An overwhelming amount of music is released daily, and we're here to help you weed through it all. Every week, we share select releases we are all looking forward to and personalized picks from a few of our editors.
Welcome to our New Releases to Check Out guide featuring the most notable music released the week of August 16.
And don't forget to check out our YouTube, where DeVán reports on the latest music news every Friday.
BLIGATORY Picks
Tinashe - Quantum Baby
Alt. R&B
via Tinashe Music / Nice Life Recording Company
After releasing what may be the biggest song of her career over a decade with “Nasty,” Tinashe has discovered success as an independent artist and comes into the release of Quantum Baby with all eyes on her. Following her music career, it was easy to admire her as one of the more creative, versatile, and talented voices in R&B/pop this decade. One thing’s for sure: Tinashe’s new album, Quantum Baby, shows she has not lost her fastball.
Quantum Baby is the second of a three-part series, and it serves multiple functions; it’s a diverse platter of sounds Tinashe has perfected over her career (from the Jersey Club-infused “Getting No Sleep” to the Brandy-esque “No Simulation”) for new fans, and a fun collection of songs to hold her old ones over until the conclusion of her trilogy and/or a much larger project.
With every release, Tinashe feels like she’s inching closer to her peak, both in terms of the music's quality and popularity. Before, despite all her talent, label mismanagement (and the resulting lack of commercial success) seemed to stifle her potential. At this stage of her career, she has the world in front of her with a solid fanbase, control over her direction, the necessary skills, and just enough mainstream attention to make this album stand out amongst other releases. And if the songs on Quantum Baby indicate where her future is headed, musically or otherwise, we’re in for a treat.
GEL - Persona (EP)
Hardcore Punk
via Blue Grape Music
About a year after firmly establishing themselves with their debut album, Only Constant, New Jersey’s GEL release the new five-track EP Persona. Their first release since signing with Blue Grape Music is an impressive evolution for a band that was already an unstoppable force in the world of hardcore. This thing flat-out rips in the truest sense of the word, and they live up to their motto of “hc for the freaks” with their unrelenting, visceral, and stomping brand of hardcore.
About the recording process, vocalist Sami Kaiser explains: “ “We really wanted to fill out the songs more and make them more nuanced…It’s a step forward, it’s different, it’s catchy, but it still really sounds like us.”
Persona is out now via Blue Grape Music. GEL have a nearly nonstop string of shows planned over the next few months, including festival appearances at Sick New World, Download, and Primavera Sound.
Wishy - Triple Seven
Dream Pop, Power Pop
via Winspear
Indianapolis-based five-piece Wishy have been moving non-stop since their existence was revealed to the world by lead singer Kevin Krauter in 2022. After two solid EPs, their debut album Triple Seven is out now, via Winspear.
Krauter has a way of twisting thoughtful sections into his songwriting, even when the song starts loud and energetic. He does more with chord progressions than words to change the mood mid-song. The release-day single “Persuasion” and the following track “Game” blend both Nina Pitchkites and Krauter’s vocals, which is a huge draw to Wishy’s sound. The dueling singer-songwriters each have tracks to themself on the record, very clearly exemplified by Kevin’s single “Love on the Outside” and Nina’s “Triple Seven.”
While most of the album is rooted in loud, 2000s emo rock, the track “Little While” takes a slight diversion into a spaced-out, heavier take on dream pop. Pitchkites vocals are barely intelligible, but her melodies and vocal timbre add a breathy layer to the mix. The band also meddles with longer track durations than the 2024 meta, which is welcome when the tracklisting is rather short at just ten songs. With just over 20 tracks to their name, Wishy has established their presence with a trendy yet tasteful pop-rock style, backed with experienced songwriting and production from Krauter and Pitchkites. They have a U.S. tour set for this fall, you won’t be forgetting about them any time soon.
Nilüfer Yanya - “Mutations"
Art Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
via Ninja Tune
Nilüfer Yanya continues her hotstreak of singles in the run-up to album number three My Method Actor.
About the track, Yanya said:
''Mutations' deals with change brought about by circumstance. This isn't the Phoenix rising from the ashes but subtle change that happens constantly as millions of tiny decisions amd actions shape your being....Mutations is just something you have to go through - you have to evolve.”
My Method Actor releases September 13 via Ninja Tune. Nilüfer Yanya will head on a North American tour, beginning in Philadelphia on September 28, as well as a UK and Europe tour in November.
Xiu Xiu - “Arp Omni” / “Veneficium”
Psychedelic Rock, Ambient
via Polyvinyl Records
Melody makes a triumphant reappearance for Xiu Xiu's “Veneficium,” the second single from their upcoming 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips. The song is stilted, and comfortably sits jagged and prickly against Jamie Stewart's withering and weathered echoes. The woeful “Arp Omni” was released with it, and opens the upcoming album. By comparison, it's tempered, with an absence of percussion (until closer to the end) and stretched strings. It's Xiu Xiu as we know them, effortlessly intimate, but up-scaled out of lo-fi territory.
