Gold Soundz: June 14, 2024

This week's suggested new music, curated by omg!nyc

Jun 14, 2024

This week’s Gold Soundz is a bit abbreviated as I’m away in Mexico and trying to spend more time eating tacos rather than writing about new music. As always though, I appreciate everyone who reads this each week and will be back with more next Friday.

Folk-pop staples The Decemberists have been a constant in the indie/blogosphere scene for over two decades and this week they’re back with their latest in terms of twee, rustic folk music that has been the quintessential element of their sound from the beginning.

At long last, the debut solo album from Normani is here. After giving us great singles like “Motivation” years ago, this has been a much longed-for album and to see it finally get its release feels like a major win for the artist and her most recent single suggests that the wait will be worth it.

Founding member of the Velvet Underground, John Cale has become an icon of experimental and avant-guard pop music for nearly half a century and today he’s back with a new album and follows last year’s great collab-heavy album, Mercy.

After the break-up of the post-punk band Ought, several member formed the new group Cola and today they’re sharing their last album, another collection of similarly sounding raw rock tunes that carry the weight of their last band with a refreshed feeling.

Japanese post-rock and black metal mainstays MONO have been a solid force for quite some time and their latest record is sure to consist of more of their grand, cinematic sound that hits hard while still reaching new, towering heights with elegance and grace.

Following her 2022 record PAINLESS, guitar virtuoso Nilüfer Yanya has announced her new record and shared the gripping new single “Method Actor.” It’s certainly a rock-focused track that digs into grunge and heavily distorted guitar, adding another layer to her excellent sound and style.

One of last year’s best records was My Back is Not a Bridge for You to Cross by ANOHNI and the Johnsons. This week, ANOHNI announced her first tour with the Johnsons in fifteen years and shared a haunting new ballad entitled “Breaking” along with the news. It’s a stark guitar song that unleashed somber moods over expressive vocals proving that there could still be more blue-eyed soul music in the tank.

A new vanguard of the rising jazz scene, Nubya Garcia has emerged as a leading saxophonist through her excellent debut record Source. Now she’s announced her sophomore solo record and shared the great new song “The Seer” which further captures her blistering talents in a widescreen setting.

The best band since Oasis is a bold claim to make, but Enumclaw are up for the challenge. Following their solid debut record Save the Baby, the alt-rock rejuvenators are back with more of their fuzzed-out guitar work and their new single “Change” helps drive home their talents with its raw power.

Boston hardcore band Firewalker also recently announced a new album which they’ve said is inspired by their favorite ‘80s bands and the new song “Lit Up with Fire” doubles-down on those takes with furious passion that will make you want to throw some windmills and jump into the pit.

It’s been a bit of a renaissance period for iconic indie group Animal Collective in the past few years and this week Avey Tare dropped a new solo tune that just so happens to feature his bandmate Panda Bear giving us even more from these prolific artists and helps keep their hot streak alive.

Albums:

Songs:

If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2024) here!

The Shape of Music to Come

Discussion about this post