MUSIC

Fresh Music Friday: A Week of Pop Gems in Psychedelic Colors

New singles from Kim Petras, Sleater-Kinney, Mark Ronson, and Camila Cabello. Plus new videos from Charli XCX & Diplo and Rosalia.

We didn't deserve all the new music we got this week.

The last seven days were full of gems from this generation's pop royalty: Kim Petras put out her sixth single in a matter of weeks; Rosalía continued to one-up her music video game; Mark Ronson teamed up with Camila Cabello on a song written by Tame Impala; and Charli XCX met up with Diplo to ride psychedelic dolphins into the cosmos on their reimagined version of a Spice Girls track.

As if that wasn't enough, Sleater-Kinney joined forces with St. Vincent to release their first new music in four years. Plus, Palehound shared the new title track from their upcoming album, Black Friday. Nots and Deb Never put out surreal new visuals for their respective songs, "Persona" and "Ugly." And finally, emerging artists like Miss June and EVRWNDR released promising new tracks. Are you out of breath yet?

Fresh Music Friday is here to give you a breakdown of new singles, EPs, and albums to check out as you make your way into the weekend. Get ready to jam out with some of our favorite up-and-coming artists, plus celebrate new releases from those you already know and love.

Singles

1. Mark Ronson — "Find U Again" (feat. Camila Cabello)

Mark Ronson teamed up with Camila Cabello on a new crying-in-the-club-meets-a-vocoder-type single called "Find U Again," built around a melody written by Tame Impala's Kevin Parker.

2. Sleater-Kinney — "Hurry on Home"

Sleater-Kinney just released their first single in four years, and it's a sonic embodiment of "chaotic good." For some background, S-K recently joined forces with St. Vincent's Annie Clark, who is going to produce the band's forthcoming record (out sometime next year). "Hurry on Home" is the first glimpse of the new album, and it's about as big, brash, urgent, and wholly awesome as what you'd expect from a St. Vincent and Sleater-Kinney crossover. Oh, and the lyric video for "Hurry on Home" is directed by Miranda July, because: of course.

3. Kim Petras — "Do Me"

Kim Petras cannot and will not stop. The reigning pop queen maintains her sparkly status with her SIXTH single in a matter of weeks. "Do Me" is a racy, energetic track that maintains all the poppy glitter and gloss showcased in the bevy of singles she's put out recently: "All I Do Is Cry," "Sweet Spot," "Blow It All," "Got My Number," and "Broken." I'm sweating.


4. Palehound — "Black Friday"

Palehound writes songs that will wreck you, very softly. This week, Ellen Kempner's Boston-based band shared the title track from their upcoming record, Black Friday (due out next week on Polyvinyl). Following the release of the western-tinged single "Killer," Kempner explored a touching story of partnership on "Aaron" and confronted struggles around body image on "Worthy." This fourth single, "Black Friday," is mellow and sincere, but tempered by the tension felt from an unbalanced friendship.

5. Miss June — "Best Girl"

Auckland's punk four-piece, Miss June, have just signed to NYC imprint FrenchKiss records, and they're bringing much of their signature unbridled energy on their raucous new single "Best Girl." On "Best Girl," Miss June channels their post punk/noise-punk roots by pairing a weighty baseline with fast, jagged guitar riffs that erupt into a catchy-as-hell chorus.


6. Kid Bloom —"EVRWNDR"

LA's Kid Bloom makes us long for the glory days of chill wave on his latest psych-tinged single. On "EVRWNDR," Lennon Koser's rich vocals swirl into mellow synths while layers of psych-y instrumentation ripple outwards. Towards the end of the song there's a spacey guitar breakdown. "EVRWNDR" finds Kid Bloom tapping into their lushest, dreamiest potential, to create a track that practically brims over the surface with prismatic color and sound.

EVRWNDR


Videos

7. Rosalía — "Aute Cuture"

In a stunning display of intricate nail art, hand claps, and Tarantino-approved imagery, Rosalia intoxicates us again in her latest video for new song "Aute Cuture." Rosalia continues to reshape the pop landscape and the standards for music videos with each and every staggering visual she drops, somehow one-upping herself every time. In typical Rosalia fashion, the video for the brassy, headrush of a song features the 25-year-old sensation sporting a series of jaw-dropping outfits that should all be featured in the Met one day.

8. Herve Pagez, Diplo, Charli XCX — "Spicy"

Watch out Kacey Musgraves, there's a new hallucinogenic animated dolphin in the cosmos. Diplo, Charli XCX, and French producer Herve Pagez teamed up to reimagine the Spice Girls' hit "Wannabe" into a psychedelic trip in the video for their new song "Spicy." Literally no one asked for this, but upon watching, it's clear that we all needed to see Charli XCX and Diplo ride dolphins into the space-time continuum.


9. Nots - "Persona"

Memphis powerhouse Nots unveils how easily the fabric of our social perception is frayed through the visuals of their spacey, punky song "Person." Much like the song itself, the video for "Person" (a collaboration with Memphis-based arts collective WWW) has a hallucinatory effect–layering faraway vocals over nervy bass-lines and distorted, post-punk textures.

