Tuesday Music News

Robert Smith has revealed in a new interview with BBC that he plans on heading into the studio to make new music for The Cure saying, “I’ve suddenly fallen in love with the idea of writing new songs.” This year is the band’s 40th anniversary of their formation and, in celebration, Smith curated a festival in London called Meltdown, where he’ll be playing “interpretations of Cure songs.” He tells Shaun Keaveny: “Funnily enough, doing this Meltdown thing has actually galvanized me and I’ve booked studio time for the band.” The Cure’s last release was 2008’s 4:13 Dream. Meltdown Fest will take place June 15-24. [ Pitchfork ]

Janelle Monáe has unveiled the third single from her forthcoming album, Dirty Computer. “PYNK” features Canadian musician Grimes and is a sensual and not exactly subtle song about female love. It comes with an aptly pink-hued video directed by Emma Westenberg. The description that accompanies the video on YouTube says: “PYNK is a brash celebration of creation. self love. sexuality. and pussy power! PYNK is the color that unites us all, for pink is the color found in the deepest and darkest nooks and crannies of humans everywhere…” Grimes doesn’t appear in the video. Monáe previously shared the singles “Django Jane” and “Make Me Feel.” Dirty Computer follows 2013’s Electric Lady and is out April 27 via Atlantic/Bad Boy. [ SPIN ]

Neko Case is releasing her first solo album in five years, Hell-On, this summer. She already shared the title track and today she’s following it up with “Bad Luck.” The song was made the day after Case got news that her 225-year-old farmhouse in Vermont had burned down while she was in Stockholm. Case said of the unfortunate incident: “If somebody burned your house down on purpose, you’d feel so violated. But when nature burns your house down, you can’t take it personally.” Hell-On will be out June 1 via Anti-. Case released a collaboration with k.d. lang and Laura Veirs, case/lang/veirs, in 2016, and contributed to the New Pornographers’ 2017 album Whiteout Conditions. Catch Neko Case at Sasquatch! Music Festival on Sunday, May 27. [ Consequence of Sound ]

Los Angeles jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington announced a new forthcoming album yesterday called Heaven and Earth and he’s wasted no time giving the world a peek at it. Today, Washington shared two new tracks off the album, “Fists of Fury” (which is the theme of a Bruce Lee film) and “The Space Travelers Lullaby.” Along with each song comes a minute-long trailer. The one for “Fists of Fury” sees three men in uniform dancing around a star, while the clip for “The Space Travelers Lullaby” features a man and a child in a forest dressed in red garb. Both were directed by Jenn Nkiru and are a part of a larger film for the album, to be released at some point. Heaven and Earth follows 2015’s The Epic and will be out June 22 on Young Turks. [ Under the Radar ]