New Music This Week: May 9
- BLIGATORY
- May 15
- 10 min read
highlighting new music by Artificial Go, billy woods, Cola, Florry, Lifeguard, Koanashi, forty winks, MIKE & 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 May 9.
BLIGATORY Picks
billy woods - GOLLIWOG
Experimental Hip-Hop, Abstract Hip-Hop
via Backwoodz Studioz
write-up by Peter Doherty
The stone-cold etiquette of billy woods manifests itself in his latest project, GOLLIWOG, where woods once again shows his mastery of words. The fibrous tissue of intellect which keeps sanity standing straight, words often have this power to transform the world around us. Words paint pictures of beauty, horror and everything in between. Pick them at your peril.
Night terrors that wake you in cold sweat. Daydreams that steal the present moment. Your subconscious sends signals to your being. Life isn't what it seems.
Beats supplied by El-P, The Alchemist, and Kenny Segal (among many others) make it a star-studded cast on the soundscape front. Hip-Hop does not manifest itself in safer hands.
I've more than likely said this before, and will more than likely say it again, there are three things that are guaranteed in life: death, taxes and billy woods delivering an album of the year contender.
Artificial Go - "Hallelujah"
Indie Rock, Art Punk
via Feel It Records
Cincinnati trio Artificial Go share “Hallelujah,” the second and final single from their upcoming sophomore album. Musical Chairs is out May 16 on Feel It Records; Peter wrote about it ahead of its release, and you can read his review here.
Cola - "Mendicant"
Indie Rock
via Fire Talk Records
write-up by Peter Doherty
Montreal three-piece Cola release their latest single "Mendicant." The track houses a very Irish feel as tin whistle and Uileann Pipes, AKA bagpipes—instruments that bassist Ben Stidworthy has been learning in his spare time—are put to good use.
About the song’s writing, frontman Tim Darcy says, "The lyrics are a playful investigation of being a humble beggar of sorts, a person freed from need with their aura primed to headnod to some whistle.”
Cola head on an EU tour, beginning in Ireland for eight dates towards the end of May and the start of June. Typically, Ireland will get no more than three dates on their side of the tour. It's nice to see the Emerald Isle get more time and attention from an act. Kudos to Cola.
"Mendicant" is out now via Fire Talk.
Florry - "Pretty Eyes Lorraine"
Country Rock
via Dear Life Records
write-up by Dominick Baglivo
Following “Hey Baby” and “First it was a movie, then it was a book,” Florry share their third single of the year with “Pretty Eyes Lorraine.” Presumably the final single from their upcoming album Sounds Like…, the track is a live staple for the Philly country-rock crew.
In a press release, Francie Medosch had this to say about the song:
"In my fourth year of studying German in undergrad, something I did in the hopes of connecting with my German heritage, which was something I had never cared about until then, I discovered I had ancestors from the historical region Alsace-Lorraine. We had been learning specifically about Alsace-Lorraine then and how the land was disputed between France and Germany for its coal deposits, helpful in wartime. At this time France was combatting these disputes by using linguistic mapping, which divided sections of Alsace Lorraine into areas of language. At times they would remove those who did not speak French from areas they determined were French. It was during this part of the course my sister took a DNA test and we found out we aren't German at all, which is when I realized my bloodline must have left Ireland for Alsace Lorraine, changed their name from Mud/Mudgett to Medosch (for further research, look up my blood relative H.H. Holmes), learned German, and then got kicked out for not knowing French, which is why Medoschs only live in Austria, Ohio, and Pennsylvania now.
It was a bummer of sorts at the time to lose this sense of connection I had to such a beautiful land I had often dreamed of visiting. In some ways, before it had given me a sense of home and identity I hadnt known or even really cared about before, just to know I was a small part of Alsace Lorraine, the Rhine River, and history.
So this song is about that, John Bergers "To The Wedding", beauty misconstrued for purpose and fulfillment, waking up from a dream, and maybe a bit of Big Trouble in Little China., the tea is amazing, great sound, great crowds, great lights, great everything.”
Sounds Like… is out May 23 via Dear Life Records.
Lifeguard - "Under Your Reach"
Indie Rock, Noise Pop, Post-Punk
via Matador Records
write-up by Peter Doherty
Chicago three-piece Lifeguard continue their journey to the debut album with the second single. "Under Your Reach" opens on a soundscape very reminiscent of This Heat: noisy, industrial, and dissonant. It sounds like the songs released so far—"It Will Get Worse" and "Under Your Reach"—were manifested inside scathing cold studios. Spaces where the air conditioning units were set to work overtime, all the time. Shed of any warmth, "Under Your Reach," and, if the singles are anything to go by, the album, will provide a chilly breeze to the hot streets of city life over the coming months. A cooling down of overheated, comatose mental states.
