With so much new music getting released weekly, it can be difficult to keep up and not miss anything important. We here at Tuned Up know the struggle and wanted to offer previews of a few new releases that piqued our interest this week. What sounds interesting to you? What did we miss? Drop your thoughts in the comment section.
Featured Releases
Anberlin–Silverline EP
It’s been 8 years since Anberlin’s last full-length release Lowborn came out on Tooth & Nail Records. Shortly after, the band played their final show. Four years later, they came back to open for Underoath, which was followed by a full slate of tour dates. However even then, the band hadn’t committed to making new music. In 2021 they released a single “Two Graves” on their Youtube channel. Following that, they recorded four more tracks to round out the Silverline EP released on Equal Vision Records.
I have to admit, I never really got into Anberlin. I liked a few of their early tracks I heard on various Tooth & Nail samplers, but at the time I gravitated more towards the heavier Solid State bands. Years later I saw them play at the 2013 Warped Tour, and it was a pleasant mid-afternoon set. But I hadn’t kept up with their evolving sound. Which is probably why their newest single “Circles” surprised me so much. It’s got electronic elements. It’s heavy yet poppy, and the first comparison that came to my mind was Imagine Dragons (that may not be everyone’s take). That could either be really bad thing or really good, depending on how you feel about the stadium-rock giants.
The rest of the EP is a mixed bag of styles, with the opener “Two Graves” being by far the heaviest track. The second song “Nothing Lost” is generic hard rock. The next two tracks “Body Language” and “Asking” are the most interesting on the project, diving into propulsive electronica rock leaning into synthwave. “Circles” closes out the EP, trying to find the middle ground between heavy rock and synth-driven chill music.
It’s been a wild couple of years for fans of the late 90’s/early 2000’s Christian alternative scene. We’ve seen the surprising return of so many classic Tooth & Nail bands, releasing new music after long hiatuses. This includes Pedro the Lion, Watashi Wa, and Slick Shoes, among others. Now Anberlin can join the fray. And whether it’s my exact jam or not, I fully support the return of all of these artists. Stream the Silverline EP HERE. And look for our full review coming soon.
Beyonce–Renaissance
The Queen is back. It’s been six years since her last full length, Lemonade, although in the meantime she’s been busy with projects like the Lion King live action remake with accompanying full-length art-visual music video The Gift. She was also featured on Megan Thee Stallion’s monster single “Savage (Remix).” And now with a somewhat quiet release, Beyonce is ready to shake-up the pop music world again with Renaissance. The album was produced by Hit Boy and features 16 tracks that pay homage to 90’s house and dance music.
The first single “Break My Soul” sounds like a fun club song from the 90’s including staccato synth and house drum programming that would’ve made the late Whitney Houston proud. Set side-by-side with Lizzo’s Special, Beyonce’s themes of self-respect and comfortability in her own skin (see “Cozy”) seem more mature (even when she uses lines like “tig old bitties”). Lizzo’s music was made for the disco, Beyonce’s for the catwalk. Renaissance is a tribute to Beyonce’s late Uncle Johnny, “the most fabulous gay man I’ve ever met,” whom she credits for introducing her to much of the music that inspired the album. I have only been peripherally aware of Beyonce’s music over the last decade, but Renaissance is making me a believer that when it comes to pop, she truly is the Queen Bey. Stream Renaissance HERE.
Sean Leon–Herd Immunity
Canadian Rapper Sean Leon’s most recent splash on the scene was his appearance on Kanye’s track “Sci Fi” from Donda 2 (which I still haven’t heard). His newest release, Herd Immunity, is a lean 16-minute hop-hop EP that leans heavily into drill and trap. Although it has seven tracks, the first is an intro and the last is a spoken word outro, so we’re really only working with 5 proper songs. Which is fine because Leon makes the most of them. Lead single “Y OFC” is a certified banger, taking the most milquetoast midwestern phrase “Yes of course” and making it into a club shout along. The album goes fast and hard, with no filler or skippable tracks (aside from the intro and outro, which do provide some ambience). Drill isn’t normally the type of hip-hop I gravitate towards, but I will be keeping Herd Immunity in rotation and Sean Leon on my radar from here on out.
Stream Herd Immunity HERE.
Florist–Florist
There’s a mythos behind Florist’s newest album, that the band rented a house in the Hudson valley in order to live together, write, and record. What’s presented in their latest release is a portrait of their time spent. I would consider Florist ‘folk’ only in an outsider art sense. The instrumentation is glitchy, atonal, and strange. The vocals are beautiful and sparse at times. The project is textured in a way that’s both comforting and unsettling. It’s not cold, but it’s definitely doesn’t contain the warmth oftentimes expected with the ‘folk’ genre. This is an album I will return to so that I can pay greater attention to all of the unique little details that pepper the whole. Stream Florist HERE.
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