Having already provided two tasters of her forthcoming second EP, ‘5’1’ and ‘Polyfilla’, both exceedingly different songs sonically, Greta Isaac continues to outshine expectation with her wonky and jagged yet cohesive and boundary pushing new single ‘NUH UH’. Her new EP I Think You’d Hate It Here will be released on April 1. ‘NUH UH’ is yet another example of Greta’s melodic prowess. With a killer guitar and synth riff played in counterpoint with the chorus’ vocal melody, she weaves a dizzying atmosphere reminiscent of a drunken walk home after a night out. Greta said: “I wrote 'NUH UH' around the same time as 'Polyfilla' and '5’1', although the tone and essence of this song could not be more different. 'NUH UH' is manic, delusional, desperate and super charged to the point where I don’t really feel like it’s me who’s singing it when I listen to it. Sonically it feels like the moment you have a “spark” with someone - a spike in energy, your eyes blacken, your skin gets hot and sweaty. I see it in myself and people around me, it looks like we’re all turning into vampires, desperate for human connection and the feeling of being wanted by another person. It’s fascinating.” The single has arrived with an equally surreal and flamboyant music video. Self directed by Greta, it continues her ongoing working relationship with stylist/creative director Suzie Walsh and sees Greta showcase a variety of outlandish outfits.
Last year, the Los Angeles-based musician Lael Neale released Acquainted With Night, her first full-length for Sub Pop. Now, she’s back with a new single, the gentle and hypnotic 'Hotline.' “I became interested in numerology through John Lennon and his belief in the significance of numbers, specifically the number nine,” Neale said in a statement. “Because this song imagines a late night call of desperation into a psychic hotline, I thought it’d be fun to act as that ‘psychic’ and connect with people directly, giving them a personalized fortune for this year based on their unique numerology.” [via Stereogum]
Cate Le Bon is releasing a new album, Pompeii, next month, the follow-up to 2019’s excellent Reward. She’s shared two singles from it already, 'Running Away' and 'Moderation,' and now she’s sharing one more, 'Remembering Me,' a burbling groove whose chorus goes: “Upset and out of touch/ Good grief, you missed so much/ Louder than empty rooms/ Face down in heirlooms/ Remembering me.” “‘Remembering Me’ is a neurotic diary entry that questions notions of legacy and warped sentimentalism in the desperate need to self-mythologise,” Le Bon said in a statement. Above, watch a video for the track by directors Juliana Giraffe and Nicola Giraffe. [via Stereogum]
Never underestimate the power of the mothers, Tanya Tagaq warns with new song 'Teeth Agape,' out now along with accompanying video animated by David Seitz. From forthcoming album Tongues, produced by Saul Williams and co-produced by Gonjasufi, 'Teeth Agape' makes two promises: to protect, and to attack. Growling and gnashing over trancing pulses, Tagaq transforms into a creature all claws and teeth, ready to reckon with those who do harm. It’s the fight that comes from survival, snarls Tagaq.
The London-based, pan-continental female instrumental four-piece, Los Bitchos share their latest single and video, 'Pista (Fresh Start)'. The whooping, hollering single which sounds like William Onyeabor discovering cumbia, is accompanied by a video, the final in a trilogy from director Tom Mitchell. The band said the following about the song and video: “We are so excited to put out this track. Some people may recognise it and we hope you enjoy the sassy makeover we gave it for the album. The video transports you to our life in witness protection following our game show/court room victory - the good life and new beginnings. Things aren’t quite what they seem though... We had so much fun shooting this video and didn’t want to leave our cosy, wholesome nest! Thank you to Dario Argento and Are you afraid of the dark? for inspiring the final instalment of this trilogy.”
