Spotify’s New SongDNA Feature Pulls Back the Curtain on the Creative Connections Behind Your Favorite Tracks
Spotify has launched SongDNA, a new beta feature now rolling out to Premium users globally that maps the creative DNA behind individual songs directly inside the Now Playing view. Tap the SongDNA card on any supported track and you can explore the writers, producers, and collaborators behind it, trace samples and interpolations that shaped its sound, and browse the covers it inspired. From there, tap any collaborator to discover who else they have worked with, and keep following the thread as far as it goes.
The feature turns a single song into an entry point for genuine discovery, connecting artists, eras, and genres in ways that reward curiosity. The data powering SongDNA comes from a combination of artist and label submissions alongside community-sourced information, with artist and label teams able to review and manage their own SongDNA details directly through Spotify for Artists. Jacqueline Ankner, Spotify’s Head of Songwriter and Publisher Partnerships, describes the goal plainly: making a song’s creative lineage more transparent while giving songwriters, producers, and rights holders meaningful recognition for their contributions.
SongDNA sits alongside the existing About the Song feature, but operates differently. Where About the Song tells you the story behind a specific track, SongDNA builds an interactive world around it, one fans can explore at their own pace and in any direction. It is a meaningful step toward closing the gap between listeners and the full creative teams behind the music they love.
The feature is live now in beta for Premium users on iOS and Android, with broad availability to all Premium users rolling out through April.
Belgian Pianist Wilson Trouvé Brings Warmth and Grace to New Single “Twinkle” Off Upcoming EP ‘Three Notes’
Wilson Trouvé has a new single out today, and it arrives as a preview of something quietly special. The Belgian pianist and composer releases “Twinkle” now, the first track from his upcoming EP ‘Three Notes,’ due May 1 via London independent label Bigo & Twigetti. A contemporary piano waltz built on warmth, flowing triple time, and melodic hooks that linger, “Twinkle” is a confident, glowing piece of work from an artist operating with real creative momentum.
‘Three Notes’ is a three-track collection of contemporary waltzes, each piece distinct but unified by the graceful, unhurried sensibility that has made Trouvé’s music connect with listeners in a genuine way. His catalog has surpassed 20 million streams across platforms, drawing on influences ranging from Erik Satie and Philip Glass to Ludovico Einaudi. The EP follows last year’s ‘Delight,’ itself inspired by Trouvé’s relocation from France to Bali with his family, a move that has clearly opened up new creative territory.
‘Three Notes’ also arrives ahead of his full-length album ‘Hidup,’ due in June, making this a particularly rich stretch for an artist who composes for film, TV, and advertising alongside his solo work. Trouvé is also a practicing visual artist working across drawings and large-scale installations, and that multidisciplinary sensibility runs through everything he creates.
“Twinkle” is out now. ‘Three Notes’ arrives May 1 via Bigo & Twigetti.
‘Three Notes’ Track List:
- Twinkle
- Zest
- Whirl
Malvern Indie Rockers Linkwells Drop Anthemic New Single “Can’t Chase Yesterday” Out Now
Linkwells are not slowing down. The Malvern four-piece have released “Can’t Chase Yesterday” today on Flip Flop Records, an uplifting, melody-driven indie rock anthem about releasing the past and meeting the present head-on. The accompanying video is out now, and the song lands with the kind of Britpop-rooted energy that has drawn comparisons to The Stone Roses, Oasis, The Verve, and Stereophonics.
The band, comprising Keith Forde on vocals and guitars, Mike Bannister on guitar, Andy D on bass and vocals, and James Elliot-Williams on drums, signed to Flip Flop Records, the label run by legendary producer Nick Brine, whose credits include Oasis, The Stone Roses, and Bruce Springsteen. That association speaks to the serious sonic territory Linkwells are operating in. “Can’t Chase Yesterday” is reflective and rousing in equal measure, the kind of track that earns its optimism rather than simply declaring it.
With six singles and an EP already in the catalog, Linkwells have built an international audience spanning England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Australia, Indonesia, Canada, and the United States. BBC Introducing has called them “an incredible band.” The momentum is real and growing with each release.
More music is coming from Linkwells throughout the year. “Can’t Chase Yesterday” is out now on Flip Flop Records.
Fred Again.. and Thomas Bangalter’s Historic Alexandra Palace Set Premieres on YouTube Tomorrow
Fred Again.. closed out one of the most ambitious live campaigns in recent electronic music history, and now the world gets to see exactly how it ended. The full recording of his final USB002 show at London’s Alexandra Palace premieres on YouTube tomorrow at 5pm UK, 1pm NYC, and 10am LA, and it features something almost nobody expected: Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk playing back-to-back with Fred to close the night, only his second live appearance in nearly 20 years.
The USB002 run was a genuinely remarkable undertaking. Ten shows, ten cities, ten weeks, wrapping with residencies in New York and London at the end of 2025. Each show brought a staggering lineup of collaborators to the stage. The Alexandra Palace closing night alone featured Benga, Berwyn, Blanco, CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso, Coki, D Double E, Durrty Goodz, Ezra Collective, Flowdan, Hamdi, Kano, Jamie T, JME, JOY Anonymous, La Roux, Mala, MPH, Nia Archives, Oppidan, Romy, The Streets, Skream, and Underworld. That is not a guest list. That is a festival.
