Lykke Li Enters Her Existential Era With New Single "Lucky Again," and Album Announce - "The Afterparty" Out May 8

LYKKE LI ENTERS HER EXISTENTIAL ERA WITH SOARING NEW SINGLE, “LUCKY AGAIN” – OUT TODAY ANNOUNCES SIXTH STUDIO ALBUM THE AFTERPARTY TO BE RELEASED ON MAY 8 – PRE-ORDER/ADD/SAVE HERE LIVE DATES WITH ROBYN AND WOLF ALICE ANNOUNCED, SET TO PERFORM AT COACHELLA THIS SPRING

LISTEN | VISUAL “LUCKY AGAIN” PRE-ORDER/ADD/SAVE THE AFTERPARTY (ALBUM) Not Gon Cry Happy Now Lucky Again Famous Last Words Future Fear So Happy I Could Die Sick Of Love Knife In The Heart Euphoria Internationally acclaimed artist Lykke Li has spent nearly two decades shaping a singular lane in pop: one defined by emotional extremity, melodic precision, and a fearless intimacy that has made her one of modern music’s most enduring voices. Now, she is back with “Lucky Again,” the first track to be released from her forthcoming album The Afterparty (Neon Gold Records/Futures✦), marking a bold reinvention and era for the globally heralded artist. “I was twirling around in love addiction for all those albums,” she says. “Now I’m going into my existential era.” In “Lucky Again,” our first introduction to The Afterparty, Li sings “Lord I don’t know how, and I can’t say when, If we’re lucky, we’ll get lucky again,” turning that samsara loop into maximalist pop: cascading disco strings, relentless momentum, zero restraint. The arrangement swells until it feels airborne, a bird’s-eye view of survival. By the end, a Max Richter Four Seasons sample pushes the song toward the euphoric— time collapsing, rebirth in stereo. Lykke Li shares: “To me it’s samsara in a song. The wheel of life; winning, losing, living, dying. Having had something and praying you’ll have it again. Whether it’s sex, money, vitality, love. I always said I wanted the Vivaldi song at my wedding or funeral but I think this is giving more revenge heist energy.”  Listen to “Lucky Again” HERE. Watch the video HERE. Since breaking out with her debut Youth Novels (2008) and achieving mainstream success with “I Follow Rivers,” Li has cemented her reputation across the critically beloved Wounded Rhymes (2011), I Never Learn (2014), So Sad So Sexy (2018), and the immersive audiovisual album EYEEYE (2022), continually returning to the fault line between love and heartbreak, destruction and creation. This time, writing from streetwise insight rather than romantic fantasy, The Afterparty is a confrontation with mortality, hedonism, and impermanence—soundtracked by disco-glowing strings, gospel brightness, and Balearic warmth, even as the lyrics fixate on loss, futility, and the search for meaning. At just 24 minutes, the album is exacting and unsparing, a study of shame, survival, and joy held together by sheer will. On the The Afterparty cover, she is presented in striking form, her face warped by translucent tights. “I find that we’re in an era where everyone is talking about, ‘My higher self', Fuck that. This is an album dealing with your lower self: your need for revenge, your shame, despair, all of it." These roles grant her license to inhabit thoughts that are otherwise untouchable. She calls her alter-ego on The Afterparty “a Ram Dass for fuckboys.” Written in Los Angeles and recorded in Stockholm with a 17 piece string orchestra, maximalist arrangements, “apocalyptic bongos,” and a whole lot of flute, The Afterparty is both her most triumphant and most despondent work to date: a dance record for the end of the world, and a radical new grammar of honesty in pop. The Afterparty asks the question the after-hours crowd must reckon with. It’s 4am: can we have one last euphoric dance before the hangover crushes us? The Afterparty is out on May 8 – Pre-order/add/save HERE. LIVE DATES 04/10 – Coachella Music Festival – Indio, CA 04/17 – Coachella Music Festival – Indio, CA 05/22 - Vivo Rio - Rio de Janeiro 05/24 - Parque Ibirapuera - São Paulo 06/19 - Metronome Festival, Prague 07/05 - Finsbury Park – London^ 07/10 - Pohoda Festival - Slovakia (Headline) 09/19 - Palacio de los Deportes – Mexico City, MX* * w/Robyn ^Wolf Alice

