Editor’s Note: Anyone who says there isn’t good music coming out these days — and quite literally, every day — simply isn’t paying attention. Vanyaland’s new compilation feature The V List highlights the best in new music over the past month, pulling together the sounds that have soundtracked the website in recent weeks from our wide-ranging series of features. It’s all the stuff we’re bumping here at Vanyaland HQ, one new bop at a time.
Public Order, ‘HELLO’
We first said hello to Public Order three long years ago, when the young Welsh upstarts were plucked from relative obscurity to help kickstart FIFA 22 season with indie soarer “Feels Like Summer.” But life sometimes hits harder than a Gareth Bale header, and the band were forced to start over after getting dropped from their label. Public Order this month resurfaced with a calculated ripper, linking up with London-based Ignition Records to unleash a new introduction — aptly called “HELLO.” The seismic all-caps track is a cool blast of rock and roll euphoria that kicks in with blissful sonic skygaze just ahead of the minute mark. “[‘HELLO’] is the first track to be taken from a forthcoming EP,” Public Order say. “It’s a pulsing, guitar driven indie banger which we love and have been champing at the bit to get out into the world.” Hello, again.
Chappell Roan, ‘Good Luck Babe’
Chappell Roan is just absolutely going for it. Still on the ascent via last year’s breakout debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and perched on a sold-out headlining tour and an opening slot arena run for Olivia Rodrigo, which recently rolled through town, the modern queer icon delivered another sticky-sweet alt-pop bop in early April called “Good Luck, Babe,” a seductive synth ballad that explores leaving behind a romantic relationship to explore authentic love and self-acceptance. “I needed to write a song about a common situationship within queer relationships — where someone is struggling with coming to terms with themselves,” Roan reveals. “It’s a song about wishing well to someone who is avoidant of their true feelings.” We’ve written a lot on Roan over the past few months, so hit the link and join us up front when she plays Boston Calling. She’s by far our #1 artist for the entire weekend.
Mysterines, ‘Sink Ya Teeth’
The Mysterines‘ April ground-shaker “Sink Ya Teeth” caused such a wave here at Vanyaland HQ, it inspired us to go back to the Liverpool band’s 2022 album Reeling and not only spin it on constant repeat, but reconsider it as (one of the) the greatest album(s) of that entire year. Ahead of new June record Afraid of Tomorrows, the rumbling “Sink Ya Teeth” shows the band still on the ascent. As Molly McCaul writes: “In true Mysterines fashion, the track primarily features jagged, punk-informed guitar, punctuated by a steady beat. Vocalist Lia Metcalfe shines, her performance easily countering the otherwise intimidatingly powerful instrumental layers. Metcalfe says that ‘Sink Ya Teeth’ is ‘a testament to the brutality of real love’, going on to explain that it was ‘written during a time where the boundaries of pain and passion were warped amidst the chaos of addiction and desire.’ The lofty thematic goals of the lyrics fit perfectly within the high-octane sonic environment the band creates, and evidently are just the tip of the conceptual iceberg.” Just a monster of a band that might soon find massive stardom.
Nina Nesbitt, ‘Mansion’
Following understood music industry protocol, “Mansion,” the spectral April single from Nina Nesbitt, was released on a Friday. But if there was ever a song made for the Monday morning rush of rallying internally to meet the incoming demands of the week, it’s the latest from the acclaimed Scottish singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. “Mansion” is an anthemic folk-pop riser that challenges us to see the best in ourselves, and is based on an observation of a close friend. It will be featured on Nesbitt’s forthcoming fourth studio album, September’s folk and Americana-leaning Mountain Music. “I wrote [‘Mansions’] for a friend of mine after finding out how she saw herself,” Nesbitt shares. “To me, she’s like a beautiful mansion in the middle of a dreary city. She’s covered in wisteria vines and roses. Everyone that passes her stops and stares, but she’s had her curtains drawn. She hasn’t let the light in for years. Dust has been gathering inside and things have been falling into disrepair. She’s been in the dark so long, she’s forgotten her own magic. …This song is for anyone who has struggled to realize their own worth — or had others devalue it. Sometimes you just need a friend to remind you, you are a ‘Mansion.’”
Pretty LTD, ‘Easy’
We’re not sure what “velourcore” is, exactly, but we’re definitely in on whatever Pretty LTD is slinging. The Dublin trio have whipped up their own blend of “grungey, poppy, rocky, pop-rock, rock-pop,” as they bill it, and it manifests itself in sonic with fresh April single “Easy”. Turns out whatever we don’t know about “velourcore,” we certainly know about “Easy” and its inspiration. It might even be about you (but we won’t reveal any names). “’Easy’ is a tune about that person we all know, the one that’s always complaining, no matter how privileged their situation is,” Pretty LTD declare. “There’s always someone that’s better off than you, sure, but there’s countless more that have it way worse, so be grateful for what you have. Some people always find a way to be pissed off, but they actually have it pretty easy.”