Here are our picks of the international top 10 tracks that are out now.
1. Mae Krell releases ‘Colourblind’
New York-based singer-songwriter Mae Krell releases their new single, “colorblind.” Written and recorded in quarantine, “colorblind” was created remotely from start to finish with the help of producer and multi-instrumentalist Jakob Leventhal. Over swirling, sliding guitars and sparse drums, Mae grieves the end of a relationship in painful and relatable detail: “I squeezed your hand, you flinched / The skies turned black, I blinked / I never practiced my goodbyes / I didn’t think that I had to.” Mae’s sharp lyrics and aching vocals brim with palpable emotion as they call back memories of a love that once was.
“I wrote ‘colorblind’ in the midst of what I thought was going to be the end of a relationship with the first girl I ever truly fell in love with,” Mae says of the inspiration behind the single. “I’ll be the first to admit that I feel everything too much, but during the couple of days that this was going on, I really felt like the world was ending. I was wildly sad while also being very restless in a way that I had never experienced before.”
2. The Ziggens release ‘Rev It Up’
Long-running and influential Southern California “cowpunksurfabilly” purveyors The Ziggens are celebrating 30 years as a band this summer by releasing the 19 track album ‘Oregon’, their first 19 years.
While always skirting around the edges of the underground, the band’s mighty legion of fans has included such luminaries as Bradley Nowell (who signed them to the Skunk Records label, covered their track “Big Salty Tears”, and for years enlisted them to tour as Sublime’s opening act), the late Josh Fischel of Bargain Music, and a young Travis Barker who was often seen up front at the band’s early shows.
Throughout the band’s 30 year existence, they’ve maintained their original lineup and continued to tour, while also working on various side projects such as bassist Jon Poutney’s supergroup Volcano with Meat Puppets frontman Curt Kirkwood, Sublime drummer Bud Gaugh, and Sublime soundman Michael ‘Miguel’ Happoldt, and Ziggens frontman Bert Susanka’s children’s music act Jelly of the Month Club (also with Gaugh),
“Rev It Up” is the first single off The Ziggens’ forthcoming album ‘Oregon.”
3. Fletcher releases her latest track ‘Healing’
FLETCHER returns with her new single “Healing,” a powerful anthem to reflect the times — one of self-awareness and discovery. Download/stream “Healing” HERE. “Healing” finds the acclaimed singer/songwriter reclaiming her inner strength, making a natural progression from her critically-lauded EP THE S(EX) TAPES, a boldly personal project executive-produced by Malay (Lorde, Frank Ocean).
“I’ve spent my whole life looking for answers on how to be better — emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually, intellectually,” says FLETCHER. “I thought, ‘If I can just figure out the secret, all my problems will be solved.’ As if everyone had the fix but me. Between different relationships, doctors, healers, crystals, self-help books, medications, podcasts, you name it, I sought it out. All my value was placed externally. And though those things have guided me on my journey and led me to where I am now, the thing I was missing was right in front of me. My own strength and love and soul has always been there, but I couldn’t see that. This song is the foundation of what’s to come…an era of healing…and feeling myself for the first time ever.”
Co-written with Scott Harris (Shawn Mendes, Khalid) and ALDAE (Justin Bieber, Kid Laroi), “Healing” is rooted in the raw emotional intimacy that FLETCHER is known for and offers her most gripping vocal performance to date.
“The process of making this song was really freeing,” says FLETCHER. “We’re all healing from something,” she says. “The world is healing right now. I can feel the collective energy of people waking up to their power and connecting to themselves in a way that humanity never has before. Healing isn’t a linear process, and it’ll take you on the most insane rollercoaster ride of your life. But it’s worth the view at the top.”
4. Kream release their remix of ‘Hear Me Say’
Norwegian duo KREAM have unveiled their remix of ‘Hear Me Say’, the latest Jonas Blue smash in collaboration with Swedish talent LÉON.
Bringing a darker edge to Jonas Blue’s summer anthem, KREAM’s remix of ‘Hear Me Say’ utilises tension-filled synths beneath LÉON’s emotive vocals, creating an atmospheric techno stomper befitting of any festival mainwww. It marks the first remix of ‘Hear Me Say’, which has so far amassed over 14 million global streams since its release last month.
5. Nashvilles TONYB releases new track ‘Doubt Me’
TONYB releases latest single “Doubt Me” was written during a period of trying to find his stride after hitting the ground running. He shares, “This record is actually one that I’ve had in the vault for a while, but has never felt like the right time to release it.” Having decided to move from Los Angeles back to Nashville due to the pandemic, TONYB. was going through a transitional point in his life, just hoping that things would naturally fall into place. He explains, “You have a lot of eyes on you back home and of course there are those people who expect you to fail and aren’t necessarily rooting for you. That combined with struggling to find my stride out in LA the first year, lit a fire inside of me that I’ve never had before. I channelled all of that frustration and pressure into this song. And even though I didn’t necessarily have as much confidence at the time writing it, I was sort of writing it for myself to help me build that confidence.”
“Doubt Me” encompasses self-confidence, vulnerability and living 100% authentically. Headstrong, witty and a little bit tongue and cheek, TONYB. delivers his message with no hesitation. Co-produced by long-time collaborator Jon O’Hara, “Doubt Me” has a fierce undertone while still maintaining the beauty of his soulful vocals and honest lyrics. The production has a more streamlined drill influence amongst the pulsing 808’s and echoing melodies that scream power and confidence. The experimental feel shines through with TONYB.’s stamp sealing the deal that this is just a more empowered version of the artist’s music. The fresh, modern hip hop tinge and sultry tone radiates through the track, eliciting a unique and memorable sound.
