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.
DEBBY FRIDAY – “HOT LOVE”
Canadian artist Debby Friday, who we named one of our 15 Artists to Watch in 2023, will release her full-length debut on March 24 via Sub Pop, and she’s just shared another song. “The song itself is about the karma of relationships,” says Debby. “You meet someone, and you idealize them, you project onto them, and they do the same to you, and it’s all fun and games until it isn’t. This way of loving is so intoxicating and combustible and so hot it burns you right up.”
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DAWN RAY’D – “GO AS FREE COMPANIONS”
“To Know The Light is an exploration of anarcho-nihilism, and ‘Go As Free Companions’ is our conclusion,” singer and violinist Simon Barr says the third single off UK black metal trio Dawn Ray’d’s new album. “We have chosen not to despair in the face of overwhelming odds, but to live while time allows it. If the future is canceled, if the present is all we have, then each minute must be revolutionary; every moment counts, so live these ideas in every moment. It is easy to know what we are against, but we must not forget what we are for. Whilst there is joy, love, empathy, kindness, people in need of your help; we cannot give up. You may sometimes feel like it, but you are not alone and you are not powerless, there are huge numbers of us, let’s find each other! Though acrid black clouds race across the horizon we must not forget: today, the sun still shines.”
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FAINTEST IDEA – “FALSE PROPHETS”
UK ska/street punks Faintest Ideas’ latest single is another catchy ska track with a powerful political message about staying skeptical of authority figures. It’s from their new album, The Road To Sedition.
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STEFFLON DON – “DEMDEAD”
British rapper/singer Stefflon Don’s debut album Island 54 is on the way, and the third single is “DemDead,” which is accompanied by a video she directed. “The fan reaction to this single paired with that drill beat … I had to make an official video for this track,” she says. “Self-directing the film was really important to me as I knew exactly how I wanted each version of myself to come across – I’m my own fiercest competitor.”
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LANKUM – “THE NEW YORK TRADER”
“We started working on ’The New York Trader’ in January 2021,” Lankum’s Ian Lynch says. “We learned it, like so many other great songs, from Ringsend native and all-round legend Luke Cheevers. It is one of a group of songs sometimes referred to as the ‘Jonah Ballads’. The words to the song may be based on an older ballad called ’The Pirate’ in which the destination was New Barbary rather than ‘Amerikay’. It was printed on broadsides in the UK where it was quite popular in the 19th century, and versions were subsequently collected in Wiltshire, Norfolk and Nova Scotia in the 20th century. In the song, someone who had done terrible things had found themselves in command of the ship and in order for the passengers and crew to save themselves, it became necessary to throw the captain overboard into the deep, hopefully never to return. Though they did what was necessary, they live in fear as the bloated corpse threatens to resurface, this time commanding an army of the dead.” It’s the latest single from the doomy Dublin folk group’s new album False Lankum, out later this month.
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DROPKICK MURPHYS – “I KNOW HOW IT FEELS”
Dropkick Murphys have announced a second album of Woody Guthrie lyrics. Okemah Rising is due out May 12 via their own Dummy Luck Music, and the first single is “I Know How It Feels.” “Every night, when the audience is singing along with Woody’s words, his steadfast defense of the working class, and his fight against social injustice and the abuse of political power comes across loud and clear,” frontman Ken Casey says. “So as long as Dropkick Murphys are involved, Woody’s message will always be heard.”
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GOROD – “WE ARE THE SUN GODS”
French prog-death metalers Gorod self-release their new album, The Orb, on March 10. About new single “We Are The Sun Gods,” they say, “Welcome to a Shakespearean interpretation of the world upside down, in a story where God finds himself the creator of idols. The sun, his major work, was created with his own hands. This life-giving star, however, presents a certain hostility. In fact, it will burn our world down in flames. But the creator’s greatest success is us. Carved in his image, we seem inexorably sentenced to fall into hubris. This “solar” arrogance is leading us to our downfall. And it is not by creating in our turn deified objects that we will prevent all light from going out…”
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CHAMBER – “TREMBLE”
Nashville metalcore band Chamber follow their 2022 EP Carved In Stone with new single “Tremble,” and they say they’ll have “More news on LP 2 soon, another psycho tour announcement soon too.”
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TORENA – “SLAVE NO MORE”
The second single off Oxnard hardcore band Torena’s new EP Evil Eyez is another pummeling, mosh-ready track, “Slave No More.”
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THALA – “YOU HAD 2”
Berlin artist THALA has signed to Fire Records and has shared her first single for the label. “You Had 3” is widescreen dreampop with a ’90s feel.
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MAIYA THE DON – “DUSTIES”
Brooklyn rapper Maiya the Don’s infectious new single is an anthem to high standards. “I hope ‘Dusties’ makes men feel bad, and women feel empowered,” she says.
