The album features twelve tumultuous tracks recorded in an impressive seventy-two hours at Retro City Studios (Mannequin Pussy, Mitski, Lizzo, The Menzingers) that navigate life through love and rock ‘n’ roll. The band will play a hometown release show at Johnny Brenda’s on ​​Friday, October 21.

Ahead of the release, they shared one last peek into the project with the rocking single ‘Royalty,’ where they recount their difficulties breaking through the male-dominated industry and take ownership of their throne. “‘Royalty’ is about feeling a sense of purpose in playing music and doing it on your own terms,” the band says. “It’s about loving and playing music your whole life and centering so much of your energy on it. It’s also a good momento mori and reminder to live in the moment because we’re here for a short time, so do what you love.” Buzzy guitars ebb and flow with the snarling lyrics, making the track a prime example of their fresh take on classic punk.

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The track tears across a catchy backbeat of drums and guitars before exploding into a mosh-ready second-half, while vocalist Samantha Joan’s tenacious lyrics detail the falling out of a toxic relationship.

The band explains, “It’s about dating someone who promises you the world, but ends up being manipulative and tries to change you, while telling you tons of broken promises.”

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17-year-old, NY-based recording artist Sky Katz has debuted the official video for new single, ‘Why Did You Call?’ A gorgeously-shot visual brimming with poignancy, heartbreak, and biting emotion, Sky delivers her strongest video to-date in a lush display of the intricacies of young love depicted as a stunning short film. Detailing the concept behind the video, of which she wrote the treatment and self-directed, Sky notes: “I had been waiting to make a short film/music video for such a long time. I just haven’t felt like I had the right song for it just yet. Once my song ‘Why Did You Call?’ came out, I realized that this would be the perfect song to make my vision come true. I had in my head exactly what I wanted the video to be and look like. I created a treatment, secured the locations and talent both behind and in front of the camera, including Savannah LaRain who co stars with me on our Netflix series Surviving Summer. We play love interests in my film, which I am so excited to share with my fans. An important part of the inspiration behind this video is for people see a story normalizing young, gay love because it’s so much more rare to see than the usual straight storylines. Whether you relate on a personal level or if you’re just seeing how normal and healthy a same sex relationship is, I find it extremely important to represent and show a relationship like this, especially knowing a large part of my demographic are young kids. I am very pleased with how the video turned out, and I think/hope everyone is going to love it.”

Sydney-based artist Ainsley Farrell has shared her latest single and video ‘Buffet’. This is the second single from her sophomore album, Dirt, set to be released early 2023. Ainsley had this to say about ‘Buffet’: “This song came from a place of feeling angry, powerless and minimized after a few different experiences where men thought they could violate my space and then just go about their day. The main experience the song touches on is when an old man hit on me at a buffet by comparing me to the food. I made excuses for the men who inappropriately hit on me, groped me, and shoved me. Singing this song helps me take back my power and stand up to them when I wasn’t able to at the time.”

After emerging as a viral phenomenon, 20-year-old Mississippi-born and Nashville-based singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Cothran has released the official video for her debut single ‘Baby Why’ via Republic Records. On the track written by Cothran, she leans into a classic throwback vibe with a resounding refrain punctuated by her dynamic vocal range. About the video Sarah commented, “I was inspired by a lot of vintage sounds when I was writing and producing ‘Baby Why’ and I knew I wanted to carry that out into the visuals surrounding the song. In the music video I’m arguing with ‘my boyfriend’ on the phone while watching television. The song involves a lot of back and forth in a toxic relationship and I feel like the beginning scenes really captured that. I then start zoning out and imagining myself in different TV channels. I wanted to make sure to keep a nice balance of the 50’s era inspirations while also staying true to me, and this felt like the perfect way to do so. It was such a cool way to show my personality and combine a lot of the time periods that inspire me in both music and fashion. I got to dress up in so many different outfits and makeup looks so it was like a teenage dream come true!”

