Songs You Need To Hear Now #37

I'm listening to the new Beirut album, while looking forward to albums from NewDad and Sheer Mag next year.

Nov 15, 2023

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Here is some great new music I’ve been listening to this week - it’s dangerously close to year-end, so for the rest of 2023’s playlists, I’m also mixing in stuff I’m revisiting and enjoying. Thanks to everyone who has followed and “liked” for all of the latest updates 🙏

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

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When it came time to nominate our albums for the 5-9 Album of the Month podcast (the new episode for October is up now where we discuss new records from Barry Can’t Swim, Sipho, Bombay Bicycle Club, Creeper, and my musical equivalent to fingernails on the chalkboard, Gaslight Anthem), and I was happy to have host Andrew Belt put Hadsel by Beirut forward. I consider myself a longtime fan, and bandleader Zach Condon grew up in these parts, so it’s fun to discuss someone you could consider a Santa Fe artist. While Hadsel may not be up there with his earlier work like The Flying Club Cup and my personal favorite, The Rip Tide (this could be nostalgia talking), I’m enjoying it more than his last few efforts. To record Hadsel, Condon confronted his mental health issues head-on and wrote and produced the album on a remote Norwegian island in the Arctic Circle. As someone who sometimes feels the high desert burnout, going somewhere completely different to work through your shit sounds appealing. If you’re a fan of Beirut, you’ll be pleasantly pleased with this record. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a nice place to drop in as Condon’s Beirut project continues to lean into chamber pop with Eastern European influences. This time, it’s just a bit more lonely sounding.

Here are a few records to place on your release radar for next year, starting with MADRA, the debut album from NewDad. Back in 2021, I had their EP on my “best of list” and had this to say about it:

From Galway comes NewDad and their gorgeous shoegaze debut, ‘Waves.’ Many years in the making, NewDad is ready for the spotlight with six songs that float perfectly in a melancholic nostalgia-drenched sound. On songs like “I Don’t Recognize You,” singer Julie Dawson and company show why they’re one of the most hyped bands in Ireland. With no filler, I can’t wait to hear where they go on their full-length release.

Last year, they returned with the even better Banshee EP, where I once again looked forward to an LP:

‘Banshee’ sees the indie shoegaze band bringing back the same team, but this batch of songs finds some added sunshine with the confidence dialed up to an eleven. Although they continue to make a splash in the UK, their stateside presence deserves more, as Julie Dawson and Company’s brand of bedroom pop is far better than most similar groups finding praise here. With two EPs of all killer, no filler now under their collective belt, a full-length debut should send them into the indie atmosphere.

It should be no surprise that I can’t wait to hear MADRA when it arrives in January.

In August, I was all about “All Lined Up,” the new single from Sheer Mag, that dropped with an announcement that their next record would be on Third Man Records. Here’s what I said about it:

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.

Now we have the album opener and title track, “Playing Favorites,” with a March release date for the LP. 2024 is already lookin’ mighty fine for new tunes.

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