Somehow, we are still in the same year when the self-professed Dublin “garage noise” band Sprints released their phenomenal debut album Letter To Self. (It came out on the very first New Music Friday of 2024, which now feels like a very long time ago.) They’ve had a months of ups and downs since then, including lots of great performances but also some sordid audience behavior and the departure of founding guitarist Colm O’Reilly. They’ve also kept releasing new music in the wake of their debut LP. Back in May, Sprints shared a pair of new songs, ‘Help Me I’m Spiralling’ and ‘Drones.’ Now they’ve got one more for us. ‘Feast’ veers into the glam-grunge territory inhabited by bands like Cherry Glazerr as Karla Chubb repurposes biblical imagery in a queer context. “She chewed me up like dinner,” goes one refrain. The track gets more and more pleasingly intense as it goes along. [via Stereogum]

Albertine Sarges has released the video for her brilliantly direct single ‘Stand Near Your Fire’, via Moshi Moshi Records. Albertine Sarges enlists her band The Sticky Fingers to star in the video. It’s a fantastic explosion of glam-rock colour that captures the joy and energy of the music perfectly. The effervescent, bold and left field indie pop finds the perfect accompaniment in this video directed by Lo Selbo. Albertine talks about the video – “My new video is a vegan soap opera about wanting to belong to a cool group of people. We had this idea that I could have an inferiority complex and we made myself small as a thumbling. I am sneaking around giant rockstars (a reveal of my live band, the sticky fingers) with my binoculars, trying to get closer, but it’s hard to impress them. Eventually, I make friends with them and we sing through megaphones and eat wonton. I love the anti-lookism shots with the wind machine and my Neanderthal-Gucci clothing. “Let me stand near your fire” means I want to be close to your inspiring greatness, close to your clan.”

ATARASHII GAKKO! has released the official music video for their track ‘Omakase,’ in which the members transform into sushi chefs, blending their energetic style with fun culinary visuals. The video offers a unique and lively presentation, showcasing the group’s playful yet fierce attitude. ‘Omakase’ is part of their latest album AG! Calling, which is now available on all major streaming platforms. Fans can expect more of the bold and distinctive sound that ATARASHII GAKKO! is known for, and this music video adds a creative visual spin to their latest release. [via Tokyo Hive]

Lisel releases the video for ‘The Past Is A Tiger’ off The Vanishing Point, which comes out October 18. ‘The Past is a Tiger’ is an emotionally direct and evocative song that blends both macabre and ethereal soundscapes (harsh growls, eerie industrial whistles, bell-like synths) with incisive, probing, and self-critical lyrics. The song reflects on how the past can be both elusive and dangerous—something that lurks and occasionally resurfaces. Lisel’s floating vocals and the intricate, dark, experimental production create a haunting atmosphere, inviting listeners to contemplate how memory and melancholy can often lead to self-obsession and self-absorption. Director Julia Ponce Díaz says, “We developed a series of visual ideas that were inspired by representations of the myth of Narcissus in painting and sculpture, reflecting on how we willingly contribute to our own self-destruction through thought patterns and behavior we know aren’t worthwhile but can’t give up. The element of the pond, and the emphasis on reflections and portraiture all derived from this simple concept. The song and video balance opulent beauty and tension, offering a mesmerizing exploration of time and self-reflection. BAFTA Newcomer Fellow, Julia Ponce Díaz’s visually striking video pairs its stunning, lush scenery and baroque, extravagant garments with the song’s eerie, mournful undertone. The video encapsulates the melancholy of the lyricism, juxtaposing dreamlike visuals with the raw emotion of Lisel’s performance. ‘The Past Is A Tiger’ showcases the most evolved project between Díaz and Lisel, with stunning production value that is a continuation of their previous collaboration on Lisel’s ‘Blades of Grass.’ [via Ba Da Bing]

With 2024 marking twenty years since she shared her first album, Peakahokahoo, prolific artist (and self-proclaimed witch) Kansas-born Piney Gir has just released her latest EP, Cosmic Upside Down; thus completing a magical trilogy, following Alchemy Hand in 2022 and its predecessor Astral Spectra in 2021. The second single to be taken from the EP, following the stirring energy of ‘Witches & Covens’, ‘Show Me The Lightning’ sees Piney Gir embracing the storm of her emotions. Dripping in psychedelic synths and glistening reverb, it offers a powerful slice of retro garage-rock as Piney declares she “wants to feel it all”. Hailing from Kansas and born in a thunderstorm, extreme weather and tornadoes were just a part of every summer for her growing up, and here she recognises how weathering a storm can help us to grow; much like the plants and crops of the American plains after a heavy shower. She expands: “In the song I kind of dare the elements to pull out all the stops! Like, give it to me, I want to feel it all! And that’s true, I want to feel everything, the good and the bad, the highs and the lows. I think it’s important to be in touch with the whole spectrum of emotion & not numb the stormy weather, but to go with it.”

