Produced by John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding), Poems & Non-Fiction draws on influences from Adrienne Lenker, Fiona Apple, and Moondog, combining analogue textures and angular indie-folk sensibilities. Lyon’s songwriting gives as much weight to silence as to sound, with poetic nuance and muscular understatement. Her voice floats between the abstract, the archetypal, and raw vulnerability, inviting the listener to both reach out and dig deep.

New single ‘Perfect’ is the album’s most pop-adjacent moment: a sharp indie-pop that critiques the cult of curated living. The sardonic hook: “Isn’t it all so perfect / Sundays were made for worship”, sits uneasily against Lyon’s deadpan admission: “my skin is crawling / I want to shout.” As the production closes in during the middle eight, her voice sounds buried beneath the surface: “I can’t leave.”

On the release of ‘Perfect’, Ruth said: “It’s about how modern life traps us in a toxic pursuit of perfection – we’re all celebrities of our own life, worshipping at the altar of our egos. It’s kind of infected us all, I think. The perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect health and a perfect body flaunting perfect hair/skin/tits/bum blah blah blah.”

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Weaving deeply evocative narratives and potent meditations, with an artistry that balances delicacy and strength, Poems & Non-Fiction is a major waymark for Ruth Lyon. Forged by her experiences as a disabled woman and a life-long sense of otherness, she explores the beautiful mess of existence, challenges social norms and ignites a journey towards self-acceptance, empowerment and perhaps most importantly, hope. “I have surprised myself with the raw honesty in these songs and I hope these stories inspire healing and growth,” Ruth says.

Working with acclaimed producer John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding) and influenced by artists like Adrienne Lenker, Fiona Apple and Moondog, the songs are rich with poetic nuance and the unconventional insight of a young life lived to capacity—a mesmerising blend of analogue and angular indie-folk that gives as much attention to silence as sound, with understated yet muscular grooves. Shimmering between the abstract, the archetypal and the naked truth, meaning lingers just beneath the surface, daring listeners to both reach out and dig deep; to give emotion a solid, tangible shape.

New single ‘Books’ is released today alongside a video directed by Sel Maclean. Stop-start strings, plucked and bowed make holes in the texture like a typewriter on paper, weaving in and out of driving piano, bedded by lazy rhythm falling away and returning, all glued together with vocal calls to the echo of a page. Lyon turns a cosmic reckoning on herself “Weigh me today and weigh me in again tomorrow / rocks in my socks, balloons tied round my elbows” that perhaps can be heard as a plea to the fates, wedded with Lyon’s typical Dali-esque imagery.

Speaking more on the release of ‘Books’, Ruth said: “I was imagining my life as series of poems and non-fiction (which life really is, if you think about it) that at times has felt unreadable, overwhelming, impenetrable, senseless, unreal – a collection that I’ll never have time to read. I filmed the video in my house – it’s my safe place, somewhere I can inhabit my inner life, somewhere I feel free to imagine and write, rather than read, my own story.”

Poems & Non-Fiction:

1. Artist
2. Wickerman
3. Books
4. Perfect
5. Hill
6. Confetti
7. Caesar
8. November
9. Cover
10. Weather
11. Seasons

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Sleek new single ‘Stone’ looks at the messy yet ultimately redemptive nature of a long-term relationship. Speaking more on the inspiration behind new single ‘Stone’, Ruth said: “I was influenced by Fiona Apple on this track with her use of simplicity, repetition, monotonous rhythms and development of texture to give power to words. ‘Stone’ looks at the crazy beautiful mess that is any relationship. Bonding yourself to one human for the rest of time is crazy – it’s elemental yet completely mundane all at the same time. Fusing two worlds has the power to feel-earth shatteringly good but also completely destructive – the push and pull of losing yourself yet finding yourself in someone else. The words came out on the page like a poem in one morning and have never changed. The song is raw and I am really grateful to John Parish for being so respectful of the nature of the track, giving it life without taking any of the simple power away. Lady Nade’s haunting tones really lift this song and I am so happy we could work together on this!” 

