FEATURE:
One for the Record Collection!
IN THIS PHOTO: Tori Amos (In Times of Dragons is released on 1st May)
Essential May Releases
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MAY is what I would say…
IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney (his album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, will be released on 29th May)
is the start of the busiest and most exciting time for new releases. I think artists tend to wait until May through to August or September to release albums. In terms of lining up with festivals and maybe it is a better time to put them out. Although there have been some year-best contenders already out, next months sees a few albums that could challenge that. I am recommending the albums from May you will want to pre-order. You can see a fuller list here. There are eight albums alone due on 1st May that you should have on your radar. Let’s start out with Ana Roxanne and Poem 1. This is an artist I am aware of but have recently got more into her. You can pre-order it here:
"I wanted to travel / Home into somewhere,"Ana Roxanne breathes across an eerie suspended drone on "The Age of Innocence". "I wanted to try / And go very far." These are the first words we hear on Poem 1 and reintroduce an artist who's in a conspicuously different phase of her life than she was when her debut album, Because of a Flower, sprouted nearly six years ago.
Heartbroken and reflective, Roxanne surveys the transformations that followed and displays a new-found boldness. Her voice is naked, vulnerable and alive, no longer shrouded in tape noise or looped and echoed beyond recognition beneath layered electroacoustic textures.
Throughout the course of Poem 1, Roxanne displays her skill as a singer and songwriter in the classic sense, using the limited instrumentation simply to accent her exposed tones. Muted piano phrases and plucked bass notes languidly trail her anguished siren song on "Berceuse in A-flat Minor, Op. 45", making each word count.
On "Keepsake" meanwhile, she sounds as if she's alone in an abandoned bar, stroking the dust off the piano's keys as she inventories her emotional scars. There's a smell of old whisky in the air, but Poem 1 is a remarkably sober album; never wallowing in self pity, Roxanne finds catharsis in the logic of her expressions, twisting out the edges of her memories into surreal, cinematic asides. "Untitled II", the album's pronounced, uninhibited centerpiece, delivers on the Lynchian promise that's been present since her first EP, 2019's ~~~. "
And when she interprets the Robert Schumann's lied "Stille Tränen" on "One Shall Sleep", she turns Justinus Kerner's words into a whispered echo of her own grief, narrating the 19th century poem over syrupy synthesizers and strings. There's a light emerging on the horizon, though; burying her past on the choral standout '"Cover Me", Roxanne shifts the pace and the mood on 'Atonement', lifting her voice into a gentle lilt”.
I am excited to see what the brilliant Jesca Hoop offers up with her new album, Long Wave Home. I really love her music and have seen her perform live. Such a compelling, lovable, talented and fascinating artist. This is an album that you definitely need to pre-order. There is not a tonne of information about the album available, so I will drop in what there is. Artists like Jesca Hoop will never receive the sort of acclaim and focus as bigger Pop artists. I think that her music is more arresting and interesting than most of what it is out there. It does definitely warrant a lot more conversation and exposure. She is a brilliant artist:
“Jesca Hoop releases her new album Long Wave Home. Staying true to her folk roots, though never purely, Hoop delivers strikingly original songwriting showcasing her innovative vocals augmented by imaginative arrangements. Long Wave Home is energized and rings with the promise of a fresh new chapter for the artist”.
An album that is definitely going to get a lot of love and huge reviews is Kacey Musgraves’s Middle of Nowhere. This is an album from one of the true greats of modern music. A superb songwriter, again, there is very little from Rough Trade regarding what we can expect from this album. However, do go and pre-order it, as Musgraves is superb. Middle of Nowhere follows 2024’s Deeper Well. Not as celebrated as albums like 2018 Golden Hour, it was seriously underrated. I think that Musgraves might win back a bit of critical traction with Middle of Nowhere. Its lead single, Dry Spell, is a wonderful taste of what is to come:
“Middle of Nowhere is the sixth studio album from eight-time Grammy Award winner Kacey Musgraves, and is made for two-stepping. The collection draws from a love of Texas dancehall classics, humorous takes on the human condition, and the space where traditional Country borders many sounds including Norteño and even Zydeco. Fresh yet familiar, and classically Kacey: honest, fearless, immersive, and always ready to wink at life’s twists and turns”.