YAQI has release her new music video for 'I'm On It'. The Y2K inspired single has an equally nostalgic visual. In collaboration with the luxury clothing brand PRIVATE POLICY, YAQI teamed up with an entirely POC led creatives who are not only experts in their own fields, but also activists in social equality and diversity. YAQI has dedicated the video to Asian female creatives, who have been stereotyped and ignored for too long. "Moved and impacted by events since the violence towards the AAPI communities during the pandemic, it is time for us to stand up, speak up, and support each other. It is so touching to see the enormous support from other groups," she says. "We wish to show the world and more importantly all the female immigrants and people who feel unseen while working towards their dreams that we see you, support you and you can do it! 'I'm On It' is the spirit in many women, we are here to cheer them on!"
Catherine Moan, like all infatuation junkies, knows that a fresh fling can be both wildly exciting and wildly destabilizing. The Philadelphia-based electro-pop artist illustrates this on her new single 'Soda Pop,' which is a sweet, sticky synth-pop concoction about crushing hard and crashing harder. Of course, the track also doubles as an ode to Moan’s carbonated beverage of choice. She knows the buzz won’t last forever: “It’s driving me crazy / And taking me all the way to the top,” she sings, “and I’m fallin’ down / I’m crashing bad.” Still, she’s hooked: “I can’t get enough of your / liquid love, liquid love / your liquid drug.” “‘Soda Pop’ is a song I wrote during one of my frequent energy drink binges,” says Moan. “If I have work to do I’ll slam back a Monster and treat it like medication for my ADHD. It’s a simple song about love, addiction, and withdrawal from someone sweet like sugar. Sometimes you don’t realize how deep you are in your obsession until it’s cut off from you and the pangs and manic thoughts come raining down. You can take the message literally or figuratively; maybe you drink too much soda and need a cola breakup anthem.” [via FLOOD]
Guerilla Toss have signed to Sub Pop and will release their first album for the label, Famously Alive, on March 25. The band wrote and recorded the album during the pandemic in the Catskills, and while their unbridled creativity and disregard for genre boundaries is still in effect, this is a poppier, shinier Guerilla Toss than you may remember. "You have to be with yourself all the time during the pandemic," says singer/lyrcist Kassie Carlson. "I had to figure out a way to manage my anxiety. The pandemic was hard, but it helped me get comfortable inside my own body. My peace of mind came out of being thrust into the deepest shit. This album is all about being happy, being alive, strength. It’s meant to inspire people." You can get a taste via 'Cannibal Capital,' which is effervescent and very danceable yet also makes room for very windmillable guitar power chords. [via Brooklyn Vegan]
Aldous Harding has announced a new album, Warm Chris, the New Zealand-born, Wales-based musician’s follow-up to 2019’s Designer. She once again worked with producer John Parish, and she recorded it at Rockfield Studios. “Listening back, it sounds to me like there’s something completely new happening with my voice. The vocals are tiny. I won’t try to speak about sound too much, because it’s here, and I don’t want to ruin or create a surprise. It reminds me personally/musically of a large horse trying to keep up with a train,” Harding said in a new interview with BBC Radio 6’s Lauren Laverne. Now, Harding has shared the album’s lead single, 'Lawn.' “This video is pretty luxurious for me, but that’s what I saw when I shut my eyes and said ‘Show me,’ that sort of thing. So that’s what we made,” Harding continued. “Turns out it was just the thing. Music’s wonderful that way. The video was directed by Martin Sagadin and myself.” [via Stereogum]
Mitski will release Laurel Hell, one of 2022’s most-anticipated albums, on February 4 via Dead Oceans, and will then embark on a sold out UK Tour. Now, Mitski presents the new single/video, 'Love Me More,' a disco-tinged and urgent number reflecting how Laurel Hell evolved “to be more up-tempo and dance-y.” "As ‘Love Me More’ was written pre-pandemic, lyrics like 'If I keep myself at home' had different meanings than what they would now, but I kept them on the album because I found that some of the sentiments not only remained the same, but were accentuated by the lockdown," says Mitski. "‘Love Me More’ went through the most iterations out of all the songs on the album. It’s been too fast, too slow, and at some point, it was even an old style country song. Finally, I think because we had watched The Exorcist, we thought of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ and experimented with floating an ostinato over the chorus. As we steadily evolved the ostinato to fit over the chord progressions, we began to hear how the track was meant to sound." The 'Love Me More' video sees Mitski collaborating once again with Christopher Good, who directed the video for Mitski’s 'Nobody.' It was shot in Kansas City in December 2021.
