With new music from up-and-comers and queer icons alike, May brings forth a bounty of audio and visual delights.With new music from up-and-comers and queer icons alike, May brings forth a bounty of audio and visual delights.
Marika Hackman
Marika Hackman’s last release, 2015’s I’m Not Your Man boasted the single “Boyfriend,” a slick song boasting about stealing a woman away from her straight boyfriend. Hackman, a New Order-esque rock provocateur is back with the new track “i’m not where you are,” a nod to not being able to sync up with a romantic partner.
Hackman explains it is about “breaking up with people and self-sabotaging relationships.” “i’m not where you are” is produced by Hackman and David Wench who had a hand in working with The xx. The smooth synth-heavy sound is sure to be a moody earworm for any of you who may summarize your relationship status as “it’s complicated.”
Team Dresch
Radical queercore band Team Dresch is celebrating their 25th anniversary with some reissues of their catalogue and are heading out on a west coast tour in June. In anticipation of the festivities, they have re-released their popular single “Uncle Phrank!”
As they recently said, “June 2019 marks the 50 year anniversary of Stonewall, in a political climate that has been retreating towards the horror and fuckery of the yesteryears, Team Dresch want to create a soundtrack and performance that help us all Remember who we are.”
Who doesn’t love that? Team Dresch were a hugely important part of establishing the queercore scene and their upcoming shows will be a family reunion for fans and friends.
Check out more information about the tour and release here.
Ani DiFranco
In keeping with the theme of queer icons, Ani DiFranco has a number of new things coming our way this month. Her memoir No Walls and the Recurring Dream comes out May 7 as she kicks off a spring and summer United States tour.
In addition to her memoir, DiFranco is releasing the No Wall Mix Tape, a compilation of reconfigured songs that accompany the book. The album will be available digitally May 9. Both will be must-haves for DiFranco fans and the memoir will cover everything from her early life and political activism to touring and the lessons she has learned along the way.
Click here for tour dates and more information about No Walls and the Recurring Dream.
Kat Cunning
Kat Cunning does it all. She is an actress, having appeared on the HBO show The Deuce and Netflix’s Trinkets due out this summer, as well as on Broadway. She also released a critically acclaimed single “Stay on the Line” last fall and is at it again with new release “Birds” off an upcoming as yet untitled EP.
“Birds” is a smooth and introspective track with a deep groove, showcasing her soulful vocals. Cunning opened for LP and has been covered by Nylon, Teen Vogue, Refinery29. Needless to say, this queer star is on the rise. Listen to “Birds” below.
Stephanie Rice
Stephanie Rice first got a taste of international stardom as a contestant on season 12 of NBC juggernaut The Voice. Rice used her platform to advocate for LGBTQ issues, having come out ten years ago in a small Texas town and becoming estranged from her parents. She has since harnessed that experience into her music and career. In addition to being a musician, Rice spent time as a scientist doing groundbreaking research on HIV. Talk about multitalented, I mean, really.
Her new single “Pages” chronicles her experience coming out as gay and being exiled by the church. She wrote the track to “flip the script on negativity surrounding being queer and religious.” The song is produced by her brother and A Star is Born producer Benjamin Rice and co-written by pop hit-maker Justin Trantor.
Watch the official video for “Pages” below.
Luisa Lopez
Nashville’s Luisa Lopez is releasing a new album, 45, due out May 31. Lopez is a multi-instrumentalist and Southern artist, though the album will expand beyond the boundaries of the southern sound. The title, 45, is a nod to Lopez’s age when she recorded the album as well as her personal response to the 45th president.
“I’m a lesbian, and I’ve lived a feminist life. In my generation I’ve self-taught myself to play the instruments mostly identified to men, such as saxophone as a small girl, electric and acoustic guitars as a teenager, drum and bass as a woman. I then told stories with these instruments in a wide spectrum of genres as a songwriter. Being all of these things as a black woman,” Lopez says.
The album is powerful and definitely worth a listen. Check out her website for music and more.
Palehound
Palehound is the brainchild of Ellen Kempner and their much-anticipated album Black Friday is due out June 7, but the lead single “Aaron” is out now. Black Friday is an exploration of love in all forms, friendships, romantic relationships and all of the complexities of these partnerships.
The lead single from the record, “Aaron” was written for her partner in the midst of his transition. "Aaron is a character that represents my partner, who is trans. Its not specific to his experience though, the song is about change in relation to our bodies in general,” she says. “It’s about learning to be comfortable in our skins, whether that means changing our bodies or mindsets."
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