Last month, Jennifer Castle announced her new album Camelot and released the lead single “Lucky #8.” Today, the Canadian singer-songwriter is sharing the sentimental ballad “Earthsong.”

Last month, Imogen Mason of London’s Voka Gentle announced pit of mine, her debut album as sm^sher. The artist unveiled the lead single “beggars belief,” and today she’s back with its follow-up “the reaction.”

In less than a month, Molina will share her debut album When You Wake Up. So far the Danish-Chilean musician has unveiled “Scorpio” and “Organs” featuring ML Buch. Today, she’s back with the warped hymn “Neverland.”

Over the weekend, Macklemore performed his second pro-Palestine song “Hind’s Hall 2” in Seattle and said “Fuck America” onstage. On Tuesday, the outspoken rapper was inexplicably removed from Las Vegas’ Neon City Festival lineup. Now, he’s sharing a statement.

Electronic composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is teaming up with Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard for a new EP titled Neptunes. The title track is the first preview, and it’s a mind-bending, ecstatic journey.

On Tuesday, Kelly Clarkson belted out a predictably impressive cover of Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” with harmonies from Miranda Lambert. Today, the pop veteran performed Roan’s “Coffee” on her show’s Kellyoke segment.

If you’ve heard the music of Damon Che before, you probably heard his drumming as the founding member of math rock pioneers Don Caballero. Today, he’s announced a new band called Yesness, which comprises him and Kristian Dunn of post-rock duo El Ten Eleven. Their debut album See You At The Solipsist Convention arrives in November, and as a preview, we get to hear the lead single “Not So Sorry Now Are You?” today.

Susanna Hoffs has been steadily releasing new music in recent years, most recently the covers albums Bright Lights and The Deep End. Her music-biz novel This Bird Has Flown is also being adapted into a movie. For her next project, the Bangles singer has unearthed some recordings that sat unreleased for a quarter of a century.

Chappell Roan, like a whole lot of us, isn’t stoked about either major presidential candidate right now. We know she’s not a huge fan of Joe Biden, and last week in an interview with The Guardian, she said she didn’t feel comfortable publicly endorsing a presidential candidate in the 2024 election, because there are “problems on both sides.” The internet has a funny way of taking quotes out of their very necessary context, and so people got the wrong idea from that sentiment. Earlier this week, she tried clearing the air in a TikTok, explaining that she wanted to encourage fans “to use critical thinking skills” and “learn about what they’re voting for.” Some people, however, have a hard time critical thinking skills. And so Roan went back on TikTok Wednesday morning to spell it out for them: She’s begrudgingly voting for Kamala Harris this November.

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds just kicked off their UK/EU tour in Oberhausen, Germany on Tuesday. They’re supporting their recent album Wild God, and last night marked the live debut of a handful of those new songs.

Josh Klinghoffer, the former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist who has also logged time as a touring member of bands like Pearl Jam and Jane’s Addiction, was sued for wrongful death back in July. The lawsuit stemmed from a March incident, caught on camera, in which Klinghoffer appeared to strike pedestrian Israel Sanchez with his SUV, leading to Sanchez’s death a few hours later. Now Klinghoffer is facing criminal charges in addition to the lawsuit.

Beach Bunny are easing into their post-Emotional Creature phase. The poppy and emotionally incisive Chicago rock band returned in June with “Vertigo,” their first new song in two years. Today they’ve got another new track, a thoughtful charmer called “Clueless.” Though it takes its name from a teen comedy, the song is about drifting away from your friends as you age into your late 20s. It conveys its sentiments with help from a video by Bertie Gilbert.

Nick Drake’s Pink Moon is an endlessly renewable resource — an album you can always go back to and expect to feel the same melancholic comforts, as well as one that tends to spawn some excellent covers. Today we get one of those courtesy of Portland genre jumper quickly, quickly. The artist born Graham Jonson has recorded a gorgeous rendition of Pink Moon closing track “From The Morning,” one that taps into the original’s organic spirit while adding quite a few modern production flourishes.

Neil Young scrapped a good chunk of his summer tour with Crazy Horse, but he’s back onstage backed by the Chrome Hearts, a unit comprising organist Spooner Oldham, guitarist Micah Nelson, bassist Corey McCormick, and drummer Anthony LoGerfo. Tuesday in Port Chester, NY, Young and his new band busted out an old song for the first time.