Boy Harsher have shared a third and final pre-release single from their forthcoming album The Runner (Original Soundtrack) out January 21 via Nude Club/City Slang. Following the heavy presence of lead single 'Tower' and the flirtatious 'Give Me a Reason,' new single 'Machina' is a HI-NRG homage performed by Mariana Saldaña of Boan, sung in both Spanish and English. On the surface the song is cheeky and playful, but it truly is an uptempo cautionary tale. In her lyrics, Saldaña describes a cold, sterile entity, the Machine, that is soulless and without a heartbeat. The cryptic message repeats throughout the song - 'I can’t spend tonight with you, I can’t dance with you, I can’t end my night with you, I can’t feel your heart beat too'. The implication is that contemporary obsession with the 'Machina' is a lonely reality. The content is dark and intentionally witty: who are you going to dance with, when the machine is your only companion? Muller marks his time spent in Mexico City, at the renowned dance club Patrick Miller, as sonic inspiration: "I was reminiscing about Friday nights at Patrick Miller. I was trying to create an artefact from a club in a far off place and an unknown time. Mariana and I were sending each other old freestyle and Hi NRG videos and just having fun." 'Machina' blends the bright cheery palette of HI-NRG and Italo Disco, with Boy Harsher’s shadowy aesthetic merging the best of both worlds. The electrifying self-directed video produced by Muted Widows comes from the world of The Runner, presented as an exclusive NUDE TV studio performance by Saldaña.
Norwegian 7-piece band Fieh are ready to unleash new LP In The Sun In The Rain, which is slated for release on March 4 via Jansen Records. Now, the group has shared brand new visuals, by Nikolai Grasaasen, for minimalistic soul banger 'Telephone Girl'. The track itself is dedicated to the very modern phenomenon of telephobia. “I’m not a telephone girl, that’s why I never reply when you call me” sings Sofie Tollefsbøl. “This song is a public apology to everyone who’s ever tried to call me. It’s not you, it’s me” she jokes. Of the new video, she says: "Warning: This video contains orange snakeskin pants, guitar solos in the desert, girls drinking highly toxic pink drinks and dangling telephones around and other depictions of a day in the life of a NON-Telephone Girl. You could start your new telephone free life today too – just stop answering those calls. Had a lot of fun with this one, many shoutouts to Nikolai!"
London-based, soul R&B artist Taloula has released the music video for ‘Quick Fix Love’, taken from her debut EP The Evolution of Taloula out now. The introspective ‘Quick Fix Love’ is a candid R&B slow jam addressing dependency in relationships. Directed by Taloula and Jack Thompson, the striking new visual sees Taloula and dancers Josh Denyer, Darius Drooh and Camille Corgeron, perform a beautifully choreographed aerial dance that brings feelings of emotional dependency to life. “This video was a huge challenge for me, personally as it was my first time directing a music video, and also as we technically chose to do a single shot with a film camera. With Zack we imagined these sequences highlighting the dependence on others. The intensity of the movement shows the hold people can sometimes have over you," says Taloula. "I talk about how I've always been dependent on others, whether in my romantic or professional life, putting aside my opinions and needs. Subconsciously, I never allowed myself to think for myself, always needing the approval or direction of others.”
With their new album IRE due Jan 28 via ANTI-, New York-based Latinx quartet Combo Chimbita have shared the final single and video from the record 'Yo Me Lo Merezco', which is the fourth and last in a series of auto-fictional narrative videos with prominent queer and trans performance artists to be featured alongside tracks from Combo Chimbita’s upcoming record. The video for 'Yo Me Lo Merezco' features Black trans artist Teresa Karolina wading through a river of affirmations and seeking abundance from Yemaya, orisha of nourishing waters. In the video we find Karolina emerging from her everyday routine and into a dreamy simultaneous dimension where she commands the lyrical manifesto of divine feminine strength and radical self-love.
