MAITA  I Just Want to Be Wild for You (Kill Rock Stars) I Just Want to Be Wild for You is emotional gold. Led by songwriter Maria Maita-Keppeler, Portland’s MAITA grapples with the complexities of modernity and connecting amidst disconnection. Melodic, twangy guitar and dulcet vocals often walk the razor’s edge of breaking open—and sometimes do, as on the single “You Sure Can Kill a Sunday,” which erupts into punk riffs of fuzz and catharsis before transiting back and then in again. The album is insightful and raw, with a...

It may not officially be summer, but Ariana and Rose’s new song is here to kickstart your carefree living. Fresh off her forthcoming debut album, Lonely Hearts Club, the new single “Setting Me Free” focuses on evolving into the most authentic version of yourself. Anchored in the themes of self-empowerment and liberation, the song is now accompanied by a brand new music video, premiering exclusively on BUST today.  Infused with electro-pop and an upbeat tempo, this song is here to spruce up the energy of the room...

It’s hard to imagine how a new Beach House album could sound any more lush than their past work, but the duo has achieved the impossible on their eighth LP, Once Twice Melody. Singer Victoria Legrand and multi-instrumentalist Alex Scally enlisted a live string ensemble for the first time, which lends many of these songs a sprawling, epic quality. Once Twice Melody also boasts 18 tracks—double the amount usually found on a Beach House album—giving it plenty of time to cycle through intimate dream pop (“The Bells”), pulsing rock...

That’s right! Queen of Tempo and star of the new TV series Watch Out For The Big Girls, Lizzo has a new album coming out on April 14th. Her single, “About Damn Time,” debuted on James Corden’s The Late Late Show on Tuesday. Sporting a baby-blue, one-shouldered vinyl maxi dress, the artist exclaimed that she'd been working on the album for "three freakin' years!", and detailed her review process before putting out an album, explaining that her friends were her first round of testers. “They’ll tell me, they’ll...

  Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono (Chimera) Yoko Ono’s musical output has often been misunderstood over the span of her nearly 60-year career. As Ocean Child curator Benjamin Gibbard puts it, “[She’s] run the gamut from avant-garde to bubblegum pop, often across a single album…her songwriting has been criminally overlooked.” Now, several musicians show their appreciation with a stellar tribute album, which includes Sharon Van Etten’s striking interpretation of “Toyboat,” David Byrne and Yo La Tengo’s dreamy version of “Who Has Seen the Wind?,” and Deerhoof’s appropriately...

In light of Olivia Rodrigo’s documentary, driving home 2 you, coming out this month, I want to say something that may be controversial: "drivers license" was targeted bullying, and disliking Sabrina Carpenter or her music because of Olivia Rodrigo is anti-feminist.  For those who don’t know, Disney actress Olivia Rodrigo, a new Gen Z pop sensation, released her single, "driver’s license," in January 2021, from her debut album Sour, and it captured many hearts. It was instantly a favorite, breaking Spotify’s record for the fastest song...

  MITSKI Laurel Hell (Dead Oceans) It wouldn’t be quite right to call Mitski’s latest album “upbeat,” but it’s certainly got a bit more disco flavor than 2018’s stellar Be the Cowboy or 2014’s punk-tinged Bury Me at Makeout Creek. While the tempos may have gotten faster, Mitski’s ability to devastate listeners with a single line remains unchanged. “The Only Heartbreaker,” an early single backed by deceptively peppy synths, has a beat you could Jazzercise to, but the lyrics are about realizing you might be the bad guy in...

Indie rock icon Cat Power—aka Chan Marshall—released her first album in four years into a COVID-weary world thirsty for the kind of emotive energy only she can provide. Here, the revered singer/songwriter shares stories about her son, Boaz, “banana parties,” and why, for her, the past two years have been “brutal on the mind.” - By Eliza C. Thompson Since releasing her debut album in 1995, Cat Power has developed a reputation. As one of the greatest songwriters of her generation, yes—but also as a “difficult”...

Spring is just around the corner, and that means growth, renewal and the return of the light! And we have the perfect playlist to get you in the mood for it all. Featuring music reviewed in our Spring issue, we've got Wet Leg, from the Isle of Wight; Mitski (featured in our fashion pages); the Great Cate LeBon; Cat Power; Jenny Hval; the Linda Lindas; and so much more.  Photo of Wet Leg by Hollie Fernando   ...

It’s that strange limbo between Christmas and New Year’s, and Alex Cameron is grateful for something to do. He talks with an Aussie ease, but after 10 minutes on Zoom, he realizes he doesn’t have his camera on. “Oh! Let me try and fix that, ‘cause that seems like I’m very voyeuristic,” he says, laughing. After a second or two, the screen reveals Cameron, 33, dressed in an oversized gray hoodie, exhaling cigarette smoke and holding his almost-hairless cat, Homer. He’s quick to also turn...