Last fall I was smitten with Vol. 2, a charming EP from Scottish/Irish power-pop combo Former Champ. The Glasgow group recently announced their official debut album, and the songs they’ve shared from that record are extremely pleasant too.

Before Hop Along became one of the most fiercely beloved bands in indie rock, bandleader Frances Quinlan started the project as a solo venture under the name Hop Along, Queen Ansleis. As far as most listeners (and the archivists at Discogs) knew, Quinlan only released one record under that original moniker, 2005’s Freshman Year. But a little-known Hop Along, Queen Ansleis EP from even earlier called Sympathetic Flypaper has long been a holy grail for hardcore Hop Along fans and lost media searchers. That EP has now been unearthed.

Out of all of last year’s releases, Chat Pile’s Cool World stands out as one whose urgency hasn’t faded. Now the Oklahoma City rockers are back to announce a tape label that’s “reserved for the deepest, dankest nugs from the Chat Pile archive,” according to the crew. The first releases, Blood At Night I and Blood At Night II, are available now, and are “a collection of noise, ambient, improv tracks from the Cool World recording sessions.”

Maxo Kream, the gifted Houston hip-hop storyteller, has a history of strong collaborations with Tyler, The Creator, including last year’s collab “Cracc Era.” They’re back together today on the similarly titled “Cracc At 15.” Over top of Tyler’s pulsing, clattering beat, Maxo touts his lengthy resume when it comes to selling drugs. “Fake trappers turnin’ scammer, using COVID as a cheat code/ Toting hammers, weighing grams out, way before I caught the RICO,” he begins. Eventually he turns his playful drawl loose on references to Tha Carter 3 and Snapple to show just how long he’s been in the game. Listen below.

Edinburgh’s persistently underrated Idlewild have been making churning, majestic alt-rock anthems for decades, but they haven’t always done it quickly. Idlewild often take long stretches off in between albums, and they’re just now announcing the follow-up to their 2019 LP Interview Music. This fall, they’re coming back with a new one, and they’re going self-titled this time. When a band’s 10th album is its self-titled one, that’s a statement in itself.

At the end of this week, Mal Blum fans will finally be rewarded with the indie artist’s first album in six years, The Villain. As the countdown clock ticks down, they’ve shared one last advance single: the title track, which is slotted into the penultimate spot on the tracklist. It’s a breathy, understated pop tune with introspective lyrics and a lovely little guitar solo.

Most of us know the alternative R&B artist Syd, no longer known as Syd Tha Kid, for her time in Odd Future and the Internet. For years now, Syd has been maintaining a pretty great solo career. She released Broken Hearts Club, her most recent solo album, in 2022, and she appeared alongside Meshell Ndegeocello on Moses Sumney’s “Hey Girl(s)” earlier this year. Now, Syd is getting ready to head out on tour as Billie Eilish’s opening act, and she’s got a new solo single of her own.

Sabrina Carpenter likes to cover a lot of ’80s pop hits during her shows. During her second of two nights at BST Hyde Park tonight, she brought out the UK’s own Duran Duran for a rendition of their 1982 classic “Hungry Like The Wolf.” She pretty much let Simon Le Bon and John Taylor do their thing as she sang backup harmonies, and they all wrapped up the song with a wolfish howl.

Kevin Basko, the Philly singer-songwriter who used to be a touring member of Foxygen and has worked with artists like John Andrews & The Yawns, the Lemon Twigs, and Thank You, Thank You, releases a lot of music of his own under the moniker Rubber Band Gun. Back in April he released his latest LP Haters And Lovers, and today — which also happens to be Basko’s birthday — he’s already announced its follow-up. It’s called Record Deal With God, which is a great title. It doesn’t look like he’s shared the release date or full tracklist yet, but he’s previewing the record with today’s lead single “Thunder Is A Knock.” It’s a nice bit of chilled-out psychedelic folk featuring drums by Jem Seidel and piano by Cole Berggren. Check it out below.

Assuming no ill-timed spontaneous deaths mess up the schedule, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues is set to arrive in theaters on September 12. The sequel to the classic mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap will reunite stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer, along with director Rob Reiner. After studio Bleecker Street shared a teaser for Spinal Tap II earlier this year, they shared a clip of it during a screening of the newly-remastered original film on Saturday.