The soft hip-hop track comes with a pensive, homely music video where the singer rides the bus, daydreaming about external validation as she repeats her painfully strong, yet simple line “in the morning, I need you like coffee”.

The release of this new addictive track comes alongside her upcoming performance for Fête de la Musique in Paris, with a one-day pop-up in a newsagent alongside Kwes e, Mosses, Natanya, and Sahn. The event, with London based clothing brand Always Do What You Should Do, celebrates inclusivity, community and creativity, and in this style, Dexter has announced “no need for a ticket/rsvp just come and danceeeee”

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The artist released her last EP ‘Fortune Cookie’ in 2022, and has since shared several singles including her song prior to ‘Special’, ‘With u’. The melancholic acoustic pop track gives a similar self reflective feel to ‘Special’, fusing the soft bedroom pop adolescence of ‘Fortune Cookie’ with a new, dreamy and somber consideration.  

Dexter’s inspirations come through in her latest releases as she spoke to NME about her first gig watching Rex Orange County. She said, “I was obsessed with that man. It was just a few months after he was on [Tyler, The Creator’s] ‘Flower Boy’ as well. Even just going to concerts after that, I would just be thinking, ‘I want to do this’.” Dexter then uploaded her cover of ‘Sunflower’ as one of her first on Soundcloud.

She goes on to speak about her debut EP ‘I Do Love A Good Sandwich’ and its themes, which seem to loop back to her latest single ‘Special’. The artist explains her relationship with validation and gender in the song ‘I Like Me’ in which she shares, “I went to an all-white school and there was a running thing about Black women being masculinised.”. She then goes on to say the song “was about realising I can still be considered a girl even if I’m not portraying myself in a hyper-feminine way.”

 

Dexter’s popularity in the scene is taking the internet by storm, as she recently performed on Victory Lap with names like PinkPantheress and Niko B, who she collaborated with on his single ‘Tresspass Coat’. 

Watch out for exciting music updates and projects to come from Dexter on social media.

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The tour will see support acts such as Blood Orange, who collaborated on the pop star’s upcoming album, The Japanese House, Nilüfer Yanya, Chanel Beads, Empress Of, Jim-E Stack, another ‘Virgin’ collaborator and Oklou. “Very proud and excited to be bringing my most talented friends in support,” said Lorde, announcing the lineup.

The UK leg will see the ‘Royals’ singer headline a full arena run for the first time, with dates in Manchester, London, Glasgow and Birmingham in November.

The upcoming album will include single ‘What Was That?’, which was the first release from the singer in four years. It followed up Lorde’s appearance on the remix of Charli XCX’s song ‘Girl, So Confusing’ as part of the ‘Brat’ remix album which they surprised performed together during the Essex singer’s Coachella set.

The singer shared with Pitchfork: “An album by me, produced by me and Jim-E Stack. 100% WRITTEN IN BLOOD. THE COLOUR OF THE ALBUM IS CLEAR. LIKE BATHWATER, WINDOWS, ICE, SPIT. FULL TRANSPARENCY. THE LANGUAGE IS PLAIN AND UNSENTIMENTAL. THE SOUNDS ARE THE SAME WHEREVER POSSIBLE. I WAS TRYING TO SEE MYSELF, ALL THE WAY THROUGH.”

“I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A DOCUMENT THAT REFLECTED MY FEMININITY: RAW, PRIMAL, INNOCENT, ELEGANT, OPENHEARTED, SPIRITUAL, MASC. I’M PROUD AND SCARED OF THIS ALBUM. THERE’S NOWHERE TO HIDE. I BELIEVE THAT PUTTING THE DEEPEST PARTS OF OURSELVES TO MUSIC IS WHAT SETS US FREE.”

