Ora The Molecule returns with her new video 'Helicopter'. 'Helicopter' pulses with melodic flair, while the lyrics - inherently personal - dissect mental health, and feelings of restraint. Tanmay Chowdhary links up once more with Ora The Molecule on the video, resulting in something dazzling. Ora The Molecule comments: "The concept of the video is derived from the lyrics of the song 'Helicopter'. It's very much about mental illness and the feeling of being trapped in a system. It also draws inspiration from seventeenth-century Dutch philosopher Spinoza who says to look at life like 'sub specie aeternitatis' – under the aspect of eternity. 'Take me to the helicopter...' is a call for perspective and a call for clarity and a call for help to widen my view... The video is inspired by the idea of helicopters dropping in for rescue and evacuations. This film is set in the concrete jungle of a housing complex in India and explores the mental implications of living in a world that is increasingly cut off from nature. In the film, the protagonist is stuck in this concrete maze, trying to escape from themselves. Shedding light on the mental health crises of our time, the film is a call for a helicopter to take us away from the concrete jungle of our own minds." She continues: "The video for ‘Helicopter’ was shot in the outskirts of New Delhi, India. We were visiting Tanmay’s uncle who lived in this crazy post-apocalyptic building. It gave me associations of Franz Kafka’s The Trial. We were both so fascinated by the concept of these building complexes that functioned like mini cities. The place was so impersonal and strange looking, but at the same time we understood that the people living there felt very privileged." Tanmay adds: "We shot the video in one day, just running around the building. It reminded me of a communist aesthetic, but these were built in the capitalistic spirit. It really did feel like a visualisation of the ‘mind trap’ that the song ‘Helicopter’ is about - like a big labyrinth, where it's impossible to get perspective because it’s so massive and the individual feels so small in it..." [via Clash]
'Devoted' came out last week as the first taste of Beks' new era. Sonically, it's a sound-clashing delight that brings together genres and textures from the furthest corners of each other, contrasting something like its 80s-indebted guitar riff with the more synthetic and electronic side of its production. Then, on top of all of that, comes the reflective and intelligent lyricism that's often focal in Beks' work, as she dissects power through the song's two-minute-something duration: "It’s about power recall; reclaiming the power you've placed on someone who's exploited that power and giving it back to yourself." It's a single that if nothing else, highlights the versatility of Beks as a multi-faceted creative. It's also something that's shown in the video clip for 'Devoted'. The video clip takes references of iconic films - Titanic, Dirty Dancing, Love Actually, The Notebook, Spiderman 2, Ghost - and replaces them in the context of the song's theme, giving them new backstories as she adds a further dimension to the single through its visual accompaniment. Directed by Bread Productions and heavily featuring Beks behind-the-scenes, something worth mentioning about 'Devoted's video clip is also how they manage to bring these stories to life, tapping into the creative spirit of Brisbane through its use of back-up dancers and fashion designer Kimbra Lou, who built the costuming and setting of the video through thrifted materials. [via Pilerats]
Amsterdam four-piece Pip Blom are releasing a new album, Welcome Break, on October 8 via Heavenly. Now they have shared its third single, ‘You Don’t Want This,’ via an amusing and colorful video for the song. Sara Elzinga directed the ‘You Don’t Want This’ video and had this to say in a press release: “When I first heard ‘You Don’t Want This,’ I recognized the feeling of self-consciousness; knowing that people have a certain way of looking at you, that does not necessarily comply with the image you have of yourself. The concept of a Matryoshka doll then stuck in my head, having these multiple versions of yourself that are hidden at first. The set reminds us of a dollhouse, of someone who is so comfortable in their own scenery, they forget to look at the world outside of the room. Though rather than making a music video about anxiety, I wanted the video to be about self-acceptance. Smiling back at yourself, instead of constantly criticizing which is something people tend to do.” [via Under the Radar Mag]
Laura Greaves has unveiled the video for her single 'Psychopath', featuring Khwezi & Lhotse. "We started 'Psychopath' off with just a rough instrumental and then the idea was that we were going to make something cool but upbeat," explains Laura. "I listened and immediately thought that it sounded kind of dark with the distorted “Purge” style alarm at the beginning, I then ran with that theme. I also am obsessed with true crime and so once I came up with that first line, “I’ve met the devil he’s handsome, he’s never heard of The Manson's” it was essentially going to be an homage to everything creepy and twisted that I love. I wanted it to be from the point of view of a psychopath who is chatting about how much they just don’t want to be alone inside their heads anymore, and that essentially they’re about to carry out something quite sinister, but it’s framed in the way they’re thinking about it, almost in a love story way."
