Coming off the success of their darkly cinematic third record III, Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites' latest work is their most spontaneous and joyous yet, featuring their ever-more-sophisticated songwriting and arranging and production from longtime producer and friend Simone Felice. Touching on themes of love and American life, the album features the foot-stomping, anthemic, arena-filling sound the band has become beloved for worldwide.

It’s no surprise that while being Simon Green’s most emotionally intense record, Fragments is also his masterpiece. The album features Jamila Woods, Joji, Kadhja Bonet, Jordan Rakei, O’Flynn and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Born first out of fragments of ideas and experimentation, the album ultimately was fused together in a burst of creativity fueled by both collaboration and Green’s escape into the wild.

Young Man is their first project without electric guitars, with the emphasis instead on skillful songwriting, flawless harmony, and intricate fingerpicking. Sonically the album draws on inspirations such as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, yet there’s also a dusty Western feel, similar to a Guy Clark or Townes Van Zandt album where the detailed backdrop and acoustic arrangements convey the story as eloquently as the lyrics do.

ARIA & BET nominated artist, Tkay Maidza has announced the highly anticipated follow up to 2020’s breakout Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2, which earned the #1 Best EP of the Year nod from The Needle Drop. Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3 completes Tkay’s trilogy and will feature another round of eight plush, laid-back songs that effortlessly mix pop, rap, R&B, and reggae.

The Boy Named If is an album of urgent, immediate songs with bright melodies, stinging guitar solos, and a quick step to the rhythm. Costello says, “The full title of this record is ‘The Boy Named If (And Other Children’s Stories).’ ‘IF’ is a nickname for your imaginary friend; your secret self, the one who knows everything you deny, the one you blame for the shattered crockery and the hearts you break, even your own.”

From Billie Holiday to Iggy Pop, Chan Marshall reaches back to songs that have affected her from childhood to the present, connecting each with a deeply personal memory. Alongside covers of rock-and-roll icons, Marshall brings her inimitable vocal power and elegant arrangements to songs by contemporary artists, capturing the defiance of Dead Man’s Bones’ “Pa Pa Power” and the dreaminess of Lana Del Rey’s “A White Mustang.”

A Tear In The Fabric Of Life is a balancing act: a mid-length EP with grand ambitions and scope, one full of new sonic elements and a cohesive aesthetic that hangs onto the band’s trademark anthemic delivery. The songs speak to each other in a language that’s equal parts Phil Spector and death metal while balancing the tension between technical mastery and catchiness. This is Knocked Loose, distilled, and taking a leap.