Though frontman Robert Smith might protest easy categorization, The Cure are without a doubt one of the seminal gothic rock bands of all time. Pop-twinged and radio friendly hits like "Friday I'm in Love" or "Just Like Heaven" exist alongside the kind of haunting, angst-filled odes like "One Hundred Years" or "Lullaby" that helped define the goth rock phenomenon. "Alone," the legendary band's first new release in well over a decade and the lead single from their upcoming album Songs of a Lost World, sees the band return to that latter sort of peak brooding form after a considerable hiatus.
Earlier this week, Vancouver-based Indie darlings Peach Pit dropped their new track "Magpie" in advance of its eagerly anticipated, similarly titled parent album. Magpie's October 25th release will be the band's most recent since 2022's From 2 to 3, with this titular single being their first musical offering since that album's "Vicky." "Magpie" sees Peach Pit - who have previously characterized their music as "chewed bubblegum pop" - coloring their trademark aesthetics with layers of rich harmonic fuzz. No pun intended.
Stung!, like most of the band's repertoire, is an trippy blend of a myriad of musical elements, but "Neon City" is classic, raw Pond. One can hear in it everything that makes the group and its various sister-acts great.
Clairo has been a staple in the indie pop scene ever since, from the eclectic ear-candy of her 2019 debut Immunity to the more intimate, Sufjan Steven-style baroque pop of 2021's Sling. Now "Sexy to Someone" sees her making use of the best elements of all these past chapters, synthesizing parts of each into a unique new whole.
The song “Atavista” sees Glover return to peak R&B form. Soulful and impeccably groovy in the vein of earlier hits like “Redbone,” and touched with added flair from some trendy retro-futuristic synthesizer pulsations, it feels something like a mission statement for the album at large. "Atavism," per Merriam-Webster, means among other things the "recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity." On an album that itself fits that definition to a tee, "Atavista"
"Claw Foot" ... is a tightly constructed and eminently catchy exemplar of Royel Otis' sterling approach to alt-pop/rock. The song's bass-heavy rhythmic figure and chimey guitars are immediately evocative of genre paragons like Joy Division and The Cure, while it's breakneck pace and chanted chorus keep things sounding fresh and the energy high.
Up-and-coming indie quartet Nicotine Dolls take their name from an epithet the band's members coined to describe a particular breed of anti-social partygoer who would rather retreat to outdoor solitude for a quick drag than endure a crowd, so it's a bit ironic that the band is perhaps best known in the public eye for similarly shunning the limelight.
Tantalizingly groovy, tastefully multi-cultural and, ultimately evoking a sense of effortless calm - not stillness, but utter calm - "Peaceful Place" is the type of song where the mere act of listening refreshes in the same way a deep breath of fresh air does.
PA-based indie rock outfit Sun Not Yellow has made a habit of applying their own distinct sensibilities to a wide array of styles since their 2017 inception, and their latest single "Younger Me" is a perfect microcosm of that melting pot mentality. This latest offering sees the group adding Dawes-esque folk rock to their genre grab-bag, organically touched with the idiosyncrasies that make the group stick out from a multitude of others operating in that same, heavily saturated sphere.
Asian Dub Foundation are known for their eclectic, genre-bending brand of electronic music combining everything from dancehall to raga, and are no strangers to the gritty, guitar-driven aesthetics of punk rock. That said, a collaboration with the Godfather of Punk himself definitely dials that influence up to an entirely different level.
"El Gato", and Copenhagen 1958 as a whole, not only serve as a time capsule for Ellington's unparalleled artistry and his orchestra's matchless stagecraft, but also as a reminder of the Duke's enduring legacy.
French EDM darlings Justice are back, patented Cross-aesthetics and all, with "Neverender," fresh off their newly released album Hyperdrama. Bolstered by the the tantalizing addition of psychedelic synth-pop king(s) Tame Impala (brainchild of Aussie indie maestro Kevin Parker), the two have delivered a glossy, classic slice of electronica tailor-made for the dance floor.