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.
DANGER MOUSE & BLACK THOUGHT – “UP” (RAG’N’BONE MAN)
In 2022, Danger Mouse and Black Thought finally released their looooong-awaited collab album Cheat Codes. Now they say they have a followup planned, and judging by how long the last one took to come out, I’d say get excited but don’t hold your breath. Here’s the first taste.
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SHARON VAN ETTEN – “POISON” (HTRK COVER)
“I was buzzing with inspiration as soon as I was asked to cover a song for Melbourne, Australia’s HTRK,” Sharon Van Etten says. “The marriage and clashing of guitars, drum machine, and bass, leaning into distorted ambience in my little music cave, was exactly where I wanted to be. I performed lines that felt like loops overlapping and ebbing and flowing, I was just carried away by this dark and meditative song I tried to honor. I reached out to my constant collaborator, Daniel Knowles, to mix and add his magic – and boom. Here we are. I hope this song helps you discover the work of this wildly talented and provocative band.”
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GORILLAZ – “THE MANIFESTO” (ft. TRUENO & PROOF)
The latest taste of Gorillaz’s upcoming album The Mountain is a musical melting pot. It’s a mix of Indian music (thanks to Amaan Ali Bangash, Ayaan Ali Bangash, Jea Band Jaipur, Ajay Prasanna, and the Mountain Choir led by Vijayaa Shanker), Latin rap (thanks to Argentine rapper Trueno), Damon Albarn’s trademark art pop, and a posthumous verse from D12 member Proof.
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HATCHIE – “ONLY ONE LAUGHING”
“I wrote ‘Only One Laughing’ to air my frustrations with the state of the world and the position I found myself in at the time (early 2023),” Hatchie says of the latest preview of her new album Liquorice. “I wanted a rollicking song that felt like you were struggling to keep up with me basically ranting about the lack of control I felt over my life.”
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WEIRD NIGHTMARE (EX-METZ) – “FOREVER ELSEWHERE”
Alex Edkins is back with his first new music since his band METZ called it quits last year. His Weird Nightmare solo project was always a little more pop, and working with Spoon’s Jim Eno has made quite the razor-sharp earworm with “Forever Elsewhere.”
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WHITNEY – “DAMAGE”
“We were searching for the sentiment of ‘Damage’ for a while,” Whitney’s Julien Ehrlich says of the latest single off their new album Small Talk. “In hindsight, I think we were trying to avoid writing a breakup song, and in the process ignoring what the song was calling for. I remember once we finally got the first chorus ironed out we were able to see that it was ok to write another song about heartbreak as long as we completed it in a way that felt unique and undeniably ‘Whitney.'”
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SORRY – “TODAY MIGHT BE THE HIT”
The news single from London duo Sorry involves theoretical physicist Ludwig Boltzmann but wrapped up in a very catchy indie rock number. Their third album COSPLAY is out November 7.
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WEAKENED FRIENDS – “SMOKE AND MIRRORS”
The final advance single from Weakened Friends’ new album Feels Like Hell is “Smoke and Mirrors.” “Have you ever been charmed by a narcissist? Let yourself be a stepping stone in someone else’s climb to the top? This is a song about manipulation disguised as friendship, about finally seeing through the illusion and deciding you’re done being used,” they write.”
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OSO OSO – “BAD NEWS”
The latest taste of Counter Intuitive Records’ upcoming 10th anniversary compilation is a lo-fi indie song from Oso Oso.
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TOTAL FUCKING DARKNESS (MEMS STARS) – “GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU OWN”
“We live in a late-period capitalist wasteland where art is devalued and podcasters are the new creative upper class,” write Toronto superduo TFD (Stars’ Torquil Campbell and Young Galaxy’s Stephen Ramsay). “What a fucking bore. ‘Give Me Everything Your Own’ is a reminder of the intrinsic, anarchic power of our music. We made it to feel like a nice cold wet fish slapping you upside the head to remind you not to fall asleep in your own life, that connection matters, that a dancefloor can be the site of rebellion and dissent. Don’t forget that cunts are still running the world…”
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ANDY BELL (ERASURE) – “XANADU” (OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN COVER)
Erasure’s Andy Bell has been covering Olivia Newtown John’s theme song to kitschy rollerdisco fantasy Xanadu on his solo tour and now here’s a studio version.
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ASA MOTO – “MJ COMPLEX” (PROD SOULWAX)
Belgian duo will release the Music For Disk Jockeys Pt 1 EP on November 7 via DEEWEE, the label run by another Belgian duo, Soulwax. It was co-produced by both duos and “MJ Complex” is a banger.
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IMMATERIALIZE – “WILL YOU STAY WITH ME”
Chicago duo Immaterialize have a low-key, dreamy sound that floats like dust in a sunbeam. This single is out via Fire Toolz’s Angel Tapes imprint on Firetalk.
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NIGHTMARES ON WAX – “TRUE (FEAT. SADIE WALKER)”
Nightmares on Wax’s new album Echo45 Sound System is out in a month via Warp, and here’s another sumptuous preview featuring Sadie Walker.
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CONSTANT SMILES – “HARRIMAN”
“This song was originally written as an apology to an ex-girlfriend over an argument we had in the car, the earlier renditions being lyrically more specific to that day,” says Constant Smiles’ Nora Knight. “However, as I rewrote and played around with lyrics I realized that what I kept returning to was more of a meditation–of always striving to be a better person–rather than simply an apology over one moment. Simplistic in words, yet complex in what it hopes for, this song is one of yearning for more from oneself and life.” New album Moonflowers is out November 7.
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SÉBASTIEN TELLIER – “NAÏF DE COEUR”
This new Sébastien Tellier single falls somewhere between Miami Vice and Pure Moods. Kiss the Beast is out January 30.
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BLONDSHELL – “ARMS” (FT. GIGI PEREZ)
Blondshell announced a companion to her second album, Another Picture, and shared the first single, an acoustic take on “Arms” featuring Gigi Perez.
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the New Songs archive.