The month and, by extension, the year might be going by fast, but that hasn’t made the artists featured on this week’s three chosen songs slow down one bit. Whether it’s doing what they do best or pushing themselves out of their comfort zones, their latest singles signal a year that still has much to offer in the remaining four months. Aside from the tracks featured this week, check out our Best New Songs of the Month playlist for other staggering songs added whenever there’s new music.

Lola Young “Flicker of Light”

This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, the sophomore effort from Lola Young, would have been more than enough material for fans and new listeners of the English singer-songwriter. However, she decided to drop another single ahead of her upcoming tour, “Flicker of Light.” Without taking away from her album, “Flicker of Light” keeps her hype alive with a galvanizing mesh between pixelated electronic music and straight rock, something made apparent by the fast-paced tempo at the start. Proudly declaring “I’m still alive” during the chorus, her accented vocals add to the call-to-action sentiment expressed throughout the song while also serving as another texture in the thundering production. As a song, “Flicker of Light” is equal parts victory lap and proof that Young will not compromise her genre-meshing by any means. There’s no question she plans on sticking around, and “Flicker of Light,” although deserving of a spot on This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway in hindsight, highlights her appeal that has won over fellow musicians and listeners alike.

See Lola Young on her headlining tour in LA at The Bellwether on Oct. 17, Santa Ana at The Observatory on Oct. 18, and San Diego at House of Blues on Oct. 19.

Visit Lola Young on her website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.

Listen to “Flicker of Light” the new single from Lola Young.

DEADLETTER “More Heat!”

Tied together by a European tour set to start next month following the release of their debut album, Hysterical Strength, UK post-punk six-piece DEADLETTER offers another glimpse at their upcoming full-length with “More Heat!” A sequel of sorts to their explosive EP Heat! from 2022, “More Heat!” exemplifies the band’s strongest factor of their accelerated ascension: consistency. The beeping sound and saxophone at the beginning act as a warning for what’s to come, with frontman Zac Lawrence gradually rounding up the troops before the drums come into the fray. Once all the band members and their instruments are brought together, the track becomes a rousing anthem fitting for a hectic battleground, increasing in intensity, much like the guitar acting as a weapon rather than a musical instrument. While the song is another expectedly stirring single from DEADLETTER, it speaks to the band’s talents that they already found their stride relatively early in their career and know how to deliver each time they drop.

Visit DEADLETTER on their website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.

Listen to “More Heat!” the new single from DEADLETTER.

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Vlad Holiday “I Don’t Wanna Party Anymore” feat. Kacey Musgraves

Romanian-born singer-songwriter Vlad Holiday is gradually inching his way closer to a level of indie fame collaborators Cage the Elephant enjoyed last decade with singles like the recently released “I Don’t Wanna Party Anymore” featuring Kacey Musgraves. Hoping to capture “the feeling the day after a long bender, sick of going through the serotonin dip over and over again,” the unlikely anthem captures the woozy effect of a hangover through a tasteful lo-fi interpretation of jazz. Musgraves, who has long dominated her own corner of country music but is unafraid to venture out into other genres, joins her fellow Nashville peer in a nearly unrecognizable vocal style for her, in large part due to the tape delay Holiday processed her voice through. The decision is just one of many creative choices made on the song, with the smooth guitar, sluggish speed of the instrumentation, and Holiday’s own alluring vocals rounding out a standout track from this past week.

See Vlad Holiday on tour in LA at Gold Diggers on Aug. 23.

Visit Vlad Holiday on his website and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.

Listen to “I Don’t Wanna Party Anymore” the new single from Vlad Holiday and Kacey Musgraves.

Again, there’s always something to discover over in our Best New Songs of the Month playlist, especially if you’re already caught up on our best new songs installments. Additionally, New Music editorials and Artists You Should Know features come out weekly, ensuring you never have to miss anything from the best of the best.

Words: David Sosa

ARTISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW

BEST NEW MUSIC