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 update a playlist weekly of some of our current favorite tracks. Here's a daily roundup with a bunch of interesting, newly released songs in one place.
CRAIG WEDREN - "ON MY TONGUE"
Shudder To Think frontman (and film/TV composer) Craig Wedren is releasing one song/video a month in 2021 for his new singles series, The Dream Dreaming. "The name The Dream Dreaming comes from the idea that our perceived reality and even our very existence are part of a dream being dreamt by another dream: The Great Dream, the dream we all dream. One dream dreams the other, and vice-versa, in an infinite loop," Craig says. First single "On My Tongue" is a catchy, breezy alt-rock song, and Craig's vocals remain unmistakable.
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TRIGGERMAN - A PLACE IN THE SUN SIDE 1
West Coast melodic hardcore band Triggerman (who shared members with Ignite, No For An Answer, Social Distortion, and other bands) were originally around from 1989 to 1995, and then in 2012 they released the new album Learning To Lie with previously-unrecorded songs they had written in the '90s, and now they're releasing an entirely new album, A Place in the Sun, on May 14 via Programme Skate & Sound. "We took the approach of 'what kind of hardcore' music should dudes in their late 40s write?,'" vocalist Joe Nelson told No Echo. "We really wanted to take the hardcore formula which was the foundation of Triggerman back in the day, and push its boundaries." You can hear that coming through on these four songs, which make up side 1 of the new album. The album also has a few cool guests: Matt Caughthran (The Bronx, Mariachi El Bronx), Peter Cortner (Field Day, Dag Nasty), and the Long Beach Youth Chorus.
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FALL SILENT - "TWO PLUS TWO IS FIVE"
More '90s-era hardcore: Reno's metallic Fall Silent are set to return with a new album called You Knew I Was Poison on Revelation Records, and the first taste is the absolutely apeshit "Two Plus Two Is Five," which vocalist Levi Watson told No Echo is about the problematic ways people base laws and morals around stories in the bible. "This song mentions some of the most ridiculous biblical stories and then counters these statements with the chorus 'and two plus two is five,' which we all know is ridiculous; like many of the stories in the Bible."
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FRUIT BATS - "THE BALCONY"
"My wife Annie is one of my favorite visual artists," says Fruit Bats' Eric D Johnson of his group's new video. "We’ve collaborated on many album covers over the years, but this our first video. 'The Balcony' is a song about patience in isolation, waiting for the world to change while staring out at an empty street. So, in Annie’s words, 'We created an alternate world—in our basement—where crowded clubs, real live crushes, and chance encounters still exist.'" Fruit Bats' new album, The Pet Parade, is out March 5.
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MENAHAN STREET BAND - "THE STARCHASER"
The Exciting Sounds of Menahan Street Band will be out February 26 via Daptone and marks the first record from these Brooklyn soul instrumentalists (who backed Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones) have released in nearly a decade. "The Starchaser" sounds like the theme to a gritty '70s revenge thriller.
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SARAH NEUFELD (ARCADE FIRE) - "STORIES"
Composer and Arcade fire violinist and Bell Orchestre founding member Sarah Neufeld will release new solo album Detritus on May 14 via Paper Bag. She's shared this heavenly track about “the stories we’ve told ourselves that we can no longer believe.” First single "Rang Dizzy" is very promising
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CAKES DA KILLA & PROPER VILLAINS - "WHAT'S THE WORD"
Rapper Cakes Da Killa and house producer Proper Villains follow last year's Muvaland EP with another infectious dose of hip-house.
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VLADIMÍR PAVELKA (CULT OF FIRE) - "TÚRA NA ČACHTICKÝ HRAD"
Vladimír Pavelka of Czech black metallers Cult of Fire is releasing a new solo album, Spomienky, on February 26 via Beyond Eyes. First single "Túra na Čachtický hrad" is seven and a half minutes of melodic, triumphant-sounding post-black metal, and it's a very promising taste of this LP.
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CLAUD - "GUARD DOWN"
Claud's debut LP, Super Monster, is due out Friday 2/12 via Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory label, and the latest single is the catchy "Guard Down." "I have the hardest time opening up and letting my guard down," Claud says. "When I wrote this song, I had just found out somebody I had feelings for started seeing someone else and my immediate emotional response was to convince myself I didn’t care, even though I really did. The verses and chorus sort of make fun of how I keep myself closed off, but my rap towards the end of the song is a super honest stream of consciousness."
