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Dua Lipa's “Illusion” named Best New Music

Tyrone Lebon

Dua Lipa's “Illusion” topped this week's new song poll.

Music fans voted in a poll released in Billboard on Friday (April 12) to choose the 28-year-old pop star's summery new single as their favorite new release of the past week.

“Illusion” received 54% of the vote and was joined by Sabrina Carpenter (“Espresso”), Maggie Rogers (Don't Forget Me), Lil Nas X (“Right There”), Future, and Metro. It surpassed the new song by Boomin (Wee). Still Don't Trust You), PartyNextDoor (“Lose My Mind”), and others.

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“Illusion” is the third single released by the British artist ahead of his third studio album, “Radical Optimism”, following “Houdini” and “Training Season”. The former debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while the latter charted at number 27.

“'Illusion' was Caroline's first song.” [Ailin]Danny [Harle]Tobias [Jesso Jr.]Kevin [Parker] And I worked together, and it really broke the ice for the record,” Dua Lipa said in a press statement. “The important thing is to know what you're getting yourself into and stay in it the whole time. It's a joke and it's fun to play against someone at their own game because ultimately the fantasy Because you won't fall into it.

The song's accompanying music video, directed by Tanu Muino, features Lipa collaborating with dancers, high divers, and synchronized swimmers at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuic in Barcelona, ​​Spain.

“Radical Optimism”, which contains 11 songs, is the band's first full-fledged album since 2020's “Future Nostalgia” and will be released on May 3rd.

Following “Illusion” in the poll was Carpenter's charming new single “Espresso,” which received 22% of the vote.

See below for the final results of this week's new song release poll.

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News companies request Trump and Biden to participate in presidential debate

A group of major news organizations, including the Associated Press and five major broadcast and cable networks, issued an unusual joint statement Sunday urging President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump to participate in a televised debate before Election Day. I asked him to promise.

“General election debates have a rich tradition in American democracy,” the group wrote. “There is no substitute for candidates discussing their vision for our country’s future with each other and in front of the American people.”

Rarely do news organizations give such explicit consideration to a presidential candidate's campaign plans. The statement highlights the degree of uncertainty surrounding whether this year's debate will take place.

Biden has declined to participate in three debates scheduled for September and October. His allies have raised concerns about the Commission on Presidential Debates, a bipartisan group that has organized the event since 1988, and its ability to enforce its rules when Trump attends. .

Trump has promised to debate and regularly mocks Biden for not following through. But in 2020, Trump pulled out at the last minute and forced the cancellation of the second debate. Trump last year refused to debate his primary Republican opponent, accusing the debate panel of being biased in favor of Biden.

If a debate is not held in 2024, it would end the streak dating back to the 1976 election between Jimmy Carter and Gerald R. Ford. Presidential debates remain America's largest mass gathering outside of sports, with an average audience of 68 million viewers in 2020. The two Biden-Trump debates drew far more viewers than the party's nominating conventions.

The news organizations' plans to issue a joint statement were reported last week by The New York Times.

In addition to ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and Fox News, the following news organizations also supported this statement: Associated Press, C-SPAN, NewsNation, NPR, PBS NewsHour, USA Today, Spanish news division Noticias Univision – Language network.

(A Newsmax spokesperson volunteered to the Times last week that the right-wing news channel agreed with the statement, although it was not an official signatory.)

The statement noted that the dates and eligibility requirements for this year's competition were previously announced by the debate committee.

“While it is too early to extend invitations to any candidates, candidates who are expected to meet the eligibility criteria have publicly expressed their support and intent to participate in the committee's debates scheduled for this fall. “It is not too early to do so,” the statement said.

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President Trump speaks at Pennsylvania rally about Iran's attack on Israel

In the wake of Iran's attack on Israel, former President Trump delivered an impassioned message to attendees at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, vowing that this should never have happened.

Trump began his speech by saying, “Before we go any further, I want to say God bless the people of Israel. They are under attack right now because we are showing great weakness.” Stated. “The weakness we showed was incredible and if we were in office this wouldn't have happened. You know it. They know it and everyone knows it. I know that.”

President Trump went on to say that the United States is praying for Israel and sends its absolute support to all at risk.

“This is an attack that didn't happen. I want to think and think about what I have to go through,” he said. “Ukraine would never have happened. Israel [being] The attacks of October 7th and today would never have happened. ”

Lawmakers send message to White House on impending Iranian drone attack on Israel: 'Stay firm'

President Donald Trump (left) arrives with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israel Museum to give a speech in Jerusalem on May 23, 2017. (Mandel Gunn/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump joined other Republican politicians in expressing concern about the Biden administration and the attack.

