Fresh Music Friday is here to give you a breakdown of new singles, EPs, and albums to check out as you make your way into the weekend. Get ready to jam out with some of our favorite up-and-coming artists, plus celebrate new releases from those you already know and love.
Singles:
1. – HÅN – “gymnasion”
Hailing from a small, lakeside town in Italy, singer/songwriter HÅN crafts spacious synth pop that’s as magical as the Italian countryside. 2017 saw the release of HÅN’s cinematic debut EP, today she delivers another enchanting new track called “gymnasion.” This time around, HÅN employs much of the same intricate songwriting skills––pairing delicate synth work with warm, wistful vocals to a gorgeous effect.
2. micki maverick – “HE/ART”
Los Angeles-based musician micki maverick (real name: Dylan Neil) is sharing her debut single, “HE/ART” today. Her new song provides a glimpse of what’s to come in the future from the 22-year-old California native. “HE/ART” has a laid-back vibe; Neil puts a bedroom-pop spin on R&B to create a sound equal parts chilled out and compelling, influenced by Kehlani.
Here’s what Neil had to say on the track: “‘HE/ART’ is really a complete look into my life, my past, and my insecurities. Society expects perfection, but that standard is completely unattainable. Not everything in life can be fixed, some things remain broken. And that’s what I believe should be the new standard: broken pieces that form something new, something more beautiful.”
3. Cassidy King – “I Can’t”
Cassidy King’s infectious pop is the perfect accompaniment to the recent spring sunshine. Her new single, “I Can’t,” melds crisp production with the 21-year-old’s dazzling vocals in a sound that’s reminiscent of E•MO•TION-era Carly Rae Jepsen. She explains that the release is “about going along with the warm summer feeling, that same feeling of warmth represents the honeymoon stage of a relationship to me. This song captures that stage where you just became intrigued by that certain someone and you’re doing absolutely anything to get their attention.”
4. Sorcha Richardson – “Don’t Talk About It”
Dublin-born, Brooklyn-raised singer/songwriter Sorcha Richardson shares the first single, “Don’t Talk About It,” from her debut album, First Prize Bravery, due out in the fall. The song starts off with a grooving guitar line under Sorcha’s evocative vocals before building beautifully into a bright, full-bodied chorus that’s hard not to sing along to: “Hey, okay, we don’t have to talk about it / It’s only love, I guess we’ll live without it.”
5. Alien Tango – “Friends!”
The zany, technicolor world of London-based band Alien Tango is extra vibrant on their new single, “Friends.” There are layered modulated vocals that zig-zag over playful, upbeat instrumentation, and from the first second of listening it feels like you’ve entered a surreal funhouse. “Friends” is the perfect kind of chaos that sounds like an intersection of Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavillion and an 8-bit video game soundtrack; plus, there’s a trippy video to match.
6. Calboy – “Unjudge Me” featuring Moneybagg Yo
Chicago rapper Calboy shows how much he’s grown as a rapper, singer, and storyteller on his forthcoming project, Wildflower. He recently tapped Moneybagg Yo for his reflective cut, “Unjudge Me.” Here, Calboy flexes his dexterous bars and off-kilter melodies, and he continues to dip between songs that feel loose and hard at the same time.
EPs
7. Middle Kids – New Songs For Old Problems EP
The Australian rock trio has been sharing a slew of excellent singles like “Real Thing” and “Beliefs and Prayers” in anticipation of their mini-album. Now their new EP, New Songs For Old Problems, is full of anthemic, indie rock gems. This is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed LP, Lost Friends.
Albums
8. Faye Webster – Atlanta Millionaires Club
Faye Webster finds harmony in the juxtaposing textures of country, R&B, and folk. Her sound is fully-realized on her new album, Atlanta Millionaires Club, the follow-up to her 2017 self-titled record. On the new LP, Webster’s wistful vocals nestle perfectly in between woozy steel guitars and swanky horn parts, as she sings of heartbreak and lovesickness.
9. Honeyblood – In Plain Sight
On Honeyblood’s new record, singer/guitarist Stina Tweeddale takes the Glasgow-band-turned solo-project in a new, grittier direction. There’s still the same fuzzy post-punk guitar lines that defined Honeyblood’s sound on their earlier albums, but this time around, with the help of producer John Congleton, In Plain Sight takes on a spookier, more futuristic territory. It’s exciting to see Tweeddale expand her artistic vision, signaling the mark of a new era in Honeyblood’s story.
10. Cate Le Bon – Reward
Cate Le Bon’s fifth full-length album, Reward, is a revelation. Recorded while Le Bon stayed in a remote house in Cumbria and took furniture classes by day and played piano by night, Reward is a minimalist meditation on the isolation that unfolds slowly and softly, becoming one of Le Bon’s most conventionally accessible–and rewarding–listens.