Another terrific and anticipated album from 1st May is Melanie C’s Sweat. There has been a lot of promotion and talk around this. Some of the very best work from Melanie C, this album is going to get some massive reviews I think. It is phenomenal and one you need to pre-order. Its cover alone marks it out as a great album. You are captured by that image. The music released from the album is wonderful, so I feel this is an album that you cannot afford to miss out on. I am going to source from the start of an interview from The Times published back in January. Melanie C (Chisholm) discussing her new work and personal life. A revealing and amazing interview from this incredible artist:
“Melanie Chisholm has never looked hotter than she does in the video for her comeback single, Sweat, an ultra-camp tribute to Jane Fonda workouts and Eric Prydz’s Call on Me. Chisholm — 52 years old and ripped to the heavens: abs, quads, biceps, glutes, all of it, honed beyond belief — frolics and cavorts on an exercise bike and bench presses barbells surrounded by admiring trainer dudes clad in Union Jack budgie-smugglers. She donkey kicks in ankles weights, spike-heeled booties and outrageously saucy unitard. The song, a dance track that could be about training, but — guess what? — could also be about sex (“I’ll make you, I’ll make you sweat” etc), is fun and silly and compulsive, and while Chisholm definitely does not take herself too seriously, the whole effect is, nonetheless, outrageously sexy. Sporty Spice — but absolutely not as you know her.
“I think this is the most courageous I’ve ever been in a video,” she tells me. What made her so courageous, I ask. “I think it’s because I’m 50. I look like this — and it’s powerful”.
I love Lip Critic, so I am going to listen to Theft World when it comes out on 1st May. This is a fantastic U.S. Electro-Punk group that you really need to connect with. Go and pre-order this album. Hex World is an incredible album, though Lip Critic are not going to repeat themselves for Theft World. It is going to be this tremendous album that will get lots of praise:
“Lip Critic’s 2024 Partisan debut Hex Dealer was one of the most-hyped experimental releases of that year (“Like the B-52s on ketamine” -Paste) and signaled the Brooklyn band’s arrival as a borderline-batshit creative force. Theft World is their next chapter, built again from the chaos of two drummers locked in psychic combat, a sampler that sounds like it was struck by lightning, and frontman Bret Kaser’s paranoid preacher energy. But where Hex Dealer leapt from one absurdist vignette to the next, Theft World plays like a fully locked-in transmission. Themes orbit around the concept of theft, not just as a political force or digital dilemma, but as a surreal, emotional constant. Club rhythms and hardcore breakdowns pull as much from Tyler the Creator’s ‘Igor’ and Korn as they do Skrillex and Soul Coughing, coming together to soundtrack a world that’s constantly being striped apart and resold”.
A few more albums from 1st May to cover off before moving to 8th. I have talked about Maya Hawke and Maitreya Corso in a recent feature. Not only is she this phenomenal actor who is among the best of her generation. Hawke is this singular artist with such an incredible voice. A wonderful songwriter. Her upcoming album is one you should pre-order if you can. A busy time for Maya Hawke, her fourth studio album will sit alongside this year’s best:
“For the past couple of years, Maya Hawke has been busy in the acting world, wrapping the final season of Stranger Things and taking on a role in The Hunger Games franchise. The American singer is now returning to music, unveiling her upcoming fourth album, ‘Maitreya Corso’, and sharing its lead single, ‘Devil You Know’.
‘Devil You Know’ is a stripped-back and honest track with folk influences. Speaking about the song, she says “‘Devil You Know’ is about trying to keep ambition and greed out of the creative process. This album is about learning to protect the precious from the poisonous. Protect creation from pride. Protect love from control. Protect collaboration from jealousy.”
For her highly anticipated fourth album, set for release on May 1st, charts Hawke’s experiences of a life-changing relationship. For ‘Maitreya Corso’, Hawke has created a persona and fantasy world to allow her to explore complex feelings with more depth. Speaking about the character she has crafted, she describes her as a “magical misfit, whose sheer inability to adapt to the surrounding world allows her to create a world of her own, and to explore the positive and negative power of the ego.”
