They officially announced their debut album CYKA to come out on Friday, June 12. Vladimir Putin is even listed as a contributor on the album (please check the DSP liner notes) and make of that what you will. Fourteen years of protest, imprisonment, surveillance, exile, and survival crystallized into one record; CYKA is the album Pussy Riot’s founder, Nadya Tolokonnikova, was always building toward. Alongside today’s debut announcement, they release ‘CANDY DOPAMINE’ featuring Avenged Sevenfold. It’s a fever dream/panic attack collision of punk rage, pop hooks, and the kind of emotional honesty that makes you feel like you’ve been punched in the chest in the best possible way. “to a place / where we’re free / popping candy dopamine / no more pain / you and me”

Nadya Tolokonnikova explains: “This song is kind of a love & hate song to prescription and designer drug culture. It started with my dependence on anti depressants, but it’s also looking at everyone now mentalhealthmaxxing and looksmaxxing via pills and injections. It’s not a judgement, it’s just an observation and my personal experience with these things is that I have to be in a long term relationship with them for my PTSD and depression.”

Next, Pussy Riot will bring the apocalypse live to Paris at the BEYOND THE STREETS exhibit in Grande Halle de la Villette on Saturday, June 20. More live shows to be announced.

Pussy Riot declares: All these old men ruining the world right now act tough – but we see thru their fragile egos – and I’m not afraid to call them out. They are, in fact, pussies. While the world is waiting for the UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House, I challenge President Putin to a cage match. He thinks he’s so tough, but afraid of a girl? Let’s see. He loses? He gets the fuck out of Ukraine. The world can watch him lose to a girl, even with all his judo training. He can’t even URA anymore, but he throws the world into despair.

Just like Brener in 1995 when they bombed Chechnya, and he challenged Yeltsin, now they bomb Ukraine, and I challenge Putin. “Putin! Come here!”

CYKA;

1. GODS LEFT
2. PAIN / БОЛЬ
3. NOTHING TO LOSE
4. CYKA ft Vladimir Putin
5. MURKA
6. GORE ft B-Real
7. CANDY DOPAMINE ft Avenged Sevenfold
8. FACELESS PIGS
9. UTOPIA ft salem ilese
10. DISOBEY
11. GOD LOVES THE FIERCE / БОГ ЛЮБИТ ЛЮТЫХ
12. CANCEL ME
13. BLIZZARD
14. OUTRO

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The single and music video come amid the controversial Russian return to the Venice Biennale, which has led to the EU cutting funding, the Jury resigning, and many protests. On March 5th, Nadya Tolokonnikova started by stating “Expect Resistance” to the Venice Biennale, followed on April 19th, by curating the Strasbourg-based art exhibition RESISTANCE IMPRISONED and on April 21st, she was instrumental is getting 71 members (from 29 countries) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to sign the Written Declaration No. 835, formally condemning the decision by the Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia to allow Russia to reopen its national pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition in 2026.

50 Pussy Riot members stormed the Russian pavilion with pink smoke, and were joined by Ukrainian performance art group FEMEN for “Storm of Venice” as they shut the entry to the pavilion in the Biennale giardini.

Nadya Tolokonnikova says: “I wanted to do a classic punk song – in old school Pussy Riot style – I’ve been trying to be polite – writing letters via the Council of Europe, writing directly to the board, to the president, to people in the art world, and dead ends everywhere. Polite society doesn’t work when you are dealing with thugs and crooks – so we meet them with punk, we have to scream our anger and disdain for what is happening.

“Over 50 members of Pussy Riot, from all over the world came here to the Storm of Venice, to scream and take part in this moment.

“We quickly go into editing mode after – gathering photographers and video people, we cut the video sitting in a cafe – and turn it around in a day – this is our actionist training in action. This is our art, and our protest. We hope the punks, freaks, and actually anyone who ever felt like fucking screaming to enjoy this song and moment with us. Fuck Putin.”