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With ‘My Love Is Right,’ the first track from her new album Ne pas trop stay bleue (to be released February 10), Laure Briard reconnected with her audience in a declaration of intention and love. Now the singer sheds light on the title track of her album, a song of personal motivation, a call to optimism and accomplishment, soaking in soul and sun. Set to music (spirited, playful) by Julien Gasc, and put to image (surreal, clairvoyant) by Ruby Cicero, ‘Ne pas trop rester bleue’ is – like the album that takes its name –timeless and warm, and sets its sights toward the future and making dreams come true. “I’m quite pessimistic in life,” explains Laure, “and this song is a way of reminding myself that you have to know how to put things into perspective. Rather than staying too down or brooding, I want to take advantage of all of life’s stages that pass us by so quickly.” “All of life’s stages that pass us by so quickly,” is what the Sicilian director Ruby Cicero dramatized for the track’s music video. Childhood, the journeys of adolescence, a wedding, childbirth, work, success, old age and, finally, death (or rebirth) appear together in the 3mn 25s clip which depict a surreal meeting between a fortune-teller and the singer, each surrounded by the whimsical embodiments of different phases of life. After having been inspired by Quentin Tarantino and David Lynch for the clip of the song ‘Não me diz nada’ (released in 2021 on Laure’s EP Eu Voo), Ruby Cicero pays tribute here to the Franco-Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky, with nods to the dreamlike, symbolist, and stylized aesthetics of his films (The Holy Mountain, El Topo) and to his activity as a cartomancer (Tarot de Marseille). A hint of Juliet of the Spirits by Federico Fellini also inspires this joyful and colorful production, where the blue of the costumes contrasts with the bright yellow of the sets. Enough to make the pupil quiver. “Several lives in a single life”: this is also what the clip of ‘Ne pas trop rester bleue’ reveals. In this swirling illustration of the song, the multiplication of the protagonist’s possible destinies are dizzying.

Christine And The Queens has shared new song ‘La chanson du chevalier’. The French artist’s new album Redcar les adorables étoiles is out next month, and will be accompanied by a short burst of live shows. Set to play two nights in Paris, he then crosses the channel for a special evening at London’s Royal Festival Hall on November 22. The latest preview has just gone live, featuring Chris in full flow at Redcar, accompanied by a masterpiece in late 19th century French sculpture. The use of l’Age d’airain in the video invites the viewer to contemplate representation of the male form, while the song itself – deeply atmospheric synth pop – sings of longing for a lost knight. Elements of the project’s previous work remain, but this feels emphatically new, playing with those familiar tropes in a refreshing way. [via Clash]

Rising dance duo piri & tommy have released a new music video for ‘on & on’, a single from their upcoming debut album, froge.mp3 which is due to drop next Friday, October 21, via Polydor Records. The record was announced last month. On the video, piri & tommy jest: “If you wanna see what a frog-induced trip looks like, go no further!” [via Dork]

Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson have released their collaborative album as Plains, I Walked With You A Ways. It comes with a music video for the track ‘Hurricanes’ that was directed by Aidy Bryant and inspired by the late Loretta Lynn’s ’70s television performances. “I had always had a vision of Aidy’s involvement in this video that really ended with just getting her in the room,” Crutchfield said in a statement. “I trusted that she had the answer for the perfect way to visually accompany this song and from the jump she just deeply understood our vision, at moments better than we could have even explained it ourselves. I’m thrilled that she was so generous with her time and creative energy and I’m thrilled with how this turned out.” Bryant added: “I’ve been a fan of Waxahatchee and Jess Williamson for a long time so when Katie asked if I would direct a music video for Plains I jumped at the chance. We had a talented, hardworking crew and paid homage to Loretta Lynn’s 70’s TV performances. I’m also going to drive the bus for their tour, so see you on the road!” And Williamson talked a bit more about the song: “’Hurricane’ was the last song that was written for our record. We knew we needed one more, and when Katie brought Hurricane to the table we both knew the album was complete. It was incredible for me to watch this song reveal itself; from the early moments of Katie playing it for me on an acoustic guitar just days before we went to make the album, and then blossoming in the studio with the band into this total banger with huge choruses. Aidy’s video is the perfect companion for this tune, and we had a blast working with her and her team to make the visual world for this one come to life.” [via Stereogum]