Lorde’s tour will see the singer make pit stops in those cities:

SEPTEMBER
Wednesday 17 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Friday 19 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Saturday 20 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle
Tuesday 23 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
Wednesday 24 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Friday 26 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Saturday 27 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Tuesday 30 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

OCTOBER
Wednesday 1 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Friday 3 – Pittsburgh, PA – Petersen Events Center
Saturday 4 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
Tuesday 7 – Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena
Thursday 9 – St. Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena
Friday 10 – Milwaukee, WI – UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
Saturday 11 – Minneapolis, MN – Armory
Tuesday 14 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Friday 17 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
Saturday 18 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
Sunday 19 – Berkeley, CA – The Greek Theatre
Tuesday 21 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Wednesday 22 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

The artist’s previous music had an engaging sense of nostalgia and Y2K influence with hit tracks ‘Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2’ featuring Ice Spice, which peaked at number 2 on the Official UK Singles Chart, and the bubbly hard-hitter ‘I Must Apologise’ from her 2021 album ‘To Hell With It’. Though, the artist teased a new era with cryptic social media posts and a teaser trailer for the upcoming album. 

The album begins with the hypnotic single ‘Illegal’ where Pantheress meets the love interest that runs through the album with a relatable storytelling aspect that marks the artist’s new musical era. An accompanying music video was shared with the album release.

Though Pantheress has embarked on a new era in her music, the music video still features her classic Y2K aesthetic and a nostalgic editing style. In the artist’s album announcement on Instagram, she explained her creative influence, stating that this was “a complete archive of how i’ve been experimenting and feeling free to use some of my favourite british influences in my current music.”

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The story of the album reflects in the bouncy dance beat of tracks like ‘Tonight’ and ‘Stars’, which blend together seamlessly with sampling from 2007 hit classic ‘Starz In Their Eyes’ by Just Jack and ‘Oh My Gosh’ by Basement Jaxx. Pantheress is known for her use of sampling throughout her discography, claiming the name of Billboard’s 2024 Women in Music Producer of the Year.

In an interview with Billboard, Pantheress explained her relationship with sampling from the start of her career, sharing that initially the sample would take over the track, but since then  she states, “I’m adding more instrumentation so it’s more hidden, whereas before it would kind of just be the actual track itself.”

The album also features one of the most highly anticipated songs ‘Tonight’, which the artist has teased for several months on social media. Further to this, the song has been viral on TikTok following the artist’s creation of a dance trend for the track, which she brought several exciting names to do with her such as Jazz pop singer Laufey and popular YouTuber Quenlin Blackwell.   

@pinkpantheress atp its a challenge for me LMAOOOO @quenblackwell #newmusic ♬ Tonight – PinkPantheress

‘Fancy That’ comes after a long break from Pantheress. The singer was set to embark on a series of tours in 2024, but cancelled her remaining tours from August due to health issues. Her return is widely welcomed by fans with her recent release and The Capable of Love tour which she concluded in April. 

In a TikTok last night, British alt-pop singer songwriter PinkPantheress posted a snippet of an unreleased new song. The artist pushes back against comments she’s received about her dance skills in live concert performances. Most of the singer’s concerts have consisted of ‘no choreography, background dancers, or pyrotechnics’, though from this post, she seems to be changing this. She explains in an interview with THE CUT magazine that her lack of theatrics in live performances is due to how she describes herself as an artist: “I can’t perform like a pop artist. I can’t sing like a pop artist. I don’t have the style or the media training to be a pop artist,”. This is apparent from her initial rise to stardom on TikTok where she changed the game for bedroom pop artists.

In her recent TikTok, the artist states, “I had to learn how to dance to beat the no stage presence allegations”, while showcasing her fresh new choreography with soft, precise dance moves that will surely go viral on the app. The sound used also reveals a snippet of a new yet-to-be-named song, though it has a dance beat and soft hyperpop club feel which has left fans anticipating more.

@pinkpantheress i had to learn bow to dance to beat the no stage precense allegatiions and i dont know if jts gonna work tho #newmusic ♬ original sound –

On her YouTube channel, PinkPantheress also posted an Official Mixtape Trailer. In this fun promotional teaser, there are several actors donning her iconic sleek straight haircut and forward fringe. The singer photographs them and a snippet of a song plays, which sounds reminiscent of her hit collaborative single ‘Boy’s a liar Pt. 2′ with Ice Spice.  The version of this that features in her Mixtape Trailer is remixed to have the familiar sound of a 2000’s ringtone, another link to the sound of her new music considering her connection to Y2k aesthetics.