“As Israel faces this vicious attack from Iran, the United States must demonstrate our full commitment to working with our key allies. I must,” he wrote about X. The White House should insist on an appropriate response. “The Biden administration's weakening of Israel and appeasement of Iran contributed to this horrific development.”

Rep. Nancy Mace (RS.C.) said President Biden “must take a firm stand” against Israel.

“Iran's drone strikes demonstrate that President Biden's approach to Iran and the Middle East is backwards,” she wrote on the X-Post. “At the risk of entering World War III, the United States must support Israel's commitment to democracy. The president must stand firm and immediately stop coddling Iran. ”

US shoots down drone launched at Israel, warns Iran to 'stay away'

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Buckeye Values ​​PAC rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden was asked on Friday how imminent a potential attack on Israel by Tehran was in the wake of Israel's attack on Iran's Damascus consulate in Syria.

“We are dedicated to the defense of Israel,” he added. “We support Israel. We will protect and defend Israel. And Iran will not succeed.”

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Asked what his message was to Iran, Biden simply said, “Stop it.” When I asked for details, he walked away.

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

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Taylor Swift's “Tortured Poets'' message hidden on Apple Music

Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images

This week is the release week for The Tortured Poets Division, and starting April 13, Taylor Swift fans can start searching for Secret Messages from Swift on Apple Music.

Apple has announced that one word a day will be hidden inside Swift's lyrics on its music streaming service.

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This everyday phrase can be found somewhere in Swift's five playlists, which were released exclusively on Apple Music last week. These playlists explore her five stages of heartbreak. denial (“I Love You, It's Ruining My Life” playlist), anger (“You Don't Get” “Tell Me About Sad” playlist), bargaining (“Am I allowed to Cry?” playlist), Melancholy (“Old Habits Die Screaming” playlist), and acceptance (“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” playlist).

One word will be revealed each day, and the full message will be revealed on April 18, the day before Swift's Tortured Poets Division opens here.

On opening day Saturday (April 13), Swift's Taylor Nation team hinted at where to start via an Instagram Story, but that Story appeared to have…a glitch.

It didn't take long for Swifties to discover that the first word was hidden in the lyrics of “Glitch,” which is included in Swift's “I Love You, It's Ruining My Life” playlist on Apple Music. It didn't work.Taylor Nation shared some of it. Fan survey results regarding Xformerly Twitter.

In the lyrics of “Glitch,” the letters H, E, Y, B, E, and R are randomly capitalized.

Decoding these letters reveals the first word of the message. “Here.”

From now until April 18th, join the word search for Swift's “The Tortured Poets Division” on Apple Music to get her full message.

UPDATE: On Sunday (April 14), the Swifties revealed the second word hidden in the lyrics of “Peace,” “Conduct.”

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Taylor Swift's “Torchard Poets” will be included as a launch on Apple Music

Abalone scouts for Easter eggs, equipped with eagle eyes.

Apple Music is releasing a new game on its streaming platform to commemorate April 13, the number named after Taylor Swift, and her 11th, scheduled to be released Thursday at midnight ET. It foretold the times.

Fans can search for one word in the lyrics a day through one of her five new playlists. The full message will be published on April 18th. Swift is getting in on the action, as well as custom voice memos on the platform.

On Saturday, Taylor Nation (Swift's marketing team) sent out a post that tagged Apple Music. In Taylor Nation's article, there was a glitch effect that directed Apple Music users to the song “Glitch,” and within the lyrics he had six capital letters hidden, revealing a secret word.

While the world is anticipating new music, Apple Music is in the process of getting all the relevant content ready.

let's meet at midnight

Fast forward to Thursday night, 11:59 p.m. The Apple Music team will be gathering in offices on both coasts of the United States to watch the hard work of Tortured Poets be exposed to the masses.

During every major album release, threads in the Slack channel light up when Apple Music employees talk about the release. As a new day begins, music labels release albums. The album will be streamed through the platform and combined with content that Apple has spent months cultivating. The process at this point is seamless, but everyone is working hard to ensure that the new artwork, lyrics, and of course the music is consumed without issue.

“We've done a lot of work in the past, and we've built a lot of trust and trust in our artist community,” said Rachel Newman, Apple Music's global editorial director. says. Every artist is different. Streaming services using Swift have a long history.

