Spring is in the air, and our summer playlists are heating up with these new offerings. We’ve got the best new metal, indie, pop-punk, and rock finds that just dropped in May. From Moody Joody to Arcy Drive and beyond, these new songs will be your fave new listens.
Want more new music like this? Download the free idobi App and tune into idobi Radio, Howl, and anthm.
Moody Joody — “Little Blue House”
Fresh off their run supporting The Maine, Moody Joody is gearing up to release their debut album…but first, they dropped the nostalgia-inducing bop, “Little Blue House,” and it’s ideal for your summer playlist. “This song evokes the nostalgic feeling for me of a day of riding bikes with friends in the cul-de-sac, daydreaming about what’s going on in the neighbors’ house, and then laying on the bedroom floor pressing play on a silver boombox with an LFO CD,” says vocalist Kayla Hall. “‘Little Blue House’ feels like something completely different than anything we’ve put out thus far and is a little Easter egg towards our album!”
Feldspar — “Good Kids”
This Rome-based band uniquely intertwines hardcore and pop-punk with bright pop, crafting a true breath of fresh air. And yes, it’s a track you’ll want to play over and over again. Feldspar says of the track, “‘Good Kids’ is dedicated to all the young kids we’ve met throughout our lives—and to ourselves among them—who, despite being driven by the best intentions, ended up making the wrong choices. Some mistakes can be repaired and help you grow; others have cost the lives of truly beautiful people. This one’s for them.”
Arcy Drive — “one‘n a million”
Arcy Drive just made their Atlantic Records debut with a new single, “one’n a million,” and it’s a must-listen. The band’s sonics feel straight out of a mid-aughts romance movie, and it’s pure bliss.
The band says, “We made this song a little over a year ago. We were in LA for a couple of producer meetings, and on this one particular day, Nick showed us what was to become ‘one’n a million.’ Typically, when we get into the studio with producers/engineers/whatever, we usually have all of our parts sorted and have seen through every possible direction for the song. This process was a little bit different. No one in the band had heard the song before this session. We played off pure instinct, and it worked. In 4 hours, we came out with a pretty solid song and then honestly forgot about it. We were on to the next song.”
They continue, “It wasn’t until a couple of months ago that this song was brought back into our lives, and the first time hearing it again, we thought, ‘this is a fucking banger.’ It’s crazy how, when you’re so in it, you truly cannot take yourself out of your creations. But that full year of time away from the song, it felt refreshing again. Like we were really hearing the song for the first time. We like to think it’s another side of the band that we haven’t shown yet. A more relaxed summer vibe, but we still punkify it at the end, which makes it feel originally ours. Cheers.”
Night Talks — “People Pleaser”
Night Talks is adding a little funk-tinged indie to your playlists this month with the release of “People Pleaser.” Vocalist Soraya Sebghati notes, “‘People Pleaser’ is a celebratory song about overcoming your tendencies to put everyone else first, and not wasting time with a person who makes you bend for them constantly. Lyrically, we wanted it to be vague whether it’s about a friend or a partner, since this kind of dynamic can apply to any relationship.”
Guitarist Jacob Butler adds, “We tried to create something more sparse than songs we’ve done before, with fewer layers that each serve to either be either funky or percussive; even the acoustic guitars feel more like shakers in the track.”
Common People — “Blue Eyes”
Immerse yourself in the dazzling indie sonics of rising act Common People, you definitely won’t regret it, especially as it comes to their new offering, “Blue Eyes.” Frontman Nicky Winegardner shares, “‘Blue Eyes’ is the song that kind of started this whole thing. It was our first time working with Brad [Shultz], and seeing what we could do together. There’s an innocence to the song that comes from where I was when I started writing it. Making sense of what love does to you and means to you feels like a shared experience of youth. It can feel good to realize that something is actually bad.”
Catch Your Breath — “Control”
Catch Your Breath has had an exciting month so far, with the announcement of their upcoming LP, Not Broken Enough, due out August 28 via Thriller Records. Plus, the group just unleashed the raw single “Control” alongside official visuals. Band vocalist Josh Mowery says of the release, “This song is for anyone who’s ever given their whole world to someone, only to realize they’ve accidentally handed over the keys to their own prison. It’s about that devastating moment you realize the person who was supposed to be your safe harbor is actually the one keeping your head underwater.”
