In a world where upheaval and chaos often pave the way for unexpected opportunities for growth and change, Dolly Dagger unsheathes her sword in an unapologetic and explosive alternative/ dark pop single ‘Tower’. Released alongside the mythical, self-directed music video, the Australian-born, but now Los Angeles-based artist is also announcing that she is making the long haul back for a few special shows in Melbourne. Since calling LA her home, Dolly Dagger and her angst-filled pop rock landed her as an official Schecter guitar artist and garnered attention from the likes of Rolling Stone, Australian Music Scene, Grimy Goods, Backseat Mafia, LA Weekly, and placed on multiple editorial playlists across Apple Music and Spotify. Now, inspired by a year of enduring adversity around her character, self-identity and trust, ‘Tower’ references the tarot card – representing growth, shedding baggage and moving onwards and upwards. Dolly speaks on the meaning behind the track: “We all have those moments in our lives where we make it out the other side of something impactful or that changes us and making it out is one thing, letting it go and reclaiming your power or confidence is a whole other challenge. This song presented as real opportunity to vent but I didn’t want to give any more power to the past so instead of repeating it negatively, it was important to me that the lyrics depicted what I did about it and how I recovered from it or how I felt pulling myself out of it not as a victim but as a victor of my own self and identity.” With this intent to take charge, the unwieldy track is saturated in Jesse McInturff’s commanding guitar riffs, Louie Diller’s (drummer/ production/ co-writer) combating drums/ synth pads, and Dolly’s imperishable warcries. The culmination of powerful breakdowns, serrated guitar riffs and electric vocal lines meets adversity with the tip of a blade, ascending in triumph. ‘Tower’ comes with Dolly Dagger’s conquering self-directed/ produced, medieval-inspired music video. Clad in armour and wielding weapons, Dolly and Jesse McInturff are set against a backdrop of castles, dragons, perriling headlands and a cold great chamber. Adorned in various outfits, props and sets all built by Dolly, for a clip that was also entirely conceptualised and directed herself, the visuals perfectly tie into the powerful lyrical metaphors in the song.
Multi-award winning and world-class violinist Lindsey Stirling has joined forces with alt-pop star Royal & the Serpent for her new genre-defying single and video ‘Inner Gold’. With Royal’s gorgeously strange vocals and Lindsey’s strutting rhythms, ‘Inner Gold’ is the second track taken from Lindsey’s forthcoming album Duality out in June and tells the tale of suffering through deception and emerging with a renewed sense of self-reliance. The visuals are huge, featuring both Royal and Lindsey in a choreographed performance.
Imogen And The Knife makes her debut with new single ‘Mother Of God’. The songwriter is already becoming a name to drop, with word of mouth settling on those triumphant live shows. Set to play Abbie McCarthy’s Good Karma Club on May 2nd at London’s Lexington venue, she’s just emerged from the shadows with a full single. Her debut, Imogen And The Knife stakes a claim on ‘Mother Of God’ with its powerful, theatrical vocal and piercing arrangement. Reminiscent of PJ Harvey and Florence + The Machine, the song is strident, full of life, and at times unstoppable. Penned alongside Will Lister and co-writer / producer Alex Parish, ‘Mother Of God’ does what every good debut single should do – it presents an entire world for fans to inhabit. Harv Frost directs the video, which draws on surrealist cinema. “It made sense to reference 1920s surrealist films and artists such as Man Ray and Dora Maar,” tells Imogen. “Where the uneasiness is told through lighting, the deliberate placement and distortion of objects and extreme close ups.” [via Clash]
Earth Tongue blast listeners into a hellscape vortex of sludgy riff overload with their new single ‘Grave Pressure’. Bursting from the soil born anew in the accompanying clip filmed in Berlin and directed / produced by Caity Moloney and Tom Mannion, the zombified duo of Gussie Larkin (Mermaidens) and Ezra Simons seem even more glamorous the second time round — made up and stylishly garbed for their journey into the great beyond, with the bonus addition of grit and grass. Like cosmic beings beaming their undead anthem from outside of time and space (I’m feeling shades of the infamously spooky Sapphire & Steel finale), Earth Tongue’s second studio album Great Haunting will be out on June 14 via US imprint In The Red Records. “If this song was a movie, the protagonist would be trapped in a torturous space between life and death… It’s totally schlocky, and we wanted a video to match that,” says Gussie Larkin. [via Under The Radar]