Delivering a fiery cocktail of grunge dynamics and punk rock attitude with double-shots of romance and decadence, Cruel Hearts Club have unleashed their debut EP Trash Love alongside a charismatic performance video for its lead single ‘Sink This Low’. If you’re considering signing up to the Cruel Hearts Club, ‘Sink This Low’ is the perfect introduction. Instantly commanding your attention with its vitriolic Distillers-meets-Bikini Kill attack, ‘Sink This Low’ boasts a barbed bubblegum pop hook from sisters Edie (vocals, guitar) and Gita Langley (vocals, guitar, bass, synths), with a T-Rex stomp and a bluesy undercurrent. As with the rest of the Trash Love EP, the track was recorded during hasty and hedonistic sessions at The Albion Rooms, Margate with producer Carl Barât. “It’s about people fucking you over, but now the tables have turned,” says Edie. “We’ve been playing it live for ages, but it took on a new energy when we re-recorded it at The Albion Rooms.”
Singer-songwriter Zola Simone has just released her new album, Now You See Me with an accompanying music video for her single, 'Sideways.' The release is a canorous assembly of some of the artist’s finest work to date. Flowing throughout the entire project is a story of maturation and self-acceptance that resonates with listeners long after the last note has been sung.
Beloved K-pop girl group Red Velvet release their brand-new mini album, Queendom alongside the video for the title track. 'Queendom' is a refreshing pop dance song featuring catchy hooks and the members’ cheerful vocals. The lyrics relay the positive message that we are all “queens” of our lives and that we shine more beautifully together.
Kat Von D unveils the self directed cathartic new video for ‘Fear You’, the latest single from her debut LP, Love Made Me Do It, out August 27. “I wanted to create a storyline that exemplifies violence in a way that was therapeutic and not self destructive. I wrote and directed this video to tell the story of not only the pain of heartbreak, but the power of the support from the friends around you,” Kat Von D says. The visuals perfectly depict the song’s lyrical content; trust, self-exploration and the concept of overcoming your inner fears when it comes to fully committing your heart to a loved one. “The video starts off with me picking up my bandmates for band practice, but quickly discovering that Sammi and Gregg are experiencing turmoil within their relationships,” Kat says. “It inspires me to throw band practice on the back burner, and take my mates on a journey to a mystery destination.” Describing the video Kat says: “We all pile in to an immaculately restored black 1957 Chevy convertible, and embark on our journey down a desolate highway, passing a hitchhiker (special cameo of Prayers), and finally exit and park in an abandoned ghost town where I finally reveal my surprise plan to my mates after I open the truck of the car to reveal an Arsenal of weapons for each of them to choose from. This leads us to a beautiful display of all red glass objects all perfectly arranged for us to take out our frustrations on together. There’s nothing more satisfying to watch than slow motion shots of the destruction of something so delicate and beautiful. After channeling all our frustrations out into the glass, we all feel a sense of relief and return to the car to drive off into the night. One step closer to healing.”
Lorde has dropped 'Mood Ring,' the latest song off her third studio album, Solar Power. The song comes alongside an epic music video featuring LORDE as you’ve never seen her before. Of the song Lorde says, “This is a song I am very excited about, it’s so much fun to me. Obviously when making this album I did a deep-dive into 60s, Flower Child culture. I wanted to understand the commune life, dropping out from society and trying to start again. That really resonated to me when writing this album. One thing that occurred to me as a major parallel between that time and our time is our wellness culture and our culture of spirituality, pseudo-spirituality, wellness, pseudo-wellness. Things like eating a macro-biotic vegan diet or burning sage, keeping crystals, reading tarot cards or your horoscope. These were all things that they were dabbling in back then, and that me and my girlfriends are dabbling in today. I was like “I think there’s a pop song in here”. So this is kind of my extremely satirical look at all of those vibes.”
Liz Lawrence shares arresting and Lynchian visuals for her latest single ‘Drive’ taken from her upcoming third studio album The Avalanche, due digitally on September 17. ‘Drive’ is a rhythmically dynamic and 90s tinged analysis of the sometimes romantic, often fractious connection between people and their devices. Speaking about the video, directed by Rebecca Nicholson, Liz adds: “It's an analogue fable about the digital age. I'm consuming the promise of information but becoming more and more confused by it, while something strange and menacing is lurking outside. We wanted it to be as absurd as it is creepy and I never want to eat jelly again.”