Fake Dad – “Third Degree”
Iconic LA-based duo Fake Dad has unleashed their new track, “Third Degree,” and it is utterly enchanting and sure to bring all the right vibes to your next road trip playlist. Singer Andrea de Varona shared, “We really wanted to make a 2000s-inspired club jam that still had the angsty, Riot Grrrl-esque energy that has been at the forefront of Fake Dad’s performance and writing style over the past couple of years. This time, though, rather than going for all angst, all yell, we wanted the crux of the song to circle back to something really vulnerable.”
The artist adds, “So yes, I’m this anti-establishment, ‘calling out the man’ baddie, but also I want to be seen, and I want to be loved for all the parts of me. And the realization that maybe the nuance of my inner world makes me kind of messy and insane. Like I want to be untouchable, but also really want to let my guard down and be accepted. And at the end of the day, who doesn’t feel a little crazy when it comes to love and relationships?”
breakkaway – “Run away with me”
NYC’s alternative rockers breakkaway just revealed their hyperpop-laced new single, “Run away with me,” via Epitaph Records, and it’s a must-listen. Vocalist Jessica Li says of the offering, “‘Run away with me’ is a song I wrote at 17 capturing what it meant to be a teenager for me. Struggling to feel anchored anywhere, small acts of rebellion, and friendships bigger than romantic love. Looking back from my early 20s, the song feels like my own coming-of-age story, full of a beautiful and tender kind of angst.”
Pinkshift – “When We Were Friends”
Pinkshift dropped a surprise song and our spring is officially better for it! “This song was just called ‘friends’ for the longest time. It’s a story about getting kicked to the curb when there was a new relationship in my friend’s life. I wanted to share a story about how valuable friendship is, even though we might take friendships for granted,” the artist says. “It’s easy to fall into the trap of watering romantic relationships that are exciting and new and leaving your friends out to dry, assuming that friends will always be there. But your friends who have been there with you through everything deserve the same love, attention, and care you would give someone new.” Check out their upcoming tour dates with Heart Attack Man here.
Love Spells — “Keep It To Yourself”
Love Spells, aka Sir Taegan Harris, revealed “Keep It To Yourself” from his highly anticipated debut LP, LOVE IS THE LAW, arriving on July 24 via RCA Records. The artist explains of the refreshing, bright indie offering, “This song is about realizing everybody doesn’t deserve access to what’s sacred between two people. Sometimes love and its problems sound better in private. Some things you just gotta keep to yourself.” You can get enchanted by Love Spells on his world tour. Plus, catch him on various summer festivals and support slots for Suki Waterhouse. Check out the full tour roster here.
Bike Routes – “Homeward Bound”
Bike Routes, the brainchild of David Osterhout, is blowing up, and you’d better get on board ASAP. The New Jersey native is gearing up to release his third album, PRAIRIE. Due on June 26, via Blue Grape Music, he revealed a piece of the LP with “Homeward Bound.” The musician touches on a unique experience that fellow artists know all too well. He notes of the song, “It’s about chasing the comfort of home, or a home base. If you’re out on the road, especially, no matter how it feels to perform and live out your dream, it can often feel isolating.”
He adds of the upcoming record, “These 11 songs are the perfect encapsulation of what Bike Routes was meant to be from the beginning. Even back when I was playing coffee shops ten years ago, this record is what I’ve been building towards.” Grab your copy here.
JORDY — “SICK!”
Ahead of the release of his fourth album, In Retrospect, glowing pop artist JORDY has blessed our playlists with something sick…literally! “‘SICK!’ is about coming out of a toxic relationship that makes you confuse anxiety with love. As someone who is naturally more anxiously attached, I wanted to capture that experience so many people have. Where once the chase is over, the feelings start to fade. It’s about how hard it can be to trust someone good when you’re used to being treated badly, and how sometimes you crave the chaos of feeling ‘sick’ with love instead of safe and calm,” JORDY says.
He adds, “Like my album title suggests, I can now look back and recognize that in those moments, I was confusing infatuation with love. But I also wanted to have a little fun with that realization and not take myself too seriously. Inspired by The 1975, The Band CAMINO, and Jonas Brothers, I wanted the song to feel nostalgic, anthemic, and full of pop energy. It’s one of my favorite songs on the record.” Pre-save and pre-order your copy of the record here, due out on July 10.
