Andrew Bird, Youbet, The Notwist, more

So many artists, so many songs, so little time. Each week we review a handful of new albums (of all genres), round up even more new music that we’d call “indie,” and talk about what metal is coming out. We post music news, track premieres, and more all day. We update a playlist weekly of some of our current favorite tracks. Here’s a daily roundup with a bunch of interesting, newly released songs in one place.

ANDREW BIRD – “NEED SOMEONE”

This week’s episode of hit HBO medical drama The Pitt features a new original song by Andrew Bird that was co-written with the series’ composer, Gavin Brivik, with a specific scene in mind. “I really enjoy these projects because the challenge is to respond to the emotion of the scene with melody and lyrics,” Bird says. “There’s a bit more clarity of purpose to it as opposed to writing for myself. I was thinking of all the hardships the characters have endured, and how if you are an empathetic, good person you can hope that people will be there for you when it’s your time to pass on. I suppose it’s really about karma. I love how this show champions our healthcare workers and first responders who do what they do for all the right reasons: to help those in need and who are willing to put themselves in harm’s way for the greater good. Gavin was a pleasure to work with. All in all – a gratifying experience.”

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YOUBET – “GROUND KISS”

NY band Youbet announced a new self-titled album, due out May 1 via Hardly Art, and shared the opening track, “Ground Kiss.” “The song represents an endless search for that something and the rebuilding that goes along with trial and failure,” principal songwriter Nick Llobet says.

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CUT WORMS – “DREAM”

“This one’s sort of an outlier on the record,” says Cut Worms’ Maxe Clarke of “Dream” from his new Jeff Tweedy-produced album Transmitter. “I started writing it one day a year or so ago when my friend Antony kindly let me into his church when nobody was there to use the piano for a few hours. Later on, I recorded it myself at home, and in a different, secret piano dungeon hidden somewhere in New York City (real pianos are hard to come by when you live here, in my experience). It was originally called “Cut Worms’ 1,111th Dream” but nobody wanted to say all that so it got abbreviated to “Dream,” understandably so, if not the most original title. I played the piano and bass and did the arrangement of electrical strings and one horn. Then I enlisted the very talented Jesse Kotansky, who Adam Green introduced me to, to make some real-life string recordings and had Tom the engineer blend them together in the final mix. I think it came out well.”

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LUCIA & THE BEST BOYS – “LONELY GIRL” FT. LAUREN MAYBERRY

“‘Lonely Girl’ is a song about finding a sense of belonging in both people and place,” explains Lucia says of her new single with The Best Boys, which features CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry. “I grew up in a small rural village in Scotland and as a teen who wanted to make music, I felt isolated in many ways and felt like I needed to reach far beyond my every-day surroundings for inspiration. But by the passing of time, strengthening my connection with the land and finding those rare friendships that really uplift, nurture and allow you to be yourself, I have never felt more at home. When we started to record the song with Yves it became very apparent that Lauren’s voice belonged on this song, not only because it felt like a dreamy pairing but because I knew that if anyone was going to understand the meaning of this song that is so deep routed in where I come from, it would be Lauren.”

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THE NOTWIST – “PROJECTORS”

The Notwist say: “‘Projectors”’ is a folk and country-influenced song with brass interludes featuring all of the album’s guests: Enid Valu on vocals, Haruka Yoshizawa on harmonium, Chris Xiao on clarinet, and Mathias Götz on trombone. The lyrics, which are about getting through difficult times, are written as if Rutger Hauer could sing them in Blade Runner.“ New album News from Planet Zombie is out March 13.

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DEB NEVER – “ARCADE”

Deb Never announced her debut LP and shared the title track, which you can read more about here.

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HATER – “STINGER” & “STUNG AGAIN”

Swedish band Hater have shared two thematically linked songs from their upcoming album Mosquito.

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JAMES BLAKE – “I HAD A DREAM SHE TOOK MY HAND”

James Blake gave us a second preview of his seventh album with “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand.” Read more about it here.

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DAMON ALBARN, GRIAN CHATTEN & KAE TEMPEST – “FLAGS”

It’s the second single from the Warchild UK benefit comp HELP(2) and in addition to Albarn, Chatten and Tempest, “Flags” features Johnny Marr, Dave Okumu, Adrian Utley (Portishead), Gorillaz’ bassist Seye Adelekan, Femi Koleoso (Ezra Collective), and a 43-piece children’s choir.