In just two days, Alan Sparhawk, longtime co-leader of the great American indie rock institution Low, will release his first-ever solo album White Roses, My God. Sparhawk recorded the album after the 2022 loss of Mimi Parker, his wife and bandmate. On the LP, Sparhawk finds unconventional means to access and convey that grief, making extensive use of electronics and vocal filters. That’s what he did on the early singles “Can U Hear” and “Get Still,” and it’s also what he does on the newly shared song “Heaven.”

I’ve been posting songs by the Jyväskylä, Finland screamo band Alas here for years, often in the context of split records with likeminded acts. Today they’ve got another one on deck. The new Alas EP is a split with moshimoshi, their peers from Helsinki. Whereas Alas specialize in high-flying, combustible post-hardcore epics, moshimoshi play mathy punk with snaking guitar parts, chaotic drumbeats, and gang vocals aplenty. It makes for an interesting match, and both groups bring the heat for all three of their tracks. Check out the split below.

Classic rock standard-bearers Journey have been in the news a lot lately, and it’s been for reasons that they might not like. Longtime bandmates Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain have been in a legal battle over the band’s corporate Amex card, and they’ve got a court-appointed custodian to settle their issues. Meanwhile, Arnel Pineda, the band’s singer since 2007, offered to quit Journey if fans vote him out after a rough performance at Brazil’s Rock In Rio festival. For his part, Schon claims that Rock In Rio headliners Avenged Sevenfold messed up their sound. In any case, it must’ve been a relief for Schon to participate in a feelgood story on the season finale of America’s Got Talent.

Cartoon Darkness is about a month away, and Amyl And The Sniffers are being generous with the previews. The Melbourne rockers have already shared “U Should Not Be Doing That” and “Chewing Gum” (as well as the non-album track “Facts“), and today they’ve got another one for us. With its almost Morricone-like feel, “Big Dreams” is sparser and more melodic than your average Sniffers track for much of the runtime, but it maintains the band’s usual rough edges throughout and beefs up its sound at the end.

Earlier this year, the pranksterish London dance duo Two Shell released some big singles: “Talk To Me” featuring FKA twigs, “Round” featuring the Sugababes, “Gimmi It” featuring nobody. According to this Reddit thread, they also leaked their upcoming album a couple of months ago by leaving USB drives on the Boiler Room floor. Pretty funny! But now Two Shell have finally gotten around to properly announcing their new album, which is set to drop next month.

Piano man Ben Folds released the solo album What Matters Most last year, and now he’s announced plans to follow it with his first-ever Christmas LP. The Ben Folds holiday record comes out next month, and it’s called Sleigher. (It’s a pun. You get it.) The album is mostly original, but it’s got a few versions of standards.

Last Saturday, Macklemore released “Hind’s Hall 2,” the second pro-Palestine single he’s shared in the last year. Not only does it explicitly condemn Israel’s genocide campaign, but it calls out political leaders on our home turf: “Hey Kamala, I don’t know if you’re listening/ But stop sending money and weapons, or you ain’t winning Michigan.” Macklemore doubled-down on that sentiment at a benefit for Palestinian refugees in Seattle a few nights ago, where he performed the song for the first time and said, “Fuck America.” Now, he’s mysteriously been removed from this year’s Neon City Festival lineup.

Seemingly everyone is catching on to the genius of Mk.gee, from Justin Bieber to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. The ascendant performer and producer played a show Tuesday at Toad’s Place in New Haven, where our own Scott Lapatine was on hand to bask in the reportedly incredible vibes.

Right now, rap and media mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing a number of criminal charges and civil lawsuits. Diddy was arrested last week and indicted for crimes including sex trafficking and racketeering. He pleaded not guilty and was denied bail, and he’s reportedly bunking with famous cryptocurrency billionaire and convicted fraud Sam Bankman-Fried. This week, another woman sued Diddy for sexual assault. Diddy’s indictment also mentions a case of kidnapping and arson that seems to be related to the moment that Diddy allegedly had fellow rap star Kid Cudi’s car blown up.

Marquette power-pop Band To Watch Liquid Mike are known for their prolific output and for pairing gargantuan walls of guitar with even bigger hooks, all of which continues today. The band just released a pair of great new songs on the deluxe edition of this year’s Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot, and today they’re adding one more called “Crop Circles” ahead of their next run of tour dates.

