The final album releases of February drop today and we end the month with some real bangers. After breaking out with their generational anthems “Time to Pretend” and “Kids,” MGMT have spent the rest of their career pushing new musical boundaries and their latest record, Loss of Life, might just be their best yet. With wistful singles like the jubilant “Nothing to Declare” and the synth-pop sparkle of “Dancing in Babylon,” there’s a lot to be excited about with this new one on hand.
Last year, Erika de Casier produced the K-Pop banger “Super Shy” for NewJeans and now she’s keeping the magic flowing on her luxurious new album Still which features song of the year contender and overall supreme jam “Lucky.” The record mixes post-R&B jams with glittering sonics that leap from the speakers for an intimate and exuberant experience.
New Jersey’s Real Estate breeze back into things with their spritely new record Daniel. It’s yet another collection of mellow rock tunes that are pleasing to the ear with lovely harmonies and warm melodies that will become a perfect soundtrack as the weather warms up and seasons begin to change.
Former Helium leader Mary Timony releases her first new solo album in fifteen years today and the guitar goddess wastes no time getting back into the groove with rocking tracks full of pristine guitar licks. Another ‘90s leading figure, Laetitia Sadie of Stereolab-fame, has a new solo record out as well that continues the path of groovy, lounge music with an undeniable charm and effervescent pop that will surely leave you swirling with good vibes.
Krautrock titans Can have released their latest in a series of live recordings from their ‘70s hey-day, this one is from Paris in 1973, and this is the first to feature the late, great Damo Suzuki on vocals in one of his final performances with the band. Last year, Carlos Niño and Surya Botofasina gained some notoriety for playing with André 3000 on his first ever solo record New Blue Sun and they’re currently on tour with him to play it live for the first time. Today, however, the two have shared a live recording of their own, along with Adam Rudolph from a live show at Brooklyn’s Public Records from December 2022.
During the Grammy’s earlier this month, SZA took home some awards and performed her hits “Kill Bill” and “Snooze” from 2022’s marvelous S.O.S. During the awards, Master Card ran a commercial featuring a new song from the artist and today SZA has shared the studio version of the track, “Saturn.” Cakes da Killa has teamed up with Dawn Richard for a bouncing, house-inspired banger that features classic, ‘90s club-ready big beats and funky rhythms that makes for a stellar dance number ready to carry you into the late hours of the night.
Ren Schofield returned this week as Container and delivered the abrasive, hard-hitting techno jam “ERASER” which channels ‘90s grunge vibes with joyful blasts of crushing dance music that’s more likely to send you to the pit than the dance floor. On the flip side, Pan-American dropped another track from his forthcoming album with Kramer and it’s a lush, ambient guitar jam that will settle feelings and send you off in a state of total bliss.
Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker continues to share new songs from her upcoming solo record and this week we were gifted the lovely track, “Fool.” It’s one of the more uplifting songs we’ve heard from Lenker and reminds us of her elasticity as a song-writer and unveils a new surprise as to what this album has in store for us.
After returning with her great new album last year (her first in a decade), Marnie Stern has shared another new song and proves there’s still plenty of shredding left in her which we should all be very thankful to hear. The ever-prolific The Reds, Pinks and Purples have a new album coming soon and this week we got the second single, the chill-as-ever “Learning to Love a Band” which delivers on the melancholy pop and jangly guitars we’ve come to expect from Glenn Donaldson over the years and once again he delivers with a slam-dunk.
Nourished by Time gave us one of 2023’s best albums with Erotic Probiotic 2 and now has plans for a new EP which is set to arrive next month. The first single, “Hand on Me,” continues to blaze the path of post-R&B that feels wonderfully nostalgic while still refreshingly current. In January, Bullion shared a new song with Carly Rae Jepsen that was a plush dose of shimmering pop music and this week he’s back, this time featuring Panda Bear, for a bopping new tune that goes harder on the grooves while still giving us something to move to with purpose.
Albums:
MGMT | Loss Of Life
Erika de Casier | Still
Real Estate | Daniel
Mary Timony | Untame The Tiger
Laetitia Sadie | Rooting For Love
Hurray For The Riff Raff | The Past Is Still Alive
Can | Live In Paris 1973
Carlos Niño / Surya Botofasina / Adam Rudolph | Live at Public Records 12/10/2022
Songs:
SZA | “Saturn”
Cakes da Killa | “Do Dat Baby” (ft Dawn Richard)
Container | “ERASER”
Adrianne Lenker | “Fool”
Bat for Lashes | “The Dream for Delphi”
Marnie Stern | “Sixteen”
The Reds, Pinks and Purples | “Learning to Love a Band”
Nourished by Time | “Hand on Me”
Khruangbin | “May Ninth”
Bullion | “A City’s Never” (ft Panda Bear)
Moor Mother | “ALL THE MONEY”
Pan-American / Kramer | “The Miner’s Pale Child”
Mac DeMarco | “Boku Wa Chotto” [Haruomi Hosono cover]
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2024) here!