March kicks things into high gear this week with a slew of great new releases coming our way. Fever Ray returns with their third record and first since 2017’s excellent Plunge. The latest finds Karin reuniting with their brother Olaf for the first time since they disbanded the Knife and also features production from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Easily one of the most anticipated electronic records of the year, this one is sure to be unforgettable and challenge the landscape of brooding electro beats.
Pop icon and covers queen Miley Cyrus is also back this week with her latest, Endless Summer Vacation. Her career has been building up to this one and as the lead single “Flowers” continues to dominate, it’s clear that we’re all ready to join Miley on this never-ending adventure. This week also marks the return of the wonderful Frankie Rose whose latest is a foray into shimmering synth-pop textures that embolden her already luscious jams.
The Smile, the new group from Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and Tom Skinner has a physical-only release out today that captures live performances of their debut album from last summer’s European tour as well as the live version of Yorke’s solo track “FeelingPulledApartByHorses” which the group brought to life with stunning beauty.
After a few years trapped inside, legendary dance musicians are making celebratory comebacks as of late. This week, Róisín Murphy announced that she’s signed with Ninja Tune and dropped a new track that features production from DJ Koze. It’s a simmering dance track that sparkles with joy without going too hard on the beat. French Touch icon Alan Braxe is reissuing some of his classic tunes later this year, but this week he unveiled a new collaboration with the visionary pop singer Annie for another smooth number that will leave you feeling filled with total joy.
Last year, Angel Olsen released the twang-heavy album Big Time and soon she’ll follow it up with a new EP of tracks that were recorded during those sessions. First up is the soulful “Nothing’s Free” which utilizes saxophone and organ unlike we’ve heard from her in the past, but in ways that still find her exploring beautiful new sounds. Recent Matador signees bar italia dropped a new song along with that announcement this week, the off-beat ‘90s-esque “Nurse!” which has fleeting moments of early Stereolab and other downtempo vibes.
Caroline Rose has a new record on the way and after four singles, it’s clear that she’s bringing a new sound with her for this album. “Tell Me What You Want” is probably the closest we’ve heard to her taking on the vibes of her last album Superstar, but makes the anticipation continue to climb as we wait to hear how this one shapes up. ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT is a new collaboration from Ariel Engle of Broken Social Scene and Efrim Manuel Menuck of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. They’ve described the project as an “orchestral-punk electro-shoegaze power duo” and the sprawling lead single is the sonic experience you’d expect from these two and hints and more epic tunes to follow.
Following last year’s Giving the World Away, Hatchie has announced a deluxe version of the record which includes the heavy, but sweet new song “Rooftops.” Similarly, Bartees Strange has offered up his track “Daily News” which was a bonus track on last year’s Farm to Table that is now available on streaming services for the masses. It’s a lush track that explores more of the walls of sound energy and less so the angular guitars that peppered his debut.
After the success of last year’s shoegaze epic, Rachika Naya has announced vinyl reissues for her two earlier records and shared the previously unheard, soaring track “hawthorne.” At the end of this month, Showtime’s amazing Yellowjackets will return for season 2 and alongside the trailer, Florence + the Machine have shared a haunting and punishing cover of No Doubt’s iconic “Just a Girl.” No surprise, but it’s awesome.
Albums:
Fever Ray | Radical Romantics
Miley Cyrus | Endless Summer Vacation
Franke Rose | Love As Projection
Sleaford Mods | UK Grim
Talib Kweli / Madlib | Liberation 2
Fatima Al Qadiri | Gumar EP
The Smile | Europe: Live Recordings 2022
Songs:
Róisín Murphy | “Coocool” (ft DJ Koze)
Angel Olsen | “Nothing’s Free”
Tame Impala | “Wings of Time”
Bartees Strange | “Daily News”
ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT | “We Live On a Fucking Planet and Baby That’s the Sun”
bar italia | “Nurse!”
Alan Braxe | “Never Coming Back” (ft Annie)
Indigo de Sousa | “Smog”
Caroline Rose | “Tell Me What You Want”
Christine and the Queens | “To be honest”
Hatchie | “Rooftops”
The New Pornographers | “Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies”
Rachika Naya | “hawthorne”
Alaska Reid | “Back to This”
Protomartyr | “Make Way”
Dinner Party | “Insane” (ft Ant Clemons)
Florence + the Machine | “Just a Girl” [No Doubt cover]
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2023) here!
Gold Soundz: March 10: 2023
Thanks for the lead on the Florence track!