Emerging, independent rock artist Cutt has released the official music video for her latest single ‘No Crown In This Dead Town’. The video, directed by Ethan Maniquis (“Machete,” Five Finger Death Punch, Daughtry), highlights her Los Angeles roots and the famed Sunset Strip, where the rocker frequently performs. ‘No Crown In This Dead Town’ – produced by Sean Hurwitz (Smash Mouth) and Gregg Cash (Josh Todd & the Conflict), who also co-wrote the song with Cutt – is Cutt’s fight song, serving as motivation to keep working on her music and pushing forward with her career, even when it feels like you can be stuck. “‘No Crown In This Dead Town’ is about me wanting to give up on music,” shares Cutt. “Entourage is one of my favorite TV shows and the intro to the show inspired the opening shots of the video! It’s me in a red mustang looking up at all the billboards on Sunset Blvd. wishing it was me up there! The rest of the video is me and my band performing on a rooftop in downtown LA.”

fantasy of a broken heart are announcing their debut album, Feats of Engineering (out September 27 on Dots Per Inch). To mark the announce the band are sharing a new single entitled ‘UR HEART STOPS,’ with an accompanying video directed by Rachel Brown of Water From Your Eyes & thanks for coming. Though shaped by the surrealist endeavours of 70s prog-rock and late-90s dream pop, and the logic-eschewing rules of animated worlds, the album is ultimately tethered to reality, to music as sculpted by years of live performance. Featuring contributions from other members of the NYC scene the band travels in, including Nate Amos (This Is Lorelei, Water From Your Eyes) and Jordana, the album is a maximalist diatribe anchored by the emotional core of its central relationship. Lyrics careen between the silly and the sincere, while Bailey’s husky baritone whispers, shouts, and croons, Al’s airy vocals twang and soar transcendent, their voices drifting in and out of conversation with each other. ‘UR HEART STOPS’ perfectly walks the line between the poles of the band’s sound, managing to be effective as pop music and avant garde in its construction, funny and genuinely beautiful. It’s a remarkably imaginative piece of music, that manages to be clever and surprising without taking itself too seriously, and it wonderfully captures the unique cocktail fantasy of a broken heart have been brewing for their debut LP. Wollowitz says of the song: “‘Ur Heart Stops’ was conceived in the midst of the pandemic after we moved from New York to Los Angeles looking for a breath of fresh air. With no shows in sight, we made the decision to finish writing the song without ever playing it live, a rarity for us that led to a very honest arrangement unbothered by the potential reaction of an audience. We finally got to play it live a year later at a cathartic house show at Brooklyn’s now closed Bohemian Grove. It felt like people caught onto the song right away despite it being the odd duck in an otherwise familiar set. The basement flooded overnight after the show and everything was caked in mud when I returned in the morning to pick up some gear. Heart is a reflection on the never-ending engine of day and night, separation and reconciliation, and the collective depression felt while marching to the coffee pot. While it started as a more personal dialogue between Al and I, I think the song ultimately became an anthem of perseverance for anyone who struggles to get out of bed every morning. We still do.”

Finom – the Chicago-based band co-fronted by Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart, formerly known as Ohmme – will release their new record, Not God, on May 24 via Joyful Noise Recordings. Now, they present a new single, ‘Cyclops,’ alongside a video directed by Mannequin Pussy’s Marisa “Missy” Dabice. ‘Cyclops’ pulses with a fuzzy bass line and Finom’s signature harmonies. There’s a boisterous tension in its instrumentation, which is captured in the accompanying video. It features Cunningham and Stewart as eccentrically-dressed boxers, joining together to take on an evil force in the ring. “Your band is your own personal Odyssey,” explains the band. “You have to want to go on it, you have to fight for it, you have to live for it. I think this song is reacting to some of the subtle undercurrents and mental demons we’ve had to fight off when it comes to persisting as a band. But also, really thinking about battling a cyclops and all of the injury you endure to make it through to the other side.”

