When you can predict your random shuffle, it’s time to transcend. This month’s New Music Alert is flush with dreamy, psychedelic, and dare we say (?) ~breathtaking~ new tracks. Break free from your app’s suggested playlist and dive into the great unknown. Here’s your specially curated New Music Alert for September.
Ravyn Lenae | Bird’s Eye
Chicago’s Ravyn Lenae makes dreamy, atmospheric R&B, as is evident on her latest release, Bird’s Eye. The new album, her second full-length, is tinged with psychedelia and honey-sweet vocals, and is the perfect culmination for an artist who released three musically diverse EPs in the latter half of the 2010s. The tracks explore love and forgiveness, devotion, and heartbreak.
Highlights include the dreamy “One Wish” (which features a certain global superstar called Childish Gambino), and the hypnotic “Dream Girl”, featuring Ty Dolla $ign.
Want to see Lenae live? She’s hitting the road in October, with Sofar VIP packages currently on sale: your chance to catch a pre-show soundcheck performance by Ravyn Lenae.
Magdalena Bay | Imaginal Disk
The brand new album from LA’s prog-pop duo, Magdalena Bay, is Imaginal Disk: a sprawling synth odyssey that touches on elements of electronic, dance, house, drone, and disco. It comes in the wake of their 2021 debut LP, Mercurial World, and it’s immediately clear that there’s no sophomore slump here. The new album is just as strong, with Mica Tenenbaum’s voice echoing pop stars like Lana Del Rey and Britney, and Matthew Lewin’s work on the keys giving the band a fresh sound.
Catch Magdalena Bay on the road later this year, starting at the Fillmore in San Francisco on September 3. Sofar VIP packages are available, which include a 1-2 song performance by the band and a Q&A session.
Descendent & Dupes | Convergence EP
The new single from Descendent & Dupes is “Anything”, and it expresses the extent to which love can go to explore the depths of relationships. “Anything” is infused with soulful R&B and passionate rap verses, capturing the essence of devotion and commitment. It’s just one of five dynamic songs on the duo’s new EP, Convergence.
This project masterfully blends hip hop, rap, R&B, and Soca, creating a rich sound that speaks to the heart and soul. These tracks explore themes of social justice, relationships, life’s journey, and the pursuit of good vibes, offering a sonic experience that is both thought-provoking and uplifting.
The Bygones | The Bygones
From one duo to another, let’s talk about The Bygones’ self-titled debut album. You may know each half of The Bygones – Allison Young and Josh Turner – for their individual work on their respective YouTube channels, where they cover popular music and appear in each other’s original songs. Now the pair has released a collection of original songs in the form of The Bygones.
The album is an unexpected mix of traditional jazz, 70’s singer-songwriter, classic country, bossa nova, garage, and indie rock. Turner brings his classical guitar background and ear for vocal harmony, while Young’s powerful songwriting and nostalgic voice add accessibility and a fresh tone to every track.
You can see the duo live in concert throughout Europe in September and October, before they return to the U.S. for dates in November and December. Don’t miss exclusive Sofar VIP packages for the U.S. tour, which offer you an acoustic performance and Q&A session with the band.
Lewis McLaughlin | A Hope In Fear
Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis McLaughlin’s latest album is A Hope In Fear, a beautiful blend of folk, pop, and shoegaze – equal parts Paolo Nutini, Chris Martin, and something else entirely. The new songs are daring and audacious, crafting a cohesive sound that embarks into fresh territory but remains true to McLaughlin’s introspective and narrative-driven songwriting style.
Blind Pilot | In the Shadow of the Holy Mountain
Blind Pilot’s new album is In the Shadow of the Holy Mountain, a shimmering collection of autobiographical songs about love, life, and art. The album comes after an eight-year dry spell, where frontman Israel Nebeker just couldn’t create.
“I went through a few years where I wasn’t able to write—I tried therapy, I read books on writer’s block, I went on writing trips, but nothing was helping,” says Nebeker. He then challenged himself to ignore the critical voice in his head and write an album in just one month. The result is a musical revelation for the band, with tracks echoing other great contemporary bands like The War on Drugs.
The band hit the road in November, with VIP packages available (including a private acoustic performance and group photo with the band) and selling out fast.
Monarch. | “Gotta Get To Know Ya”
The new single from NYC’s Monarch. is a funky power anthem that perfectly embodies that feeling of seeing someone from across the room and wanting, um, to get to know them. It’s fittingly called “Gotta Get To Know Ya” and it showcases singer Sarah Hartstein’s velvety vocals and a backing band that’s as tight as they are funky – which is a lot of each.
Jackson Rouse | ”What Don’t I Have”
London-based artist Jackson Rouse has built a strong track record of gorgeous pop singles and his latest, “What Don’t I Have”, has been on repeat in our London office. It’s a song about freewheeling jealousy, about comparing oneself to the desires of our desires: “What don’t I have that she’s got, that she’s got,” sings Rouse over a powerful backing track of glimmering harmonies with gospel and 90s R&B influences.
Svetlana | “Spare Just You (ft. Sanity)”
Jazzy yet biting, Svetlana’s new single is “Spare Just You”. It’s a song about power and the high road, about knowing someone’s deepest secrets but not revealing them to that person’s romantic interests. The track blends R&B and rock elements, in a way that’s only possible when someone’s influences include Billie Holliday, Miles Davis, and modern rock and pop music.
Oh, and Sanity’s verse is fire.
Catch these artists and others just like them at a Sofar show near you!
