So many artists, 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. In these concertless times, that includes daily livestreams and live concert videos we love. We publish a monthly playlist of some of our favorite tracks. Here's a daily roundup with a bunch of interesting, newly released songs in one place.
CORDAE - "THE PARABLES"
Cordae continues to prove himself as one of the best new rappers around, and he just followed his recent single "Gifted" with another hard-hitting song, "The Parables."
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LEFT ALONE - "THE DARKNESS"
LA ska-punk vets Left Alone are releasing their first first album in seven years in 2021 via Smelvis Records, and they've just released its lead single "The Darkness," which is as fun, upbeat, and gritty as you want this band to be.
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WAR CRIMINAL - "UNFORGIVING"
New England hardcore band War Criminal will release their sophomore EP, God Failed Me, on December 16, and the first single is the heavy-as-bricks "Unforgiving," which features guest vocals from Josh Compton of Forced Under.
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BROWNSWOOD - BEST OF 2020
Gilles Peterson's great jazz (and more) label Brownswood Recordings has released a 6-song 2020 sampler with music by STR4TA, Kassa Overall, Zara McFarlane, Forest Law, Tino Contreras, and Fatima & Joe-Armon Jones. If you haven't already heard this stuff, it's all worth checking out and this is a great way to catch up.
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FIELD MUSIC - "HOME FOR CHRISTMAS"
Last year Field Music released "Home for Christmas," a synthy baroque holiday single, that was only available as a limited 7". It's now getting a digital released via a new compilation Lost Christmas being released by their label Memphis Industries that also features tracks from Warm Digits, The Phoenix Foundation, Jesca Hoop, The Go! Team and more.
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SHE/BEAST - "BORN TO FIGHT"
Katja Nielsen of Swedish punks Arre! Arre! spent her pandemic downtime making a solo record under the name She/Beast. “I found myself in a vacuum that needed to be filled with creativity.” In The Depths of Misery is the first of two She/Beast EPs on the way and you can check out "Born to Fight" which brings a little punk edge to a charmingly gum bit of synthpop.
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WE ARE SCIENTISTS - "FAULT LINES"
We are Scientists are one of those bands where you look forward to their videos as much as the songs they're for, and here's their latest. In it frontman Keith Murray will do anything to have a hit song, and the video carries that idea to a dark, satirical conclusion.
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DANIEL AVERY - "INTO THE ARMS OF STILLNESS" / "INTO THE VOICE OF STILLNESS" / "PETROL BLUE"
“I wanted to make something that would sit next to ‘Lone Swordsman’ in the world of Love + Light” says Daniel Avery of this new three-track single that's out now via Mute. “‘Petrol Blue’ was written in a studio at the very edge of the country. The views across the water without a single sight on the horizon always create a certain atmosphere in my mind, some kind of unknowing warmth. Real life seems pretty distant in those moments. The track came about quickly, in the space of a few hours, and filled the room immediately. It’s named after my own little space down by the water that continues to be its own escape and a constant source of creativity. I owe my life to that metal box right now. Also included here is an alternative version of ‘Into The Arms Of Stillness’, the voice recounting the joy of when that first strobe light enters your soul. We’ll be back to that place before we know it.”
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QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS - "YOU & ME" (FT. CLAUD)
The debut EP from Ryan Hemsworth's new collaborative project as Quarter Life Crisis, for which he collaborates with indie rock musicians, comes on December 4 via Saddle Creek, and on the latest single he teams with recent Saddest Factory signee Claud. "Ryan sent me a bunch of really pretty guitar tracks around the time I had just moved to New York," Claud says. "It was a new city, I was alone, and I was definitely deep in my feels. The song sorta turned into a yearning winter love song. When I sent it back to him after I wrote it I asked him not to laugh at me for the corny-ness of the lyrics... sometimes lyrics just need to say it like it is."
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BLEACHED - "JINGLE BELLS"
LA due Bleached give the holiday classic a shouty, punk spin.
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STEVEN WILSON - "12 THINGS I FORGOT"
Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson has shared another new song from his upcoming solo album The Future Bites, a glistening, sweeping anthem.
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ALEX LAHEY - "MERRY CHRISTMAS (I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT TONIGHT)" (RAMONES COVER)
"This one goes out to the kid in high school who made fun of my HEY HO LET’S GO tshirt I wore on casual clothes day in year 8," Alex Lahey says of her new festive Ramones cover.
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DUELING EXPERTS (RECOGNIZE ALI & VERBAL KENT) - "REVOLVE AROUND SCIENCES"
Underground rap duo Dueling Experts (Recognize Ali and Verbal Kent) will follow their self-titled album from January with DE2: Sand The Floor on December 11 via Mello Music Group. Like the debut, the whole album was produced by Lord Beatjitzu, and the first single is the neck-snapping "Revolve Around Sciences."
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LIVE SKULL - "DAY ONE OF THE EXPERIMENT"
NYC experimental rock veterans Live Skull have released a new song off their upcoming album Dangerous Vision, and you can read more about it here.
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ARAB STRAP - "COMPERSION #1"
Scottish indie rock greats Arab Strap returned with their first new song in 15 years this summer, and they've now announced that they've made a new album, As Days Get Dark, which will be out March 16, 2021 via Rock Action. “It's about hopelessness and darkness,” says Aidan Moffat. “But in a fun way.”
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the ‘New Songs’ archive.