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METTE has released the stunning video for her critically acclaimed single ‘Mama’s Eyes’. Directed by Camille Summers-Valli, the video for ‘Mama’s Eyes’ takes the track to new heights. Dynamic choreography provides show-stopping moments throughout, while home recordings featuring METTE singing and dancing as a child highlights the track’s authentic feel. It’s a beautiful blend of eye-catching energy and positivity. METTE says: “The ‘Mama’s Eyes’ music video is a celebration of my beloved artist journey… It’s a window into my coming of age story – how I’ve found music, dance, and performance to be an outlet of self expression and a divine sense of belonging. The richness of this visual is in its abstraction of the song’s theme of “mothering”… Dance is fundamental for me because movement is the first language I learned as a child and has played such a vital role in my personal and professional development. Performing movement to my lyrics and vocals was a homecoming of sorts. Being a subject of Camille’s brilliant directorial leadership, through her lens I found a sense of kinship with my inner child and the artist I am today”. Camille Summers-Valli adds: “‘Mama’s Eyes’ came out of a desire to make something that felt universal, with soul and purpose to honour the track. The song spoke to me on so many levels. I was also instantly drawn to METTE. Her mind, art, her movement and her body was such an incredible canvas to create from together. Secondly, it’s a coming of age song, it’s a journey from childhood to adulthood, it’s an ode to mothers. The desire to create a universal experience made me want to expand the film to archival footage. Something we can see ourselves in. Hours of scanning archival allowed Vid Price, the editor and I, to create these wonderful cuts that connect movement, emotion and language. Finally, Mette’s personal archives tied it all back together to a really personal place. It’s at once intimate and omnipresent. The film is a journey from the constrained body to the free one, from control to liberation, from conception all the way to release. Everything in the video is packed full of meaning, metaphor and symbolism. It’s the kind of video that upon revisiting, you discover more layers. Just like life itself.”

North Wales alt-pop quartet HOURGLVSS, made up of best friends Katie Benbow (vocals / keyboard), Sophie May Williams (vocals / keyboard), Rosie Hamilton (guitar) and Lauren James (drums) are the newest infectious girl gang you will want to be a part of. They’ve shared the vibrant new video for their recent infectious single ‘Calling’. The new video was filmed in HOURGLVSS’ renowned rehearsal space, situated within Benbow’s Vintage clothing warehouse. They used a green screen and a borrowed Rolls Royce. “We wanted the main character in the song to have and animated and whimsical feel to keep the video light hearted, so we used our Lipstick Mascot” adds HOURGLVSS. The video sees their lipstick mascot eventually free’d from their dark hole and sadness from persistent calling from friends which is the basis and message of the song. The video is fun and playful, taking inspiration from the likes of Bananarama and concluding with a nod to the film Never Ending Story. Eventually, the lipstick mascot is rescued and joins a magical ride of friendship. ‘Calling’ was written when Katie was going through a bad time. The opening line belts ‘The clothes on the floor they really are piling, she keeps adding more’. Recalling the time she sat looking at the pile of clothes on her floor during a period of depression, she remembers the rest of her bandmates calling her up to check she was okay. “Before HOURGLVSS, I never had a group of solid girlfriends. This is a love letter to all the girls in the band and to all girls and their friends. I had never found a community where I felt I fit in and where you all care about each other, where you can tell something is up with someone and want to check in.” ‘Calling’ is an uplifting slice of alt-pop that takes its cues from the likes of The Cranberries and Cocteau Twins. It’s not only a celebration of friendship and community but also a solidarity anthem for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed, that life is getting on top of them – that they are literally drowning in a pile of clothes. “This is a statement to say, we have been there, and you’re loved.”

Perth-based pop icon Skyuka releases the incredibly catchy track, ‘Michael Cera’. With a blend of indie rock, ’90s fuzz and a touch of humour, this infectious tune will be your favourite bop of the year. ‘Michael Cera’ showcases Skyuka’s unique blend of upbeat pop melodies alongside introspective, witty lyrics. It tells a relatable story of falling for someone who you just can’t seem to escape from, and the frustration that comes with it. It’s a reflection on unrequited love, delivered with Skyuka’s lightheartedness and sass. “When I wrote ‘Michael Cera’ I was listening to a lot of Vampire Weekend and just really enjoying the playfulness of their earlier albums which influenced the writing process of this song. It felt refreshing to write something fun that people could clap and sing along to and have a laugh at, but still had a lot of heart. I was basically telling myself I didn’t want to see this person anymore because of their addictive tendencies…but at the same time I felt like a huge hypocrite as I was clearly addicted to them.”

Eora/Sydney based musician Georgia Mooney is excited to announce her eagerly anticipated debut album Full of Moon, out August 25 via Nettwerk. Georgia treats us to a teaser ahead of her debut album, taking shape as ‘Break It Off’. Pulling inspiration from the theatrical sounds of ABBA and Rufus Wainwright, ‘Break It Off’ is pure high drama, a melodramatic and shamelessly camp take on infatuation ending in pain, fuelled by desperate yearning and stubborn sentimentality. Georgia Mooney shares “it is about being powerless to somebody’s charms. When a relationship is terribly bad for you, but the infatuation is overwhelming. When you’re not receiving enough in return, there is a desperation that the person will have a miraculous epiphany and realise they’re actually madly in love. There is an inability to let go of that hope, to the extent where the only option is to be dumped ruthlessly!” Mooney’s celestial vocals dance above luscious layers of instrumentation: gentle piano, a 70s-esque synth, and shimmering strings, all buoyed by bass and shuffling drums reminiscent of classic 60s pop. The ‘Break It Off’ video sees a dazzling 80s-worthy collaboration with Eora-founded aerobics queens Retrosweat. Devised as “if Pat Benatar made an instructional workout video”, Georgia Mooney sings as a portrait on the wall of a beautiful, surreal set that the trio of dancers perform in. As well as being wonderfully theatrical, it’s also the avenue through which Mooney presents an ode to one of her greatest loves – Benedict Cumberbach. She shares, “It is no secret that I have something of a celebrity crush on Benedict Cumberbatch. I do not suffer from celebrity worship syndrome in general, nor do I ever get star struck, I cannot explain the spell that was cast on me when first I clapped eyes and ears on Cumberbatch. Surely something to do with the rather lovely, clever-sounding accent and the period costume attire…When I wrote the lyric “you’re not a patch on Benedict Cumberbatch”, I gave myself the rest of the day off.”