Hawke enlisted the help of regular collaborators, singer-songwriter (and new husband) Christian Lee Hutson, multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Lazar Davis, and producer Jonathan Low to bring her stories to life on ‘Maitreya Corso’.
The news of the upcoming release was accompanied by the announcement of a slew of live shows, which will be her first US tour in three years”.
The next album I will recommend is The Black Keys’ Peaches! I really like the U.S. duo, and I have been following them for years now. I would say, even if you have not heard of them or are quite new, to invest in Peaches! You can pre-order the album here:
“The Black Keys Peaches! is the Akron duo’s fourteenth studio album (their sixth since 2019), a visceral and raw 10-song collection described by singer Dan Auerbach as the band’s “most natural record” since their 2002 debut, The Big Come Up. In similar DIY spirit, the album was recorded with all musicians playing in the same room with few overdubs, and is the first record mixed entirely by the band themselves since 2006’s Magic Potion. The songs chosen reflect Auerbach and bandmate Patrick Carney’s obsessive record-collecting habit, which in recent years has escalated into an ongoing series of Record Hang DJ-set dance parties where they spin vintage 45s for packed, high-energy dancefloors in the coolest spots across the globe.
The cover art for Peaches! is based around an iconic image from Memphis-born photographer, William Eggleston, and marks the return of Patrick’s brother, Michael Carney, overseeing the art direction”.
One more album from 1st May. Another music legend to highlight. Tori Amos’s In Times of Dragons will be one you’ll have to pre-order, as she is a genius who always releases wonderful music. This is no exception. In a recent interview with The Times, Tori Amos discussed In Times of Dragons:
“As we walk round the site we bump into crew members, some of whom are staying here. Amos describes her team as “a lady pirate ship”, pointing up at a pink Jolly Roger fluttering on a mast. If that sounds eccentric, wait until you hear the new album. In Times of Dragons is a blend of southern gothic drama, pick-and-mix mythology and Game of Thrones-style fantasy that is a critique of “the cabal of puppeteering billionaires”.
Smokily sung by Amos over end-of-the-world piano, it features “angel sharks”, gay witches and an alternate Tori who, instead of marrying Hawley in the Nineties, got hitched to an evil American tycoon who is also a lizard demon. She flees from him and reunites with her daughter — whose part in the album is beautifully sung by Amos’s daughter, Natashya — before growing wings and turning into a dragon queen. Ed Sheeran this ain’t.
It all came to her, Amos says, via a selection of muses including the wizard Merlin, an Egyptian goddess by the name of Setmuk and a Celtic deity called Lugh of the Long Arm, with whom she says she had a love affair. Her husband doesn’t mind, she says. “Lugh is in a different dimension so Mark’s OK with that.”
Not everyone will believe this stuff, I suggest. “I began to learn, particularly in the Nineties, when I wanted to share the magic of music and how it came, that there were some journalists that unfortunately had stepped into cynicism,” Amos says. We have been known to do that. “They circumcised their imagination,” she adds.
Her own gifts, she insists, came through those muses. That is why, she says, “I never had to learn how to play and why I can’t teach.” Away from music, she says, “I can’t do a whole lot. I’m virtually unemployable. Some of the builders that have been building the rehearsal shed, they can do all kinds of things.” And her husband is practical. “Very practical.” All of which is just as well because “the lady pirate ship is rolling” and it needs a big and dedicated crew. “The muses barely wait for me. If I don’t show up, they’re going to go find Björk”.
I want to move to a few albums from 8th May that should be on your radar. The first you need to check out is Aldous Harding’s Train on the Island. Harding is a terrific artist that I really love. I would urge people to pre-order Train on the Island. You can have a dig for recent interviews where Aldous Harding talks about the album, but here is a little bit of information about it:
“Aldous Harding releases her fifth studio album, Train On The Island. The 10-track Train On The Island was co-produced by long-time collaborator John Parish (PJ Harvey, Dry Cleaning) at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, where the pair recorded the New Zealander’s previous bodies of work, Party (2017), Designer (2019) and Warm Chris (2022). Joining Harding and Parish on Train On The Island are pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte, harpist Mali Llywelyn, synth artist Thomas Poli, drummer Sebastian Rochford (Polar Bear) and Huw Evans (H. Hawkline) on bass, vocals, acoustic/electric guitar and organ”.