Rising pop artist Brooke Alexx has unveiled her self-directed music video for her recently released single, ‘Hot Like You.’ The video finds Alexx transforming from an office chic to Hollywood glam, with the swipe of some lip gloss, a show-stopping red dress, and her favorite pair of shoes from Pashion Footwear. “The music video represents when I was working a day job and pursing music at nights and on weekends. I felt like a double agent,” Alexx says on the new video. To bring her vision for the music video to life, Alexx teamed up with the aforementioned shoe company Pashion Footwear. The brand makes the world’s first fully convertible and customizable heels (a.k.a. shoes that can turn from heels to flats, as well as be endlessly customized with interchangeable Heel Kits + accessories). [via Substream]

Madrid-based indie rockers Hinds have unveiled plans for their new album, Viva Hinds. The record is set to be the band’s first since 2020’s The Prettiest Curse, and will feature two A-list guest stars. Spearheaded by the incredible duo that is Carlotta Cosials and Ana García Perrote, Hinds have been among the most notable indie bands of recent time, both in mainland Europe and further afield. Hence, there is already a lot of excitement surrounding the announcement of Viva Hinds. The first hints at a new album came back in February, when the duo released ‘Coffee’, their first single in years. However, it is only now that a new album has been confirmed, and details have been revealed. Alongside the announcement, the band released the album’s lead single ‘Boom Boom Back’, giving a sneak preview into this new era for Hinds. The song is a perfect summer anthem, featuring the kind of euphoric indie guitar sound that the band have become synonymous with, backed up by Cosials’ effortlessly cool vocals. ‘Boom Boom Back’ also gives some idea of the calibre of guest stars that will feature on the new record, with Beck arriving to deliver a verse. He met with Hinds by chance during a film screening in Los Angeles, and quickly set about organising a collaboration. The slacker king is not the only guest to feature on the tracklisting for Viva Hinds, as the as-yet-unreleased song ‘Stranger’ is due to feature Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten. The album’s lead single arrived in conjunction with a music video, awash with friendship and euphoria to match the mood of the song. Directed by Cosaials and Perrote themselves, the video sees Hinds take on the streets of Hollywood in the blistering sunshine.

Future soul voyager Raveena touches down once more on new single ‘Pluto’. ‘Pluto’ is a wonderful piece of zero gravity alt-soul, with her jazz leanings providing a real sense of flexibility to that dulcet vocal. In a note, she reveals that this beautiful new single actually relates to loss, while also re-learning the acceptance of joy. She comments… “This record is so inner child for me. It’s a song about loss, but woven into the most joyful soundbed. When making it, I was remembering the feeling of having my little walkman and listening to the most euphoric pop songs, dancing around the yard or looking out the window on a long drive at ten years old. I want to bring back the sweetness that feels like it’s suspended in that time of the early 2000s and 90s. I love the amalgamation of sounds we landed on in this song- it’s such a classic R&B record in so many ways, with all these hidden gems of unique instruments like swarmandal and electric sitar.” The surrealist video was pieced together with VFX imagery by Danish artist Ida Lissner, and acts as a homage to some 80s and 90s greats – think Prince’s ‘I Wish U Heaven’ and Faye Wong’s ‘Sing and Play’. [via Clash]

MOTHICA has released her new single ‘Red’, taken from her forthcoming visual album KISSING DEATH, which tells an immersive story across the tracks and their accompanying music videos. “After releasing Nocturnal, which had more of a heavier influence, I knew I wanted to include a rock song. In the narrative of the album, I wanted younger me to go to a rock show of future me, which is obviously impossible in reality, but it represents all the music I grew up listening to and what I’d later be inspired by,” says MOTHICA. “My buddy Nick Sadler and I wrote this together to be this rock-inspired anthem that teenage me would’ve loved, despite the lyrics being so self-destructive.” [via Bring the Noise]

Slovakian alt-pop artist Karin Ann has launched her debut album, Through the Telescope, showcasing her eclectic musical range and depth in storytelling. Released under 3am Records / PIAS, the album features the compelling new video for her track ‘I Don’t Believe in God’, starring Imogen Heap. Through the Telescope is a fusion of folk, rock, and gothic disco, drawing influences from artists like Mazzy Star and Hozier. Produced with Benjamin Lazar Davis and Will Graefe of Okkervil River, the album captures Karin Ann’s journey through love, identity, and mental health challenges. Karin expressed her personal connection to the album, stating, “Before I even considered making this album, I was at a breaking point where I seriously thought about giving up music due to my declining health. Benjamin, my collaborator on the album, unexpectedly entered the scene, and later came Will. The two of them sparked this whole new wave of creativity, and the album turned out even better than I imagined. This project was a labor of love, free from external pressures, allowing us to craft a narrative that reflects our shared artistic integrity. I’m so full of pride as I prepare to share this deeply personal piece of work with the world, and I’m hopeful that it resonates with listeners on a profound level.” The new video for ‘I Don’t Believe in God’ is a visually striking exploration of spiritual and societal challenges. Karin notes, “It’s a vulnerable reflection of spiritual dilemmas, influenced by my experience navigating as a queer woman in a conservative, Christian environment.” The video incorporates themes of religious persecution, drawing parallels with historical events like the witch trials.