At just 17 years old, up-and-comer flowerovlove is quickly blossoming into everyone’s chic, new bedroom-pop fav. Drawing inspiration from artists like Tame Impala, the artist’s love of nature and an earnest approach to songwriting has her living up to her namesake, reflecting the beauty and natural growth of a flower. Coming off the back of her previous single, ‘Hannah Montana,’ flowerovlove returns with her latest offering, ‘Get With You.’ Full of sunny guitars, hand claps and a punchy refrain, the psych-pop confection sees the artist curiously muse over a burgeoning crush with a playful mix of nostalgia and wistfulness. “‘Get With You’ is a mindset of going after something you want,” flowerovlove explains. “Needing, wanting and urging to ‘get with it.'” The track arrives alongside a new visual directed by the artist’s brother, Wilfred Cisse, that shows flowerovlove followed by an obsessed doppelganger from London to Los Angeles. Equal parts Scooby Doo hijinks and David Lynchian existential horror, the music video juxtaposes the song’s light-hearted atmosphere with a mounting sense of paranoia, as flowerovlove’s stalker escalates from popping out of a pool and drinking her leftover tea to hiding out in bathrooms and eerily looming in her backyard. “The ‘Get With You’ visual is a metaphor for chasing after your higher self, chasing after the person you want to be, your dreams and your goals,” the artist says. “Joyce is going after flowerovlove from London to LA to pursue her dreams.” [via PAPER]

With three EPs to their name and having shared stages with the likes of Grinspoon, Amyl & The Sniffers, Clowns, Cosmic Psychos, DZ Deathrays, WAAX and many more, it would seem like the time for alt-punk-rock four-piece VOIID to release an album may be edging near… which now we get the first taste of in the form of new single and video ‘Lexapro’. A nostalgic and chaotically harmonious cut of 90s leaning alt rock goodness, ‘Lexapro’ pairs clean tremolo guitar lines with big distorted riffs and an undeniable anthemic chorus with vocal powerhouse Anji Greenwood’s irresistible delivery the sonic cherry on top. Of the single the band explain, “’Lexapro’ is a huge rant about coming to terms with the realisation of what place women hold in the world, struggling with the intricacies of your mental health and the frustration that comes with wanting to open up but fearing if people will listen. It’s about feeling forever unheard, forever less than, forever inadequate”. ‘Lexapro’ comes with an appropriately fun and trippy video, channelling a little bit of ‘Black Hole Sun’ by Soundgarden vibes across it’s fever dream style visuals and rotating scenes that are sure to remain in your mind long after the video finishes. [via Pilerats]

Black Honey have returned with new single ‘Charlie Bronson’, which marks the group’s first outing of 2022. ‘Charlie Bronson’ is Black Honey’s first new release since their Written & Directed album landed in March last year, and is teamed with a Craig Hemming-directed video. Lead vocalist Izzy B. Phillips says of the new outing, “There’s a personality in my head that feels like Britain’s most notorious prisoner. Sometimes I can’t make sense of anything. It’s a bind of frustration from having to constantly present myself in a way that society accepts. My mind works differently. I say all the wrong things. I hate being ‘ladylike’. I was punished so much for what I know to be my good qualities; a strong minded neurodivergent person who is creative, inquisitive, excitable and in my own universe.” “I was medicated, my shine dimmed and I began to see how the world rewards women who turn invisible,” she adds. “‘Charlie Bronson’ is my rage.” [via Line Of Best Fit]

Singer-songwriter-producer Nina Diaz, premieres new alternative/rock video single ‘Holy Mary Mother In Me’ as a declaration of autonomy in the face of laws rescinding abortion rights. The track which recalls artists like Stone Temple Pilots, Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, Babes in Toyland, stems from her upcoming studio album titled, I Could Be You, You Could Be Me, which drops on August 18. On writing and performing the song ‘Holy Mary Mother In Me’ Nina Diaz says: “I have a chaotic spiritual practice. I pull, with respect, from many religions and form what make sense to me. Mother Mary in Catholicism represents strength to me and goddess energy. Archangel Michael helps cut energetic cords that stop you from moving on or healing. When I first wrote this song, I was in the process of breaking free from authority. Now this song means even more to me when I perform since people in power are banning certain rights for women in Texas. There have been times on tour, or here at home, when passing an abortion clinic, anti-choice groups would not only carry photos of fetuses, but they would hold up images of Mother Mary. Yes, in Catholicism she does represent purity and life. But to me she also represents strength, choice, individuality and courage. Considering the recent ban on abortions in Texas, I feel this song, and the symbolism in this video represents the frustration of what it feels like when someone tells you what you can or cannot do with your own body. Especially when you are feeling lost, or stuck, or at a crossroads. As I mentioned before, Mother Mary is a badass in my eyes, and I am interpreting what it’s like to break free from the fears of others, and to have the right to make decisions for your own life.” The video was directed and edited by Nina Diaz, and was shot with the help of camera assistants Carly Garza and Ann Correa. Discussing the video production Diaz says: “There is much symbolisms in this video. I draw inspiration from Pamela Colman Smith’s illustrations used for tarot card decks. I also bring back the theme of “shadow work” as I include a shadow dance as part of the visuals. I want to share how the tarot cards are interpreted here: Two of Swords represents a stalemate, truce or being at a crossroads. Three of Swords represents a fundamentally sorrowful experience. Eight of Swords a feeling of being trapped and victimized. Ten of Swords represents destruction, being pinned down by a multitude of things or situations. I cut the ties binding me as the Eight of Swords, freeing myself to make a choice and embrace my power after feeling lost for so long.”

