Happy New Music FRIDAY! Before we dig in on all the latest Alternative Cool New Music hitting this week, I wanted to mention that I saw a fantastic BISHOP BRIGGS intimate show last night on the back patio of a Victorian house built in 1902. The entrance to NO VACANCY in HOLLYWOOD is jaw dropping and so was Bishop‘s 45-minute acoustic set that included her emotional new single "High Water" and concluded with her 2016  breakout Alternative hit single "River." A huge thank you to ARISTA’s MARK NEITER for getting me out of my cave for this historic show.  

This Week’s Alternative Cool New Music

TORONTO's METRIC bring us All Comes Crashing" via METRIC MUSIC INTERNATIONAL, INC./THIRTY TIGERS. It's the first offering from METRIC's upcoming eighth studio album, Formentera, set to be released on JULY 8th. “Not everyone has a conventional life with conventional relationships,” said METRIC lead singer EMILY HAINES. "‘All Comes Crashing’ is a love song that goes beyond romantic love, it’s an expression of solidarity with whoever it is you would want to have beside you in the event of catastrophe. It might be your best friend, it might be your blood brother or your dog. The song is dedicated to those you consider your family, whatever that looks like for you." On the video, the words “This Is What Happened” flash across the screen and have come to serve as the band’s motto as they reckon with the events of the last few years — a band at its peak of creative power attempting to decipher the turbulent world around us, with HAINES positioned like a lightning rod in the midst of it, emerging with a fresh new album that sounds like essential METRIC. Watch the video HERE! The band hits the road on a North American headline tour, beginning AUGUST 11th in VICTORIA, BC with stops in 34-cities, ending with multiple OCTOBER dates in BROOKLYN, NY. METRIC has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 per ticket goes to supporting WAR CHILD and their work to empower children and families in communities affected by war throughout the world. LIsten & Download "All Comes Crashing” HERE!

CANADA's ARCADE FIRE's second offering "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)" arrived on WEDNESDAY via COLUMBIA. It's from the band's highly anticipated sixth album, WE out next FRIDAY, MAY 6th and ARCADE FIRE will be performing on SNL on MAY 7th. "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)" appears on the second side of WE — the half of the record that channels and revels in the power and joy of human (re)connection. The song’s lyrics offer heartfelt advice and concern for coming generations in the face of myriad challenges of an uncertain future. "There’s nothing saccharine about unconditional love in a world that is coming apart at the seams," said WIN BUTLER. "WE need each other, in all of our imperfection. 'Lookout Kid' is a reminder, a lullaby for the end times, sung to my son, but for everyone… Trust your heart, trust your mind, trust your body, trust your soul. Shit is going to get worse before it gets better, but it always gets better, and no one’s perfect. Let me say it again. No one’s perfect." Listen & Download "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)" HERE!

CANADIAN duo TEGAN AND SARA have shared their new single, "F***ing Up What Matters," the first music they’ve released since signing with new label MOM+POP MUSIC. The new chapter in twin sisters musical career reunites them with MOM+POP Founder MICHAEL GOLDSTONE, who signed TEGAN AND SARA at SIRE/WB in 2006. The biting new song was co-produced by JOHN CONGLETON (SHARON VAN ETTEN, ANGEL OLSEN, FUTURE ISLANDS) and will be on TEGAN AND SARA's forthcoming 10th album. TEGAN QUIN explains the new song: “'Fucking Up What Matters' felt like an ode to the moment in your life when you realize that you have most, if not all of the things you wanted and you start to think about what would happen if you just walked away from it all, It's the moment in the middle of the night when you start to daydream about something else, something you never imagined.  It's the feeling you have when you think you might have hit a new low, and yet you've never felt so good.  Sometimes it's admitting that you can't stop yourself from fucking up what matters, that you feel your strongest.  And as my mom would say, it's often when we're fucking up what matters, that we're learning the most about ourselves." Listen & Download ""F***ing Up What Matters" HERE! 

LOS ANGELES duo GIRLFRIENDS deliver a mental health song called "High Again" via BIG NOISE. It's from their sophomore album (e) motion sickness which arrives in JUNE. GIRLFRIENDS' TRAVIS MILLS said, "’High Again’ is a letter to myself, a letter to everyone out there that it’s okay to not have all the answers. It’s okay to not know 100% of what you’re doing and try to figure it out as you go along." MILLS sings: "I got high again last night for the first time in my life. I’m always honest when I lie see my smiling when I cry. I don’t wanna go outside in my room is where I hide. Cuz for the first time in my life I got high again." The group’s music is a vehicle for self-expression and catharsis, a means to process grief, uncertainty, and renewed vigor for life destined to connect with others who struggle. Listen & Download to "High Again" HERE! 

ORANGE COUNTY, CA's LIT return with their first new single "Mouth Shut" via ROUND HILL from THE SYNDICATE. "Mouth Shut" is a song we can all relate to, whether it's a social media posted something that didn't go over well, or text you accidentally sent to the wrong person. We've all had that moment where you wish you would have just kept it to yourself. It's from the band's upcoming seventh studio album, Tastes Like Gold due out June 17th. It's the first new album from LIT in five years. Lead guitarist JEREMY POPOFF said, “We wanted to get back to the old school Lit sound with a modern day approach to the production.  It took a minute to get our heads in the right place, especially with all of the craziness going on in the world.  We started writing and making demos with CARLO COLASACCO and YOUTHYEAR and we knew we had tapped into the vibe we were looking for. Tastes Like Gold is the album we wanted to make." LIT will light up U.S. tour markets starting MAY 13th in COLUMBIA, SC. Find the tour dates HERE! Listen & Download to "Mouth Shut" HERE! 