The pop pioneering artist, known for the short length of her songs, with songs such as ‘I must Apologies’, from her album ‘Heaven knows’ being only 1,47 minutes long, releases this Mixtape Trailer of 0.38 minutes. In a TikTok posted by a fan, many have joked in the comments that the trailer will be longer than any of the songs yet to be released.

@journeyseditss OH IM SO SAT #pinkpantheress

The single serves as the latest preview of Alessi Rose’s upcoming EP, ‘For Your Validation’, set to be released on January 17, 2025. Building anticipation, Alessi has already shared standout tracks like ‘Oh My’ and ‘imsochillandcool’. ‘Oh My’ offers a playful, vibrant vibe with its clever, self-aware lyrics and upbeat tempo, while ‘imsochillandcool’ leans into a laid-back sound, pairing lighthearted lyrics with mellow instrumentation. Together with ‘Start All Over’, these tracks hint at an EP that promises a captivating blend of emotional depth, stylistic diversity, and Alessi’s signature alt pop sound.

‘For Your Validation’ follows her 2024 debut EP, ‘Rumination as Ritual’, which brought her widespread recognition for its genre-blurring style. Tracks like ‘Eat Me Alive’ showcased her raw, energetic side, while ‘The Pit’ presented a slower, more introspective approach, proving her ability to navigate a broad spectrum of emotions with pure authenticity.

Looking ahead, 2025 is shaping up to be a breakthrough year for Alessi Rose. Alongside the release of her new EP, she has announced an exciting UK and European tour, with stops at iconic venues such as New Century Hall in Manchester and La Botanique in Belgium. Additionally, she is set to perform at the Reading and Leeds festivals in August 2025, solidifying her reputation as a must-see act and a commanding presence in the live music scene.

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With ‘Start All Over’ already generating significant buzz on social media, it’s clear that Alessi Rose is a rising star in the alternative pop scene. Her authenticity, artistry, and determination are propelling her to new heights, and she is well on her way to leaving a mark on the music industry for years to come.

Ticket Information can be found here.

Despite giving birth to her daughter in the past few months, Waterhouse is not slowing down, and has also released a North America tour in support of her new album. Her tour begins shortly after the release of the album, and has support from Bully and Debbi Dawson.

The new mother and partner of Twilight actor Robert Pattinson, has noted the impact that motherhood has had on her and her music, particularly through her new single. ‘Supersad’ personifies Waterhouse’s exhaustion after caring for a newborn whilst simultaneously working on her career that has propelled in recent years, particularly after her song ‘Good Looking’ became popular on Tiktok.

So far this year, the 32 year old has been non-stop releasing singles, gaining her immense popularity and leading to a notable set at Coachella earlier this year, at which she sang the iconic Oasis song ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. Her latest single, ‘Supersad’ has been a hit amongst fans, and joins ‘Faded’, ‘My Fun’, ‘OMG’ and ‘To Love’ on her new album.

On social media, Waterhouse has displayed her excitement alongside the album cover art, saying it “feels surreal to finally be able to bring this world to you that I’ve been living in for the past year”. The album cover holds an ethereal theme, and its name is inspired by the uniquely named cannabilistic spider, which is colloquially known as ‘sparklemuffin’, which Suki Waterhouse on Tiktok said she decided during a “manic episode” as it felt “hilarious, ridiculous, and wonderful”, which she told Subpop.

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When speaking to NME about her new album, Waterhouse said that she channelled her previous experience at V Festival in the early 2000s, saying “I really want to see her and know her again”, naming this album as part of her “bed rot era”.

Fans can pre-order her 18 track album here, and you can find tickets for her North America tour here. Alternatively, UK fans can watch Suki Waterhouse perform at All Points East Festival Sunday 18th August, where she is supporting Mitski. She will be accompanied by a whole host of performances from exciting artists such as Beabadoobee, Men I Trust, Ethel Cain, TV Girl and Sir Chloe. You can find tickets here and see the full lineup below.

 

 

 

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According to front woman Heather-Baron-Gracie, ‘Perfume’ is “the perfect introduction into the new world we’ve created”. It’s an infectious track heavily inspired by bands like The Cranberries and The Cure and just the notion of being head over heels for someone. Try to think back to all the diary entries you wrote as a teenager about your first crush and then plug that straight into an amp then add some gothic undertones and an 80s backing track. You can check out the single along with the music video for ‘Perfume’ below.

