Check out the January, February, March, April, May, and June X-tended Playlist.
By Nick Butler
Lorde | Stoned at the Nail Salon
After the release of the riveting “Solar Power” off of an album of the same name, Lorde followed up with a powerful second track, “Stoned at the Nail Salon.” The track is co-produced with Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff, and features vocals from Clairo and Phoebe Bridgers.
Check out the visualizer for “Stoned at the Nail Salon” below:
Lorde – Stoned at the Nail Salon (Visualiser)
“Stoned at the Nail Salon” sees Lorde lean into more introspective lyrics than the breazy “Solar Power.” Fans have likened the song to Lorde’s heart wrenching track “Ribs.” The song seems as though it is a second half to “Ribs,” but now with the emotions of returning to your hometown after you have grown up.
Lorde was featured on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Wednesday. The two premiered a segment of their drinking adventures together, as well as a performance of Lorde’s new track. You can watch Seth and Lorde go day drinking below:
Seth and Lorde Go Day Drinking
Coldplay | Coloratura
British rock band Coldplay have returned with a second single from their forthcoming album, Music of the Spheres. The track, “Coloratura,” is not formatted as a traditional single with a runtime of over 10 minutes. Instead, the band says that the song is meant to be an offering for fans. The true second single from the album will be released in September.
While “Coloratura” does stay within the sound of Coldplay, it includes obvious influences from Pink Floyd and other bands of that era. The song sees lead singer Chris Martin speak of the stars, with direct callouts Galileo, Oumuamua and more. You can watch the celestial lyric video for “Coloratura” below:
Coldplay – Colortura (Official Lyric Video)
Coldplay currently has no plans for a supporting tour for Music of the Spheres. The band paused their 2019 tour due to the impact of concerts on the environment.
Nothing But Thieves | Moral Panic II
Nothing But Thieves dropped the remaining three tracks from Moral Panic II this week. The songs, “If I Were You,” “Ce n’est Rein” and “Your Blood,” fill out the five track listing of the EP.
Moral Panic II is a follow-up to the band’s third studio album, Moral Panic, which was released last year. In regards to the new EP, the band stated that, “After releasing Moral Panic we felt like we weren’t done with the project – so here’s the next chapter.”
The song “If I Were You” falls into the consistent rock sound that Nothing But Thieves has been pumping out over the years. You can listen to the track below:
Nothing But Thieves – If I Were You (Lyric Video)
Nothing But Thieves are set to tour across Europe this fall. No US tour dates have been announced.
half•alive | Summerland
half•alive released a third single, “Summerland,” this week from their upcoming new album. The track follows singles “What’s Wrong” and “TIME 2” which were released earlier this year.
When talking about “Summerland,” lead singer Josh Taylor states that the band has always wanted to write a summer song. He explains that, “It’s night swims & dancing & late nights with friends & the beach & sun tans, but it’s so much more as well. Summer is the beginning & the end of the story, the golden hour of romance, where all of life is at peace with God & each other & in ourselves, where freedom is savored & where we want to remain forever.”
Watch the visualette for “Summerland” below:
half•alive – Summerland (Visualette)
CHVRCHES | Good Girls
CHVRCHES released another track, “Good Girls” for their upcoming album, Screen Violence. The song comes as the third single off the record, which is set to be released on August 27th.
The track confirms a return to form for CHVRCHES. The song is packed in with the energizing synths of the 80s and the lyrics see singer Lauren Mayberry tackling the unfair standards that are set for women.
When talking about the song, Mayberry said, “Women have to constantly justify their right to exist and negotiate for their own space. We’re told that bad things don’t happen to good girls. That if you curate yourself to fit the ideal – keep yourself small and safe and acceptable — you will be alright, and it’s just not fucking true.”
Check out the trippy video for the song below:
CHVRCHES – Good Girls (Official Video)
Chvrches will be in Austin in November of this year for a 3 day run at the Moody Theater. Tickets are going fast, so grab yours while they are available!
Bastille | Give Me The Future
Bastille dropped another futuristic single, “Give Me The Future”, earlier this week. The song is a follow-up to “Distorted Light Beam”, which was released last month.
