Today, Wednesday, March 26th Lael Neale is sharing “Down On The Freeway,” her new Motorik-powered single and official video. The track is a standout from Altogether Stranger, her expansive forthcoming new album, out May 2nd, 2025 worldwide on Sub Pop.
Neale offers this on the song and its haute visual, which she stars in and also directed:
“This song is specific to Los Angeles. The drum machine really wrote the song. It conjures the endless sea of cars. Moving, bottlenecked, bumper to bumper. I’m always amazed that so many of us have somewhere to go. The video appeared in my mind’s eye as soon as we recorded the song. I saw that cars on the freeway are like people walking in a fashion show, pacing back and forth. The fashion show is the epitome of movement going nowhere. The video is a part of a larger story being told by the album and accompanying film, in which my character is an alien bewildered by the modern way of life on Earth. The QR code I ingest at the end of this video suggests that humanity is caught up in an escapist fantasy of techno-consumerism.”
Lael Neale’s headlining and festival date run for Spring and Summer 2025 in support of Altogether Stranger has been extended. In April, Neale and bandmate Blakeslee will perform two US album release shows – Thursday, April 10th in Los Angeles at Zebulon, and Friday, April 25th in New York City, NY at Public Records.
Then, in May, they’ll head over to the UK and EU, beginning May 10th in Dublin, IE at Workman’s Cellar and running through Saturday, June 14th in Hilvarenbeek, NL at Best Kept Secret Festival. Highlights for this announcement include support on headlining shows from collaborator Guy Blakeslee as Entrance (select dates*, May 10th-June 12th); A new in-store at London’s Rough Trade East (May 2nd); EU festival appearances at Stockholm’s Echo Three Fest (May 24th), and Guastalla, IT’s Handmade Festival (June 8th). Tickets for these shows are on sale now,
Thu. Apr. 10 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon*
Fri. Apr. 25 - New York City, NY - Public Records*
Fri. May 02 - London, UK - Rough Trade East
Sat. May 10 - Dublin, IE - Workman’s Cellar *
Sun. May 11 - Belfast, UK - McHughs *
Wed. May 14 - Lausanne, CH - Le Romandie*
Thu. May 15 - Dijon, FR - La Vapeur *
Fri. May 16 - Paris, FR - Le Hasard Ludique *
Sat. May 17 - Brussels, BE - Les Nuits Botanique
Mon. May 19 - Amsterdam, NL - DOKA *
Tue. May 20 - Hamburg, DE - Nachtasyl *
Wed. May 21 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain *
Fri. May 23 - Copenhagen, DK - Huset
Sat. May 24 - Stockholm, SE - Echo Three Fest
Tue. May 27 - Bristol, UK - The Louisiana *
Wed. May 28 - London, UK - Omeara *
Thu. May 29 - Manchester, UK - YES Basement *
Fri. May 30 - Newcastle, UK - Cumberland Arms *
Sat. May 31 - Glasgow, UK - Hug & Pint *
Sun.Jun 08 - Guastalla, IT - Handmade Festival
Thu. Jun.12 - Luxembourg, LU - Rotondes *
Sat. Jun. 14 - Hilvarenbeek, NL - Best Kept Secret Festival
The songs on Lael Neale’s Altogether Stranger, which includes “Tell Me How To Here,” “Wild Waters,” and the aforementioned “Down On The Freeway,” were written by Neale. The album was produced and mixed by Blakeslee at home in Los Angeles and mastered by Chris Coady.
Altogether Stranger is available to preorder on CD/LP/All DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com (North America), MM2 (in UK/EU), your local record store and at Neale’s live shows will receive the limited Loser edition on Lavender (NA) and Magenta (UK/EU) vinyl. There is also a special edition available through Rough Trade in the UK and EU on Cream White vinyl (All LP colors whilst stock lasts!).