Adele — torchbearer of the CD revival, conqueror of album sales — returns today with a brand new video for 'Oh My God,' a highlight from her recent smash album, 30. The singer teased the music video ahead of its release with a short trailer on YouTube and social media, although anything with Adele’s name attached doesn’t need much teasing to cause a commotion. Playing into the song’s conflicting themes of wanting to let loose while carrying a load of responsibilities, there’s danger in the 'Oh My God' video: “Maybe, baby, I’m just losing my mind/ Cause this is trouble/ But it feels right teetering on the edge/ Of heaven and hell,” Adele sings, surrounding by evocative dancers, stunt people, and plenty of flames. The video also has a surreal element to it, with Adele often appearing beside herself. Directed by Sam Brown and choreographed by Megan Lawson, the 'Oh My God' video is a spectacle — but it’s not like we expected anything less. [via Consequence]
Aluna has dropped a new collab with Diplo and Durante, ‘Forget About Me’. The track – which follows on from Aluna’s debut album – was co-written with Kelli-Leigh, and co-produced by Aluna, Diplo and Durante. “This song is about that moment when you’ve cleaned up the trash pile that was once your heart,” she explains, “you’re feeling yourself and you’ve worked out how to be alone but the past comes back to haunt you, hungry for your new self love and abundant vibes. Those are the moments you have to stay strong and really forget about your old love so that new fresh love can waltz into your life. When the one that got away comes back…what you gonna do? That’s not what I call destiny, you deserve better.” [via Dork]
UK R&B force La Shana Latrice returns with new single 'Let It Flow'. The Birmingham raised vocalist has always been infatuated with R&B, so much so that she moved to Atlanta, Georgia to chase her dream. Finessing her skills, she returned to the UK and released her debut album Everything Is Changing in 2020, a potent display of her abilities. New single 'Let It Flow' takes her into a different plane, with the clinical production helmed by Reginald 'Regg' Smith. Her divine vocal lifts the song, with 'Let It Flow' locating that sub-zero charm. Reginald 'Regg' Smith sculpts the visuals, building a universe for La Shana Latrice to inhabit. [via Clash]
Raveena returns with new song 'Rush'. The R&B auteur has inked a major label deal, with much more to come in 2022. Her new chapter opens with 'Rush', a hallucinogenic feast of future-facing soul music. Global in her sweep, Raveena matches aspects of her heritage with outward creativity, a fusion approach that breaks new ground. 'Rush' came to Raveena back in 2017, after coming up on a psychedelic trip while absorbing an Eastern sound installation at the Rubin Museum. The visual echoes this lysergic encounter, with Raveena co-directing alongside Munachi Osegbu. She comments... “I wrote 'Rush' a couple years back and the song was the genesis of me exploring a more intense marriage between Bollywood sounds and the pop/R&B music that I grew up on in America. The song and video are centered around a character I created named Asha, a Punjabi space princess who is transported to a distant planet and learns highly advanced spiritual intelligence from the beings that live there. In the video that I co-directed with Munachi, I wanted to create a campy ode to the colorful 80’s Bollywood movies and 70’s Western sci fi movies that I’m obsessed with, complete with a choreographed dance sequence alongside Asha’s alien friends.” [via Clash]
Toronto-based composer Maylee Todd has announced her debut album for Stones Throw Records — Maloo is arriving March 4, and Todd has shared the video for first single 'Show Me.' In a statement about the record, Todd described Maloo as a concept album of "science fiction lullabies" named after the digital avatar featured on the record's cover. The album is inspired by the utopian possibilities of technology, informed by Todd's experiences with VR during the pandemic. "Often we place too much emphasis on status, wealth, and clout on social media," she wrote. "Instead, what if we find ways to share our dreams and goals for ourselves and society? Tapping into our creativity and imaginations rather than having to preserve status or identity for acceptance." The songs on Maloo are told from the titular avatar's point of view, set in a world called "The Age of Energy" where empathy, mental health and creativity are essential elements of survival. This world, as seen in the video for 'Show Me,' was conceived, created and animated entirely by Todd. [via Exclaim]