Claud, the first artist signed to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records, has announced a new album. Claud’s sophomore release is called Supermodels and it’ll be out July 14. Coming two years after 2021’s Super Monster, Supermodels features 13 tracks, including lead single ‘Every Fucking Time,’ out now. Of the track, Claud says: “I wrote ‘Every Fucking Time’ two summers ago. It was hot and sticky in New York, so naturally I was spending a lot of time at home, overthinking everything… and this song was born. Even as I was writing “Every Fucking Time” I had flashes of what I wanted the music video to look like. The songs details and specificity came straight from me, so it only felt natural to write and direct the music video too. This was my first time directing, which was scary, but came easily because my vision for this song was so strong. The video wouldn’t have been the same without my co-star, Grace Kuhlenschmidt. We met on the internet early in the pandemic. I was a big fan of her comedy, and I watched every single video she posted. We quickly became friends and have been wanting to collaborate for a while, and I wrote this video concept with her in mind. Being on set with Grace was a dream come true because I got to work with my favorite comedian and a good friend all at once.” [via Stereogum]

‘Judy Law’ is the new single and video from Norwegian band Fieh. This band are overwhelmingly guilty of consistently delivering outstanding future soul music. Behind the song title is lead singer Sofie Tollefsbo‘s alter ego, Judy Law, a lawyer living in designer clothes – an entirely different lifestyle from that of a hard-working musician. The single revolves around the desire for a better life or simply to be someone else. Although the theme represents self-realisation, it has a dreamy quality that suggests wishful thinking. The lyrics are poetic and engaging, like the dark stuttering groove beneath. This video embodies Fieh’s playful creativity, where humour is always a part of the mix. [via Scandinavian Soul]

hemlocke springs first emerged last year with ‘girlfriend,’ an addictive, high-energy earworm that promptly blew up on TikTok. She followed that up with ‘stranger danger!’ in January and now she has dropped another new song. ‘sever the blight’ begins in melodramatic fashion with springs situating herself in a dank basement tied up by the ankles. It’s not all doom and gloom, however, with the song powered by a sleek synth-laden beat courtesy of BURNS, the EDM-adjacent producer who contributed heavily to Lady Gaga’s Chromatica. The track’s playful tone is matched by a medieval-themed video that imagines a world in which springs drinks wine from a goblet, dances wildly in her turret and stages sword fights for entertainment. It, like springs’ whole vibe, is a great deal of fun. [via The FADER]

Summer has come early as Rachel Mae Hannon returns with her new single ‘The Boys’. This sassy, passionate groove calls out misogyny and toxic masculinity in today’s world. But it is also a song of celebration and empowerment for women and minorities. The funky guitar riff sits on a bed of soulful drums, with the backdrop of rich harmonies and deep tones of RMH’s vocals. The song is the ultimate crowd pleaser at her live sets, an interaction that will undoubtedly transfer to the streaming world.

Innovative Faroese American songstress Marianna Winter has released the video for her single, ‘Consequences’. Staring down the barrel of Marianna’s smoking gun, listeners are invited to a secret warehouse to watch the Faroese singer play the baddy. Donning a suit like Samuel L. Jackson in the cult classic film Pulp Fiction, she fires round after round of catchy hooks and funky beats with lethal accuracy. And we quickly learn that this is Marianna’s world, and that there will be repercussions.

