New Music This Week: July 4

recapping the last week of music, with new releases from Nilüfer Yanya, Her New Knife, memory card, Teethe, & MORE

Nilüfer Yanya by Molly Daniel

An overwhelming amount of music is released daily, and we're here to help you weed through it all. Every week, we share select releases we recommend and personalized picks from a few of our editors.

Welcome to our new releases guide featuring the most notable music released the week of July 4.

BLIGATORY Picks

Nilüfer Yanya - Dancing Shoes (EP)

Bedroom Pop, Indie Rock

via Ninja Tune

write-up by Peter Doherty

After signing to Ninja Tune in April of 2024 and releasing her third album, My Method Actor, in September, Nilüfer Yanya continues to ride the wave that she's found herself atop. The indie spheres that Yanya traverses are in good health.

Led by the singles "Cold Heart" and "Where to Look," Dancing Shoes wraps the bulk of the material in the new sonics of opening track "Kneel" and closing track "Treason."

Dancing Shoes is out now via Ninja Tune.

Her New Knife - "Pagan Poetry" (Björk Cover)

Art Rock, Experimental Rock

via Julia's War Recordings

write-up by Dominick Baglivo

Her New Knife is one of the most exciting names in the modern ‘shoegaze’ renaissance. Their swirling guitar-based sound ranges from crunchy and punishing to hypnotic and surreal, to all of the above simultaneously. This week, the Philly-based band offers up a rendition of Björk’s “Pagan Poetry,” from her 2001 album Vespertine.

From one boundary-pushing artist to another, Her New Knife offers an interesting take on a classic song. Stripped back and reconstructed with little more than guitar and vocals, an eerie atmosphere envelops their take on “Pagan Poetry.”

About the cover, bandleader Edgar Atencio says:

“Björk as an artist has always inspired me. In her songwriting, I’ve always found something very important to take note of, whether that be her lyrical imagery, sonic texturing, expression and inflection of the voice, or the pursuit of something new and personal and raw in her music.

In 2024, Ben [Kachler] and I recorded mostly guitar (classical and electric) and voice (additional vocals by Dylan Vaisey & Cassidy Hammond). In juxtaposition to the varied and lush orchestration of the original track, I wanted our version to be sparse and more focused on just guitar and voice — in an attempt to embody the rawness of Björk’s performance. This cover is something that I felt we could do in our own way, as a tribute to all these aspects of her music that I hold close.”

Following the incredible EP they put out in October—chrome is lullaby—this is Her New Knife’s first release of 2025. Starting in Oklahoma City on July 13, they’ll be playing a number of shows in the Western US, opening up for fellow Philly act Spirit of the Beehive. In August and October, they’ll hit the East Coast and some parts of the Midwest in support of Water From Your Eyes. Find all their upcoming shows here.

memory card - "Hurricane" / "Consuming Spirits"

Slacker Rock

via Trash Tape Records

write-up by Peter Doherty

The subdued and somewhat shy sounds of memory card meet at the cross-section of indie and country. The double single from Birmingham, Alabama's memory card—the project of Henry Tartt—is the first we've heard from the all-around creative since the four-track project, Summer Fun Music 2024, in June 2024.

It feels like a nod to The Velvet Underground is made on "Consuming Spirits" as the "Linger ooooonnnn" refrain uncannily resembles The Velvet Underground's "Pale Blue Eyes."

"Hurricane" / "Consuming Spirits" is out now via Trash Tape Records.

Teethe - "Hate Goodbyes"

Dream Pop, Alt-Country

via Winspear

write-up by Dominick Baglivo

A mellow, dreamy cut with a slight twang, “Hate Goodbyes” is the latest in a streak of illustrious singles from Texas band Teethe. Following “Holy Water” and “Magic Of The Sale,” it’s the third preview of their upcoming sophomore album, Magic Of The Sale.

Magic Of The Sale is out August 8 on Winspear. About a month later, Teethe will head out on a headlining tour through the fall and winter. Find the full list of tour dates here.

Atticus' Picks

Shelly - Shelly 2

Indie Pop

via Orange Hill Records

Brent Faiyaz - "peter pan." / "tony soprano."

Contemporary R&B

via ISO Supremacy / UnitedMasters

Venna - "Day x2" (ft. MIKE & Marco Bernardis)

Neo-Soul, Jazz Rap

via Cashmere Thoughts

Cam's Picks

Cerrone & Christine and the Queens - Catching feelings

Dance-Pop, Euro-Disco

via Malligator Préférence / Because Music

Kae Tempest - Self Titled

Conscious Hip-Hop

via Island Records

Dominick's Picks

gapyear - EP

Screamo

Self-Released

Amttrak - "Epithet"

Post-Punk, Slacker Rock

Self-Released

Hailing from San Luis Obispo, California, Amttrak is a band with just a few tracks in their catalog. Last year, they shared “User,” which followed the four-track Sprinter EP in 2023. “Epithet” is the first release of 2025 for the Cali four-piece, and it’s a wonderfully crunchy and wiry display of punky, guitar-driven rock. Album on the way, perhaps? Let’s hope so.

Cruelster - "Jerks"

Garage Punk, Hardcore Punk

via Convulse Records

Following last month’s “Nuclear Word” and the announcement of their third album, Make Them Wonder Why, Cleveland’s Cruelster share a new single titled “Jerks.” It’s the second preview of the album’s lengthy tracklist, which boasts 21 songs with titles such as “I’m Going to Ukraine,” “Khufu Failed,” and “Belarus With My Baby.”

About “Jerks,” Cruelster says:

“JERKS is an anthem for that incredibly relatable phenomenon in which if you’re a just a mean person, no one cares, but if you aren’t the person they want you to be, that’s when they think you’re a Jerk. It is a testament to our belief that you should be a sweetie at home and a fool in public.”