More on Lael Neale’s Altogether Stranger:
Lael Neale’s minimalist drone pop draws inspiration from the Transcendentalists, the alienation of modern life, and a rich array of musical influences—ranging from Dionne Warwick and John Lennon to primitive American gospel and Spacemen 3. Her expansive new record, Altogether Stranger, was written and recorded in the early morning quiet of Los Angeles. Clocking in at just 32 minutes, the 9-song LP covers an unexpected breadth of musical and lyrical terrain—from garage rock nursery rhymes and creation myths to Motorik dance dirges and solitary Omnichord meditations. A brilliant lyricist, Neale has a unique ability to uncover the extraordinary within the mundane, tackling themes of polarity that recur throughout her work—country vs. city, humanity vs. technology, isolation vs. society. This album is her third collaboration with producer Guy Blakeslee who helps expand the tonal palette while staying true to Neale’s commitment to the raw immediacy and hand-made intimacy of home recording (read more at Sub Pop).
Lael Neale
Altogether Stranger
1. Wild Waters
2. All Good Things Will Come To Pass
3. Down On The Freeway
4. Sleep Through The Long Night
5. Come On
6. Tell Me How To Be Here
7. New Ages
8. All Is Never Lost
9. There From Here
Following the release of “
Stretch the Struggle” and
“Hammer,” Bria Salmena shares the electrifying new single and video “Rags”, directed by Julia Hendrickson and Justin Aranha.
“Rags” is a song about transgressive rage and the catharsis that is possible when it’s given permission to move freely through the body. Inspired by the X-ray photography series of co-director Justin Aranha, the “Rags” video is a visual exploration of what it feels like to strip away things that no longer serve you, a theme that we see throughout the album. The video centers the “body” of the community as the vehicle through which rage can be shared, held, and transformed. Surrounded by Bria’s friends and community, a heightened collective vulnerability and connection to rage is redefined by togetherness.
From Salmena,
“In writing Rags and developing the video concept in collaboration with director Julia Hendrickson, “accommodation” revealed itself as the foundation of the rage we were both drawing inspiration from. Altering your values to accommodate external expectations was a feeling I knew all too well from my adolescence. When I realized I was losing myself, as an adult, to the same vices of external validation, I felt like an angry teenage girl all over again. As a way of reconciling this self-awareness, I sat in my bedroom and tried to write a song my fifteen-year-old self would want to hear.” Director Julia Hendrickson shares,
“When I first heard “Rags,”
I was moved by its raw anger, intensity, and sexuality—a fierce, youthful, and self-assured energy. I knew I wanted the video to capture those same qualities. There’s so much to be angry about right now, and Bria’s rage carves out a space where you can scream alongside her.” You can watch the official video for “Rags”
here.
Big Dog will be released on March 28th via Royal Mountain in Canada and Sub Pop for the remainder of the world. Long celebrated as the frontwoman of Canadian post-punk outfit FRIGS and as a vocalist in Orville Peck’s band, Bria Salmena culminates her artistic evolution on her debut solo album. Anchored by her commanding voice, the album chronicles a story of transformation–a deeply personal exploration of resilience and a declaration of artistic independence.
Salmena will commence her North American Tour next week. See below for a full list of upcoming tour dates. Tickets are now available via
Bria Salmena’s official website.
Upcoming Tour Dates
Wed. Apr. 02 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
Fri. Apr. 04 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy + Harriet’s
Sat. Apr. 05 - San Francisco, CA - Make Out Room
Tue. Apr. 08 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou’s
Wed. Apr. 09 - Portland, OR - Swan Dive
Fri. Apr. 11 - Visilia, CA - Cellar Door
Sat. Apr. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
Fri. Apr. 25 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Lounge
Sat. Apr. 26 - Kingston, NY - Tubby’s
Sun. Apr. 27 - New York, NY - Baby’s All Right
Tue. Apr. 29 - Baltimore, ML - Metro Baltimore
Wed. Apr. 30 - Richmond, VA - The Camel
Thu. May 01 - Nashville, TN - The Blue Room
Fri. May 02 - Cincinnati, OH - Southgate House Revival
Sat. May 03 - Chicago, IL - Hideout
Wed. May 07 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PDB
Fri. May 09 - Toronto, ON - The Great Hall
Mon. May 12 - UK, Manchester - YES
Tue. May 13 - London, UK - The Lexington
Wed. May 14 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape
Fri. May 16 - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling Festival
Sat. May 17 - Rotterdam, NL - Roodkapje
Mon. May 19 - Paris, FR - La Boule Noire
Tue. May 20 - Köln, DE - Jaki
Thur. May 22 - Berlin, DE - Privatclub
Fri. May 23 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen
Sat. May 24 - Stockholm, SE - Echo Three Festival
Sun. May 25 - Oslo, NO - Revolver
Tue. May 27 - Hamburg, DE - Häkken
Sat. July 5 - Orillia, ON - Mariposa Folk Festival
July 18-20 - Guelph, ON - Hillside Festival
Big Dog is now available to pre-order on vinyl/CD/digital formats from Sub Pop. A Loser Edition LP on Orchid Vinyl is available through the Sub Pop Mega Mart (North America), Mega Mart 2 (UK/EU), and
independent retailers worldwide (excl CA).
