Faye Webster, Charli XCX and Eels are just some of the musicians behind this week’s edition of New Music Friday.
It’s Friday, which not only means the Happy Mag office is preparing for an overdue staff drink (much-deserved, if I say so myself), but also that we’re blessed with an influx of killer new tunes.
At the end of every work week, we sift through all the music that’s come across our desk to bring you New Music Friday, and this week might be our starriest edition to date.
Transcending genres and countries, this week’s New Music Friday is home to bonafide pop stars like Charli XCX and Miley Cryus and Australian stars like San Cisco and Bad Weather.
Please welcome to the stage our latest edition of New Music Friday. Peruse at your leisure.
Faye Webster — Underdressed at the Symphony
Delivering on the promise of singles like Feeling Good Today, Lifetime and the Lil Yachty-assisted Lego Ring, Faye Webster arrives with much-anticipated fifth album Underdressed at the Symphony.
The ten-track release sees the indie darling muse on emotional intimacy and platonic love, as soundtracked by her otherworldly vocals and sweeping string arrangements. Dig in below.
Eels — TIME
Acclaimed rock band Eels return with new single TIME, the latest taste of their just-announced upcoming album EELS TIME!.
The new track is the product of the group’s first in-person session since the beginning of the pandemic, and brims with shimmering guitar melodies and an intimate vocal performance from Mark Oliver Everett. EELS TIME! will arrive on June 7.
San Cisco — Under The Light
The fanfare around San Cisco’s Under The Light was already at fever pitch thanks to stellar singles like Honeycomb and High, but then the trio’s fifth album arrived and surpassed even our highest expectations.
Expanding their own horizons with moments of electronic, garage and house music, the 11-track album is undoubtedly San Cisco’s most danceable, and perhaps even their best. Listen below.
Bad Weather — The Man or The Boy
Indie Perth outfit Bad Weather hit hard in the teen-drama feels with The Man or The Boy, a new single co-written and produced by Blink-182 collaborator Michael Bono.
Carried by an anthemic chorus and incisive lyrics around the inner self and mental health, The Man or The Boy continues the steady trajectory of Bad Weather’s artistic evolution.
Fucked Up — 44th & Vanderbilt
Comprised of live versions and remixes of tracks from their album The Chemistry of Common Life, Fucked Up’s new EP 44th & Vanderbilt brings fresh flair to what was an already trailblazing project.
The live sessions feel wholly their own, with the tracklist even recruiting No Age for a remix of No Epiphany. Get swept up in punkish nostalgia below.
Yard Act — Where’s My Utopia?
Yard Act’s second album Where’s My Utopia? features co-production credits from Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr., and sees the Leeds band reflect on ambition, guilt and love across 11 tracks spanning post-punk, aughties pop and more.
“[It’s me] articulating the absolute minefield of what human existence is,” frontman James Smith said — and what an existence that is.
Charli XCX — Von dutch
After weeks of teasing on social media, Charli XCX finally debuts Von dutch, a night club heater that sees her relish in being “number one.”
It’s the first taste of the hyperpop star’s recently-announced, upcoming LP Brat, which she described as “the album [she’s] always wanted to make.”
Pharrell Williams ft. Miley Cyrus — Doctor (Work It Out)
Originally intended for Miley Cyrus’ infamous 2013 album Bangerz, the Pharrell Williams-produced Doctor (Work It Out) arrives today some nine years in the making.
Immediately recalling the basslines of Williams’ smash hit Blurred Lines, the new track finds Cryus at her grooviest, with a choreography-filled music video to boot.
Mannequin Pussy — I Got Heaven
Cathartic tunes, searing punk and inviting pop define I Got Heaven, the ambitious new album from US rockers Mannequin Pussy.
Across ten tracks, the four-piece dive head first into themes of desire and loneliness, as soundtracked by their signature knack for enveloping synths and hair-raising percussion. Listen below to this heavenly vocal recording.