The UK singer Mabel has a brash new single out. For ‘Look At My Body Pt. II,’ she teams with Shygirl for a hard, trap-infused pop song about “questioning the male gaze and the power of the divine feminine.” Mabel’s statement on the song: “This record is about questioning the male gaze and the power of the divine feminine. I’ve often felt judged by my appearance, and I’ve let comments get the better of me. Now, I’m at a stage in my life though where I’m celebrating my body without letting it define me. I wanted to let anyone who’s ever underestimated me or judged the book by its cover know that I’m ok with them doing that now because I know who I am. Collaborating with Shygirl is something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time as I’m a big fan of her music and everything fell into place with this record. She totally understood everything I wanted it to be and she’s made the song so special. She’s a superstar.” Watch director David Wilson’s video for the song below. [via Stereogum]

Fashion muse, actress, and writer Julia Fox continues to defy expectations, this time venturing into the world of music. Following the release of her debut single ‘Down The Drain,’ Fox unveils a powerful music video directed by Ben Draghi, known for his work with Zendaya and Dove Cameron. The ‘Down The Drain’ music video delves into Julia Fox’s past experiences as a dominatrix. It weaves a captivating narrative where Julia Fox takes on various roles as she embarks on a mission to rescue her friend Richie Shazam from peril. Shot in a location deeply significant to Fox’s personal history, the video adds a layer of authenticity to her performance, showcasing her unwavering commitment to her artistic endeavours no matter how memeable. Fox took a personal approach, involving her close circle in the creative process. This choice gives the video a distinct, intimate feel. It transforms what might seem like an unexpected move into music into a captivating display of Fox’s unique ability to bridge different creative fields. [via FAULT]

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Last week, Philadelphia indie-punks Mannequin Pussy announced some big plans. They’ve bought back their masters from Tiny Engines, their former label, and they’re reissuing their 2016 sophomore album Romantic on their own newly-formed label Romantic Records. But Mannequin Pussy aren’t just reissuing their older music. They’ve also just released a brand-new single. Mannequin Pussy recorded their new single ‘I Got Heaven’ with veteran indie rock producer John Congleton, and it’s a revved-up anthem that moves from stomp-scream fuzz-rock fury to twinkly shoegaze melody and back again. Lyrically, bandleader Marisa Dabice is on her Patti Smith shit: “And what if we stopped spinning?/ And what if we’re just flat?/ And what if Jesus himself ate my fucking snatch?” It’s Mannequin Pussy’s first new song since their 2021 EP Perfect, though Dabice appeared on the remix of Dazy and Militarie Gun’s ‘Pressure Cooker’ last year. Mannequin Pussy haven’t announced a new record yet, but there’s more new music on the way. Here’s what Marisa Dabice says about ‘I Got Heaven’: “‘I Got Heaven’ is a song intended to merge the sacred and the profane and to serve as a reminder that we are all perfect exactly as we have been made and that no one gets to decide how a life should or should not be lived. Heaven is here on a planet that gave us everything we needed to survive. Heaven is in the plants and in the water and in the animals who we share this world with. Heaven is inside of me and inside of you. The weaponization of Christianity for political means, for individual profit and power, as a tool to intentionally divide us, is one of the greatest threats to our modern world and a threat to our ability to find solidarity through love. To allow the hatred and the violence and the noise to rise is to reject our sacred purpose as individuals, which is simply to love.” Mason Mercer and Anthony Miralles directed the ‘I Got Heaven’ video, which has a sunlight gothic folk-horror storyline and which might be lightly NSFW. [via Stereogum]