I have been a fan of girli for quite a long time now, so it is always exciting when she releases an album. Everyone needs to keep an eye out for it’s just my opinion. You can pre-order the album here. The moniker of London-based Amelia Toomey, GIRLI is an artist that does not get as much love as deserved. A hugely talented artist that I feel everyone needs to listen to. You will instantly get hooked:
“With her third record, girli steps fully into her most honest era yet.
The album is sharp, cohesive, and rooted in who she's always been. Growing up in North London, she absorbed the chaos and hooks of the indie sleaze scene, and now she channels that restless energy into songs that feel alive, pulsing like a sweaty gig in Camden or Shoreditch. It's classic girli alt-pop - nostalgic, chaotic, and fearless, but sharpened with a bold new edge. girli has been teasing the new era since the end of 2025, sharing 'Better Undressed' and the powerful recent single 'Slap on the Wrist'.
Known for her shimmering, high-concept production and fearless commentary, girli now pivots toward a more grounded, girl-next-door energy, trading gloss for grit, and polish for raw, intimate expression. Since emerging with her breakthrough sophomore album, Matriarchy, girli has carved a space in the alternative scene for bold, boundary-pushing storytelling. Her ability to merge pop essence with underground energy has earned her a tight-knit and dedicated fanbase.
As an openly LGBTQ+ artist and advocate for social change, girli continues to intertwine her personal journey with broader cultural conversations. Her past work has touched on themes of identity, politics, mental health, and more - and this new chapter builds on that same spirit of activism, but through a softer, more human lens”.
Actually, two more 8th May albums that I need to cover off. Lykke Li’s The Afterparty is the first of them. Again, I have been listening to Li for a long time and always love what she puts into the world. You can pre-order The Afterparty here. Another case of there being scant information about the album, I am including what there is to know:
“Lykke Li’s The Afterparty is a journey through the night, turning the collective feeling of hopelessness into a celebratory revenge. With hooky choruses, maximalist arrangements and “apocalyptic bongos,” The Afterparty asks the eternal question. It’s 4am: can we have one last euphoric dance before the hangover crushes us? Featuring a limited vinyl with a transparent printed outer sleeve and exclusive stunning 20-page insert, it’s as much a visual artifact as it is a sonic one”.
Quite a few more albums to cover off. However prior to getting to those out on 15th May, one more from 8th. MUNA’s Dancing on The Wall is worthy of recommendation. Such a brilliant group, they are comprised of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson, they are signed to the Saddest Factory label. Founded by Phoebe Bridgers, this is a label housing artists that you need to know. You can pre-order Dancing on the Wall here:
“Muna’s journey has always been about holding space for the complex, messy, ecstatic realities of life, and with their fourth album, Dancing On The Wall, they’ve never been sharper, darker, or more exhilarating. Emerging from the sparkly, confetti-strewn heights of their 2022 self-titled record, Muna now channel the anxious, uncertain energy of living in a Los Angeles defined by political tension, environmental decay, and the quiet pressures of millennial precarity.
The result is a record that feels both intimate and spectacular, a pop world built with teeth, wit, and emotional resonance, a soundtrack for hearts simultaneously on fire and observing the chaos around them. Across the record, Muna explores desire, intimacy, and connection against a backdrop of a world in flux. There’s a quiet reckoning throughout the album with how to keep living, loving, and reaching for one another while bearing witness to political brutality and systemic violence and how joy survives without denial.
The record is produced by Naomi McPherson, with their trademark attention to detail blending effortlessly with bandmate Josette Maskin’s well-honed behind-the-scenes pop technique to create living, breathing worlds for lead singer Katie Gavin’s incisive lyricism and signature voice. Dancing On The Wall blends euphoric sonic landscapes with sharp, human storytelling. The album reflects a fiercely self-directed creative process, one shaped by instinct, trust, and total artistic control. It feels lived-in, urgent, and cinematic, a reflection of a generation navigating uncertainty while refusing to let go of joy.
With this album, Muna proves once again that pop can be daring, intimate, and socially conscious all at once: a record that doesn’t just capture the moment, but distills it into a world you want to inhabit”.
