New Music Releases: From Loveless and Swerve to Sydney Sprague and Spanish Love Songs
New Music Releases is a column that keeps abreast of all the news from the music industry that often flies under the radar. Keep up-to-date with the underground and independent scene and find your next favorite band or singer-songwriter right here.
Loveless releases 'I Love It When It Rains'; announces fall tour with Beauty School Dropout
Alternative rock duo Loveless have dropped their new single 'I Love It When It Rains' along with a music video for the song, out now via Rise Records. Inspired by those moments that feel too difficult to endure, 'I Love It When It Rains' is about fighting through the storm to be there for those you love most.
“I’m so thrilled to finally unveil our new single, ‘I Love It When It Rains’. When we first got together with Andrew Goldstein, I knew immediately we were onto something magical,” says Julian Comeau. “That iconic riff, the huge melodies, everything came together so quickly and effortlessly. The words came out of me easier than breathing, telling a story about wanting to be there for someone through every hurdle, even if it might break you, and that sometimes to get through, we have to go together.”
In addition to the new single, Loveless has also announced their fall North American headline tour with support from Beauty School Dropout and Julia Wolf. Kicking off on September 13 in Las Vegas, the month and a half long run features stops in Dallas, Cleveland, Toronto, New York, Atlanta, Portland, Los Angeles, and more.
Norwegian punk popper Lille Venn drops single 'Just Like Me!!'
Norwegian-American pop punk artist Lille Venn has released her new single 'Just Like Me!!' via How I Feel Records. The track showcases Lille Venn's fresh pop punk world with raging guitars and punchy vocals as lead singer Helene's inner monologue narrates a scene of angst and self-doubt.
"'Just Like Me!!' is the inner monologue that starts playing when you realize you're at a party you should’ve left hours ago. It's an attempt to befriend your self-deprecating thoughts rather than push them away” says lead vocalist/guitarist, Helene Brunæs.
The single is their first release from the group’s newest musical project. Despite being a fairly new artist, Lille Venn has seen smashing success in their home country of Norway. 'Just Like Me!!' marks their return after a standout 2023 that included notable festival performances at Øya, ByLarm, and Trondheim Calling alongside a US tour with alt-rock sensation Sir Chloe, allowing her to break into the US market and beyond.
Swerve release single 'Just Pretend' off upcoming EP 'The Darkroom'
Los Angeles-based band Swerve has announced their 'The Darkroom' EP is out on June 21. The EP follows the band's acclaimed album 'Ruin Your Day'. Swerve is also dropped their new single 'Just Pretend'.
Of the song, the band's Greg Mahdesian says: "I want to start off by saying this song is not about our current partners, in case they happen to be reading this! “Just Pretend” came together in the studio as we were drinking mezcal, our beverage of choice, and talking about our younger and dumber earlier relationships. We channeled some post-punk into our Replacements DNA, and the bridge came together the day of recording.
"We always do our basic tracking live, so once we got it down there was no going back. We slathered that part in feedback and weird effects to give it a psych breakdown that pulls you into a different headspace before the chorus comes raging back in. We loved how that worked out and will probably do more off-the cuff-things like that in the next bunch of songs."
Sydney Sprague drops new song 'The Cards'
Indie pop singer songwriter, Sydney Sprague, has released a new song and music video for 'The Cards'. “There is so much tragedy in the world and it can be hard to make the best of it sometimes, but really all you can do is try. It’s basically just my long-winded way of saying ‘it is what it is’," says Sydney of her new song.
Sydney released her album ‘Somebody In Hell Loves You’ in September of last year. It followed her acclaimed debut ‘Maybe I Will See You At The End Of The World’. On ‘Somebody In Hell Loves You’, Sydney channels her sadness, anxiety, and existential dread through driving guitars, shimmering melodies, and the deceptively sweet weapons of indie pop-rock and keen observation.
She is currently touring the United States with Spanish Love Songs and Oso Oso. The tour kicked off April 3 in Mesa, AZ and will continue until May 9 with its final night in Dallas, TX.
Sydney Sprague on tour
April 25 - Boston, MA - Paradise
April 26 - New York, NY - Warsaw
April 27 - Philadelphia, PA - TLA
April 28 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
April 30 - Nashville, TN - Basement East
May 1 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
May 3 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
May 4 - Orlando, FL - Abbey
May 5 - Pensacola, FL - Handlebar
May 7 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
May 8 - Austin, TX - Empire Garage
May 9 - Dallas, TX - South Side Music Hall
Sleeping With Sirens to reissue debut album as they head out on US tour with Holding Absence
Sleeping With Sirens have announced a reissue of their debut album 'With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear', due out May 10 via Rise Records. Originally released in March 2010, 'With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear' features singles 'You Kill Me (In a Good Way)', 'If I’m James Dean, Then You’re Audrey Hepburn', and 'With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear' and debuted at #7 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers Chart and #36 on Top Independent Albums after selling 25,000 copies its first week alone.