It premiered on Wednesday night as BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record and Baron-Gracie describes the track as “queer, feminine and romantic”. The track feels reminiscent of 80s synth ballads and it seems the band are exploring a new sound that is devoted to the reflective and romantic through the new single and the upcoming album. According to NME, Baron-Gracie noted that she feels she falls very deeply in love and finds it interesting ‘that you can feel so fascinated and smitten with someone, and then they can become a total stranger. So, I feel like Smitten really summarised perfectly what I felt for others at a certain point.”

Pale Waves have also released the album art for the upcoming record which is said to move away from the pop-punk sound of its predecessor, their third album, Unwanted which was released in February 2021, and lean more into the ‘jangly indie pop sound that takes influence from their home city’ according to the article by NME on the new release.  Their third album was a huge success debuting at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart and receiving a score of 72 on Metacritic so the band can only hope for an even greater success with Smitten. You can take a look at the artwork for the upcoming album below.

Pale Waves are currently on tour supporting PVRIS and have an exciting few months ahead as they are currently continue playing shows across the US throughout June and into July. They are also heading back to the city that made them, Manchester, to headline Manchester’s Neighbourhood festival in October alongside a number of other acts including Seb Lowe and The Mysterines. You can buy tickets for the day festival, which spreads itself across a number of iconic Manchester venues, from the following websites; Dice, Ticketmaster, Gigs and Tours and See Tickets. 

You can check out the full track list for the upcoming album, Smitten, below.

1. “Glasgow”
2. “Not a Love Song”
3. “Gravity”
4. “Thinking About You”
5. “Perfume”
6. “Last Train Home”
7. “Kiss Me Again”
8. “Miss America”
9. “Hate to Hurt You”
10. “Seeing Stars”
11. “Imagination”
12. “Slow”

Watch the video here

 The Sheffield-born artist who now resides in London, describes their style in the following three words: “Androgyny, drama, prep” and their music has been classed under the genres of alternative R&B and indie-pop. The singers’ previous label Dirty Hit is home to some of Britain’s biggest new pop: Rina Sawayama, Beabadoobee and The 1975, although the singer has now moved on to indie label Chrysalis who have an impressive roster including Emeli Sande, Nick Drake, Laura Marling, The Waterboys and many more. 

 Recalling the meaning behind the song, Ford explains “This song is based on a story my friends told me about their dad and his late wife, and how for a while after her death, no one could replace her. He used to dress his new girlfriends in clothes like hers.” She continues “At first it sounds odd, and might make you feel uncomfortable. But really it’s a love song, just told in a different way.”

Inspired by the world of drag, Gia mentions how the subculture of the queer community (of which she is also part of) has been such an influence on her music, she references “the freedom of gender expression, the fantasy” and “the alter egos.”

Listen to the song here

“Falling in Love Again” follows the previous single drop “Aligator” which was released earlier this year and received accreditation in NME, Dork, Line of Best Fit and Clash Magazine. Speaking about “Alligator”, Gia states that it is “a song about a desperation to be seen and heard. I am being facetious by painting myself as multiple unbelievable creatures to garner attention. In the opening statement, I am an Alligator. Then, when that goes ignored, I am ten feet off of the ground, with feathers — a whole new creature, perhaps still the Alligator, perhaps something different.”

Ford was recently announced as an official artist for SXSW 2024. The Austin, Texas-based festival features conference sessions, film & TV festival screenings, music festival showcases comedy festival events, world-class exhibitions, tech competitions and award ceremonies. The event runs from 2024 from March 8-16!  

The musical magpie was also named as one of The Great Escape’s First Fifty for 2024. The festival will be hosting a night in collaboration with Clash at the East London venue, with Ford headlining at Paper Dress Vintage on the 15th of November. The lineup also includes Essex-based singer, songwriter and producer Erin LeCount and Scottish songwriting sensation, Jacob Alon. 

