The August long weekend is smack in the middle of summer, not the greatest time to put a new album out there. But new singles? Absolutely. It’s all about priming the pump for releases for September, October, and beyond. That’s where most of New Music Friday draws from this week.
Singles
1. The Beths, Metal (Anti-)
We’ll start the week on the other side of the plant with this four-piece group from New Zealand (est. 2014) who are preparing to release their fourth album (on a new label, too, which can sometimes be interesting) on August 29. Good clean jangle rock, this.
2. Fat Dog, Pray to That (Domino)
Fat Dog grew in South London out of COVID boredom. Snatched up by Domino, they released a well-received debut album last September and have begun dribbling out new material. This is a second single that seems to be leading us toward the next album.
3. Lumineers, Shout (Dualtone)
Has Stephen King written a novel or short story that hasn’t been turned into a movie or TV series? The latest King adaptation is called The Institute and The Lumineers were tapped to come up with a song for the opening sequence. They chose to do this stripped down version of Tears for Fears’ 1985 classic.
4. Danny Miles, Not Gonna Fit In (Independent)
July Talk fans know Danny as the band’s drummer. He’s now pulling a Grohl to show people he’s much more than a timekeeper. This is a new single that follows up on his two solo albums and it promises a new direction.
5. Moby and Øneheart, Lagrange Point (Independent)
Moby was listening to an NPR station when he first heard Øneheart (aka Russian teenager Dmitry Volynkin). Hoping to bridge the gulf and cultural difficulties, created by Putin’s stupid and illegal war, Moby contacted Øneheart at a collaboration. Astronomy nerds love the title.
6. The Struts, Rock’n’Roll Fantasy (Primary Wave)
This track is interesting to me on a couple of levels. First, it’s a cover of 1979 Bad Company song by one of the better new British bands from the last 15 years. Second, look at the issuing label. Primary Wave is one of those companies buying up billions of dollars of song catalogues. After paying out the original rights holders, it’s up to Primary Wave to make their money back and then turn a profit. This is one of the ways companies like Primary Wave keeps old songs earning.
7. Suede, Dancing with the Europeans (BMG)
If it feels like the next Suede album (their tenth) has been teased for months and months, you’re not imagining things. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel because Antidepressants will be here on September 5. This is the third advance single.
Albums
1. The Armed, The Future is Here and Everything Needs to Be Destroyed (Sargent House)
If you’re looking to try something a little further afield this weekend, give some thought to streaming this new one from Detroit experimental/hardcore band, The Armed. They’ve been around since 2009 and have been fairly successful in maintaining an anonymous profile. If you go to their Wikipedia page, the “members” box offers a link to “known members.” They describe themselves as “The World’s Greatest Band,” too. This is their sixth album.
2. Fit for a King, Lonely God (Solid State)
Another left of centre choice for some. This is the Texas metalcore band’s eighth album and features guest appearance by like-minded bands Motionless In White, Alpha Wolf, The Plot In You. If you’re a fan, you know that it’s acceptable to call them FAAK.
3. Roger Waters, This is Not a Drill (Columbia/Legacy)
The Pink Floyd man’s politics are understandably problematic for some (including several governments), but he doesn’t seem to care. This is a double CD recorded at the O2 Arena in the Czech Republic on May 25, 2023. The production itself was typically impressive with lots of visuals, new songs, tracks from Waters’ solo career, and Pink Floyd material. The audio is also quite awesome for a live record.
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