This week saw Prince record a tribute to the uprising in Baltimore, Tame Impala dropped a surprise track on Reddit, as well as new tracks from Titus Andronicus, Brandon Flowers, and Mariah Carey.
But all of that is merely a smattering of the great music that dropped this week. Here are the videos and songs you need to hear this week, all wrapped up in a bow for you:
Alabama Shakes, “Sound & Color”
Taking on a heavy 2001: A Space Odyssey vibe, the clip for “Sound & Color,” the title track from the Southern rockers’ sophomore album, follows a sole traveler a long way from home. The booze-soaked bluesy riffs work surprisingly well while in the great beyond.
Death From Above 1979, “Virgins”
DFA 1979 took Breaking Amish to an entirely new level with their video for “Virgins.” Their latest from their reunion album, The Physical World, has a lot of eyes being licked, ashes being snorted, and things that would make actual Amish people probably wash their eyes with homemade soap.
Toro y Moi, “Lilly”
Music videos in grocery stores have a pretty strong history, like Daryl from The Walking Dead in Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees,” but Chaz from Toro y Moi does not disappoint with “Lilly.” Besides, Thom Yorke didn’t turn his local market into a wavy ’70s pop concert with misty aisles and food fights.
Jason Derulo, “Cheyenne”
It’s probably difficult to be taken seriously when you’re best known for singing your own name and making girls wiggle, but Jason Derulo really found something with his latest track from the forthcoming Everything Is 4. Giving off a serious The Weeknd or Michael Jackson “Dirty Diana” vibe, Derulo dances to a thumping and dark ’80s pop beat. Definitely worth checking out.
Mates of State, “Staring Contest”
Finally, this week marked the return of married indie pop duo Mates of State. The first taste from their You’re Going To Make It EP brings the familiar, yet always fresh sound of the two stacking harmonies, but everything is heard just as it was intended.