“Canadian jack-of-all-genres Bria Salmena uses massive sounds and gripping vocals to create a rock track teeming with self reflection” - The Line of Best Fit
“There’s a visceral energy to the song, a directness that fans perhaps haven’t seen from her” - CLASH
“Salmena’s exciting and boundless [vocal] range is just one of many reasons why we can’t wait to hear the full album when it drops” - CBC
“Toronto’s Bria Salmena is poised to be one of the most exciting voices in 2025’s indie rock canon with the release of her debut album Big Dog” - Atwood Magazine
Bria Salmena
Big Dog
Track Listing:
1. Drastic
2. Backs of Birds
3. Closer to You
4. Hammer
5. Radisson
6. Twilight
7. On the Line
8. Stretch the Struggle
9. Rags
10. See’er
11. Peanut
12. Water Memory
Today is March 24th, and we’re here with details on The Bug Club’s new long-player, Very Human Features! Out worldwide on Friday, June 13th from Sub Pop, the album, includes the singles “How to Be a Confidante,” “Appropriate Emotions,” and today’s tour de force, “Jealous Boy.” It was produced and mixed by Tom Rees at Rat Trap Studios in Cardiff, Wales, and mastered by Mikey Young.
Very Human Features is available to preorder now on CD/LP/all DSPs from Sub Pop. LP preorders from megamart.subpop.com in North America, MM2 in the UK + EU, and your local record store, will receive the limited Loser edition on Purple (NA) and Bio Pink (UK/EU) vinyl (all vinyl color editions whilst stock lasts!).
The Bug Club will spend a good deal of time on the road in 2025 performing songs from Very Human Features, along with some from their previous Sub Pop release, 2024’s On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System by Means of Popular Music, or the Contemplation of Pretty Faces, Tinned Bubbles and Strife, as well as some of their older songs.
Their Spring North American tour begins tomorrow night, Tuesday, March 25th in Toronto at Longboat Hall and currently runs through Friday, April 11th in San Diego at the Whistle Stop.
Additional international touring highlights for the Spring and Summer of 2025 include The Bug Club’s European club shows (April 29th-May 15th), and festival appearances (May 15th-August 31st; select dates). Additional live dates will be announced soon.
Please find a complete list of current tour dates below.
North America, Spring 2025
Tue. Mar. 25 - Toronto, ON - Longboat Hall !