To celebrate the release of Swift's album Midnights, Apple Music has created three playlists from the Elas tour: “Quill Pen Songs,” “Fountain Pen Songs,” and “Glitter Pen Songs,” which reflect the way Swift categorizes her tracks. Created in collaboration with the singer.

Swift created a similar concept with “The Tortured Poets Division.” Two weeks before her release date, she created her five playlists associated with her five stages of heartbreak.

In November, Apple Music awarded Swift its 2023 Artist of the Year award, asked friends to record video messages about Swift's influence, and in December, she gave fans a pop-up in New York City. Opened the experience.

Varies by rollout

Swift is just one cog in the Apple Music machine, and every artist and development is different.

“We're going to hear directly from their label, and we're going to talk to their team, their publicist, or their management,” Newman says.

When an album is announced, the artist's team will contact Apple Music directly. If there's an unexpected drop, it's usually brought to the attention of the editorial team, in which case they come up with a code name for the project. The list of people who know sensitive information will be very short.

Before you ask, Newman has never heard the music of “Torchard Poets,” but I'm sure she and her team will get a taste of it in many other cases.

“We always try to think deeply about the album concept and the creative approach in relation to what the artist is saying and feeling in the moment,” she says. “And it's a real collaboration with a team of artists, sometimes directly with the artists to discuss what feels right for them.”

Think about all the content that corresponds to your release. Copy, credits, lyrics, marketing campaigns, and signage are just a few items. There are animations that add movement to your album artwork, playlists that capture the essence of your album, and fun games that count down to the album's release. For Bad Bunny's album “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana,” Apple Music had a virtual hangman concept where fans had to guess the song title.

Apple Music News interviews and writes about artists before, during, and after new releases. Apple Music Radio host Zane Lowe interviewed Usher shortly after his announcement during the Super Bowl halftime show and also when he announced his new album, Coming Home.

Storytelling is a key element of new music, and the content on streaming services is an extension of the album's DNA. In preparation for the release of “The Tortured Poets Division” on April 19th, the Apple Music team will be buttoning up a white, black, and beige aesthetic to fully capture the essence of Swift's poetic era.

USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter Brian West on Instagram, TikTok, and X as @BryanWestTV.

Don't miss any Taylor Swift news. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter, This Swift Beat.

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Fontaine DC shares teaser of new song

Fontaine DC shared a teaser of new music on social media in the form of a short clip of an unreleased song.

The Irish band haven't released any new music since their third album, 2022's Skinty Fear (save for a cover of Nick Drake's “Cello Song” on a compilation album), but That seems to be about to change soon.

In the new 30-second clip, frontman Gryan Chatten is seen topless in bright green trousers, with a black, swollen eye and large cuts and bruises all over his body. He is petting a pig and a mysterious song is playing.

Watch the clip below.

@fontainesband

pig. #FontaineDC

♬ Original song – Fontaine DC

“I want to meet you alone / I want to sharpen the stones / I want to bounce off the bones / I want to make a mess,” Chatten sings in rapid-fire over a tight metronome rhythm, ending with a heavy, clanging guitar chord. Excerpt.

In December, the band teamed up with Massive Attack and Young Fathers to release a limited edition 12-inch single in support of Médecins Sans Frontières relief efforts in Gaza.

“Fontaine DC joins millions of people around the world demanding an immediate ceasefire and a permanent end to Israel's brutal occupation of Palestine,” they wrote at the time.

“Since October, Médecins Sans Frontières has been working in the Gaza Strip, where every human being is a target of the IDF, and where thousands of people have been injured by Israeli indiscriminate attacks on starving and defenseless people. We feel completely powerless to do anything at this time, but with our small contribution to this record, Médecins Sans Frontières in Gaza is risking their lives to provide critical treatment. We hope that much-needed funds will be raised. It's time for a ceasefire. Liberate Palestine.”

Chatten opened up about his mental health issues while touring in an interview with NME last year, revealing that he had previously experienced “anxiety and anger attacks”.

The Irish musician, who released his debut solo album 'Chaos for the Fly' last summer, reflected on how his attitude towards touring has evolved over the years.

“Around the time of 'Death of a Hero,' I was really struggling to reinvent myself to fit this new kind of lifestyle, and I was suffering from fatigue and mental illness. Depression that occurred.” he explained.

“My anxiety was pretty high too. I was tired of not being able to live anywhere for five years. I didn't even think about the fact that 50 years had passed without me feeling like I belonged anywhere other than on a tour bus. ”

Chatten then appeared on Kneecap's single “Better Way To Live” last November.

