This week, catch up with the latest songs from Queens of the Stone Age, Sharon Van Etten, and Minneapolis artist Lucy Michelle, as well as the first new music from Sigur Rós in seven years. Plus, discover the sounds of Korean-American blues poet Nat Myers and Mexican musician and songwriter Silvana Estrada.

Sigur Rós, “Blóðberg”

Icelandic soundscape magicians, Sigur Rós, are back with new music after a seven-year hiatus. “Bló∂berg” is a 10-minute mystical and misty journey. As with most of their music, it’s meant for soundtracking road trips, or just daydreams of road trips past and future.

Queens of the Stone Age, “Carnavoyeur”

It seems like Josh Homme has put on his David Bowie cloak for “Carnavoyeur,” off the new album, In New Times Roman…. The emotional rockers are leaning into clever wordplay around dark thoughts. It’s dark and desperate as it embraces the chaos.

Lucy Michelle, “The Living”

Lucy Michelle had a heyday in the Twin Cities music scene in the 2010s with her indie bands the Velvet Lapelles and Little Fevers — one acoustic, the other electric. Lucy’s songwriting gifts continue to thrive in her latest single “The Living,” an emotional tune about the longing for human connection. She’ll release a full-length folk-rock album, Womanly, this July 14, accompanied by a release show at Parkway Theater. Her supergroup backing band will consist of John Munson (Semisonic, The New Standards), Chris Koza (Rogue Valley), Dylan Hicks, and Richard Medek (Turn Turn Turn, Erik Koskinen). – Diane, Local Show Host

Nat Myers, “Pray For Rain”

Old-school porch-swing blues finds an unlikely new hero in Nat Myers. The Korean-American poet listens to hip hop and hardcore, but has a soft spot for century-old Americana. The simplistic “Pray For Rain” gets a little help from producer Dan Auerbach (the Black Keys frontman also has a soft spot for classic blues sounds). The new album, Yellow Peril, will be out June 23.

Sharon Van Etten, “Quiet Eyes”

The latest song from Sharon Van Etten, “Quiet Eyes,” is a soundtrack song to indie film Past Lives. It’s a string-driven slow drive on a winding road. Van Etten’s strong voice trembles with the right amount of living hardship as it grows and sweeps past. On her social media, Van Etten shared, “The idea of past lives, who I used to be, what I could have been, people I lost touch with, parts of myself I lost along the way… is a beautiful, intangible, relatable concept.” 

Silvana Estrada, “Milagro y Desastre”

Silvana Estrada shows off what she can do with only her vocals on “Milagro y Desastre.” The Mexican artist used her looped vocals to add movement and flavor before strings join in on a song contemplating miracles and disasters and how sometimes events in life can be both.

Playlist