Thu. Mar. 27 - Portland, OR - Polaris Hall
Fri. Mar. 28- Seattle, WA - The Vera Project [Sold Out]
Sat. Mar. 29 - Baker City, OR Churchill School
Sun. Mar. 30 - Boise, ID - Treefort Festival
Tue. Apr. 01 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
Thu. Apr. 03 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street
Fri. Apr. 04 - Austin, TX - The Ballroom Texas
Sat. Apr. 05 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
Sun. Apr. 06 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
Wed. Apr. 09 - Las Vegas, NV - Swan Dive
Thu. Apr. 10 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
Fri. Apr. 11 - San Diego, CA - Whistle Stop
! @ the We Are Busy Bodies 20th Anniversary Festival
Europe, Spring 2025
Tue. Apr. 29 - Brugge, BE - Cactus Club
Wed. Apr. 30 - Eindhoven, NL - Altstadt
Thu. May 01 - Nijmegen, NL - Doornroosje
Fri. May 02 - Utrecht, NL - De Nijverheid
Sat. May 03 - Groningen, NL - Vera
Mon. May 05 - Berlin, DE - Privatclub
Tue. May 06 - Hamburg, DE - Molotow Skybar
Wed. May 07 - Köln, DE - Blue Shell
Fri. May 09 - Milan, IT - Arci Bellezza
Sat. May 10 - Ravenna, IT - Bronson
Tue. May 13 - Paris, FR - Supersonic
Wed. May 14 - Lille, FR - L’Aeronef
Thu. May 15 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival @ Paganini Ballroom (Early)
Thu. May 15 - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival @ The Old Market (Late)
US/UK Summer Festivals / Support Shows 2025
Sat. May 31 - Cheltenham, UK - Wychwood Festival
Fri. Jun 20 - Nelsonville, OH - Nelsonville Art & Music Festival
Sat. Jun. 21 - Nelsonville, OH - Nelsonville Art & Music Festival
Sun. Jun. 22 - Nelsonville, OH - Nelsonville Art & Music Festival
Sat. Jul. 26 - Thirsk, UK - Deer Shed Festival
Wed. Aug. 27 - Sheffield, UK - Don Valley Stadium ^
Sat. Aug. 30 - Dorset, UK - End of the Road Festival
^ w/ Queens of the Stone Age
Last Month, The Bug Club released “Have U Ever Been 2 Wales,” a joyous ode to their beloved home country that features upbeat, regionally referential lyrics like “Have you ever been to Wales? It’s good, it’s goo-ooh-ooh-ooh-hood” and “…every choir from Caldicot to Treorchy will sing it proud.” The spirited song, doubtless soon to be the new ad jingle for Visit Wales, is also out now worldwide (including Wales) on all DSPs from Sub Pop.
The Bug Club has seen support from the likes of NME, BBC, KEXP, Bandcamp Daily, Brooklyn Vegan, PASTE, Stereogum, see/saw, Dusted, The Stranger Rosy Overdrive, Glide, and more. NME said of their 2024 release On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System…., “…its 11 songs crackle with incisive melodies and funny pop culture-addled lyrics – they reference The Great Escape’s Virgil Hilts one minute, and move on to the horror of Lonsdale slip on daps the next – but they’re in and out in under 26 minutes. Zero fat.”
More on The Bug Club’s Very Human Features:
The Bug Club are back, again, for their annual appointment at the garage rock makers’ market, where they’re flogging yet another pedigree record.
LP number four, Very Human Features, arrives June 13th, hot on the heels of the band’s first Sub Pop release, 2024’s On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System. That record saw the band continue their love affair with BBC Radio 6, start up a new one with KEXP thanks to a session with them, and crop up in the pages of the NME. Anything else from the bucket list? Oh yeah, festival slots including packing home ground Green Man’s Walled Garden to its non-existent rafters. Then shows across the US in those venues us Brits tend to hear about and that’s as far as we get. This record gives the band an excuse to continue their never-ending tour and feed their baying fans, engorged and expectant thanks to this band’s relentless record-releasing hot streak, a new batch of typically playful, riff-laden, smart Bug Club Tunes.
But first, a standalone single, because that’s how things are done here. “Have you ever been to Wales?”, asks the band in “Have U Ever Been 2 Wales.” If not, why not? It’s good. A new, discordant national anthem, if they didn’t already have a decent harmonious one. Oh, to be from a country where national pride is something other than the mark of a tosser. Starting as a classic, chugging chantalong, it’s interrupted by what sounds like an alien choir before they let rip. Think Dinosaur Jr. with a job at the tourist board. And Welsh. Definitely Welsh (read more at Sub Pop).
The Bug Club
Very Human Features
Tracklisting:
1. Full Grown Man
2. Twirling in the Middle
3. Jealous Boy
4. Young Reader
5. Beep Boop Computers
6. Muck (Very Human Features)
7. When the Little Choo Choo Train
Toots His Little Horn
8. How to Be a Confidante
9. Living in the Future
10. Tales of a Visionary Teller
11. The Sound of Communism
12. Blame Me
13. Appropriate Emotions |
|
Debby Friday is sharing “1/17”, an anthemic and salacious new dance pop single for 2025, available now worldwide from Sub Pop and in Canada from Royal Mountain Records.
