A few weeks ago, Patio returned with ‘En Plein Air,’ and now they’re announcing a new album, Collection, the follow-up to their 2019 debut Essentials. Like that first single, the whole album was produced by Water From Your Eyes’ Nate Amos. They’re also sharing a new single, ‘Sixpence,’ which comes with a music video directed by Ambar Navarro. “Sixpence’ was conceived within an early 70s daydream of decadence, glamour, and self-indulgence. It’s about false identities — how money helps us create illusions that affect how others perceive us, and how we perceive ourselves,” the band shared in a statement. “Inspired by Roxy Music, David Bowie, and the lethargic boredom that remains when ambition is thwarted by apathy.” [via Stereogum]
Samantha Urbani has put out quite a bit of music on her own over the years, but she’s never released a full-length album. That’s about to change. Now, Urbani has announced Showing Up, her debut solo LP, and it’ll be out in September. She previewed it last month with ‘More Than A Feeling,’ and she’s back with a second single, ‘One Day At A Time.’ Here’s Urbani’s statement on the track: “Ok ok. I am the tough guy and I am dead serious. I am an advocate, a protector, and an activist. I’m also a total crusher and yolo’er and I take the sweet risks and I justify it all to myself even when I know I myself am being the idiot. This is basically the cutie goofer song about wanting the player and drawing it out. Kissing you FEELS vital to my survival! I know its NOT! It’s just a FEELING! BUT THATS A BIG FEELING! THATS A HUGE LONGING! THATS A LONG ACHING! Urgh, can’t we just ween it off little by little? Once a week act in love? fuck it up one day at a time? Not fuck it up all at once? This is the sasser. This is the Tom Tom club. This is samandude of Friends the band – not Professor Urbani. I threw it back and got into character. Cause no matter how smart I get I am deeply her. I’m smarter? I’m older. You’re stupid. Come over.” [via Stereogum]
Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs shares her music video for ‘Bad’ via Arista Records. The track is off her recently released When Everything Went Dark EP while the official ‘Bad’ music video marks her directorial debut. “The truth is I have been undoing parts of my past for as long as I can remember. I think that’s part of being a woman and a human. When I was little, there was a huge emphasis on being “good” and a big part of being “good” was based on being polite,” Briggs says about the music video. “As I have grown up and experienced many iterations of #metoo, I’ve found that sometimes speaking the truth isn’t “polite” or “good” or “pretty.” Sometimes it’s bad, ugly and honest. I’d rather we see women being the latter and every detail in this music video puts emphasis on finding your voice no matter how hard it is to speak out. Thank you for taking the time to watch.” [via mxdwn]
American singer Iniko has officially dropped an official music for her sensational single dubbed ‘Jericho’ which has taking over the social media in recent weeks with over 2 Million views on TikTok. Iniko who has brought another perspective in the music industry takes us on another journey with with epic video depicting another world as portrayed in the lyrics of the song. The song talks about her possessing powers from outer space and beyond which makes her different from others. In the age of new technology and AI being our day to day to deal with, it is a relatable song which has become her signature. [via Zedscoop]
The queen of BimboTok is back with a banger. On Friday, Chrissy Chlapecka released the colorful video for her song ‘Brat,’ inspired by the iconic makeover scenes in the best Nineties movies, and featuring drag queens Sugar and Spice. “It’s campy, it’s fun. It’s a Nineties makeover montage, which is the most iconic part of every Nineties or 2000s movie! Sugar and Spice basically Bratzify me,” Chalpecka tells Rolling Stone. “It’s about becoming a little bratty bitch and stepping into your anger and rightful emotions.” The Michael Arellano-directed video follows Chlapecka as she undergoes a transformation from being a “plain Jane, doll-like girl” who can’t move on her own and is “very stuck” to getting out of her shell and embodying her full power through the help of Sugar and Spice. “Growing up I was so conditioned to not feel things and always put that smile on and literally be a plastic doll,” Chlapecka says. “In ‘Brat,’ it shows that difference in how much cooler I became after the people around me hype me up.” Despite the song’s silly, upbeat nature, Chlapecka says the lyrics were inspired by something more serious. The lyrics are a reflection of the power she wishes she had the night prior when she says she was assaulted. “It was inspired by a not-so-wonderful experience I went through the night before and the things I wish I said when I was assaulted,” she says. “It’s about all the things I wish I said: I wouldn’t touch a man with a ten-foot pole or I wouldn’t give a fuck if you’re bleeding.” The video was directed by the “fucking phenomenal” Arellano, who DM’d one of Chlapecka’s songwriters saying that he was interested in working with her. “It just started with him believing in me,” she says. “He changed my mindset from being really anxious in my career to ‘Wait, I’ve got this.’” [via Rolling Stone]
Rising singer-songwriter, maryjo is lighting up the summer with her new single, ‘Don’t Call Me’ via Atlantic Records. Her most upbeat release thus far, the high spirited new track is joined by an retro-fueled official visual, which can be seen now below. The song was produced by frequent collaborator Logan Maggio & Lionel Crasta and co-written by maryjo with Maggio, Beau Bailey (Thomas Rhett, Bailey Zimmerman), and Atlantic Records labelmate Knox. “‘Don’t Call Me’ is a sassy, upbeat, feel good summer song,” says maryjo. “It was a nice change of pace from the sad slower songs I have been writing. They say there are 5 stages of grief after a break up. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I thought it would be fun to showcase the anger side, but maybe in my not so angry way!” [via Prelude Press]
