M. Ward has shared a new song, ‘New Kerrang’, which features Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog. It’s taken from his upcoming LP Supernatural Thing, which has already been previewed by the title track. Take a listen below.
“This is ‘New Kerrang’, a song about a drummer facing a crisis of faith in her sound,” Ward explained in a statement. “It’s inspired by used-bin Ray Davies records and by all the musicians I know who are chasing perfection by following whatever sound is crashing around in their head.”
Supernatural Thing comes out June 23 via ANTI-. In addition to McMicken, it includes collaborations with First Aid Kit, Shovels & Rope, Neko Case, and Jim James.
King Hannah have released a cover of Madonna’s classic ‘Like a Prayer’. Listen to it below.
“We wanted to take this Madonna song and really let it breathe with lots of space and sparse instrumentation that slowly and subtly builds,” the duo explained. “The delicate arrangement of pulsing synths and scratchy guitars allows Hannah’s voice to take centre stage until the track eventually (in the extended version) breaks out into a noisy instrumental section fuelled by thrashing drums and distorted guitars. We wanted to take a song by such an iconic artist and drag it into the world of King Hannah.”
Next month, King Hannah will be touring the UK with Kurt Vile. Their debut album, I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me, arrived last year. Check out our Artist Spotlight interview with King Hannah.
King Hannah 2023 Tour Dates:
Jun 12 – London – Koko w/ Kurt Vile
Jun 13 – London – Koko w/ Kurt Vile
Jun 15 – Bristol – SWX w/ Kurt Vile
Jun 19 – Manchester – New Century w/ Kurt Vile
Jun 20 – Newcastle – Boiler Shop w/ Kurt Vile
Jun 21 – Edinburgh – Queens Hall w/ Kurt Vile
Jun 22 – Nottingham – The Level w/ Kurt Vile
Jun 23 – Birmingham – O2 Institute w/ Kurt Vile
Jun 25 – Brighton – Chalk w/ Kurt Vile
Jul 7 – Sesto Al Reghena, Pordenone – SEXTO
Jul 28 – Leuven – M-idzomer w/ Thurston Moore
Aug 5 – Genk – AFF Festival
Aug 6 – Luxembourg – Congés Annulés
Aug 12 – Castelbuono, Sicily – Ypsigrock
Aug 25 – Turin – Todays Festival
Aug 26 – Sant’Elpidio a Mare – Mayday Festival
Loraine James has announced a new LP, Gentle Confrontation, which is scheduled for release on September 22 via Hyperdub. It features contributions from Marina Herlop, keiyaA, George Riley, Eden Samar, and more. Today, the London producer has previewed it with the track ‘2003’, which introduces the album’s core themes of “relationships (especially familial), understanding, and giving back a little grace and care.” Listen to it below.
Last year, James released her self-titled debut under the moniker Whatever the Weather, as well as Building Something Beautiful for Me, an album reimagining, reinterpreting, and responding to the work of American composer Julius Eastman.
Gentle Confrontation Cover Artwork:
Gentle Confrontation Tracklist:
1. Gentle Confrontation
2. 2003
3. Let U Go [feat. KeiyaA]
4. Déjà Vu [feat. RiTchie]
5. Prelude of Tired of Me
6. Glitch The System (Glitch Bitch 2)
7. I DM U
8. One Way Ticket To The Midwest (Emo) [feat. Corey Mastrangelo]
9. Cards With The Grandparents
10. While They Were Singing [feat. Marina Herlop]
11. Try For Me [feat. Eden Samara]
12. Tired of Me
13. Speechless [feat. George Riley]
14. Disjointed (Feeling Like a Kid Again)
15. I’m Trying To Love Myself
16. Saying Goodbye [feat. Contour]
Sea Lemon, the project of Seattle musician Natalie Lew, has signed to Luminelle Recordings, marking the announcement with a new single called ‘Cellar’. Check it out below.
“‘Cellar’ was inspired by my love of really classic horror and thriller films, like Blow Out and Misery, and how loving scary movies can sometimes feel like something is wrong with you,” Lew shared in a statement. “That idea of the ‘cellar’ in the song is based on the traditional horror trope where the protagonist can’t help but discover what’s lurking in the basement, and that what they find there often represents something really dark and horrifying. In the lyrics, I say ‘the cellar is where I belong’ which is me grappling with this idea that sometimes really terrifying imagery interests me the most.”
Amanda Shires and the late pianist Bobbie Nelson’s take on ‘Always on My Mind’ is the latest single from their forthcoming collaborative album Loving You. The song was written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James in 1972 and became a hit for artists like Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson. Listen to Shires and Bobbie Nelson’s rendition below.