Newcastle folk/chamber-pop artist and songwriter Ruth Lyon releases her new single ‘Clown’, the second track to be heard from upcoming EP Direct Debit To Vogue, out November 26 via Pink Lane Records. The new EP was produced by John Parish (Aldous Harding, PJ Harvey, Parquet Courts) at his Bristol studio, and will also feature the recently released single ‘Trouble’. New single ‘Clown’ is released alongside an eye-catching video, created by filmmakers Antonia Luxem (Ex:Re) and Tegid Cartwright. A vivid explosion of colour and texture, surreal even without being comical or circus, the video seeks to reframe the idea of the “freak”, or perhaps, a Clown. Commenting on the video’s creation, Ruth said: “Working with filmmakers Antonia and Tegid with their direction, support and friendship gave me the confidence to explore a side of myself that we haven’t explored visually so far. I adore making videos but we always have a dilemma – how to portray the story and the movement without me being able to actually move that much? This is the first time I have used a mobility aid front and centre in my creative work and we had many discussions on how to frame it. We wanted to explore this idea of the inner clown; the line “though I may be bound down, I’m bonded to my own clown”. Being able to creatively explore myself through music, dance and costume gives me an immense power that societal constructs can often strip away from my community and this video is a celebration of that bold energy. I absolutely loved leading these wonderful dancers through the trees in a vibrant procession past dog walkers and morning joggers. People are gonna stare when you look different so I want to give them something to really stare at.” Exploring the temptation of reckless decisions, ‘Clown’ moves at an alluringly steady pace; led by a skittering drum beat and lilting piano progressions, Ruth’s sharp, self-aware prose (“I fell into the rhythm of you, dance like a Demon till the afternoon / Got hooked on feeling nothing, nice to be numb”) weave around the instrumentals in seamless fashion. Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration behind new single ‘Clown’, Ruth said: “Jim Morrison said of himself: ‘I think of myself as an intelligent, sensitive human but with the soul of a clown which always forces me to blow it at the most crucial moments.’ I totally relate! We’ve all got that clown living inside of us, leading us down a crazy lane, tripping us up at the last turn in the road when we think it’s all going so well. But, that’s sometimes when I feel most alive.”

Gemma Laurence has shared one of her catchiest songs yet: ‘Watchdog.’ ‘Watchdog’ hurdles us into the snowy foothills of Vermont to witness the beautiful, fickle, and anxiety-producing beginnings of a new relationship. Painting a picture of woodsmoke lingering in crisp cabin air and the rosy alpenglow dancing off the Green Mountains, Laurence transports her listeners into a scene so picturesque it’s too good to be true. “I think I’d like to learn to trust you a little more,” she sings, “But my watchdog heart is sleeping by the backdoor / With one eye open, waiting for you to go with the next snow.” Laurence shares a short film to accompany the single directed by Kyle Wright, written by Devin McGrath-Conwell and Wright, and produced by Wright, McGrath-Conwell, Paul Steiner and Emilee Bae. It was shot by Conor Murdock and stars Lauren Norvelle alongside Gemma Laurence in her on-screen debut. Inspired by 1970’s Mafia films, ‘Watchdog’ (the film) dives head-first into the gritty underworld of the 70’s crime scene…. but this time, it’s gay. The film finds The Don (played by Laurence) sitting in her office surrounded by her rat pack, feeling jaded despite her newly found success. She’s Brooklyn’s newest top dog in the underworld crime scene, but it’s lonely at the top. Enter: Adrienne (played by Norvelle), her newest right-hand-woman and confidante. Adrienne presents a new romantic intrigue, but also represents the scrappy, ambitious, up-and-comer that the Don once saw in herself. The video grapples with their relationship with each other, and also with the Consigliere (played by Francesca Pastore), who has her own secrets up her sleeve. A gritty, bloody love triangle ensues in the highly stylized landscape of a 1970’s underworld crime syndicate. On making the film, director Kyle Wright shares: “When Gemma and I first started talking about making a short for one of the songs on Lavender, we bounced several ideas back and forth. All the while, one unifying theme consistently made itself known: trust, and learning how to trust again after being hurt. For me, of all the wonderful songs on her album, Watchdog projects this question most earnestly.” Wright adds: “As a filmmaker, I seek to pair seemingly contradictory elements that comment on each other with strange fluency. It was in thinking about this and Watchdog that I realized why I love crime movies. The genre necessitates vulnerability from the hardened. The stories pivot around the fragility of characters in violent, unforgiving worlds. In these films, one theme always remains central: trust, and the consequences of violating it. While my favorite crime epics often climax in tragedy, Watchdog demanded the possibility for hope, for learning to trust again. With the support of an incredible crew and cast, that intention allowed me to find the kind of unexpected juxtaposition I crave and, I hope, brings Gemma’s intimate and confessional music into even sharper focus.” Laurence shares: “The music video is off the walls – there’s gunshots and blood and intense Sapphic yearning gazes and crazy 1970’s leather bell bottoms. It’s this intense crime-ridden love triangle that’s bloody and violent and gay as hell.” Laurence continues, “I had never acted on screen before and it was such a delight working alongside Kyle and Lauren and such an accomplished cast and crew – I mean, these people have worked on huge movie sets, and now they’re helping me make a music video? That’s insane! I felt completely overwhelmed with gratitude and awe while on set, watching these people in their element. There’s so much hard work and dedication that went into this production, and I couldn’t be more proud of what we made.”

