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New Music Fridays: IDLES, Vampire Weekend, Dua Lipa and more
This is a thread to discuss 2024 releases that have recently arrived on our doorstep, or been announced for the future. Feel free to share albums, singles, EPs or reissues that have caught your eye and interest, or share your thoughts about any new music that you've had the chance to listen to this week.
Discussion Points
Is there anything you've been looking forward to listening to?
Any releases that have surprised you?
Have you listened to any new music recently? What are your thoughts?
What have you enjoyed from these artists in the past? How does their latest work compare?
Links:
Pitchfork - Out This Week
AllMusic - All New Releases
Stereogum - New Music
Quieter week this week. What's caught my eye ~
IDLES (Bristol-based art-punk outfit) have released their fifth studio album 'TANGK'. Reception seems a little mixed going in so far.
Following the announcement of their next LP, Vampire Weekend have released a double single, 'Capricorn' and 'Gen-X Cops'. Both sound like they would be right at home on Modern Vampires.
Dua Lipa dropped a new single 'Training Season' - another thumping dance-pop track we've come to expect.
Caroline Polachek released an expanded version of 'Desire, I Want to Turn Into You' a little earlier on Valentine's Day, now marking a year since the original's release. A good number of bonus tracks to sink into.
Rage artist Yeat has released a full length LP '2093'. Looking forward to digesting this one over the next week.
I know Taylor Swift announced her new album, slotted for '24, thanks to my wife keeping close track of all things Swift. I'll admit to being a little annoyed when my wife first became a Swifty, but over the last few months I've realized that I've wanted my wife to be more into music for our entire marriage. Her listening preferences were basically whatever I was playing at the time and I felt finding music she liked would really help her mental health, music has always been cathartic for me. Taylor hooked people like that, people who kind of shrug when someone asks "Who's your favorite artist?"
So, I'll be taking this latest release as a chance to binge the album with my wife and talk about the lyrics. We'll probably pick our nieces up and go on a drive around town and blast it while we eat junk food. I'm thankful for the ways music can bring people together. I hope that her new album brings some of the same joy to other families like it has to mine.
I've been listening to IDLES' new album TANGK. It's not bad by any stretch, but I'm not feeling it as much as their previous work. I think it's a lot more mellow than previous albums and the more incendiary songs on their previous albums are what drew me in.
Iv not listened to the album yet but the singles didn't really do anything for me so Iv not got my hopes up for this album. Il give it a listen tomorrow though.
I’ve listened to it twice now and I like it but agree it’s much more mellow (which I typically prefer in music) but came to love IDLES because of their rowdy music. With that said, I think CRAWLER is my favorite record of theirs.
It's strange. I understands bands have a need to do new things, but I'm not exactly impressed here. And as a bit of an audiophile I don't really like the sound either.
There seems to be something about albums recorded during covid quarantines. I still like Ultra Mono the most by far. Same with Comfort To Me by Amyl and the Sniffers, another covid punkrock album that's absolutely brilliant.
Just to add another voice, I really expected to dislike this new Idles album cause I got into his work with the fast stuff, but I just listened to the album for like two hours while working and I really enjoyed it! Now I do want more fast stuff from them, cause none of these songs have broken into my top 5 of his (I'm scum, Danny, Television, Grounds, Ne Touche, Carcinogenic)
Faith Crisis Pt 1 by Middle Kids came out Friday and I’ve been really enjoying it! They are indie-pop/rock from Australia and I saw them recently opening for Manchester Orchestra and Jimmy Eat World on tour. They are a little more poppy then either of those bands but had a great live act!
Late again, I keep putting these off. Woops! Slow week last week, only found a few releases, and all metal.
Griffon - De Republica
French medieval black metal with plenty of blasting, but often some nice melodic, softer interludes. Occasional clean singing or dual harsh/cleans, but done in a very majestic, medieval way that doesn't feel out of place to me. Another example of how cleans can be used in black metal without taking away from the genre IMHO. Slightly mixed political messages here, maybe due to being more historical than anything. As French black metal goes, this is probably on the 'safer' end of things.
Darkspace - Dark Space II
Industrial, droning, ambient black metal. Think a more spaced-out, reverbed industrial-era Blut Aus Nord.
Farsot - Life Promised Death
Depressive black metal but with some polish. The atypical album cover for the genre matches the atypical sound. It's almost got a blackened rock vibe. Definitely other genres clearly moving their way into this DSBM record. Some light piano/keyboard touches too, but very subtle. Also some interesting robotic almost throat-sung parts too. Dare I say this might be a black metal record for those not typically into black metal?
Eternal Storm - A Giant Bound to Fall
Spanish progressive/melodic death metal. I get vibes of Insomnium and death metal era Opeth here.
Acrid Death - Abominable Presence of Blight
German old school HM-2/chainsaw tone death metal. Nice driving rhythm section behind this. It's not doing anything unique or new in this style of death metal, it's just doing it well.