Sheffield’s Gia Ford has shared her striking new single ‘Alligator’. Word of mouth hype in her home city indicates that Gia Ford is pretty special, playing cafes and bars around the city. New single ‘Alligator’ is out now, a superb distillation of her influences. You can hear aspects of Nick Cave’s brooding torch songs in her work, alongside a penchant for Fleetwood Mac at their deliciously dark best. There’s a vein of originality, however, with Gia Ford pushing her own voice high above those reference points. The lyric yearns for emotional validation, with the songwriter urging others to accept her feelings as being real. Beautiful but also flecked by intensity, ‘Alligator’ is a fine start from a bold talent. She says… “‘Alligator’ is a song about a desperation to be seen and heard. I am being facetious by painting myself as multiple unbelievable creatures to garner attention. In the opening statement, I am an Alligator. Then, when that goes ignored, I am “Ten feet off of the ground, with feathers” — a whole new creature, perhaps still the Alligator, perhaps something different. The emotionally human nature in the first lines of verse two; “too far along now, I wouldn’t even know how to turn around” sees the Alligator swimming through a broken and contaminated landscape that it is getting used to and triumphantly withstanding. In the chorus, the final line “Albatross in the sky, aim my crossbow in the night” is a reference to ‘Rhyme of The Ancient Mariner’ by Coleridge. In the poem, the mariner is cursed after he shoots down the bird; it represents a self-inflicted burden.” [via Clash]

Problem Patterns have announced their debut album. Recorded and mixed by Niall Doran at Start Together Studios and mastered by Peter J Moore at The E Room, the Belfast-based punks will drop Blouse Club on October 27 via Alcopop! Records. To celebrate the news, the band have also shared new AA single ‘Lesbo 3000’ / ‘Poverty Tourist’. Bethany Crooks says: “‘Lesbo 3000’ was written partly out of frustration and also to reclaim and have ownership over my sexuality. The frustration is that lesbianism is consistently invalidated, we’re told that we just haven’t ‘met the right man’ yet or that some random man in a bar has a magic appendage in his trousers that will completely negate your attraction to women. The reality is that homophobic attacks are becoming more and more consistent with right wing social media emboldening bigots, while ‘lesbian’ remains one of the top search topics on all porn websites. (Mostly) men think that lesbians exist for their sexual gratification, but if they see two women holding hands they go absolutely berserk. I also thought it was important to reclaim the slur ‘dyke’. I’ve been called a dyke multiple times by homophobes who want to hurt me, but if I can reclaim that word it completely takes the power out of it. Yes I am a dyke. And that feels really powerful to say.” [via Dork]

The Kills, the long-running collaboration between Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, haven’t released a new album since 2016’s Ash & Ice. In 2020, Mosshart and Hince released the B-sides/rarities collection Little Bastards, and last month they released a pair of singles, one for each of the coasts: ‘New York’ and ‘LA Hex.’ Now, the Kills have announced their sixth studio album, God Games, which is coming October 27 via Domino. In addition to the album announce, the duo are sharing a new single, ‘103,’ which comes with a video directed by Steven Sebring. According to a release, ‘103’ is a temperature measured in Fahrenheit and “highlights the brutal reality of daunting uninhabitability through the lens of a dark twisted love song.” [via Stereogum]

Holy Wars have signed to Pale Chord, and are celebrating the news with an explosive single, ‘Deus Ex Machina’. The Los Angeles duo – vocalist Kat Leon and guitarist/producer Nick Perez – are building on early momentum with an impressively realised sound and vision, with Kat sharing of the band’s new song and what it all means: “’Deus Ex Machina’ was inspired by my love of psychology and how fascinating the brain is. The God of the human machine. Deus Ex Machina meaning God from the Machine really helped shape the message of what I wanted to say lyrically in this song, how our personal narrative is powerful. We often rewrite our stories as the hero’s tale but we very possibly could be the villain in another’s. Our words are powerful and our story is our legacy. In this song I wanted to display the attack side of the narrative, how any issue I have had with another has stemmed from projection, a choice and the power I allow it to have. The ghost in the machine haunting my thoughts and puppetting my actions. ‘Deus Ex Machina’ is a hard-hitting wild sonic ride of the mania that lives underneath us all.” [via Kerrang!]

