New Music This Week: March 28
- BLIGATORY
- Apr 2
- 9 min read
Updated: Apr 3
highlighting new music by Little Simz, Model/Actriz, Deafheaven, & MORE
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 are all looking forward to and personalized picks from a few of our editors.
Welcome to our new releases guide featuring the most notable music released the week of March 28.
BLIGATORY Picks
Little Simz - "Free"
Neo-Soul, Jazz Rap
via AWAL
write-up by Peter Doherty
Little Simz has become a prime example of a quality-first, essence-emanating approach to making music. It is possible to make great music and do great things now-and-then. The impetus of said quality-first approach is to tear yourself apart at every opportunity and build yourself minute-by-minute as a better being. The songs will write themselves.
I think that Little Simz has been at the top of the Hip-Hop sphere for a long time, and will be for a long time more. To me, nothing says that the honest approach that she takes has any holes. It all holds water, in abundance.
Little Simz upcoming sixth studio album Lotus releases June 6 via Forever Living Originals.
Model/Actriz - "Doves"
Industrial Rock
via True Panther Records / Dirty Hit
write-up by Peter Doherty
The robotically-rhythmic, mechanically-sharp, and incisively-sinister slices of Brooklyn-based four-piece Model/Actriz find their latest form in "Doves." It's the second single set loose in the run-up to album number two, Pirouette.
The guitar is in safe hands with Model/Actriz. It has a certain cynical flair within their seedy grip. Slyness mistaken for shyness. The dog that bites the hand that feeds it. The knife held behind the confidante’s back. The shot in the dark which somehow always finds its target.
"Doves" is out now and the band’s sophomore album Pirouette releases May 2 via True Panther.
Atticus' Picks
Q - 10 Songs
Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul
via Columbia Records
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - IC-02 Bogotá
Neo-Psychedelia, Jazz-Rock
via Jagjaguwar
Dominick's Picks
Enjoy - The Sound Of Deceit
Post-Punk, Hypnagogic Pop
Self-Released
Recommended if you like: The Garden, P.H.F., Sword II
Nyxy Nyx - PLAY DEAD
Shoegaze, Slowcore, Experimental Rock
via sub-under / blight
Recommended if you like: Teethe, Hooky, Horse Jumper of Love
Population II - Maintenant Jamais
Progressive Rock, Heavy Psych
via Bonsound
Recommended if you like: Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Osees, La Sécurité
Snapped Ankles - Hard Times Furious Dancing
Synth Punk, Dance-Punk
via The Leaf Label
Recommended if you like: Opus Kink, Crack Cloud, Gustaf
Ain't - "Pirouette"
Indie Rock, Post-Punk
via fear of missing out records
Following last year’s “Oar” and “Teething,” South London’s Ain’t share their third single to date with “Pirouette.”
Speaking on the single, guitarist/vocalist George Ellerby says “I wrote Pirouette during a period of changes: a relationship had recently ended, I was dating someone who seemed pretty disinterested, and I was moving between precarious flat shares. All through this, it felt the band was anticipating and going through change too. It was during a point when the full lineup of Ain’t was coming together.
When I started writing Pirouette, Ain’t was just Ed, Jeevan and I; by the time it got to the practice room, Joe, Hanna, and Chapman had joined. It was the sum of all of this that inspired the song’s lyrics. I felt like I was sitting on the threshold of something new and was practically screaming out for it, but I also had parts of the past still clinging to me. Pirouette details the drudgery of break ups and the lethargy that can come with dating, but I feel it’s preoccupied with a sense of something overwhelmingly hopeful and exhilarating falling into place.”
In addition to the new track, Ain’t have announced plans for their debut headline show, which will take place at London’s Waiting Room on June 12.
Bedridden - "Philadelphia, Get Me Through"
Indie Rock, Shoegaze
via Julia's War Recordings
Bedridden deliver more crunchy and mathy bliss on their third single of 2025, “Philadelphia, Get Me Through.” They’ve already shared “Etch” and “Chainsaw” in the lead-up to their debut album, Moths Strapped To Each Other’s Backs.
“This is the most charged song I wrote for Moths,” bandleader Jack Riley says. “I was hyper-aware that I was losing it at the time. I was chasing a relationship that only made me feel belittled. Bedridden took a day trip out to Philly to play a show with Worlds Worst and I thought that having a good night away from Brooklyn would cure me. It didn’t. Soon after, I dug up this angular, repetitive riff in a 5/4 time signature and found the melody quickly. The song crescendos into damn near a metal track. Nick wrote an incredible drum part. I had the perfect groundwork for a diss track,” he adds.