The seamless combination of Carly Rae Jepsen and Rufus Wainwright is rivaled only by the balance Jepsen strikes between disco and pop in her latest single ‘The Loneliest Time,’ the title track of her forthcoming sixth studio album due October 21. The cinematic music video only adds fuel to the duo-we-never-knew-we-needed fire. The video looks like it’s taken directly from old Hollywood, bringing to life what Jepsen and Wainwright harmonized in the first verse, “Just like Shakespeare wrote a tragedy / But our story, never finished it / ‘Cause our love, we never finished it.” Jepsen flies (literally) from her apartment window to Wainwright’s rooftop, where they delightfully dance and commit to giving elusive love another try “’cause we’ve had the loneliest time.” [via UPROXX]

Vera Ellen has shared her first new release since 2021’s Flying Nun solo album It’s Your Birthday. ‘Homewrecker’ plays with the idealised fantasy of sparking chaos in perhaps not others’ lives, but in one’s own. Directed by Albert River and made with support from NZ On Air, Ellen struts on a roof amongst a cast of models and smokes in a vogueish recline in the song’s accompanying clip — a nod to “The King of Cool” Dean Martin’s 1983 visuals for ‘Since I Met you Baby’. The graphic assault of colour and glamour work against Ellen’s desolate lyrics, where the Herculean body of water seems as biting as it is rich. The clip later reveals the green screen, as if to lift the curtain on the attractive intensity of fantasy. “‘Homewrecker’ is the personification of my inner demon forcing its way in to create chaos where it senses harmony. I’m my own home wrecker. Ain’t we all?” says Vera Ellen. [via Under The Radar]

Australian indie pop artists Holly Hebe, Ivoris and Zhuli have joined forces on the endlessly engaging new single ‘Supervillain’, showcasing an effortless sense of chemistry and charm on the new release. The track tackles the idea of people who like to create alternative stories and realities within their head to justify their behaviour and make them the “good guy”, making you the villain in the process. Despite this however, ‘Supervillain’ has an gorgeous, breezy and feel-good nature to it, with a soundscape that melts you within its immersive softness and appeal. The track just has this incredible sense of chemistry, feeling smooth and affable throughout. The vocal performances have this soft sense of power to them, and the production creates this cloud-like sense of euphoria and bliss throughout the track. This is a really rewarding and likable release that elevates everybody involved in it. [via clout clout clout]

Rising alt-pop artist KiNG MALA (AKA Areli Castro) has released her sophomore EP, honey catching season via Handwritten Records. The nine track EP finds the artist embodying the idea of radical self acceptance and finding a renewed sense of identity and purpose. “I’ve spent the past 24 years coming to terms with who I am, my past, my mental illness, my body, my sexuality, my failures, my wins, my career, my love life and everything in between,” Castro explains. “For me, these songs are about finding a way to love myself through any means necessary.” The release highlights new track ‘martyr’ with a seductive new music video. “’Martyr’ is about a lover of mine that made me feel like I was everything, like I was the beginning and the end of his universe. It’s as simple as that, it’s a song about being adored (as you should be) by the person you love. It’s about being someone’s saint, church and religion.” [via Prelude Press]

