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 September 2, 2025.
Kneecap – ‘Sayōnara’
“We’ve seen yis going mad for this one in mosh pits all summer,” Kneecap said of their new single ‘Sayōnara’ on Twitter. They’ve been performing the rave-ready track, produced by Paul Hartnoll of Orbital, since their Glastonbury set earlier this summer, and it arrives today with a video featuring Derry Girls star Jamie Lee O’Donnell, who commented: “I had the best time filming the ‘Sayōnara’ music video. Not only is it a massive banger of a track but the intense yet euphoric video is sure to be remembered. The creativity and vision of director, Finn, created a fantastic environment for us all to create something really special. I was delighted to have been asked to be involved in this project especially as I am already a huge fan of Kneecap’s music and an admirer of their work overall.”
Sparks – ‘Porcupine’
Sparks have announced their first-ever EP, MADDER!, a companion to their latest album MAD!, with the propulsive new single ‘Porcupine’. It’s “a song about a guy’s fascination with a woman who possesses a prickly personality,” according to a press release, and they know how to make it sound prickly, too.
Daphni – ‘Eleven’
“summer’s ending 😢,” Dan Snaith posted on socials announcing his new single as Daphni, which explains why it’s a little more wistful than his usual work under the moniker. It comes paired with a Damien Roach-directed video.
Princess Nokia – ‘Blue Velvet’
Nuyorican rapper Princess Nokia has announced a new album, Girls, arriving October 10. The ominous lead single ‘Blue Velvet’ serves as a kind of thesis statement: “If I was a man, they would have coddled me, adored me/ But I am a girl so they hate my fucking guts,” she raps. In a statement, Princess Nokia explained: “‘Blue Velvet’ is both delicate and sinister. It supports women’s rights and women’s wrongs. It straddles the edge of confrontation and dares predatory behavior to be reckoned with.”
Blawan – ‘NOS’
Blawan has announced his debut album on XL Recordings, SickElixir. Offering a taste of just how sick it is is the pulverizing first single ‘NOS’. The record, out October 10, follows a string of EPs including BouQ, Dismantled Into Juice, and Woke Up Right Handed.
Horse Jumper Of Love – Blue Factory Flame’, Lutalo – ‘Shadow Answers The Wall’ (Songs: Ohia Cover)
Horse Jumper of Love and Lutalo have shared their contributions to I Will Swim To You, the new new tribute compilation dedicated to Jason Molina that comes out on Friday. Horse Jumper of Love have taken on ‘Blue Factory Flame’, from Songs: Ohia’s 2002 album Didn’t It Rain. “Bradford Krieger co-produced our cover and played second guitar, and Ella Williams from Squirrel Flower sang harmony with me,” Dimitri Giannopoulos said of the stultifying track. “This song cuts through to some deeper, primal part of me. It has made me cry before. When I hear the first line, “When I die…,” everything in my life swirls around in my head. Then the first chorus hits, and I feel removed from it all — free, because there is nothing. But the amp hum left in the recording is one of my favorite things — it feels like an electronic voice phenomenon, like some spirit trying to communicate with us, to remind us there isn’t just nothing and emptiness. Jason Molina has proved that through his music.
Lutalo, meanwhile, tackled ‘Shadow Answers the Wall’ from Molina’s posthumously released record Eight Gates. “I love the general tone of the song, but also the lyrical structure felt so resonant to me,” the Vermont musician said. “I appreciate how vague the lyrics are, allowing the listener to associate their own thoughts and feelings. It’s a type of poetry I always lean toward — Jason was a true master of that freedom of experience.”
Destiny Bond – ‘Peace as a Punchline’
Denver-based hardcore punks Destiny Bond have announced a new album, The Love. The follow-up to their 2023 debut LP Be My Vengeance is out October 17 through Convulse, and it’s led by the rowdy new track ”Peace as a Punchline’.
Jesca Hoop, Kate Stables, and Lail Arad – ‘Raised on Robbery’ (Joni Mitchell Cover)
Jesca Hoop, Kate Stables (This Is The Kit), and Lail Arad are set to perform Joni Mitchell songs in a string of UK and European tour dates, a show they’re accompanying with a new EP, The Songs Of Joni Mitchell Vol. 1, out September 12. Today, the trio have served up their pretty off-the-cuff rendition of ‘Raised on Robbery’. “It was the joy of clicking these harmonies together, backstage at the Roundhouse, that sowed the seeds for the EP,” Arad commented.
Pillow Queens – ‘Be a Big Girl’
Pillow Queens are back with an anthemic new snigle, ‘Be a Big Girl’. It’s out now via their own Pillow Queens Records, which self-released the Dublin band’s 2020 debut album In Waiting. “I think people expect ‘being a big girl’ to mean keeping your chin up, not making a fuss, and politely ignoring the fact you’re being shoved towards the door,” the band explained. “For us, it’s the opposite. It’s staying exactly where you are when you’re told to leave, making a fuss, and taking up more space in the process. Living in Ireland, making music here, and not hopping on the first flight out is already an act of stubborn
optimism. And yeah, sometimes you’re crying in Lidl or planning a better life in Australia, but at least you’re still standing. That’s the kind of ‘big girl’ we’re interested in being.”
Whitmer Thomas – ‘On a Roll’
Ahead of the release of his new EP Tilt on Friday, comedian, actor, and musician Whitmer Thomas has dropped a new single, ‘On a Roll’. “My intention was to capture the excitement of heading to the casino and the major bum out of leaving a loser, with some pit stops along the way,” Thomas explained.
Kitba – ‘Tightrope/Island’
Kitba has released ‘Tightrope/Island’, a groovy yet ethereal cut from their forthcoming LP Hold the Edges. “This song is about the edges of myself and coming up against them and wanting to break them while in the confines of a relationship,” Kitba revealed. “It contains a line ‘I will never arrive at me / because all I am is now,’ that is a reference to a moment near the end of John Williams’ Stoner. The release of recognizing that you don’t arrive at one ‘true’ identity but are always in flux, from birth to death.”
Ebbb – ‘Eyes’
London-based trio Ebbb have unveiled a mesmerizing track, ‘Eyes’, via Ninja Tune. It’s “about going above and beyond the call of duty in a relationship and becoming someone’s emotional support system, but ultimately confronting the realisation that you are two, incompatible people,” according to the band’s Will Rowland. “The song explores the conflicting internal monologue around this – one moment accepting the fate and necessity to sever ties, and the next, convincing yourself to give things another chance.”