One that's been on the radar of many a music fan for a while now, Lifeguard’s debut album, Ripped and Torn, is out June 6 via Matador.
Atticus' Picks
Grant Pavol - Left That Party (EP)
Power Pop, Folk Rock
via Sonder House
Men I Trust - Equus Caballus
Bedroom Pop, Dream Pop
Self-Released
MIKE & Tony Seltzer - Pinball II
Cloud Rap, Trap
via 10k
Dominick's Picks
Deradoorian - Ready For Heaven
Neo-Psychedelia, Post-Punk
via Fire Records
Flooding - "your silence is my favorite song"
Noise Rock, Sludge Metal
Self-Released
Kansas City trio Flooding share “your silence is my favorite song,” their first offering since the crushing presence of their 2023 sophomore album, Silhouette Machine. Swaying between loud and quiet—trudging through a haze of noise and fuzz—the single wrestles with self-loathing and fragility.
forty winks - "noise"
Math Rock, Noise Pop
via Crafted Sounds
Pittsburgh newcomers forty winks announce their first EP alongside the new track “noise.” The four-piece hurled themselves into my regular rotation with their debut single, “Spurs,” back in December. That one has stayed on repeat, and they will both appear on their upcoming debut EP, Love Is a Dog From Hell.
In many ways, “noise” is similar to “Spurs.” Both tracks are shifty displays of forty winks’ musicianship and unique “hyper rock” (as tagged on Bandcamp) sound. But rather than the crush-and-release dynamic heard on “Spurs,” “noise” is embedded with a catchy and poppier feel.
Band member Cilia (bass/vocals) had this to say about the single:
“‘noise’ is a song that the band completely collaborated on. We all spent hours together working out the perfect composition and vocal harmonies. Cilia wrote the lyrics after taking a route home in her hometown that she hasn’t taken for years.”
Not available on the major streaming platforms, “noise” premiered exclusively through Nina Protocol, a music platform where artists and labels receive 100% of the revenue from digital music sales. Additionally, the track can also be found on Bandcamp.
Love Is a Dog From Hell is out May 23 via Crafted Sounds. forty winks will play a release show the following night, May 24, alongside Gaadge and ear training.
Guerilla Toss - "Psychosis Is Just a Number"
Dance-Punk, Neo-Psychedelia
via Sub Pop Records
Guerilla Toss are back with “Psychosis Is Just a Number,” their first new material since they made their Sub Pop debut in 2022 with Famously Alive. Produced by Stephen Malkmus and mixed by Jorge Elbrecht, it’s classic GT: bouncy, weird, psychedelic, and fun.
In addition to the single, Guerilla Toss announced a few shows in NY for the fall, with more to be announced soon.
Kaonashi - "Red Sink, Yellow Teeth"
Mathcore, Djent
via Equal Vision
Kaonashi continue their blistering streak with their fourth single of 2025, “Red Sink, Yellow Teeth.” Taken from their upcoming album, I Want To Go Home, the punishing new track follows last month’s “When I Say,” as well as the two singles from February.
Out June 6 on Equal Vision, I Want To Go Home is the follow-up to 2021’s Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year and the two companion EPs Kaonashi released last year— The 3 Faces Of Beauty: A Violent Misinterpretation Of Morgan Montgomery and A Second Chance At Forever: The Brilliant Lies From Casey Diamond.
Kilynn Lunsford - "Promiscuous Genes"
Experimental, Art Punk
via Feel It Records
Experimental artist and former frontwoman of Taiwan Housing Project, Kilynn Lunsford, shares the title track from her upcoming Promiscuous Genes. Her second single of 2025, it follows last month’s “Nice Quiet Horror Show.”
Out May 16 on Feel It Records, Promiscuous Genes is Lunsford’s second solo record, following her 2020 debut, Custodians of Human Succession.
Lawn - "Sports Gun"
Indie Rock
via Exploding In Sound Records
New Orleans’ Lawn—the duo of Mac Folger and Rui De Magalhaes—share their first single in three years with “Sports Gun.” The punchy, biting indie rock single is also the band’s label debut for Exploding In Sound. It’s my first introduction to Lawn, and if it’s any indication of their typical sound, they’re an obvious fit for the Chicago label alongside bands like Washer, Ovlov, and more.