10. Deb Never - "Ugly"

Deb Never's "Ugly" may be a melancholic look into the end of a relationship, but you wouldn't be able to tell that from the look of her goofy music video. In "Ugly," the L.A.-based artist sports a fuzzy dog onesie as she wistfully sings "You don't want me, I don't want you / You don't want me, but I need you." Along the way, she encounters a whole motley crew of skaters and weird neighbors clad in splashy yellow bathrobes. The video features her group of friends dressed in the same furry attire, including her pal Matt Champion of Brockhampton.

MUSIC

New Releases From Shawn Mendes, Vampire Weekend and More

New singles from Kim Petras, Lauv, Shawn Mendes, The National, Faye Webster. Plus, new releases from Still Woozy, ALASKALASKA, and Big Thief!

Music

Photo by Simon Noh on Unsplash

May is a month known for celebrating workers' rights, cherry blossoms, and new music.

This week brought new singles from the likes of Kim Petras, Shawn Mendes, Lauv, The National, and Faye Webster; debut releases from Still Woozy and ALASKALASKA, and the long-awaited albums of YG, Big Thief, and Vampire Weekend.

Singles

1. Kim Petras — "Got My Number"

Pop savior Kim Petras has blessed us with a new, boppy single called "Got My Number." It's a definite upward mood swing from last week's confessional breakup cut "Broken." On "Got My Number," Petras sings of moving on (and the debauchery that might accompany that) over a glossy beat: "Don't wanna be a good girl tonight / I just wanna be a bad girl alright."

2. Lauv — "Drugs & The Internet"

Lauv is back with a bittersweet new single called "Drugs & the Internet" accompanied by a surrealist video. The "I Like Me Better" singer explores technology-induced-depression in a track that starts off as a piano ballad but soon evolves into something much bouncier. "And I don't wanna hit delete/ On all the parts of me that they might hate/ So now I'm laying in my bed/ And I can't get out my head."

3. Shawn Mendes — "If I Can't Have You"

Shawn Mendes announced on Instagram that he would be dropping a surprise single this week called "If I Can't Have You." The teaser image features a rainbow-sherbert swirl of water-color tones coming together to form a silhouette of the singer's head.

Shawn Mendes - If I Can't Have Youwww.youtube.com

4. The National — "Hairpin Turns"

Gearing up to release their forthcoming album, I Am Easy To Find, The National shared a lovely new single this week called "Hairpin Turns." The full album is due out May 17th on 4AD records.


5. Faye Webster — "Right Side Of My Neck"

Faye Webster put out a daydream of a new song called "Right Side of My Neck," that sounds like how having butterflies on a first date feels. The Atlanta-based songwriter's forthcoming album, Atlanta Millionaires Club, is due out May 24th via Secretly Canadian.

EPs

6. Still Woozy — Lately EP

Still Woozy, the project of Sven Gamsky, is putting out his anticipated EP, Lately. Based out of Oakland, Still Woozy puts an R&B spin on the laidback, wavy synths and geometric textures that have come to be associated with the nebulous 'bedroom pop' genre. This self-released EP is the long-awaited showcase of Still Woozy's immense talent, and it does not disappoint.


LPs

7. ALASKALASKA — The Dots

The South London-based group have crystallized their idiosyncratic, freeform sound into an excellent debut album called The Dots, which melds together experimental pop and jazz.


8. Big Thief — U.F.O.F

Big Thief continues to prove themselves as one of the most skilled folk bands in the game on their new album, U.F.O.F., out today on 4AD. On the new record, the indie-folk four-piece gazes through the lens of the supernatural, while grounding their spectral songs in lived experiences, creating a sound that's as haunted and airy as it is immaculately constructed. It feels special to be alive at the same time that Big Thief is putting out music.


9. YG — 4REAL 4REAL

The Compton rap heavyweight delayed the release of his album after the passing of his close friend Nipsey Hussle. YG's last album entitled Stay Dangerous came out in 2018. This year at Coachella, YG unveiled a new single called "Stop Snitchin'" and today his full-length is here in all of its glory. On 4REAL 4REAL, YG doesn't hold back as he flexes his gift for dexterous, melodic rap.

10. Vampire Weekend — Father of the Bride

Vampire Weekend's Father of the Bride is finally here! After months of anticipation and cryptic clues, the new 18-track record is being hailed by some as Vampire Weekend's magnum opus. It's a definite shift in direction from 2013's Modern Vampires of The City. Fans are not just clocking it as Dad Rock because of Ezra's newfound fatherhood, though that definitely might have something to do with the band's change of tone. As the singles have indicated, their new sound sinks into jammier, even deadhead-esque territory. Underneath it all, FOTB is still quintessential VW — packed with dense, heady references and irresistible, evergreen choruses. Although the album art might not be the best they've ever had, it's safe to say this new LP exceeds all expectations and solidifies Vampire Weekend as one of the most important and influential indie rock bands of our generation.


Sara is a music and culture writer. Her work has previously appeared in PAPER magazine and Stereogum.


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