One of girl in red’s breakthrough hits was ‘We Fell In Love In October,’ a wistful indie-pop love song built on simple drums, echo-laden guitars, and elegant orchestral strings. Now, girl in red has released a sequel. The standalone single ‘October Passed Me By’ pushes further into that autumnal sonic palette. It was produced remotely by the National’s Aaron Dessner, who helped Taylor Swift achieve a similar aesthetic on folklore and evermore. The lyrics are somewhat Swiftian as well: “Yeah, I got bitter when you got cold/ Could you really blame me though?/ You know this song is about you/ Who else could it be?/ You were the first to make me/ Feel like I was me/ You’re just a memory.” Marie Ulven, the girl in red herself, shared this statement about the song: “‘October Passed Me By’ has been living in the back of my head since June 2021. Every fall since I put out we fell in love in October in 2018, I was encouraged to do things on social media to talk about the song again. Making TikToks, Instagram posts and other things about a song I made years ago never felt honest. I’m not in the same place as I was when I wrote the song, emotionally or artistically, so pretending to be so felt boring and uninteresting. So, I never did any of that; but last year something happened in my personal love life that brought up a lot of feelings that I had to confront internally. I met Aaron Dessner in the fall of 2021. I told him I had this song that I had written and wanted to make but I hadn’t started recording it yet. I had never worked with him, so for me it felt like an interesting and also lowkey thing to try out. I finished writing the song in Oslo and LA, working remotely with Aaron and with my great friend Matias Tellez on mix. ‘October Passed Me By’ is where I’m at today, emotionally and musically. Grateful for what has been, and full of love for a very special person that made a huge impact on me as a person. And also, I thought it was way cooler to expand the we fell in love in October universe artistically, rather than making some uninspired videos that will disappear into the black hole of content that is TikTok. PS: I will probably make TikToks too. lol.” ‘October Passed Me By’ premiered along with a short film directed by Gustav Johansson, starring Lisa Loven Kongsli and Ruth Vega Fernandes as older versions of the characters from the ‘We Fell In Love In October’ video. [via Stereogum]

Montreal artist, Hanorah has released a stunning new video for her song ‘The Drudge’. The song is the third single from her debut album Perennial, out now. “Paul De Rita, who I’ve been playing and writing with since I started out, is the mastermind behind this one,” Hanorah says. “He made a really unusual-sounding demo that was groovy and strange, unlike anything either of us had done before. I need to quote him here: “I was but a channel for ‘The Drudge’. It already existed, but it chose me as its channel, so I cannot claim its creation.” When he brought this wild recording to me, I asked him what story he wanted. He imagined something that evoked the same mood as Toby, from The Office. So I wrote out some burnout words inspired by the show and by Paul’s own catchphrases and came up with the melody at the mic as he sat next to me at the computer. I still get nervous doing that now. The final version we made with Jacques at Studio Opus is perhaps cleaner but still has the off-kilter quality that the delirium of the 9-5 merits. I made up the bridge vocals on the last day in the studio, which my best friend Christian sang. It was inspired by a close yet mysterious acquaintance of ours who drives a Cadillac, which we have borrowed to get to the studio a few times. I often wonder how people can afford their lives, and that Cadillac just stuck with me. I used to hate music about money, but the older I get, the more I understand. Paying bills is a drag, and they just keep coming.“ [via Montreal Rocks]

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Following ‘Diamond Light’, New York’s Breanna Barbara shares new single ‘Landslide’ – the second track to be taken from new album Nothin’ But Time out November 11 via Fuzz Club. Barbara’s second full-length is a raw and immersive trip through the sounds of psychedelic rock and blues, anchored by her powerful vocals and unforgettable songwriting. Over the driving beat of ‘Landslide’, Barbara zooms in on the ways that fate affects our daily living, and the complications that come from taking the wheel yourself. She states, “’Landslide’ is about trusting your intuition and how you can sort of fall off of listening to it at times. I envision when you are in tune with your intuition as sitting at the top of a landslide with the nighttime sky and stars, being close to some sort of God or the truest version of yourself versus when you do fall off from that closeness it can often feel like you’re lost but you can see yourself trying to find your way through and walking away from things that you know aren’t right for you. I think ‘it’ in the song is referring to your fate and what is meant for you.” On the video, directed by Fatos Marishta, Barbara adds, “The video was inspired by a dream I had where I was speaking to someone else but when I woke up I quickly realised it was just another version of myself. It got me thinking about how each person in your dreams can be interpreted as different parts of yourself and how mysterious the subconscious & dreamworld really are. The song also very much evoked visuals of 1970s mystery-spy detective scenes so from there my friend/director Fatos Marishta and I came up with the idea of four subconscious dream characters, all different versions of themselves, running in & around NYC trying to keep, find & perhaps even kill hidden truths about themselves.”