Rui De Magalhaes says of the track:
"Sports Gun is supposed to be written from the point of view of a coach/parental figure who pushes the subject to their absolute limit without regard for them otherwise. It came from a short story I wrote pre-pandemic. The idea was that any trauma - long or short term notwithstanding - would only be implied, if that, and that we only get to experience the narrative through a very thin, biased lens. It’s a frail attempt at writing something inspired by Julio Cortazar, but I still thought it fit the drive of the song. It is supposed to be more about the lengths some people go to accomplish something, conflating happiness with ambition, and overall being inept at being content.
I knew that we were going to an actual studio this time around, so we built the song around the idea that it would sound “heavier” for us. We had wanted to record with Greg [Obis] and really loved the sound he was getting from his own music, so we were open to the notion of layering as much noise as we could. The original demo had a slightly different beat and I sort of rapped the lyrics. Once we got into the studio and everyone started adding their own take, I just went for the yell instead."
Les Lullies - "A L'Etroit" / Split System - "Chemicals"
Punk Rock, Power Pop / Garage Punk, Punk Rock
via Legless Records
A French-Australian connection, Montpellier’s Les Lullies pair with Melbourne’s Split System on a new split single. The two bursts of high-energy, no-frills punk come by way of Australian label Legless Records, and three different versions of the 7” are available via Bandcamp.
Swallow the Rat - "MMA Math"
Noise Rock
Self-Released
Australian noise rock trio Swallow the Rat announced a new EP alongside the wiry, noisy rock sounds of lead single “MMA Math.” The self-released Face Unpopular is out May 23.
Teethe - "Magic Of The Sale"
Indie Rock, Dream Pop
via Winspear
Simply beautiful stuff, really, on the new single from Texas four-piece Teethe. The lead single and title track to their sophomore album, “Magic Of The Sale” feels bolder than anything on their 2020 self-titled debut. Strings and pianos are at the heart of an engulfing, but reassuring wave of reflection; “Magic Of The Sale” evokes sentimentality, melancholy, and nostalgia, but it never quite crosses the threshold of true sadness.
As the band puts it, the track is “about the endurance of pain and what you would sacrifice to relieve it. It’s facing judgment for how you process the pain in your life and the turmoil that follows.”
Helping the band flesh out a fuller sound, the upcoming Magic Of The Sale features guest contributions from Xandy Chelmis of Wednesday, Charlie Martin of Hovvdy, Logan Hornyak of Melaina Kol, and more.
Magic Of The Sale is out August 8 via Winspear. In addition to the album’s news, Teethe announced a headline tour for the US this Fall/Winter.
U.S. Girls - "Bookends"
Progressive Pop, Psychedelic Soul
via 4AD
A new U.S. Girls album is on the way, and lead single “Bookends” is a long one with a lot going on, at nearly 12 minutes. Scratch It is out June 20 on 4AD.
Peter's Picks
Alien Chicks - Forbidden Fruit
Post-Punk, Art Punk, Experimental Rock
via So Recordings / Hideous Mink Records
South London three-piece Alien Chicks release their second EP. For those not in the know, Alien Chicks traverse many lanes; punk, hip-hop, and they even dip into a jazzier feel at times. They're young dogs and know many tricks.
There certainly is a theatrical element to Alien Chicks’ material. A sort of “who's laughing now” element to their sardonic witticisms. You've settled down for dinner at a fine-dining restaurant and the waiter places the plate in front of you jovially, pulls off the cloche, and reveals a delightful range of bugs and leeches. Lather them leaches in butter. Feast up, chaps. Easy-peasy, put the poison in the Dairylea. Regurgitate the slosh to your children. What a fine time, wouldn't you say?
The slinky man— who we got to know on the bands first EP—whose pastimes include cumming-in-a-wine-glass and fluffing and flaunting, rears his repulsive head once more on "I've Become A Palm Tree." He's a real gentleman.
BANG. and the dirt is gone.
Forbidden Fruit is out now via Hideous Mink and SO Recordings.
pencil - Bohemian Clutter
Art Rock, Progressive Pop
via The State51 Conspiracy
London five-piece Pencil release their debut project. The EP's lead single, "Silent Corners," found its way into my being back in March, and, if following in the same lane, the EP promised a lucid, dreamy feel. Named after Hermann Hesse's Steppenwolf, the project does indeed feel like a work of great care, just as a book feels worked over, and over.
The Bohemian Clutter EP harbours a pastoral breeze, a slight but swift air. The instrumentals are nicely spaced; the vocals are close and intimate. The six-track EP holds a lush, green space within its tender hands.
Now you hold the pencil, the Bohemian Clutter EP is out now via State51.
Pencil have upcoming UK dates throughout May, including gigs in Bristol, London and Nottingham.
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