LA-based artist Celeste Tauchar is the mastermind behind the new project talker. After gaining momentum with the singles 'Sad Chick' and 'Summerlin,' Tauchar returns with the sizzling tune 'Don’t Want You To Love Me' and to announce the debut EP, In Awe Of Insignificance. Directed by Chanel Samson, talker’s 'Don’t Want You To Love Me' video shows Tauchar hoping that a mannequin will stand in the place of the perfect boyfriend. She dresses him up at the for a disco dance party and even creates a picnic in the back yard. But she eventually realizes that even a the plastic man isn’t a stand-in for the one she really wants to be with. Speaking about the new track in a statement, Tauchar says she was inspired by the unfortunately all-too-familiar feeling of someone not feeling the same way as you do about them: “When your past shows up to haunt you, you have to decide if you’re going to open the door. And when someone comes back, you have to weigh the options and decide if you’re willing to put yourself through the ringer again for them. It’s easy to just block anything that knocks you off your course. A classic he loves me/he loves me not/will they/won’t they – but sometimes you have to silence your rational thoughts and trust your emotions. This song is me doing exactly that.” [via UPROXX]
Singer, songwriter, actress, and activist Sofia Carson has shared her female empowerment anthem 'LOUD,' along with the breathtakingly bold music video. 'LOUD' follows the journey of a once silenced voice breaking free. Carson worked with songwriters Alida Garpestad Peck and Paris Carney on the anthem. 'LOUD' mixes together pop and R&B, as Carson’s powerhouse vocals captivate with depth and soul. About the song, Carson commented, “From the bottom of my heart, this song is dedicated to YOU. The women of the world and all the LOUD voices of change. Because we were all: Made to Be LOUD.” Through the metaphor of a butterfly coming out of her cocoon, the video, directed by award-winning director and frequent collaborator Uri Schutzer and choreographed by the acclaimed Avihai Haham, tells the story of a silenced voice, spreading her wings, taking flight, and breaking free. Louder than ever. [via Vacancy]
It’s been less than a year since Israeli pop star Noa Kirel first started releasing English-language singles and she recently capped off 2021 with her biggest gig yet. She took the stage for a showstopping performance of her single 'Bad Little Thing' on the televised Miss Universe 2021, opening the night with a captivating choreography. Now ringing in the new year right, Kirel returns with 'Thought About That,' her first new song of 2022. 'Thought About That' arrives alongside a futuristic and fun video directed by Roman Buchatsky. It sees Kirel waking up in a sci-fi fantasy world characterized by towering buildings and flying cars. She realizes her man has left her behind but has no problem dancing through a broken heart. “Oh did you think I’d hate dancing alone / Oh did you think I’d stay home / You should have thought about that before you broke my heart,” she sings. In a statement about the dancefloor-ready track, Kirel said she hopes the song inspires young women everywhere to prioritize themselves when it comes to relationships: “I turned 20 this year and it’s so important for my music to inspire young women to be independent and stand up for themselves, especially in relationships.” [via UPROXX]
Platinum-selling pop artist Alicia Moffet released the music video for her new single 'Lullaby' via The Orchard. The new track is a sassy song that infuses electro-pop with rich and complex sounds of RnB and soul, while exuding Alicia’s disarming charm. The music video, shot at Windsor Montreal Salon Versailles in Montreal, QC, and directed by Jaycee and his team at Moonstruhk, features a party where abundance, good looks and superficiality are at the heart of all the interactions between the guests. We follow flamboyant and clichéd characters who seize the opportunity to boast about themselves, as Alicia wishes to represent in a clean or figurative way enters several uncomfortable situations she has experienced in the past by demonstrating her discomfort and nonchalance to all the superficiality that surrounds her.