Night School’s forthcoming third album Invoke clearly reflects the band’s come-up within various West Coast rock circles, with the scuzzy sunshine pop of Best Coast and the tunneling shoegaze of Nothing both rearing their heads on the album’s early singles. The second single from the project arrives today, with ‘Tunnel Vision’ hitting that balance perfectly, thanks in part to production from ex-Nothing instrumentalist Nick Bassett. “‘Tunnel Vision’ just sort of spilled out of my head one night,” the band’s Sarah Vyeda shares, noting that the pandemic inspired her to spend more time with her guitar. “After I had written out the rhythm and lyrics, it came together pretty quickly and was one of the first songs we recorded for Invoke. I love the heaviness and chaos music can convey, and I wanted to feel that when writing my first song.” The track arrives with a visual directed by the band which blends Midsommar’s sense of sunlit horrors with the dreamstate imagery (and, notably, the white dresses) of Picnic at Hanging Rock. [via FLOOD]

Early in 2020, during the twilight hours of an otherwise uneventful Sunday, the sky turned a lurid shade of orange with the air carrying greater qualities of smoke than a West Auckland shed party. The sun grew so dim you’d be convinced it was barely a spark from a Bic lighter, blotted out by a thick blanket of smog which had drifted trans-Tasman from the bushfires raging in Australia. Given the extremely low light and poor visibility, I didn’t even think it was a good idea to drive that day let alone film a music video. However, that is exactly what dream-pop sensations CRUSH and co-director Martin Sagadin decided to do, setting their haunting, dub-infused new single ‘Abstract Oils’ to the backdrop of weather conditions fit to hail in an apocalypse. CRUSH, if you haven’t yet crossed paths with them, is something of a “supergroup”. Comprised of Richard Larsen and Bevan Smith from Ōtautahi’s Glass Vaults, Charlotte Forrester of Pōneke sibling ensemble Womb and Cory Champion (Borrowed cs), the band serve lush, ethereal melodies with rich textural depth. The ghostly vocal harmonies of ‘Abstract Oils’ weave between each other, wistfully pulling the listeners attention between acoustic elements as they arrive and depart from the mix. It’s engaging listening which floats breezily from movement to movement — not unlike the several thousand square kilometres of bushfire smoke that showed up just in time to shoot one of the most beautiful music videos you’ll see this year. [via Under The Radar]

Christabel (the solo moniker of Tāmaki Makaurau’s Christabel Williams) has unveiled spiky new soul-pop anthem ‘JEALOUS’, along with an eye-popping video co-starring Stranger Things actor Konstantin Podprugin. Flexing her acting skills in director Mason Cade Packer’s clip filmed with friends in LA, there’s definite shades of John Waters’ Serial Mom as Christabel prepares an outrageously gross dinner for her cheating hubby in the couple’s cosy ’60s retro suburban home. Stacking the catchy hooks and sawtooth synths perilously high, hit play on the knives-out visuals made with support from NZ On Air below and be aware of the accompanying content warning: mild adult themes, blood and cannibalism… Christabel says: “This song, unlike most of mine, is not based on personal experience this time! Jealous was carved from observing toxic relationships between friends and people I knew. The kind of relationship that really isn’t ever going to work, the kicking, screaming, on and off again, absolute chalk and cheese kind of relationship. This was my chance to put myself in their shoes, become a whole new character, and then do the same on-screen.” [via Under The Radar]

R&B singer and Dreamville associate Ari Lennox released her debut album, Shea Butter Baby, back in 2019, and she’s spent the past couple years putting out some loose singles. Now, she’s announced her sophomore album, age/sex/location, which will be out on September 9. It looks like out of that long string of singles, only ‘Pressure’ made the cut for the album, but now she is sharing another new track, the seductive and smooth ‘Hoodie,’ whose chorus goes like this: “Can I fit in that hoodie? I’m tryna get in that hoodie.” The track’s music video co-stars Isaiah Rashad. [via Stereogum]

