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 discovered what new alternative and indie albums have been released. This week’s notable artists include King Krule and Low. Check out the list below:
Hawthorne Heights – The Rain Just Follows Me
Hawthorne Heights, firmly known as A Day in the Life, have released their eighth studio album, The Rain Just Follows Me, via Pure Noise Records. This follows the band’s 2018 Bad Frequencies. The band previously released “Constant Dread,” with Brendan Murphy from Counterparts. The band will go on tour this fall, supporting Bayside.
“The most unbelievable part of this story is that this entire album was written and recorded BEFORE the pandemic,” singer JT Woodruff says. “We want to create the best songs that are accurate depictions of our lives and connect to other people through our songs. I hope this record helps people understand that others are thinking like them—and thinking about them. Everyone gets poured on in life; we want to provide an umbrella.”
King Krule – You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down
English singer-songwriter King Krule, otherwise known as Archy Marshall, has released his first live album, You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down, via XL Recordings. The album has 17 songs on it all across the London artist’s discography. Along with the album, Krule has also released a film with the same name. The film, captured by Reuben Bastienne-Lewis, features Marshall and co. performing right before the pandemic started. The band mainly performs in Amsterdam and Paris. One of the first songs released from this album was “Stoned Again.”
“Once spilt into the cheap 4-tracks and pirate software, now collosos energy redeemed into small diaphragms,” Krule said in a statement. “Sat on toilets imagining the moment other animals would sing the very vibrations back to them. Climbing a ladder of fulfillment that fulfills neither need nor want, but in ascent, maybe the organized grouping of heartbeats pounding into the universe for an hour and a half would not be better spent. I felt comfortable for once, young and uncomfortable with a tunnel of anxiety to walk through.”
Low – Hey What
Low has released their 13th studio album, Hey What, via Sub Pop Records. This follows the band’s 2018 Double Negative. This is the third record BJ Burton has produced for the band. Bon Iver, Charlie XCX, and Lizza all make musical appearances in this album. This is the first album without Steve Garrington, who left the band last year. The departure officially makes Low a duo for the first time in their career, with just Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Park in the band.
“Focusing on their craft, staying out of the fray, and holding fast their faith to find new ways to express the discord and delight of being alive, to turn the duality of existence into hymns we can share, Low present HEY WHAT,” the band said in a statement. “These ten pieces—each built around their own instantaneous, undeniable hook—are turbocharged by the vivid textures that surround them. The ineffable, familiar harmonies of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker break through the chaos like a life raft. Layers of distorted sound accrete with each new verse – building, breaking, colossal then restrained, a solemn vow only whispered. There will be time to unravel and attribute meaning to the music and art of these times, but the creative moment looks FORWARD, with teeth.”
The Vaccines – Back in Love City
English indie rock band The Vaccines have released their fifth studio album, Back in Love Cit, via AWAL and Sony Music. This follows the band’s2018 Combat Sports. Five singles have been released ahead of the album, “Headphones Baby,” the title track, “Alone Star,” “El Paso,” and “Jump Off the Top.” Earlier this year, The Vaccines released a covers EP called Cosy Karaoke Vol. 1, feature covers of Waxahatchee, Queens of the Stone Age, Buffalo Springfield, and The Tornadoes. The band will go on tour next year in support of this album.
“In some obvious ways, we’re more connected than ever,” frontman Justin Young explained. “But we’re also more polarised than we’ve been for 100 years, and the world is getting colder. What if there was a place where love and other emotions had run dry – but you could go to Love City to get them?”
The Band Camino – The Band Camino
Nashville-based rock band, The Band Camino, has released the debut self-titled album via Elektra Records. The band, which originally started in Memphis, has released three EPs before this, most recently 2019’s Tryhard. The band released four singles before this release, including “Roses,” “1 Last Cigarette,” “Sorry Mom,” and “Know it All.” The new record was recorded in 40 days at a ranch in Texas. They aimed to remove themself entirely from society for their music.
“We really feel like the album showcases the multifaceted soundscape that is The Band Camino,” the band said in a statement. “We’re excited to be able to share it with the world finally.”