For those of you still giving lots of attention to the big releases last week, notably the biggest hip-hop and perhaps indie releases of the year, this week strikes back with one of the year’s most anticipated pop records. Harry Styles is back with his third album and it’s called Harry’s House. Despite sharing the name with a Joni Mitchell song, Harry told The Today Show that it’s actually a reference to City Pop luminary Haruomi Hosono’s classic record Hosono’s House. The album’s lead single, “As It Was,” already felt like a shift towards a more indie sound and this only furthers Harry’s wide-ranging influences that could make this record one that connects with those who’ve been skeptical about the former boy band star and one that makes him just an all out rock star for the ages.
Cola, the offshoot of post-punk band Ought and featuring a member of U.S. Girls, dropped their debut record today. It captures the same fire and spirit of both bands while sounding objectively new.
Weird Nightmare is the solo project from METZ frontman Alex Edkins and sees him moving away from his previous noise-punk into something more accessible, but with the same revved-up charge. Alex mentioned how making the record was a freeing experience and let him play with sounds he hadn’t been able to explore outside his main gig and the result is an energized punk record full of swelling riffs and big hooks.
Boldy James and Real Bad Man have a collaborative album out this week as well which finds the rappers hitting hard verses over classic, soulful beats. Shabaka Hutchings (best known as the leader of Sons of Kemet and The Comet is Coming) has a solo EP out today as well which explores a more minimal approach to jazz vs the intense, afro-beat inspired sounds of his other projects.
Angel Olsen released the third single from her new record, out June 3, and it’s a sweeping piano ballad that brings more of her folk-noir past to her country present. Soccer Mommy also shared the third single from her upcoming, OneOhTrix Point Never produced, album. Like the other singles, it certainly has more of an electronic sheen and texture, but with the riffage of Allison’s past classics.
Last year, Jack Antonoff produced Diana Ross’ latest album. This year, he’s producing the soundtrack to Minions: The Rise of Gru and one of the leftovers from Ross’ album will be featured. That song also happens to be written with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala and is a mash-up of Diana’s classic disco and Parker’s modern synth-pop epics.
Horsegirl are gearing up for their debut album later this year and shared another track from it this week. “Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty)” is another nostalgia inducing indie rock track. Canada’s Kiwi Jr. also stir up a classic indie rock sound and announced their third album this week and dropped the lead single “Night Visions.”
Earlier this year, Dub legend Dennis Bovell remixed the Smile’s new single “The Smoke” and this week he’s back with a remix of Animal Collective’s recent track “Cherokee.” Santigold returned with her first new solo track since 2018, the percussion-forward “High Priestess” which she recorded with Boyz Noise during lockdown.
Four Tet dropped his 3LW sampling live favorite “Looking At Your Pager” and Florence + the Machine followed up their new record from last week with a deluxe edition that features an unleashed, wild, and stunning cover of the Stooges timeless “Search and Destroy.”
Albums:
Harry Styles | Harry’s House
Cave In | Heavy Pendulum
Cola | Deep In View
Boldy James / Real Bad Man | Killing Nothing
Weird Nightmare | Weird Nightmare
Shabaka | Afrikan Culture EP
Songs:
Angel Olsen | “Through the Fires”
Soccer Mommy | “Bones”
Diana Ross / Tame Impala | “Turn Up the Sunshine”
Braxe / Falcon | “Elevation” (ft Sunni Colón)
Horsegirl | “Dirtbag Transformation (Still Dirty)”
Kiwi Jr. | “Night Vision”
KH | “Looking At Your Pager”
Rima Sawayama | “This Hell”
Santigold | “High Priestess”
Boris | “She is Burning”
Ty Segall | “Saturday Pt 2”
Sun’s Signature | “Underwater”
Built to Spill | “Understood”
Florence + the Machine | “Search and Destroy” [Iggy & the Stooges cover]
Animal Collective | “Cherokee” [Dennis Bovell remix]
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2022) here!