Gold Soundz: June 21, 2024

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

While most of the country cooks under some extreme heat conditions, the week is relatively cool in terms of new music. Plus, the hottest thing to happen in music this week was undoubtedly Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth celebration at Inglewood, CA’s KIA Forum which was both his crowning moment in his war with Drake as well as a West Coast celebration and party for the ages.

France’s pioneering black metal and shoegaze fusers Alcest return with a new album of their sweeping, cinematic anthems that surge with triumphant guitars and punishing blast beats as they mix dream-like soundscapes with rushing strokes of pure intensity.

Poppy R&B star Kehlani drops her fourth studio album today and it’s what she has called her “most free, most fun, most loud, most fueled,” album yet. Landing right at the start of the summer and featuring dancehall samples, it’s sure to be a party vibe all the way through.

Moses Archuleta is maybe best-known as drummer and co-founder of the band Deerhunter. On the side, he has his own project called Moon Diagrams and today he’s shared his latest release under this moniker.

Earlier in the week, Archy Marshall (aka King Krule) surprise released a new EP called SHHHHHHH! and its four songs were previously released on a 7” flexi-disk at shows before the release of his 2022 album, Space Heavy.

In September, Jamie xx will finally release his second solo album, In Waves. It’s a bummer that we’ll have to wait all summer to hear it, but this week Jamie gave us another taste with the classic house and ballroom influences “Life” which features vocals from Robyn.

K-Pop sensation NewJeans hit it big with last year’s smash “Super Shy” and this year we’ve already heard the stellar new jams “How Sweet” and “Bubble Gum.” This week they dropped two more killer tracks, the ‘80s-funkified, Janet Jackson-esque “Supernatural” and the skittering “Right Now.”

The Bay Area has seen a rise in local jangly melancholic bands over the past few years and this summer, Chime School will add yet another record of pleasing paisley-pop into the mix. Along with the announcement of their new album, they shared the breezy and charming new song “Give Your Heart Away” which is full of rich melody and bubbling guitar.

Former Sonic Youth member Thurston Moore recently published a memoir that’s a must-read for any fan of the band or his work in general and now he’s announced a new album that’ll drop later this year. In addition to the news, Moore shared a new song that features Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab on guest vocals.

Last weekend, Cold Cave quietly released an enthralling new song that wonderfully captures their refined take on quintessential post-punk and synth-pop with rousing success. It’s a beaming song that hones in on a neon glow with crystalline electronics and steady, precise rhythms.

Even though he jumped to XL Recordings earlier this year, Burial has once again teamed-up with Kode 9 on a new split 12” under Hyperdub. “Phoneglow” sees Burial turn up the BPMs in a manner like we haven’t heard from him in quite some time and the highly displayed R&B vocal samples also bring back that classic dubstep and UK garage heat.

This October, Aphex Twin will re-release his landmark second album, Selected Ambient Works Volume II, with an expansive reissue that will capture the record in numerous formats. Previously only included on the vinyl release of the album, a song colloquially known as “Stone in Focus” will now be included as the nineteenth track on the reissued version and is now streaming for the first time.

On one of the first big pop albums of the year, Ariana Grande included a song called “The Boy is Mine.” Many were quick to point out that the track, obviously, shared a name with the 1998 Brandy and Monica tune. Now, Grande has brought the two legends back together to hop on the remix of the song.

Two weeks ago, Charli XCX released her new album, Brat. A few days later she dropped a deluxe edition with three extra songs. Today she’s back once again with a remix of the track “Girl, so confusing” and it features Lorde, the rumored person the song is supposedly about.

Albums:

ALCEST | Les Chants de l’Aurore
PESO PLUMA | Éxodo
POND | Stung!
KEHLANI | Crash
LAKE STREET DIVE | Good Together
SUMAC | The Healer
MOON DIAGRAMS | Cemetery Classics
KING KRULE | SHHHHHHH! EP
RED HOT ORG (VARIOUS ARTISTS) | Outer Spaceways Incorporated: Kronos Quartet & Friends Meet Sun Ra

Songs:

JAMIE XX | “Life” (ft Robyn)
NEWJEANS | “Supernatural” / “Right Now'“
CHIME SCHOOL | “Give Your Heart Away”
KALI UCHIS | “Never Be Yours”
FONTAINES D.C. | “Favourite”
THURSTON MOORE | “Sans Limites” (ft Laetitia Sadier)
COLD CAVE | “Hourglass”
BURIAL | “Phoneglow”
GLORILLA | “TGIF”
ICE SPICE | “Phat Butt”
JPEGMAFIA | “don’t rely on other men”
APHEX TWIN | “#19”
SBTRKT | “VOLCA”
ARIANA GRANDE | “the boy is mine” [Remix] (ft Brandy and Monica)
CHARLI XCX | “The girl, so confusing version with lorde” (ft Lorde)

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