Dance-pop duo piri & tommy have dropped new track ‘dog’ and teased the release of their next EP, about dancing. Having returned this summer with ‘99%’ – their first new music of the year – the pair’s latest was born out of an instrumental tommy worked on in Australia, before piri transformed it into a part-rant, part-rave based on the poor behaviour of a close friend’s boyfriend. “I’m sure we can all relate to the frustration you feel when someone is stuck in that position,” she has explained. “I was venting over this very cute beat for some reason, and from my anger just half-yelled “you’re a dog!” At first I thought it was too much, but it’s actually an under-appreciated insult. We have been excited about this song coming out for a while now, and are so happy it’s out for the world to bop to. Woof.” [via DIY]

Dolores Forever have released their debut album It’s Nothing, alongside a new video for single ‘Not Now Kids’. The London-based band’s album opener ‘Not Now Kids’ takes aim at patronising politicians. “This was the last song we wrote for the album,” they explain. “It’s a bit of a scathing look at the world and the people who are running it with impunity, the feeling of being told to shut up while watching your house burn. What can we say, we love an apocalyptic bop.” Director Francesa Allen adds of the video: “Working across the visuals allowed me to play with the narrative of female friendship – which is not only a theme that runs through my personal work – but is prevalent throughout their lyricism and attitudes. Our small all-female team, Katya Bourvis (choreography) and Carmen Pellon Brussosa (cinematography), helped bring the story to life.” [via Dork]

Kylie has shared her new single ‘Lights Camera Action’. The Australian pop princess shared her album Tension to huge acclaim, but she’s not done yet. Sessions for a proposed deluxe edition were so fruitful that Kylie is lining up a stand-alone release, with Tension II set to be released on October 18. Out now, zesty new single ‘Lights Camera Action’ is perfectly timed for the weekend – laced with energy, it’s an unapologetic dancefloor burner. Produced by Lewis Thompson, it was written by Kylie, Thompson and Ina Wroldsen, a move that – in essence – reunites the team behind smash hit ear-worm ‘Padam Padam’. The full single is out now, and it boasts remixes from JACONDA, Zach Witness, and (pleasingly) filthy Australian dance-pop overlords Confidence Man. Sophie Muller directs the vide – shot in Budapest, it’s a clever flip on spy film tropes, with Kylie assuming multiple roles. [via Clash]

Billie Eilish has dropped a music video for the Hit Me Hard and Soft track ‘Birds of a Feather.’ Upon the album’s release, the song quickly became a fan favorite. In the visual, Eilish is situated inside of a corporate office. She sits in a chair in an otherwise empty room and begins being pulled in all directions by an invisible force, all while performing into the camera. After flopping on the ground, Eilish once again begins floating – a symbol that seems to relay the feeling of being pulled in different directions by someone who isn’t actually present. [via Hypebeast]

Being Dead — the Austin, TX-based project of multi-instrumentalists and best friends Falcon Bitch and Shmoofy — release their sublime new album EELS on Bayonet. Alongside the release the band also share the video for ‘Big Bovine.’ Originally written as a straight-ahead swing/country jam, the track slowly evolved into a droning, punkier final form — a testament to the way Falcon and Shmoofy’s collaboration works, pulling each other into different creative spaces. “If you love or hate Criss Angel, you might love this video,” the band says. “We worked with Kai Winikka again [director of the music video for When Horses Will Run single ‘The Great American Picnic’] so of course, this one is pretty insane. We wanted to go big with some bloody explosions and safe to say, we got the job done.” [via Click Roll Boom]

