Katy J Pearson shares new single and music video for ‘Maybe’, four mesmerizing minutes of glorious ultra-melodic pop music. September 20 sees the release of Katy’s third long player on Heavenly Recordings, the outstanding Someday, Now. Talking about ‘Maybe’, Katy said: “I’ve had this song with me for years now — it took a while to get there… When I was in the rehearsal room with Huw Evans [H. Hawkline], a few lyric tweaks happened. The chorus used to be maybe I need your love / to show me that I’m good enough and he was like why are you being like this to yourself? It should be the other way round! And I was like oh, ok, thank you, feminist ally in the room. When a man’s telling me what to do in a studio I can get my back up pretty quickly, so it was brave of him to suggest it, but he was right. When we changed the sentiment of the song [now maybe I don’t need your love / to show me that I’m good enough] my whole feeling about it changed, and it meant that we managed to actually get a handle on what it was meant to be like sonically. It just shows that it’s really important who you choose to have in a room with you…” The track is accompanied by a wonderful video directed by Edie Lawrence and based around an archery competition, a sport widely recognized as pioneering equality for women’s participation. Talking about the video, Edie said: “Katy and I first met on the ‘Alligator’ shoot, the last video I shot for her. Since then we’ve been great friends and excited to collaborate again. We’re both keen to support each other and other women in the creative industry, both being more than aware of the gender inequality in both of our fields of work. The concept for this video is again about female empowerment. Throughout history, archery has had a link to female strength and empowerment. It is known as the sport that pioneered equality for women’s participation, being one of the first sports to include a women’s event in the Olympics in 1904. This video is all about celebrating sisterhood and women working together. With a mostly female crew again, it wouldn’t have been made without the expertise of our extremely talented choreographer Sophie Chinner and costume designer Kiera Saunders. Sexism and misogyny is still rife in this world which is why celebrating and supporting other women is so important.”

The latest track from Pearly Drops, the Finnish duo composed of Sandra Tervonen and Juuso Malin, might give the careful listener déjà vu. Their new single, ‘Lost In The Dark,’ is a haunting reimagining of their song ‘Breathless,’ previously released in 2020. But that doesn’t mean that the music is stale– Tervonen and Malin instead show off their growth, further establishing themselves as a force within synth-pop that cannot be ignored. Pearly Drops are unique in their ability to draw inspiration from their own earlier work. Compared to ‘Breathless,’ the lyrics to ‘Lost In The Dark’ still draw on the same themes of dissociation and dismalness. In a distorted voice, Tervonen sings, “All that’s sweet / And prime in me / Hides somewhere inside so deep / Hibernating / I’m hibernating.” The chorus solidifies this feeling of stuckness and remove, with the deceptively sweet vocals continuing, “Lost n the dark / I couldn’t breathe.” Against a background of bouncing synths, the bleak lyrics feel like an invitation to dance away (or perhaps toward) the darkness. ‘Lost In The Dark’ shows proof of development from the group– While ‘Breathless’ was catchy and cute, this new track contains a depth that is perhaps less apparent in earlier releases. ‘Lost In The Dark’ comes with a short film directed by Joonas Lind. The video is creepy, strange, and absolutely stunning, with Andrea Villarreal confidently leading the macabre ordeal in her role as The Bride. The film depicts a dangerous and devilish relationship between a bride and her groom, with Villarreal dancing and writhing beside a deliciously menacing Sebastian Freiberg as The Man. Lind‘s direction brings a creative edge that amplifies and adds onto the otherworldly texture of Tervonen and Malin‘s work. In a music landscape that is increasingly focused on short form video content and clickable short clips, it’s refreshing to see artists create a more involved narrative that will really engage the audience. [via High Clouds]