Two albums from 15th May I want to bring to your attention. The first is Dua Saleh’s Of Earth & Wires. You might not know about her work, though she is such a special artist that you need to listen to. You can pre-order here album here:
“Sudanese-American artist Dua Saleh continues their boundless ascent with Of Earth and Wires, a resolutely warm, spiritual, and frenetic album exploring notions of home, humanity, and renewal.
Featuring contributions from Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), aja monet, Gaidaa, and more, Saleh threads and deconstructs indie, R&B, and electronic pop with flashes of Sudanese folk, UK dance, and reggaeton, sounds intrinsic to their story, all held together by ambitious, future-facing production and clear-eyed lyricism.
Saleh’s soulful, gritty, shape-shifting style has found fans from The New York Times to NME, alongside their breakout role in the Netflix series Sex Education, making 2024's Ghostly International debut, I Should Call Them, a proper arrival. The highly anticipated Of Earth and Wires responds to the moment as both a watershed in their career and an urgent dialogue with struggles faced on a universal level.
In addition to their musical endeavors, Dua is a rising actor with a breakout role in the well-loved Netflix series Sex Education, where they starred as Cal Bowman for three seasons”.
An album that I can see being in line for awards and sitting with the best of 2026 is Maisie Peters’s Florescence. I am writing a feature about albums that might get shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. This one is coming a bit late for me to include in that, though I will revisit the feature, as I think Fluorescence could be a contender. Here is where you can order your copy:
“Chart topping British singer-songwriter Maisie Peters returns with much anticipated third studio album Florescence, co-produced with 2x Grammy Winner Ian Fitchuck with collaborators including Marcus Mumford and Julia Michaels. Florescence reflects on how the right love can help heal the wrong ones. It’s an album about perspective, self-realisation, healing, and ultimately, learning how to flourish. This lands as Maisie’s first new LP since she became the youngest solo British female artist in almost a decade to land a UK No.1 album with The Good Witch back in 2023. Since then, she’s had the A-list co-signs via Phoebe Bridgers, Sam Smith and Olivia Rodrigo. She’s had a fiercely devoted fandom flock to headline tours around the world. And she’s played shows from Wembley Arena, to Glastonbury, to stadium slots with Taylor Swift and Coldplay.
“Florescence means ‘the process of flowering, of developing richly and fully’ and to me, this album describes exactly that. These 15 tracks depict a blossoming of myself from ages 23 to 25 and a blossoming of a true real love that anchors both me and this record. It tells the story of the last few long winters, with all of their villains and thorns, heartbreaks and rains, and it leads you, by the end, into a perfect English spring, into the hope and catharsis that comes when the first wildflower blooms. It’s a true representation of healing, of finding hope and peace and strength not just in somebody else, but in yourself. It is clear skies, cherry pits on the grass, windows flung open - it is Sussex country roads and London corner shop wine that leaves a stain when you kiss. It is the feeling of flying, then falling, then flying again. It is knowing that there was a point to all the sadness of before, and the point is the woman you see in this mirror now, and the person you see by her side. Love is weaved into every strand of every song on this album and for good reason - love is timeless, love is pure, love is organic and simple and effortless and real. I hope you find this album to be that as well”.
There are three albums from 22nd May that are well worth pre-ordering. I know that people cannot get all of the albums I recommend, so this is more of a suggestion. Though May features so many great albums. Alela Diane’s Who's Keeping Time? is one you will want to pre-order:
“In circles and ever changing, Who’s Keeping Time? is a musing on life’s seasons—fleeting truths of beauty and chaos. For 10 days in August of 2025, we made this record in the attic of my 1892 Victorian home in Portland, Oregon, where all the songs were written. The scene felt kindred to a mouse house: a cozy world built of antique quilts, musical instruments, sound baffles, relics, marigolds, great-grandma’s dolls, old photographs, paintings and brightly colored rugs. Sunshine poured through the skylights as Maggie the cat slept atop the pre-amps and inside guitar cases. We played these songs together in one room: no click tracks, no tricks, and no fuss. This is music from the hearts and breathing bodies of human beings, imperfect as we may be.
