06/20/25 New Releases
An amazing collaboration from Annika Bennett and Olivia Barton, more dreamy indie-pop, and Lorde’s newest single
Welcome back to my personal release radar!
Last year, I committed to exploring new artists, new albums, and new releases. Since then, I’ve spent (nearly) every Thursday night listening to new music.
I’m trying to dig beyond charts and algorithms to find hidden gems. This little tradition has brought me some of my favorite artists, from Avery Cochrane to Khatamu.
There’s plenty more to dig into this week, so let’s get started with the singles!
Singles
That Could Be Me by Alessi Rose
With the sound of a distorted guitar and carefully handpicked feedback, we jumpstart Alessi Rose’s pop-punk Teenage Dirtbag-esque single. “That Could Be Me” tells the tale of a shot she didn’t take, leaving her watching her love interest with a new girl. It’s catchy, fun, and cathartic, balancing the downcast lyrics with head-bopping production.
“My head in the ground/so I missed every shot at you/and they ricocheted/now they’re lodged in my brain”
Miss You To Death by Holly Humberstone
Catchy, summery, and smooth, “Miss You To Death” is a little more nonchalant than the title implies. Featured on the soundtrack of “The Buccaneers” season two, this song features chill choruses, hooky instrumental breaks, and some fun spoken lines.
“To be your ghost, is your life so haunted?”
Rein Me In by Sam Fender & Olivia Dean
Olivia Dean and Sam Fender perfectly compliment each other on this nostalgic, tender duet. The chorus offers an appetizer then the entre: repeating the hook before launching into a wordier section with poetic meat to it. Also, there’s saxophone towards the end just to take it to the next level.
“Every flagstone in this town/bears our prints/and all the bars round here serve my ghost”
Wound Up Here (By Holding On) by Wednesday
In contrast to Wednesday’s last single, this new release offers grit and grungy vibes. The storytelling lyrics narrate varied scenes with a stark tone that gives it a derealized feel, like a bleak montage flashing by.
“Scratch off ticket for the education lottery/found him drowned in the creek, face puffy/they hung his dirty jersey in a trophy case”
Close to you by PinkPantheress
Rising star PinkPantheress is back with a new hit on the tail of her album. “Close to you” is short but sweet, contrasting her typical dancey sound with lyrics about a man pushing her away because of mental health issues and emotional repression.
“There’s pain in your eyes cuz you’ve gone through a lot/you can’t even sleep when you turn the lights off/the noise in your head makes it harder to breathe/but easier to tell me when it’s time for me to leave”
Not Like That Anymore by Lola Young
Continuing to ride her “Messy” wave to stardom, Lola Young is back with her signature raunchy, catchy, and unique swagger. She’s still “messy”, but learning to balance self-acceptance with getting her act together and kicking toxic boyfriends to the curb.
“I like a dopamine hit more than a fat kid likes cake/and I can’t say I’m happy but I’m headed the right way”
EPs
Whale Songs Vol. 1 by Annika Bennett & Olivia Barton
Two excellent artists in their own right, Annika Bennett and Olivia Barton have teamed up to bring us a six-song collaborative EP. “Whale Songs Vol. 1” is marked by acoustic guitar, gorgeous harmonies, and thought-provoking musings.
Kicking off with the contemplative “I’m Trying To Love The World”, we’re off to a great start. As the title suggests, this is a song about trying to find beauty everywhere, even as obstacles arise.
“I’m trying to love the world, but I don’t know how hard to try/I’ve barely left the house today or looked at any art”
It’s a unique, but immediately relatable concept for a song. At several points while listening, I feel like I can hear the artists smiling as they sing. The most obvious example is in the pause in this line:
“When I hear the birds sing their sweet soprano/I sit down and run my fingers cross the keys of my…computer”
Just like you can hear the smiles in this song, the whole project drips with creativity, joy, and passion. You can tell the two had a blast making this EP.
It’s hard to narrow down standouts from this perfect little offering of songs. “It Doesn’t Do What It Did” describes feeling adrift with burnout and struggling to reconnect to joy in their hobbies.
“I would’ve loved the way these chords played together when I was sixteen/every word I wrote, every note I sang was new to me/it doesn’t do what it did anymore”
This one had me holding back tears a little as the meaning changed—one day, they sing, they’ll feel alive again. When they sing the song on tour, “it won’t do what it did” because they won’t feel the depression firsthand anymore.
Next we have “We Played A Game”, a song about feeling ignored in a relationship.
“Don’t you wanna say I love you/and not just say it back”
The only single released ahead of this EP was “Elton & John”—an excellent choice. I wrote about this one when it first came out, but I’ve come to love it even more since. It’s a bittersweet coming of age song and love letter to their friendship and collaborative relationship.
Finally, Annika and Olivia wrap up the EP with “Slipping Through My Fingers”.
With delicate melodies, she enchants ordinary scenes. It’s not so much sad as it is melancholy, decrying the passage of time.
“There’s that old melancholy feeling/and a sense of guilt I can’t deny/what happened to our wonderful adventures”
Y’know that feeling when you know you’re gonna miss a moment before it’s even gone? Yeah, that’s this song.
“Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture/and save it from the funny tricks of time”
Mainstream Mentions
While this release radar is mainly to spotlight underground, underrated, and up and coming artists, there’s still loads of amazing “mainstream” music that comes out each week. So, of course, some of them deserve a mention on this list.
Hammer by Lorde
The last single before the release of Lorde’s highly anticipated new album is here: “Hammer” a summery anthem bursting with feeling, sensuality, and freedom. The unique looping sound sets the tone and grabs attention perfectly as Lorde’s vocals start front and center. The imagery’s vivid, the wording is poetic, and the songs ready to be danced to—with all the abandon of Lorde’s moves.
Attention by Kesha feat. Slayyyter & Rose Gray
“Do I have your attention?” is probably an arbitrary question for Kesha—of course she does—but she asked it anyway, then put it to a sick beat.
Enjoy the music!
As always, I hope you found something new to put on repeat this week. I, for one, am obsessed with Annika Bennett and Olivia Barton’s new EP, and stoked for Lorde’s upcoming album.
See you next time!
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