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London-based powerhouse Lily Moore has returned with her brand new single, ‘Hard Days Love’ via Believe. Showcasing her signature soulful and soaring vocals, the track was co-written by Lily and The Nocturns (Mimi Webb, James Arthur, Dylan and more), who also produced the song. The long-awaited ‘Hard Days Love’ is Lily’s first musical offering since her More Moore mixtape featuring Maverick Sabre (on track ‘In-between’) and Dan Caplen, and is the start of a brand new compelling chapter for her. Lily explains, “’Hard Days Love’ is about knowing when it’s time to give up. Being a musician is my favourite thing in the world but the last few years made that nearly impossible, and to lose that part of myself nearly over night was the hardest break up I’ve ever gone through! A sexy little cocktail of the world going mad and my own personal issues finally catching up with me, meant it felt like the world was putting a big old middle finger up to me and all my friends trying to make a life in London.” Alongside the release, the artist has also revealed the official music video which was directed by Claryn Chong (Holly Humberstone, flowerovlove, Tommy Lefroy). The visuals were shot at an arduous assault course near Brighton, which Lily was already very familiar with as she took on the challenge at school when she was just 14. Watch the video here. Lily says of the video process, “It has been a very long time since I did any music video. They’ve always felt quite scary to me and I get more nervous about them than I do for any shows. The beauty of this video was that I was so cold and busy concentrating on not stacking it, that I didn’t even notice any of my usual self conscious, annoying, little thoughts.”

Jessica Winter has delivered a third outing from her new Limerence EP titled ‘Clutter’, which sees her team up with Lynks and is accompanied by another Ella Margolin-directed video. Winter says of the new song, “I moved house and found love letters, photos and other bits from relationships over the years that at the time meant so much yet hold no significance now. I’ve carried these things around with me all this time and a spring clean was needed; physically and spiritually from all past and present relationships! Lynks embodies a divine solitary strength so there’s no one better than him to help deliver this message.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

The producer Yaeji has been putting out music for nearly a decade now — she’s released many singles, some EPs, and, in 2020, she shared a full-length mixtape called WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던. Now, she’s ready to put out her debut album. It’s called With A Hammer, and its cover art shows her wielding a large hammer, which per a press release actually has a name: Hammer Lee. With A Hammer will be out on April 7, and it includes contributions from Loraine James, Nourished By Time, and producers K Wata and Enayet. Yaeji is sharing the album’s lead single, ‘For Granted,’ with a self-directed music video. [via Stereogum]

UK songwriter Fenne Lily — who moved to New York City in the time since she released her sophomore album, BREACH in 2020 — has announced a new album, Big Picture, which was recorded at Brad Cook’s studio in North Carolina. Fenne Lily co-produced the album with Cook, save for one track that was produced with Christian Lee Hutson, with whom she’ll head out on an extensive tour later this year. Now, she’s sharing the album’s muted and shimmering lead single ‘Lights Light Up.’ “Iʼd never really written about love in the present tense before this, but even though I was still in love and not thinking about the end, there was something else going on subconsciously that led to a song about moving on before the moving on had begun,” she noted in a press release, continuing: “When it came time to record, the band and I had been playing it live for a while and itʼd become something joyful and positive, but when I started recording vocals, the lyrics made me cry. By that point the song was over a year old and I thought those wounds had healed but I guess it hurt to admit Iʼd been letting go of something while still trying to hold on.” [via Stereogum]

Los Angeles based Lisel (Eliza Bagg) just released the new song and video for ‘Immature’ from her upcoming album, Patterns For Auto-Tuned Voices And Delay, out February 17 on Ba Da Bing. The song features Bagg’s operatic voice, layered, cut up, and warped. The video straddles the experimental and pop realms, combining minimalist dance in the vein of Anna Teresa de Keersmaeker’s Rosas Danst Rosas and Yvonne Rainer with pop culture aesthetics that reference Beyoncé and Charli XCX. Lisel and two dancers walk in high-heels on treadmills, enacting something both bizarre and pedestrian.

The C.I.A.’s Surgery Channel is ripe with straightforward conviction. The trio made up of Denée & Ty Segall and Emmett Kelly have constructed a world where everything is piercing and pinpointed. Every word brings confrontation – The C.I.A. make you question what could be happening here…or what they’re after. Just ahead of its Friday release, they revealed a new video and single ‘Bubble’ — a story of anxious desire. We will be consumed by what we must consume. Restraint backfires and drives a person to madness. Or maybe that’s just what they want you to think. It feels as though Denée (vocals, lyrics) is whispering directly in your ear, amplified by the suspense of tick-tocking drum machine beats. Ty (bass, percussion, back up vocals) and Emmett (bass, synth, back up vocals) paint a jarring and dissonant landscape behind Denée’s story. Words are rhythm at The C.I.A.

