So many artists, so many songs, 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. 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.
MOGWAI – “FANZINE MADE OF FLESH”
Known for their towering, crashing instrumental creations, Mogwai do approach pop occasionally, and “Fanzine Made of Flesh” is one of those, a nice piece of melodic indie rock with vocoder vocals and swirling keyboards. The video, by Agnes Haus, plays like a short film. The director says, “When I was sent the track, I embraced being unable to understand any of the words, and I didn’t want to know where the title came from. As I was listening, I wanted to make a video that matched that – a pseudo-film trailer with a jumbled plot that you can never grasp. You kind of have to piece it all together on your own. I really wanted it to seem like there could be a full-length film version with vague horror tones, emotional entanglement, and nods to weird art films from the ‘90s, and an autobiographical storyline about growing up non-binary, but not realising it. Perhaps one day I’ll extend it into a full film.” Mogwai’s new album The Bad Fire is out January 24.
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PRISON – “IN THE TALL GRASS / MADE FOR YOU”
NYC indie rock conglomerate Prison (Sarim Al-Rawi, Matt Lilly and Paul Major) will release new album Downstate on January 31 via Drag City. Here’s a gritty two-fer to hold you over the next three weeks.
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GARY LOURIS (THE JAYHAWKS) – “GETTING OLDER”
The Jayhawks’ Gary Louris will release his third solo album, Dark Country, on February 14 via Sham / Thirty Tigers. “Dark Country is a love letter to my wife Steph, plain and simple,” says Gary. “It was written and recorded in my little studio in our home in the mountains of Quebec. Just my guitar and my voice, occasionally piano, and on two songs a bit of magic from my friends. It is the most intimate and straightforward record I have ever made. Just me in a room with my songs and you the listener. I am not typically an autobiographical lyricist but these songs are as literal as can be….all directed to my love.” This is the first single.
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JJULIUS – “BRINNA UT”
Gothenberg, Sweden’s JJULIUS have announced new album Vol. 3 which will be out March 7 via DFA. This album features Viagra Boys’ Tor Sjödén on drums and first single “Brinna Ut” (“Burn out”) may remind some of another Swedish band, The Concretes.
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LAIBACH – “I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS” (FOREIGNER COVER)
Laibach have been giving the people what they didn’t know they wanted for 40-some years now, and they’re showing no signs of stopping. Here’s their take on Foreigner’s drippy ’80s ballad “I Wanna Know What Love Is” as only they could do it.
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BONNIE “PRINCE” BILLY – “DOWNSTREAM” FT. JOHN ANDERSON
“One of my favorite recorded John Anderson performances is a duet he sang with Merle Haggard called ‘The Winds of Change’ on Merle’s 1996 record,” Will Oldham says. “It’s a minor-key ballad about climate change and over-development, the compromise of our environment’s integrity at the hands of humans. ‘Downstream,’ though in a major key, hits on the same ideas. I don’t know how to explain how it felt to witness this master of song bring, beautifully and humbly, his experience and expertise to bear on this little recording we were making. Anderson’s singing on the final verse has weight in it, and concern, and love.” It’s from his new album The Purple Bird, out later this month.
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SKIIFALL – “HER WORLD” (ft. JORJA SMITH)
Skiifall’s Kenny Beats-produced Lovers Til I’m Gone EP drops this Friday (1/10), and the EP’s latest single is a reggae collab with Jorja Smith.
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-(16)- – “PROUDLY DAMNED”
San Diego sludge metal veterans -(16)- have announced a new album, Guides For The Misguided, due February 7 via Relapse. New single “Proudly Damned” finds them sounding as heavy and energized as ever.
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HALF WAIF – “EPHEMERAL BEING” (CLAIRE ROUSAY REMIX)
As she begins her tour, Half Waif shared a new version of “Ephemeral Being” from her new album See You At The Maypole,” remixed and deconstructed by Claire Rousay. ““I’m a big fan of Claire’s music, particularly her capacity to transform everyday textures and sound bites–pieces of sonic ephemera–into gorgeous, scintillating song forms,” Nandi Rose says. “While working on the remix, Claire emailed me to ask if I’d record a little bit of audio, talking about the background of the song, which she then quickly and brilliantly wove into the ending of the piece. It was a fun back-and-forth, and I think the remix sheds new light on the song, as if it were shattered into stained glass shards and then mosaic’d back together again.”
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SKELETEN – “LET IT GROW”
Eora/Sydney-based indie/electronic artist Skeleten shares another taste of upcoming album Mentalized.
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CLOAKROOM – “BAD LARRY”
Cloakroom announced a new album, Last Leg of the Human Table, alongside the release of second single “Bad Larry.” Read more here.
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AREN’T WE AMPHIBIANS, AWAKEBUTSTILLINBED, CALIFORNIA COUSINS, & YOUR ARMS ARE MY COCOON – FOURWAYSPLIT
Four great emo/screamo bands have teamed for a four-way split with one new song by each band. Read more here.
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DEEP SEA DIVER – “SHOVEL”
Seattle trio Deep Sea Diver have announced their first album for Sub Pop and this is the soaring first single.
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MEKONS – “MUDCRAWLERS”
The almighty Mekons will soon be back with Horror, their first album in five years. “Mudcrawlers” is as stirring and anthemic as you’d expect from Jon Langford, Sally Timms and the fest of Mekons, but you’ve probably not heard them do it quite like this before.
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JAPANESE BREAKFAST – “ORLANDO IN LOVE”
Japanese Breakfast announced their fourth album and shared the first single, which you can read more about here.
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KORINE – “ANHEDONIA”
Philly darkwave duo Korine will release their fourth album, A Flame in the Dark, on March 28 via Born Losers Records. “This album is very special to us both, potentially our purest and most ‘us’ collection of songs we’ve made together,” say Morgy Ramone and Trey Frye. Check out the first single now.
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the New Songs archive