There is more new music released in a week than anybody can reasonably keep up with. New Music Radar cuts through some of that noise, picking out recently released tracks that deserve a closer listen.
This is not a list of everything that landed in our inbox. Each song gets a short review, covering what works, what stands out and, where necessary, what does not quite land. Here are eight new singles already out and worth putting on your radar.
The War On Drugs
“Who’s That”
The War On Drugs return with “Who’s That”, their first new studio song in four years, and they sound less interested in reinvention than in making their familiar scale feel personal again. Adam Granduciel builds the track from a steady, keyboard-heavy pulse, layering guitars, piano and synths until the arrangement starts to feel almost too large for the uncertainty at its centre. That contrast is what gives it weight. Granduciel has described the song as being about trying to love yourself while anxiety, depression and self-doubt keep getting in the way, and the music mirrors that struggle by constantly pushing forward without ever sounding entirely settled. The crescendo is unmistakably War On Drugs, but “Who’s That” avoids becoming a victory lap. Its best moments come when all that widescreen production is carrying something much smaller and less certain underneath.
Hearthands
“Swan”
Hearthands return with “Swan”, the first taste of forthcoming debut album Destroyer and their first new music since 2025. The Chicago group sit firmly in shoegaze territory, but “Swan” works because atmosphere is not treated as a substitute for shape. There is a softness to the track that gradually gathers weight, with the blurred guitar textures creating space rather than simply filling every available frequency. That restraint matters. Shoegaze can become exhausting when every element is competing to sound enormous, and Hearthands resist that urge. “Swan” feels more patient, allowing its haze to build around the song rather than burying it. As a reintroduction, it does what it needs to do. It leaves enough unanswered about Destroyer to make the album interesting without sounding like an extended teaser. More importantly, it has an identity beyond simply being another new shoegaze single.
Reevah
“Talk Too Much”
Reevah makes the uncertainty of a new relationship sound deceptively easy on “Talk Too Much”. The Derry songwriter wraps all the second-guessing in bright, warm indie pop, which gives the track a useful tension. The music sounds open and optimistic even when the lyrics are busy wondering whether opening yourself up to somebody is a good idea. There is nothing especially showy about the arrangement, and that is probably why it works. Reevah lets the melody and conversational writing carry it rather than forcing the song towards some enormous payoff. The result is light on its feet without becoming disposable. “Talk Too Much” is strongest when it catches that slightly embarrassing early-stage feeling of already caring more than you intended to. Its familiarity could have made it bland, but Reevah’s delivery gives the song enough personality to stop that happening.
X & Stacy
“Love or Lust”
Chicago duo X & Stacy make their first move with “Love or Lust”, a synth-driven dance track that immediately understands the value of tension. Yasmine Esparza and Jason Schmal come from the Body Beat world, and that background is obvious in the track’s physicality. The synths are there to move rather than decorate, while Esparza’s vocal gives the song something cooler and more detached to push against. The title sets up a familiar binary, but the production is more interesting than that framing initially suggests. Rather than chasing the bright maximalism of mainstream electronic pop, “Love or Lust” has a darker club edge and enough space in the arrangement to keep it from becoming cluttered. It is a debut that feels deliberately controlled. X & Stacy do not throw every idea into the first single, which makes the restraint appealing and gives the project somewhere to go next.
Sidney
“when you know you know”
Sidney does not need a dramatic breakup anthem to make a point. On “when you know you know”, the Melbourne songwriter lets clarity arrive slowly. The track begins with delicate guitar and a close, controlled vocal before strings, harmonies and drums gradually widen the arrangement. Nothing rushes. That restraint gives the song room to move from indecision towards something firmer without turning the emotional shift into a huge cinematic climax. Originally written about a friend trying to convince herself that an unhappy relationship could work, the song eventually became something Sidney heard as advice to her younger self. That change in perspective gives it weight. There is a risk with this sort of intimate indie pop that everything becomes too polished and tasteful. Sidney mostly avoids it by keeping the writing direct. “when you know you know” understands that hindsight rarely arrives with fireworks. Sometimes it is simply the point where the excuses stop working.
The House Flies
“Derelict Crawl”
The House Flies take their time making “Derelict Crawl” uncomfortable. The Illinois four-piece build the track around a persistent post-punk rhythm, letting repetition do much of the work before heavier guitars begin tearing through it. The quieter passages are arguably the more effective ones. Alex Riggen’s vocal sits above a rhythm section that keeps moving without offering much release, while the repeated sense of not belonging gradually becomes harder to ignore. When the distortion finally arrives, it feels earned rather than dropped in to manufacture drama. There are obvious touchpoints in gothic rock and 1990s alternative music, but the band avoid sounding like a tidy revival act. The production has enough grit to keep the track from becoming overly polished. “Derelict Crawl” is not immediate in the traditional sense. It gets better as it closes in around you, which makes it a strong introduction to forthcoming album Lions and Ore.
Karissa Ella
“Working Man”
There is very little ambiguity in Karissa Ella’s “Working Man”. This is a country love song about reliability, hard work and the attraction of somebody who actually shows up. That straightforwardness is both its selling point and its limitation. Ella is not trying to overturn country songwriting conventions here, and anyone allergic to blue-collar romantic imagery is unlikely to be converted. But within that familiar framework, the song is warm and convincing. Inspired by somebody in Ella’s own life, “Working Man” works best when it keeps the focus on effort rather than turning work itself into a personality trait. The idea that commitment can be measured in ordinary acts of support gives the track more substance than the title initially suggests. It is traditional, uncomplicated country songwriting, delivered without much irony. Sometimes that is enough. Ella knows exactly what song she wants to make, and “Working Man” does not waste time pretending otherwise.
Redolent
“funner”
There is something enjoyably unguarded about Redolent deciding to make a song that is, quite literally, more fun. “funner” moves away from the discomfort of previous single “ok wow” and settles into warm electronics, an easy pulse and the kind of melody that feels built for the last hour of a summer evening. The Edinburgh group have described the track as a slightly goofy attempt at making a pop song, and that lack of self-seriousness is one of its strengths. It does not try to disguise itself as something more profound than it is. That said, it is not empty either. The memory behind it, sitting on a car in Texas with an ice cream sandwich while watching the sunset, gives the track its emotional centre. “funner” succeeds because Redolent recognise that uncomplicated happiness can be worth writing about too.
Editor. Gig-goer. Fantasy football tactician. London-based Executive Assistant by day, live music obsessive by night. Being a control freak? Very transferable skill.
