New Music Friday - 2/12/2021

What is it about the excitement of new music? Is it the return of your favorite artist? Is it discovering something new? Maybe a combo of both. I always look forward to New Music Friday.

Quick history lesson: Did you know it wasn’t always New Music Friday? For more than 25 years, Tuesday has been the standard release day for new albums in America — a tradition that had a lot to do with shipping in the pre-digital era. That changed in 2015 when Friday became the new day for new music. Here’s a quick read from NPR about the change.

And now…on to the music. Check out new releases from the following artists:

- Virginia Wing – An electronic pop band from Manchester, Virginia Wing brings a very 80s synth pop/experimental sound to their latest release. It reminds me of music that would have played in a chase scene of your favorite 80s rom-com. Check out the track “St. Francis Fountain”

- Django Django – The Scottish art rock band is back with a fun, quirky release that touches on post-punk music (like New Order) and has a lovely appearance from Charlotte Gainsbourg! Check out the track “Got Me Worried”

- Pink Sweat$ - A rising R&B star in the making! Born in Philly, David Bowden moved to Nashville but the soulful Philly sound is alive and well in his debut full-length release. Shades of The O’Jays or Donny Hathaway stream throughout. Check out the track “Magic”

- Claud – The term bedroom-pop has been thrown around a lot in the last few years with some great releases in the genre (see Jay Som for example). Here’s another. Claud (full name Claud Mintz) is classic coming-of-age pop music where we listen to lyrics of love, love lost and crushes. Check out the track “Rocks At Your Window”

- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – The former critic darling indie band (their 2005 debut was spectacular) are back with a strong collection of songs that still have the DIY feel from previous releases with a hint of production maturity. Check out the track “New Fragility”

- Jillette Johnson – A favorite of mine, Johnson has always toed the line beautifully between pop and Americana and her latest finds her strong of voice more than any of her other releases. The confidence she sings with is evident. Check out the track “Annie”

- Lucky Daye – Bringing the heat for lovers, the New Orleans R&B star’s EP is chock full of sexiness and fresh beats. Working with some greats (including Mahalia and Ari Lennox) was a great choice. Check out the track “My Window”

Today’s featured artist: Dominique Fils-Aimé

Let’s head up north to hear new music from the Montreal singer-songwriter. Mixing jazz, R&B and blues, Dominique blends it all beautifully and reminds me of another favorite of Dave’s Mixtape, Laura Mvula. There’s shades of Nina Simone too! The album is the third in the trilogy she started back in 2018 (illuminating the injustices aimed at Black people in North America). Her music carries messages, through layers of vocals and music styles that grabs us and make us sit up and take notice.