Gold Soundz: March 1, 2024

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

We’ve made it through the two hardest months of the year (at least in my opinion) and the first Gold Soundz for March 2024 is jam-packed with new releases as continue to inch towards spring and better weather ahead. Faye Webster is back with her new album that features a great song with LIl Yachty (who will make another appearance in this email further down) and it continues her witty humor with fuzzy melodies.

Dance-punk group Yard Act have been making some groovy and fun tunes that hit hard on the dance floor combining some styles from the middle aughts with an updated twist that brings some added funk to their unique brand of rock. There’s also the latest from Mannequin Pussy which is shaping up to be their career-best and is full of rocking tunes that hit the full, widescreen display of messy, ugly rock that gets in your face and delivers on its message.

Rock and roll purists Sheer Mag have been mixing their takes on punk, metal, and classic rock riffs for quite some time and now that they’ve signed with Third Man Records, they’re ready to take things to the next level, expanding their sound with streamlined production values that enhance their sound with esteemed purpose.

Brit-pop and Madchester icons Liam Gallagher and John Squire have teamed-up for a new album that celebrates both of their legendary sounds mixing moods of dance and dream-pop into a singular sound that captures what both have done with their previous bands (Oasis and The Stones Roses, respectively) to bring back ‘90s-style mindsets ready to soundtrack your paisley-inspired dreams.

Experimental electronic music fans are sure to be in a happy place today as we receive new albums from Squarepusher, Ben Frost, and Nils Frahm, all of whom push the boundaries of their respective realms with Squarepusher going hard on industrial dance music with punishing BPMs while Frost and Frahm tackle more abstract approaches to the genre.

Hailing from Niger, Mdou Moctar make some of the most blazingly hot rock music of today with soaring psychedelic solos and rhythms that are sure to set your heart ablaze. Their new album was written in the aftermath being stranded in the US while a coup took control of their home country and the passion for their desire to return home to freedom is abundant on this striking new tune.

The unstoppable duo of billy woods and ELUCID, best known as Armand Hammer, released the excellent album We Buy Diabetic Test Strips last year and this week they returned with a lengthy bonus track, “Doves,” that features no drums and very minimal rapping, but still conjures up a dystopian vibe fully of dissonant piano and dusty grooves.

Last year, Bully continued their charge of grunge-inspired rock anthems that culminated in the best release of their career. This week, Alicia returns with a new piano ballad that takes on a new sonic path. Tops lead singer Jane Penny has a new solo tune out this week that features dreamy vocal work and sweet, blissful melodies that will surely lighten any mood with sparkling clarity.

After disbanding his groups Sons of Kemet and the Comet is Coming, Shabaka has also traded in his signature saxophone for various flutes and is embarking on a new chapter of his jazz career led by the new single “Age of Innocence” from his upcoming album featuring other top names in jazz and ambient music adding to the genres booming resurgence from the underground.

St. Vincent has announced a new album to follow 2021’s Daddy’s Home and this one will feature Dave Grohl as well as Cate Le Bon. The first single is a darker, brooding tune that signals a return to her sharpened sound. Post-R&B artist How to Dress Well announced his first new album in six years and shared two new tunes which highlight his elastic beats and floating vocals that dominated his early work with a refreshing new approach.

Earlier in the month, Kacey Musgraves announced her new album and shared a new song. This week, she’s back with another one. “Too Good to Be True,” is a soft, acoustic ballad that pushes her sweet croon to the front of the mix for tender moments that hits like a balm.

Albums:
Faye Webster | Underdressed At The Symphony
Mannequin Pussy | I Got Heaven
Yard Act | Where’s My Utopia?
ScHoolboy Q | Blue Lips
Sheer Mag | Playing Favorites
Liam Gallagher / John Squire | Liam Gallagher John Squire
Squarepusher | Dostrotime
Ben Frost | Scope Neglect
Nils Frahm | Day
Amaro Freitas | Y’Y

Songs:
Mdou Moctar | “Funeral for Justice”
Bully | “Atom Bomb”
Armand Hammer | “Doves” (ft Benjamin Booker)
Cardi B | “Like What (Freestyle)”
Hovvdy | “Meant”
Shabaka | “End of Innocence”
St. Vincent | “Broken Man”
Kacey Musgraves | “Too Good to Be True”
Fred again.. / Lil Yachty / Overmono | “stayinit”
Cloud Nothings | “Running Through the Campus”
Jane Penny | “Wear You Out”
Julia Holter | “Evening Mood”
Paycheque | “When You Are Around”
White Reaper | “I Can’t Escape Myself”
Daniel Avery | “Wonderland”
youbet | “Seeds of Evil”
How to Dress Well | “New Confusion” / “No Light”

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