The Cruelster camp has kept busy with recent releases from closely affiliated acts KNOWSO (double single last month), Perverts Again (album in April), and The Carp (debut album last year). Last year, Cruelster also shared Lost Inside My Mind in Another State of Mind: The Singles Collection. But aside from that compilation, the most recent Cruelster release came in 2018 with the delightfully bizarre, politically-charged egg punk of Riot Boys.

Make Them Wonder Why is out July 11 on Convulse Records. Cruelster’s release party for the album is on July 19 at Grog Shop with support from Artificial Go, SLUG, and CUTUP.

Ganser - "Discount Diamonds"

Dance-Punk, Alternative Rock

via Felte

Last month, Chicago’s Ganser shared “Black Sand” and announced Animal Hospital, their first album in five years. This week, the trio of Alicia Gaines, Sophie Sputnik, and Brian Cundiff delivers a second single in the form of “Discount Diamonds.”

About the track, Gaines says:

“It’s a bit of a piss-take, isn’t it? There’s always someone up top saying what the kids are doing wrong, always a voice telling you the party’s over…I liked the idea of making a dance track that’s constantly questioning whether dancing’s still allowed. It’s got that suspicious energy, like too much coffee and not enough sleep. There’s humor in it, definitely, but also a bit of that end-of-the-night feeling when the lights come up and you’re not sure where you left your optimism.”

Animal Hospital is out August 29 on Felte.

The Cowboys - "The Hate In Your Heart"

Power Pop, Garage Rock

via Red Man Playa Industries

Rock music has and always will survive. I’m a fan of many of the various and countless forms it takes, but sometimes all you need is the tried-and-true sound of rock n’ roll—which is exactly what you get on The Cowboys’ latest single, “The Hate In Your Heart.”

Originating in Bloomington, Indiana, The Cowboys have been making scrappy and upbeat rock n’ roll for more than a decade now. In 2023, The Cowboys shared their sixth LP, Sultan of Squat, marking a return to their original lineup of Harman (vocals/keys), Mark McWhirter (guitar), Zack "Chode" Worcel (bass), and Jordan Tarantino (drums) after a brief hiatus.

In a fresh interview with Hot Sounds Magazine, Harman elaborates on the band’s longevity as such:

“I suppose the only thing keeping it going is our friendship, which is really what this band is — just a minor social club for these four guys. I write songs, We meet up, laugh at a couple of dick jokes, we play our instruments, and record them and that’s that. If the friendship dissolved I suppose so too would the band.”

More information and plenty of tidbits are available in that interview—which I highly recommend reading for yourself—including some insight into The Cowboys’ new record, Captain Easy’s Downfall. While the date has yet to be shared, we learn that “The Hate In Your Heart” is the album’s opener, and the full record is coming later this summer.

Max's Picks

Double Virgo - Shakedown (EP)

Trip Hop, Slacker Rock, Post-Punk

via YEAR0001

Hüsker Dü - Jan. 30, First Ave Pt. 1 (EP)

Post-Hardcore, Alternative Rock

via The Numero Group

Peter's Picks

thistle. - it's nice to see you, stranger (EP)

Shoegaze

via Venn Records

The crunchy, fuzzy-fizz of Northampton three-piece thistle. has been set free as the band’s debut EP is now in our hands, and ears. it's nice to see you, stranger sees the newcomers set a fluttery precipice. With snarling guitar, the math-y, shoegaze-y slowcore that thistle. swirls inside of is texturally rich—effervescent, yet harshly grounded. While dreamy vocals float out from beneath the haze, thistle. make themselves busy by conjuring up a sweet-and-sour storm. It's an excellent start to something special.

Speaking on the EP, frontman Cameron Godfrey had this to say:

"We’re all super proud of all of the songs on this and it’s taken a lot for us to end up with the final project, with many obstacles on the way, as there are for many bands that have to balance their jobs, family life and mental health. I think the struggle shows in the music. Hopefully in a good way."

it's nice to see you, stranger is out now via Venn Records.

thistle. are set to head on an eight-date UK/EU tour in support of Cyrogeyser beginning in Glasgow on August 26 and ending in Berlin on September 6.

Pebbledash - "Cartography"

Indie Rock

Self-Released

Cork-based band Pebbledash release the second single since their debut EP, Four Portraits of the Same Ugly House, back in January. "Cartogtaphy" is maybe the most jovial that Pebbledash have sounded, although it still houses that signature Pebbledash bite; grey skies are never too far from the Pebbledash crew.

Once again, Pebbledash recruit fellow Rebel Andy Killian (Ankil) of fellow Cork act Pretty Happy to record and mix their material.

Speaking on "Cartography," Pebbledash's Fionnbhar Hickey had this to say:

"The song takes the point of view of a day I spent in Berlin where I couldn't shake this anxious feeling I was having all day but couldn't quite understand why or where it was coming from so there's imagery of that as well as to some artists I was listening to at the time as I always found music to be a great distraction when I felt like this. After deciding I didn't want this song to sound morose or sad even though the material signifies a difficult time for me, I wrote the guitar parts using an alternate tuning I liked at the time and one that felt uplifting and adventurous. I also wanted to write something I could picture people dancing to in their bedrooms or kitchens or wherever."

September sees the band hit the UK as part of the first So Young Tour, curated by So Young Magazine. The tour will see Pebbledash, cardinals, and Mên An Tol form like Voltron and hit cities such as Southampton, London and Norwich.

Pebbledash then head out on their headlining "of seaweed + sandstone" tour across the first half of November, which sees the band play Cork's Cyprus Avenue on November 6 and Leeds' The Attic on November 16—with dates in Manchester, Belfast, Dublin and London dotted in between.