If there’s one thing that can be said about singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/video director/record label owner ZZ Ward, it’s that she can’t be pinned down. Dirty Shine is the name of her newly announced album, slated for release on September 8, and with this news comes ‘On One,’ a lead single with zombie-cowboy music video that fully encapsulates the creative freedom Ward is striving for as a newly independent artist. Blending a booming bass-heavy hip hop instrumental and bluesy songwriting, the song is filled with braggadocio and confidence, energy pumping from the lyrics and production. Its accompanying video is a delight to watch, drawing on a classic Western aesthetic as Ward fends off zombified cowboys, eventually leading to a dancing stand-off that leaves her undead opponents in the dust (and on the ground). [via mxdwn]
sophie meiers has released their new single, ‘someone to be there’, taken from their concept EP, spark__space, out on August 24. Part two of their immersive “portal” trilogy of EP’s, each one embodies its own unique sound, story, and feel. In this world, they explore the earthly and mundane: flesh and blood. Lyrically exploring themes of lust, devotion, attachment, and the nuances of human experience. In ‘someone to be there’ sophie articulates feelings of vulnerability and longing, discussing their hesitancy to trust after being hurt in the past. Built on a foundation of dreamy guitars imbued in a swell of gauzy synths and flurries of sparkly production flairs, a soulful breakbeat is added that builds on the laid-back vibe. On the inspiration behind the song, the multi-creative expresses, “I find myself in very complicated relationships; it’s really hard for me to be healthy and casual after the things I’ve experienced in my childhood. I have a tendency of getting attached to people I care about, and with this comes the fear of losing them. I’m always very upfront about my traumas and trust issues, so it’s very scary when somebody says that I can rely and depend on them.” [via Prelude Press]
While most of us were worried about losing our minds, it turns out we should have been more protective of our hearts. Morgan Saint understands the balance between the two, and the vulnerability that comes with safeguarding on our continuous path to wellness. The New York artist — a singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, director, and designer — recently traded the hustle of Manhattan for the wine country chill of Long Island’s North Fork, and her first new single in years is a sparking and warm synth-pop comfort bop called ‘Did You Lose Your Heart.’ There’s no question mark at the end of that title, offering up as much a statement as inquiry. “This song encompasses both sides of me — half melancholy, half high in the clouds with the sun in my face,” Saint says. “Equally puzzled and in awe of the universe and my place in it. My life has been a series of heartbreaks and breakthroughs. Right between the two is where I’ve always felt the most in-tune with my deepest emotions. This song lives right in that scary, magical space.” ‘Did You Lose Your Heart’ also arrives with an accompanying music video self-directed by Saint alongside her wife and creative partner Carley Ridersleeve. “The music video is me working towards my highest self,” she adds. “I’m picking up the pieces from a storm, and building myself back up one luminescent brick at a time. Searching for the light, for peace, and for a deeper understanding of myself.” [via Vanyaland]
piri & Tommy Villiers have dropped their latest single, ‘lovergirl’. The song follows on from ‘nice 2 me’ and ‘updown’, and arrives with both a Mario Kart-inspired video. Speaking about the track, piri says: “Lyrically, ‘lovergirl’ was written from the perspective of me singing to myself, writing this song felt so personal and uplifting. it’s about that feeling after a relationship where you reflect on how much energy and time you put into another person, it’s easy to get angry at yourself and see it as a waste of effort, but in this track i’m saying “no, you should be proud to be a lovergirl!!” [via Dork]
Jessie Ware has enlisted Róisín Murphy for a new version of her That! Feels Good! track ‘Freak Me Now.’ Ware said in a press release: “It is a huge honour to have the queen of disco, Róisín Murphy on ‘Freak Me Now.’ I messaged her hoping she may be interested in featuring on the song and before I knew it she was in the studio. She recorded all her vocals for the track and sent them over to us. I have admired her work for so many years & respect her so much. To have her on one of the most fun tracks on That! Feels Good! Is amazing. I can’t wait for us to do this together live in the future! I know my fans are gonna go crazy about this, as am I. I still can’t quite believe we are on a track together and have done a bonkers video together. She is graceful, she is generous, she is pioneering, she is Róisín Murphy and she is on ‘Freak Me Now!’” Murphy added: “Jessie is just brilliant, a super talented songwriter and an amazing singer. She’s truly beautiful but she’s also very funny and never take’s herself too seriously. We’ve been talking about working together for a while. When she sent me ‘Freak Me Now’ I just adored it and felt it was perfectly right for me to be on the song. We had mad fun dressing up on the day of the video, it was fashion chaos!! Like a high-class jumble sale, behind the scenes. We laughed at our ridiculousness and we were very silly all day! Just love her and loved everything about working with her.” [via Pitchfork]