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Du Blonde has released a new single, ‘Next Big Thing’, which features a collaboration with Skunk Anansie singer Skin. Watch its music video below. The track, issued on Tuesday (October 8), is the latest glimpse into the singer-songwriter’s upcoming fourth album Sniff More Gritty, set for release on November 15 via Daemon TV, after a series of single releases following August’s ‘TV Star’. In the song, backed by fuzzy alt-rock fury, Du Blonde sings lyrics pulled from a laundry list of unrequested “words of advice” they’ve received through their career. Skin joins Du Blonde in its catchy chorus, where they sing: “Where you going? / What about the rest of us? / Hey, where you going? / What about the rest of us?“, as if conjuring the voices that once accosted them. The music video, directed by Ericka Clevenger, sees Du Blonde possessing several onscreen personas – a violent abducter, a nun, and a demon. “‘Next Big Thing’ is the result of my first 15 years in the music industry, from audience members shouting ‘Take your top off!’ during my first shows at 15, to label executives telling me to be less ‘sensitive’ about being sexually harassed,” Du Blonde reveals in a press statement. “Every line in the song is something that has been personally said to me by folks in the industry, but speak to almost any woman or femme-presenting musician and they will have stories to match.” They also share how Skin had been an influence not just on them, but on “kids like me in the 90s” for being “outspoken about her experiences as a frontwoman of a rock band in a male-dominated field. “It’s pioneers like her who paved the way for a lot of young girls and queer kids who didn’t necessarily see themselves on TV or global stages, and I’m so grateful to have her join me on this track.” [via NME]

UK pop riser Chloe Qisha returns with ‘Sexy Goodbye’. If you’re new to Chloe Qisha’s world, then don’t worry – there’s a lot more to come. The pop force-in-waiting will share her new EP on November 15, boasting recent single ‘I Lied, I’m Sorry’ and ‘VCR Home Video’. Deliciously decadent pop thrills, Chloe ups the ante on her latest single. Out now, ‘Sexy Goodbye’ flips the script for a song of departure – it’s about relishing your own worth, and leaving someone with your head held high. Perfectly sculpted, it’s a slinky pop number with a chorus that stays lodged in your mind for days on end. Chloe Qisha comments… “It’s super rare as a songwriter to create a song that you can truthfully say is one of your favourite songs ever (because we’re usually so critical of our own work), but ‘Sexy Goodbye’ is that song for me. The song is about wanting to leave a relationship on your best form – fighting the urge to be sad and hoping that their last impression of you is, ‘damn, they look good.’ We really wanted it to be painfully honest and funny; and we definitely leaned into that as much as possible for the lyrics. I love writing sad/happy songs. I want people to be crying in the club to this song!” [via Clash]

The Velveteers are opening the campaign for their sophomore album, A Million Knives, on a bit of a historic note. The just-released first single, ‘Go Fly Away,’ is a collaboration with the Black Keys — and, in fact, marks the first time Dan Auerbach, who signed the Denver trio to his Easy Eye Sound label and produces the group, and Patrick Carney have produced something together for another act. “Pat’s played drums on some records I (produced) and stuff,” Auerbach tells Billboard. “With the Velveteers he was very hands-on, and it was all of us working in the studio.” Velveteers frontwoman Demi Demitro says Carney was a periodic visitor to the A Million Knives sessions, which took place last December at Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville. “We didn’t know it was that first time, but it was really cool to work with both Dan and Patrick,” Demitro says. Carney, in fact, started the songwriting process off with the opening keyboard line, which Auerbach says came from a music sample library. “We just kind of worked off it from there,” Demitro recalls. “Patrick’s drumming on the song, both of the drummers in my band (Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig) are playing, then I added this heavy guitar for the after-chorus. After we sat with the song for a little bit we added some overdubs, just to kind of put the little sparkling touches to it.” Auerbach says the idea of a Velveteers-Black Keys combination was organic — and perhaps inevitable. “We’d done some touring together and all of us are friends,” he says, “and I think Pat was excited to get in the studio, too, and work on a song with them. That was a really cool experience.” [via Billboard]