NEW YORK CITY duo SOFI TUKKER dropped their newest single "Summer In New York" from their new album WET TENNIS, out TODAY via ULTRA. The album is a celebration of self-empowerment, owning your right to pleasure, and liberating yourself from outside constraints. The title itself is an acronym: When Everyone Tries to Evolve, Nothing Negative Is Safe. It’s about leaving behind lesser fears and vices in favor of pursuing joy. The album's focus single “Summer in New York" is a guided tour across SOFI TUKKER's NYC, and marks a full circle moment for the pair as they return to live in the city after spending the past few years in WEST PALM BEACH. The song is a dedication to their city: the birthplace of SOFI TUKKER, the home that welcomed them straight out of college, and provided inspiration for their earliest work. SOFI TUKKER will embark upon their Wet Tennis Tour beginning MAY 21 in WASHINGTON, D.C. through JUNE 20th in SAN DIEGO. Listen & Download "Summer In New York" HERE!

Find all the latest Alternative Cool New Music HERE!

New Music Friday Delivers Bloc Party

BLOC PARTY have shared their long-awaited sixth studio album Alpha Games via INFECTIOUS/BMG. Alpha Games is the first record the four-piece have made with their current lineup. It's BLOC PARTY's first studio album since Hymns in 2016. The band has released the following singles off the new album: "Traps," "The Girls Are Fighting," "Sex Magik" and "If We Get Caught."

Alpha Games was a longtime in the making. The first seeds were sown during BLOC PARTY's string of Silent Alarm shows back in 2018 and 2019. Bloc Party singer, songwriter and guitarist KELE OKEREKE said, "When we did the Silent Alarm tour I had to listen to that record from start to finish. I haven't really done that since it was made. I think that kind of energy we felt when we were performing those songs went some way into informing where we went next… That process definitely informed the music on some level.

“These last few years have felt like a morally bankrupt time. It really felt like we were in an episode of House of Cards. That definitely bled into what I wanted to say. I feel like in all of the songs on this record there are people in extreme situations, making extreme choices; that's what I wanted to capture. But what happens to our humanity when we prioritise success at all costs?”

Arriving on the heels of an intimate, one-off live show at The Garage, London and a headline performance, BLOC PARTY will tour the UK and EUROPE in MAY and JUNE.

Find the complete list of New Music Friday Alternative Albums below. This week’s new album releases, includes the fifth studio album from THE HEAD AND THE HEART. 

Arcade Fire #1 On Alternative Spincrease

MEDIABASE Greatest Gainers heading into the weekend that you need to know about include: ARCADE FIRE "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)" is the #1 Greatest Gainer +222 spins and set to debut on the Alternative chart. BAKAR "Free" gets the AUDACY PICK OF THE WEEK and is the #2 Greatest Gainer +189 spins and now trending Top 25 on the Alternative chart. THE MAINE "Loved You A Little (f/Taking Back Sunday & Charlotte Sands)" is the #3 Greatest Gainer +184 spins and pushing Top 10 on the Alternative chart. WEEZER "A Little Bit Of Love" continues to get a lot of love and is the #4 Greatest Gainer +182 spins and heading Top 5 on the Alternative chart. Rounding out the Top 5 Greatest Gainers is THE OFFSPRING "Behind Your Walls" +177 spins and chartbound.

Check out the rest of this week’s Top 10 Greatest Gainers on Alternative Spincrease below.

Alternative Artist Info

I have a new feature for you this week on THE ORPHAN THE POET. Find out the latest on these OHIO boys on All Access Alternative Artist Info.

Alternative Net News Of The Week

This week's ALT news includes WSUN (97X)/TAMPA BAY moving from 97.1to 97.5 FM, WAQX (95X)/SYRACUSE unveils “FESTAPALOOZATHON,"and our friends at U.N.C.L.E. announces the launch of a new monthly podcast called "THE KISS KISS BANG BANG NEW MUSIC FILES" hosted by U.N.C.L.E. Agent 0013, DEAD AIR DAVE.

Find all the details below with the rest of the Alternative Net News Of The Week.

Mike Kaplan Is The Alternative Programmer Of The Week 

Your Alt Programmer Of The Week is AUDACY VP/Alternative MIKE KAPLAN. WNYL (ALT 92.3)/NEW YORK posted a 1.5-2.0 gain in the MARCH '22 PPM Ratings. Check out KAPLAN’s Hot Picks for this week below. 

Alternative Ratings Scorecard

NIELSEN MARCH ‘22 Ratings are now rolling in for the diary markets. Find The Latest Alternative Ratings below.

ALL ACCESS AUDIO SUMMIT 2022 is in the books and many hundreds of people registered to see it live on APRIL 20th & 21st and now all 20 sessions are available on-demand. If you missed it, you can still get tickets and watch all the sessions. Catch the ALL ACCESS AUDIO SUMMIT 2022, ON-DEMAND HERE! 

Don’t forget to visit the Alternative On The Beach Industry Directory at the very bottom of this email and keep in touch with our friends on new opportunities. For updates on this list, please let me know at salexander@allaccess.com. 

SHAKY KNEES FESTIVAL begins TODAY in ATLANTA. Have an amazin' weekend! Catch up with you on MONDAY with more ALT TALK. In the meantime, dig in.