Essential Listening: This week’s best new music
Welcome back to Essential Listening, a place where we compile all the best new music of the week into the definitive tome of modern music: The Far Out Playlist.
This week’s new albums were… pretty good, I guess. I wasn’t on album duty this week, but my colleague Arun Starkey had some very good things to say about Hamish Hawk’s new LP Angel Numbers. So many good things, in fact, that it became our Album of the Week. I trust Arun with these kinds of things, so I would go listen to it if I were you.
I’ll tell you what we’re not covering on this week’s list: Inhaler’s new track ‘If You’re Gonna Break My Heart’. Save all your nepo-baby discussions for a later date, because this song blows completely separate from the fact that Bono’s son made it. If you were feeling snarky, you could say that the song sucks because Bono’s son made it, but I actually kind of liked Inhaler’s debut LP. I can’t say the same for their latest single, though.
As for the rest of this week’s singles, we had plenty of fantastic new songs to parse through. Still, only eight tracks can make it onto this list. Here is all the best new music of the week, compiled into the Far Out Playlist.
Best new music, January 30th – February 5th:
Caroline Polachek – ‘Butter and Blood’
American progressive pop star Caroline Polachek is just two weeks away from releasing her latest album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. We’ve already heard four different previews of the album with Polachek’s four most recent singles, and now we’re getting a fifth in ‘Blood and Butter’.
I’m glad we can all experience ‘Blood and Butter’ right now because this song rules. Nearly five minutes of hazy atmosphere and off-kilter instrumental choices, ‘Blood and Butter’ is also the most straightforward pop song that Polachek has released so far in the promotional cycle for Desire. Some might think that would make it basic, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Alex Lahey – ‘Good Time’
Australian indie rocker Alex Lahey has returned to announce her third studio album, The Answer is Always Yes. The LP will be Lahey’s first since 2019’s The Best of Luck Club.
To preview the new LP, Lahey has dropped the new single ‘Good Time’. Pairing Lahey’s signature lyrical wit with another killer alt-rock backing track, ‘Good Time’ delivers on its title and doubles down on Lahey’s reputation as one of the best guitar rockers in the indie scene right now.
Whitney – ‘For a While’
Chicago indie rockers Whitney are back with a new song, ‘For a While’. Or is it an old song? Fans will probably already be familiar with the track: the band had played it live for years under the title ‘Rolling Blackout’.
Whether it’s a new version of an old song or a reworked track that deserves to be known as a new song in its own right, all you need to know is that ‘For a While’ is a good song. Similar to new songs like ‘Memory’ and ‘County Lines’, ‘For a While’ was a good song as ‘Rolling Blackout’, and now it’s good as ‘For a While’. If you’re confused, just ignore the titles and listen to the music. Everything will be alright in the end. Just sit back and let the music take you to a lighter and calmer place.
Death Valley Girls – ‘Magic Powers’
Later this month, American alternative rockers Death Valley Girls will be releasing their fifth studio album, Islands in the Sky. We’ve already heard previous preview singles like ‘What Are the Odds’ and ‘Sunday’, and today, we’re getting another taste of the LP with the new track ‘Magic Powers’.
Wound up in the band’s signature blend of fuzzy guitars and sonic soundscapes, ‘Magic Powers’ is yet another killer track for a band that seems to be collecting great songs like they’re going out of style. Some would argue that they are going out of style, but that’s why you should pay closer attention to bands like Death Valley Girls.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Layla’
New Zealand-American indie rock weirdos Unknown Mortal Orchestra are returning to the music world with a brand new double album, V. Just to throw a little bit of confusion into the mix, V is actually the band’s sixth studio album, not fifth, and their first since 2018’s IC-01 Hanoi.
After getting a preview of the new album a few months ago with the song ‘I Killed Captain Cook’, the Orchestra are giving us another taste of the upcoming LP with the new single, ‘Layla’. Featuring twisting and turning guitar lines that seem to float in and out of different keys, ‘Layla’ carries an infectious laid-back energy that can warm even the coldest hearts this winter. Despite Nielson’s calls to “get out of this broken place”, any sense of urgency or immediacy falls to the wayside as the lush textures within the song’s arrangement lift your spirits.
Geese – ‘Cowboy Nudes’
New York indie rockers Geese have returned with a brand new single, ‘Cowboy Nudes’. The track is the band’s first new music since they released their debut LP, Projector, back in 2021. With a bit of time between, Geese have embraced a surprisingly rich new sonic world.
Well, not completely new. There are still some odd time signatures and surreal lyrical rabbit holes to fall down, but there is also quite a bit of warmth and sunshine. ‘Cowboy Nudes’ might be the most mainstream-friendly song that Geese have ever put their name on, and I consider that to be a wonderful thing.
Black Belt Eagle Scout – ‘Spaces’
Katherine Paul, the artist who creates music under the stage name Black Belt Eagle Scout, is staring down the release of her latest album, The Land, The Water, The Sky. There’s a lot to rave about so far, with singles like ‘My Blood Runs Through This Land’ and ‘Nobody’.
We have yet another killer single to listen to now with ‘Spaces’. It’s been a rare day when I’ve come to enjoy every preview single from an upcoming album, but I have nothing but pure excitement for The Land, The Water, The Sky. A month ago, I didn’t even know this album was coming out. Now, I can’t wait for it to drop.
The Album Leaf – ‘Near’ (ft. Bat For Lashes)
Ambient rock weirdo Jimmy LaVelle, better known as The Album Leaf, is making a grand return this year with Future Falling, his first new record in seven years. To help bring the LP to life, LaVelle is tapping some of his uber-talented friends to help out. Today, we’re getting to see who helps him out first on the new track ‘Near’.
That would be Natasha Kahn, also known under her own stage name, Bat For Lashes. Kahn’s light-as-air vocals float around the nebulous structure of ‘Near’ like a ghost haunting a graveyard. There’s just enough in ‘Near’ to have it stick in your mind, but the second that you reach out to grab any of its elements, they seem to just float away into the ether.