Electro-pop cabaret trash queen Scarlett Lashes aka Jess Haugh tackles the hot topic of wellness with full force in her single and video 'Culture and Wellbeing Committee'. Conjuring a nightmarish vision of so-called personal improvement, corporate office culture rampages wild through the suburbs in Haugh's self-directed clip — declaring "smile motherfucker" while performing lobotomies for the greater good of team-building. You'll be waving that resting bitch face goodbye when the Culture and Wellbeing Committee knock on your door. [via Under the Radar]
Impossibly exciting top-level popster in waiting Willow Kayne has debuted a new video for her most recent single ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’. The follow-up to May’s debut offering ‘Two Seater’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ was made with fellow popster of note Oscar Scheller, and comes along with a Bedroom (Beabadoobee, Arlo Parks, Sports Team) directed video which skewers ridiculous online trolls. [via Dork]
Ellevator know how to pay homage to their influences in the very best way possible. 'Easy' is a track that offers plenty of different paths on which to embark, whether one favors the slinky, dark guitar rock of Spoon or the ever-changing sonic landscape of Arcade Fire. The track, the first off the trio's upcoming 2022 album on Canadian label Arts & Crafts chronicles lead singer Nabi Sue Bersche’s shape-shifting upbringing, heavily influenced by religion in ways that go beyond typical Sunday church outings. “As a child, I spoke in tongues and prayed until my body swayed with a gentle force like wind knocking me backward,” Nabi Sue says. “A deep and abiding love of the natural world took hold of me. I witnessed firsthand the wild power of music – how it could uplift, ensnare, console, inspire. When I was 17 I moved to the other side of the world and joined what would most accurately be described as a cult. I prayed for strangers I met in parking lots. I shut my eyes and read the dappled light between my lashes like tea leaves that could divine the future. Vulnerability was a badge in that community so I learned to overshare. Teachings were given in the language of freedom while the stiff hand of purity reduced my body to a shameful temptation. Growing up like that gave me a love of music, a nose for bullshit, and a lot to unravel. This song is about the good and evil things we are raised to believe. I was held captive by an ideology that severely limited my life and my perspective of the world around me. It’s a process I’m still in the middle of, this work of extraction." The band have certainly translated Nabi Sue’s emotional upbringing into diverse and complex work that keeps the listener guessing. 'Easy' has pulsing synths, crashing drums and intricate guitar, all weaving in and out of each other. The equally striking music video features the band and Nabi Sue performing under both a setting sun and the spare fluorescent lights of a parking garage in their hometown; Hamilton, Ontario. As she repeats the refrain “Easy does it,” close-up zooms overlap in a dizzying array. [via Line Of Best Fit]
Alice Longyu Gao is back with a glittery and frenetic new single called 'Kanpai,' whose chorus is some silly nonsense: “My name on your lips like liquor lipstick.” It’s good fun! Here’s Gao on the track: "My best friend Madison Emiko Love and I wrote this song three years ago. Her grandma is a Japanese immigrant and we always want to champion & plug our culture everywhere we go. We’ve been waiting to put this song out, cuz back then no one with power in western music realized the power of Asian pop culture, no one really cared to put Asian talents on the table. The material world was asleep cuz they didn’t see the money-benefits. ‘Kanpai’ means cheers in Chinese, Japanese and Korean; the joyful vibe translates perfectly throughout the song. The braggy-docious, rap-y bridge part in the song is what I wish for, it’s not my reality yet. Last year was dark for me, and for everyone. But now it is time to regroup and restart, this song wakes me up in the morning, it reminds me that I came to this earth with a mission. I aspire to inspire and benefit other people’s lives. I do that through my art." [via Stereogum]
Sydney-based three-piece Middle Kids have shared a new video for 'Stacking Chairs', the surging album highlight which encapsulates the extraordinary intimacy and creativity that gave rise to their critically acclaimed second album Today We’re The Greatest, released earlier this year. 'Stacking Chairs” reveals a band at full-flight, imbued with mellotron and great peels of electric guitar - it’s one of the most immediate songs on an album full of astonishing hooks and textures. Directed by collaborator W.A.M. Bleakley, the video mixes offbeat humour with a stylised but literal interpretation of the song’s lyrics.