The Afterparty -  Track List Not Gon Cry Happy Now Lucky Again Famous Last Words Future Fear So Happy I Could Die Sick Of Love Knife In The Heart Euphoria photo credit: Chloé Le Drezen

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Goldie Presents: Rufige Kru - Metal Giants EP

GOLDIE PRESENTS: RUFIGE KRU - ‘METAL GIANTS’ EP  OUT NOW VIA LONDON RECORDS

WATCH “METAL DETEKT” (VISUALIZER)   LISTEN METAL GIANTS (EP) Metal Detekt Backgammon Blues People And Places (Submotive VIP) RDNA Metal Giants   Goldie’s alter ego project with Submotive, Rufige Kru, has returned to unleash another fearless and peerless body of work, the Metal Giants EP. Out now, the EP comprises 5 brand new tracks produced by Goldie and Submotive. Both the EP’s title - Metal Giants - and the artwork were inspired by the New York subway cars which Goldie used to graffiti. The tracks on the EP are already quickly gaining acclaim from peers across the industry, with DJ Krust, John B, DJ Marky, Micky Finn and Doc Scott all giving their stamp of approval to the new Rufige Kru material. The Metal Giants EP opens “Metal Detekt,” with its dissonant call and response beeps which were sampled from a Stussy x Metalheadz collab advert on YouTube. “Backgammon Blues” came from a real-life incident when Rufige Kru’s James and Goldie were playing backgammon with each other in Thailand - and things became very competitive. “People & Places (Submotive VIP)” was produced at the same time as the original (which appears on recent album Alpha Omega). The EP’s synonymous closer was actually written first. “I wasn’t sure what to do with it, so it sat there as a DJ weapon”, says Rufige Kru’s Submotive. The final track features a vocal sample from the late New York graffiti artist Dondi, as he describes the New York City train yard—his “metal giants”—where standing between the trains made everything feel enormous, all steel and scale. The release of Metal Giants EP follows a huge year for Rufige Kru, who returned last year with the highly acclaimed album Alpha Omega. Nominated for ‘Best Album’ at the DJ Mag Awards, the record includes tracks such as “Still The Same” featuring CASISDEAD and “Goldikus,” which features guest vocals from revered UK music legend Cleveland Watkiss MBE, sampled from a recording of Goldie’s 1993 set at legendary London club, The Blue Note. One of the most revered names in breakbeat science, Rufige Kru rewired the dancefloor for the first time back in 1992 with the hardcore classic “Darkrider.” Back then, Goldie’s musical partner was hip hop fanatic Linford Jones. “He had a fantastic record collection,” remembers Goldie. “I had a field day going through his records and pulling out breaks.” Engineer Mark Rutherford – who also worked with Peter Gabriel and Mark McLaren – was another early collaborator. The partnership yielded pivotal hardcore moments like “Ghosts Of My Life” and “Terminator” (still considered one of the key moments in the evolution of drum’n’bass). It’s a testament to the alchemy itself, that no matter who Goldie has worked with – or taken under his wing – the Rufige sound remains consistently forward-thinking and innovative. Though Goldie’s groundbreaking debut album Timeless and its 1998 follow-up Saturnz Return broke through into mainstream success, he continued the sonic explorations of Rufige Kru with two had found a new musical partner, Heist/Strider main man Jim Muir. And then, of course, there was the first all-time drum’n’bass classic of the new millennium: Rufige Kru’s 2001 masterpiece“Beachdrifta.” Recorded with Danny Goldstein, it was a record that – like “Ghosts” or “Terminator” before it – just turned everything upside down. So much so that, in 2017, when Goldie played two memorable nights at Ronnie Scott’s in London, the live rendition transformed the venerable jazz club into a 4am rave. “Sometimes you catch lightning in a bottle,” recalls Goldie. “That was one of those times.” Rufige Kru’s new EP Metal Giants is out now via London Records.

