So many artists, so many songs, so little time. Each week we review a handful of new albums (of all genres), round up even more new music that we’d call “indie,” and talk about what metal is coming out. We post music news, track premieres, and more all day. We update a playlist weekly of some of our current favorite tracks. Here’s a daily roundup with a bunch of interesting, newly released songs in one place.
PEDRO THE LION – “SPEND TIME” & “DON’T CRY NOW”
Pedro the Lion have shared two new songs from their upcoming album Santa Cruz. Band leader David Bazan says:
On “Spend Time,” and at this point on the album I was starting to write songs for It’s Hard To Find a Friend and reading everything i could find within christendom searching for a theological justification to make art for its own sake, instead of using music as a tool to share my faith. Once I found the permission to write for myself, I finally began to process grief, and that’s part of the background of this song. Like so many of the tunes on these records in this series, it’s a song about masking. And being ashamed of who I really was and what I really wanted to do.
The music [for “Don’t Cry Now”] began when my friend Andy sent me a little loop and I just started jamming on it and made this phrase where the bassline moves around. I had the chorus for a long time and once I had a short version of the song, I listened to it over and over and really enjoyed it. I was really glad that this loop found a place on the record in this way. Again, it’s a song about masking very directly. For some reason it was really important to me that I was able to effectively sell the lie that I was OK. I felt like a lot depended on it.
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ISOBEL CAMPBELL – “DOPAMINE”
Former Belle & Sebastian member Isobel Campbell will release new solo album Bow to Love next week and here’s another early taste. “It’s frequently called the happy hormone and in recent years I’ve been on a quest to uncover and discover what can potentially truly bring and deliver lasting peace and joy,” Isobel says of “Dopamine.”
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ANNA PRIOR (METRONOMY) – “UP2U”
“This song is about my own indecisions,” says Metronomy drummer Anna Prior of her clubby new solo single. “I feel like it’s the phrase most often said to me by my friends and loved ones. It serves as a reminder that my life is mine and I can live it how I choose, it serves to stop me getting hung up on decisions and really take ownership of my life.”
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HAGOP TCHAPARIAN – “TREACLE”
Dance music producer Hagop Tchaparian is back with his first new music since 2022’s Bolts. Like that album, “Treacle” is out via Four Tet’s Text Records and was inspired by watching Four Tet play in Brazil. The song starts of very tribal but soon mutates into banging techno.
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BLOOMSDAY – “ARTICHOKE”
Bloomsday has shared two more tracks off their second album, Heart of the Artichoke — the pedal steel-sweetened “Artichoke,” and bright folk of “Object Permanence.”
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XENO & OAKLANDER – “MAGIC OF THE MANIFOLD”
Synthwave duo Xeno & Oaklander are back with their first new music in three years. They say: “In ‘Magic of the Manifold,’ we created hard hitting drums set against romantic vocals & analog synth harmonies: we muse over the enchantment of a fictitious Mercury cavern where fumes and steam alter the mind and spark the imagination”
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ALAN BRAUFMAN – “CHASING A MELODY”
Saxophonist, flutist and all-around New York jazz legend Alan Braufman has shared another song off his upcoming Infinite Love Infinite Tears. “The title comes from a little problem I (and, I’m sure, many other musicians) have,” Braufman says of “Chasing a Melody,” adding, “Sometimes, I will be talking to someone and I realize I’ve not been listening to what they are saying because a melody has popped up in my head and I’m listening to it instead of the person I’m with. When this happens, I refer to it as chasing a melody.”
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DUCKS LTD. “WHEN YOU’RE OUTSIDE”
Ducks Ltd. begin their spring/summer 2024 tour this weekend, and to celebrate they’ve shared a new single. “When You’re Outside” features backing vocals from Ratboys‘ Julia Steiner and Moontype‘s Margaret McCarthy and was recorded during the same sessions as this year’s fantastic Harm’s Way.
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REZN – “COLLAPSE”
Chicago sludge/psych band REZN have shared another song from their upcoming album Burden, and this one’s a swirling, Eastern-tinged psych song that starts soft but gets pretty damn heavy.
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PERENNIAL – “UP-TIGHT”
Mod organs, dance-punk rhythms, and shouty post-hardcore come together on the latest single from Perennial’s Art History.
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PARANNOUL – “GOLD RIVER”
South Korean shoegaze act Parannoul follows 2023’s excellent After the Magic with “Gold River,” a song that’s equal parts blown-out and gorgeous.
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GRATEFUL DEAD – “SHIP OF FOOLS” (LIVE AT RENO, 5/12/74)
The Grateful Dead are releasing a 50th anniversary edition of 1974’s From The Mars Hotel on June 21 via Rhino, and it comes with a full concert recorded at The University Of Nevada-Reno on 5/12/74. They’ve just shared the hypnotic performance of “Ship of Fools” from that show.
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WRAITH – “HEATHEN’S TOUCH”
Indiana blackened speed metallers Wraith have announced a new album, Fueled By Fear, due June 28 via Prosthetic Records, and here’s the high-speed evil of lead single “Heathen’s Touch.”
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CHRIS BROACH (BRAID) – “BLOOD THICKER THAN HONEY”
Chris Broach (of Braid, The Firebird Band, and SNST) continues his singles series with a split with The 1984 Draft tomorrow (May 10). His contribution is the shouty rocker “Blood Thicker Than Honey” that you can hear early at The Alternative.
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ARIEL – “SOMETHING AMAZING”
Mello Music Group R&B/soul singer Ariel drops a gooey new single.
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AMUSEMENT – “WALK OUT TO SINK”
Portland, OR’s Amusement (members of From Ashes Rise, Artic Flowers, and Deathreat) have a new EP on the way, but first, they’ve just put this video for “Walk Out To Sink” from their 2023 EP of the same name. It’s catchy, fuzzed-out, punky indie rock in the vein of Dinosaur Jr, Superchunk, etc.
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SORRY MOM – “BUT I’M A QUARTERBACK”
Brooklyn indie-punk duo Sorry Mom (aka Juno Moreno and Taryn Gangi) just signed to Hopeless Records, and their first single for the label is the nervy ramp-up “But I’m A Quarterback.” Read more here.
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BEABADOOBEE – “TAKE A BITE”
beabadoobee announced her third album and shared the lead single, which you can read more about here.
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BACCHAE – “NEXT TIME”
DC post-punks Bacchae have announced their new J. Robbins-produced album, Next Time, and they released the title track. Read more here.
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ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – “KIDS ON HOLIDAY” (LIVE)
Animal Collective are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sung Tongs with a new live album, recorded at the 2018 Los Angeles show where Avey Tare and Panda Bear performed it in full. They’ve shared a live rendition of “Kids on Holiday” from that.
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EICHLERS – “SO TRU BESTIE”
Hyperska artist Eichlers has announced a new album, IKE WORLD, and shared lead single “So Tru Bestie.” Read more about it here.
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GHOST – “ABSOLUTION” (LIVE)
Ghost shared the trailer for their new feature film Rite Here Rite Now, and a track from the soundtrack, a live take on “Absolution.”
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GASKET – “SYNDICATE”
Baltimore metallic hardcore band Gasket have announced a new EP for Blue Grape Music (Code Orange, Gel), and you can read about lead single “Syndicate” here.
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the New Songs archive