New Music Friday | Featuring ‘Show Me How’ by Foo Fighters

Another bank holiday is upon us, and so is another batch of terrific new tunes, coming this week from Foo Fighters, Arlo Parks, Sparks, Squid, Lola Young and more.

Foo Fighters – Show Me How

The new Foo Fighters album But Here We Are arrives next week. It’s emotionally and lyrically heavy, almost inevitably given the context of two deaths (that of drummer Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl’s mum, Virginia) that led to its creation. ‘Show Me How’ features the album’s only feature in Violet Grohl, daughter of Dave, which adds a major poignancy when considering the personal toll behind the album.

Arlo Parks – Devotion

Arlo Parks’ second album My Soft Machine, out today, wasn’t all to the liking of our reviewer – if anything because it had a lot to live up to following the artist’s Mercury Prize-winning debut, Collapsed in Sunbeams. Nonetheless, when the album takes a less-is-more approach, such as on ‘Devotion’, there are impressive, melodic consequences.

Sparks – Not That Well-Defined

Still going strong in their 70s, the Mael brothers, aka Sparks, sound as accomplished and willing as ever to experiment beyond what they’ve already set out for themselves. The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte is testament to that, with our reviewer simply unable to award them anything less than the full-fat five stars.

Kevin Morby – Triumph

Kevin Morby adds more imagery and emotionally angst-ridden lyricism to his This Is A Photograph album from last year, with a continuum album, More Photographs. It is – ironically given its second track’s title – something of a triumph.

Lola Young – Semantic Satiation

Lola Young’s debut album, My Mind Wanders And Sometimes Leaves Completely, also arrived today, at long-last. Thankfully, it was worth the wait with the likes of ‘Semantic Satiation’ – a track about an overbearing lover – demonstrating the singer’s deep vocal husk to its full extent.

Squid – The Blades

Brighton-formed, Bristol-based band Squid have shared the final single to be released ahead of their sophomore album, O Monolith, which arrives 9 June via esteemed Warp Records. If this latest track is anything to go by – as well as prior singles ‘Swing (In A Dream) and ‘Undergrowth’ – it’ll be quite some record. The new track also arrives with a video directed by Kasper Häggström (whose prior credits include Radiohead and Kelly Lee Owens), and features rising actress Charlotte Ritchie.

Miss Tiny – The Beggar

‘The Beggar’ is the latest track from the fascinating project of Speedy Wunderground head honcho Dan Carey and Childhood and Warmduscher vocalist and drummer, Benjamin Romans-Hopcraft. The new tune arrived this week with the news of Miss Tiny’s debut EP, DEN7, out 21 July via – you guessed it – Speedy Wunderground.

Ouri, Antoniya – ride home

Another terrific combo project this week saw the release of Ouri and Antoniya’s collaborative EP, I Had This Dream That You Were My Sister. An experimental alt-pop work, it has a level of depth to it, which is no less present than on its spacious-sounding final track, ‘ride home’.

BLK ODYSSY, KIRBY – You Gotta Man

BLK ODYSSY has enlisted the luscious vocals of singer-songwriter KIRBY for ‘You Gotta Man’, the third track released from the RnB artist’s forthcoming album, Diamonds & Freaks. With its curious blend of sounds, ‘You Gotta Man’ is exactly the kind of sultry track that’s ripe for being dropped as summer slowly begins to arrive.

Towa Bird – Boomerang

A classic indie-rock reflection on the pain of long-distance relationships, ‘Boomerang’ is the latest track from magnificent Hong Kong-born artist, Towa Bird. Explaining the track’s inspiration, Towa has said: “This song was born after spending a glorious but short-lived five days visiting my girlfriend. I stepped off the plane back in L.A. after crying into my face mask for the entirety of the six-hour flight, and the concept for ‘Boomerang’ was born. It’s about how long-distance relationships are possibly the worst thing ever invented – the worst party ever.” Sad times, but at least this track sounds good.