Following a tantalizing pair of singles, Philly-based women punk rockers Vixen77 announce their highly anticipated debut album Easy Access, out October 14. Distributed via Megaforce Records (Metallica, Anthrax, Meat Puppets, Dirty Honey, Plush, etc.), the album features twelve tumultuous tracks recorded in an impressive seventy-two hours at Retro City Studios (Mannequin Pussy, Mitski, Lizzo, The Menzingers) that navigate life through love and rock ‘n’ roll. Alongside the news, they also shared their latest taste of the project with the single and video ‘Some Days’. A back-and-forth ripper, the track is about preserving one’s mental health, and accepting that some days, it’s okay to not be okay. The band expands, “It’s about mental health and how you have to try to be okay all the time. Some days you don’t because you don’t want to, and some days you won’t because you’re unable to.”

Sylvan Esso let their freak selves shine with the release of a resounding new album, No Rules Sandy. Created primarily over the course of three weeks that Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn spent in a small Los Angeles rental home at the beginning of 2022, it is both the fastest the band has ever made a record, and the most uninhibited. “Even if we weren’t feeling good, we would just sit down and try to make something,” Meath says. “Pretty much every day that we did that, we got a song that we liked.” Out now on Loma Vista Recordings, No Rules Sandy is accompanied by a thrilling music video for the standout ‘Echo Party’. Directed by Lindsey Nico Mann (Major Lazer, Silk City, Teenage Wrist, Dirty Projectors, Alice Glass), the visual follows Meath as she raves from a downtown, warehouse dancefloor to the mossy ground of an otherworldly forest. Over wobbling bass, warbling vocals and ecstatic promise of a party you may never be able to leave, an exhilarating tension emerges between the lightness and darkness of a good time.

Danish superstar MØ has today released Motordrome: The Dødsdrom Edition, an expanded version of her recent album Motordrome, alongside a new single ‘Spaceman’, which are both out now via RCA. Featuring the 1996 #1 hit by Babylon Zoo, MØ’s new single ‘Spaceman’ is an upbeat and eccentric track that feels like an alternate reality rave and is accompanied by a mesmerising and dramatic video by Fa & Fon, who also directed the ‘New Moon’ video. MØ says: “I wrote my version of the song with Noonie Bao, Ilsey Juber, and Oscar Holter, building on the original version written by Jas Mann. It was Oscar Holter who had the brilliant idea to use the hook from Babylon Zoo’s cult classic ‘Spaceman’ as the chorus, and we all loved that idea! We wrote our demo back in 2017, but the timing just didn’t feel right. Then came 2022, and all of a sudden, I was like “it’s now!” We decided to rework the production a little bit – describing the vibe we were going for as “Gotham rave party” – and that’s how we arrived at the final version.”

Bella Poarch has released her EP Dolls, as well as a new music video for her track, ‘Living Hell’. The new EP includes previously released tracks ‘Build A Bitch’, ‘Inferno’ as well as title track ‘Dolls’. New single, ‘Living Hell’ also features on the EP as well as tracks ‘Villain’ and ‘No Man’s Land’, which features Grimes. “I’m really excited to release my first EP after starting this journey during lockdown,” Poarch said. “Dolls is my personal story of challenges and growth over time that I hope my fans can relate to.” In the sinister video for Bella’s latest single, ‘Living Hell’, the TikTok star is trapped in a room, something she’s previously discussed experiencing in childhood. According to a release, the video is meant to depict Poarch seeing her younger self, and realizing “the pain inflicted on her as a child no longer defines her life.” [via NME]

Jackie Cohen has unveiled her new single ‘The Valley’, which is taken from the upcoming album Pratfall. The track features Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering on the 12-string guitar as well as backing vocals from Shaun Fleming (aka Diane Coffee). Check out its Marly Ludwig-directed video above. Discussing ‘The Valley’, Cohen explained in a statement: “This folk song is for the Valley girls and Ventura Boulevard pervs. It’s my most autobiographical song. A love letter within the context of Stockholm Syndrome. When I wrote this song, I was listening to a lot of Joni Mitchell and Radiohead and Paul Simon, all artists who have mastered the glitteringly pretty and haunted song about being back in a town. This song, for me, is like those big amalgamated memory sequences that happen in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Vanilla Sky.” Both films are about these deeply melancholic characters who aren’t ready to reckon with themselves, and they kick and thrash and self-sabotage until they are so badly injured that they elect to undergo fantastic dystopian medical procedures meant to erase their pain and affect ignorant bliss. There is no bliss. Their formative memories bubble up and mash together and distort and zombify. When I wrote ‘The Valley,’ I was just beginning to notice the bubbling. It’s a sentimental song about the catastrophe of realizing who you are a second too late and the weirdly serene experience of looking back in grief as everything unravels. For a while, it really felt like I had escaped the trappings of my upbringing. It really annoys me how everything really does boil down to childhood. I think it’s really cool that we made an orchestral piece without an orchestra.” [via Our Culture Mag]

