Welcome to our weekly music post, where we spotlight our favorite new songs and albums. Hop in the comments and tell us: What new music are you listening to?
“Since April,” the new single from girlpuppy, a.k.a. Becca Harvey, is a brutal breakup song underscored by distorted guitars. It has a distinctly pop-punk sound to it, which is a fun new mode for Harvey, who usually sticks closer to the indie/alt-pop genres. “Since April” is the third single from girlpuppy’s upcoming second album, Sweetness, due out March 28.
Okay, look, this is kind of a lot, so just put your seatbelt on and strap in for a minute while we explain what’s going on with the new Car Seat Headrest song, “Gethsemane.” It’s the first single from their recently announced upcoming album, The Scholars (out May 2), which is a rock opera that follows the lives of students and staff at the fictional Parnassus University. “Gethsemane” is an 11-minute epic told in three parts that the band describes like this in a press release: “Rosa studies at the medical school of Parnassus University. After an experience bringing a medically deceased patient back to life, she begins to regain powers suppressed since childhood, of healing others by absorbing their pain. Each night, instead of dreams, she encounters the raw pain and stories of the souls she touches throughout the day. Reality blurs, and she finds herself taken deep into secret facilities buried beneath the medical school, where ancient beings that covertly reign over the college bring forth their dark plans.” The song is told alternatively from the perspective of Rosa and the Behemoth, one of the ancient beings lurking beneath the school. Got it? No? It doesn’t matter; just go listen to it and soak it in.
The Taxpayers, “I Am One Thousand”
It’s been nine years since Portland-based punk band The Taxpayers released their last album, 2016’s Big Delusion Factory, but they’re finally back with the upcoming Circle Breaker (out March 21). “I Am One Thousand” was inspired by lead vocalist Rob Taxpayer’s time spent teaching free adult education classes for people learning English. He explained in a press release, “As part of a writing assignment, we were discussing the places we come from. A student from Burma was describing escaping the violence, and feeling guilt when thinking about family and friends who were not able to leave. At the end of the discussion, she said, ‘I left for my children. I live for the future.’ As I sit here writing this a few years later, now with my own child, I wonder if I would be so brave if thrown into such horrors. I hope so. ‘I Am One Thousand’ was written in honor of people like her: courageous and utterly human in the face of the inhumane, kind in the face of cruelty, resilient above all.”
Hamilton Leithauser, This Side Of The Island
Former Walkmen vocalist Hamilton Leithauser has been putting out music as a solo artist ever since the band went on hiatus in 2013, and his latest album, This Side Of The Island, is brighter and more pop-forward than anything he’s done in the past. Leithauser’s music still retains its classic indie shagginess, though, making for an almost groovy record that’s a lot of fun to listen to.
Lady Gaga, MAYHEM
MAYHEM is a return to form for Lady Gaga. It’s been five years since her last album, the synth-heavy Chromatica. And while Chromatica was good, it wasn’t quite as cohesive as her early work. But MAYHEM is Gaga’s strongest work in years, reminiscent of her Born This Way-era sound and mildly (but always interestingly) off-putting visuals, all bloodshot eyeballs and off-kilter costumes. It all feels intentional and artistic in a way Gaga’s music hasn’t in years, and we didn’t realize how much we missed that until we had it back.
Spiritbox, Tsunami Sea
Spiritbox’s second album, Tsunami Sea, is aptly titled—the sheer force of Courtney LaPlante’s vocals is overwhelming, backed by relentless melodies from guitarist Mike Stringer, bassist Josh Gilbert, and drummer Zev Rose. The Canadian metal band first rose to prominence with their 2021 debut full-length, Eternal Blue, and followed that up with The Fear Of Fear EP in 2023. Spiritbox has found mainstream crossover success in a way that few metal bands have, and Tsunami Sea, which further refines the band’s sound, is their most fully realized release to date. It’s safe to say that no one is ever going to mistake Courtney LaPlante for Poppy again.
