Putting New Music Friday together last week was hard. The month had just begun and there was precious little to report as far as new singles and albums were concerned. This week was a little easier. Give it another seven days and we’re back to normal.
Singles
1. AJR, Yes, I’m a Mess (Mercury/Republic/Universal)
Brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met continue to push ahead with their fifth album, The Maybe Man, which was released back in early November. This, the fifth official single (which was released last September but is only now making its way to radio), has its roots in an exercise trying to write an “old western hip-hop” song back in 2020. But when they shopped it to family and friends, it got shot down. They went back to the drawing board and reworked it into something less western and hip-hoppy.
2. MGMT, Nothing to Declare (Mom + Pop)
To call Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser mercurial is a vast understatement. Ever since they broke out with their debut album Oracular Spectacular back in 2007, they’ve refused to play the standard recorded music industry game, releasing records on their own schedule. After being AWOL since 2018, a new album entitled Loss of Life will be here on February 23. This is the third advance single from the record.
3. The Smile, Friend of a Friend (XL Recordings)
First, the bad news. We’re going to be waiting a long time for the next Radiohead album. The good news? The Smile, featuring Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood plus their buddy, drummer Tom Skiller, continue to release very Radiohead-ish music. Their second studio album, Wall of Eyes, will be released on January 26 and will contain some of the idea that got backlogged during the COVID lockdowns. The band also announced a film called Wall of Eyes, on Film that’s schedule for screenings in independent theatres by the end of the month.
4. K.Flay, Carsick (Giant Music)
Here’s a single from Kristine Meredith Flaherty that is not from her fifth album, MONO. It did come from those session but wasn’t ready for prime time until now. The song is designed to help set up her 2024 MONO: Live in Stereo tour that stars in March. She’ll play small venues in seven North American cities, including the tiny Velvet Underground in Toronto. It’s sold out, of course.
5. Sam Roberts Band, Afterlife (Known Accomplice/Universal)
Sam and Co. are still promoting 2023’s The Adventures of Brian Blank, their eighth album, which is something of a concept thing featuring an unreliable narrator. This song is being pitched at the centerpiece of the album. Brian stares down death, saying “I’ll get my kicks on this side of the Styx.” Live for the moment, dude.
6. The Beaches, What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid (AWAL/The Beaches)
Earlier this week, The Beaches were picked by Spotify to be one of the global breakout artists of 2024. Their last single, Blame Brett was a big hit at radio and streaming. Its follow-up is all about navigating the self-doubt that we sometimes encounter with relationships. They’re preparing for a run of sold-out shows across the US. They’ll be ready for a big homecoming show at Budweiser Stage in Toronto August 22.
7. The Black Keys, Beautiful People (Stay High) (Warner)
The Black Keys have just announced their their twelfth studio album will be out April 5. They’re calling it Ohio Players–clever, given that the guys are from Akron and there was an R&B/funk band from Dayton who had a string of hits in the 1970s. The album will feature Noel Gallagher, Dave Grohl’s buddy Greg Kurstin, and a few others.
Albums
1. The Vaccines, Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations (Super Easy/Thirty Tigers)
It’s album number six for this West London band and the first without founding guitarist Freddie Cowan. The title was inspired by Don McLean’s 1971 hit, American Pie and has something to do with the West Coast zeitgeist in America. Loss of dreams, disillusionment, fear of the future–that kind of thing. The studio is listed as “Andrew Well’s house in Los Angeles.”
2. RYUJIN, RYUJIN (Napalm)
And now for something completely different: Japanese samurai metal from the band formerly known as GYZE.
Comments