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Taylor Swift's “Tortured Poets'' message hidden on Apple Music

This week is the release week for The Tortured Poets Division, and starting April 13, Taylor Swift fans can start searching for Secret Messages from Swift on Apple Music.

Apple has announced that one word a day will be hidden inside Swift's lyrics on its music streaming service.

explore

explore

Check out the latest videos, charts and news

Check out the latest videos, charts and news

This everyday phrase can be found somewhere in Swift's five playlists, which were released exclusively on Apple Music last week. These playlists explore her five stages of heartbreak. denial (“I Love You, It's Ruining My Life” playlist), anger (“You Don't Get” “Tell Me About Sad” playlist), bargaining (“Am I allowed to Cry?” playlist), Melancholy (“Old Habits Die Screaming” playlist), and acceptance (“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” playlist).

One word will be revealed each day, and the full message will be revealed on April 18, the day before Swift's Tortured Poets Division opens here.

On opening day Saturday (April 13), Swift's Taylor Nation team hinted at where to start via an Instagram Story, but that Story appeared to have…a glitch.

It didn't take long for Swifties to discover that the first word was hidden in the lyrics of “Glitch,” which is included in Swift's “I Love You, It's Ruining My Life” playlist on Apple Music. It didn't work.Taylor Nation shared some of it. Fan survey results regarding Xformerly Twitter.

In the lyrics of “Glitch,” the letters H, E, Y, B, E, and R are written in random uppercase letters.

Decoding these letters reveals the first word of the message. “Here.”

From now until April 18th, join the word search for Swift's “The Tortured Poets Division” on Apple Music to get her full message.

UPDATE: On Sunday (April 14), the Swifties revealed the second word hidden in the lyrics of “Peace,” “Conduct.”

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Music stocks' biggest one-week decline in nine months

Inflation concerns dominated the market, with music stocks posting their steepest weekly decline in nearly a year. The U.S. annual inflation rate rose to 3.5% in March from 3.2% in February, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday. This raised concerns that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) may change its rate cut plans in June. There wasn't much good news for investors, coupled with rising oil prices and lower-than-expected profits at banking giants JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co.

This week, 14 of the 20 companies on the Billboard Global Music Index fell in value. The index fell 3.2% to 1,782.67, its biggest single-week decline since the week ending July 28, 2023, when it fell 4.2%. Still, the Billboard Global Music Index is up 16.2% since the beginning of the year and 43% most recently. 12 months.

Most major stock indexes fell this week. In the United States, the S&P 500 index fell 1.6% to 5,123.41 and the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.5% to 16,175.09. South Korea's KOSPI composite index fell 1.2% to 2,681.82. China's Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.6% to 3,019.47. The outlier was Britain's FTSE 100, which rose 1.1% to 7,995.58.

Among music stocks, iHeartMedia was the week's biggest gainer, rising 6.3% to $2.18. The improvement came despite a lack of market-moving news and regulatory filings from radio giants. In fact, the main reason iHeartMedia has been in the news lately isn't flattering. Forbes reported in March that iHeartMedia paid ad revenue from Sen. Ted Cruz's podcast, Verdict, to his political action committee (PAC). As a result, BP America asked iHeartMedia not to place ads on podcasts that would funnel ad revenue to PACs. Campaign watchdog groups Campaign Legal Center and End Citizens United allege that Mr. Cruz is violating federal law, and on Tuesday (April 9) formally requested an investigation from the Federal Election Commission. did.

Hypnosis Songs Fund, a London-listed company that invests in music copyrights, rose 5.7% to 74 pence ($0.92). Since HSF's board released its damning due diligence report on March 28, HSF has gained 7.2%. The report, conducted by Shot Tower Capital, alleged that the fund's investment manager, Hypnosis Song Management, inflated returns and misled investors about its control. Investing in your portfolio. The board plans to announce its conclusions on the due diligence report by April 26 and seek shareholder approval for the proposal at an unannounced special general meeting.

Sphere Entertainment fell 10.7% this week to $41.80. On Monday, the company's stock fell 3.8% to $45.00 after Seaport Global downgraded Sphere Entertainment from a buy rating to neutral, citing growth concerns. The stock fell another 5.3% on Friday, despite no news or regulatory filings. U2's 40-show residency ended on March 2, and the band grossed $56.5 million from 10 concerts, topping Billboard's box score for February. Rock band Phish will perform four shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas from April 18th to 21st.