I hope we can all take pause, and remember what is real — thanks for listening”.
Let’s move to Bleachers’ everyone for ten minutes. You might not know this band or have heard one or two of their songs. However, they are brilliant and they are worthy of fonder investigation. You can pre-order their forthcoming album here:
“Bleachers return with their latest album everyone for ten minutes, continuing the project’s evolution under the direction of acclaimed singer, songwriter, musician, and producer Jack Antonoff, an eleven-time Grammy Award winner. Over the past decade, Bleachers have cultivated a passionate global fanbase, celebrated for high-energy live performances and a strong sense of connection with their audience. Their previous self-titled fourth studio album marked a major milestone for the band, highlighted by a sold-out Madison Square Garden performance and widespread critical recognition, further solidifying their place in modern pop rock”.
One more album from 22nd May that I want to highlight. It is Ed O'Brien’s Blue Morpho. Guitarist in Radiohead, his solo work is fabulous. You should pre-order Blue Morpho. I am looking forward to it. People always expecting band members to repeat what they do in their solo work, though Ed O’Brien’s solo work is detached and distinct from Radiohead:
“Ed O'Brien, the acclaimed guitarist and singer-songwriter known for his role in Radiohead, announces Blue Morpho, his absorbing, second solo album and first under his own name.
Named for the iridescent butterfly, Blue Morpho was written during lockdown and recorded at The Church Studio, London and Seven Sound in Wales. The tranquil Welsh countryside proved inspirational, capturing a sense of reflection, healing, and acceptance. Musically the album blends a collage of hypnotic psych-folk, jazz, trip- hop, radiant guitars and rhythm sections. Blue Morpho marks a fresh and deeply personal chapter in O'Brien's musical journey.
Produced by Paul Epworth (Adele, Coldplay), with additional production from Riley MacIntyre (Ezra Collective), and mixed by Ben Baptie (Sault, Little Simz). The album features an array of musicians, such as Shabaka Hutchings (flute), Dave Okumu (guitars, bass), Philip Selway (drums), and The Tallinn Chamber Orchestra”.
The first of three albums from 29th May that you should get is Iceage’s For Love of Grace & the Hereafter. You can pre-order the album here. Not a lot out there about the album. However, this is an incredible band that people need show support for. Here is what is out there for the incredible Love of Grace & the Hereafter:
“For Love of Grace and the Hereafter is the sixth studio album from beloved Danish quintet Iceage. Across the sprawling, twelve song arc of the album, a universe of love variously expands and contracts in an eternal tango, Elias Rønnenfelt’s lyrics burn with apocalyptic intimacy while the band masterfully maneuvers within their shape-shifting scenery of feral post-punk”.
It is going to be hard to top Paul McCartney’s The Boys of Dungeon Lane when it comes to the biggest albums of the year. Still such a genius, the first single from the album, Days We Left Behind, is emotional and classic Macca. His modern albums are really great, though some were not sold on McCartney III from 2020. I do feel like The Boys of Dungeon Lane will get better reviews. It seems like it going to be one of his most personal albums. You can pre-order the album here:
“The Boys of Dungeon Lane is a collection of rare and revealing glimpses into memories never-before shared, along with some newly inspired love songs, from one of the most culturally significant figures of our time. These extraordinary new songs find Paul writing with rare openness about his childhood in post-war Liverpool, the resilience of his parents, and early adventures shared with George Harrison and John Lennon long before the world had ever heard of Beatlemania”.
The final album from May that I want to recommend is from Violet Grohl. Be Sweet to Me is her debut. You can pre-order it here. This is going to be one of the best albums of 2026. I say that about quite a few, though this might top the list:
“Be Sweet To Me is the debut album by Violet Grohl. Featuring 11 tracks, including the single, “THUM.”
The first years spent entering adulthood come with a lot of big life decisions, and for Violet Grohl, that Be Sweet To Me.was seeking producers and collaborators for her debut album,
“Going into the studio and recording felt like the path that I was supposed to be on,” the 19-year-old says. Grohl immediately clicked with producer Justin Raisen (Kim Gordon, Yves Tumor,Angel Olsen). “My first impression was that she’s beyond her years. She has a golden voice, and she’s unapologetically herself,” says Raisen.