Source Music girl group LE SSERAFIM have released their first-ever studio album Unforgiven and a music video for its lead single of the same name. The new title track features legendary record producer Nile Rodgers of disco band Chic. In the new visual for ‘Unforgiven’, the members of LE SSERAFIM don cowboy hats and perform the track from a Western-themed bar and later, a helipad, singing and rapping to the energetic single. Meanwhile, leader Kim Chaewon rides a white horse through a devastated city, jumping over the wreckage. “Unforgiven, I’m a villain, I’m a / Unforgiven, Imma walk that road / Unforgiven, I’m a villain, I’m a / It’ll be remembered as a new era, Unforgiven,” they chant in the chorus. [via NME]

Isle of Wight alt-rockers Coach Party are celebrating the announcement of their debut album Killjoy with the release of their new single, ‘All I Wanna Do Is Hate.’ The single is a roaring and relentless blend of punk and noise pop that oozes with power and inspires listeners to get in touch with their inner fury. The single is a banger through and through, opening with hooky guitar riffs leading the charge into a world full of thrumming bass lines and crashing percussion. Eastwood taps into a merry bitterness with her addictive vocals, declaring, “I’m into hating / Not hesitating / I’m gonna tell you everything / That I think of you.” In the climactic chorus, she challenges her peers to a fight, exclaiming that she always gets what she wants. She later cements herself as an indomitable force to be reckoned with as she chants atop a hypnotic melody, “I am untouchable / Yeah I’m a dangerous girl / I’m gonna hate shit / You should embrace it / You’ll learn to like it.” “‘All I Wanna Do Is Hate’ is about acting out against people who are trying to help, but you’re not ready for that and choose to do the opposite of the advice you’re given,” said vocalist and bassist Jess Eastwood, about the single in a statement. “This song is just about being incredibly angry, for what is up to whoever is listening, but sometimes you need to go against everyone to learn a valuable lesson. Maybe you’ll write a cool angry song about it.” The accompanying music video is a raging visual that opens with scenes of Eastwood in an abandoned warehouse. She’s soon chased by a group of cheerleaders, and scenes of the band smashing and shredding their way through the track further lure the viewer in. Later, with Eastwood brandishing a baseball bat, they embrace all their anger, letting it all out and living up to the song’s message of causing mayhem. [via Ones to Watch]

London multi-hyphenate Lava La Rue has shared her new single ‘Renegade’. A trailblazing talent, Lava is part of the NiNE8 Collective, working alongside close friends such as breakouts Biig Piig and Mac Wetha. Alongside this, Lava’s solo outings are increasingly formidable, building to 2022’s excellent Hi-Fidelity EP. Freshly signed to Dirty Hit, Lava La Rue now sits on a roster which also includes the likes of Rina Sawayama, beabadoobee, and little known indie types The 1975. There’s a lot more incoming, with Lava opening a fresh chapter on their latest single. A signal of psychedelic intent, ‘Renegade’ has an otherworldly appeal, its lawless aspects intermingling with Lava La Rue’s voice. Born to communicate, they utilise some bold lyricism, continually evading expectations. [via Clash]

London-based purveyor of alt-pop Fran Lobo has announced that her debut album Burning It Feels Like will arrive on August 18 through Heavenly Recordings. Previous single ‘All I Want’ features on the record, as does today’s new single ‘Tricks’, which will be the closer. Lobo says: “‘Tricks’ is inspired by a 1970s kind of songwriting sensibility. It’s classic in its structure but with weird production and sound design. It’s direct and vulnerable and it explores those ‘tricks’ where you’re playing mind games with yourself, world-building in your head. It’s theatrical and dark, it’s me taking the piss out of myself whilst playing on fairy tales, the idea of the ‘crazed woman’ and unrequited love/ love addiction.” At a remove from the work, Lobo can say that she’s taking the piss out of herself, but in the midst of ‘Tricks’ she is deadly serious about her emotions. Supported by atmospheric piano chords and tense electronics, Lobo sounds like a woman on the verge of a breakdown. It’s beautiful while being slightly unsettling, but Lobo’s voice ensures that the human element remains the beating heart of the undulating confession. She’s simultaneously trapped by and attracted to her tormentor – namely her mind – and this push and pull is the lifeblood of ‘Tricks’, Lobo repeating “keep playing these tricks on me” as both a request and complaint. While Lobo in the song is uncertain of herself, the Lobo who created the song is in full control, wringing a range of emotion out of the direct but dynamic way she presents her struggle. [via Beats Per Minute]

Pussy Riot, Boys Noize, and Alice Glass have come together for the new song ‘Chastity.’ It comes with a music video conceptualized by Lil Internet. In a press statement about the single, Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova said, “This song will put the patriarchy in a tiny cage and throw the key out.” [via Pitchfork]

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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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“I grew up believing in the Devil,” says Boyfriend on the release. “Try as they might to depict him as evil, my main takeaway was that he lived in the land of cigarettes and sex…he drank red wine, gambled, had a choir of electric guitars and was the keeper of the orgasm. This song is an invitation to the Devil’s party, where indulgence isn’t a sin and temptation isn’t a threat. It’s also an inversion of the patriarchal depictions of Satan… if God is a woman, so is the Devil, and she’s way more fun to hang with.”

