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?
When Lana Del Rey first announced her upcoming album late last year, she promised us some new music before Stagecoach 2025, and she’s coming in right under the wire with last week’s “Henry, come on” and the brand-new “Bluebird.” What might not be coming in on time, though, is the album itself. In a since-deleted Instagram reel, Del Rey mentioned that the album had been delayed and its title had been changed for the second time. Hopefully, the delay won’t be too long and we’ll still get to hear the album before summer’s over.
Less than a year after releasing their third full-length album, Illuminati Hotties are back with a new EP, Nickel On The Fountain Floor (out May 30). “Wreck My Life” is the second single from Nickel, and it’s a delightfully sarcastic duet between band founder and singer Sarah Tudzin and PUP’s Stefan Babcock. Tudzin and Babcock opine about a bad romance with a walking cliche of a person that they just can’t quit, even though they’re the absolute worst. It’s a tidy, less-than-two-minute jolt of catharsis.
Sports Team, “Sensible”
UK alt-rockers Sports Team are gearing up for the release of their third album, Boys These Days (out May 23), with a new single, “Sensible.” It’s a classic Brit-pop anthem with a snarky twist. Singer Rob Knaggs said in a press release, “‘Sensible’ is a song about the myth of betterment. ‘Go to the gym. Get ripped! Get rich! Get ahead!’ I think being young now, it feels like you’re trapped in someone else’s nostalgia. Primed. Groomed. Glistening with youth and vigor. What for? Staving off the grim reaper with Haeckels face creams and expensive candles. Adopting the aesthetic of liberalism while running an air bnb [sic] empire, flying 10 times a year and working for Helsing AI.”
Julien Baker and TORRES, Send A Prayer My Way
The collaborative album from Julien Baker and TORRES is finally here. Send A Prayer My Way has been one of the most anticipated records of the year so far, and while the singles had us optimistic, the full album didn’t let us down. Baker and TORRES, a.k.a. Mackenzie Scott, deliver an earnest country record full of pathos. It’s a love letter to the genre and a joy to listen to.
Tunde Adebimpe, Thee Black Boltz
Despite the fact that much of TV On The Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe’s first solo album, Thee Black Boltz, is about Adebimpe processing his grief after the death of his younger sister, it feels somehow joyous. As Adebimpe explains in a note on Bandcamp, “[The album is inspired by] the sparks of inspiration/motivation/hope that flash up in the midst of (and sometimes as a result of) deep grief, depression or despair. Sort of like electrons building up in storm clouds clashing until they fire off lightning and illuminate a way out, if only for a second.” You can read The A.V. Club‘s full review here.
Beirut, A Study Of Losses
Beirut’s new album, A Study Of Losses, started out as a commission from a Swedish circus troupe. Given its roots, it’s appropriately breathtaking. The project wasn’t immediately enticing to Zach Condon, though. In a press release, he said, “When I was first approached about writing a soundtrack for a circus, a certain amount of Elephant Gun era trauma initially came rushing up. I had been pigeon-holed for years as a whimsical circus waif, full of sepia-toned images of penny farthings and perhaps lion tamers with handlebar moustaches. It couldn’t have been further from how I pictured the music I was making. Ironic then, that I found Kompani Giraff’s project so enticing.” Beirut is also performing live for the first time in six years to celebrate the release of A Study Of Losses, with dates in the UK and Europe.
