BY: JOEY REAMS
On Fridays, the world is blessed with new music from a handful of artists. To help you find your next favorite album, we’ve found what new alternative and indie albums have been released. Some notable artists this week include Andrew Bird & Jimbo Mathus, Kings of Leon, and Tigers Jaw. Check out the full list below:
Alex Bleeker – Heaven on the Faultline
Alex Bleeker, the bassist for indie rock band Real Estate, released Heaven on the Faultline, his first full-length release in five years.
“I wanted to capture the moment in which I fell in love with making music, to begin with,” said Bleeker. “This is music for myself-me getting back to music for music’s sake.”
Andrew Bird and Jimbo Mathus – These 13
Grammy-nominated indie rock singer Andrew Bird joined forces with Jimbo Mathus from Squirrel Nuts Zippers for a new collaborative album, These 13.
“Up until meeting Jimbo, all my musical heroes were dead,” Bird said in a statement. “Jimbo was anything but and just oozed musicality of a kind I thought was extinct. Had I not met Jimbo, who knows, but I think my music would have gone on a much more cerebral, complex trajectory. He is an enigma, a walking contradiction: wild yet refined, worldly yet colloquial. He represents his own branch of the American musical tree. It’s been my dream for years now to make this record with Jimbo. Just guitar, fiddle, and our very different voices. I wanted to make sure you can really hear him as if for the first time.”
Arab Strap – As Days Get Dark
Arab Strap, a Scottish indie rock band, consisting of members Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton, have released their 7th studio album, As Days Get Dark.
“It’s about hopelessness and darkness,” says Moffat. “But in a fun way.”
Fruit Bats – The Pet Parade
Chicago rock band Fruit Bats have released their ninth studio album, The Pet Parade, celebrating 20 years of the solo indie-folk project from lead singer Eric D. Johnson.
“It took me like 16 years for it to really get going,” says Johnson. “So really, I’m like four years into things working, which is weird. Songwriting-wise, I just try to get better every day.”
Ian Sweet – Show Me How You Disappear
Indie rock musician Ian Sweet, also known as Jillian Medford, has released her third full-length album, Show Me How to Disappear, via Polyvinyl Records.
“That’s definitely a common theme throughout the record—finding my breath,” Medford recently told American Songwriter. “It’s the same as finding my voice, standing my ground. If you can breathe, you’re pretty good. You’re making your way in the world if you can breathe, and that’s something that I have to remind myself of—something so simple.”
Kings of Leon – When You See Yourself
Grammy-winning artist Kings of Leon has released their eighth studio album When You See Yourself, their first album since 2016.
“We know a lot of people would love us to come out with long hair and mustaches, to be the guys from ‘Youth & Young Manhood’ again, but we’re a different band now,” lead singer Caleb Followill told NME for their cover story.
The Microphones – Foghorn Tape
Washington-based rock band The Microphones has released Foghorn Tape, an ambient LP on cassette and vinyl. You can order your copy here.
Lead singer Phil Elverum said that it is a “clear vinyl LP of background noise,” which means “no songs, no music limited edition, no digital option.”
Postdata – Twin Flames
Canadian indie rock band Wintersleep’s lead singer, Paul Murphy, has released his third album, Twin Flames, with his side project band Postdata.
“I didn’t really know what to do with this song at first,” said Murphy. “It has this open-hearted feeling to it, and I usually try and mess with a song lyrically or darken it up when there’s something musically so light and warm…I don’t know why that’s always the inclination. For this, though, and maybe it was because I completed it during the first lockdown period. I wanted to really celebrate that warmness or joyous quality, to lift it up, endow it. It helped. I hope it lifts you up a little bit too.”
The Spill Canvas – Conduit
South Dakota rock band The Spill Canvas returns with their first full-length album since 2012, Conduit. This is the band’s first album with their new label, Pure Noise Records.
“We’re so incredibly excited to join the Pure Noise family!” said lead singer Nick Thomas. “It’s a true honor to be a part of such an amazing roster of talent on a label that puts their artists first.”
Tigers Jaw – I Won’t Care How You Remember Me
From Scranton, Pennsylvania, Tigers Jaw has released their sixth album, I Won’t Care How You Remember Me.
“The title track is my favorite,” said lead singer Ben Walsh. “It’s a song that I was able to get very honest, and very vulnerable with some of my personal experiences and write from a very honest, personal viewpoint. And so it’s special in that regard. And I think its place on the record is really important. It’s like the introduction to the whole musical and lyrical theme of the record.”