Welcome to Sound Station, the place we’re highlighting the very best new tracks that got here out this week. Head into the weekend with songs from Vagabon, M83 and extra.
Vagabon groups up with Rostam for a stunning indie-pop single
Brooklyn-based singer Lætitia Tamko, who performs as Vagabon, is again along with her first solo single since her 2019 self-titled debut. This time round, she teamed up with indie-pop aficionado Rostam, who’s labored with the likes of Charli XCX, Clairo, and HAIM, since departing Vampire Weekend. Collectively, they make indie-pop magic with an ethereal observe that includes effervescent drum machines. As she sings about discovering private development and a brand new perspective, we will not assist however get excited for no matter else is subsequent for the artist and her glistening new sound. —Sadie Bell
M83 “Oceans Niagra” is a transcendental journey by the glory of the ‘80s
French synth-pop trailblazers M83’s newest single “Oceans Niagra” is giving critical Saturdays = Youth vibes with its transcendental ‘80s-inflected soundscapes, which is a deal with in and of itself. Whereas “Oceans Niagra” could not function the inescapable hooks of their 2011 breakout hit “Midnight Metropolis,” it depends on the facility of regularly constructing stress, restraint, and room for lush sonic climaxes that convey emotion, even within the absence of lyrics. “Oceans Niagra” manages to suit a number of style components starting from shoegaze, dream pop, and, after all, retro electronica into the four-and-a-half minute observe the place each new addition looks like an intentional brush stroke to finish a posh murals. —Alessandro DeCaro
Shalom’s “Happenstance” is an indie-dance anthem for outsiders
Shalom is looking for her place on the earth. Overtop a mesmeric groove on her new single “Happenstance” — off her debut LP, Sublimation, out March 10 through Saddle Creek — the Brooklyn artist makes one factor clear: “I’m ready for the day that I can lastly stroll away from all this bullshit.” All through its three minutes, Shalom turns into torn between eager to disappear utterly and receiving acceptance from her friends (complemented by a robust video that sees her present in two completely different worlds). —Neville Hardman
Andrew McMahon within the Wilderness’ “Mendacity On The Hood Of Your Automotive” is a love letter to the daydreamer inside
Andrew McMahon within the Wilderness’ newest single “Mendacity On The Hood Of Your Automotive” is unapologetically nostalgic to convey the all too acquainted moments of our youth spent daydreaming about the potential of a vivid future that lies forward. The lyrics instantly evoke reminiscences of the long-lasting scene from the 1992 traditional comedy Wayne’s World, the place greatest pals Wayne and Garth sit atop a automobile close to the airport tarmac whereas fantasizing concerning the pleasure of younger love and leaving their small city to chase the open highway — each of that are subtly referenced within the tune itself. McMahon, who has had fairly the numerous musical profession, additional leans into the synth-driven, alt-radio sound that he has been exploring through the years to good outcomes. —Alessandro DeCaro
One Step Nearer’s “Flip To Me” is a homesick anthem for highway canines
Melodic-hardcore unit One Step Nearer have at all times been open concerning the impression fellow Wilkes-Barre, PA natives Title Combat had on the younger band from the beginning. Past performing Title Combat’s traditional observe “Crescent Form Melancholy” on the 2022 Sound and Fury Pageant, One Step Nearer are channeling the legendary band’s affect but once more on “Flip To Me,” the second observe from their reflective new EP, Songs for the Willow. Frontman Ryan Savitski wrestles with the passing of time and absence from main life milestones on account of his hectic touring cycle, themes that characterize Songs for the Willow as an entire. “Flip To Me” possesses the catchiest refrain the band has written to this point — and we will’t wait to see the place they head subsequent. —Alessandro DeCaro
M(h)aol’s “Remedy” proves the band have to be in your radar ASAP
This week, the Irish band M(h)aol (which is pronounced “male”) introduced that their debut album, Attachment Types, is due out Feb. 3 and shared the only “Remedy.” The post-punk band have been catching the eye of critics and energizing followers with their politically charged music for some time now, however “Remedy” needs to be greater than sufficient to get you into the band should you weren’t already acquainted. Whereas the guitars will get you right into a groove, vocalist Róisín Nic Ghearailt’s brazen supply is sufficient to cease you in your tracks, as she sings about any individual being the rationale one is in remedy. “You understand you actually fucked me up, however I do not assume that you just care,” she sings, and, boy, does it sting. —Sadie Bell
Sluggish Fiction’s “Within the distance, the place it doesn’t matter” will transport you to NYC’s ‘00s indie scene
It looks like a sure vitality has began fueling the New York music scene with the return of dwell music and rising crop of bands previously few years — in some ways, rivaling the early ‘00s scene. Sluggish Fiction are one of many newest additions to the scene, and their sound calls again that iconic aughts period. On their newest single, “Within the distance, the place it doesn’t matter,” singer Julia Vassallo even mirrors Karen O’s melodic snarl. Let their garage-rock guitars and the tune’s enthralling crescendo offer you a way of catharsis (and even make you dance). —Sadie Bell
Jessie Murph will get trapped in a poisonous cycle on “About You”
It’s laborious to imagine that Jessie Murph is simply 18, because the singer possesses a confidence and directness that belies her younger age. With new single “About You,” off her forthcoming debut mixtape, drowning, Murph exhibits an much more weak facet to her blooming artistry. She captures a narrative of a vengeful poisonous cycle in underneath three minutes, singing of a doomed and fractured relationship that’ll have an all-too-familiar sting for some. —Neville Hardman