Mia Rodriguez has shared her third single for the year, ‘I LUV U’. “Loving people is hard, sometimes it can hurt – so much so, that it tears emotions in two different directions,” Rodriguez explained in a statement accompanying the track, which oscillates between acoustic guitar-driven verses and a heavily-distorted refrain. “[The lyric] ‘I love you so much I want to punch you in the face‘ isn’t literal, but it symbolises the overwhelming feelings which you can be impacted by from love,” she added. ‘I LUV U’ arrives alongside a Josh Harris-directed music video, which sends Rodriguez back to high school and has the feel of a horror film. “It was fun to take this video into a darker place that symbolises the overwhelming feelings that can be triggered by love,” Rodriguez said of the video. [via NME]

A dark angel has fallen straight into the pop charts. With twisted lyrics contemplating love, life, and death, DeathbyRomy sings and screams harmonies over tracks mixed with industrial noise. After working with Capitol Records on two recent releases, Love u — to Death and Songs For My Funeral, Romy Flores is back to being an independent artist, creating without boundaries—an approach that lead to her sexiest and most abrasive track to date, ‘No Mercy.’ In the song, Flores brought melodrama to hardcore, gently singing morbid lyrics: “Your nightmare is the man of my dreams / It turns me on when he makes you bleed / Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the sickest bitch of all.” Following the steps of City Morgue, Flores is continuing to reinvent nu metal by instituting a guitar riff, screaming an almost Korn-like chorus and following a catchy pop structure. Adding more metal into her sound is a route that works well for the DeathbyRomy persona Flores fabricated at age 15. ‘No Mercy’ is explosive and electronic, appealing to the highly online culture of her generation. She is neither emo nor goth, both words never resonated with her—unlike the outcast label she recalls receiving in high school. Due to the bullying, Flores sought refuge in an online community—and after dropping out and earning her GED, she has emerged as an edgy pop star known for playing with trap and rock and roll simultaneously. With the track’s music video—a Phobia Films production directed by Flores herself, Gnarlos Wright, and Rake—released today, DeathbyRomy will be seen dancing in a cool-toned trailer park, lying on an abandonded railroad tracks, and locked up with her dangerous lover. She’s surrounded by neighbors, including little girls in babydoll dresses carrying rifles. It’s chaotic and creepy with vomited blood and strobe light flashes. [via Document]

London singer-songwriter Salt Ashes follows up previous single ‘Body Says’ with a new electrifying single ‘Didn’t See It Coming,’ The songstress spoke about it embodying her toxic take on a love song. Salt Ashes explains: “‘Didn’t See It Coming’ is my f*cked up version of a love song. It’s how an unexpected love managed to pull me away from a way of life I thought I wasn’t ready to leave until they slapped me in the face… metaphorically, of course.” Love flows in the air and latches on you when you least expect it. As Salt Ashes puts in, it usually blinds our judgment until we get metaphorically slapped in the face. The beginning ‘Didn’t See It Coming’ has the creeping escalation of what falling in love could sound like. [via Indie Music]

Canadian superstar Carly Rae Jepsen released a brand-new single last week, ‘Beach House,’ to promote her upcoming studio album The Loneliest Time. She had previously released ‘Western Wind’ just in time for her set at Coachella 2022, but ‘Beach House’ is keeping the momentum going even further for the album. In the music video for ‘Beach House,’ Jepsen is first seen having a conversation with two other women who are in committed relationships. While they reminisce about being single and think that Jepsen is living her best life, the singer notes that it isn’t easy out there in the dating scene. “You guys don’t know what it’s like out there,” Jepsen argues, before breaking out to sing her latest song. ‘Beach House’ is all about the roller-coaster ride of being single. Going on dates and meeting guys who she’s not into, who are taken, or who overpromise and underdeliver. Ultimately, these men are bound to “hurt your feelings,” Jepsen sings. [via Pride]