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DIRTY O'KEEFFE (mem FAITH NO MORE, STONE SOUR, LAGWAGON) - "BRICK OR BULLET"
DIrty O'Keeffe is a new quarantine supergroup featuring Billy Gould (Faith No More), Christian Martucci (Stone Sour), Dave Raun (Lagwagon), Steve Shephard (Trash N’ Privilege), and their first single is the Martucci-sung "Brick Or Bullet," a melodic rager that would've fit right in on '90s rock radio.
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NATIVE SON - "RIOT!"
Brooklyn artist Native Son has a new single, "Riot!," that recalls the sort of mixed-genre music the borough used to produced in the late-'00s, mixing rap, indie rock, post-punk and dance, with a strong social stance. "'Riot!' is a song about the experiences of two of my close friends who are really involved in the marches for Black Lives around New York City," says Native Son."I wrote this song after a protest which ended badly, and it serves as a response to the portrayal of mostly peaceful protestors as members of the riotous mob that has tried to hijack many of the demonstrations. I chose to tell their stories- and my own, to remind people that we’re not just dots on a TV screen. 'Riot!' is a reminder that for some, the fight for justice has become more of a home for them than where they live."
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PONZO HOUDINI - "BROKEN WINGS" (ft. TSU SURF)
Griselda associate Ponzo Houdini releases You Know The Vibes II next week (2/16), and today he returns with another single from it, "Broken Wings," featuring Tsu Surf. As you'd probably expect from these two, it's hard-hitting, '90s-style rap.
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LIZ PHAIR - "HEY LOU"
Liz Phair's new album, Soberish, will be out later this year and she's just shared a new track from it, a tribute to Lou Reed that comes with a very charming video starring puppet versions of Lou, Laurie Anderson, and Andy Warhol.
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CHERRY GLAZERR - "BIG BANG"
Cherry Glazerr released "Rabbit Hole" back in December which debuted a dancier new direction for leader Clementine Creevy. She's back with another new single that takes another left turn. "Big Bang" is catchy, orchestrated alt rock that swings for the fences.
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HAND HABITS - "I BELIEVE IN YOU" (NEIL YOUNG COVER)
Meg Duffy's forthcoming Hand Habits EP, dirt, is due February 19 via Saddle Creek. We've already heard the SASAMI-produced "4th of july" and now here's the record's moving cover of Neil Young's "i believe in you."
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RYLEY WALKER - "RANG DIZZY"
Ryley Walker is finally back with a new solo album, Course in Fable, which will be his first proper one in three years. Tortoise's John McEntire produced it and it features Bill MacKay, Ryan Jewell and Andrew Scott Young.
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REMEMBER SPORTS - "PINKY RING"
Philly indie-punks Remember Sports will release their fourth album, Like A Stone, on 4/23 via Father/Daughter and Big Scary Monsters. The first single is opening track "Pinky Ring," which just might be the most searing and anthemic (and best) thing this band has ever done.
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MADI DIAZ - "MAN IN ME"
Madi Diaz has signed to ANTI- for her first single in over six years, which you can read more about here.
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TIGERS JAW - "NEW DETROIT"
Tigers Jaw have already released three great songs off their anticipated new album I Won't Care How You Remember Me, and here's a fourth, which you can read more about here.
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LEON VYNEHALL - "MOTHRA" & "ECCE! EGO!"
UK electronic wiz Leon Vynehall announced a new album, Rare, Forever, due 4/30 via Ninja Tune, and you can read more about these first two singles here.
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REBECCA BLACK - "FRIDAY" (10th ANNIVERSARY REMIX ft. 100 GECS' DYLAN BRADY, BIG FREEDIA & MORE)
Today is the 10th anniversary of Rebecca Black's "Friday," and to celebrate, she released a hyperpop remix by 100 gecs' Dylan Brady that features Big Freedia, Dorian Electra, and 3OH!3. You can read more about it here.
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ALEX SOMERS - "SOONER" & "DEATHBED"
Alex Somers (Jonsi & Alex) announced two solo albums, and you can hear one song from each now, and read more here.
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the ‘New Songs’ archive.