Northern junglist Nia Archives has just released her debut album, Silence Is Loud, a climactic 13-tracker that has been years in the making. Since seizing everyone’s attention with ‘Headz Gone West’ and the Forbidden Feelingz EP back in 2021, the world’s been clamouring for more and Nia has not faltered. One such track, ‘Cards On The Table’, also just got a video. As with some of the other tracks on the project, ‘Cards On The Table’ leans more on her singer-songwriter chops. There’s still a flighty breakbeat beneath it, but the stars of the show here are her heart-on-the-sleeve vocals and lyrics and the indie, almost Britpop guitar licks. Nia Archives has been showing us her versatility beyond the jungle sphere since day one, but Silence Is Loud gives us the most comprehensive look yet. [via Complex]
Gimme more GIMMY! Hot on the heels of the awesome ‘Things Look Different Now’, the Gemma Owens led, Byron-based garage rockers are back with their forthcoming album’s second single. Taking things in a more playful direction than their previous post punk cut, ‘Bathrooms’ fuses elements from new wave and art rock, taking cues from the likes of Talking Heads, B-52s and David Bowie. Capturing the 80s vibes of the track beautifully is the music video, filmed around the Northern Rivers / Bundjalung Country, featuring some idiosyncratic, synchronised sequences… and Bathrooms, of course. GIMMY’s new album Things Look Different Now is out May 31 via Third Eye Stimuli. [via Pilerats]
Pop-punk powerhouse Taylor Acorn has shared her brand new single ‘Greener’, out now. A vibrant and soaring track about realizing that things can be so much better than you ever imagined, ‘Greener’ serves as a follow-up and juxtaposition to Taylor’s previous single ‘Gray’. In a statement about the single, Taylor said: “‘Greener’ has to be one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written! I wanted this song to capture a feeling of revelation in that ‘grass is greener’ turn of phrase that we all know — and I think the music video does a great job in showcasing it too!! We all go through struggles and tough days where we beat ourselves up emotionally, and then when the going gets good, the grass feels so much greener!!” [via Broadway World]
Girl in Red celebrated the release of her new album on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. The 25-year-old Norwegian singer-songwriter performed her song ‘Too Much’ during Thursday’s episode of the NBC late-night talk show. Girl in Red, born Marie Ringheim, took to the stage in a pinstriped brown blazer and pants against a backdrop of red curtains. ‘Too Much’ appears on Girl in Red’s second studio album, I’m Doing It Again Baby!, released now. The album also features the singles ‘Doing It Again Baby’ and ‘You Need Me Now?’ with Sabrina Carpenter, along with seven other tracks. Girl in Red released a music video for the song ‘I’m Back’ alongside the album. The video shows the singer wander lush green hills on a sunny day. [via Upi]
Dua Lipa has released the latest single from her highly-anticipated third album, Radical Optimism. ‘Illusion’ arrives with a Tanu Muino–directed music video shot at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc in Barcelona. Watch Lipa perform at the luxe pool amid dancers, high divers, and synchronized swimmers below. The picturesque swimming pool in the ‘Illusion’ clip was also the site of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Slow’ video shoot from 2003. Muino’s visual culminates with Lipa climbing a structure inspired by traditional Catalonian human towers, called castells. Lipa co-wrote ‘Illusion’ with Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr., and Kevin Parker, who contribute across the album. The single was co-produced by Harle and Parker. “‘Illusion’ was the first song Caroline, Danny, Tobias, Kevin and I worked on together, and it really broke the ice for the record” Lipa said in press materials. “It’s about knowing what you’re getting yourself into, but staying for the hell of it. The joke’s on them, it’s the fun of playing someone at their own game because ultimately you won’t fall for an illusion.” [via Pitchfork]
