Songs You Need To Hear Now #27

Let's listen to the new singles from Sheer Mag, Σtella, Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Moonface, Sunset Rubdown), and more!

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Here are all the highlights from the great new music I’ve been listening to this week. Thanks to everyone who is saving the playlist! Please be sure to follow and “like” for all of the latest updates 🙏

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While August can be slow for new album releases, it’s always a hotbed for one-off singles and fall record announcements. This week is stacked, so let’s listen to a few of the highlights:

Last week, Stereogum claimed that there isn’t a definitive Song of the Summer for 2023, primarily for hot takes and clicks to get you to submit yours (mine is, without a doubt, “Mates” by John Carroll Kirby, but I know it’s not charting anytime soon). In the comments, Sheer Mag noted, “Hold my beer,” and dropped their new single, “All Lined Up.” They weren’t kidding.

Despite the late night show appearances and critical success, this good-timin’ Philly rock band is severely underrated. They haven't missed yet between their early EPs and two full-lengths, and “All Lined Up” is no exception. Still lead by the soaring vocals of frontwoman Tina Halladay and crunchy twin guitar attack from Matt Palmer and Kyle Seeley, “All Lined Up” continues Sheer Mag’s love of throwback riffs while being even more accessible than before while adding some fun percussion. Seriously, everyone and their mom should love this band.

The other big news accompanying the new single is that Sheer Mag has signed with Jack White’s Third Man Records, giving their reliably excellent vinyl treatment to the EPs and full-lengths. Hopefully, their next record isn’t far behind.

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Last year, a friend turned me on to Σtella’s The Break, a groovin’ psych synthpop record that I missed in 2020 - for as often as I listened to it, I would have included it on my year-end list if it was eligible. After signing to Sub Pop and releasing Up and Away last year, the Athens, Greece musician is back with “Girl Supreme.” Σtella gets an assist from Glass Animals’ Edmund Irwin-Singer on the mix, which is evident for anyone familiar with that band’s work. Still, we get plenty of Σtella’s funky woodwinds, and it’s an excellent progression in her sound.

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Whenever indie legend Spencer Krug announces a new project, I will love it, guaranteed. Whether it’s Wolf Parade/Moonface/Sunset Rubdown/Swan Lake or under his own name, I’m into whatever he’s dishing out. His next record, I Just Drew This Knife, is out in October, and “Cry All Day” is our first taste. Written with Eli Browning and Jordan Koop, who offers some wicked guitar work, the single is the latest reliably excellent dive into Krug’s brain. Lyrics like, “There’s no treasure, there’s no chest, there’s no fifteen paces from the palm tree to the X, there’s just a page drawn over with lines, the white belly of the boat, and this chisel of mine,” is why I always come back, and can’t wait to hear what the rest of the album has to offer.

What are you listening to this week? Let me know in the comments!

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These songs are also included in the ever-popular Good Ass Songs 2023 playlist. At almost three hundred songs and counting, it’s the best way to catch up on another excellent year of music!

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Can’t pick something to listen to? Throw on Earwormz!

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