Today is New Music Friday, which means there’s loads of new songs in the world.
Here are the 10 single songs released today I loved the most.
See the New Music section for all the of tracks and albums featured this week.
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1.
The National
New Order T-Shirt
The National have released this moving understated love song from their First Two Pages of Frankenstein album due on April 28 via 4AD.
Marked by vignettes of time past, Matt Berninger keeps score of the little moments in time that keep and sustain whether it’s “you in my New Order t-shirt / holding a cat and a glass of beer,” or “you in a Kentucky aquarium / talking to a shark in a corner.” It’s a song that waltzes like a montage of good memories.
2.
Hiro Ama
Dolphin Hour
Hiro Ama is the drummer with Teleman and last year released the lilting ‘Free Soul’. ‘Dolphin Hour’ is cut from the same cloth, almost like an acoustic jazz-funk workout.
It’s from the forthcoming AO EP.
Ao means blue in Japanese and all the songs are related to blue colour in one way or another. Blue can be described both happy and sad and I like that it changes from time to time like our feelings. I was trying to find a way to express my feelings beyond the major and minor and started exploring different modes and a modal harmony.
3.
Overmono
Calling Out
Brothers Ed and Tom Russell further tease their album Good Lies, with a reserved two-step song that samples Slowthai and Casisdead’s ‘Traction Control’.
“We’ve had these chords written for quite a while now and could never find quite the right context for them. One night we were procrastinating in the studio, mostly just drinking and slamming some CASISDEAD and slowthai tracks. We’d been listening to them a lot as they have an incredible way of consistently delivering unexpected music and we find that approach really inspiring. Then we had a bit of a eureka moment and realised it might have been the type of sound we were looking to go with alongside that chord progression, so we stayed up all night and finally got it done.”
The album is out May 12th on XL.
4.
Eliza
Midnight Rose
The creator of the fine album A Sky Without Stars, which was one of my favourites of 2022, drops a loose made during the albums sessions.
“We made this song Midnight Rose whilst writing A Sky Without Stars but we didn’t finish it in time. I didn’t want to let it slip by without sharing it with you. We finally got it ready for you to hear, here it is. Keep your ears peeled as there’s more (almost) lost music to come.”
5.
Yaeji
Done (Let’s Get It)
It’s a family affair as Yaeji and her grandad dress as bunnies up in the video shot in Seoul for new song ‘Done (Let’s Get It)’, styled her her mom and fed by her auntie, and directed and edited by Yaeji.
The track is from Yaeji’s upcoming debut album With A Hammer, out April 7th on XL Recordings.
“On Yaeji’s latest single she reflects on the patterns, modes of thought and traumas we inherit from our ancestors, taking on the mission of smashing these inter-generational cycles as a path toward healing herself and the world. “
Previously: ‘For Granted’
6.
David Kitt
Till The End
David Kitt announced his ninth solo album Idiot Check in January with the song ‘Wishing Well’, and two double A-side songs came out today featuring the vocals of Katie Kim – the Arthur Russell-esque ‘Till The End’ and bright acoustic band song ‘Balances’.
Of the release, Kitt says: “I decided to release ‘till the end/balances’ as a double a-side digital single because they come together on the album and they feel thematically and musically connected. They’re both abstract songs that explore commitment, memory, the miracle of endless love and the transformative powers of awe and wonder. They both feature Katie Kim on vocals, her vocals on till the end really transformed the song and made it one of my favourite pieces of music that I’ve ever been involved in. Thanks Katie!”
Idiot Check is out on March 31st.
7.
Hi Vista
Take Me Away
Hi Vista is a new indie-house project from Julianne Murray (Rumi) and Kevin Gubbins (Kubb_), both preoviously featured here in their solo guise.
‘Take Me Away’ is a song that came out of collaborations that felt apart from previous work, so the paid decided to form Hi Vista to release it.
The name comes from the district in California and the building which features in the Talking Heads ‘Road To Nowhere’ video and the infamous Kill Bill church scene.
They decided to release them under a new name ‘Hi Vista’
“I think it makes you feel free when you listen to it, like you’re dancing on a beach somewhere during sunset, or in a club somewhere in Europe,” says Julianne.
“I started work on Take Me Away in Athens in 2021 during the height of their infamous heatwave,” says Kevin. “At that time I was inspired by my first proper taste of freedom post- (what we thought at the time) pandemic, and I tried to encapsulate this feeling musically in the piece.”
8.
Channel Tres
All My Friends
Effervescent house rap music taking its cue from the Arthur Russell / Dinosaur L tune ‘Go Bang’ and its lyric – “I wanna see all my friends at once.”
It’s from a new EP called Real Cultural Sh*t EP, via GODMODE/RCA Records, out today also featuring the jam ‘6AM’.
Tres calls his music Compton House – “a blend of the rhythms of Chicago house and Detroit techno with the snarl of West Coast rap.”
9.
Everything But The Girl
Caution To The Wind
Everything But The Girl follow up the out-and-out banger of ‘Nothing Left To Lose’ with the softer dance pop of ‘Caution To The Wind’.
“Lyrically, Caution To The Wind is a simple song about arrival and seizing the moment, so with the music we tried to capture the feeling of a perpetual point in time.”
Tracey Thorn.
It’s from the forthcoming Everything But The Girl album Fuse on April 21st.
10.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Nadja
‘Nadja’ is on the gentle side of Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s music, from the double album V is to be released on March 17th via Jagjaguwar. The Hawaiian-New Zealand musician Ruban Nielson’s new one is said to be inspired by “West Coast AOR, classic hits, weirdo pop and Hawaiian Hapa-haole music,” along with dealing with a family illness that meant a lot of the family relocated to Hawaii from Portland and New Zealand.
Previously, the band shared ‘I Killed Captain Cook’, and ‘Layla’
Nialler9 Weekly Playlist
Nialler9 New Music Playlist
For more extensive Irish and new music coverage, hit up the Irish section for individual track features
For this and more Irish songs, follow the Nialler9 New Irish Spotify playlist.