Artwork for ‘Metal Giants’ EP by Rufige Kru.  Photo Credit: Ollie Grove   Goldie:  Instagram | X (Formerly Twitter) | TikTok | Website | Facebook | Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon   Rufige Kru: Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon

Lauren Spencer Smith's 'THE ART OF BEING A MESS' deluxe version out now, North American headline tour underway

LAUREN SPENCER SMITH’S THE ART OF BEING A MESS DELUXE VERSION OUT NOW FEATURING 6 NEW SONGS INCLUDING “SOMEBODY YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO LOVE” NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR UNDERWAY WATCH HERE WATCH HERE “Think of Lauren Spencer Smith as a one-stop shop for Gen Z’s most pressing emotional needs.” READ HERE “...deeply personal lyrics, delivered by her raw, soulful voice...” READ HERE WATCH HERE photo credit: Baeth   February 13, 2026—Breakout vocalist and songwriter Lauren Spencer Smith unveils the deluxe version of her sophomore album, THE ART OF BEING A MESS, out now. Listen/share HERE and listen to “somebody you’re supposed to love” HERE. “‘somebody you’re supposed to love’ is about the quiet hurt of realizing a parent didn’t show up the way they were meant to,” says Spencer Smith. “It’s about feeling like you were just someone they should’ve loved and didn’t” The deluxe includes six new songs, including “Natural Disaster” and “Thick Skin,” which she shared ahead of the release. Originally released to widespread critical acclaim via Island Records/Republic Records, THE ART OF BEING A MESS resonated with fans for its candid, emotionally driven songwriting, including standout singles “Looking Up,” “bridesmaid,” and “IF KARMA DOESN’T GET YOU (I WILL),” the latter of which landed on Spotify’s U.S. Viral Chart. Spencer Smith’s 32-date North American headline tour is currently underway, with stops in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Austin and more. See below for a complete list of dates. Tickets and more information HERE. She recently wrapped up an extensive tour across Europe, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand, which included stops in Liverpool, Glasgow, Sydney, Melbourne and more. Additionally, she will be supporting Teddy Swims on his U.K. and Ireland tour this June. Last fall, she performed the fan-favorite track “IF KARMA DOESN’T GET YOU (I WILL)” on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” a standout song from the LP that also landed on Spotify’s U.S. Viral Chart. True to its name, THE ART OF BEING A MESS captures the emotional rollercoaster Spencer Smith experienced while writing her second album. Each song taps into a feeling—anger, devastation, love, peace, confusion and everything in between, sometimes all at once. Reflecting on the chaos of being human, each song finds Spencer Smith revisiting real stories and experiences in her life. With this album, she reminds listeners to embrace and feel comfortable in their emotions, that not everything is black-and-white. THE ART OF BEING A MESS follows her debut album, Mirror (2023), which features the RIAA Certified Platinum singles “Flowers” and “Fingers Crossed”—the latter of which peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has reached over 875 million global streams. From a small town on Vancouver Island, Spencer Smith began her musical journey in 2019, gaining a sizeable audience online. Through her music, she explored breakups, complex feelings about school, family and friends. Spencer Smith has performed at the MTV Video Music Awards, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and the People’s Choice Awards—where she was also a Best New Artist nominee. TRACK LIST LAUREN SPENCER SMITH – THE ART OF BEING A MESS DELUXE 1. What a beautiful day 2. Sticks & Stones 3. bridesmaid 4. Lighting the flame 5. parallel universe 6. IF KARMA DOESN’T GET YOU (I WILL) 7. things you never say 8. Long Story Short 9. WORSE 10. Pray 11. Looking Up 12. Someday 13. SECRET 14. Natural Disaster 15. The Problem 16. somebody you’re supposed to love 17. Thick Skin 18. out of the BLUE LAUREN SPENCER SMITH LIVE February 13—Atlanta, GA—Tabernacle February 14—Charlotte, NC—The Fillmore Charlotte February 17—Silver Spring, MD—The Fillmore Silver Spring February 18—Philadelphia, PA—The Fillmore February 20—Brooklyn, NY—Brooklyn Paramount February 21—Boston, MA—Citizens House of Blues February 22—Ottawa, ON—Bronson Centre February 24—Montreal, QC—MTELUS February 25—Toronto, ON—History February 26—Toronto, ON—History February 28—Detroit, MI—The Fillmore Detroit March 2—Indianapolis, IN—Old National Centre March 3—Chicago, IL—House of Blues Chicago March 4—Madison, WI—The Sylvee March 6—Kansas City, MO—Uptown Theater March 7—Minneapolis, MN—The Fillmore - Minneapolis March 10—Denver, CO—Fillmore Auditorium March 11—Salt Lake City, UT—The Union Event Center March 13—Phoenix, AZ—The Van Buren March 14—Anaheim, CA—House of Blues Anaheim March 17—Los Angeles, CA—The Wiltern March 18—San Francisco, CA—SF Masonic Auditorium March 19—Sacramento, CA—Ace of Spades March 21—Portland, OR—Roseland Theater March 22—Vancouver, BC—Orpheum March 23—Seattle, WA—Moore Theatre