Tāmaki Makaurau’s original pop royal Princess Chelsea aka Chelsea Nikkel has unveiled a new video for ‘Time’ from her fifth studio album Everything Is Going To Be Alright, filmed in Prague while touring the globe last year. Directed / edited by Julie Reynaud and made with support from NZ On Air, viewers are invited to peer inside a gothic storybook to encounter a vampiric PC roaming amidst the Czech Republic capital’s jam-packed graveyards, ancient cathedrals and cobblestone-lined streets under cover of darkness — pondering the future and glamorously garbed in outfits including red flowing velvet cape and an amazing chainmail style hoodie. The artist’s famously talented bandmates (recently acclaimed by Shayne P. Carter) Joe Kaptein, Jasmine Balmer, David Harris, Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent and Joshua Worthington-Church make an appearance too, having a fun picnic with Nikkel in the clip’s closing moments. [via Under The Radar]

Black Honey have kicked off their 2023 with another taster from their upcoming album, A Fistful of Peaches, ‘Up Against It’. “This song is an open letter to my younger self,” Izzy Phillips explains. “And to every young discriminated and marginalised person out there. I want so bad to give them an anthem that was instead of “fuck the world” would give them a screaming discovery of new found kindness towards themselves. Troubled young people give themselves the hardest time of all. I want to tell them that you are hurting and things are harder than you ever thought they could be, but all you have to do is show up for yourself every day. Things aren’t always going to go to plan but I know that future you is fucking proud of who you are now. And you will look back on yourself with huge admiration. Give yourself a break kid, you were up against it.” It comes alongside a video directed by Izzy and the band, which you can check out below. [via Dork]

Mercury Prize winner Arlo Parks has announced the follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut album, Collapsed In Sunbeams. My Soft Machine will be out May 26 and features the lead single ‘Weightless,’ out now.

It’s been a bit since we’ve heard from Gisela Fulla-Silvestre, the electronic musician who puts out music as NOIA. Her Crisàlida EP landed back in 2019, and now she’s finally ready to announce her debut full-length album. gisela is out at the end of March, and it features contributions from Ela Minus, Maria Arnal, and Buscabulla, whose Raquel Berrios duets on the glimmering lead single ‘eclipse de amor.’ “’eclipse de amor’ is like a movie set in a tropical night that ends with a knife and blood,” NOIA said in a statement. “A love story and a mysterious murder. It’s a song about duality, two people mirroring each other, an eclipse of love that ends up consuming you in the name of becoming something beautiful together.” She continued: I guess it’s an ode to toxic consuming love? This song is also an ode to old boleros. it has that energy of old romantic duets, but then the chorus feels like entering a future dystopian tropical video game party, so it holds those two very different worlds. I was very excited to sing this duet with Raquel from Buscabulla. She has a unique vocal tone, it evoques darkness and echoes from another era somehow. We complemented each other so well with the two characters of this song. Luifre (the other half of Buscabulla) recorded this retro synth line over her verse that gave it even more of a classic vibe. I started working on this song as part of the music for a film that needed a romantic bolero kind of track, and then the song evolved when i was making some beats for a reggaeton artist that he ended up not using. So in a way it always has felt like a very playful song.” [via Stereogum]

Wishing us happy holidays a month ago with her festive insta-classic ‘Meri Kirihimete’, Erny Belle aka Aimee Renata’s (Ngāpuhi) gifts us a romantic alternative to the nine-five grind with a new video for ‘Island Time’, from her acclaimed debut album Venus Is Home. Self-directed and produced by Renata, shot at Te Arai on analogue film stock by Ezra Simons (Earth Tongue, Soft Bait) and made with support from NZ On Air, the clip co-stars Navakatoa Tekela-Pule (Strangelove) as the Stetson hat wearing The Man From The Islands, tenderly strumming his acoustic guitar and dancing with the red-garbed songwriter on the sandy shore. Originally self-released in early ’22, Venus Is Home is being reissued in a new vinyl edition courtesy of Flying Nun. Erny Belle says, “‘Island Time’ is an ode to the Pacific. I picture myself and the times I spent looking out at the view from Te Arai beach, from the waters edge and my sister’s porch. I spent a lot of time contemplating my creative visions and the loss and prospects of love on the horizon. The chorus is a mantra on perseverance and self belief. Though there’s a lot behind the love story, I think really it’s a love song to pacific culture and beautiful brown people, maybe I needed to give myself that back. My good friend Navakatoa plays The Man From The Islands. He is also the bassist for the Erny Belle band, It’s special that we’ve been able to capture ourselves at this time, I think it’s really sweet we’ll be able to look back at it in years to come and be reminded of everything we were doing musically at this time. It was shot at Te Arai, which is a special place to me.” [via Under The Radar]

