We normally wait a few weeks to share a New Music Monday so that we have lots of options to pick the best music to share, but this last week was quite the exception.
So many fantastic artists came out of the woodwork to give us a new single or a couple songs from an upcoming album, and for that we can only be grateful. Here are our top picks of the week.
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Vampire Weekend
We're not sure where the time has gone, but it's insane to think it's been six years since Vampire Weekend released new music. Their last album, "Modern Vampires of the City," was one of the best albums of 2013, so fans will be extra hard on this highly anticipated release. Last week, the band finally released two songs from the upcoming album, called "Father of the Bride," and fans and critics alike were pleased. The first song, "Harmony Halls," is the type of song that Vampire Weekend fans have been waiting for. Lead singer Ezra Koenig sounds great, there is the bouncy, dance hall rhythm and it makes it feel like it's summer instead of winter. If this is any indication of what the rest of the album will sound like, we are very excited.
The second song Vampire Weekend released is called "2021," and it's a lot shorter than a normal song, with only eight lines of lyrics. It's a stripped back song, but it doesn't sound like anything Vampire Weekend has done. It's all great.
Florence and the Machine
Now this was an artist we were not expecting any new music from in 2018, let alone two songs. Lead singer Florence Welch and her band released a new album last summer called "June" that took her on an expansive world tour. Welch is scheduled to play some North American music festivals this summer, so maybe the new tunes were to vamp-up for another tour? Regardless, fans couldn't be happier to get new music from Welch. The first song, "Moderation," is a soulful track where Welch really gets to let loose and belt out those notes. The pulsing beat will for sure make this a standout in the live shows if the band decides to tour again this summer.
The second Florence and the Machine song that came out last week is called "Haunted House" and is a classic FATM song. Welch sings about her heart being a haunted house filled with frights and ghosts who come out at night. It's a very minimal song, mostly highlighting Welch's haunting voice. You can listen to both songs below.
Weezer
The internet kind of freaked out last summer when Weezer released a cover of Toto's "Africa." Weezer's cover of the song was so good that it even started to get played on radio stations and the band played it on late night talk shows. Last week, Weezer surprised everyone again by dropping an entire album full of covers of nostalgic-inducing songs, like "No Scrubs" by TLC and "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. The album is called the "Teal Album" and we're so happy Weezer did this project. Who doesn't love a good cover song?
Jenny Lewis
The former front woman to indie rock legends Rilo Kiley is finally back with some new music, after not releasing a full album since 2014 (almost as long as Vampire Weekend). Lewis shared that the new album is called "On The Run," and she shared its first single, "Red Bull and Hennesy" last week. It's a classic Jenny Lewis song that features Ryan Adams on guitar and none other than Ringo Starr on the drums. Oh, and Beck produced the album. Looks like it does pay to have friends in high places.