There’s so much music coming out all the time that it’s hard to keep track. On those days when the influx of new tracks is particularly overwhelming, we sift through the noise to bring you a curated list of the most interesting new releases (the best of which will be added to our Best New Songs playlist). Below, check out our track roundup for Thursday, April 16, 2026.
Massive Attack and Tom Waits – ‘Boots on the Ground’
It’s been a quarter of a century since Tom Waits put out new original material. Of course, he was going to make it count. ‘Boots on the Ground’, a collaboration that also serves as Massive Attack’s first new music in six years, is a darkly pertinent protest song that stretches over seven minutes. “It’s a career honour to collaborate with an artist of the magnitude, originality and integrity of Tom, but this track is arriving in an atmosphere of chaos,” the group said in a statement. “Across the western hemisphere, state authoritarianism and the militarisation of police forces are fusing again with neo-fascist politics. Seen within the American emergency, at home and overseas, this track contains pulses of callous impulse & abandoned mind.”
“One day many years ago I accepted an invitation from Massive Attack to collaborate,” Waits added “Way back then, we sent them ‘Boots on the Ground’. Their long release delay never worried me. Today, as in all of mankind’s yesterdays, guarantees this song will never go out of style. Man’s fiasco folly is a feast for the flies. Hence, the B side of Massive Attack’s upcoming 12 inch ‘The Fly’ features my appreciation for the winged nuisance.”
Broken Social Scene – ‘The Call’
Broken Social Scene have shared the third and final advance track from their forthcoming LP, Remember the Humans. It’s called ‘The Call’, and it’s a rapturously layered journey. It follows previous cuts ‘Not Around Anymore’ and ‘Hey Amanda’.
Lana Del Rey – ‘First Light’
Lana Del Rey has released a James Bond theme song – for a video game. ‘First Light’, made with five-time Bond film composer David Arnold, serves as the title song for the video game 007 First Light. “The Bond theme is a unique storytelling moment; it has to capture scale, drama, and intrigue all at once,” Arnold said in a statement. “Having been part of that musical lineage, I understand how important it is to honor its heritage while allowing it to evolve. Lana brought an elegance and atmosphere to the song that felt perfectly suited to continuing that tradition while introducing something fresh for a new era.”
Kevin Morby – ‘Badlands’
“Welcome to the Midwest/ Where the sky knows best/ And you’ll finally get some rest/ ‘Til the tornado sirens start harmonizing/ And I can’t tell if I’m in heaven or if I’m in the badlands,” Kevin Morby sings on his latest single, ‘Badlands’, where he’s joined by Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). Those are some beautiful harmonies, but Morby’s own singing on the track, at one point, is almost tempestuous. It’s a stirring preview of his forthcoming album Little Wide Open.
Jenny on Holiday – ‘Androgynous’ (The Replacements Cover)
Kicking off a series of interesting covers released today is Jenny on Holiday’s stripped-back take on The Replacements’ classic ‘Androgynous’. Earlier this year, Jenny Hollingworth released her solo debut under that moniker, and now she’s rolling out Quicksand Heart: Extra Baggage, featuring acoustic versions of the album’s songs, as well as a cover of Wheat’s ‘Don’t I Hold You’.
Avril Lavigne – ‘Ironic’ (Alanis Morissette Cover)
Next up, we have a very faithful take on Alanis Morissette’s ‘Ironic’ by Avril Lavigne, recorded for the Canadian indie rock romcom Mile End Kicks. The film’s official social media pages wrote: “From one Canadian icon to another…. may we introduce: Avril Lavigne’s cover of ‘Ironic’ by Alanis Morissette!”
Gregory Alan Isakov & Sylvan Esso – ‘Fade Into You’ (Mazzy Star Cover)
One more cover, and it might be the most intriguing one: Gregory Alan Isakov and Sylvan Esso interpreting Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade Into You’ as a duet. Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath sings on the track, while the veteran singer-songwriter also plays the acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, drums, banjo, piano, organ, and more. “I grew up listening to Mazzy Star and sort of sketched this song out one afternoon,” Isakov shared. “I had read an article about Hope Sandoval (the singer of Mazzy Star) the week before, and there was this paragraph about how she played a few shows at the Sydney Opera House in almost complete darkness.” (Presumably not my article about the song from way back in 2020, which I’m pleased to discover is still on Sandoval’s website.) “Some of the crowd was super disgruntled about it and walked out. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, what a badass. She’s my absolute hero.’ I sat on the recording I made for a long time, thinking it wasn’t quite finished, and reached out to Amelia of Sylvan Esso. She has one of my favorite voices of all time. Once I heard her on it, it felt ready. I really love how it came out.”
Mad Honey – ‘Moshfeghian’
Mad Honey have dropped a visceral new single, ‘Moshfeghian’, from their upcoming album Bridge Over Cumberland. “Moshfeghian’ feels like the thesis statement of the whole record,” guitarist Lennon Bramlett said in a statement. “It gets to the core of what we’re exploring: nostalgia, change, and the desire to hold on while letting go. Writing it helped us clarify the themes that run through all 11 tracks, and it’s the song that most fully captures the spirit and energy of BOC.”
Fugue State – ‘So What Is There’
Fugue State – the project led by Northampton, MA–based composer, producer, and engineer Dan Langa – have previewed their forthcoming album After Nothing Comes with ‘So What Is There?’. It’s a collaboration with Javanese singer, composer, and educator Peni Candra Rini, and comes with a video directed by John Kim. “There was a powerful, cathartic energy that came through in the performance,” Langa recalled. “That session with Peni ultimately shaped the sequencing of the record—her presence offers potent moments of respite within an often dense, maximalist soundworld.”
Kat Duma – ‘Mirrored Water’
Toronto-based experimental pop artist Kat Duma has announced her sophomore album, Lullaby – out May 22 – with the hypnotic new single, ‘Mirrored Water’. The record was produced in collaboration with Alex Tanas, with mixing by Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck, METZ) and mastering by Stefan Betke (Pole).
Las Robertas – ‘Everything I Wanted to Be’
San José, Costa Rica-based six-piece Las Robertas has announced a new LP, All We Need Is Now, out June 26 on Kanine Records and via Spinda Records in Spain. It’s led by the swirling ‘Everything I Wanted To Be’, which arrives with a video directed by Madrid-based artist Juan Alvarez Santos (aka Arma Blancx).