It’s been a couple years since Kali Uchis’ last album, 2020’s Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios), but she’s kept busy. She’s playing a bunch of festivals this year and has been teasing a new project, which started with ‘No Hay Ley’ last fall. Now, she’s back with a new single, ‘I Wish You Roses.’ “This song is about being able to release people with love,” Uchis said in a statement. “It could be a friend, a lover, or someone else, but the point is to celebrate releasing people from your life without being resentful or bitter.” [via Stereogum]

Calva Louise have just released their new single, ‘Third Class Citizen’. It’s is the first single taken from their upcoming EP, Over The Threshold, which will be released later this year. Vocalist and guitarist Jess Allanic explains, “’Third Class Citizen’ is about the never-ending struggle to become masters of our own destiny by merging the real, the imagined and the dreamed”. The track is accompanied by an otherworldly music video that was animated and directed by Jess, which you can check out below. [via Upset]

Tragic Sasha, the moniker of London-based artist Sasha Gurney, brings atmospheric, futurism-infused alt-pop on her new single ‘Bottle It Up’. Vocals bathed in a rhythmic autotune with bouncing vocal chorus gently drench atmosphere over Sasha’s soft and sincere vocal deliveries, bringing ethereal melody to the cutting synth bass and organic drum beats. A minimal and industrial yet artistic video aesthetic reflects Sasha’s sound perfectly; modern and cutting-edge, yet somehow still a blend of old and new. Speaking on the songwriting process, Tragic Sasha shares, “I wrote ‘Bottle It Up’ a while ago with my co-writer Scott Colcombe about holding in emotions. I wanted the song to feel like a stream of consciousness that spiralled into chaos at the end. We wrote it in two hours- it was surprisingly easy to write and very cathartic!” [via Earmilk]

Get ready to experience a new level of pop perfection with the latest release from the multi-talented Asy Saavedra, a Swedish-American singer-songwriter, producer, and composer. As the lead singer and keyboard player of the electro-pop sister duo Chaos Chaos, Asy has been making waves in the music industry for years, and now she’s kicking off her solo career with her new single ‘Masterpiece’. With this playful new release, Asy teases us with a taste of her unannounced upcoming record and takes us on a journey through her unique and genre-bending production. ‘Masterpiece’ is a powerful anthem of self-empowerment and insecurity, with lyrics that delve into the theme of not feeling like a masterpiece at all. Asy’s powerful pop songs are known to be a force to be reckoned with, but her recent venture into experimental production takes her artistry to a whole new level. Asy’s ‘Masterpiece’ is a visceral construction of the playful dance between self-empowerment and insecurity. The song is forthright and relatable, with a vulnerability that is evident in the lyrics and in the way Asy’s voice breaks intentionally when she delivers the high notes in the chorus. The production on ‘Masterpiece’ is a tantalizing blend of pop and avant-garde, with sultry “oohs” that evoke the intimacy of the bedroom and hint at a messiness beneath the surface. Asy has a knack for crafting powerful pop songs, but her recent venture into experimental production has cracked open a sonic universe in which she challenges her own formulas and doesn’t hesitate to take the reins.This is just the latest chapter in Asy’s industrious music career. [via Wonderland]

Alt-pop sensation, songwriter, and filmmaker Zolita has released her new single and video ‘Ashley’ from her highly anticipated Falling Out / Falling In EP (out February 10). ‘Ashley’ is a stripped-back and heartfelt love song which picks up directly where her previous single ‘Ruin My Life’ left off. Zolita is getting ready for Ashley’s wedding while unearthing old memories of young love between her and the bride-to-be. The video is the next installment in Zolita’s new cinematic story that began with her recent singles ’20 Questions’ and ‘Ruin My Life.’ “‘Ashley’ is a sapphic love song written for my close friend, now girlfriend,” shares Zolita. “It’s a song about yearning, falling in love, and knowing the lows that inevitably come with a relationship will be worth it. It’s sickly sweet and one of the most earnest, heartfelt songs I’ve ever written. It’s the queer ‘Hey There Delilah’ I wish I had growing up!” [via QueerForty]

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