XG has unveiled the music video for their new song ‘IYKYK’. This track is the second pre-release from their upcoming second mini-album, AWE, set to launch on November 8. The song showcases XG’s mission to break boundaries through new challenges, featuring the members as they explore the limitless universe at lightning speed. Notably, ‘IYKYK’ samples m-flo’s classic track ‘prism,’ originally released in 2001, lending it an old-school vibe that complements XG’s modern sound. The newly released music video diverges from XG’s previous visual style by presenting a unique perspective on their world. The theme explores how their surroundings might appear through their eyes, capturing a mystical and surreal ambiance. The storyline revolves around each member’s sensory abnormalities, suggesting that by embracing these differences, they can perceive true light. This concept is artfully depicted throughout the video, blending captivating graphics and imagery that align with XG’s ethereal style. The music video is a visual feast, featuring outdoor scenes with pastel colors that evoke a dreamy atmosphere. The dance vibes resonate throughout, with engaging transitions that shift between real-life footage and cartoon characters, enhancing the whimsical quality of the visuals. The forest setting adds to the enchantment, making for a well-crafted and imaginative viewing experience that resonates with fans. Overall, ‘IYKYK’ is a delightful blend of nostalgia and innovation, reflecting XG’s artistry and their homage to m-flo’s influence. [via Tokyo Hive]

Alexis Lucena – known by her stage name LEXXE – has journeyed from the refined worlds of ballet and classical music to breaking new ground in the realm of pop. LEXXE has been forging a distinctive path in her blossoming musical career, releasing a string of dark-pop-infused singles such as ‘Labyrinth’ and ‘Queen of the Night’, each of which has heightened the anticipation for her latest creation, A Haunted House. Blending elements of electronic and dance music, A Haunted House is a bold and striking debut that immediately establishes Lucena as a key player in the contemporary dark-pop scene. The project’s moody, atmospheric production, combined with LEXXE’s inherent gift for storytelling-infused lyricism, creates a captivating experience. A standout track, ‘All Black Mansion’, opens with infectious synth-driven production and breathy ad-libs, which effortlessly draw listeners in. The track also receives a visually compelling music video that immerses viewers in the full LEXXE experience, bringing the hyper-pop anthem to life in vivid detail. [via Wonderland]

Following the release of their sophomore album, Fantasy Now!, Detroit’s garage-psych trio Shadow Show returns with a new double A-side 7″ ‘Baby Yaga / Spy Balloon’ (Rogue Records). While both tracks journey around bombastic grooves and treasured psych-pop impulses, the new single emphasizes the group’s utilization of the studio as an instrument with inclusions of synthesizers, tape delays, and other various overdubs to their harmonious wall of sound. On the songs the trio say: “Both singles were written and recorded at the same time last year, and always meant to be paired as a unit. Despite both new songs have different sonic influences, they share the same spirit and revolve around themes of obsession, hysteria, and the allure and mysticism of The Unknown. The narrative of ‘Baba Yaga’ was directly inspired by the Italian giallo film of its namesake by Corrado Farina. ‘Spy Balloon’ was written during the spy balloon hysteria in American media last year. Together, they showcase our flexibility as a band, and that’s why we chose to represent them equally as a double a-side. That, and because “The Beatles did it.” On the video they continue: “It was an unforgettable adventure in and of itself. For the ‘Spy Balloon’ portion, we drove four hours north to the Sleeping Bear Dunes in the middle of the night to beat the sunrise and mid-July heat to film with our director Cooper Arent and his assistant Tommy Barnes. A few weeks later, we filmed the ‘Baba Yaga’ portion on the hottest and muggiest day of the summer, and barely survived mosquito assaults. Chaos follows us wherever we go, and yet we still manage to have an unforgettable time.” [via Paperface]

Sister Thieves is a NYC-based doomy rock band known for their heavy grooves overlaid by eerie female vocals. Their unique sound weaves together 70s psychedelic and 90s alternative rock to create something entirely new. Formed as a trio in 2017, Sister Thieves released its self-titled EP in 2019 and played extensively around NYC. However, the pandemic and personal setbacks derailed their momentum, leading to a hiatus. In 2023 Steph and Aaron regrouped as a duo, crafting an album with their strongest material to date. Aaron took on recording and mixing duties from his basement studio as Steph directed and edited the music video for their new single ‘Be Bad.’ The band’s new album, CRAWL, drops October 25. [via Ghettoblaster Mag]

Warm Human has officially released her latest album, Hamartia, via Chicago based label mainstay Sooper Records. This marks her first album for Sooper and with a label. Produced and written by Johnston, along with Conor Mackey (Lynyn, NNAMDI, Mobobody), the album follows last year’s alternative rock-leaning Hometown Hero and swings back towards Warm Human’s more electronic roots, while retaining some guitar-infused elements from the former. The new album is also accompanied by a new stunning runway inspired music video for the album’s focus track, ‘Hamartia.’

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