In 2022, Fievel Is Glauque released their debut album Flaming Swords. Now, the enigmatic duo is announcing its follow-up, Rong Weicknes, and sharing the mystical lead single ‘As Above So Below.’ About ‘As Above So Below,’ Zach Phillips said: “This phrase comes from the Emerald Tablet, a 9th century hermetic text foundational for alchemy and later occultist movements; it refers to the reciprocality between heaven and earth, the knowable and unknowable, the here and the hereafter. Sounds heady, right? But as usual, the title came out of nowhere, gleaned from phonetic murmurings during the writing process, and Ma and I laughed a lot making this one… Normally we write linearly, improvising bit by bit using only piano and voice, but we ended up constructing As Above out of scattered song sections we’d recorded with my laptop mic in free software over a loop from a ‘70s drum sampling record, which drummer Gaspard Sicx and percussionist Daniel Rossi reinterpreted in the studio. After writing upwards of 35 songs over the course of a couple 2023 writing trips, we were surprised to knock out probably our most conventional tune yet. The lyrics could be said to both troll and co-sign typical pop lyricism. Thom Gill’s blazing guitar solo gets me every time… When [music video director] Joey Agresta asked what I was imagining visually, all I could muster was, “The Sound Of Music, Ma spinning in a field, ‘90s ‘positivity,’ Dido… Phillips and Ma Clément recruited a crew of collaborators for the LP: Thom Gill on guitar, Logan Kane on bass, Daniel Rossi on percussion, André Sacalxot on saxophone and flute, Gaspard Sicx on drums, and Chris Weisman on guitar and electric sitar. They all convened at a farm and music studio in upstate New York called the Outlier Inn with recording, mixing, and mastering engineer Steve Vealey.” [via Stereogum]

Earlier this year, Okay Kaya returned with ‘The Groke,’ her first new music since 2022. Now, the Norwegian-American alt-pop musician is announcing her fourth album Oh My God – That’s So Me and releasing the radiant single ‘Check Your Face.’ “Clive James said, ‘Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing,’” Kaya Wilkins explained in a statement. She continued: “Wrote this slacker disco song About wanting to be, if not a not a brightsider, then at least a belly laugher Sometimes tricky to access just that bliss but if you’re happy and you know it, check your face! It was fun and warming to make this track in frigid winter on the island It was a quiet time without much social stimuli If you’re gonna dance alone in your basement Might as well make a song to dance match.” The animated video directed by Lou Beauchard matches the playful energy of the tune; watch it below. [via Stereogum]

Peach PRC is having the time of her life. The breakthrough Australian singer, songwriter, and pop sensation reveals new single entitled ‘Time Of My Life’ out now, following the announcement of Peach PRC’s return to the UK headlining the icon Brixton Electric in London on the 4th of October. The official music video for ‘Time Of My Life’ is directed by Josh Harris, the director behind Peach PRC’s breakthrough singles, ‘Josh’ and ‘Like A Girl Does.’ With three alternative character endings, Peach PRC wrote the treatment, made the outfits and designed every intricate detail of ‘Time Of My Life’, collaborating with Josh to bring her vision to life. The music video director, Josh Harris, comments, “This is my third time collaborating with Peach, and her unique vision never fails to inspire. The initial idea was to blend the visual aesthetic of a gritty women’s prison with Peach’s own unique style. ‘Time of My Life’ is about reflecting on a chaotic past with a sense of fondness or nostalgia, and Peach’s performance, staying lost in her own world while everything erupts around her, reflects this. I’m really proud of the cast and crew who worked on this project – they really poured their hearts into it – and their creativity and hard work has brought it to life”.

Last month, Blackpink’s LISA released ‘Rockstar,’ her first solo material since 2021. It was produced by Ryan Tedder and Sam Homaee, serving as her debut on LLOUD Co. and RCA Records. Now, the pop sensation is back with ‘New Woman’ featuring Rosalía. ‘New Woman’ is produced by Max Martin and ILYA, as well as co-written by Tove Lo, who also co-wrote George Daniel’s recent debut single ‘Screen Cleaner.’ ‘New Woman’ is a summery banger with a killer beat change and it comes with a music video directed by Dave Meyers and shot in Los Angeles; watch it below. [via Stereogum]