Newcastle folk/chamber-pop artist and songwriter Ruth Lyon announces her new EP Direct Debit To Vogue will be released November 26 via Pink Lane Records. The new EP was produced by John Parish (Aldous Harding, PJ Harvey, Parquet Courts) at his Bristol studio, and features the recently released single ‘Trouble’ – a new video for which is out now. Commenting on the release of the new video, Ruth Lyon said: “I loved making this video! I wanted to explore my love of Japanese avant-garde fashion – big asymmetrical shapes, raw edges, deconstructed patterns. There’s such a beauty in something unfinished. So, I made all the clothing (my room was a total mess for weeks) and created something that I am really proud of. It took over 100 metres of fabric! Movement is also really important for me on this – how to move as a disabled person is really interesting. I have to think outside of the box. I really loved how the big white dress totally hides any sense of body with accentuated shapes. I was sat down the whole time – but you can’t tell. The body is private as I sew myself into a new reality. Frida Kahlo inspired me to do that.” Influenced by acts such as Fiona Apple, Aldous Harding and Regina Spektor, on new single ‘Trouble’ and her soon-to-be-released new EP Direct Debit To Vogue, Lyon explores themes of self-doubt, insecurity, emotional masochism, and the weight of arbitrary expectations – all unravelling through offbeat, sophisticated chamber pop and anti-folk, commanded by her soulful vocals and witty yet raw lyricism. New single ‘Trouble’ opens with the line “I woke up wondering when I’m going to die.” It’s a track that captures the essence of anxiety, of the expectations heaped upon us at every turn; yet at the same time, it celebrates unknowingness and wildness. Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration behind new single ‘Trouble’, Ruth said: “This is a reaction against this idea of perfection that society has us believe is the goal, when actually it’s a short cut to death. I’ve never been able to tread the path of least resistance, but nor would I want to. I am hard work, I am difficult, I don’t want to be boxed up with a neat little bow with my labels printed on it. I am trouble and I love it.”

Harpy is back. 364 days since her last single and she presents to us ‘Medicine’, the long awaited follow up to her single ‘Into the Dark’ which dropped in 2021. Despite it all seeming quiet on the music front, Harpy has been busy behind the scenes writing new tracks as well as devoting her time to her dedicated Tiktok following of over 100,000+ followers. Dripping with menace, ‘Medicine’ is a catchy, carnal, bloodlust anthem. The song explores addiction, specifically the desire to return to someone… or something that you know will only bring you suffering. “Sometimes we don’t want to be saved. Sometimes we want to feel the pain, to revel in the misery. We do things that are bad for us, because sometimes they feel good… so good that we go back to them again, and again, and again. That’s what Medicine is about.” Working again to produce the track with collaborator Philip Strand (Normandie, Hot Milk, Icona Pop), there is truth in the sorcery Swedish composers bring to a record, with the middle eight of ‘Medicine’ feeling more like a ritualistic incantation, Harpy’s voice sounding almost serpentine.

Back in February, Cate Le Bon released Pompeii. She’s about to head out on a run of tour dates in support of it, and now she’s shared a new one-off single called ‘Typical Love.’ “‘Typical Love’ was a product of a rare jam session with dearest genius friend, Stella Mozgawa,” Le Bon said in a statement. “The outline, written on bass along to one of Stella’s infectious grooves, was taken into the Pompeii sessions where I disassembled and reassembled it many times but it always felt like a second cousin to the other tracks so was put aside for a rainy day.” It comes with a music video co-directed by Stefan Ramírez Pérez and Phil Collins (not that one). [via Stereogum]