Bedridden’s first full-length—and the follow-up to 2023’s Amateur Heartthrob EP—Moths Strapped To Each Other’s Backs, is out April 11 on Julia’s War Recordings.
Slowcore, Indie Rock
via 7th Heaven
After a string of solo recordings by Brock Pierce, Chatterton released their debut as a duo last year when Pierce joined forces with Logan Scrivner. Fields of This turned a year old on March 29, and to celebrate, Chatteron shared two outtakes from the album’s sessions.
The depressive haze of “Thirteen” stands firm, while “Lake Wood” is a little breezier, with bits of reverence and nostalgia peaking over the fence.
Colin Miller - "Porchlight"
Indie Folk, Alt-Country
via Mtn Laurel Recording Co.
Later this month, Asheville multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Colin Miller is releasing his sophomore album, Losin’. He announced it in February alongside the grief-stricken “Cadillac.” This week, Miller tugs familiar heartstrings on “Porchlight,” grappling with letting go against a soft, warm, and twangy backdrop.
Losin’ is out April 25 via Mtn Laurel Recording Co. MJ Lenderman and the Wind (featuring Miller on drums!) are currently on tour with a steady stream of live shows carrying until September. A select few stops in June will see Colin Miller opening; 6/14 in Indianapolis, 6/15 in St. Louis, 6/16 in Kansas City, and 6/18 in Chicago. Find tickets and more dates here.
Leopardo - "Repetition"
Art Rock, Psychedelic Pop
via Chrüsimüsi Records / Dot Dash Sounds
Following "Île d’Ogoz" and “Bank Bank Bank,” we get more quirky psych-pop from Swiss seven-piece Leopardo on “Repetition.” The third and final single is the opening track from SIDE A / SIDE B, which is out April 4 on Chrüsimüsi Records / Dot Dash Sounds.
Real Farmer - "Big Stepper"
Post-Punk, Noise Rock, Art Punk
via Strap Originals
After sharing their debut album Compare What’s There last year, Dutch band Real Farmer return with a new single and soon enough, a new EP. “Big Stepper” is the scrappy lead single from a new four-track EP, simply titled RF II (they shared the first Real Farmer EP in 2019).
About the single, the band writes:
“WE LIVE IN A TIME WHEN THE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES IN CONFLICT IS THE HIGHEST SINCE WWII. BIG STEPPER IS ABOUT THE GLOBAL RISE OF THE FAR-RIGHT AND WITH IT THE DANGERS OF EXTREMISM AND PATRIOTISM. IT’S ABOUT HOW YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN ARE BEING SEDUCED BY THEIR GOVERNMENTS TO JOIN THE ARMY, CONVINCED THAT THIS WILL HELP THEM COMBAT THEIR FEELINGS OF HOPELESSNESS AND ENHANCE THEIR CHANCES FOR A BETTER FUTURE, BUT OFTEN IT HAS THE OPPOSITE EFFECT, LEAVING THEM TRAUMATISED AND FORLORN."
RF II is out May 2 via Strap Originals.
Ribbon Skirt - "Earth Eater"
Indie Rock, Bedroom Pop
via Mint Records
Led by Anishinaabe musician Tashiina Buswa, Montreal band Ribbon Skirt (fka Love Language) are gearing up to release their debut album Bite Down. They announced the record in January alongside “Wrong Planet” and news of their signing to Mint Records.
This week, Ribbon Skirt share the shimmery “Earth Eater,” alongside a music video featuring camcorder footage of Buswa’s family in the ‘90s.
Bite Down is out April 11 on Mint Records.
The Serfs - "Bodies In Water"
Minimal Synth, Dream Pop
via Future Shock Recordings
I love me some synthesizers. Listen to the latest single from Cincinnati’s The Serfs and surrender yourself to them.
This Is Lorelei & MJ Lenderman - "Dancing in the Club (MJ Lenderman Version)"
Alt-Country, Indie Rock
via Double Double Whammy
Last year, Nate Amos (Water From Your Eyes, My Idea) shared his latest album as This Is Lorelei with Box For Buddy, Box For Star. This week, the NY-based artist is announcing a deluxe edition of the album, led by MJ Lenderman’s cover of “Dancing In The Club.”
