By Jen Lennon and Danette Chavez / Images from left: Adrian Quesada, Boleros Psicodélicos II (ATO Records); Lucy Dacus, Forever Is A Feeling (Matador); PUP ft. Jeff Rosenstock (Nestor Chumak)
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?
What other band besides PUP would leave a guest vocalist screaming “Ahhh lyrics!” because they forgot the words they’re supposed to be singing in the final cut of a song? It’s things like this that make the band so relatable and easy to root for. Jeff Rosenstock is always a good time, and he has an absolute blast here, too, singing about the frustration of dealing with a person you really don’t like. [Jen Lennon]
With Boleros Psicodélicos II, Adrian Quesada returns to his mission to connect the past, present, and future of Latin American ballads. The Black Pumas co-founder has recruited even more Latin Alternative music luminaries for this follow-up to 2022’s opening installment—among them Cuco, who croons on the album’s lead single, the bossa nova-infused “Ojos Secos.” Quesada and Cuco’s take on this musical tradition is both buoyant and resigned, as the Hitchhiker artist laments the loss of his “eternal love” through song now that his “dry eyes” can no longer shed tears. [Danette Chavez]
Viagra Boys, “The Bog Body”
Swedish post-punkers Viagra Boys dropped a glorious takedown of modern beauty standards in a way only they could this week: with a love song about a mummified body found in a bog. “She’s so old / She’s so beautiful,” singer Sebastian Murphy croons on “The Bog Body.” She totally deserves the Vogue and Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition covers that she lands in the accompanying music video. [JL]
Lucy Dacus, Forever Is A Feeling
Lucy Dacus took a break from solo work for a few years while she joined up with Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers to form boygenius, a project that ultimately netted them three Grammy Awards. Dacus is the first boygenius member to release a solo album after the group’s The Record released in 2023, though Baker is hot on her heels with her collaborative country album with TORRES dropping next month. Forever Is A Feeling is Dacus’ fourth solo album, and its lyrics are even more confessional and specific, leading to a distinctly intimate sound. The A.V. Club‘s review of Forever Is A Feeling publishes on Monday. [JL]
Perfume Genius, Glory
The new Perfume Genius album, Glory, marks something of a transition for Mike Hadreas: He invited the members of his backing band to contribute to the song arrangements for the first time in his career. The result is something that sounds like a classic Perfume Genius record turned up to 11. The A.V. Club‘s review of Glory publishes tomorrow. [JL]
Great Grandpa, Patience, Moonbeam
Great Grandpa’s Patience, Moonbeam is an album that almost never existed. After the band released their second album, Four Of Arrows, in 2019, they went their separate ways for almost four years. After coming back together in 2023, they decided to start fresh. Guitarist Dylan Hanwright, who also produced and mixed the album, said in a note on Bandcamp, “We’re all like individual swinging pendulums, and every now and then we come into sync for a few rotations.” [JL]
