Alternative New Music Friday #Happens

February 16th, 2024

Happy Friday! Big week for Pearl Jam with the return of their new single “Dark Matter,” already building Top 15 on the Alternative chart following #1 Most Added! New Music Friday with IDLES as the UK band released their fifth album today. Vampire Weekend release first new music in 5 years and annouce a 39-date tour. Dexter And The Moonrocks sign with Severance Records, the new division of Big Loud Rock.

Nik Rivers at Stephens Media Group/Rochester, NY checks in. He is looking for a Promotions Director. Greg Glover from KNRK (94/7)/Portland, OR shares a photo from this week’s 94/7 Session with Silversun Pickups.

This Week’s New Music Discovery Downloads

Pearl Jam “Dark Matter” (Monkeywrench/Republic)  

Seattle’s Pearl Jam released their new single “Dark Matter” on February 13th. It’s the title track from the band’s upcoming 12th album (produced by Andrew Watt), set to drop on April 19th. It’s Pearl Jam’s first new studio album since Gigaton in 2020. The new album was previewed at a listening party at the Troubadour in West Hollywood during GRAMMY week. Eddie Vedder said, “I’m getting chills, because I have good memories. We’re still looking for ways to communicate. We’re at this time in our lives when you could do it or you could not do it, but we still care about putting something out there that is meaningful and we hopefully think is our best work. No hyperbole, I think this is our best work.” Pearl Jam has U.S. tour dates beginning May 10th in Portland, OR. Find all the tour dates HERE.

New Music Friday With IDLES

Bristol UK’s IDLES release their fifth album, TANGK, via Partisan. The 11-track album was co-produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, The Smile, Beck), the band’s Mark Bowen and Kenny Beats (Denzel Curry, Vince Staples, Benee). In an explosive run of unerringly stirring albums, TANGK—pronounced “tank” with a whiff of the “g” and an onomatopoeic reference to the lashing way the band imagined the guitars sounding that has grown into a sort of sigil for living in love – is this band’s most ambitious and striking record yet. 

Speaking about the album, lead singer Joe Talbot says, “TANGK. I needed love. So I made it. I gave love out to the world and it feels like magic. This is our album of gratitude and power. All love songs. All is love.”

The lead single “Dancer” features LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and Nancy Whang). Talbot said, “I give myself to you/As long as you move on the floor.” 

TANK is the followup to IDLES releasing their GRAMMY-nominated CRAWLER album in 2021. The band’s previous albums are Ultra Mono (2020), Joy As An Act of Resistance (2018), and Brutalism (2017).

New Music Friday Albums To Check Out Today

Grandaddy – Blu Wav (Dangerbird)

IDLES – TANGK (Partisan)

Laura Jane Grace – Hole In My Head (Polyvinyl)

Max Frost – Shelby Ave., Pt. 1 (EP) (Nettwerk)

Middle Kids – Faith Crisis Pt 1 (Lucky Number)

Mother Mother – Grief Chapter (Warner)

Omni – Souvenir (Sub Pop)

Royel Otis – Pratts & Pain (Royel Otis/ABC)

MORE ALT ALBUMS HERE

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