Essential Tracks This Week: Destroyer, Spellling, and more

It’s the year’s first real week of new releases, and with that comes an even bigger batch of new releases to look forward to. A long list of bands, many of our favorites, have announced new albums this week, and with that, new singles to put in rotation. Among this week’s Essential Tracks are the latest from one of the best singer/songwriters of the past three decades, a shape-shifting art pop artist, shoegazers gone dreamily twangy and more.

Destroyer – “Bologna”

For the first minute or so of “Bologna,” you might not realize you’re even listening to a Destroyer song. That’s because when you listen to a Destroyer song, you know it—Dan Bejar’s voice and lyrical style is singular. But that’s exactly why it’s misleading: Fiver’s Simone Schmidt is the first voice you hear, set up against a dubby, psychedelic trip-hop sound. And it’s gorgeously hypnotic, the kind of headphone psych-pop groove that’s easy to get lost in immediately. But it doesn’t take long for Bejar to find his way into the otherworldly romance of its arrangement, ultimately chanting the song’s titular locale: “Bolognaaaa … Bolognaaa.” Bejar’s ability to embark on bold sonic journeys and still sound like nobody but himself remains undefeated.

From Dan’s Boogie, out March 28 via Merge

Spellling – “Portrait of My Heart”

Chrystia Cabral underwent a phenomenal transformation on 2021’s The Turning Wheel, having expanded her sound from solo-crafted synth-driven darkwave dirges into a widescreen expression of lush, psychedelic soul and chamber pop. “Portrait of My Heart,” the first single from her upcoming album of the same name, finds her evolution ongoing, taking on a sound more in line with ’90s alt-rock, but punctuated by a gorgeous streak of strings. It rocks, but with a graceful and opulent grandeur, another key piece of evidence that Spellling is capable of pulling off just about any stylistic twist that strikes her fancy.

From Portrait of My Heart, out March 28 via Sacred Bones

Cloakroom – “Bad Larry”

Cloakroom are ostensibly a shoegaze band, but they’ve never allowed that to define them in such rigid terms, often taking on a crunchier alt-rock sound or easing into the melancholy drift of slowcore. “Bad Larry” is more of a gently melodic David Lynch daydream, evoking the country-tinged pop of the Everly Brothers or Chris Isaak at his most ethereal. It’s not the first time that the group have stripped away their crunch in favor of something a little more sweetly delicate, but damn if it’s not wonderful.

From Last Leg of the Human Table, out Feb. 28 via Closed Casket Activities

Darkside – “S.N.C”

When you weren’t looking, Darkside got funky. Really funky. That might have been inevitable given the addition of drummer Tlacael Esparza to the lineup, having given an extra dose of groove to previous single “Graucha Max.” But then in comes the clavinet on new single “S.N.C”, and the lines between Darkside and the house productions of Nicolás Jaar’s Against All Logic project begin to blur. But being a full-band affair, “S.N.C” carries even more post-punk disco weirdness in its limbs. And damn do they wear it well.

From Nothing, out February 28 via Matador

James Brandon Lewis Trio – “Prince Eugene”

Last year, James Brandon Lewis teamed up with Washington, D.C. group The Messthetics (featuring half of Fugazi) to merge jazz with rock in thrilling new ways on their collaborative Impulse! Records debut. And just a year later, Lewis will release another new album with his trio, Apple Cores, featuring the just-released standout “Prince Eugene.” More steeped in bass-heavy dub grooves, “Prince Eugene” is all about its pulsing, hypnotic rhythms. No doubt Lewis’ saxophone playing is the focal point, and he’s a dazzling and expressive performer who commands the track with his melodic sensibility. And yet, drummer Chad Taylor (also on mbira here) and bassist Josh Werner carve out a groove as deep as they come, delivering a rhythm built for the biggest soundsystem you got.