Believe shares fell 9.8% to 14.88 euros ($15.88) after Warner Music Group announced on Sunday that it would not make a bid for the Paris-listed company. On March 7, WMG announced its interest in acquiring Believe, saying it would pay “at least” 17 euros per share. This is significantly higher than the CEO-led consortium's offer of 15.00 euros ($16.01) per share. Investors immediately bid up Believe shares to nearly 17 euros, betting that WMG's efforts would be successful. From March 28th to April 2nd, Believe traded as high as $16.92, and from March 25th to April 5th, it closed above €16.50. With WMG out of the picture, the consortium's initial offer has now been capped at 15 euros per share.

The decline in the index's most valuable companies was relatively modest. Universal Music Group fell 2.0% to 27.04 euros ($28.85), and Spotify fell 3.2% to $300.53. Live Nation fell 2.4% to $100.99. CTS Eventim fell 3.8% to 82.00 euros ($87.50). HYBE fell 4.9% to 213,000 won ($154.28). Warner Music Group bucked the trend, rising 0.3% to $33.44 after deciding not to pursue Believe.

The quarterly earnings report will give the stock a chance to rebound in the coming weeks. Of the release dates announced so far, Spotify will launch first on April 23rd, followed by Believe on April 24th, Deezer on April 29th, SiriusXM on April 30th, and Universal Music Group on April 23rd. May 2nd and Warner Music Group's May 9th.

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Round Hill, MaMA, SESAC, etc.

In one of April's music industry hires and promotions, Warner Chappell named Shelby DiPerri (pictured) vice president of creative sync. Photo courtesy: WCM

A summary of recent hires and internal promotions in the music industry as of April 12, 2024.

If you have work you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you. Send your notes to news@digitalmusicnews.com. If you would like to post a job on our job board, please send your request to noah@digitalmusicnews.com. And keep track of all the latest music industry jobs here.

round hill

Round Hill Music has hired former American Idol judge Randy Jackson and Shorebreak founder John Greenberg as advisors.

SESAC music group

SESAC Music Group has hired Andy Bodkin, formerly of Out of the Ark Music, as president of international music services.

Additionally, the company promoted Rose Cook from senior vice president of operations to chief operating officer of music services, and appointed Monica Hertz, who signed with SESAC Music Group's namesake PRO more than six years ago, to lead operations. Promoted to senior director.

Warner Chappell songs

Shelby DiPerri, a veteran of Atlantic Records and Zync Music, is currently Vice President of Creative Sync at Warner Chappell. Additionally, the Warner Music-owned publisher promoted Jenny Pfaff, who had worked as a member of his team for more than five years, to vice president of strategy, integration, and operations.

Downtown Music Holdings

Former FUGA head Peter van Rijn has officially been appointed CEO of Downtown Music.

MaMA Music & Convention

As part of its “most significant structural changes” to date, France's MaMA has announced the retirement of co-founder Daniel Colling. Fellow co-founder Fernando Ladeiro-Marquez has “taken over ownership” of the event and is looking to expand “into new areas.”

More immediately, ahead of the 2024 edition to be held in Paris this October, MaMA has appointed Emmanuel Legrand, a consultant of 10 years, as coordinator of the Grand Divas conference program, and entrepreneur Emilie Gonneau. was appointed to curate the innovation-focused Invent conference stream.

MaMA has also commissioned journalist Flavien Appabou to coordinate Le Cossillabo (a “forum on new ideas and social trends”), and former Festival Transamericas project manager Elise Jacob as coordinator of the festival itself. I hired Mr.

network music group

The network has promoted Angus Blair, who has been a team member for almost seven years, to senior vice president of A&R for the UK and EU, and former 9PR deputy press director James Crossley has joined as director of communications for the UK and EU. .

recording academy

The Recording Academy has officially promoted Adam Ross, its senior by more than four years, to Vice President of Global Partnerships and Business Development.

ASM Global

Matthew Lazarus-Hall, founder of Square Circles Creative Solutions and former SVP of AEG Asia Pacific, has joined ASM Global as Vice President of Entertainment and Content for Australia and Asia.

YG Entertainment

YG has named Yang Min-seok, the younger brother of the K-pop company's founder, as its CEO.

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This Week’s Records to Stream

Paste is the place to kick off each and every New Music Friday. We follow our regular roundups of the best new songs by highlighting the most compelling new records you need to hear. Find the best new albums of the week below, from priority picks to honorable mentions.

Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties: In Lieu of Flowers

When it comes to Aaron West, it’s easy for the plot mechanics to consume much of the conversation. But In Lieu of Flowers contains some of Dan Campbell’s best melodies and soaring choruses. There’s the rising, triumphant hook on “Monongahela Park,” which pairs nicely with the track’s story of rekindling an old flame. On the title-track, Campbell crafts one of the year’s strongest songs out of a package of horns, strings and understated apologies—peaking with a hollered chorus, which is punctuated with the line “I’m with you ‘till the bitter end.” And on “Alone at St. Luke’s,” the booming folk-punk groove—complete with horns from the Roaring Twenties’ newly unveiled 16-piece lineup—manages to make West’s loneliness while touring sound like a rallying call. “We might as well be drinking,” he shouts, both victorious and setting himself up for failure.

In Lieu of Flowers concludes with a cavalcade of twists, and lands on West finding hope for the near future in this open-ending narrative. On the riotous “Runnin’ Out of Excuses,” West seeks rehab after his drinking starts to accumulate steam again. The aching, belted chorus slightly recalls “A Song for Patsy Cline” off of the Wonder Years’ No Closer to Heaven—if that downtrodden narrative was underscored by piano chords and exasperatingly strummed acoustic guitars. The album’s conclusion, “Dead Leaves,” begins even further in singer-songwriter territory—note the occasionally overbearing touches of pedal steel—and finds West retracing his steps, going back into New York City and encountering something (or someone) shocking from his past. It’s a startling, paralyzing moment of sorrow on an album that’s found spurts of optimism. But West manages to brush it off and head towards his band’s show in the Village that night, finding certainty when it’s most needed. He has more songs that need to be sung. —Ethan Beck [Read our full review and full feature]

Bad Bad Hats: Bad Bad Hats

Bringing a dancier twist to their classic indie rock sound, Bad Bad Hats’ self-titled album returns to the Minneapolis duo’s GarageBand demo roots in a funky, freewheeling spirit. Their fourth full-length and first self-produced album, Kerry Alexander and Chris Hoge—with prompts from their Patreon fanbase—expand on the smaller slices of life, like inconvenient parking tickets and scorching grocery store lots. The album brings their classic melancholy dressed in new clothes—accented with electronic flourishes and vibrant looping samples. “Bored In The Summer” explores nostalgia with a jerky yet rhythmic guitar-driven beat, as Alexander divulges, “I get bored in the summer / I read all of your books now I got nowhere to go / And you get a little a bit older / Every time you come around for the L.A. show.” Their quirky sense of humor colors the scenic “TPA” as they poke fun at the monotonous nature of Tampa: “I need no atlas, Streetview or Mapquest / Cause whichever street I’m on, it’s a / Strip mall with a nail salon,” they echo over a cyclical lick. They bring their past back in full force on “My Heart Your Heart,” which draws from a lyric they wrote in 2018 during the recording of their second album. With a bright, jangly guitar, Alexander bestows the greatest honor to her beloved when she sings, “When I die, I want you to have my CDs.” Bad Bad Hats are bringing a revitalized whimsy to their sound by mining gems from the past and polishing them into glittering diamonds on Bad Bad Hats. —Olivia Abercrombie

Cindy Lee: Diamond Jubilee

Throughout the following two hours of music, there are moments on Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee where instrumentation will be either recorded or manipulated to sound like it’s coming from the other room, if not another gauzy galaxy, only for the sound quality to change suddenly, jutting out at you. “If You Hear Me Crying” on the second “disc” does this beautifully, shifting from sunshine pop bounce to what sound like muted, sarangi-accompanied passages, all bulldozed by a day-glo guitar break in a matter of a minute. This melding of influences and styles produces some of the record’s most daring turns—notably where “Flesh and Blood”’s percussive intro throbs until a dam breaks into sustained synth textures, a bass-driven groove and wordless backing vocals. Only adding to the shambolic charm, the song notably speeds up or slows down at certain points, as if it’s careening on railroad tracks, propelling itself into an outro of more pronounced cymbal crashes and even more crunchy, psychedelic shredding.

