by Dave Bertram

Some Secret Meeting favourites return this week with five new offerings to wrap your ears around.

First up is New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding with new single The Barrel, the first track to come from the follow-up to 2017’s Party. Recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth with producer John Parish, full-length Designer is out in April through 4AD.

Ex-Wild Beasts man Hayden Thorpe has shared debut single Diviner, out this week on Domino. Written and recorded in California, it’s a tender, euphonious track with burnished keys and serpentine voice.

Stephen Malkmus had a vision … or so begins the lyrics to the next single from his forthcoming solo album, Groove Demand. Rushing the Acid Frat is apparently inspired by Stephen’s memories of a specific student fraternity (think less beer-pong-bros, more “Grateful Dead druggy tie-dye” vibe) at his University of Virginia alma mater.

Chicago rocker, Ezra Furman, has produced a wonderful cover of Melanie’s Good Book that we couldn’t leave out this week. It’s takes its place on covers EP Songs By Others, which was released on vinyl a couple of years back, but is out today for the first time across streaming services. And if you’ve checked out recent Netflix series, Sex Education, you’d have heard it on its soundtrack.

Marissa Nadler has partnered with founding Velvet Underground member John Cale on two new singles, If We Make it Through the Summer and Poison. You can listen to the latter below, a minimal, mournful balled accompanied by a reverberated guitar. Drawing to its conclusion, Cale joins her in a comforting yet heartbreaking duet. You must listen.

In preparation for her Live in Dublin album, Lisa Hannigan has shared Swan – a beautiful song penned with The National’s Aaron Dessner and playwright, Edna Walsh, as part of last summer’s PEOPLE festival. The song also sees her pair up with Julia Holter, Beirut and Nils Frahm collaborators, s t a r g a z e.

Finally, Big Thief guitarist, Buck Meek, has also dropped a new song this week. Halo Light is the first song released since last year’s self titled solo album, and whets Stateside fans’ lips before he heads out on tour with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy next month.

One to miss this week? Alex Lahey’s take on Avril Lavigne.

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