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 30.
And don't forget to check out our YouTube, where DeVán reports on the latest music news every Friday.
BLIGATORY Picks
Enumclaw - Home In Another Life
Indie Rock, Noise Pop, Post-Grunge
via Run For Cover
write-up by Dominick Baglivo
Spearheaded by vocalist and principle songwriter Aramis Johnson, Enumclaw stir catharsis through anthemic, grungy rock and brutal honesty. Bolstered by high-octane, guitar-driven foundations, the band is rounded out by guitarist Nathan Cornell, drummer Ladaniel Gipson, and bassist (and Aramis’ younger brother) Eli Edwards.
Home In Another Life marks the Tacoma, Washington band’s second full-length, and their first for Run for Cover Records.
Similar to previous releases Save the Baby (2022) and Jimbo Demo (2021), Enumclaw shine brightest through a sense of optimism and vulnerabilty within their lyrics. Self-doubt, loss, and self-acceptance are all dissected like a bleeding heart. Brimming with charm and overflowing with emotion, Johnson is a guiding force amidst a fuzzy backdrop.
Coco & Clair Clair - Girl
Pop Rap, Cloud Rap
via Nice Girl Music
write-up by Atticus Deeny
Since 2015, the Atlanta-based duo Coco & Clair Clair have been sculpting their brand of soft-spoken, feminine hip-hop. Girl, their third studio album, is short and compact with braggadocios electronic raps about impersonators, “keeping it tucked in the waistband,” and of course—being hot. The list of producers on this album is a rabbit-hole of lesser-known names like Hanzo, Aaron Shadrow, Internetboy, and Raven Artson, each contributing to the modern, online aesthetic of the project. Coco & Clair Clair themselves, real names Claire Toothill and Taylor Nave, contribute production as well.
Standout track “Bitches Pt. 2” contains the album’s sole feature in Marjorie -W.C. Sinclair, who also appeared on the original “Bitches” track from Coco & Clair Clair’s 2022 album, Sexy. Sinclair’s verse drops onto the Yeat-esque beat and automatically clicks into gear. The song ends with an interpolation of Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” which is the second classic hit that the duo pull from (track four “Our House” nabs its title and chorus from CSNY). The single “Aggy” also stands out as an easy-going conclusion to the album, and likely the right selection for a digestible hit.
The duo will be on tour in the US from October 1 through November 12 with SadBoi; tickets are available now on their website.
Dummy - "Blue Dada"
Neo-Psychedelia, Post-Punk, Noise Pop
via Trouble In Mind Records
write-up by Dominick Baglivo
Los Angeles noise pop group Dummy share the final single from their upcoming album Free Energy with “Blue Dada.” It encapsulates so much of what makes Dummy continue to be one of the most exciting bands of the 2020s.
Beautifully transitioning between sounds, “Blue Dada” is characteristically Dummy. It kicks off as more of a dance track than anything: subdued, dreamy, and groovy. Around the two minute-mark, razor-sharp guitars propel it to a new level of intense and dreamy enchantment.
“Blue Dada” is accompanyied by a music video directed by the band’s own Emma Maatman. It stars Los Angeles-based performer and artist Camirin Farmer. The video is introed by a ambient improvistation, with Oakland-based composer and musician Cole Pulice contributing the saxophone that soars across bonus single “Opaline Bubbletear."
Free Energy is out September 6 via Trouble In Mind Records
Picture That - "Try"
Noise Pop, Indie Rock
via Inscrutable Records
write-up by Peter Doherty
St. Louis natives and twin sisters Allison (Mesh) and Shawn Durham (touring drummer for Flasher, Gauche) release their first single under the name of Picture That in the form of "Try.” It's a sparklingly twee piece; a jangly twinkle of bittersweet, sombre disco balls.
On Instagram, Shawn said the track is “'returning to love and its expanse.”
A grit underlies the pleasantries. Reminders of the bite that love likes to leave behind. The sweet within the sour, the clouds in the clear sky, and the prickly sensation that floats beside the feeling of hope.
