Hear the latest new tracks from Poliça, HAIM, Bartees Strange and Portugal. The Man. Plus, discover two emerging acts: London’s Bakar and New York’s MICHELLE.

Poliça, “Rotting”

Poliça, fronted by chanteuse Channy Leaneagh and boasting two drummers, is typically defined by those percussive forces and the layered use of Leaneagh's voice as almost another instrument. The new single, "Rotting," is a left turn from that expectation. The group brought in Berlin-based techno artist Dustin Zahn for an electronic sound that is dark and throbbing like a strobe-lit nightclub.

HAIM, “Lost Track”

The sisters HAIM are never ones to shy away from a creative challenge. So when director Paul Thomas Anderson (who recently directed sister Alana Haim in his movie Licorice Pizza) asked the sisters to come up with a new song for a music video, they took a line that had been living in lyric purgatory — "I'll never get back what I lost track of" — and finally gave it a home. They "were inspired by the idea of someone doing something so drastic to get out of a situation they felt uncomfortable in — just to feel something," then they wrote, recorded, and filmed a music video for the song, all in just a few days. 

Bakar, “Free”

After several EPs, the first full album from U.K. artist Bakar is here. Bakar has always flexed his appreciation for a wide range of genres (indie, alt, hip hop, grime, pop) and his love of his hometown heroes (Amy Winehouse and Blur); in Nobody's Home, all of that love pops back up. There's also some deeply personal songs about being an immigrant, experiencing riots, and a meditation on freedom and what that truly means in the song "Free."

Bartees Strange, “Heavy Heart”

When I last spoke to Bartees Strange, he was praising his forthought in building out his own studio. It allowed him to do what he loved most, mess around with music — whether that was by working with other artists on their albums or playing with his own songs. That ability to play around inside of a song has been shown in Strange's affection for covers, but now that he's got a full album under his belt (2020's Live Forever) and a new label (4AD) backing him, that confidence shines through in the new single that is entirely his own. A mix of hip hop bravado, colorful splashes of indie rock, and solid guitar solos forecasts exciting music ahead.

Portugal. The Man, “What, Me Worry?”

While pondering how divisive and argumentative the world has gotten, Portugal. The Man started working on a song with the idea of the "This is fine" meme in the back of their mind, looking towards finding some "beauty in the chaos."  

MICHELLE, “POSE”

A group chat kicked off the experiment that would become MICHELLE. Six friends from New York came together, made music, and it was good. With a tour ahead opening for indie darling Mitski, MICHELLE is a band to take note of. Their latest single from AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS (out March 4), "POSE" is a dreamy mix of R&B with sweet harmonies and a catchy hook.

Playlist