In a world of young pop starlets and R&B bad boys, the kings of New (re)releases this week were two monoliths of rock n roll, with Bruce Springsteen releasing, on his birthday no less, Chapter and Verse, which includes some new versions of old favorites alongside classic served straight-up. David Bowie’s impressive slew of classics were remastered onto Who Can I Be Now (1974-1976). Kings of Leon are back watching the WALLS come down all around them, albeit rather slowly.
It needs no detailed explanation to know that you can find at least 50 new tracks on the New Music Friday playlist on Spotify every week. So hop to it and dig right in. In need of a catchup? Check out New Music Friday All Stars to get you back on track.
10. Still Breathing by Green Day
Billie Joe, is that you? Upon the first, second, and third listens of Still Breathing the opening 30 seconds feel like someone swapped out the typical sound of our lead singer. Everything eventually goes back to its right place, and his trademark snarl returns for the majority of the song. This the third single off of Revolution Radio has a ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’ vibe, but with a triumphant pace. Play this one at the end of a Monday work day.
9. Open Your Eyes by STRFKR
Prepare to be transported to another world, as Portland’s finest takes you on a brief transcendental voyage across the Universe in less than four minutes. This band of star boys are getting ready for their first album in 3 years, with the equally transcendent tittle of Being No One, Going Nowhere (out November 4th). The track straddles both worlds of carefree indie and that get-the-party-moving feel that hovers near EDM.
8. I Don’t Want To Know by The Last Bandoleros
Every now and then it’s important to give your new music preferences a shake up and serve newness with a twist; and when it comes to enjoying The Last Bandoleros all you need to do is open your heart to seasoning rock n’ roll with a little Tex-Mex. The song is laid-back and meandering; you can imagine it equally as a song that plays while credits rolls on a Weeds-type tv show, AND as a couple dances the Argentine Tango to it.
7. Whiteout by Warpaint
A mellow mood will be the only prerequisite to maximize the enjoyment of Warpaint’s latest. It’s the first track off of the highly anticipated ‘Heads Up,’ the band’s first album in three years, which included a close call with the band nearly breaking up. The lyrics are cryptic in that they don’t point to an immediate explanation, but rather one where the band allows the listener to create it for themselves.
6. Sometimes There’s Wine by The Barr Brothers
Picture it: the food is burning on the stove, the dog is barking, kids are crying, and the TV’s blaring. It’s a moment of auditory overload, and stress and tension are sitting right at your temples. In a moment of brief clarity the time starts to slow and you imagine a soothing song playing over the madness of it all. Sometimes There’s Wine is that song. It captures a need for peace, and using the title as a mantra you know everything will be alright, if not only for a glass of wine away. Keep this one in your vault for times like these.
5. Amelia by Skott
Brewing her own unique cocktail that consists of one part Awolnation-esque ‘Stay. Stay.“ and two parts of a faintly Florence Welch styled uttering of “Amelia,” it’s enough to transfix us for the enter song of the same name. She’s all the things that make a newcomer so exciting to listen to and make mental bookmarks off, including the lyrics which reveal a Millennial description of nothingness: ‘We even broke into a warehouse’ and an all encompassing everything lying side by side ‘Gee, we had it all figured out, limitless in love.’
4. Empty by Kevin Abstract
A sweeping intro is a brilliant disguise for the low-key morose raps Kevin Abstract makes over a few piano keys. Empty delivers a relatable list of things he hates (among them: his passport, his last name, and public transport). From there it’s a track of love and homesickness all while wearing his heart on his sleeve. A great one to listen to when you think things suck, but it turns out to be just a bad mood not a bad life.
3. No Promises by Shawn Mendes
Handily winning the award for most anticipated album of the week, Shawn Mendes makes sure to keep us satisfied while tasting out Illuminate. Fans of his are more than likely to have made way their through Ruin, Mercy, and Treat You Better, but there’s oh so much more, no empty filler tracks in sight here. No Promises is a (desperate?) plea to keep it real. And while the lyrics were enough to make MTV’s list of “13 Lyrics From Illuminate that Prove Shawn Mendes Needs A Hug,” there are no downer vibes present here.
2. Really Doe by Danny Brown, Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Earl Sweatshirt
Combing together the two words most often used to describe Danny Brown – gritty and individualistic – with a mashup of a bunch of friends, Really Doe has MCs rapping over a beat that sounds like a wind chime loop (the effect creating an lightly sinister vibe). And so you don’t get it twisted, each verse finishes with a rapper declaring they wish you WOULD. There’s no overly thought-out clever play on words here, just a stream of conscious thought, resulting in fully authentic delivery.
1. Starboy by The Weeknd, Daft Punk
Prepare yourself: a new Weeknd album is on the horizon. The news of the album comes as one of the most highly anticipated albums of the fall, if not the year. The first single of the same name does not disappoint, delivering the voice that makes everything sound so good, and lyrics to live vicariously through the playboy (“I’m in the blue Mulsanne bumping New Edition”) over a Star Trek groove. It’s all fitting, it all makes sense. But the thing that knocks it outta of the atmosphere is Daft Punk warping ha-ha-ha-ha-ha over the chorus, a brilliant collaboration that captures both artists strengths.
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