Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
The Alternative Weekly Roundup is a column where our staff plugs a variety of new releases in a concise, streamlined format. Albums, singles, videos, and live sets. Check back each Monday to see what we were jamming the week prior.
Lori – “Deeper”
Sheffield alt-pop darling Lori dazzles with new hyper-pop tune “Deeper.” As its name suggests, it discusses fighting through turbulent times overtop the zing of ‘90s house beats and big hooks. It’s hard not to catch the earworm, and if this is the new direction Lori is taking her sound I’ll be coming back to this table time and time again.
Hope Ankney | @hope_vandelay
Winter & Hooky – “horseshoe”
Off-kilter riffs wrapped in hazy production with ghostly vocals floating on top—yeah, it’s Water Season. New York dream pop singer-songwriter Winter teamed up with Philly experimental gazers Hooky for a collaborative EP, out next week, and lead single “horseshoe” is great, the sweetness of Winter’s voice perfectly balancing Hooky’s sour.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
partygirl – “fine, fine, fine”
Brooklyn maximalists partygirl are back in 2025 with a reflective new single. “fine, fine, fine” details the emotional numbness that spreads when pretending you’re alright, but you’re not really fine, fine, fine. Intersecting its raw lyricism with guitars that blend into the waxes and wanes of violins and saxophones, the song takes you on a journey through the moods associated with this affection. partygirl’s music always feels like an experience and the more I bump this single, the better experience I seem to have.
Hope Ankney | @hope_vandelay
Rare DM – “The Ring”
Brooklyn’s Erin Hoagg concocts intoxicating soundscapes cloaked in dark synths under the name Rare DM. Her hypnotic new single “The Ring” is all about fucking around and finding out. She fixates on the feeling of picking at something you know you should leave alone, only for it to swell into something far more chaotic and uncontrollable. The haunting music video, which she directed herself, pays homage to Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” Mulholland Drive, and The Blair Witch Project. She explains about the video: “I am the driver, doing the chasing, being chased, in the passenger seat, and getting lost in the woods. It’s confusing, just as the situation behind the song was. It’s not some resolved buttoned-up thing — not a friend you cut off or a lover you stopped seeing. Something cloudy and more sinister.”
Giliann Karon | @lethalrejection
Rapt – “Making Maps”
Rapt’s new single “Making Maps” throws some percussion into the mix, and accordingly his low-key folk takes on a bit of a heartland rock swagger here. There’s a stillness in Jacob Ware’s voice as he intones, “Under the weight of snow / Barns collapse and hollows fill,” and the whole song gets nearly buried under the slide guitar and cello that had been dusting the track up until then.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Olivia’s World – “Sourgum”
Olivia’s World is back after dropping their self-titled EP five years ago with the grungy “Sourgum.” The twee band, known for mixing pop with razor punk ethics, utilizes the thrashing chaos of this tune to mimic the feeling of falling out of love as the guitars whir and the percussion bruises. Almost like putting a melodic idea into the hands of a hardcore band, Olivia’s World not only pulls “Sourgum” out but controls its heat effortlessly.
Hope Ankney | @hope_vandelay
The Losing Score – “Exhausting”
Shrewsbury’s The Losing Score is back with their first new song since their 2022 LP Learn to Let This Go. “Exhausting” is another catchy slice of emo-pop with a roaring solo to boot.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Alternative’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist
Each week we compile a playlist of songs our staff has been jamming. We post it on Fridays and then include it in each edition of the Weekly Roundup to make sure you don’t miss any of the great music we’re recommending.
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