New Music Roundup #2 – JPEGMAFIA, Pale Waves, Nathaniel Rateliff

New Music Roundup – Week of Feb. 7th, 2021: JPEGMAFIA, Pale Waves, and Nathaniel Rateliff

As another week in 2021 has come and gone, we are left again with a week’s worth of music happenings and excitement. The start of the week left fans processing what had occurred during the Weeknd’s Super Bowl halftime show, directed by Oneohtrix Point Never. Saddest Factory, the recording label with Phoebe Bridgers at the helm, had its first release in the form of Claud’s Super Monster. Of all the music releases and performances from this week, though, these are the three you need to listen to now.

JPEGMAFIA: EP2!

JPEGMAFIA, born Barrington DeVaughn Hendricks, released his last full-length project, All My Heroes are Cornballs, back in early 2019. However, he has not been quiet since then, as he has been releasing various singles and extended play projects since the beginning of 2020. With the release of EP2! this week, JPEGMAFIA is keeping pace with his 2020 releases. His signature production, which often feels like heavy-duty machinery breaking down in the most melodic of ways, feels to be at an all-time best on this project. Headlined by the single “FIX URSELF!”, this JPEGMAFIA project is a must-listen. Check out the video for “FIX URSELF!” below.

Pale Waves: Who Am I?

Heather Baron-Gracie of the Manchester rock group Pale Waves looks back on the recording of their 2018 debut album, My Mind Makes Noises, as a time where she didn’t really know herself. Finding herself facing an internal struggle, Baron-Gracie took those feelings of confusion and turned them into a path towards self-discovery. 

This metamorphosis of sorts resulted in the new album from Pale Waves, Who Am I?. Released via Dirty Hit Records, the album feels like it was plucked straight from the late-2000s alt-punk scene. Harboring a sound reminiscent of Paramore’s All We Know Is Falling or The Academy Is… record Almost Here, Pale Waves’ sophomore effort is a mastery in a new wave of alt-punk as it features razor-sharp pop hooks while tackling themes of sexuality, sexism, and mental health. Listen to “You Don’t Own Me” by Pale Waves below.

Nathaniel Rateliff’s SNL Performances

Saturday Night Life has been on a roll lately in terms of their musical guests. Phoebe Bridgers’ guitar-smashing performance of “I Know the End”, as well as her ever-energetic “Kyoto” rendition, set the bar high for SNL musical guests last week. However, St. Louis singer-songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff lived up to the task with his appearance. Rateliff has been recording music under his own name for over a decade and has also recorded with his band under Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nights Sweats in recent years, as well. 

Making his first appearance on the show that has served as a staple gig for many legendary artists, Rateliff held nothing back. Performing a stunning rendition of his single “Redemption” from the Apple TV original movie Palmer, Rateliff would go on to bring out his friends in The Night Sweats for a deep cut performance of their 2018 track “A Little Honey”. The bar has once again been kept high for Bad Bunny, who will take the SNL stage next weekend.

Watch Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats perform “A Little Honey” live on SNL below.