Cam's Pick
Frost Children - "Shake It Like A" (ft. Danny Brown)
Electro House, Electropop
via True Panther Records
Backed by a mid-2010s EDM festival floor-filler, hyperpop meets indie rock outfit Frost Children return from their recent Europe tour with Danny Brown at their side. Brown's verse packs a groove and punch, but the blistering chorus is explosive. The central single-note synth sounds like it's been ripped straight from the chest of Death Grips' “Hacker,” so the translation between genres is pretty (and) commendable.
Dominick's Picks
Horse Jumper of Love - Disaster Trick
Indie Rock, Slowcore
via Run For Cover Records
Horse Jumper of Love share their fourth full-length record with Disaster Trick. The Boston indie rock trio have been reliable lately; in 2022 they gave us Natural Part and 2023 saw the release of a mini-album titled Heartbreak Rules.
Marking a new chapter for band, it comes on the heels of frontman Dimitri Giannopoulos’ newfound sobriety. “This was the first album I've ever done where I went into it with a very clear mind,” he says. “In the past, we would just show up at a studio, drink, and record. Here, everything felt purposeful.”
Drug Church - "Chow"
Post-Hardcore
via Pure Noise Records
Drug Church are gearing up to release their fifth full-length, PRUDE, and have now shared three tracks from it. Following last year's "Myopic" and last month's official lead single, "Demolition Man," the post-hardcore band share "Chow." Lyrically this one is down-in-the-dumps, lamenting over fractured friendships, but boy is it packed with energy. PRUDE is out October 4 via Pure Noise Records.
Fentanyl - "Or So I Thought" / "Blind" / "Detached"
Hardcore Punk
via Convulse Records
We get a rare triple lead single from San Francisco's Fentanyl who announce their debut self-titled EP with "Or So I Thought,” “Blind,” and “Detached.” Combining for less than three minutes of runtime, the trio songs are raw, springy, and razor-sharp hardcore punk from the Bay. Fentanyl's S/T album is out September 13 via the Denver-based Convulse Records.
Knitting - "Heaven"
Indie Rock
via Mint Records
Less than a month away from the release of their second album, Some Kind of Heaven, Montreal indie rock unit Knitting share their third single of 2024 with "Heaven."
About the track, bandleader Mischa Dempsey said:
"A friend of mine once told me that four leaf clovers are pretty easy to find, all you have to do is keep your eyes peeled — apparently they grow in patches because they all come from a mutated set of roots. While I was recovering from top surgery I took daily walks around Parc Jeanne Mance with my eyes glued to the ground. I would crouch on the side of the path and look through patches of clovers, but never managed to find a single one. This song is about the idea of perceiving yourself as having “bad luck,” and how ultimately it can limit you from really understanding yourself."
Some Kind of Heaven is out September 6 via Mint Records
Merce Lemon - "Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild"
Singer-Songwriter, Americana, Indie Folk
via Darling Recordings
Last month, Pittsburgh's Merce Lemon announced her sophomore album alongside the fiery alt-country/country rock lead single "Backyard Lover." This week, the singer-songwriter returns with the closing track and namesake of her latest record; an earnest folk ballad, the titular track exudes a warmth and sincerity central to the themes of community, home, and gratitude that shape her first album in four years.
Via Bandcamp, Merce says:
“I was grappling with what kind of relationship I wanted with music in my life. It was just something I’d always done, and I didn't want to lose the magic of that – but I was just having less fun.” She later writes, "I learned a lot about plants and farming, just writing for myself, and in that time I just slowly accumulated songs.”
Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild is out September 27 via Darling Recordings.
Dominick's Bonus Picks
Stab - "Mazda C"
Cindy - "All Weekend"
JOCK - "Jock's Labyrinth"
Snoozer - "Fadda Radda"
Peter's Picks
Fievel Is Glauque - "As Above So Below"
Jazz Pop, Art Pop
via Fat Possum Records
Fievel is Glauque(FiG) is the collaborative project of New York based keyboardist and bandleader Zach Phillips and Brussels based singer Ma Clement. "As Above So Below" is the first single from the bands upcoming and highly anticipated sophomore project. The breezy, jazzy, bubbly sounds of FiG are soothing and ultimately fun. Thoughtful, yet free.
Fievel is Glauque's forthcoming album, Rong Weicknes, is out October 25 via Fat Possum Records.
Freak Genes - "Reflective Surface"
Synth Punk
via Feel It Records
The duo of Andrew Anderson and Charlie Murphy, AKA Freak Genes, eye up their third album under the label of Feel It Records with lead single "Reflective Surface."
Rolling synths of a rubbery skew transport the listener's mind onto the cyber plane—a space of industrial filth and deep furrows. For those who have seen the artwork for their next album Delirik, you may have already prepared your ears for some rather outlandish sonic feats. The album title is derived from the word 'delirium' and this speaks volumes.
Freak Genes' sixth studio album, Delirik, is out September 6 via Feel It Records.
Mo Dotti - "lucky boy"
Noise Pop, Dream Pop
Self-Released
The space between dreams and nightmares blur under the wicked hands of Mo Dotti. The L.A. DIY noise pop group take influence from Dinosaur Jr., Lush and The Magnetic Fields; add in a sprinkle of the omnipresent My Bloody Valentine to the mix and you've got one hell of a shimmering monolith. The accompanying music video for “lucky boy” was shot at Slide Away Festival in March of 2024.
Mo Dotti's self-released debut, Opaque, is out September 20.
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