Jenny Hval unveils the enchanting new single, ‘Buffy’. ‘Buffy’ began with Hval improvising on the synth, and the resulting chords express a hopeful loneliness, woven from a repetitive pattern. “Somehow I improvised some lyrics that referred to Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” says Hval, “probably just because I have watched it many times.I do like the idea that a TV series with many episodes, like Buffy, can be used as a creative...
Romy — of The xx —unveils a new single, ‘Strong’ featuring Fred again.., alongside a video directed by her wife, the filmmaker and photographer Vic Lentaigne. ‘Strong’ came from a moment in my life when I was processing past grief,” says Romy. “Whilst writing the lyrics I was thinking about my cousin Luis, we both have the shared experience of our mums passing away when we were young. I recognise in him the same trait I have which is to...
A note from Jen on ‘Mana Takatāpui’ out now: “In 2019 I typed the words ‘Māori word for Queer’ into Google. The word ‘takatāpui’ flashed onto my screen with this description: ‘Takatāpui is the Māori word meaning a devoted partner of the same sex. In Western terminology, a person who identifies as takatāpui is a Māori individual who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Takatāpui is used nowadays in response to...
Today, Jeremy Nutzman, the Minneapolis-raised artist known as Velvet Negroni, releases ‘Pop Song 2 & 1’. Juddering and billowing with piano and flickering percussion, ‘Pop Song 2 & 1’ is taken from his upcoming second album, Bulli, out on 13 January 2023. Created during a particularly tumultuous time in Nutzman’s life that involved drug abuse, bank fraud, and a house fire, it’s unsurprising that Bulli would echo his present state of mind. Bulli feels anticipatory, often frantic and manic...
Lucifer on the Moon is the anti-gravity companion to Spoon’sLucifer on the Sofa. It’s a full-on reimagination of the Austin band’s tenth album created by On-U Sound founder and UK dub icon, Adrian Sherwood. Lucifer on the Moon flips Lucifer on the Sofa’s rhythm tracks inside-out, and often rebuilds them wholesale. Sherwood supplied extensive additional instrumentation via On-U’s extended family of session players, including bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Keith LeBlanc (both of whom performed in Sugarhill Records’ early ’80s in-house rhythm section)....
Melbourne-based genre-melders Huntly announce the release of their most cohesive project to date – their sophomore album Sentimental Still out Friday, 3rd February. The omnibus news comes alongside the second single and video ‘It’s You I’m Here For’. On Sentimental Still, Huntly demonstrate new evolution as their work explores the nature of relationships and a dedication to intimacy in all its forms. It’s a stunning collection of music highlighting a myriad of influences from UK garage, breakbeat, electronic-pop and alternative R&B. Written between 2019...
Today, singer, rapper and producer HAWA releases her debut album HADJA BANGOURA via 4AD / Remote Control. The album, named for HAWA’s great-grandmother who passed away last year, forms a vessel for healing as HAWA crafts a letter to herself through which to work past her toxic relationships. Its guiding light is the palpable, fierce confidence she inhabits as she comes to terms with her past, inspired by the resilient Hadja. On the album, HAWA creates a layered soundscape...
Dance-punks Special Interest today reveal their new album Endure out now via Rough Trade / Remote Control Records. Endure was self-produced and recorded at HighTower in New Orleans with engineering by James Whitten, mixed by Collin Dupuis (Angel Olsen, Yves Tumor, Lana Del Rey) and mastered by Matt Colton in London at Metropolis. Special Interest describes the experience of recording Endure as “inverted,” since the pandemic obviously stunted the possibilities of live performance, resulting in a new period of experimentation and sonic exploration in which...
Oliver Sim debuts a remix of ‘GMT’ from legendary artist and musician Wolfgang Tillmans and his production partner Marc Krether. Longtime mutual admirers, this is the first official collaboration between the two. The original version is taken from Oliver’s much lauded debut album Hideous Bastard. Produced by Oliver’s The xx bandmate and lifelong friend Jamie xx, the album is a collection of songs inspired by Oliver’s love of horror movies and his own life experience. Stream...
Yo La Tengo will release their sixteenth album This Stupid World on February 10th. What’s more, you can listen to the new song ‘Fallout’ below! Yo La Tengo have raced time for nearly four decades and they just keep winning. The trio’s latest victory is called This Stupid World, a spellbinding set of reflective songs that resist the ticking clock. This music is not so much timeless as time-defiant. “I want to fall out of...
Daring to go where few bands have gone before, Future Islands have done the unthinkable and covered ‘Last Christmas’, the classic festive song originally made famous by Wham! The Baltimore group’s playful reworking retains the song’s charm and melody as Samuel T. Herring’s distinctive vocals adds potent emotional heft to George Michael’s bittersweet lyrics. Future Islands headline Australian / New Zealand tour tickets go on general sale Thursday, 3rd November at 10am local time. For more information and full tour details head to handsometours.com Stream...
Patrick Holland shares a brand new single and his first new material since releasing his debut record. Holland explains that ‘Years In The Ground’ is “a discussion between a shoulder angel and devil on how to spend your time and money.” Watch the accompanying video below! He continues, “I made this video with my best friend Geoff (Meugens). We woke in the early hours of summer 2021 to catch the sunrise on...
Brooklyn-via-Kansas City artist Scout Gillett has released her debut album no roof no floor. While “home” can be a tough thing for Gillett to pinpoint, she found her place in Brooklyn’s DIY scene, playing in multiple live bands and even starting her own booking company to organize shows for other independent artists. Her intrepid nature results from a childhood spent running barefoot through rural Missouri and coming of age in...
Ōtepoti/Dunedin four-piece, Soaked Oats return with their call out track, ‘Headline Opinion’. Headline Opinion’ is the third single from Soaked Oats’ upcoming album, Working Title to be released November 18th, 2022. Lead vocalist and lyricist, Oscar Mein, comments pithily, “Headline Opinion is a song about the news. How we serve it, how we consume it, how we regurgitate it, how we serve it again and…” The track is accompanied with a video of old newspaper headlines and clippings compiled...
Patrick Watson is thrilled to share ‘Ode to Vivian (Rework)’ a brand-new version of the song that first appeared on his album Better in the Shade. ‘Ode to Vivian’ has been a fan favourite for creating content on TikTok and Instagram since its release last April. The song is inspired by one of Patrick’s heroes, the late American street photographer Vivian Maier. “She manages to catch just wonderful, unbelievable little moments that in the end are...
Following their first-ever North American tour which included a sold-out hometown show at Thalia Halland an opening slot for Pavement in New York, the Chicago-based trio now release their cover of Minutemen’s ‘History Lesson Part 2.’ While only available via a 7” in the past, the song is now available digitally for the first time today. ‘History Lesson Part 2’ “has always been a punk manifesto for us,” says Horsegirl. “It was an unusual...