6. Marineris releases new track ‘Prick’
Watch the music video for Marineris’ brand new single ‘Prick’ and you may spot some parallels to Nirvana’s grunge classic ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Sonically, Marineris channels Nirvana’s iconic 90’s grunge sound, but look a bit closer and you’ll notice more similarities.
The overalls? They are the same as the dancing janitor with his mop bucket. The pompoms? You’ll recognise them from the way the macabre cheerleaders flail them around throughout the video. Marineris puts a very gen-z twist on it with a cardboard cutout of Timothée Chalame and other pop-culture references which are fed through a paper shredder.
Behind the name ‘Marineris’ is Alex, a 23-year-old singer, songwriter and producer obsessed with creating his musical world from scratch, from writing the songs, to production to creating his music videos. Marineris wrote and recorded ‘Prick’, as well as self-directed and produced the music video.
Speaking of the track, Marineris says,
“Prick’s pop-punk-like genre is a combination of pop-culture influenced lyrics, infectious guitar riff and trap-drums. It’s a reaction to the idea that material objects are capable of making you truly happy; these can bring you moments of happiness or comfort, but how long does that realistically last? ‘Prick’ is a pop culture opus that uses heavier, more provocative instrumentals to attract attention to the lyrics.
7. Arsenal Mills release “songs About Love’
Just in time for the summer — and vaccination — season, Canadian blues rock band Arsenal Mills is back with another retro-fueled rock n’ roll tease ahead of their upcoming debut EP. An absolute breath of fresh air in terms of modern rock, “Songs About Love” is available now!
Unlike the PEI-based outfit’s previous single, “Cry No More” — which is a perfect tune for driving at a high speed, windows down, in the middle of summer — “Songs About Love” is an emotional journey of rock n’ roll which really pulls at the heartstrings. Arsenal Mills frontman Brad Milligan says it “touches on the idea of innocence” and that it’s about “being young and naive.”
“I wanted the main character to be someone who hasn’t experienced all the joys and heartache that love brings,” Milligan says. “All they know about love is what they’ve heard about it in songs on the radio, which to me is such an interesting concept.”
With that concept in mind, it seems fitting that this song (about love) kicks off with a piano hook sent from the heavens. Though it was played by one-off guest pianist Ben Aitken, it is genuinely such a memorable piece of music that it’s bound to become an instant classic in the modern rock scene.
Slap a soulful electric guitar solo, tickling drum fills and a chorus that begs for mass audience participation in the mix and you’ve got yourself a metaphorical ear message. These enchanting musical elements make “Songs About Love” the perfect track to raise your lighters (or phones) to.
And it won’t be long… Once these guys break the scene, it’ll be a stadium anthem in no time at all — with music-lovers from all walks of life will be screaming their hearts out to it together.
8. Marc Ribler releases new track ‘Fly Away’
Marc Ribler, singer-songwriter-musician-
Of the new song, Ribler says, “Steven and I completely reworked the arrangement on this one. That transformation brought the song to a whole other level and made it worthy of being a featured track on the album.”
As society prepares to re-emerge from the suspended animation of the past year, thoughts of the simple pleasures we’ve missed help motivate many of us. While mostly written and recorded before the pandemic, it’s that type of hopefulness for brighter days ahead which informs Marc Ribler’s striking new solo album The Whole World Awaits, releasing Friday, July 16 on Wicked Cool Records.
“I started to feel that the world was not coming to an end, more that it was just a major healing crisis,” says Ribler of the early quarantine era in spring 2020, when he made his way back to finish the album he’d recorded the bulk of in February 2017. Most of these twelve new original songs, written between 2005 and 2020, were tracked in the studio during a brief respite from his work as guitarist and musical director for Little Steven & The Disciples Of Soul’s world tour, a multi-year jaunt which ended just months before the pandemic.
9. Nick Ryan releases ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’
Alternative/Pop-Rock singer/songwriter Nick Ryan is back with a new single! You can listen to “Don’t Hold Your Breath” HERE!
With edgy lyrics like I’ve been fighting for my rights, but feel taken for granted, “Don’t Hold Your Breath” showcases an array of different emotions that can come after a betrayal.
“Don’t Hold Your Breath (co-written with Sarah McSweeney) is a song about letting go of a toxic relationship – whether it be love, or in my case, a friendship,” Nick explains. “It’s a response to people that don’t hold you in a high regard. You’re giving and they are only taking. They emotionally drain you, so if they try to crawl their way back into your life, tell them don’t hold your breath. I was inspired by that catchphrase which was used in a very old Nickelodeon show called ‘My Brother and Me.’ The quote is the only part I remember from that show, as it was only 13 episodes. I have many nods to 90s television throughout my album.”
10. Charlie Worsham releases ‘Half Drunk’ and new EP
Acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Charlie Worsham will release his anticipated new EP, Sugarcane, July 16th via Warner Music Nashville (pre-order here) with new song, “Half Drunk,” debuting today. Watch/share the official music video HERE.
Of the track, Worsham shares, “‘Half Drunk’ tells the story of the first time I told my wife I loved her. I’d just been fired by my publisher and my manager had quit management that week, but I was singing that day in one of my favorite rooms in all the world, the Station Inn. Powered by Yazoo Pale Ale, applause, and a sense that this girl I was crazy about might just be more special and more permanent than the whole music industry thing, I turned to Kristen, said those three magic words, and she said ‘I love you too.’ I hope this song inspires a lot of drunken making out and maybe a few last-time-saying-I-love-you-
Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town), Sugarcane is an emotional homecoming for Worsham. What began as personal reflections from a daily writing exercise, grew into something much more universal—six new songs that celebrate the love, perseverance, struggle and joy experienced through life and the people who are there through it all.
