2022 keeps rolling along with yet another great week of new music and it feels almost impossible to keep up, but given everything else going on in the world, this one is an excellent problem to have. Soccer Mommy leads the charge this week with Sophie Allison’s third full-length and this one is produced by none other than Oneohtrix Point Never, best known in some circles for his dark electronic albums and in others as the new go-to man for the Weeknd. No matter what, this one is surely the one to check out today.
MUNA burst on to the scene last year with their Phoebe Bridgers collaboration, the brilliant “Silk Chiffon,” and today they arrive with their self-titled album that is sure to reach new pop heights and be one that will set quite the tone for indie pop over the next few years.
This week also features the digital release of French touch pioneers Braxe + Falcon’s first collaborative EP, Step By Step, which includes the self-titled track featuring Panda Bear which is my current contender for song of the year. On the more extreme side, metal act Candy have a punishing new record out today called Heaven is Here and darklord of the vibes Zola Jesus also brings her spellbinding work back into the fold on her latest, Arkhon.
Real Estate’s Martin Courtney has a new solo record out today that continues to capture his lucid folk-pop and chill tones for that subdued sound that shines with extra sparkle on these early summer nights. In other solo project news, former Priests singer Katie Alice Greer has a new one out today too.
Lupe Fiasco is back today with Drill Music In Zion, his first new album of solo material in nearly four years and late-aughts piano popper Regina Spektor is back with her first album in six years, Home, before and after.
Last week, Beyoncé announced her first new album of original solo material since the world-conquering Lemonade would be out at the end of July. Earlier this week, she shook the internet with the record’s first single, “BREAK MY SOUL.” Sampling the ‘90s house classic “Show Me Love” by Robin S, it’s an ultimate tribute to club music just as the world seems ready to descend back on to the dance floor.
Hot off sets at Primavera, Gorillaz dropped a new tune this week and it features Thundercat. There’s no word if this is part of a follow-up to last year’s Meanwhile EP, but regardless, it’s a nice standalone single from a band who can still deliver solid tracks even at one-off clip. Makaya McCraven has been a rising sensation in new jazz over the past few years and already has a few exquisite records under his belt. Later this year he’ll return with an album of all new, original material and the lead single is the ethereal wonder “Seventh String.”
Canada’s Kiwi jr. shared another track from their upcoming record, Chopper, and it’s got heavy Casio-toned keys to guide their slick guitar riffs and buzzing rock bliss. Indie icons Built to Spill also released another single from their new record and it tracks on pace with their established and well-oiled sound that has made them legends for several decades.
Stereolab announced Volume 5 of their long-running Switched On compilations and it features tracks from across the ‘90s and into the 2000s as well. They also shared the previously unreleased track “Robot Riot.” The Numero Group announced plans for box set reissues in celebration of ‘90s emo and indie music and with that came the plans to release recordings of Codeine that were initially cut after Frigid Stars, but scrapped before they were eventually culled together over other subsequent releases. Wilco also shared another cut, “Kamera (The Unified Theory of Everything Version)” from their incredibly extensive upcoming reissue of their landmark record Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and the early version certainly demonstrates the amount of work the group went through to transform it to the classic we know today.
Albums:
Soccer Mommy | Sometimes, Forever
MUNA | MUNA
Candy | Heaven Is Here
Zola Jesus | Arkhon
Martin Courtney | Magic Sign
Katie Alice Greer | Barbarism
Lupe Fiasco | Drill Music In Zion
Regina Spektor | Home, before and after
Tim Heidecker | High School
Braxe + Falcon | Step By Step EP
Redd Kross | Neurotica [35th Anniversary Edition]
Songs:
Beyoncé | “BREAK MY SOUL”
Makaya McCraven | “Seventh String”
Kiwi jr. | “Unspeakable Things”
Gorillaz | “Cracker Island” (ft Thundercat)
The Umbrellas | “Write It In the Sky”
Greet Death | “New Low”
Alex G | “Runner”
Built to Spill | “Fool’s Gold”
Stella Donnelly | “Flood”
First Aid Kit | “Angel”
Kacey Musgraves | “Can’t Help Falling In Love” [Elvis cover]
Stereolab | “Robot Riot”
Codeine | “Sea”
Wilco | “Kamera (The Unified Theory of Everything Version)”
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2022) here!