This week brings new releases from established artists Pixies, John Doe, Belle and Sebastian, and the Black Keys, plus the latest from London collective Superorganism and from Minneapolis duo the Muatas.

Pixies, “Human Crime”

The Pixies return with a song reflecting on loss and how "even sunshine feels like misery / even the blue skies are falling down on me." It's a jangly and upbeat song for calling someone out on their lack of kindness.

Superorganism, “Teenager”

The collective Superorganism is back with a few less members, but some great features on their new album, World Wide Pop (out July 15). Some of the guests on the album are Stephen Malkmus of Pavement, Dylan Cartlidge, and on the track "Teenager," the band Chai.

John Doe, “Never Coming Back”

Part of the legendary Los Angeles punk band X, John Doe has since had a wide-ranging career in movies (like Boogie Nights and Road House) and television (personal fave – Roswell), but he's continued to make music. He has a new solo record coming out this spring, and with the announce comes a new song, "Never Coming Back." Doe shared that "This song starts the record for a reason; it embodies the spirit and events of what’s to come. It begins a journey that will be without comfort, where you are running from something dark that is approaching fast. You can’t go back, because there’s nothing to go back to. The entire record is set during the end of the 1890s."

Belle and Sebastian, “Unnecessary Drama”

With a forceful rush of percussion and a shimmering harmonic solo, 2022 welcomes the return of Belle and Sebastian with "Unnecessary Drama." It's a song for anyone who's having a hard time adjusting back to being with people. As frontman Stuart Murdoch says, “The song is about a young person experimenting in being a human again after a forced hiatus. The person is weighing up whether or not it’s worth the mess! Still, you dip your toe in and it becomes delicious, and you get too much of it. Between trouble and nothing, we still choose the trouble.”

The Black Keys, “Wild Child”

Like a blast of rockin' breeze on a summer day, here comes "Wild Child" from Black Keys. It's fizzy and refreshing; and with 10 albums under their belt, it's hard to keep sounding this new while still sounding like the Black Keys. Maybe it was the injection of several collaborators like Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top), Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound), and Angelo Petraglia (Kings of Leon) all at the same time in the same studio. More good news: There's a full album, Dropout Boogie, coming out May 13.

The Muatas, “Battle Weary”

During an interview last year, Ayanna Muata jokingly described her proclivity for all-black outfits: “Some say black is no color, I say black is all of the colors together. It’s bursting and beaming with color, but you have to feel it within the depth of your soul.” The sentiment is a fitting summation of the Muatas’ brand-new LP Battle Weary. The album’s title track has a beat that throbs with the anxious low-cycle hum of an exhausted mind. Ayanna and husband Cam’s dissonant interplay dates back to their days in the innovative ’90s Minneapolis electronic group Cold Front. Ayanna’s voice lends “Battle Weary” a tender, brittle and resigned quality, with each stanza of the song’s lyrics seeming to falter at its end. As the song reaches its climax, the strings swell simultaneously with the omnipresent, droning guitar, the two sounds warring for space in the mix. - Zach McCormick 

Playlist