We’re almost a month into the new year, and a whole bunch of great new music is starting to roll in. Let’s dive into some of the best tracks to drop last week!

Bad Omens x Poppy – “V.A.N.”

Bad Omens is back, after a hectic week for the fans, with the UK tour ending and their socials being wiped. Some folks thought it was due to the overzealous fanbase and the guys’ self-professed disdain for the social sphere, but it’s much more simple than that: a new single. “V.A.N.” stands for “violence against nature” and is the first glimpse into the next era of the band. I assume it will be added as a B-side to the Concrete Forever variant of The Death of Peace of Mind that still has no set release date, or it could be for the next LP the band teased on Joel Madden’s podcast Artist Friendly. 

People have hated on it so far because the only apparent vocals are Poppy’s, and folks are saying that disqualifies it from being a collab. But if you can’t tell immediately this is a Bad Omens song, you have to take a second listen. Not only does it interpolate several tracks from TDOPOM, but the production is dripping with the guys’ influence. Regardless of which project’s tracklist this lands on, rest assured it’s Bad Omens at their most authentic and most creative, as always.

Being As An Ocean – “The Fullness of My Being”

When I got into post-hardcore initially as a teen, I was listening to a lot of bands like Being As An Ocean and Hotel Books. I loved the intersection of spoken word and hardcore, as well as the almost-edgy lyrics that wouldn’t quite upset my parents but still made me seem cool in front of my friends, but over the years BAAO dropped from my radar. Some of their releases since then haven’t been for me so I find myself sticking to their earlier releases. It’s been ages since they released a full album, but finally on February 2nd, we get the new album Death Can Wait.

“The Fullness of My Being” is a great single, one of four that have dropped ahead of release day, and shows that the band is returning to form after some experimentation throughout the years, something that happened after buying out their contract and going indie in 2017. I haven’t been this excited for a band I just remembered existed in a long time. I also can’t believe I don’t have to wait that long for the whole project.

Bleachers ft. Lana Del Rey – “Alma Mater”

Moving from the hardcore tunes to indie pop, Bleachers is back! Releasing in March, the self-titled album is heavily awaited. I feel like Jack Antonoff has been working on everyone else’s music but his own, but seeing as Bleachers is set to be like 20 songs long, I guess he can multitask. Borrowing vocals from his friend and production darling Lana del Rey comes “Alma Mater”, one of three singles from the album. Relying on a steady drum machine, it’s laid back and just eclectic enough to stick with me.

I’ve been finding myself returning to the mid-00’s indie as I long for spring, so I think this will be a fresh addition to the tracks of yore, though no new Bleachers track can bump “I Wanna Get Better” from my top tracks. All three singles are so different from each other and that gives me a lot of anticipation that I don’t usually have for a pop album. I feel like I have bands that I expect and want consistency from, but when it comes to Jack Antonoff the consistency isn’t in the sound for me but in the production and the creative license he takes. I’m excited.

by Nadia Alves

Nadia Alves has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.