Further elaborating, Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova said, “I believe that Virgin Mary was a feminist, and if she lived today, she’d be making music with Boyfriend and Pussy Riot.” Alluding to the upcoming official video she continued, “We’ve co-created this piece with two of my dearest friends, both incredibly strong, dedicated and vocal female artists, Boyfriend and Yulia Shur, and isn’t it everyone’s dream to work with your best friends on something that excites you deeply?”

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Following the extra-curricular electronica of her Projections EP for Technicolour released earlier this year, Polish techno misfit VTSS takes another sharp turn as an artist in ascendance with the vocal-led mutant pop of her long awaited and highly speculated debut for Ninja Tune, Circulus Vitiosus. Across four tracks, her musical character steps further into the light, backed up by razor-sharp production. VTSS (real name Martyna Maja) shares hypnotic new single ‘Incredibly Annoying’ alongside a striking video directed by Furmaan Ahmed and Vasso Vujovic (who have previously shot Willow Smith, SOPHIE and Dorian Electra).

Los Angeles punk-leaning four-piece Reckling (led by Kelsey Reckling) is back with the announcement of their forthcoming EP, Human Nature. The new project is introduced with the release of its first single, ‘In My Hair,’ released alongside an accompanying music video directed by Ambar Navarro. Following their raw and scuzzy self-titled debut release in 2018, Reckling went into an actual recording studio this time around to record their still raw, but louder and more energetic EP Human Nature. The goal was to showcase how the band’s sound has evolved since their 2018 release, and to more accurately reflect how they sound during their live shows.

Claude—the Chicago based existential dream pop solo project of Claudia Ferme—has shared ‘roses’, their second and final single off their upcoming debut full-length, a lot’s gonna change, produced with Michael Mac (Tenci, Tasha, Devin Shaffer, Mia Joy) and out August 12 via American Dreams Records. The single ‘roses’ arrives alongside a Reilly Drew-directed music video. On the track, Claude issued the following statement: “‘roses’ was inspired by a line in Love in the Time of Cholera where the protagonist starts eating flowers and roses because of how obsessed with someone he is. I think in the novel it’s supposed to symbolize how his obsession became all-consuming but I thought about a rose and the thorns on its stem and how someone eating a rose was a perfect metaphor for how as humans we’re so self-torturous, mentally and emotionally, and very unforgiving of ourselves. In the video, we wanted to show this imagery in a more abstract way while still including actual roses – I made the purple top and gray dress and am wearing other pieces that have peaks and spikes and that play with the making and release of tension to show the back and forth we have with ourselves in certain situations.”

New York City-based indie-pop singer-songwriter, Aubrey Haddard shares an electrifying fourth single, ‘Future Boxes,’ along with its stunning black-and-white, Jean Cocteau-inspired video. Haddard’s second full-length album, Awake And Talking, will be out August 19 via Beverly Martel Records. On dense, electric ‘Future Boxes,’ Aubrey Haddard peers into her future, attempting to imagine what lies ahead. She ponders the idea of going through life the way others expect one to, and aims to avoid making life all about checking boxes rather than living in the present. Haddard sings, “Future boxes Make you feel good / Doing things everyone says you should / My four sides are more like suggestions / Maybe I’ve got too many questions.” The track begs the question, though it feels good to do things in a conventional way, might there be more fulfilling alternative paths? “We all have, at some point, an idea of what our lives could look like. We take the steps we can to get there, checking some boxes, with or without that bigger picture in mind,” says Haddard about ‘Future Boxes.’ “At the end of the day, none of us are uniquely ambitious but some will find more fulfillment in carving out their own paths.” The Josh Rob Thomas-directed black-and-white video, between quick shots and an array of angles, zooms and kaleidoscopic effects, shows Haddard alone inside a house, often breaking the fourth wall and examining her own reflection, and conceptually lends itself to the primary themes of her forthcoming LP. “I had a lot of fun making this video because we got to take every tiny detail of my Jean Cocteau obsession and see if we could pull it off. It’s a total testament to the concept of the record as a whole,” shares Haddard.

Clocking in right under the two-minute mark, morgen’s new single ‘Mom Jeans’ is straight to the point fun. As a first taste of her upcoming second EP, ‘Mom Jeans’ arrives alongside an official video that feels like a page ripped from a Lisa Frank coloring book. A lighthearted jab at anyone who has ever told her how to dress, morgen unleashes all the creativity that has been bubbling up in her as she, like many others, had to watch her adolescence speed by while trapped at home. morgen’s second EP is slated to arrive this Fall via Avoca Drive and Sony Music Australia. “’Mom Jeans’ is the first time I’ve truly spoken out in a song,” says morgen. “It’s about body image and how people’s opinions shouldn’t affect the way you present yourself, because you deserve to wear whatever makes YOU feel good.”