Loving You is set for release on June 23 via Silver Knife/ATO Records. Recorded before Nelson’s passing, the album is “a reflection on the life and music of Bobbie Nelson,” according to Shires. Last month, it was previewed with their version of George and Ira Gershwin’s classic ‘Summertime’.
Jess Williamson has released ‘Time Ain’t Accidental’, the opening title track from her forthcoming album, which is out June 9 via Mexican Summer. It follows previous offerings ‘Hunter’ and ‘Chasing Spirits’, both of which made our Best New Songs list. Check out a one-shot video for the song below.
”The lyrics to ‘Time Ain’t Accidental’ came pouring out of me because it’s the true story of a very special day when I was falling in love with the person who is now my partner,” Williamson explained in a statement. “The chorus references a Raymond Carver book of short stories I was reading at the time, and to me the song itself feels like a short story. For the video, we wanted to make the album cover come to life. We shot it in one take on Pinto Canyon Road outside of Marfa, Texas during a storm. That specific stretch of highway is really special to me, because when I was working on the record I would go on long walks down this empty road listening back to my mixes and working out the album sequence. When I’m out there alone I feel like the only person inside of a vast painting, it’s surreal, and I wanted to share that feeling with the world.”
Damon Locks and Rob Mazurek have announced a new album, New Future City Radio, which will be out July 28 via International Anthem. Spanning 18 tracks, the record features contributions from Helado Negro’s Roberto Carlos Lange and Sao Paolo Underground’s Mauricio Takara. Today, they’ve shared a video for the lead single ‘Yes!’, which is directed by Locks and animated by Rob Shaw. Check it out below.
In a statement about the new track, Locks remarked: “Yes! An emphatic statement of purpose. Can the impossible be done? Can Mantronix and DC Go-Go soar the galaxies in search of reasonance? This was the first thought when contemplating a broadcast into a new future.”
Mazurek added: “Can forbidden harmonies extract utopian honey from canned fruit?! Will we sit and wait and watch while flaming egos and false prophets man the wheels of time? Action is the key. Can you do it?! Colossal beat… melodics hinting at a new dawn. Can You Do it? Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes!”
New Future City Radio Cover Artwork:
New Future City Radio Tracklist:
1. 5-4-3-2-1
2. Yes!
3. The Sun Returns
4. Breeze of Time
5. Your Name Gonna Ring the Bell
6. New Future
7. Droids!
8. The Concord Hour
9. Future City
10. 10mins Past the Hour
11. Support the Youth (With Sound)
12. The Beat
13. Las Niñas Estan Escuchando (The Children Are Listening)
14. Flitting Splits Reverb Adage
15. Twilight Shimmer
16. Suspense in the Grip of Suspense
17. Polaris Radio
18. Drop
Los Angeles trio Suzie True have released ‘Sentimental Scum’, the title track from the follow-up to their 2020 LP Saddest Girl at the Party. It follows previous cuts ‘Backburner’ and ‘Keep in Touch’. Check it out below.
“This song is about getting older and feeling sentimental about your past, because you feel like you don’t have much of a future,” the band said in a statement. “You’re caught up in what was and what could have been. You feel old and weird about it. The resolution is to just say ‘fuck it’ and have fun with the people you love because that’s all you can really do.”
12 Rods have unveiled another single their first new album in 21 years, If We Stayed Alive. ‘Private Spies’ follows the previously shared track ‘My Year (This Is Going To Be)’, and you can listen to it below.
“Private Spies is about those of us who control and document the finest rumors, secrets and gossip in our communities,” lead songwriter Ryan Olcott explained in a statement. “Written over 20 years ago amidst my power faction research in socialite Minneapolis. Probably my hardest song to sing because of the massive amount of embedded data translated from the captured intel.”
If We Stayed Alive is set to drop on July 7 via Husky Pants/American Dreams.
Australian garage rock outfit Cable Ties have shared their latest single, ‘Thoughts Back’. It’s set to appear on their upcoming album All Her Plans alongside the previously released tracks ‘Perfect Client’, ‘Time for You’, and ‘Change’. Check it out below.
“I wrote this song mostly centred around my own experiences with mental illness and how consuming and overwhelming it was, and is, for countless people around the world,” drummer Shauna Boyle said in a statement about ‘Thoughts Back’, which marks her first turn on lead vocals. “It also plays into the themes of the record, such as care-giving and mental workload. So often people give up their own lives to help others and as a result, rarely have their voices, their experiences or their history acknowledged.”
