around soft electronics. It’s an incredibly considered and mature track for the 21 year old, with the video depicting physical isolation in an overconnected digital world, featuring a cameo from Emmy and Golden Globe winner Mariska Hargitay. Speaking further about the track Grace says “‘The Cloud’ is a song about the epidemic of loneliness we all feel from the primary relationship we have with our cell phones. We’ve become so dependent on our phones that we now store the best parts of our life somewhere in the cloud, as opposed to enjoying them while they’re happening.”

Rising indie-pop trio Bailen has announced the release of their second full-length album, Tired Hearts, due out May 5 via Fantasy Records. The New York City based siblings have also shared the album’s first single, the alt-pop anthem ‘Call It Like It Is,’ along with its cult classic thriller style video. The sparkling ‘Call It Like It Is,’ co-written by Bailen and X Ambassadors’ Adam Levin and Sam Harris, is “an anthem for anyone who refuses to be taken advantage of,” the band stated. “It unmasks the ugly truth behind shiny veneers.” The track’s beautifully rendered, cinematic video, directed and edited by David Bailen, is a fictionalized account of a scary ‘catfishing’ episode Bailen recently experienced while on tour. “To save money on the road, we often stay with friends, family and fans instead of staying in hotels,” the group explained. “It goes to show what it takes to be in a touring band these days just to break even.” [via udiscovermusic]

Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Bea Miller released a new song ‘cynical’ on February 15. The song is the second single under her own label Gauche Records, following ‘lonely bitch’ released back in January. It was written by Bea Miller, Cara Salimando, and Colin Brittain. Produced by Colin Brittain. Bea Miller said of the song, “’cynical’ has always been a word I’ve used to describe the way I view love and romance. When my last relationship ended, I felt like it had been destined to crash and burn. Because I was already prepared for that, it didn’t hurt me as much as it should’ve. I don’t think that’s great necessarily, but there was something oddly satisfying about being right.” The accompanying music video was directed by Gina Gizella Manning. It serves as the second installment of her twelve-part visual compendium, entitled “BEA MILLER’S CABINET”. She said, “In the video for ‘cynical,’ we wanted to showcase the monotony I’ve felt in relationships by essentially filming the same shot over and over again, with varying emotions.” [via pmstudio]

Following up the release of her ephemerally dreamy, glittery cyber and otherworldly EP, Dear Diary, Alex Sloane has premiered the music video for the sweet but venomous single, ‘Mine.’ A vintage decor princess bedroom, pages detailing nothing but one repetitive line of “Everything is ok,” the hauntingly sweet music video gives nods to Kubrick’s 1980 classic, The Shining. Featuring a breathlessly thrilling tempo and Sloane’s honey smooth, quaint but beyond recognizable vocal, ‘Mine’ perfectly infuses electronic influence with lo-fi and hyperpop. Displaying the movie-set reality behind the picturesque, cottage-core bedroom at the end of the music video, Sloane again reveals the danger of delusions, reiterating the main focus of ‘Mine’ once more. [via Earmilk]

Honey Revenge have released a new single and video, ‘Are You Impressed?’ The duo – vocalist Devin Papadol and guitarist Donovan Lloyd – continue to make their mark following previous singles ‘Rerun,’ ‘Ride’ and ‘Distracted,’ with their latest effort following their standard set so far of incredibly catchy and relatable. ‘Lost sight of what I’m working toward / It’s the same shit different day / Battles I have fought before / Will they ever go my way?’ go the lyrics of the second verse, with Devin explaining that, “Are You Impressed? is about dealing with a need to constantly be productive and well liked in a world where everything we do is documented and put online.” [via Kerrang!]

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Billed as a teaser for her upcoming fifth studio album, Ware’s ‘Free Yourself’ was co-written with Coffee Clarence JR and British producer Stuart Price and comes with a message of self-empowerment.

“’Free Yourself’ is the beginning of a new era for me,” Ware explains in a press release. “I’m so excited for people to have this song for the end of their summer; to dance, to feel no inhibitions and to feel joyful because that’s how I’ve been feeling recently being able to tour again and being able to sing again. Enjoy yourself, Free Yourself!”

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