Picture That's debut six-track EP Strum is out October 9 via Inscrutable Records, the new label from Martin Meyer of Lumpy and the Dumpers/Lumpy Records.
Atticus' Picks
Caribou - "Come Find Me"
Deep House, Progressive House
via Merge Records
Dan Snaithe has been releasing music as Caribou since before I was born, and his newest track “Come Find Me” is still sounding stylish in 2024. While not as technically innovative as some modern producers, this song's overall progression and hypnotic dance elements are effective. The filtering of the synths is spot on and well-textured, and the vocals (which are semi-proven to be Snaithe himself through a liked-Instagram comment,) have an old-fashioned quality that is rather fun paired with the dance-pop instrumental.
With this being from the first new Caribou album since February 2020, it will be interesting to hear tracks that have likely been in the works for many years. Honey is out October 4 via Merge Records.
EDEN - "Pocket (montreal)"
Slowcore, Alt. R&B
via TH3RD BRAIN
It’s a bit ironic hearing EDEN—a notable boundary pusher in electronic digital production since 2015—take on such a lo-fi, DIY-inspired sound on his newest single “Pocket (montreal).” The writing and pace of the song still contain the dramatic gloominess he has always had, but the compact runtime and simple instrumental corral EDEN a bit. The result is a pleasingly simple and tight composition that doesn’t meander.
On Instagram, he stated that this song had been made “in a hotel room alone in 2023,” and curiously “will always be just an mp3.” Is this code for “not for an album?” His last three singles appear as a group on Spotify, but no official announcements have been made.
Cam's Pick
Kehlani - While We Wait 2
Cont. R&B
via Atlantic Records
This is the sequel to Kehlani's 2019 mixtape, but also the Cali singer's second release this year, following their fourth studio album, CRASH. Vince Staples, Lucky Daye, and (albeit on a remix) FLO feature, among others.
Dominick's Picks
Duster - In Dreams
Slowcore, Post-Rock, Space Rock Revival
via Numero Group
Surprise! Revered slowcore band Duster drop their fifth full-length record with no advance notice. No complaints here, as In Dreams features 13 new songs from the Santa Cruz band.
The band has had a resurgence and continued with steady momentum after reforming in 2018, with In Dreams marking their third album in the six years since. It’s out now via Numero Group.
Man/Woman/Chainsaw - "Grow A Tongue In Time"
Art Rock
via Fat Possum Records
In July, the London-based Group Man/Woman/Chainsaw announced their signing to Fat Possum Records and their debut EP, Eazy Peazy, alongside its lead single, “Ode to Cilo.” This week, the group share the second single with the brooding, folk-tinged “Grow A Tongue In Time.”
The band had the following to say about their emotive new single:
"[Grow A Tongue In Time] is a stream-of-consciousness look at jealousy, desire
and self-pity. This began with a very stripped back arrangement on just bass,
which gradually grew as we added different elements, from droning violin to
creaking bowed guitar. Although It’s a moment of calm in the chaos of the set,
the song builds its own intensity without relying on aggression."
Man/Woman/Chainsaw’s debut EP, Eazy Peazy, is out November 8 on Fat Possum Records.
Military Genius - "Darkest Hour"
Hypnagogic Pop
via Unheard of Hope
In 2020, Canadian musician Bryce Cloghesy (Crack Cloud, N0V3L) shared his debut album, Deep Web, under the name Military Genius. With the release of his new contemplative single, “Darkest Hour,” Cloghesy announces his sophomore album Scarred For Life.
“‘Darkest Hour’ encapsulates the feeling of being swept away by time, into an endless night,” Cloghesy explained. “There is a certain melancholy in leaving the past behind, dwelling on simpler, antiquated ways of life as we are pushed forward. This message is poignant on a personal level — becoming a father has led me to contemplate my own childhood, witnessing a purity of emotion prior to self-awareness. This applies to a broader collective consciousness too, as the march of progress fundamentally alters our shared experience. It’s all about embracing the journey, stepping beyond the point of no return, and facing the future.”