The video for November Ultra‘s ‘Come Into My Arms’ encapsulates the song’s themes in a story that’s as touching as it is tender. A young girl is woken by falling rain, which prompts her to head out on an adventure. She leaves home, catches a train, and then glances upwards as she reaches her destination. At this point, the rain stops and a twist emerges: the girl is a drawing by her creator, another young girl, and their reunion stops her tears – the rain – from falling. Visually, it was inspired by animations which blend big emotions with a palpable sense of nostalgia, such as Bambi or the work of Studio Ghibli. The video was produced by the renowned French creative team Remembers. Headed by Felix de Givry and Ugo Bienvenu, Remembers’ previous work includes striking animated visuals for CHANEL’s Métiers d’art show, the Opéra national de Paris, and the music video for ‘At The Door’ by The Strokes. Tamerlan Bekmurzayev says, “When I draw, I am to go in search of what is magical and beautiful in our world. To be a child again; to find magic in every moment and to be amazed by everyday life, by the sight of a tree or a cat. November Ultra sent me some photos of her as a child and I was able to imagine a character who looked a bit like her, so that her voice could blend into my universe and this visual could be ours. I wanted to create a dream-like memory which might seem ordinary for an adult, but which is new, adventurous and therefore significant for a child. My goal for this video was to create a light, poetic comfort – one that helps us find and console ourselves, just like the little girl does.”

Philly-based punk rockers Vixen77 return with their newest single and video ‘Record Store,’ distributed via Megaforce Record. This rowdy jammer is about discovering that your seemingly well-cultured ex is now dating someone with terrible taste in music. What conversations could they possibly be having? The accompanying colorful video sets the scene, complete with an unexpected outcome at the end. Guitarist Elizabeth, who initially came up with the concept of the song, expands, “It’s about when you first start dating in high school, making mix tapes for each other, and you find someone who loves music as much as you do. If you break up with someone, at the very least, I hope you got a couple of new bands to listen to. That’s what ‘Record Store’ always comes back to — loving music.”

La Shana Latrice has dropped visuals for her latest song, ‘Say No More’. Throughout ‘Say No More’, La Shana focuses on self-love, mentioning that if she had a choice to be anything she wants La Shana would be herself. With the assistance of Regina ‘Regg’ Smith, La Shana packages a great song with her euphonious vocals working well alongside the beat. The visuals come in the form of a colourful public service announcement which La Shana uses to speak to the ladies and fellas to hammer in her important message on loving yourself. [via GRM Daily]

LA indie pop act Jazzie Young drops ethereal track ‘wonderland is wonderless’, capturing the sweet, honeymoon stages of a relationship. With a slow-burn piano-led soundscape built around Young’s sultry yet bold vocals, the soaring track is all about the initial sparks we feel in a relationship before the fairy tale romance crumbles and falls away into gritty reality. Taken from her forthcoming sophomore EP, ‘wonderland is wonderless,’ is infused with vibrance and vulnerability equally, accompanied by a lush, rose-tinged music video paying ode to the Alice In Wonderland references in the song writing. Shot and directed by an all-female team, helmed by Jazzie herself as executive producer, creative director, and stylist, the music video has empowerment at its base despite themes of heartbreak and pain framing it. [via Earmilk]

Confronting dark themes sparked by a turbulent past two years on new album We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong (released in its entirety in May with no advance singles), Sharon Van Etten has unveiled suitably unsettling visuals for standout industrial-pop anthem ‘Headspace’. Directed by Ashley Connor, the leather-clad US songwriter is joined in her stylishly minimal video by dancers Coco Karol and Miguel Angel Guzmán — writhing around on a bed as Van Etten is consumed by the omnipresent white glow of a monitor screen. “When I was writing this song, I wanted to talk about domesticity and intimacy frustrations under the tensions of working at home and seeking connection while being tied to our devices and still trying to reach each other as lovers, parents, humans… Reminding each other that there is still a primal attraction even in the midst of the mundane and repetition of everyday life,” she says. [via Under The Radar]

Willow Kayne has dropped a video for her new track, ‘White City’. “White City is an interesting place to live,” she explains. “Everyone’s experiences are completely different to one another, like many places in London it seems. Gigantic new buildings appear constantly, old buildings are being destroyed everywhere I look. When I walk down the street here, it is a complete mixture of people. I don’t know any of them and I like it here because they certainly don’t know me. We are simply all out here for ourselves.” Of the video, she adds: “Since moving to London, a lot of my music revolves around this idea of my inner child’s perspective. Finally I got to bring this idea to the table for White City, bringing out the mini Willow. The video is taking the lyrics in another direction, creating a surreal version of London. We covered the city in weird monsters and gave the buildings eyes in the process. I found Hati (@hatti.hatti.mas) on tiktok a while ago and just knew he was the perfect guy to bring that to life for us. I love nothing more than juxtaposition so that’s exactly what we went for with this video; a child’s perspective on a scary scary world. Like my other videos, we always crank up the saturation to add to the child’s perspective. When I was a kid, the world was a lot more colourful… I still chase that in a way. I love working on videos with my friends and Tommy Davis is one of my favourite people to do that with!!” [via Dork]