Allegra Krieger sits down at Kiki’s, a cozy and chic Greek restaurant that occupies the end of Division Street, and starts discussing memories of her childhood. Growing up, the singer-songwriter bounced around from state to state, moments from each era fading and binding together with each subsequent move. First, it was Pennsylvania — the suburban structure pales next to the swampiness and underbelly of Florida, her second location. Childhood affects all the ideas you formulate during your adulthood, and Krieger’s music is for the small moments in life, when you find yourself stuck in the woods and can remember the sound of the crickets percolating. “There’s always glimpses of certain domestic moments,” Krieger says. “There’s intimate moments with neighbors. The world is spinning above you as a child, and as I grew older, certain ideas stuck out. What can be chaos can turn into perspective.”

Big-deal Australian country star Keith Urban seems to sincerely love present-day pop music. A few months ago, Urban covered Ariana Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends,” which he said was his “absolute current obsession song.” Earlier this week, Urban and his wife Nicole Kidman were in the house at a Mk.gee show in Nashville. And during a Tonight Show appearance last night, Urban busted out a banjo to cover Sabrina Carpenter’s summer jam “Espresso.”

In 2022, Mark Lanegan, the solo artist and former Screaming Trees leader, passed away at the age of 57. Even among his peers, Lanegan was often revered as a kind of mythic figure. Later this year, some of Lanegan’s friends, peers, and collaborators will gather at the Roundhouse in London to pay tribute.

Three years ago, Houston rap great Maxo Kream released the Tyler, The Creator collab “Big Persona.” Great song! Today, the two rappers are back together on “Cracc Era,” another Tyler-produced track. Once again, it’s a great song.

This year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony goes down next month in Cleveland, and it’s got some big-name honorees. This year’s induction class includes a Tribe Called Quest, Mary J. Blige, Ozzy Osbourne, Cher, the Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Kool & The Gang, and Peter Frampton. The institution is also handing out special awards to the MC5, Jimmy Buffett, Dionne Warwick, Norman Whitfield, Alexis Korner, John Mayall, Big Mama Thornton, and Suzanne de Passe. Today, the Hall Of Fame has announced a partial list of the artists who will perform and present at this year’s ceremony.

In The Alternative Number Ones, I’m reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it’s for members only. Thank you to everyone who’s helping to keep Stereogum afloat.

Last week, The Guardian ran an interview with Chappell Roan in which she expressed disinterest in endorsing a candidate for the 2024 presidential election, saying there’s “problems on both sides.” The internet has been angry since, and the rising pop star clarified her stance in a new TikTok.

Mediocre will bless us with their new album Growth Eater this Friday. The anticipation is up to the brim following wonderful singles “Fun Time Fix (We Go Go)” and “Litterbug!,” and today they unveiled one last taste with the beautiful, grungy earworm “I Might Be Giant.”

Next month, Katie Gavin of MUNA will unveil her debut solo album What A Relief. So far the singer-songwriter has released “Aftertaste” and “Casual Drug Use,” and today she’s back with the twangy single “Inconsolable,” which she previously debuted live with the Japanese House in LA.

Last month, the American Football house was put up on Airbnb, along with an early Beatles venue. Now, Jeff Buckley’s Memphis home is joining them on the app, according to Commercial Appeal.

In June, Emile Mosseri released the thoughtful song “Wasting Your Love.” It turns out that track is from his just-announced new album Trying To Be Born, slated for release Feb. 21. The sprawling single “Don’t Fall Back So Easily” is out now.

Last month, Rosalía featured on “New Woman” by Blackpink’s LISA. Today, the beloved Spanish singer teamed up with Spanish producer and singer-songwriter Ralphie Choo for the new song “Omega.”

Earlier this year, Candy released their brutal yet zany third album It’s Inside You. Today, the Richmond hardcore favorites are announcing a new EP titled Flipping whose cover artwork is as eyebrow-raising as the music. The lead single “Football” is out now.

Primal Scream are gearing up for the release of their 12th album Come Ahead. So far the Scottish electronic rock stalwarts have previewed it with the singles “Love Insurrection” and “Deep Dark Waters,” and today they’re back with the dance-ready anthem “Ready To Go Home” and the liberated tune “The Centre Cannot Hold.”

Tove Lo released her debut album Queen Of The Clouds 10 years ago today. To mark the occasion, she’s shared 10 facts about the album in an Instagram post. “Nothing could have prepared me for the way this album changed my life,” she writes in the caption. “I was such a mess when I wrote these songs but I still feel 100% that this album is me today.”