In a few short weeks, we’ll get to hear Fossora, the new album from Icelandic hero Björk. Last week, Björk released ‘Atopos,’ the first sing from the LP. Now, she’s followed that one with ‘Ovule,’ a new song that seems to travel in a bunch of different directions at once. Björk produced and arranged ‘Ovule’ herself, and the only other credited musicians are Bergur Thorrison on trombone and Soraya Nayyar on timpani. (Björk arranged the trombones and timpani, too.) The horns gesture at jazz, while the drums sound like a reggaeton beat pattern that’s slowly falling apart. Over that track, Björk sings a sort of futuristic love song: “I have placed a glass egg, above us floating/ An oval ovule in a dark blood red void/ Carries our digital selves, embracing and kissing.” Here’s how Björk describes the song on Instagram: “‘ovule’ for me is my definition of love. it is a meditation about us as lovers walking around this world and i imagine 2 spheres or satellites following us around one above us that represents ideal love one below us representing the shadows of love and we ourselves walk around in the third sphere of real love , where the everyday monday-morning meet-in-the-kitchen-love lives in. In the ‘Ovule’ video, Björk wears some truly head-spinning fashions — including, in one moment, what appears to be a gigantic CGI Juggernaut helmet. [via Stereogum]

After joining SEVENTEEN on an updated version of ‘WORLD_’ last month, Anne-Marie has returned with a new collaborative single with Aitch titled ‘Psycho’, which is accompanied by a Samuel Douek-directed video. “This song was inspired by personal experience,” Anne-Marie explains. “I was once in a situation where the guy I was seeing was gaslighting me when I suspected he was cheating on me, which he was (total mug)! It wasn’t ok and I called him out. This one’s for everyone out there who’s been in the same situation.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

Former CLC singer Sorn has released her fourth solo single ‘Nirvana Girl’ alongside a music video featuring bandmates Yeeun and Seungyeon. The new dance-pop track was released on September 15 alongside a music video featuring all three former members of the seven-piece CUBE Entertainment girl group, who disbanded in May this year. Yeeun performs her rap verse in the video, while Seungyeon, who is not credited on the song itself, makes an appearance alongside Sorn on a dancefloor. “I’m on my way to be Nirvana girl, a newer better me / Out of this world, enlightened and free / Nirvana girl, that’s what I’m gonna be,” Sorn sings on the liberatory chorus. Speaking to NME on her creative process behind ‘Nirvana Girl’, Sorn shared that she drew inspiration from a visit to a temple. The Thai singer described the new song as a mix of her personal relationship with religion as well as her experience being part of the K-pop industry for the past 10 years. “I sat down with my producers and talked about my journey when I was with CLC and the struggles I had, so we [fused] religion with the story and came up with the theme of ‘Nirvana Girl’,” she told NME. “The song is really special because I really wanted a rapper on this track so I couldn’t think of anyone better than Yeeun,” Sorn said, adding that she had been in discussions with the former CLC rapper since the start of 2022. “I also have Seungyeon, who is our leader from CLC, on board. I wanted a dance for the song, and I was like, ‘Who else would be the best at making [the choreography] other than Seungyeon?’” Despite having not released new music together in two years, Sorn shared that returning to work with Yeeun and Seungyeon felt comfortable. “We have that chemistry of working together for the past 10 years; we work together really well as though we’re still CLC,” she gushed. “It’s like working with your best friends, where you just sit together in a room. You don’t really have to talk much but you just connect with each other.” [via NME]

Dora Jar has shared a brand new song and video, ‘Bump’, as she continues her tour in support of Billie Eilish. The new track follows recent single ‘Bumblebee’, which was her first track since signing to Island Records. Speaking about the new song, Dora says: “I wrote ‘Bump’ when I was living in Poland & for the first time in my life I didn’t really know anyone in that city except for the family I was staying with so I wasn’t bumping into people I knew anywhere. “This song felt like a prayer to encounter a meaningful coincidence & eventually it began happening, not with people I knew, but I would see images from dreams manifest in real life, and it sparked this feeling that life had been waiting for me to take note of all the little details because they are leading me somewhere. I drank a lot of black tea with family during this time & became obsessed with teapots. I had an image in my brain of a long human with teapot feet.” [via DIY]