Australia-born artist AViVA makes her Capitol Records debut with 'Melancholy' — a new single and video spotlighting her immersive and electrifying brand of alt-pop. An unfiltered look at the downward pull of depression, 'Melancholy' also showcases the uncompromising originality that’s earned AViVA a passionate global following in recent years. With its moody backdrop of minimalist beats, 'Melancholy' sets its emotionally vivid lyrics to an infectious sing-song melody (“One, two, three, four/Vicious, knocking at my door/Seven, eight, nine, ten/Burn the candle at both ends”). Throughout the track, AViVA delivers a captivating vocal performance, flaunting her effortless flow and fierce yet vulnerable presence. On the single, AViVA says, “Seemingly cheerful and upbeat from the outside, it doesn’t matter what makes you feel that way, sometimes feeling down is the only way you can feel, but the power of the last line ‘it will never be the same’ is where the core message of the song lies. Even though after negative experiences things often aren’t the same, we are always free to learn and grow from our experiences. Feeling melancholy, like so many feelings, is just a temporary state. Things will, as they always do, get better.” The video for 'Melancholy,' co-directed by AViVA and long-time collaborator Jeffeton James, amplifies the song’s raw and powerful intimacy. To that end, the wildly colorful visual places AViVA in a series of isolated situations: lying in a hospital bed, trapped behind a school desk, singing to her own reflection inside the room of an abandoned and decaying home. As the song unfolds, the 27-year-old artist reveals her unapologetically punk spirit, inhabiting each frame with a feverish intensity.
David Wrench and Evangeline Ling, aka audiobooks, have shared the video for their latest single, 'LaLaLa It's the Good Life', crafted by creative team Rottingdean Bazar and photographer Annie Collinge. audiobooks' new album Astro Tough is due for release on October 1 via Heavenly Recordings. Brighton-based Rottingdean Bazar say of the project: "We conceived and made the video with photographer Annie Collinge who we work with a lot, although usually on still fashion photographs. Rephotographing fabric prints of people is something we had already been experimenting with in stills, and whilst doing that we noticed that it lends itself to moving image. We photographed the band in a studio and laid out prints of them and other objects. After that just the three of us spent time in Rottingdean capturing the prints in movement. James (Rottingdean Bazaar) took the lead in the movement and acted as the hand model, as he has the best timing of all of us." [via Broadway World]
Anna Akana shares new single and music video 'Wanted Woman' ft. Macedo following EP No Longer Yours. 'Wanted Woman' is about staying in your power when roaming the badlands of love. Maggie Levin, director of My Valentine and screenwriter of the upcoming Labyrinth reboot, said, "I found the song so unabashedly sexy and fun from the very first listen, and knew in my gut that underlining the lyrical concept (in rhinestones and fringe) was the only way to go. It was a real joy to to build this flamboyant, maximalist Wild West-world together with Anna, Macedo and the entire creative team. If the video looks like a party, that’s because it was."
JoJo has released new single 'Worst (I Assume)', the lead single from her upcoming "capsule project" Trying Not To Think About It. 'Worst (I Assume)' follows May's 'Creature of Habit' track, and is accompanied by a Alfredo Flores-directed video that features a note from JoJo at the end. In the note, JoJo writes, "You know when you've been through shit in the past and it makes you put up your guard in relationships moving forward? Yeah. Over time, we develop mechanisms that try and protect ourselves from real or perceived pain. We cope with fear of potential hurt or disappointment in different ways, one of which often includes: trying not to think about it. Which may or may not lead to... The desire to stay in bed all day. The tendency to self-medicate. Withdrawal from friends/family. Disassociation. Hurting others before they can hurt you." JoJo's note also ecourages people to "keep going" and to "be kind to yourself". [via Line Of Best Fit]
GRACEY has delivered new break-up anthem 'What A Waste' which is accompanied by news of her upcoming EP Fragile. "I wrote 'What A Waste' in the first raw moments of a recent break-up, when all I felt was the initial loss," explains GRACEY. "Everyone goes through that gut punch of disappointment and frustration at the beginning, when you’re looking back at the time, love and energy you put into something that no longer exists and you feel like you wasted your time. Luckily it’s just a moment that passes and there’s lots to look forward to on the other side, but those initial emotions are still valid. Hopefully this will help others going through something similar." [via Line Of Best Fit]
Melbourne multi-disciplinary artist Hannah Crofts has signed with ABC Music alongside the launch of her new solo project Baby Velvet. Crofts, who sings and plays ukulele with fellow ABC Music signees All Our Exes Live in Texas, has also shared her first single under the Baby Velvet moniker today with ‘Call Me’, a retro-inspired number that showcases her strengths as a vocalist and lyricist alike. The new single is also paired with a Thelma & Louise-inspired clip created by Crofts alongside Lazy Susan and Kewl Studios, and serves as the first taste of Baby Velvet’s debut album, set for release in 2022. [via The Music Network]