“Stoked to be re-releasing our very first album,” says frontman Kellin Quinn. “The vinyl looks so sick, and the merch looks awesome too! The album that started it all!”
Later this year, Sleeping With Sirens will be hitting the road on a tour in celebration of their second studio album, 'Let’s Cheers To This', featuring a full album playthrough every night. Joined by special guests Holding Absence and Teenage Joans, the tour will be making stops throughout the United States, kicking off in Minneapolis, MN, on September 21 and visiting Columbus, Richmond, Orlando, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, and more before wrapping up at When We Were Young in Las Vegas, NV, on October 20.
Spanish Love Songs releases acoustic version of 'Haunted'
Spanish Love Songs have released an acoustic, reimagined version of 'Haunted', the band’s acclaimed first single from their album ‘No Joy’.
"Every time we decide to rework a song for an “acoustic” version, it inevitably starts with stripping everything back to how the song originally started,” explains vocalist and guitarist Dylan Slocum. “’Haunted’ was no different. This song started as an acoustic love letter while I was losing my mind in the living in the suburbs in the winter of 2021. The beginning and ending of this call back to that early desperate version.”
Once we locked into that idea this time around, everything else fell into place — this is less an acoustic version of the song and more an alternate reality version of what could have happened if we obsessed over a 90s drum beat in the studio, or if we hadn’t come up with the song’s main synth riff as a placeholder that we fell in love with.”
The band is currently in the middle of a co-headline tour with Oso Oso featuring support from Worry Club and Sydney Sprague. Shows kicked off April 3 in Mesa, AZ and will continue until May 9 with its final night in Dallas, TX. They perform tonight at Fairmount Theater in Montreal, QC.
Kai Tak drops single 'Flood the Harbour' featuring Olivia Lee
Kai Tak has announced the release of their latest single, 'Flood The Harbour', featuring vocals from There's Talk's Olivia Lee. The track, which is co-written by Kai Tak's Chris King, Olivia Lee, and Tamaryn is now available for streaming on all digital platforms.
'Flood The Harbour' follows Kai Tak's acclaimed singles, 'Blush', 'Jalen Rose', and 'Villains In My Mind', setting the stage for the highly anticipated debut LP, 'Designed In Heaven Made In Hong Kong', out on June 21 via à La Carte Records.
Reflecting on the inspiration behind 'Flood The Harbour', Chris King of Kai Tak says, "The music for 'Flood The Harbour' was written on the same day I wrote 'Blush'. After feeling uninspired for a long time, I spent the day repeatedly watching Fallen Angels on mute while messing around with instruments, and 90 per cent of both songs were written in a few hours.
"Whenever I'm working on something new, I always give the songs a temporary working title of the neighborhood that inspired the tune, or that I'm using found samples from, and this song drew from Yau Ma Tei. Formerly a little fishing bay, Yau Ma Tei has been built extensively upon reclaimed land. Because of Hong Kong's limited usable land and massive population density, land reclamation has been a central part of the city's growth over the past century -- over 60 km of land has been added to the city from land reclamation projects, including part of the old Kai Tak airport, and just thinking about land reclamation and its endless ripples helped shape the song."
Mike Law releases new single 'Animal'
Wild Arrows' Mike Law has dropped his new single and video 'Animal' on all digital platforms. To celebrate the release, the NYC-based Wild Arrows will be playing in Los Angeles on May 1 in San Francisco at The Knockout and May 2 in Los Angeles at Harvard & Stone.
Of the song, Wild Arrows' Mike Law says: "'Animal' is the first time I've been excited by guitar for a very, very, very, long time. After I lost my studio and all of my gear in Hurricane Sandy I didn't feel connected to a guitar sound. The combination of guitar and amp I'd found my way to over a lifetime was not being easily replaced. But by accident this Winter I put two amps together via different pedals and blended them to something that really excited my ears.
"Having read that when Kim Deal of the Breeders gets an idea she follows through in the moment and completes it I decided to do the same thing and I put this song together immediately in about 17 hours. Gary Atturio mixed it a few months later and here it is. It's about trading teeth with a lion and the fallout with its family over the deal."
Post-punk debutants Loveletter drop first single of EP, 'Testament'
Loveletter, the new post-punk trio hailing from New York City, is set to release their debut EP, 'Testament', on June 7. The band has also dropped the EP's lead single, 'Prophets'.
'Prophets', as described by Loveletter's Gabriella Zappia, embodies themes of resilience, rebirth, and unapologetic desire. Zappia invites listeners to contemplate the dichotomy of "beware false prophets" versus seizing opportunities with fearless determination.
Fans of post-punk, '90s alt-rock, and no-wave will find a new obsession in Loveletter. The band's raw, kinetic energy evokes the spirit of icons like Kim Gordon, Sleater-Kinney Mudhoney, and A Place to Bury Strangers.