With ‘A Little Better Every Time,’ Milk & Bone introduces us to a new facet of Chrysalism, a third effort that marks a departure into an unmistakably pop-forward territory. Unfolding in full intensity as a poignant ballad, ‘A Little Better Every Time’ is a reminder to love yourself in order to move forward. This new track is complemented by a powerful, highly symbolic video – think angel wings and a snake that molts and coils around its prey – directed by Lian Benoit and Derek Branscombe. Steeped in both fury and tenderness, the footage resonates with the intensity of the drums and guitars. The video features Camille Poliquin and Laurence Lafond-Beaulne, the two halves of Milk & Bone, finding the strength to remain whole, as their image is slowly distorted. [via Bonsound]

With GAYLE gearing up to release her new EP a study of the human experience volume two (out next month), the young star has teamed up with blackbear to give fans another preview of the record. The pair join forces on ‘fmk’ (which, if you listen to the lyrics, stands for ‘fuck marry kill’), with GAYLE explaining of the meaning behind the whole thing: “’fmk’ is about the intensities of young love. How someone can make you feel great and terrible simultaneously. Not fully knowing if you’re in a toxic relationship or not, because you’ve never had anything else.” a study of the human experience volume two is due out on October 7 via Atlantic Records / Arthouse Records. Watch the video for fmk – directed by Chris Ullens – above. [via Kerrang!]

As we found out earlier this year, a whimsical “Ouch!” can add some much-needed levity within stormy heartbreak. Belgian artist Tsar B‘s new single ‘Auwtch’ walks that fragile tightrope between pain and pleasure. The blowback of allowing yourself to feel too deeply, too romantically can sting. ‘Auwtch’ molds that raw feeling into a cascading 80s-indebted torch song, propelled by volcanic drum computers and gloom-ridden synths. Tsar B’s sweeping, icy vocals cut through it like a shard of glass. “I wrote that song when I fell in love, that same night. In fact, I was able to put those first moments, that adolescent naivety, in a bottle,” she told Belgian magazine Knack Focus. “Falling in love is a very interesting experience for me. I don’t experience it often, but once I have a crush on someone, I very quickly start imagining new worlds and a full future with that person. Then in my impulsiveness I sometimes turn out to be much too romantic for someone I just met. Ultimately, I’m a big fan of ‘Heroes just for one day.’” In the video, Tsar B – whose real name is Justine Bourheus – is seen riding a fake hobble horse: it starts out lavish and beautiful, but as the shot slowly fades out you see the cut-and-dry mechanics behind the movie magic. It’s a fun visual extension of seeing a relationship through, each layer of idealism slowly peeled off until you realise its true nature. By chance, that eager honeymoon phase is also symbolised by how the video – directed by Lennert Madou – was made. “When filming the video, I had to lip sync twice as fast as the original song. My friend recently told me that I live twice as fast as normal people. We concluded that’s why shooting this video went so well: my brain is trapped in a universe where everything goes twice as fast.” [via beatsperminute]

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Known for her work as a key and active member of the Newcastle music scene, notably her role on the board of directors at Sage Gateshead, and vocalist and co-founder of Newcastle cult folk-rockers Holy Moly & The Crackers, Ruth Lyon is also an ardent advocate for the Disabled community through her work as an ambassador for Attitude Is Everything – a charity that aims to improve accessibility for Deaf and Disabled people in live music; Lyon herself has been a wheelchair user since the age of 21.

Influenced by acts such as Fiona Apple, Aldous Harding and Regina Spektor, on new single ‘Trouble’, Lyon explores themes of self-doubt, insecurity, emotional masochism, and the weight of arbitrary expectations – all unravelling through offbeat, sophisticated chamber pop and anti-folk, commanded by her soulful vocals and witty yet raw lyricism.

Produced by John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding), ‘Trouble’ opens with the line “I woke up wondering when I’m going to die.” It’s a track that captures the essence of anxiety, of the expectations heaped upon us at every turn; yet at the same time, it celebrates unknowingness and wildness.

Speaking more on the lyrical inspiration behind new single ‘Trouble’, Ruth said: “This is a reaction against this idea of perfection that society has us believe is the goal, when actually it’s a short cut to death. I’ve never been able to tread the path of least resistance, but nor would I want to. I am hard work, I am difficult, I don’t want to be boxed up with a neat little bow with my labels printed on it. I am trouble and I love it.”

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