It’s time for another Release Radar playlist! And not just one playlist but two playlists again this month! Along with our usual Spotify Release Radar playlist, there is a YouTube new video release playlist as well.

The YouTube playlist has over 30 new uploads. Some of them are official videos, some are just audio tracks and some are live versions. Some of the tracks in the videos can be found on the Spotify playlist but overall the playlists are quite different and you should check them both out.

The Spotify Release Radar playlist has over 100 songs on it this month with some artists having a few tracks on there from new albums. Other tracks are teasers for upcoming albums and you can find some remixes and fun covers as well.  I was excited about many tracks on the list, like the ones from Ben Caplan, The Jerry Cans, Mappe Of, Thus Owls and more. Also added Shad, Fucked Up and Tokyo Police Club, Patrick Watson and others this morning! Woohooo!

Jill Barber, Danny Michel, Coeur de Pirate and Neko Case all had more tracks for us to enjoy this month as well. The Saskatchewan artists with new tracks are Colter Wall, Kacy & Clayton, and more from Bears In Hazenmore and the Dagan Harding Band.

 

This month I want to bring to your attention an artist with a new album that came out June 8, 2018. Toronto based multi-instrumentalist Michael Legere‘s new solo album is called Ourselves in Public. I am really enjoying what I am hearing. It was quite lovely listening while relaxing on a hot summer day. You can check out the whole album on Spotify or listen to a track below.

Michael writes indie-folk which tends to be lyrically surreal and dense. The album as a whole also reflects on themes of social-identity; how our interactions with others shape our sense of self, our ego. It’s about the joy, frustration, anxiety and creativity that comes from participating in the social sphere. Links: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Art

 

 

If you like your music a little more hardcore, take a listen to the wicked new NEEDS sophomore album Limitations.

Limitations takes all of the concerns that come with a second offering and turns them into a hardcore blast of self-reflection. It’s an album that is equal parts personal, political, and poetic without sacrificing the unrelenting, distorted, angry guitar rock that put them on the map.
“I love this band. For its chaotic, full-throttle rock. For its world view — a mix of sweet idealism and brooding cynicism — and for its self-deprecating sense of humor.” – NPR
“Thank god for post-ironic bands who appreciate the absurdity of what they’re doing, bands like Vancouver’s NEEDS.” -Noisey
“A raucous blend of self-deprecating humor and politic.” – Fader
“They’re a politically conscious hardcore band, sure, but they’re not spewing bile and ideology. Instead, NEEDS are just trying to point out how endless the downward spiral of injustice and subsequent hypocrisy really is.” – Stereogum
Links: facebook // twitter // instagram // photo // art

Now go check out the playlists!

 

 

What did I miss? What are the new releases you are liking?