For AUDREY NUNA, every track lends itself to its own audiovisual world. The one she’s created for her latest single ‘Suckin Up’ draws from worlds very familiar – her hometown ‘hood of downtown New York City – and worlds apart in galaxies far, far away. This juxtaposition is emblematic of NUNA’s artistry as well, which is particularly evident on the just-over two-minute track which sees the musician address her thoughts on the superficiality of modern society. “Yeah, I talk, talk pretty, and I stink, and I’m smelly, if you / If you’re super jelly, don’t say sh*t about my belly,” she sings on the first verse before hitting the chorus. “Restart, don’t need puppy lovin’, cut the leash off / Tryna profit off me, I’m like Mona Lisa.” The track comes accompanied by a striking music video, which finds NUNA galivanting across the Lower Manhattan Chinatown streets – as well as fitted in another futuristic “fashion-as-a-weapon”-inspired outfit in a dreamscape universe. “Thankful for every drop of blood, sweat, tears, [and] urine that went into the audio-visual experience,” she shared on Instagram of the single. “Creating this video in New York/New Jersey made me feel young and naive again, and for that I am very grateful.” [via Hypebeast]

Critically acclaimed, rebellious political-punk act Lesibu Grand (pronounced Le-SEE-boo) has released their debut album Triggered via Kill Rock Stars. They’re thrilled to share the Blondie-influenced final album cut ‘Oh Erica…’, a song of conflict between supportive love and the worry of being left behind, written for a fearless and adventurous friend of the band. The band worked with Liliana Penagos (Mastodon, Cardi B, Lizzo) for the accompanying animated official video also released.

Pale Waves have shared new single ‘Gravity’. The Manchester goth-pop group are back, with new album Smitten set to land on September 27 via Dirty Hit. Heather Baron-Gracie is driving their maturity forwards, the lyrics show a broadening sense of self. New single ‘Gravity’ displays her exacting sense of creativity, a song that took Pale Waves months to bring to completion. Lyrically, it deals with the push-and-pull of a blossoming relationship, with the object of Heather’s affections torn between her feelings, and her religion. She sings: “She’s pulling me like gravity everywhere she goes / Am I in too deep, or out of my reach? Little does she know…” Speaking about the track, Heather comments: “’Gravity’ is about a woman who chose Jesus over me. It took the longest of all of the songs on the album to finish, I think we must have rewritten it millions of times to get it to where it is now.” [via Clash]

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Speaking about the new track, Heather Baron-Gracie explains: “’Perfume’ is the perfect introduction into the new world we’ve created. It’s queer, feminine and romantic and it encapsulates the essence of Smitten.” [via Dork]

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Pale Waves have shared a new track, ‘Jealousy’. It’s the latest preview of their forthcoming album Unwanted, which is set to arrive on August 12 via Dirty Hit. Heather Baron-Gracie says of the cut: “Some may see it as ridiculous, but I love a bit of jealousy – not too much, but just enough… I want jealousy in a relationship because it shows me the person only has eyes for me and me only.” Speaking about Unwanted, she continues: “It was really the only thing this album could be called. It’s bold and unapologetic, and that’s what the Pale Waves community is about. We don’t need to fit a perfect mould, we don’t need to apologise for being ourselves, and we won’t change for anyone. That acceptance is what connects us.” [via Dork]

Alice Longyu Gao has joined forces with Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon for her latest single ‘Believe The Hype’. ‘Believe The Hype’ is Alice Longyu Gao’s first outing since January’s ‘To My White Boy Princess…’. The new song came to fruition through mutual admiration for each other’s work, and saw Sykes record vocals in Longyu Gao’s garage. Longyu Gao says of the release, which is accompanied by a video directed by Longyu Gao and Grace McCarthy, “I am an inventor. I am the type of artist that people need to enjoy the awesomeness in person. I am creating exceptional art, and I have to use 95% of my time to fight to be heard, to be seen, and to perform. At the end of the day I just want to make great art that lasts, that nurtures everyone, that heals me. However living in this capitalistic world gives me way too much anxiety, discrimination, and exhausation. ‘Believe The Hype’ is a temporary pill for myself to deal with all of that.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

Kero Kero Bonito’s Sarah Midori Perry (aka Sarah Bonito) has unveiled a new solo project called Cryalot, which she previously used as a DJ name. In August, she’ll release Cryalot’s debut EP, Icarus, which was produced by KKB touring member Jennifer Walton. Now, she’s releasing her first single, ‘Hell Is Here,’ which alternates between being aggressive and ominously sweet. “‘Hell Is Here’ is about defeat; it depicts the part of the Icarus story after he descends into the sea,” Perry shared in a statement. “It explores this feeling of despair and powerlessness. Our world can twist so suddenly into a place where our reasons to live bring us no joy anymore. Nothing is the same… and it won’t be the same again. Hell is not below us, it’s here.” [via Stereogum]

