This week’s new releases features a classic band, a reunion, and a plethora of some of the best of the past few years. Kicking things off is the first new album of original material from The Rolling Stones in nearly two decades and the lead singles make the argument that while no one needs new music from these legends, this album is better than you’d expect and features some pretty key collaborations from some of the biggest names in music.
After getting the classic line-up back together earlier this year for a much beloved reunion tour, Mark, Tom, and Travis are back as blink-182 and today they drop their first album together since 2011 which sounds pretty much what you’d expect a blink album to sound like in 2023.
Hailing from Austin, Texas, Sun June make wistful, elegant folk-rock that hits with like a sweet, gentle breeze as dreamy guitars mingle with hushed vocals to create serene gusts of pop melodies with blissful rhythms.
Perhaps best known for being one-half of the electronic duo Darkside, the multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington is never one to sit still. Always pushing the ball forward, he’s back this week with a lush, ambient record that’s an ode to cinema and he plays every instrument on the album.
Myrkur is the metal project from Amalie Bruun and today we get her highly anticipated new album which continues to bush the boundaries of the genre and takes on Swedish mythology and folklore for an all encompassing record full of vast and majestic tunes.
Brooklyn’s Locations dropped their hyped-up EP Stop the Money earlier this week and as usual, the band has paired the release with a cause and this one is to tax the rich. Lead by their new single “Trickle,” it’s a power-rock record with big riffs and a charged-up sound.
The hot streak of EPs continues this week with a great new release from Dawn Richard who tacks on her single from earlier in the year, “Bubblegum,” with two more gems that adds more depth to her already astute sound. One year after their great debut, indie rockers Enumclaw are back with a b-sides compilation that brings more of their alt-rock and grunge aesthetics into a tight bundle of scuzzy tunes.
After releasing one of the best pop records of the year, Caroline Polachek has dropped another single, “Dang,” which acts as a sweet victory lap to her already killer year and it’s a hyper-pop jam with industrial beats and whizzing electronics. Jangle rockers Ducks Ltd released a cover of The Feelies’ “Invitation” earlier in the year, but this week they returned with a pumped-up new, original single that takes their sound and pushes it to the brink.
Following a string of singles last year, Floating Points came back this with another banger that reaches back to his classic House roots. It’s an electronic thrill ride that’ll have you ready to rave all night long. Olof Dreijer, one-half of the electronic sibling duo The Knife, has remained pretty low-key since the siblings split, but this year has returned with production credits on Fever Ray’s excellent record (making for a semi-Knife reunion) and dropped a solo single as well. This week, he’s back with two more killer tracks of buoyant electronic bliss.
Over the summer, IDLES joined LCD Soundsystem on their day of the Re:Set festival and now IDLES has announced a new album and the lead single features their former tour mates on backing vocals and brings an emphasis to the dance-punk vibes both hit on so well. Tanukichan released her great new album Gizmo earlier this year and this week she shared a new, one-off, single called “NPC” and it’s more of her fuzzy shoegaze guitar work that brings an immediacy and intimacy worth getting immersed in.
Coming in hot with a dial-up connection sample, Danny Brown dropped his rocking new single “Tantor” which swerves with serious flavor and slick drum fills like a hip-hop circus.
Julie Byrne’s latest album The Greater Wings has a recent highlight of the past few months and soon she’ll follow it up with a new EP that includes a cover of the Jackson Browne penned, but Nico-popularized song “These Days.” In traditional Julie-form, she has transformed the track into a glowing, yet reserved and raw version of itself.
Albums:
The Rolling Stones | Hackney Diamonds
blink-182 | One More Time…
Sampha | Lahai
Forest Swords | Bolted
Sun June | Bad Dream Jaguar
Maria BC | Spike Field
Dave Harrington | The Pictures
Terrace Martin / Alex Isley | I Left My Heart in Ladera
Poolside | Blame It All On Love
Myrkur | Spine
Locations | Stop the Money EP
Enumclaw | These Are Some B-Sides EP
Dawn Richard | The Architect EP
Songs:
Caroline Polachek | “Dang”
Floating Points | “Birth4000”
Ducks Ltd. | “The Main Thing”
Tanukichan | “NPC”
Charli XCX | “In the City” (ft Sam Smith)
IDLES | “Dancer” (ft LCD Soundsystem)
Spencer Zahn | “High Touch”
Helado Negro | “LFO”
Danny Brown | “Tantor”
Olof Dreijer | “Cassia” / “Camilla”
Julie Byrne | “These Days” [Jackson Browne cover]
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2023) here!