The song sees the band delving deep into the sound of the 80s, while simultaneously recapturing brief moments of their debut sound. The style of the track is reminiscent of Phil Collins’ classic tune “In The Air Tonight”.
Speaking about the sci-fi style of song, frontman Dan Smith said, “The spaceship sound at the start? It’s us crash landing in the future. The reality we live in at the moment was the science fiction of not that long ago.”
Bastille – Give Me The Future
Bastille will be heading Latitude Festival next week in Suffolk, England. The band currently has no plans for a US tour.
WALK THE MOON | Can You Handle My Love??
WALK THE MOON dropped a trio of brand new tracks this week. The songs come off of the band’s fifth studio album, Heights.
The lead single, “Can You Handle My Love??” is a danceable tune that is more on the pop end of WALK THE MOON’s usual sound. The track features bouncy piano and a groovy bass line. The song is a collaboration between the band, K. Flay, and Tommy English.
WALK THE MOON frontman Nicholas Petricca explained that “Can You Handle My Love??” is “about how trying to be perfect is totally ridiculous. Whoever hears these songs, I want them to be reminded of what they love about life.”
Watch the official music video for “Can You Handle My Love??” below:
WALK THE MOON – Can You Handle My Love?? (Official Video)
The remaining two songs of the trio, “I’m Good” and “Giants”, are on the tracklist of the forthcoming Heights. The album is set to be released in the coming months.
WALK THE MOON will be in Austin at Stubb’s on November 7th. Tickets are available now.
Thom Yorke feat. Radiohead | Creep (Very 2021 Rmx)
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke released a remix of the band’s classic track, “Creep”, earlier this week. The remix, which drones on for 9 minutes, is labeled as a “Very 2021 Rmx.”
The song sees Thom Yorke stretch out the track until it is sonically falling apart. The vocals and instrumentals occasionally feature digital glitches that sound worse than accidentally leaving your record player on the slowest setting.
Thom Yorke feat. Radiohead – Creep (Very 2021 Rmx)
This remix does not come as a surprise to fans, as it is known within the community that Thom Yorke himself is not a fan of the song. Some fans go as far as to say that Yorke is intentionally trying to make his audience hate the song as much as he does.
The remix was originally created back in March for a high-profile fashion show. The song soundtracked the runway of Japanese designer Jun Takahashi’s UNDERCOVER 2020-2021 collection “Creep Very.”
Billie Eilish | NDA
Billie Eilish released another track off of her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, this week. The song, “NDA”, is the fifth release from the upcoming record. Singles “Your Power” and “Lost Cause” were dropped earlier this year, while “Therefore I Am” and “my future” came out in 2020.
With the release of this newest track comes a daring new music video. The visuals feature Eilish surrounded by 25 stunt drivers who take turns swerving around her. Eilish did not use a stunt double for the video and there were no special effects for the cars. In an interview with Apple Music, Eilish stated that “It’s definitely one of the coolest videos I’ve ever made in my life, and I directed it.” Check out the clip below.
Billie Eilish – NDA (Official Music Video)
The track serves as a return to the traditional style that led to the singer’s massive popularity. The more lighthearted lyrics and sounds from the recent “Lost Cause” have been replaced by darker tones. The contrast of the two releases make the mystery of the remainder of the songs on her second record all the more exciting.
Declan McKenna | My House
British songwriter Declan McKenna welcomes the sounds of summer in an all-new airy tune, “My House”. The track is a follow-up to the artist’s second record, Zeros, which dropped last year.
Moving away from the heavily Bowie-inspired Zeros, McKenna leans into the sounds of bedroom pop on “My House”. The stories of McKenna’s issues with capitalism and climate change on the album are traded in for a moment of introspection. McKenna explains, “With My House I was diving into this daydream of running away and becoming reconnected.” He states that it is indeed a lighthearted song and is like being a child lost in thought.
Check out the colorful visual for the track below.
Declan McKenna – My House (Official Audio)
McKenna will embark on a tour across the UK this fall. There are currently no US tour dates announced, but make sure to keep an eye out for any changes.