“I really loved working on the MJ version of ‘Dancing In The Club’ — Jake is chill af and mad talented. More so than any other song I’ve written this one was dreamt up for others to sing, so it was pretty freaky watching it fall into place with someone like Jake handling lead vocals,” Amos says.
The deluxe edition of Box for Buddy, Box For Star also features Snail Mail’s take on “Two Legs,” and Amos’ father and sister covering “Angel’s Eye.” It’s out April 25 on Double Double Whammy.
Viagra Boys - "The Bog Body"
Dance-Punk, Post-Punk
via Shrimptech Enterprises
Swedish punks Viagra Boys get a little dark and dirty on “The Bog Body.” Following “Uno II” and “Man Made of Meat” it’s the third single from their upcoming fourth record, Viagr Aboys—which is out April 25 on Shrimptech Enterprises.
Why Bother? - "Listen"
Garage Punk
via Feel It Records
Defiant and blown-out fuzz-pop (with some nice and squiggly synth) from Iowa’s Why Bother? Since 2021, the group has put out seven albums; for a change of pace, “Listen” headlines the band’s first EP, You Are Part of the Experiment. The five-track project is out April 18 on Feel It Records.
Peter's Picks
Backxwash - Only Dust Remains
Experimental Hip-Hop, Abstract Hip-Hop
via Ugly Hag Records
Deafheaven - Lonely People With Power
Blackgaze, Post-Metal
via Roadrunner Records
In-between the searing black metal sphere and glaring soundscapes of shoegaze sits Deafheaven. Lonely People with Power is the band’s sixth studio album.
Abhorrent afflictions twist on the inside. The sweetest of sour springs. Hazy cascades of sunburnt snow. The most beautiful of trees which bears burnt fruit. The tree appears to be strong—years of shrieking winds has kept it busy—but internal affairs keep it from its blooming potential. The birds rarely dwell here, if ever. They're certain scavengers, but they look elsewhere for an inkling of nourishment.
Deafheaven have returned with their best since the band's breakthrough—you know the one. Lonely People with Power is out now via Roadrunner.
Black Country, New Road - "For the Cold Country"
Progressive Folk, Art Rock
via Ninja Tune
With the release of their upcoming album Forever Howlong around the corner, Black Country, New Road return with their third single, the six-minute "For the Cold Country." You get the sense that the band have finally found their feet and themselves once again after the departure of the band’s pivotal former frontman Isaac Wood; the air of comfort within the discomfort has begun to shine through. A belief in the relatively newfound direction is apparent.
BC, NR's upcoming album Forever Howlong releases April 4 via Ninja Tune.
Floating Points - "Dexion"
Microhouse, Progressive House
via Cartoon Network / Milan Records
As is Kamasi Washington's "Vortex," "Dexion" is of the LAZARUS soundtrack. Slow to start, "Dexion" builds to become a dense, racing electronic piece. The track has a destination in mind and nothing will get in its way. Bonobo is also featured on said soundtrack—with the track "Fall" out now.
The music from LAZARUS will have you in prime position to dive right in.
Kamasi Washington - "Vortex"
Spiritual Jazz
via Cartoon Network / Milan Records
Made for the LAZARUS anime series, the jazz-infused sounds of contemporary powerhouse Kamasi Washington exude a musical lushness, a gravitas of light-as-a-feather fervor. "Vortex" sees Washington and co. conjure up clear skies. The show is set to thematically revolve around a miracle drug called Hapna, a so-called "Happiness" drug. Will it all be as simple as it may seem?
I have not seen the series as it is yet to be released, so I will offer no words on it; the Kamasi addition to the series' music, however, is sublime. It will have you itching to jump headfirst into the series, directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, who also directed the anime classic Cowboy Bebop! LAZARUS, comprised of 13 episodes, begins airing April 5 on Adult Swim.
Taxidermy - "Impending"
Post-Rock, Post-Punk
via Pink Cotton Candy Records
Released “as an omen” for their upcoming EP, Taxidermy—the Copenhagen-based collective led by Osvald Reinhold—inject a tense sub-six-minute musical bout into the world. A throbbing bass guitar sits beneath Hitchcock-like strings as Taxidermy make their way through the brooding landscape of "Impending." Would you rather be pulled apart by horses, or be pulled apart by your own choices?
"Impending" is out now via Pink Cotton Candy Records. The Copenhagen-based collective's upcoming Let Go EP is out May 16.
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