When eerie, wordless vocalizations come in following the chorus of “Dont Tell Me I’m Wrong” (“Without you close to me / All I’ve got’s this song / And this melody”), it opens up a space for streaks of mascara running down a monochromatic face. Similarly, the more full-bodied drowse of “Government Cheque” feels like a ‘70s soul slow jam that shocks itself into its wah-wah-laden, cinematic close—ending with just a few seconds of a monastic choir’s hum, sounding like the end-times between guitar breaks. It sounds like those figures are re-animated through Patrick Flegel’s arrangement, glorious in their excess. Diamond Jubilee will overwhelm you, there’s no getting around that. The sheer volume of what Flegel has created willfully takes up space, and it’s expected that the listener will have to wrestle with something of this scope, even as they’re wowed by what they’re hearing. But again, there’s something thrilling now about that type of challenge, when so much is so easily digestible. Even if the Cindy Lee project doesn’t exist in its current form by the time this upcoming tour is over, it won’t really matter—their masterwork, beamed down from another world, will always feel out of time and, therefore, feel at home in any given moment. The album’s sprawl has no beginning and no end. It’s just a question of when or where you’re ready to join it. —Elise Soutar [Read our full review]

English Teacher: This Could Be Texas

If you’ve been tuned in at all, then you might already be aware of just how good Leeds quartet English Teacher’s debut album, This Could Be Texas, is. With Lily Fontaine’s voice at the center of it all, these 13 tracks wail and ache and resonate. Truly, this record is chalk-full of some of the cleverest lyricism of the year thus far—a massive accomplishment for a band on their first proper release. And the buzz is earned, as the work arrives profound in its attention to sublime simplicity. A verse like “The thing is, I’ve got a taste of what it feels like to be close enough, and I hope I can get my mind right so I can keep it up” on “R&B” works because Fontaine delivers it in such a way that the melody’s catchiness sneaks up on you and refuses to let you go. On “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab,” the guitars nurture Fontaine’s vocals ever so preciously until they don’t—eventually erupting into a rapturous bevy of riffs that reek with post-rock ingenuity. But it’s all so sticky-sweet, with tracks like “Mastermind Specialism” and “Albert Road” flaunting English Teacher’s sharp command of pop-rock sensibilities and in-sync craftsmanship. If there ever were a new band worth keeping tabs on, here’s one making it all look easy. —Matt Mitchell

James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg: All Gist

On their new collaborative album, All Gist, James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg have turned in instrumental work that evokes the duo’s confidence in working together. Not as dense as the 29-song Me Neither but just as stirring all the same, All Gist is nothing but guitar ballads that sound as lush and precious as orchestral string compositions would. A song like “Death Wishes to Kill,” titled after a chapter in T.S. Powys’ Unclay novel, has a balance of pensive togetherness and an edge of villainy to it. Elkington and Salsburg so deftly let joy and anxiety converge, forging a real Wild West of sonics. Bassist Nick Macri and violinist Wanees Zaroor pitch in, and their presence is a game-changer. Elsewhere, moments like “Buffalo Stance” and “Nicest Distinction” and “All Gist Could Be Yours” float between brooding and summery pastorals, arriving beautifully constructed and twanged out with pillows of pedal steel and vibrant finger-picking. —MM

Maggie Rogers: Don’t Forget Me

Recorded over the course of five non-consecutive days, Don’t Forget Me picks up where Surrender left off—with Rogers grappling with feelings of uncertainty. But now, at 29, Rogers has done the emotional labor to know she’ll emerge from any sort of heartbreak—whether it stems from love, loss or unexpected change. “I just don’t know what to do / I’m fine, but feel I’m breaking through,” she sings on the album’s opening track, “It Was Coming All Along.” The arrangement—‘80s-infused synths paired with a swinging drum pattern—evokes a feeling of brightness, setting the scene for a more confident chapter, as Rogers seeks meaning and purpose through it all.

Over the course of Don’t Forget Me’s overarching narrative, Rogers finds peace with the idea that the traditional, picket-fence life isn’t for her—or, at the very least, not at this point in her life. By now, we’ve all heard Don’t Forget Me’s self-assured title track, on which Rogers sees the friends around her getting married, while she finds joy in other forms of love. But the final songs leading up to “Don’t Forget Me,” which serves as the album’s closer, are equally poignant. “Never Going Home” details a sense of closeness and losing oneself in love, and a sexy guitar solo at the bridge reflects the feeling of letting go. The stripped-back, acoustic guitar-driven “All The Same” features Rogers assured in the love around her, while realizing the idea of traditional romance that many have idealized may not be for her just yet. “Give me the chance to wake in a full romance / Just knowing that you chose to stay / If only just to keep on hoping / Maybe even knowing there’s another way,” sings Rogers on one of the song’s verses. —Alex Gonzalez [Read our full review]