After years and years of sharing protest bangers, Pussy Riot’s first full-length project is finally on the horizon. The Russian pop group/art collective have announced that their debut mixtape MATRIARCHY NOW will be released on August 5 on Neon Gold Records, and as a preview, they’ve shared its lead single ‘PLASTIC’ featuring ILOVEMAKONNEN. MATRIARCHY NOW includes a handful of collaborators, including Slayyyter, Big Freedia, and Tove Lo, the latter of whom also executive produced the project. Its release date comes just ahead of the 10-year “anniversary” of when three Pussy Riot members were found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred,” and spent two years in jail for protesting Russian president Vladimir Putin. On ‘PLASTIC,’ Pussy Riot parody society’s unrealistic expectations for women to be demure, reticent, and submissive at all times: “I don’t shit, I don’t eat/ I don’t even fucking breathe/ If you cut me, I don’t bleed/ You’re the only thing I need,” the band’s ringleader Nadya Tolokonnikova raps over a bouncy pop beat. In the surreal, Haley Bowman-directed music video for ‘PLASTIC,’ Pussy Riot are miniature versions of themselves dressed in frilly lingerie, waiting to be deformed and dismembered by a young boy — think an R-rated version of Sid’s bedroom in Toy Story. [via Consequence]

Twenty-year-old Zoe Wees returns with her new single, ‘Third Wheel.’ While upbeat and infectious, the highly relatable song explores the heartbreak of loving someone who’s still obsessed with their ex. The track was produced by Patrick Pyke Salmy and Ricardo Muñoz, who helmed Wees’ debut EP, Golden Wings. The official video for ‘Third Wheel,’ which was directed by Gabriella Kingsley (Fireboy DML x Ed Sheeran, ArrDee x Aitch), scales the song’s musical highs and plumbs its emotional depths as the singer is taken from a sunflower-packed room to a darkened bedroom to an exuberant performance with vibrantly-clad dancers. Speaking about the song, Zoe Wees said, “It’s so awkwardly heartbreaking to be the third wheel in any relationship. Although this song’s meaning comes from a really tough moment in my own life, I hope this song will make some people reminisce about their own similar experiences as times when they learned to grow.”

OAKMAN have released a new music video. The new music video, for the track ‘Murder’, is the brand new single from the French pop-rock trio and follows on from their last single, ‘Fantasy,’ which was released back in May. The new music video was directed by Aurélien Mariat. Speaking about the new song and its accompanying music video, the band says, “this song pictures sexual harassment and abuse. It tells how it can affect a person’s life and continue for the rest of their life and grow into pure hate. So in the music video, the victim, represented by Marine, finally becomes the murderer and the murderer becomes the victim. We are inside Marine’s head, in her revenge. But at the end we realize that she is still imprisoned and stuck in it and that she can’t escape this trauma.” [via Distorted Sound]

Award-winning French pop trio Hyphen Hyphen share the official music video for their new song ‘Too Young’. The video, directed by Daniel Zak and Hyphen Hyphen with styling by Pierre Cardin, is taken from the band’s forthcoming new album C’est la Vie due this fall. The video was shot at the Observatory of Nice, their hometown. “There is a light. You are not alone,” says Hyphen Hyphen. “When we crafted this song, we dreamt of an anthem that could combine all our energy and hope. For the music video, we pushed our imagination up to the stars!” [via Broadway World]

Jack River has returned with her first new music of the year, sharing a sunny new single titled ‘Real Life’. The summery track sees the singer-songwriter pivot to a dance-oriented sound, with hints of disco, funk and soul. Its upbeat production comes courtesy of Xavier Dunn and The Belligerents‘ Lewis Stephenson, who helped River create the song. An accompanying music video also arrived with the cut, as vibrant as the single itself. Directed by W.A.M. Bleakley, its use of bright, neon colours radiates ’90s energy, featuring clips of River, butterflies and some old men sunbaking in their budgie smugglers. “One sunny afternoon in the depths of lockdown I was over feeling feelings,” River explained in an Instagram post. “I just wanted to swim with strangers in some sparkly foreign sea, see a mariachi band walking by on the sand, and maybe have a conversation with a friendly dolphin underwater. Anything to get me away from death scrolling and endless headlines about how awful the world is. I wanted to get back to Real Life. Whatever that was.” [via NME]

