Gustaf: Cruel

A comedic flair underscores “Cruel,” the catchy new single from Brooklyn-based art-punk act Gustaf’s debut album, Audio Drag for Ego Slobs, out today on Royal Mountain Records. The delightfully absurd, Nemo Allen-directed official music video—complete with slapstick fights, role playing, trust falls and plenty of advice on how to succeed—makes the entire experience even more enjoyable. “When I started working out the lyrics for ‘Cruel,’ …

Henry Carlyle: The Ground

For nearly six minutes, Henry Carlyle’s debut solo single, “The Ground,” entwines moody lo-fi sensibilities with reflective lyrics and unexpected sonic punctuation. The track is driven by compelling, mature guitar work and thoughtful percussion. Carlyle, the guitarist for the dance-friendly indie rock band the Orielles, traverses wintry moodiness here—and does so with beauty and nuance. Singer Julia Bardo provides backing vocals, sometimes manifesting as Nico-like …

MUNYA: Tonight, Tonight (Smashing Pumpkins Cover)

Singer-songwriter and producer MUNYA (aka Josie Boivin) has released two lovely tracks from her upcoming debut album, Voyage to Mars, and now the French-Canadian songstress delivers an unexpected but sublime cover of the 1995 Smashing Pumpkins song, “Tonight, Tonight.” The original—with its soaring 30-piece string section—lends itself to MUNYA’s folk-tinged synth-pop, but the two renditions are vastly different. The dreamy element in this cover makes sense, …