The Neighbourhood: Devil’s Advocate

Californian indie band The Neighbourhood ushers in a new era with their newest single, “Devil’s Advocate.” Fusing frontman Jesse Rutherford’s persona Chip Chrome with the band’s brooding blend of pop and indie rock, they will release Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones on 25 September. “Devil’s Advocate” follows the beach-y “Cherry Flavoured,” but darkens the mood. Rutherford’s lyrics reference the unsteady relationships he’s maintained with bandmates …

Premiere: “Reykjavík” by Hugar

Wondrous soundscapes from the Icelandic duo of Bergur Þórisson and Pétur Jónsson

The path to “Reykjavík,” the fourth single from Icelandic duo Hugar‘s forthcoming album, The Vasulka Effect: Music for the Motion Picture (out 2 October), involved a convergence of visual inspirations. First, there was the documentary The Vasulka Effect, directed by Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdóttir. Hugar (aka Bergur Þórisson and Pétur Jónsson) composed the film’s score and although this song isn’t part of that body of music, it …

Sevdaliza: Habibi

With tinkling piano and delicate, digitized vocals, Sevdaliza’s stunning “Habibi” comes accompanied by a cinematic video by the artist (born Sevda Alizadeh) and Russian filmmaker Anastasia Konovalova. The dark and brooding song appears on Shabrang, the Iranian-Dutch singer-songwriter’s second full-length album—which she has described as a “journey of self-discovery, self-love and finding peace amongst all of the chaos in the world.”