The album title is named after a near-death experience in which Cloghesy fell out of a window in 2012. Scarred For Life is out November 1 via Unheard of Hope.
Qlowski - "Surrender"
Gothic Rock, New Wave, Dance-Punk
via Maple Death / Feel It Records
London-based concrete-punks Qlowski announce their second album with the release of “Surrender.” Leading the rollout for The Wound, it features a dreamy and gothic-infused new wave sound. A dark, glossy sheen adorns this propulsive and urgent track, lending a helping hand (though, perhaps an unfamiliar one) through an inexplicable sliver of light amidst an empty, windowless room.
Qlowski’s new album was recorded in Dublin with Daniel Fox of Gilla Band. The Wound is out November 1 via Maple Death and Feel It Records.
Allegra Krieger - "Came"
NYC-based singer-songwriter Allegra Kreiger shares the third single from her upcoming album. Art Of The Unseen Infinity Machine is out September 13 via Double Double Whammy.
Fentanyl - "Silver Hour"
San Francisco hardcore punks Fentanyl share new single “Silver Hour,” taken from their upcoming debut self-titled EP. Fentanyl is out September 13 via Convulse Records.
Subsonic Eye - "Not Linear"
Singaporean band Subsonic Eye share new single “Not Linear,” taken from an upcoming split EP with Indonesian band Bedchamber. Balancing Act is out October 28 via Kolibri Records and Big Romantic Records.
Tri-County Liquidators - "Tooth"
Oof. The “columbia mo riffgaze” share their new single, “Tooth.” And while I can’t recall how I found this one, I can tell you it cuts pretty deep. Out now via Smile Lonesome Records.
Peter's Picks
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "GREY RUBBLE - GREEN SHOOTS"
Post-Rock
via Constellation
Godspeed You! Black Emperor (GYBE) have announced their upcoming full length through the drifting melancholia of "GREY RUBBLE - GREEN SHOOTS,” the closing track of said album.
The album title, No Title As of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead, is a reference to the amount of Palestinians killed by Israeli air strikes between October 7, 2023 and February 13, 2024.
The flowers which grow through destruction and despair will have strong roots but ever heavy hearts; petals which grow in obscure patterns and ways.
An excerpt from the album’s Bandcamp posting reads as follows:
“war is coming.
don't give up.
pick a side.
hang on.
love.”
GYBE's ninth studio album, No Title As of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead, is set for release October 4 via Constellation Records.
House Proud - "Rescue Dog"
Post-Punk
Self-Released
House Proud, one of the hottest prospects on the UK's/England's North East music scene, have released their debut single by the name of "Rescue Dog."
Having seen the band perform live on numerous occasions across 2024—I, Peter, can attest to the power of House Proud. A tour de force of sorts, House Proud blend the cold-shoulder characteristics of post-punk with the vulnerability of a warm friend.
"Rescue Dog" was released via Sunderland's Serial Bowl Records.
The Smile - "Foreign Spies" / "Zero Sum"
Ambient Pop, Art Punk
via XL Recordings
The Smile have already spoiled us in 2024 with the release of Wall of Eyes. Additionally, Thom Yorke produced the original score for Daniele Luchetti's Confidenza, Johnny Greenwood debuted new work X Years of Reverb and is writing the score for Paul Thomas Anderson's The Battle of Baktan Cross, and Tom Skinner is touring in support of his 2022 Voices of Bishara project. And the train doesn't stop there; yet another album from The Smile has been announced with two more singles to follow-up August’s "Don't Get Me Started" and “The Slip.”
"Foreign Spies" is a brooding, synthetically bubbly piece that exists in a world of texturally alluring, gorgeous scenery.
"Zero Sum" is sonically Pac-Man on crack; paranoid and chasing his tailless ass. An arcade is being burned down, games glitch out as their buttons malfunction,tThe jittery movements of the characters on-screen find themselves confused as to what is happening to them.
The Smile's second studio album of 2024, Cutouts releases October 4 via XL Recordings. Cutouts was recorded at the same time as Wall of Eyes, released in January of this year.
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