Wednesday Music News

Trevor Powers has announced the retirement of his Youth Lagoon moniker and shared the first single under his birth name, “Playwright.” The song comes along with a letter from Powers explaining the reason for ending the Youth Lagoon project, saying: “i ended youth lagoon because it became a mental dungeon, & i was its captive. my intention was never to keep it going - only to serve as a nod to the blooming years. it's been said the worst prisons are the ones we build for ourselves / the barriers, rules, & regulations that we choose to live by out of fear of the unknown or because we think it's what we're supposed to do. but i now feel freed. this project is the beginning of something new; not the continuation of something old.” Powers last Youth Lagoon record was 2015’s Savage Hills Ballroom. [ Under the Radar ]

Dirty Projectors have announced their eighth studio album, Lamp Lit Prose, scheduled for release July 13 via Domino Records. The now-solo project of Dave Longstreth also shared the first single off the record, “Break-Thru.” In the accompanying video, Longstreth sits in a room full of parakeets and cockatoos while they bob their heads to the music and perch on his shoulder. Lamp Lit Prose features appearances by The Internet’s Syd, Empress Of, Amber Mark, Haim, Rostam, Robin Pecknold and Dear Nora. Catch Dirty Projectors at the Crocodile on Thursday, June 21. [ Paste ]

Baltimore dream pop duo Beach House have shared the fourth single from their forthcoming album 7. Titled “Black Car,” the spellbinding single follows previous singles “Lemon Glow,” “Dive,” and “Dark Spring.” 7 is the band’s seventh studio album and follows 2015’s Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars. [ Pitchfork ]

Canadian trio Braids have unveiled two new singles, “Collarbones” and “Burdock & Dandelion.” Both songs tackle the issues surrounding beauty and social media. Frontwoman Raphaelle Standell-Preston explains them like this in a statement:"For those of u that have ever taken selfies, contorted ur body for selfies, pushed up ur breasts, hid ur breasts, hid ur ass, pushed up ur ass, exaggerated ur bulge, exaggerated ur collarbones, turned up the contrast, softened ur lines, been ghosted, ghosted, used tinder, failed at tinder, fallen down an instagram hole, deleted and downloaded it, deleted and downloaded it, deleted and downloaded it, wandered the drug store for clarity, thought hair dye could ease ur pain, at least for a couple days, and flipped the bird at 1 or all of these things - these songs are 4 u.” The band’s last full-length was 2015’s Deep In The Iris, which they followed up last year with the Companion EP. [ The Line of Best Fit ]

Minneapolis duo Now, Now are releasing their first album in six years, Saved, next month. It’s the first since the departure of guitarist Jess Abbott. Today, they’ve shared the fourth single, “MJ,” which KC Dalager says was written from the perspective of explaining a deteriorating relationship to her hero Michael Jackson. “I felt he was someone that was a connecting point between me and someone else, only to realize that was used as a connecting point between that person and another person. So this song is me venting to Michael about that situation.” Saved is out May 18th via Trans Records. Now, Now will take the Crocodile stage on Monday, July 30. [ Stereogum ]