We have intermittently been wowed by concert vignettes featuring one of Britain’s pop-rock vanguard, The 1975, and especially the band’s unabashed front-man Matt Healy. Healy simply holds no bars on stage. After taking some time off to get various personal matters straightened out (including Healy’s harrowing detox), The 1975 will this Friday release its confessional, but boisterous third album, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships.

While we have been off tripping on tryptophan (detox in the works), The 1975 managed to release one of the more upbeat and captivating music videos in recent memory. Check out below their video for Sincerity Is Scary. It’s a joy to behold from its opening to close. Both the song (the lope, the horns, etc.) and the video smack (in a good way) of Chance The Rapper’s mien. And amen that mien! The video is replete with throwback dance moves and shimmering shtick from Healy. We can’t stop watching it.

You can pre-order the new album HERE.  The band is also headed out on tour in support of the new album, and you can check out the North American dates HERE (Coachella is obviously on the docket for all the chinchillas).

Blood Orange appeared on The Tonight Show last night and fantastically performed Charcoal Baby, one of our Best Songs of 2018. The soulful song is flute and sax infused, and Dev Hyne’s guitar and vocals are simply stentorian. Check it out below and give Blood Orange’s stellar new album Negro Swan it’s rightful due HERE.

“Can you break sometimes…?” Yeah, sometimes.

And check out our Best Songs of 2018 playlist below.

The “super-group” Boygenius recently released its debut recording (listen HERE and buy it HERE). Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus have combined in an ensemble that may be greater than its great parts. A fantastic introduction to the group can be found below when they performed recently at NPR’s Tiny Desk.

This may not be Friday fare for everyone (perhaps on Sunday mornings coming down or on I don’t like Mondays?), but when you’re ready to wade into some deeper and well-wrought (albeit melancholy) songwriting waters as exhibited in the touching ensemble performance below, there will be rewards.

Watch below as Boygenius performs Souvenir, Me & My Dog, and Ketchum, ID off of their EP.

Boygenius is currently on tour and will be in Cali at the end of this month. Get your tickets HERE.