Spring has entered its late stages: the sun is shining through clouds and is giving a glimpse of what sounds this summer could bring. Here’s this week’s New Music Friday.
Alex Lahey – The Answer Is Always Yes
The Alex Lahey puzzle has finally been solved.
It’s been almost a year since Lahey told Beyond The Stage what her newest record would sound like, its themes and her writing process.
It was a glimpse behind a closed door that’s been swung wide open for the world to hear.
“I just want a good time, don’t care how but I know everybody needs it,” sings Lahey on opener “Good Time,” which reflects on the shared longing she shared with the world during the pandemic
“There was a lot of time to think about what is going on and how I’m putting things together,” Lahey said in a 2022 interview with BTS. “I’ve pushed myself more. I’m a big picture person and by no means a perfectionist and don’t love to spend more time on things but I was able to enjoy how this could happen.”
Lahey even told BTS there was time to let songs breathe and play out slowly without being a snooze. The best examples come on slow burning love song “The Sky Is Melting” plus the album’s closer and title track “The Answer Is Always Yes.”
Aminé and Kaytranada – Kaytraminé
One of music’s most celebrated producers has been conspiring with another fawned over rapper for almost a decade when Aminé remixed a Kaytranada track.
Now the two have released an album that spells summertime. Fans of fun verses and inventive production will enjoy Kaytraminé.
The likes of Pharrell, Snoop Dogg, Big Sean and Freddie Gibbs even stop by for guest slots.
Salami Rose Joe Louis – Akousmatikous
A mid-year candidate for 2023’ danciest and most thought-provoking album, the newest release from Brainfeeder’s Salami Rose Joe Louis can make a spine shake on a dime.
It’s her third full-length on Flying Lotus’ label–and she’s made herself a superstar in experimental sound over the past half decade.
This time dance music icons Soccer96 and Brijean get in on the action.
It won’t be too long now until numerous tracks from this album bump through the speakers and onto the Bossa Nova Civic Club dancefloor.
The Murlocs – Calm Ya Farm
Nobody knows how to crank out LP’s like The Murlocs frontman Ambrose Kenny Smith. Calm Ya Farm is this Aussie group’s second record since September and third since summer 2021.
Go figure. Adored by fans and simply called “Ambrose,” the band’s singer mainly lends his lungs to play harmonica (and sing) in King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard. That band just announced their 24th album, and they’ve only been around for 13 years.
Ambrose and The Murlocs are also an album factory–and they’re playing dancey, rockabilly folk-themed storytelling tracks with guitar solos on their latest venture. That’s not a sound for everyone’s jam–but it’s a band that fans should appreciate for simply flipping tunes quicker than most rock musicians with large followings.
Spanish Love Songs – “Haunted”
Midwest emo meets punk on the newest single from a band that actually hails from Los Angeles.
This track also begins the rollout for the group’s forthcoming album No Joy, due out August 15 via Pure Noise Records.
Which of these from New Music Friday will you be adding to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed?
Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!
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