Canadian-Dutch-Korean singer-songwriter Jeon Somi has shared the music video for her single ‘Gold Gold Gold.’ The music video comes fresh off the heels of her EP, Game Plan, of which’“Gold Gold Gold’ is the first track on the album. Game Plan marks Jeon Somi’s comeback after two years. That era was capped by the release of her debut album XOXO. Now she begins a new chapter, evolving both musically and as an artist, offering a more elevated look and sound. Jeon Somi participated in the songwriting of ‘Gold Gold Gold,’ showcasing her growth as a singer-songwriter alongside TEDDY and Danny Chung with production by 24 and Dominsuk, who are known as the hitmakers behind BLACKPINK. ‘Gold Gold Gold’ has Jeon rapping and singing with overflowing confidence over a trendy and infectious beat with a melodic bridge and addictive chorus. In true Somi fashion, the music video for ‘Gold Gold Gold’ is colorful, energetic, and full of glitz, glamor, and unbeatable choreography. [via uDiscoverMusic]

Following on from 2019’s Flamboyant and 2020’s My Agenda, Dorian Electra’s pending third LP promises to continue building their fantastical world of boundary-pushing pop – at least, that’s if new track ‘Puppet’ is anything to go by. Playfully merging traditional musical influences (the intro samples Beethoven’s ‘Fur Elise’) with thoroughly contemporary touches, it explores notions of control via both its lyrics and accompanying video (which you can watch below). [via DIY]

Following on from the success of her hit track ‘Padam Padam’ everyone’s favourite Australian popstar, Kylie Minogue, is here with another banger to see us through the end of this drizzly old summer. Her new single is called ‘Tension’. And so is her upcoming album, available for fans to gouge on in full come September 22. Of course, the 55 year old looks about 20 in the new music video – as she does – which sees her rocking a number of different guises, including a red-haired, silver-sequined goddess and a gothic, lace-clad blonde. As if some funky outfits weren’t enough, Kylie is also frolicking around in an imagined ‘retro future’ alternate reality. ‘Tension’ is the fourth song on the album, the second single to be released after ‘Padam Padam’, and was written by Kylie and long-term collaborators Biff Stannard and Duck Blackwell. Never has ‘do, do, do, do’ been so catchy than it is in the chorus of this instant club classic. It’s full of the enthusiasm of ‘Padam, Padam’, and laced with sass queen energy. The music video sees retro Kylie strutting into a futuristic world, with a sparkling, huge Kylie hologram stepping out of a screen and into reality. Retro Kylie – in a vintage hat and dress – sheds some layers and has a little flirtation with gothic, blonde Kylie, and the film unravels into disco chaos. ‘Tension’ gives seriously empowering vibes, and seems to be more about self-love than a partner when Kylie sings repeatedly in the chorus ‘touch me right there.’ The end of the music video sees the Kylie multiply into many forms in an electrifying crescendo, as the pop queen exits the world with energy still visibly buzzing in and out of her body. [via Metro]

Listen to the euphoric folk of Karin Ann Masters’ ‘a stranger with my face’. The symphonic folk-tinged tune is about losing parts of yourself when gaining feelings for someone else, becoming a version of the other person, or who you think they want you to be. Backed by bluesey guitar lines and flawless, Fleetwood Mac-esque harmonies, Karin Ann sings on the theme of over-idolisation. Of the track, Karin Ann says: “Some of the lyrics almost felt religious to me, so I wanted it to sound like a choir on the chorus. It’s almost like you’re making that person your God, you’re worshipping them in a very toxic and unhealthy way. You end up talking their slang, adapting to how they speak… it’s not even about trying to make them like you, more so that you like them so much that you almost want to be more like them. You end up not knowing who you are without them.” The accompanying video is part 1 of a short film by American director duo, TUSK (Camila Cabello, Alessia Cara, Tate McRae). Shot in Prague, Czech Republic, the visual follows a queer spy romance, set in 1950’s Hollywood. Starring Karin Ann alongside British-American athlete and actor Gus Kenworthy, and US actress Ashley Moore, the story follows a young secretary (Karin Ann) at a Hollywood film studio, who is tasked with finding out the truth about a movie star’s (Moore) scandalized love affairs with various men. Upon spying, the secretary finds out that such affairs are all a cover up for her true sexual identity, very much taboo at the time. During the film, it seems as though the secretary and actress may indeed have a connection between themselves… To be continued, part 2 will follow as the music video for Karin’s next single, coming soon. [via Soundsphere]

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