MAGIC WANDS : 'Wishing Well' - US dream-pop duo release title song of upcoming EP as a new single (Metropolis Records)

MAGIC WANDS | Wishing Well single cover artwork

MAGIC WANDS
WISHING WELL

new single
out 13th February 2026
(Metropolis Records)

stream  |  Bandcamp  |  lyric video


MAGIC WANDS | Wishing Well lyric video

US dream-pop duo Magic Wands have released a brand new single, 'Wishing Well’, today. With an insistent rhythm and swirling guitars, plus a vocal that adds to its hazy atmosphere, the song sounds like an immediate post-punk meets shoegaze classic.

“The lyric came to me when I was a guest of a guest at a wedding one summer,” explains vocalist Dexy Valentine. “There was an obvious sense of excitement at the event, but I didn’t really know anyone there so I snuck off outside and sat by a wishing well fountain and started writing on a napkin. When we came up with the music for this song I thought these words would fit perfectly.”

Co-written and produced by Dexy with her partner Chris Valentine, ‘Wishing Well’ is the title song of an EP scheduled for late April. It follows the January release of ‘Sacred Mirrors’, a collaborative single with Psychedelic Furs guitarist John Ashton STREAM | BANDCAMP, which itself had come after the autumn 2025 release of ‘Cascades’, the sixth Magic Wands album STREAM | BANDCAMP.

MAGIC WANDS | Cascades album cover artwork

“Amid the cacophony of today’s world, Magic Wands emerges like a whisper in the wind; a spellbinding blend of sound that feels both familiar and foreign"
POST-PUNK
“Moody and atmospheric. For maximum effectiveness, listen to it at dusk with a single candle lit ****”
SPILL MAGAZINE
“Both familiar and quietly bold, a record that walks that razor-thin line between dream-pop and gothic atmosphere. A slow, smoky invocation 4.5/5”
CHAIN D.L.K.

Formed in Nashville by vocalists/guitarists Dexy and Chris Valentine, but now based in Los Angeles, Magic Wands are known for a shimmering, dreamy sound that melds elements of shoegaze, dream-pop, post-punk and goth. Their music utilises heavily textured guitars, synth drones and ethereal vocals to conjure an otherworldly atmosphere, plus song lyrics that are emotionally engaging.

MAGIC WANDS | photograph by John Charter

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Electronic rock duo ROMES tour E.U. and U.S... Share "DISSOLVER (Wire One Remix)"

Electronic Rock duo ANNOUNCES U.S. TOUR SUPPORTING DES ROCS Share "DISSOLVER (Wire One Remix)" CURRENTLY ON DEBUT EUROPEAN HEADLINING TOUR New Album SONIC TRASH Out Now!