Nothing But Thieves | Miracle, Baby
British rockers Nothing But Thieves dropped a trippy but rockin’ new single this week. The track “Miracle, Baby” was announced as part of a new EP, Moral Panic II. The first listing from the EP, “Futureproof”, was released last month.
Moral Panic II is a follow-up to the band’s third studio album, Moral Panic, which was released last year. In regards to the new EP, the band stated that, “After releasing Moral Panic we felt like we weren’t done with the project – so here’s the next chapter.”
Check out the lyric video for “Miracle, Baby” below.
Nothing But Thieves – Miracle, Baby (Lyric Video)
Nothing But Thieves are set to tour across Europe this fall. No US tour dates have been announced.
AURORA | Cure For Me
Norwegian artist AURORA is back with a brand new song, “Cure For Me”. The track follows the release of the single “Exist For Love”, which dropped over a year ago. This new song serves as the first look into the follow-up to the artist’s second studio album, A Different Kind of Human (Step 2).
The songwriter describes “Cure For Me” as coming from a dark and horrible place. “The first seed of inspiration came from thinking about the countries where it’s still legal to do conversion for gay people and lesbians,” she said. “Why is it so difficult for people to just let others be themselves? Then I thought that it could mean many other things. People tend to believe quite quickly that something is wrong with them if they’re not like the people they see in front of them.”
See the official video for “Cure For Me” here.
AURORA – Cure For Me (Official Video)
AURORA is currently slated to play three shows in the US this November. No tour dates in Texas have been announced yet.
Imagine Dragons | Wrecked
Imagine Dragons have released another track from their upcoming album, Mercury – Act 1. The song, “Wrecked,” serves as the third single from the album. This will be the band’s first album since their 2018 release, Origins. The new record will be released on September 3rd.
“Wrecked” strays away from the traditional pop rock of the band, while keeping to their essentials. The song is a tribute to frontman Dan Reynolds’ sister-in-law who passed away from cancer. The lyrics are full of the raw feelings that come with the loss of a loved one. It all culminates in an explosive release of emotion which the choruses had been hinting at.
An official lyric video for the track was released alongside the single. Check out the turmoil of an animated sailor below:
Imagine Dragons – Wrecked (Lyric Video)
While the band has not announced an official tour backing the forthcoming album, they are booked to play multiple festivals in 2022. The festivals include Mad Cool Festival in Spain and NOS Alive in Portugal. Keep an eye out for more tour dates as the album release gets closer.
Yungblud | Like A Virgin
Yungblud shared his version of Madonna’s classic “Like A Virgin” this week. The song comes as a part of his participation in the Spotify Singles program.
Along with the cover came a rerecording of the artist’s track “mars.” The song is a heavily stripped-down version of its original recording. It features piano and a very controlled vocal performance from Yungblud.
The recording of “Like A Virgin” comes in the exact opposite fashion. The cover is covered completely in the hard rock instrumentals and vocals that are signature to Yungblud.
Listen to the track below:
When asked about the cover, the artist stated, “When we were choosing a song to cover, I wanted it to be completely out of the box yet make absolute sense all at the same time.” Yungblud also added that there was immense pressure to get the cover right, as it was a track that was played frequently by his mother and sisters.
The singer is currently set to depart on his Life On Mars Tour in September. The tour features stops across Europe. No US dates are currently announced for the tour. Yungblud will be in the States for two festivals in early September, including Music Midtown in Atlanta.
Manchester Orchestra & Local Natives | Bed Head (Remix)
Manchester Orchestra released their sixth studio album, The Million Masks of God, back in April. The first single from the album, “Bed Head,” was released all the way back in February. But, the band is bringing the song back in a new way. A remix of the song by Local Natives was released earlier this week.
In typical Local Natives fashion, the remix sees the song remade into a softer, more danceable tune. The original track featured the rock instrumentals that are known of Manchester Orchestra. The remix sees Locals Natives breaking out the synths, creating what feels like an entirely new song. While both versions bring their own positive qualities, the remix by Local Natives puts forward a chill track that is easy to listen to on repeat.
Manchester Orchestra will be embarking on their US tour in October, starting with two stops in Texas. The band will then make their way back for a show in Austin in March of next year. They will play at Stubb’s on March 4th. Tickets are on sale now!