Desire return with their new video ‘Days & Nights’ – the seventh from their campy Escape saga, which came out last month via Italians Do It Better. The band have also announced a run of European shows for this November. Tossing and turning through the sleepless hours, ‘Days & Nights’ is a love song bruised with anxiety. Stardust sparkles in the night sky…while down below a brooding cloud hovers over the bed. Sometimes it’s difficult to see the amazing world around us as we tend to focus on the challenge right in front of us. Desire sings about graceful transcendence in the face of terror, “Love Is Stronger Than Us All”. If no man is island, we can still connect across the void, and even though a heart might feel broken…it’s still beating. That’s a good thing. The drums sync to the chambers of the primary organ of the circulatory system, while a soft arpeggio pumps like blood to the brain. “Going To Take A Little Time To Kill The Pain…” As for the ‘Days and Nights’ video, it’s an eye for an eye in this Sci Fi thriller killer. Our heroine stares deep inside the fortune teller’s crystal ball to a parallel dimension. As she sees herself strapped to the hood of a muscle car ala Mad Max, her fever dream comes to a boil. Blurring the timeline between past and future with a tall glass of green liquid, she quantum leaps. As cold blood pours from her eyes…she realizes she’s death proof.

Aotearoa alt-pop/rock provocateur Emma Dilemma has unveiled her long-awaited debut album SPIT. Jam-packed full of crunchy guitar hooks, new wave synths and high energy musings on the discombobulating state of the world, SPIT is out now with a video for ‘Breeders’ directed by Amber Beaton — poking fun at those selfish figures amongst us who seek to drive humanity right off the cliff. [via Under The Radar]

After the great success of ‘Money Calling’ with Russ, wewantwraiths and Da Beatfreakz, RAYE strikes again with her new single ‘Hard Out Here’, alongside a very creative video. ‘Hard Out Here’ is a head-bopping song with substantial lyrics in which RAYE talks about her past and a series of challenging moments in her life, such as being put down by people on her music journey and more. The song provides an insight into RAYE’s life and career which makes for a very empowering experience for everyone who takes it in. The video is a reflection of the message RAYE delivers and is filled with several captivating scenes. [via GRM Daily]

Eddy Luna has marked her comeback with a groovy, new song titled ‘What’s The Difference’, accompanied by a 90s-inspired video. The James Wyatt-produced ‘What’s The Difference’ is infused with an old-school sound, taking listeners back to the golden days of R&B. The video – directed by Roisin O’Hare – is an accurate reflection of the song; incorporating a mix of vibrant colours, lively patterns and nice close-up angles. The track is taste of what to expect from Eddy’s forthcoming EP, Everything Is Under Control, which is set for release later this year. [via GRM Daily]

Finland’s ALMA is back with new single ‘Everything Beautiful’, marking her first outing of 2022. ALMA hasn’t released new music since appearing on Valentino Khan’s ‘Stop Talkin’ track in August last year, but now the Finnish singer-songwriter has delivered ‘Everything Beautiful’, which is accompanied by a Nicolee Tsin-directed video. “‘Everything Beautiful’ is about the pain of growing up, not being a teenager anymore, having all these responsibilities, but for a second not giving a single fuck,” ALMA writes. “Just having a good time with your best friends like you used to do. We should be successful, look good, do good, be good, caring about environment, be political, have talents, be funny and social and the list goes on and on but sometimes it’s just better to not give a fuck for a second.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