ROMES Photo credit: Nicolas Bitove

FEBRUARY 13, 2026 [Toronto, CA] – ”So many people are telling us after the shows that they stumbled across one of our videos on social media and immediately bought a ticket,” says Canadian electro-rock duo ROMES, as their debut European headlining tour continues to gain momentum, with multiple dates sold out or nearing capacity. “We’ve never played Europe before and never headlined a tour. To see rooms filling up night after night - and in some cities selling out entirely - is honestly blowing our minds.”  For a band who intentionally stayed under the radar, opting to release music on their own terms without a promo machine behind them, this sort of forward momentum is astounding. But for ROMES who are made up of brothers Jacob Bitove (lead vocals, bass, synths) and Nicolas Bitove (drums), their infectious brand of electro-infused rock has a visceral quality that didn’t need a hefty label to reach a rabid and international audience. “The European crowds are all showing up in a big way and partying, whether it’s a Saturday night or a Monday. It’s just so cool to see everyone digging the show and we’re extremely grateful for it,” they explain. Their debut album SONIC TRASH (independently released on November 14, 2025) has amassed over 1.5 million streams through word of mouth alone. “Everything definitely happened very organically,” they explain. “It probably started a couple of years ago when we began experimenting in our basement studio, integrating gear trying to come up with crazy sounds.” Their latest single “DISSOLVER” receives the remix treatment from EDM artist WIRE ONE, who has been rising through the Detroit underground when ROMES encountered him through social media. “We came across each other a few months ago on Instagram due to our shared love for early-2000’s electro,” they explain. “We get a lot of people DMing us wanting to do remixes, etc. but Wire One was maybe the first time where we were like ‘FUCK! This guy’s got chops.’ He’s putting a modern twist on the whole bloghouse electro sound and doing it just as good as anyone else these days. So when he asked about remixing 'DISSOLVER' it was a no brainer.” Transforming the original’s hard-edged industrial beats and rounding out the corners, Wire One sharpens the track into a club-ready electro banger, with the band adding, “His drum production in particular is insane. They smash you right in the face.” With the release of this remix comes their announcement that they will be making their inaugural tour of the United States, in support of NYC’s heavily buzzing Des Rocs. Personally selected by frontman Danny Rocco, ROMES are hoping to bring the momentum from the EU shows Stateside. “A lot of people are also saying how our show combines so many elements of industrial, electro, punk, big beat, etc all the best stuff we grew up on in the 90s, so it’s cool to get the references and comparisons to some of our favourite artists,” they say. “At the end of the day, we’re not trying to sound like anyone else, but we mash up so many of those influences into our own sound.” Tickets can be purchased HERE. Prior to touring, ROMES built much of their following through extensive sync placements, with music featured in The Sex Lives of College Girls, Control Z, CSI: Vegas, video games including Madden and Call of Duty: Black Ops, and commercials for Abercrombie & Fitch, the NBA, and MLB Playoffs — including a co-write credit with Mark Foster (Foster the People) for the theme song to CBC sitcom Strays. The duo has also supported artists such as The Strokes, The Warning, Mutemath, and Saint Asonia, while earning multiple Spotify editorial playlist cover placements as an independent act.

"DISSOLVER (Wire One Remix)" Link/Embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5M1sTOjkp8

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES: Date City Venue February 3 Ljubljana, Slovenia Orto Bar February 4 Vienna, Austria Arena February 5 Salzburg, Austria Rockhouse February 7 Dornbirn, Austria Spielboden February 9 Nuremberg, Germany Club Stereo February 10 München, Germany Backstage February 11 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Elfer Music Club February 12 Hannover, Germany Mephisto February 13 Nørrebro, Denmark Spillestedet Stengade February 14 Hamburg, Germany MS Stubnitz February 17 Berlin, Germany LARK SOLD OUT February 19 Leipzig, Germany Mortizbastei February 20 Karlsruhe, Germany P8² February 21 Zürich, Switzerland Dynamo February 23 Köln, Germany Subway - Musikbar February 25 Paris, France SUPERSONIC SOLD OUT February 28 London, UK The Black Heart SOLD OUT       U.S. TOUR DATES (Supporting Des Rocs): March 24 Dallas, TX The Cambridge Room at House Of Blues March 25 Houston, TX House of Blues Houston March 27 El Paso, TX Lowbrow Palace March 28 Albuquerque, NM Uptown Funk Dueling Pianos March 29 Phoenix, AZ The Rebel Lounge March 31 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre April 1 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop April 3 Portland, OR The Get Down April 4 Seattle, WA Hidden Hall April 5 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory - Spokane April 7 Boise, ID Knitting Factory April 8 Salt Lake City, UT Soundwell April 10 Denver, CO Marquis Theater April 11 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep April 14 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge April 15 Saint Louis, MO Delmar Hall April 17 Columbus, OH Skullys Music Diner April 18 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig April 19 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern April 21 Worcester, MA Palladium April 22 New York, NY Gramercy Theatre