Written and produced during a whirlwind European tour, “1/17” marks an exciting evolution for Debby Friday as she unveils a softer, more playful side of her artistry. Featuring hypnotic vocals and cheeky lyrics with nods to ancient Greece and nude selfies, the track exudes charm and lightness. With threads of experimental dance-pop woven seamlessly throughout, “1/17” is a refreshing addition to Debby Friday’s sonic world and a promising kickoff to her new era.
“1/17” was produced by Friday and Darcy Baylis, mixed by Alex Gamble, with assistance by Taylor Finnigan, and mastered by Levi Seitz.
Its soaring and singular shot official video is directed by Friday and frequent collaborator Kevan Funk (“WHAT A MAN,” “SO HARD TO TELL”), and filmed at Toronto’s historic Massey Hall.
Friday says of the visual, “It’s based on an amalgamation of two experiences that I had. The first was when I won the Polaris Prize at Massey Hall, which felt like a peak moment in my career. The second was when, nine months later, I played a festival show to absolutely no one in the audience. I’ve spent the past year detaching myself from the highs and lows of this business and trying to see everything as a sign. Of what? I don’t know. But I’m sure in the end, it’ll all mean something.”
Debby Friday has scheduled two performances for the Spring and Summer of 2025: Thursday, May 15th in Brighton, UK at The Great Escape Festival and Sunday, August 3rd in Montreal at Osheaga Festival—additional live dates to be announced soon.
Debby Friday is currently at work on the upcoming follow-up to GOOD LUCK, her acclaimed Polaris Music Prize-winning, full-length debut, out now worldwide on Sub Pop.
Past praise for DEBBY FRIDAY:
“With perhaps the most confident and promising debut album of the year, the Toronto-based electronic musician Debby Friday creates an alluringly dark, industrial backdrop for her slinky self-mythologizing and galvanizing pep talks to herself. “Speak up, speak up, Friday Child,” she intones on the intention-setting opener. “Say what you came to say.” Does she ever.” [GOOD LUCK] “The Best Albums of 2023” - THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Album of the Week” [GOOD LUCK] - STEREOGUM
“GOOD LUCK is an assured and frequently surprising debut that feels like a trip into the lascivious, eclectic wormhole of Friday’s world – and with so much to take in, and so much fun to be had, you won’t want to leave.” 8/10 - CRACK
“Debby defies easy categorization, mixing rap, electro, post-punk, industrial, techno and more into a glitchy, bruising and bitcrushed blend that is fiery, magnetic and all her own.” [GOOD LUCK] - BROOKLYN VEGAN
“Album of the Week” [GOOD LUCK] - TREBLE
“There’s an extraordinary elasticity across GOOD LUCK’s
masterful production that makes repeated listens not just enjoyable but irresistible.” “8/10, Album of the Week” - LOUD & QUIET
“Fans of Azealia Banks, JPEGMAFIA, SZA, Yves Tumor, and even Nine Inch Nails could all find themselves at home in her world. And soon enough, with her innovation and confidence, it seems like the rest of the world will, too.” “The Rising Artists You Need To Know” - ALTERNATIVE PRESS
“Packed into a succinct, live-wire 33-minutes, GOOD LUCK is testament to how effectively Friday can capture life in all its dense, unpredictable emotions.” - CHICAGO READER
“In contrast to the pulse-quickening tempos and noisy synths of her past music, her production is deft and graceful, with a skipping beat and cascading backing vocals. ‘Lady Friday/All you do is rеbel,’ Friday chastises herself—tough talk against a fragile, gorgeous sound.” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] “Best New Track” - PITCHFORK
“One of the young year’s most audacious bangers” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - BILLBOARD
“Hyperpop can sometimes come off as abrasive but in the hands of Canadian singer Debby Friday it’s soulful, even elegant.” [“SO HARD TO TELL”] - NYLON
“A graceful entrance into yet another territory: lush R&B”[“SO HARD TO TELL”] “Now Playing” - NPR MUSIC
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