Be Sweet To Me was recorded from late 2024 into early 2025 at Raisen’s Los Angeles home studio alongside musicians assembled in the spirit of the Wrecking Crew session players in the ’60s and ’70s. The first song Violet wrote with her collaborators, a fuzzy ripper called “Thum,” was influenced by the old-school packaging of anti-nail-biting polish that Grohl brought into the studio. “Self help me/Self help myself/Chew my bitter fingers,” she snarls in a honeyed voice over ecstatic squall.
Like “Thum,” the songs on Be Sweet To Me were conjured from the immediate present and tend to be impressionistic, colored by Grohl’s love of film, particularly the work of David Lynch. Inspired by a vintage t-shirt advertising a phone sex line, “595” is a sly and sexy slasher filled with jolts of noise and a killer chorus: “I'll be your 1-900 G spot, baby/595 I'm on the line/You won't last.” The slippery and melodic “Bug In A Cake” recalls the paranormal activities surrounding Grohl’s recent move into the home of her late paternal grandma, a beloved “guiding force” in her life. “Turn the TV off so it turns back on/Come on, grandma, play me your favorite song,” Grohl roars.
“Everything was written in the studio,” Grohl says. “I would come in with an inspiration playlist, we would hang and listen for a little while, and then start writing.” “Violet is so well-versed in all styles of music; every playlist was different,” says Raisen, describing trip hop, new wave, Scandinavian black metal, ’70s acoustic folk, and vocal jazz. “She showed me a number of things that I wasn't familiar with; her encyclopedic knowledge of music is crazy,” he continues.
Alternative music from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s is a perpetual influence. “There’s something so powerful about that period of music, from the messaging to the visuals, it’s authentic and raw.” Pixies, Soundgarden, Cocteau Twins, The Breeders, PJ Harvey, The Muffs, Björk, Alice in Chains, L7, Juliana Hatfield: “I've listened to that stuff since I was a kid,” Grohl says. “That's what my dad was playing in the car on the way to school.”
“Music, whether it’s making it or just loving it, is a key thing that connects my family,” Grohl says, noting her father, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, and her paternal grandparents, who played flute and sang in local groups. Grohl has been singing and playing music as long as she can remember, teaching herself how to play ukulele, and later guitar, hauling the instruments around on both school and tour bus. “Around the time I was 12, it clicked for me that I love watching other people make music, and maybe I could too,” she says. "I had been writing poetry as well, and it kick-started the drive to want to turn painful experiences into art.”
Previously, Grohl’s songwriting practice had been shy and solitary, often taking place in the privacy of her bedroom. “Working in a collaborative space helped me open up to sharing stuff lyrically,” she says. “But it also opened up the possibility to experiment with different genres and instrumentations that maybe I wouldn't typically choose.”
Mid-way through recording the energy of the Be Sweet To Me sessions shifted. “The vibe I had originally intended no longer felt authentic to how I was feeling,” she says. “I needed sludge, droning guitars, and crazy reverb. It felt really good to be able to transmute whatever pain and sadness I was feeling into something tangible.” “Applefish” is a grungy slowcore ballad that slips beneath the surface, weighed down by the heaviness of mortality, while the swirling shoegazer “Last Day I Loved You” describes “losing touch with my sense of self,” per Grohl. Meanwhile, “Cool Buzz” is about “poking fun at moral inconsistencies in punk guys who preach progressive politics, but then in their own musical spaces won't let women have a chance,” says Grohl. “Shoot my favorite arrow/Through the mind that's narrow,” she coolly taunts over music worthy of windmill kicks and circle pits.
The phrase Be Sweet To Me is an inside joke amongst Grohl and her friends, a white flag of surrender when teasing becomes too much. It’s a fitting title for a record and artist unafraid to face life’s more raw moments while still embracing tenderness with elegance and grace”.
Plenty to choose from when it comes to albums out next month that you’ll want to own. Big artists like Melanie C and Paul McCartney alongside Iceage and GIRLI. A great selection and variety that should suit all tastes. The start of a really productive time of the year when so many huge albums will drop, I think things will get even better as we move int June and July. In terms of albums, it is going to be…
A hot summer.