Thai-Italian pop activist SILVY makes a bright return with her body positivity Summer anthem ‘We Are Beautiful’ – the latest in a string of releases since the openly queer artist signed with Warner Music Asia. A bold number taken from her upcoming debut album and arriving right in time for Pride celebrations, ‘We Are Beautiful’ is a sassy, funk-flavoured blend of sunny pop sounds and SILVY’s signature powerhouse vocals. Meanwhile, the music video offers colourful, campy fun and triumphant dance moments to bring the uplifting message of the track to life, as well as SILVY’s daring, audacious fashion looks. SILVY made the following statement regarding ‘We Are Beautiful’: “Beauty is in everything – but before I learnt that, I learnt the hard way about trying to become “beautiful” the way society expected of me; this word tortured me for my whole life. You have to be ‘this’; you have to be ‘that’; you feel beautiful only when other people tell it to you. However, I twist this into a win with this song. Uplifting, affirming, celebratory – it’s not my song, it’s our song to celebrate and feel beautiful together. When you sing it, listen to it. Love yourself. Love yourself more and enjoy life to the fullest. Once you love yourself and start believing in yourself, magic happens.” [via Amnplify]

Jesca Hoop has announced the release of a new album, Order of Romance, which will be out on September 16 via Memphis Industries. She has also shared the album’s lead single, ‘Hatred Has a Mother.’ In a press release, Hoop states: “I set out to mature as a writer, to further clarity my voice and stance, through melodies and phrases only I can construct. Order of Romance feels like every person, character, or artist, I ever was over the many seasons of my life was handed an instrument to play across the songs.” Order of Romance features co-production by John Parish, as well as musical contributions from Jess Vernon, Seb Rochford, John Thorne, Chloe Foy, and Rachel Rimmer. [via Unde The Radar Mag]

Forcing us to face our fears, Meg Myers drops her haunting new single, ‘Children of Light II’. Accompanied by a powerful visual, the track pulsates with an eery undertone that is as intense and commanding as a call to arms. Lending her fiery vocals to a disturbingly still soundscape, Meg Myers cultivates a feeling of suspense, eventually dropping into a beat that pounds through your body. Speaking on the track, the artist explains, “‘Children of Light II’ is a song about alchemy. It was inspired by my awakening in 2018 when I began reconnecting with my spirit guides through meditation. It’s about facing our fears so we can become more of who we really are, which is multi-dimensional. It reminds us that we are spiritual beings having a temporary human experience and all the answers we seek can be found within.” Showcasing her unique ability to blend elements of rock, pop and soul into high-frequency melodies that distort and surprise her listeners, ‘Children of Light II’ is the ultimate follow-up to her widely acclaimed single, ‘HTIS (Hiding That I’m Sexual)’. [via Wonderland]

Ariana and the Rose releases the video to her hypnotic disco banger ‘Fuck Boy,’ the latest off her forthcoming debut album Lonely Hearts Club (out July 29). In the video (all one continuous shot), Ariana takes matters into her own hands when it comes to a lover who wronged her, with a campy reveal that needs to be seen. “This is one of my favorite videos I’ve ever made!” stated Ariana. “We really decided to go bold and shoot it as a one-take video. Scarlet Moreno (the director) and I wanted the video to have the energy of a live performance, with reveals and twists and turns. The concept has a bit of a wink to it where the audience gets to be in on it with me.” [via Shorefire]

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Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Zakk Cervini, ‘Lies’ pairs the crunchy guitars and rhythmic drive of 2000s pop punk with the rage of a 90s rock band. “‘Lies’ is about someone who built up my trust and destroyed it like a wrecking ball,” says frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie. “it caused some real trust issues, but fortunately for me that person is no longer in my life. Once you do me wrong you’re gone!”

Pale Waves have been on a personal and artistic journey since the release of their debut album My Mind Makes Noises in 2018.These experiences have begun to inform their songs in recent years and are what jump to the fore on Unwanted. “It was really the only thing this album could be called,” says Baron-Gracie, now 27. “It’s bold and unapologetic, and that’s what the Pale Waves community is about. We don’t need to fit a perfect mould, we don’t need to apologise for being ourselves, and we won’t change for anyone. That acceptance is what connects us.”

Unwanted is a record that reaches out into the passionate community of misfits and LGBTQI fans around the band, tapping into darker emotions than ever before while also striking a fresh tone of defiance.

Unwanted:

1. Lies
2. Unwanted
3. The Hard Way
4. Jealousy
5. Alone
6. Clean
7. Without You
8. Only Problem
9. You’re So Vain
10. Reasons To Live
11. Numb
12. Act My Age
13. So Sick (Of Missing You)

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