Grab tickets here

My new album ‘HIT PARADE’ will come to you on SEPTEMBER 8TH. Pre-order the album from my store to access the pre-sale for the headline show at ALEXANDRA PALACE. My new single ’THE UNIVERSE’ is in the world RIGHT NOW and available to stream & save here! https://t.co/GMU1gAwdjG pic.twitter.com/NZbuJI6VZb

— Róisín Murphy (@roisinmurphy) May 17, 2023

The Irish singer-songwriter has also today shared the LP’s lead single, “The Universe“, a breezy, funky and decadently summery ear worm of a song that comes with its own absurdist lyric music video.

Watch the music video for “The Universe” below:

Hit Parade will be Murphy’s sixth solo album to date and will be produced by German DJ and music producer DJ Koze. The two artists have previously worked together on the single “CooCool“, the releasing of which in March 2023 marked Murphy’s signing to Ninja Tune.

Watch the music video for “CooCool” below:

Murphy outlined the collaboration between DJ Koze and herself, saying, “We worked remotely, in different countries sending tracks/ideas back and forth for several years. I always have to approach a new collaboration with openness and a willingness to learn and never more so than with this. 

The singer continued, “The studio in this case was imaginary, in the airspace between Hamburg and London. That meant we were both in a personal, private place when working on the songs. For me that brought out a more intimate approach to the songwriting, I told this album my secrets. For Koze it meant total freedom and absolute focus without the distraction of my presence. He too took a deep dive into himself and I believe that’s why the music is so vibrant and alive. It is just exploding with colour!”

Murphy expanded her views on what the album means to her as she explains, “It’s a joyful record, I’ve never been happier, that is partly down to personal reasons but also in my work I’ve been very fulfilled. For me the record is about love and sensuality but also it’s about music itself and how it’s always been there for me. There are tinges of darkness, of the abyss, as well as all the joy. There’s contemplation of mortality which is meant to serve as reminder to me (and perhaps you the listener) to really live while we can“.

After moving to Manchester from her birthplace of Arklow, Ireland at the age of 12, Murphy entered the music world after joining a post-punk band briefly as a teenager before meeting Mark Brydon at a party in 1994. The couple started dating and formed the electronic dance pop duo Moloko, releasing four albums, the third of which, Things to Make and Do, being their most successful,  reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart and containing their most popular hit, “The Time is Now“.

Watch the music video for “The Time is Now” below:

After the disbandment of Moloko, Murphy released her debut solo album, Ruby Blue, in 2005 to positive critical acclaim, and has gone on to release a further four albums, with her last release, Róisín Machine, coming at the end of 2020.

Pre-order Hit Parade here.

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MARINA, who previously performed as Marina and the Diamonds, released ‘Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land’ yesterday – Friday June 11th. The 10-track album showcases the artists brilliant art-pop and musical talent – both for singing and songwriting. Each song was written by Diamandis herself and she also co-produced five of them. To predict the success of ‘Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land‘ after this hard-work would not be uncalled for, as all of Marina’s albums have previously awarded themselves a place in the UK Top 10.

In discussion with Michael Cragg about ‘Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land’ and the different perspective it afforded her as an artist, Diamandis explained that “I’m not here anymore to play it small or be worried because I’ve spent my whole life doing that. I’ve spent so many years in anxiety mode. Of course, there are going to be people who disagree with what I say. But what am I going to do? Just not express any views?”

Following on from this, she also stated that “I’ve just learnt that it’s nice to feel proud about things [I’ve done] because I’ve never really had that feeling up until recently. Writing this record allowed me to reflect on what my career has been like in reality.”

‘Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land’ provides a step up for the alt-pop artist, with bolder, confident claims about society and less anxieties around the reception such songs will have. This new-found confidence shows that MARINA’s successful reputation as a pop-artist is more than valid. This reputation, and the release of a new album and music which are helping to evolve it, will be showcased this weekend on a livestream event – along with a full band. It is the perfect celebration of Marina’s much awaited return.

In a separate interview with Billboard, Marina again expressed her freedom on the new album, which has in turn instilled each song on her new album with a unique depth – “I do feel very free on this record. And one of the good things about me is that, when I write, I don’t worry about anything that other people are going to say. That happens later in the process. [Laughs.] But when I’m actually making a song, I never feel any censorship”.

This freedom means that Marina, in the creation and release of ‘Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land’, “felt like [she] didn’t have anything to lose artistically”.

You can listen to Marina’s new album, which celebrates a new era of the singer, here.