Doll Spirit Vessel’s second single ‘Something Small,’ taken from the band’s forthcoming debut album What Stays, is out now. The Philadelphia-based trio of Kati Malison, Max Holbrook, and Lewis Brown debuted just last month with ‘Train Brain Rot,’ a captivating indie rock song full of rollicking grooves, angular guitar licks, stirring, emotive vocals. ‘Something Small’ is decidedly dreamier in nature, with its slower beat and hypnotic, reverb-laden guitar creating a summery sun-drenched beach vibe. A welcome haze, the song invites us all to take a step back from our bustling lives and find our inner peace: A state of balance and bliss. “I think it’s pretty common for songwriters to want to express something specific or profound through a particular song, and that does happen, but you often can’t decide what’s there at the surface and ready to come out,” Doll Spirit Vessel’s songwriter and lead vocalist Kati Malison explains. “‘Something Small’ came about a couple of summers ago when I was doing a song-a-day project with some friends – the day before I wrote it I had really toiled over an old song shard, trying to make it something it wasn’t ever going to be. It felt similar to how trying to remember my past sometimes can feel, like I’m grasping for something I both know is there and know I won’t find. ‘Something Small’ is the answer and antidote to that frustration.” Doll Spirit Vessel’s accompanying music video invariably captures the spirit of ‘Something Small.’ Made by Malison along with Jon Cox, Veronica Magner, Priyanka Padidam, and Mark Morley, the visual stars Malison’s dog, while also creating a sensation of space, ease, and circular motion. Interspersed about a primary shot of the dog playing with a large ball in an open cemetery, we see Malison spinning on a playground merry-go-round, a light bulb being screwed in, a hamster in a ball, globe spinning ’round, a basketball twirling on a finger, and so on… It’s a lightly dizzying experience, and one that simultaneously captures the weight of needing things to be perfect and just as you want them to be, and the act of relinquishing said weight and letting things be. “My dog’s favorite activity is herding playballs, and I thought it would be fitting to capture the simultaneous playfulness and intensity of her playing with them for the ‘Something Small’ video. After spending so much time and energy on the video for the first DSV single, I kept insisting this one would be simpler. But when we all got together to plan for the shoot, a whole world organically emerged for the song. We started by brainstorming cyclical things and then thought of all the ways we could have them invade each other’s space.” [via Atwood Magazine]

Nashville power-trio The Foxies recently announced the September 23 release of their debut LP, Who Are You Now, Who Were You Then?. Now, the band is thrilled to share their cinematic new single and accompanying Ryan Sheehy-directed video for ‘If Life Were A Movie,’ which follows on the heels of the euphoric ‘Headsweat.’ Their full-length debut is the sound of a band boldly embracing their wildest and most unpredictable impulses. Speaking on ‘If Life Were A Movie,’ vocalist Julia Bullock reflected on the song’s themes: “When I listen to this song, I see a horror rom com. It’s built around the cynicism I have from giving so much love and somehow never being able to have it reciprocated. So, In a movie… all my exs would be killed off first, and nobody wants to be that guy.” [via Music Existence]

Alt-pop artist Madeline The Person has released her new single, ‘Why I Broke Up With You,’ an endearingly honest peek at a relationship going down in flames. The song arrives alongside a video, which finds Madeline reflecting on her past relationship through a doll-like lens, frustratingly watching as the zombified version of her ex-partner tears down the house they built together. The track is taken from her upcoming EP, CHAPTER 3: The Burning, out July 15. On the song, Madeline focuses on the liberation that can come from a particularly painful breakup. “Growing up, I dealt with my father’s addiction, so I have known from a really young age what an absent mind looks like. I knew how it felt to be talking to a completely different person, who you knew wouldn’t even remember what you were saying. My ex’s dependence on a substance uprooted the trauma of having to take care of an addicted adult as a little girl. I just couldn’t be that little girl again, so I left. That was what was healthy for me.” [via Prelude Press]

Isabella Manfredi has announced the release of her debut solo album, izzi, alongside the release of a sizzling new single titled ‘Naive’. Teaming up with rapper PRICIE, who delivers a fierce and commanding guest verse, the sultry track sees Manfredi take command of two equally important aspects of her life – motherhood and music. Throughout ‘Naive’, Manfredi shares a sparkling tale of colliding worlds with a solid confidence and smooth melody. izzi is set for release on Friday September 2 via Island. In a statement, Manfredi said of her debut solo album: “[It’s] unique in that it felt like an exploration and development of a new artist and also the culmination of a decade’s vision. It is like a beginning and an ending in that sense. That’s why I called it izzi. “I wanted to capture her essence but also create space for my true adult self to have longevity and move beyond her if I needed to. I am ‘izzi’ but she is not me.” [via NME]

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