Nia Archives: Silence is Loud

24-year-old Bradford-born, London-based multi-hyphenate talent Nia Archives brings jungle-style music into the 21st century on Silence is Loud and, after scoring a supporting slot on Beyoncé London tour stop last year, the drum-and-bass electronic artist brings her new-gen flavor to her debut album. On “Cards On The Table,” Nia slows down the tempo to a melodic undertone accented with the supersonic beats overtop the jazzy vocal stylings reminiscent of Erykah Badu and Nina Simone. In “Unfinished Business,” she combines the energy of bedroom rave music with a hopelessly failing romantic narrative as she confesses, “My lover, please don’t make me cry / Don’t wanna find the good in bye / When you get distant I don’t pry / Unfinished business I know why.” Though she isn’t shy in expounding upon her ‘90s jungle inspirations, the only track that feels like an authentic recreation is the ferocious “Forbidden Feelingz,” otherwise, she is bringing a fresh pop-star power to the classic genre, giving it the refresh it has long deserved. With youthful vivacity, Silence is Loud morphs jungle in Nia’s image to create a unique, eclectic pop revival of a genre aching to no longer be left behind. —OA

Shabaka: Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace

Shabaka Hutchings’ latest LP, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace, is a towering and powerful offering from the jazz virtuoso. The record features Moses Sumney, Jason Moran, Nasheet Waits, Carlos Niño and others, and the final product is potent in its own genius, as songs like “The Wounded Need to Be Replenished” and “Insecurities” revel in the abstract while conjuring beautiful textures and emotional spectrums. “End of Innocence” finds Shabaka putting down his saxophone in favor of a sublime lead clarinet, making for a sharp detour from the riotous sphere he normally orbits in projects like Sons of Kemet and The Comet is Coming, but it’s no less mountainous. There’s something subtly mystifying about this song and the album, both a culmination of Shabaka’s colorful chemistry with his ensemble and his desire to take risks within his own oeuvre. The woodwinds and brass sound dim light, while the piano that’s a set piece behind many of these compositions unravels delicately. Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace is a marvel. —MM

Best New EP: The Ophelias: Ribbon

On Ribbon, the Ophelias are queer, trans and full of joy. A song like “Black Ribbon pairs Andrea Gutmann Fuentes’ chilling violin with a grieving, sluggish chord progression from Spencer Peppet—both of which build upwards into this chunky, synthy, full-band explosion of noise, while Peppet vocalizes through the chaos in the eye of the storm, examining the genesis of a new queer relationship. “Some kind of desire that I cannot categorize,” she sings. “You’re a Springsteen song, dark sky in overdrive into the warm night.” On “Soft and Tame,” write a heartbreaking homecoming lament. “Giving up love in the South of Ohio, I hate it here, in the in-between,” Peppet sings out. “I wanna feel safe, I wanna feel seen. The curve of the hills when the sun is gone, a knot in my throat, another fucking song.” Fuentes’ violin rips through the noise of the track with a paradoxical, piercing delicacy that renders “Soft and Tame” into a brand new register of beauty. Ribbon flourishes like a full-length, setting its own in-betweens ablaze with emotionality arriving mercilessly from every angle. Few bands cater to my tastes so distinctly—Ohio representation, Springsteen mentioned, queer as a three-dollar bill—but the Ophelias are not like other bands. —MM

hemlock: amen!

At six songs, hemlock’s latest offering—amen!—finds Carolina Chauffe, Kyle Dugger and Lindsey Verrill so in-sync that you’d be remiss to not give them your full attention. The EP is stunning from “widest wing” to “prayer,” with centerpiece “bones” unraveling in the eye of the storm. “bones” is an emotional rollercoaster of forward momentum; a track big-hearted and clear-eyed and packed to the brim with sublime, tenderly devastating registers of hope and love. Performed in Silsbee, Texas with Lomelda, amen! is caught somewhere between y’all-ternative and lo-fi language arts rock. And hemlock understood the assignment. “I’m gonna move across the country or down the hall,” Carolina sings with a flex of twang that flirts with a yodel but never quite explodes into anything but an amen ensconced in warmth. “be/long” is primed to be an under-the-radar song of the year candidate, as Carolina singing “And I chose you as family, now a glow from deep inside of me is ripe for the reclaiming” will light a fire within you. “To give despite the taking, to let go of it all,” they continue. “May we land somewhere soft.” amen! does exactly that. —MM

Other Notable New Album Releases This Week: BODEGA: Our Brand Could Be Yr Life; Future & Metro Boomin: We Still Don’t Trust You; girl in red: I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!; Melts: Field Theory; METZ: Up on Gravity Hill; The Reds, Pinks and Purples: Unwishing Well

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