Polly Scattergood has announced a new EP, In the Absence of Light, out on September 15, made with collaborators Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Grinderman) and Glenn Kerrigan. The title of new single 'Saturn 9' is a play on the word saturnine. “Saturnine means gloomy and so we decided to write a song about emerging from this kind of darkness, this kind of gloomy heaviness, looking forward into a bright, hopeful positive space,” Scattergood explains. “I wanted the video to represent the music in a way that everyone would understand and there were a couple of key lines that jumped out to me,” says Scattergood. One was “The hieroglyphics of our soul/We keep on moving/Time evolves.” The lyrics stuck with Scattergood as she tried to figure out how to represent them visually. She found inspiration in an emoji. “The smiley face emoji came into my head,” she says. “That represents the modern day hieroglyphic. It’s what we all send to each other.” Scattergood also wanted to incorporate dancing into the video because it was a song written during the lockdown. “I liked the idea of a group of friends being out, having fun, dancing together and looking to the future,” she says. “That’s where I went with it.” The clip, which she also directed, interjects the smiley face emoji, a symbol that could also serve as a reference to the rave heyday of the early ‘90s, between scenes of aerobics dancers cutting loose to the bouncy, synthpunk track outside in ‘80s workout garb. [via Audiofemme]
After introducing her new solo project Flossing earlier this year, Bodega’s Heather Elle is now gearing up to share her debut Flossing EP Queen Of The Mall on September 10 on Brace Yourself Records, and now she’s sharing her latest single ‘Add To Cart’. Written while on a solo trip in London between tours in the summer of 2019 “after microdosing magic mushrooms” in Abney Park, a dishevelled graveyard established in 1840, she began to think about “modern day internet nausea”. In her own words: “American statistician Edward Tufte once said, ‘There are only two industries that refer to their customers as users: illegal drugs and software.’” [via DIY]
St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) has shared a music video for the title track from her latest album Daddy’s Home. In the Bill Benz-directed clip, Clark rides on the back of a truck down a street, singing and playing guitar. Towards the end of the video, a newspaper flashes onscreen with the headline “DADDY HOME: Singer alleges daddy’s home from back of truck”. [via NME]
TikTok’s favorite girl group Boys World is breaking new ground. The quintet — made up of members and close friends Olivia, Elana, Queenie, Lillian, and Makhyli — has released their new single 'Something In The Water,' a smooth and danceable pop anthem about budding crushes that arrives with a colorful music video. With no true lead singer — each member takes a turn occupying that role — Boys World is carving their own path to stardom while upending traditional girl group expectations along the way. The lyrical content of their songs reflects the reality of their lives and the band’s commitment to authenticity pushes back against any claims of a manufactured friendship. [via NYLON]
Thai-Italian singer SILVY has released her debut single ‘XL’. ‘XL’ is a personal manifesto of sorts for SILVY – real name Silvy Pavida – and an unabashed body positivity anthem. The celebratory track is driven by a propulsive bass beat with pounding percussion. ‘XL’ also chronicles – per a press release – the artist’s past experiences with being forced to conform to her prior record labels’ ideal image, flesh out through lyrics like “People used to put me in a box / They made me something that I’m not”. SILVY said of the track via a press release: “I wanted to make a track about my story so far, and include [the] main theme of my life (body positivity). I had the time of my life working on this song.” In a voice snippet shared on Spotify prior to the release of ‘XL’, SILVY spoke about the track’s themes: “This song ‘XL’ is all about confidence. I wanted to write a song that people can sing, dance, shake their booties to with pride – no matter what shape or size they are. I really share my personal story in this one, about the time I overcame my deepest insecurity”. [via NME]
Electropop musician Kilo Kish has just released a new single titled 'Bloody Future.' It’s a retro number fit for the ’80s with Halloween-style synths, tiny harpsichord riffs, and deadpan singing verging on spoken rap. In a press release, Kilo Kish explained that she wanted 'Bloody Future' to be a “hot and sweaty dance club” song that explores global warming, cultural changes, and an onslaught of media. “I’ve noticed myself not paying attention to critical information when the music or surrounding visual elements are alluring, beautiful, or fun,” she said. “Our society often operates in the same way, concealing insidious issues like environmental decline while satisfying with entertainment and distraction. When it all boils over, we’re left shocked and dazed. My lyrics explore this blissfully unaware feeling of still being entranced before coming to our senses.” Those themes are further drawn out in the music video accompanying 'Bloody Future.' In the clip, Kilo Kish can be seen dancing by a piano, doing garden work, and hanging out with a lifesize robot who’s fascinated by everything she experiences. The whole time, Kilo Kish is bleeding from her nose and striking poses. The casual gruffness brings to mind the work of M.I.A. — of course, it helps that the song sounds like an early cut by the rapper, too. [via Consequence]