M.I.A. takes on influencer culture with the release of her new single ‘Popular,’ the latest preview of her upcoming album MATA. The track arrives with a creepy music video starring an “influencer-bot-in-training” fittingly named M.A.I. Over an uptempo dance beat propelled forward by tribal drums and celebratory horns, the British-Tamil artist sarcastically regurgitates empty phrases that often pour out of the mouths of influencers. “Love me like I love me,” she sings on the chorus. “Suddenly it’s about me/ You wanna be around me/ ‘Cause I love myself/ I’m living my best life.” In the music video, M.I.A. trains her robot counterpart by showing M.A.I. how to dance more fluidly and rap along to ‘Popular.’ At one point, that means reducing the influencer bot’s screen time. By the end of the clip, the fed-up musician decides it’s all an exercise in futility. Watch the Arnaud Bresson-directed clip above. [via Consequence]

Legendary indie rock group Yeah Yeah Yeahs recently released a brand new music video for their latest single, ‘Burning.’ This new single is off of their highly anticipated fifth album Cool It Down, the band’s first new album in nine years, which releases on September 30. The music video for ‘Burning,’ directed by musician Cody Critcheloe, is incredibly visually impressive, to say the least. The video features amazing choreography, set design and visual effects. These things, when combined with the creative use of colors and occasional subtitled dialogue for the characters within the video, create an incredible visual experience that is both surreal and energetic, fitting the song ‘Burning,’ incredibly well. [via mxdwn]

Australian queer pop artist Hallie introduces their brand-new single/music video, ‘Do It,’ a song capturing the longing for a romantic response. Hallie explains, “I wrote ‘Do it’ about trying to get into the swing of dating again and the child-like nerves of flirting. I was experiencing loneliness while simultaneously wanting to explore my sexuality and make new connections. I find that stage just as exciting as it is scary and confronting and this song is me being honest with how I was feeling and giving myself a push toward exploring those crushes.” The video for ‘Do It,’ co-directed by Hallie and Lili Pedrazzini, depicts Hallie at once elated over their new crush and frustrated by the lack of reciprocity. ‘Do It’ opens on emerging, trickling guitars topped by a soft, echoing voice. As the tune ramps up, it takes on the contagious heft and energy of alt-pop flavored with hints of alt-rock. Vaguely reminiscent of Liz Phair, the song pushes out potent leitmotifs intermingled with gentle, shimmering chapters. Hallie’s crème de la crème voice imbues the lyrics with deliciously nuanced tones, alluring and evocative. [via Guitar Girl Mag]

Singer-songwriter ella jane has shared a new video for ‘How Do I Lose You’ off her forthcoming project marginalia coming out October 28 via FADER Label (Clairo, Matt and Kim). Of the track, ella jane says, “‘How Do I Lose You’ is a quintessential example of how much I love to pair fairly unhappy lyrics with upbeat, danceable music. I get such a kick out of tricking the listener like that. So despite its quick pace and jumpy melody, the track is really about the anxiety of being in an undefined, ‘let’s see where this goes’ type of (non-)relationship.” Ella continues, “Musically, it’s definitely one of my poppier efforts, but I love the way the production kind of indie-fies it. Part of that is actually thanks to Orla Gartland (although I don’t think she knows it yet); I was really inspired by this video she posted a while back where she explains how she duct-taped the strings of an upright piano to create this muted, mallet-y sound in her song ‘More Like You.’ I tried the trick on my piano at home, and soon started bringing a roll of duct tape with me every time I went to the studio. It immediately became a really big component of the texture of ‘How Do I Lose You,’ and later many other tracks on my forthcoming project.” The video, directed by Aerin Moreno (Girlpool), mirrors this combo of lighthearted and doubt, with a very camp alien encounter that could have gone in a much more gruesome direction. It’s easy to laugh along with ella… the over-the-top makeup of the Seuss-like alien as he peeks through the window conveys the absurdity of how the non-relationship has become the norm. If we’re not laughing – if we’re not jamming to upbeat melodies – we’re crying. And now’s not the time for tears. [via Northern Transmissions]

Los Angeles pop star MIZZI is treating us to a vibrant end to the summer with her newest video for ‘BOMB.’ Directed by Adam Shattuck, the visual follows MIZZI as she embraces confidence, allowing listeners to dive into her world and feel just as empowered. With inviting graphics and a rain of color, the video is also a perfect representation of MIZZI’s sound – electric, capturing and fun. ‘BOMB’ is the most recent video off MIZZI’s previously released LP, SUGAR HIGH. “The ‘BOMB’ music video was so much fun to shoot,” MIZZI recalls. “We wanted it bright and colorful for the summer with an edge. The set, dancers and giant lollipops really made the song come to life.”

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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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