This is not a drill. Governors Ball Music Festival released its lineup for this year and it is pretty insane. Aside from the massive headliners like Stevie Nicks and Vampire Weekend, there are a ton of up-and-coming artists we are ready to see explode. One in particular is Alec Benjamin. Benjamin’s latest single “Demons” made it to this week’s Sound Bite and the song is exactly why we can’t wait to see him at Gov Ball.
Along with Benjamin’s new track, we have a new song from our beloved Brits, The 1975, and an epic North American tour announcement. The boys will be heading to Madison Square Garden on May 26 and we are buying our tickets immediately. New music from alt-rockers COIN, singer-songwriter Conan Gray, and a banger from punk veterans Green Day complete this week’s Sound Bite. Check out all five songs below.
1. “Youuu” by COIN
This indie-pop trio has an album called Dreamland due out February 21 and their latest single perfectly showcases the band’s effervescent and adventurous spirit. “Youuu” is introspective and bright, with a textured sound we haven’t heard from the guys before. Lead singer Chase Lawrence says of the track’s narrative, “We wish to control everything before we simply choose to notice anything. I’m still learning, but I don’t want to waste my time trying to find something special, only to realize I was holding it all along.”
2. “The Story” by Conan Gray
This 21-year-old singer-songwriter won over listeners with bops like “Maniac” and “Checkmate” off his debut album that is slated for release on March 20. Gray’s latest single off the album, “The Story,” is a lyric-heavy track filled with emotion and personal moments. The music video personifies those feelings effortlessly. “I wanted the video to feel like those days— just roaming around our ghost town wishing we could escape; surrounded by all these memories and stories that shaped us into who we are; but also caused us a ton of pain. I wanted the video to be a reminder of hope as well. Even though the pain of the past still haunts me, I made it out. My future didn’t seem bright, but it wasn’t the end of the story,” Gray says of the song’s video.
3. “Demons” by Alec Benjamin
As the first single off Benjamin’s upcoming debut album, “Demons” is a beautifully authentic look at the 25-year-old’s personal struggles. Benjamin’s boyish charm shines through the quick-paced song, adding a real honesty to the singer and offers a relatability that listeners have grown to relish. On Benjamin’s YouTube channel he wrote, “this song is about the one person in your life you know will always support you without asking any questions … hope you like it … big news next tuesday.” Benjamin is slated to perform at Coachella and Governors Ball this summer.
4. “Oh Yeah!” By Green Day
The follow-up single to “Father of All…” from five-time Grammy Award-winning rockers Green Day is a banger. Heavy on synths and even heavier on energy, “Oh Yeah!” is boisterous and wild, borrowing samples from Joan Jett’s cover of “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah.” The song was originally written by Gary Glitter, a convicted sex offender, so Green Day has announced that all royalties from the single will be donated to the International Justice Mission and the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.
5. “Me & You Together Song” by The 1975
The 1975 pushed back the release date for Notes On A Conditional Form to April 24 but they also released a new song off the album. Pick your battles, people. “Me & You Together Song” is the album’s latest single and will be followed by three more before the entire collection of music arrives. This song feels glittery and exciting while Matty Healy serenades listeners with lines like, “I’ve been in love with her for ages. And I can’t seem to get it right.” The song’s sound feels like a return to 2013 The 1975 songs “Chocolate” and “Girls” and we’re here for it.
