Another week has come and gone, and that means there is now a new slate of music that came out today to listen to.
We’ve got The Internet alum Steve Lacy’s first full-length record, another album from YG and a surprise return from Billy Ray Cyrus, among a few others artists.
As always, I’m not a music critic. In this column, I’m just aiming to highlight new releases that I like, in hopes of you enjoying them too
If you’re looking for even more recommendations check out last weeks post
What I missed out on last Friday
Injury Reserve
By: Injury Reserve
Alternative rap trio Injury Reserve put out a fun album last Friday for anyone that’s looking for something a little weird. While the band’s debut album may have thrown back to the sounds of boom-bap rap from the 90’s, the latest record has much stronger electronic influences with beats that remind me of a mix of Brockhampton and the Young Fathers.
Either way, these songs slap, and it’s slowly turning into one of my favourite rap albums of the year.
Listen to it on Tidal, Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music.
Dozakh: All Lover Hell
By: Nadia Tehran
This debut album comes from the Swedish-Iranian artist Nadia Tehran. It’s a fun indie mix of punk and pop that boils down into a great 15-track record. She is also signed to YEAR0001, the same indie label as a variety of other underground artists that have been charting over the past few years like Yung Lean. It seems that the label really knows how to find unique artists that can absolutely load a song with weird sounds that mix together a plethora of emotion.
It’s tough to put my finger on what makes this album great, but it’s uplifting, catchy and introspective. Tehran charges it with enough emotion to make the listening experience worthwhile.
Check it out on Tidal, Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music.
What’s new this week
Apollo XXI
By: Steve Lacy
Hailing from The Internet, a band that was part of Tyler, The Creator’s Odd Future collective, Steve Lacy has been starting to make waves on his own in the past years with catchy tracks and some solid features. Most notably finding his way onto two tracks from the new Vampire Weekend album.
Lacy sings, plays guitar and base among a handful of other things on this seemingly retro-inspired album. There are tones of funk and 80’s inspired crooning present no the record. Some songs like Playground even remind me or more mellow Thundercat tracks that would perfectly soundtrack an 80’s romantic comedy or the next time I’m drinking outside with my friends.
Listen to it on Tidal, Spotify, YouTube Music or Apple Music.
4REAL 4REAL
By: YG
YG is back again with an album full of his unique blend of boom bap cocky rap. There’s something so entertaining about listening to YG as he exudes confidence and raps like he doesn’t care about what anyone thinks.
While this record doesn’t hit me as hard as 2016’s Still Brazy, it’s still full of catchy bars that transport the listener into the life of YG for better or for worse, but more often it makes you feel on top of the world as his confidence washes over you.
YG is living his dream, and we should all take a page from his book and have fun.
Listen to the record on Tidal, Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music.
The SnakeDoctor Circus
By: Billy Ray Cyrus
Interestingly enough after securing a spot on the hottest track in North America right now, the legacy country pop artist Billy Ray Cyrus has pushed out a country album of his own.
It’s hard to listen to this album without thinking about Cyrus’ recent collab with Lil’ Nas X on Old Town Road, but it’s nothing like the new wave rap-country that Lil’ Nas graced us with. SnakeDoctor is a country album through and through. The album comes from the perspective of the working man and addresses some of today’s injustices like wage inequality.
Listen to the album on Tidal, Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music.
The Saint of Lost Causes
By: Justin Townes Earle
Something we don’t get a lot of anymore are solid blues albums. Justin Townes Earle looks to remedy that with his latest record. To my ears the son of Steve Earle accomplishes this with some slow paced blues.
There isn’t a lot to say about the album except that it’s great. When you read the artist’s bio on Tidal it says that he’s had quite a turbulent life, but the record ends on a happy note for the most part.
Listen to The Saint Of Lost Causes on Tidal, Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music.
Destroyer
By: Black Mountain
According to the band’s description on Spotify, this album is named after the single run 1985 Dodge Destroyer because the band member artist Stephan McBean got his licence and has finally got a taste of the freedom that driving brings, and he’s hooked.
Honestly, it sounds like the band just made an album that they’d want to drive to and I absolutely love that. To top it off it’s actually a collection of songs from a variety of artists that all had the goal in mind of forming an “endless rock and roll highway.” If you’ve got a road trip coming up, download this one, roll down your windows and enjoy.
Destroyer is available on Tidal, Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music.
Singles Only
By: James Barker Band
The only Canadian band on this list is the stadium country powerhouse known as the James Barker Band. This new album is full of all kinds of songs that remind me of going to house parties in Renfrew, Ontario.
Besides the nostalgic attachment I have, the album isn’t bad at all — its fun, catchy and to be honest that’s all it needs. So if you’re going out in rural Canada this weekend give this record a spin and enjoy yourself.
Check it out on Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple Music.
Complicit
Five-piece Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire dropped a new single called Complicit, a follow-up to last months Familiar Drugs, the band’s first new song in 10 years.
George Pettit, the band’s frontman, described Complicit as being about “rejecting regressionist ideas of racism, misogyny and hetero-supremacy. It’s about accepting that there is no freedom and no future in a world that is not inclusive,” in a recent interview with Canadian music publication Exclaim.
It’s still unclear if the band has a full-length album in the works, though the release of two singles in such quick succession definitely indicates something larger is likely on the horizon.
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