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DON LETTS FT HOLLIE COOK – “NO FOOLING ME”
Former Big Audio Dynamite member, DJ and filmmaker Don Letts has shared a second track from his upcoming debut solo album. “No Fooling Me” features Hollie Cook and is breezy fun with a serious message. “To keep grounded I watch the news every single day and I’ve come to realise that if you play by their rules you’ll get the same results,” says Don. “Time to change tactics – it’s dread out there.”
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TRIBULATION – “VENGEANCE (THE PACT)” (BLUE OYSTER CULT COVER)
Tribulation’s new cover of Blue Öyster Cult‘s “Vengeanace (The Pact)” closes out their new EP Hamartia. “We’ve been meaning to do a BÖC cover for over a decade now, and finally got around to doing it,” guitarist Adam Zaars says. “They’ve been a constant source of inspiration throughout the years as they always seemed to find new creative ways of doing their thing, which is what we’re always striving for. It will stand out a bit from what we usually do as anyone listening will find out soon enough!”
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KING YOSEF – “POWER”
King Yosef’s new album An Underlying Hum, produced by Converge’s Kurt Ballou, is out on April 28, and the latest single is “Power,” which mixes pummeling industrial with hardcore aggression.
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MACH HOMMY – “OLAJUWON” FT. THA GOD FAHIM
Ahead of the release of their new album Notorious Dump Legends: Volume 2 on Friday (3/3), prolific underground rappers and frequent collaborators Mach Hommy and Tha God Fahim have shared “Olajuwon,” named after the Nigerian-American former basketball player.
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FROST CHILDREN – “ALL I GOT”
NYC hyperpop duo Frost Children announced a new album, SPEED RUN, due out April 14 via True Panther, and shared new single “ALL I GOT.” “‘ALL I GOT’ is Frost Children’s radio-ready single designed for maximum listenability,” they say. “At this moment, ‘ALL I GOT’ is the Universal Tune, and you should be comforted by its all-encompassing ubiquity. It’s everything you want, and everything you need.”
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PURLING HISS – “DRAG ON GIRARD”
Purling Hiss will release new album Drag on Girard on March 24 via Drag City and here’s the ragged ripper title track.
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AOIFE NESSA FRANCES – “AUTOMATIC LOVE”
Following her great 2022 album Protector, has shared a new single, the lilting, jazzy “Automatic Love,” that was recorded during the same sessions that produced her album. “‘Automatic Love’ is a song about handing yourself over to the unknown, giving in to the unpredictability of nature,” Aoife says. “I spent time alone writing, learning to love myself so that I could experience deeper love for those close to me. It is about a divine connection to something greater than yourself. It is a form of prayer for the chaos of love. I was spending so much time outside, wandering and watching Autumn’s decay, subconsciously planting seeds for Spring. The song feels vast and open for me and should ideally be listened to outside, where you can experience wind and sun on your skin.”
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CHAIN OF FLOWERS – “SERVING PURPOSE”
Welsh post-punk group Chain of Flowers are back with new album Never Ending Space which was produced by Fucked Up’s Jonah Falco and will be out May 26 via A L T E R. First single “Serving Purpose” is equal parts drive and shimmer.
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GRINGO STARR – “TOLD ME ONCE BEFORE”
‘’Told Me Once Before’ represents one of the most minimalistic approaches to recording a song we’ve ever done,” says Peter Furgiuele of Atlanta garage rockers Gringo Star. “Most of the instruments were recorded live through a handful of mics. We tried to capture most of the song in the room live as a band on our ‘70s Neumann u87 microphone and later had our great friend Dave Claassen come in and add the string parts. It was a song I wrote during Covid isolation and Nick and I got together soon after and finished off the loose ends.” The band’s new album On And On and Gone is out June 2 via My Anxious Mouth.
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DILLY DALLY – “COLOUR OF JOY” & “MORNING LIGHT”
Toronto’s Dilly Dally announced that they’re breaking up, but as a parting gift they offer two new singles, “Colour of Joy” and “Morning Light.”
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OLIVIA JEAN
“Trouble” is the fun first single off Olivia Jean’s just-announced solo album Raving Ghost. The album also includes a cover of Enya’s “Orinocco Flow.” Read more about it here.
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SPARKS – “THE GIRL IS CRYING IN HER LATTE”
Sparks have detailed their new album, The Girl is Crying in Her Latte, which will be out May 26, and marks their first release on Island Records since the ’70s. Ron & Russell Mael say it’s “as bold and uncompromising as anything we did back then or, for that matter, anytime throughout our career.” They’ve also just shared the title track.
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BONNY DOON – “NATURALLY”
Bonny Doon announced their new album Let There Be Music and shared a new single, “Naturally.” “‘Naturally” is a song where the musical development really mirrored the lyrical content, specifically the idea of leaning into a situation and letting it develop organically, in this case that of a relationship,” the band’s Bill Lennox explains. “The song began as a slow ballad and worked better as a more uptempo thing, and a certain sentiment only made sense when translated to French. It speaks to those kind of unexpected surprises we encounter when we surrender to the flow of things.”
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Looking for even more new songs? Browse the New Songs archive.