TGIF: The Most Exciting New Music Releases to Listen to in May 2020
Welcome to TGIF, our series in which our music insider Felicity Cain shares the most exciting new releases to listen to each month. From your favorite artists' latest projects to up-and-coming names you should know, we're here to keep your playlist feeling fresh.
Looking for June new music? Click here for the latest releases.
Welcome back! Another month has come and gone, and somehow, May has arrived. Time flies. With May hopefully comes spring, but definitely comes amazing new music to bless your ears. We’ve got a range of artists with fresh new music to stream, from The Killers to The Naked and Famous to Peach Tree Rascals. There is truly some new music for everybody. So, what are you waiting for? Go read and listen!
Riverdale’s Vanessa Morgan and Drew Ray Tanner have formed the magnificent musical duo that is These Boys These Girls. Their debut single, “Sleep When I’m Dead,” dropped on May 18th. The dancey anthem is perfect for your start-of-summer playlists; it’s definitely a crowd-pleaser. While you’re at it, check out the music video for the bop, which is out now.
How could anyone not love Foster The People? They’ve been making great music since 2009, including, but by no means limited to, “Pumped Up Kicks,” which was named one of USA Today’s “100 Absolute Best Songs in History.” Recently detached from their record label, the band has been operating as independent artists, and are back with their new single, “Lamb’s Wool,” which dropped on May 22nd.
I’ve been a Nightly fan for a few years now, and if you don’t know who they are yet, you are 100% missing out. The band just dropped their latest single, “You Should Probably Hang Up,” on May 22nd. The alt-pop trio from Nashville has been releasing jams since their debut EP, Honest, in 2016, and their single, “XO,” has garnered over 8 million streams.
Okay, technically this one didn’t come out in May, but since it dropped yesterday, we’re going to make an exception. A duo comprised of childhood friends Jake Nawas and Ben McDaniel, Nashville-based NAWAS might just be that band you didn’t know your life was missing. With their Louisiana roots, the pair has a rich and varied musical influence, ranging from old-school Soul and R&B to 80s pop icons. They aim to be vulnerable and authentic in their music, and we think they do just that. Give their new single, “Nevermind,” a listen now.
Another new band to grace our list, Peach Tree Rascals is dropping their single “not ok” today! The LA-based 5-piece met in high school in San Jose, and launched the band in 2018. They’ve since accumulated 17+ million streams on Spotify, with 1.1 million+ monthly listeners. The band does it all themselves: writing, recording, producing, as well as conceptualizing and filming their music videos.
Noah Kahan drops his latest EP, Cape Elizabeth, today! The entire EP was written, recorded, and produced during quarantine at Kahan’s childhood home in Vermont. He completed the 5-song EP in six days. The 23-year-old released his debut album, Busyhead, last summer, and his breakout single, “Hurt Somebody” ft. Julia Michaels recently became Gold Certified. So, what are you waiting for? Stream Cape Elizabeth today.
The combination we didn't know we needed! JoJo, Tory Lanez, and 30 Roc teamed up for this hot new single, "Comeback," that dropped today. The track is off of JoJo's new album, Good To Know, which also dropped today.
One final fresh face on our list is ALITA, whose breakup ballad, "Too Close," drops today. The alt-pop singer-songwriter has previously released two singles, "If I Have To," and "Human Nature," with the latter placing her on Spotify's "Fresh: Pop" playlist. ALITA is definitely someone to keep an eye on, and we could not be more excited about her new music.
While I’m terrified of jinxing this, if we all tread carefully, The 1975 will allegedly be releasing their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form, on May 22. Anyone else remember when “Chocolate” was the iTunes ‘Single of the Week’? Time flies. The band dropped their first album in 2013 and have been on the rise ever since—their previous album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard 200. So, cross your fingers and do your best manifesting so that the album will drop this month.
Alec Benjamin's highly-anticipated debut album, These Two Windows, is set to be released this month. Benjamin released his debut mixtape, "Narrated For You," in 2019. The mixtape's lead single, "Let Me Down Slowly," went platinum, and Benjamin has amassed over 2 billion worldwide streams. Check out These Two Windows on May 29.