The Bangalter appearance is the centerpiece. One of electronic music’s most legendary figures, largely absent from live performance for the better part of two decades, stepping back onto a stage to close out a show with one of the most vital artists working in the genre right now. The significance of that moment is hard to overstate.
The full set streams tomorrow.
French-New Zealand Singer-Songwriter Max Allais Arrives With Debut EP ‘ANYWHERE & EVERYWHERE’ Out Now
Max Allais has been building toward this moment for a while now. The French-New Zealand singer-songwriter releases his debut EP, ‘ANYWHERE & EVERYWHERE,’ today via Real Thing Records, Better Now Records, and Universal Music Group Germany, a six-track acoustic-driven pop collection that introduces one of the more compelling new voices to emerge from the online generation of singer-songwriters.
The EP draws on coming-of-age themes, longing, heartbreak, and closeness, anchored by radio hits “Wherever You Go” and “Everywhere” alongside new single “Close To You,” a guitar ballad about wanting to freeze a perfect moment in time. Allais describes it as “being there with someone, letting the world pause, and taking it all in together.” It is warm, unhurried, and genuinely affecting, the kind of song that earns its emotion rather than performing it.
Allais brings real credibility to this release. He has built a global following exceeding 4 million across platforms, earned that audience through consistent, quality songwriting, and is wrapping up a UK and European tour alongside British singer-songwriter Calum Bowie. “I’m super proud of this project,” he says. “It’s the first time I’ve been able to bring together a body of work that reflects so many sides of love and connection.”
‘ANYWHERE & EVERYWHERE’ is a confident, cohesive debut that signals an artist who knows what he wants to say and how to say it. Stream it now.
‘ANYWHERE & EVERYWHERE’ Track List:
- “Wherever You Go”
- “Everywhere”
- “Close To You”
Ax and the Hatchetmen Expand Their Debut With ‘So Much to Tell You (Deluxe)’ and New Video for “Cheesecake”
Chicago’s Ax and the Hatchetmen have expanded their debut record today with ‘So Much to Tell You (Deluxe),’ out now via Arista Records, adding three new tracks to the original LP and dropping an official video for the New York City-inspired single “Cheesecake.” The deluxe edition rounds out a project that Atwood Magazine called “a dynamic, exhilarating debut LP” and closes the chapter on the band’s first full-length statement.
The three new additions each carry their own weight. “French Press” is a song about appreciating love before it disappears, driven by urgency and genuine emotional honesty. Frontman Axel Ellis puts it plainly: “Getting ghosted is never fun. All you want is to figure it out and talk but that’s exactly what you can’t do.” “Belt Loops” is a cover of producer Jake Sinclair’s early 2000s band The Films, reimagined with a horn section. Both tracks, along with “Cheesecake,” were recorded at Memphis Magnetic Recording in Tennessee.
“Cheesecake” is the deluxe edition’s centerpiece video, a woozy, jangly, brass-laced track backed by full-band handclaps and Beach Boys-style harmonies. It guest stars Axel’s own father, offering a glimpse into the future with a knowing wink. The original LP already boasts serious pedigree, produced by Jake Sinclair and featuring Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes on “Blurry Lights” and a long-lost Rivers Cuomo demo woven into the sunny “7×9.”
The band has a strong run of live dates ahead, including two hometown nights at The Salt Shed supporting Royel Otis in July, a slot at Milwaukee’s Summerfest, a New York appearance at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn, and a September date at Red Rocks Amphitheatre supporting The Revivalists. These are not small rooms for a band still on their debut record.
‘So Much to Tell You (Deluxe)’ Track List:
- “Red Carpet”
- “Flagstaff”
- “Love Songs”
- “7×9”
- “Lucy”
- “Oasis”
- “Blurry Lights”
- “Hotel Room”
- “Model Citizen”
- “Sunscreen”
- “Stay // Honestly”
- “New Years”
- “French Press”
- “Belt Loops”
- “Cheesecake”
Ax and the Hatchetmen Live Dates:
Apr 02 – Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento State University
Apr 08 – West Lafayette, IN @ Loeb Playhouse
Jul 03 – Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
Jul 13 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed *
Jul 14 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed *
Jul 18 – New York, NY @ BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn *
Sep 25 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre ^
- supporting Royel Otis
^ supporting The Revivalists
Melanie Martinez Opens the Gates on 18-Track Album ‘HADES’ Out Now
Melanie Martinez has returned, and she brought the entire underworld with her. ‘HADES,’ her fourth studio album, is out now, an 18-track alternative pop record that documents a world already tipping into dystopia, filtered through the singular artistic vision that has made Martinez one of the most distinctive voices in modern music.
The album arrives with real momentum behind it. Lead single “POSSESSION,” her first release in three years, debuted with 2.7 million Spotify streams in its first 24 hours and has since surpassed 33 million global streams. Follow-up “DISNEY PRINCESS” has added another 11.1 million globally. The newest track, “UNCANNY VALLEY,” closes the creative loop on the album’s themes. Martinez wrote it last, and it may be the record’s sharpest statement, targeting how social media and AI have distorted our relationship with beauty and identity.
Martinez recently spoke with Ross Golan on And the Writer Is… and joined Justin Tranter’s Unfamous podcast alongside longtime collaborator and producer CJ Baran for a deep dive into the making of ‘HADES.’ On April 8, she celebrates the album with an exclusive evening at the GRAMMY Museum’s Clive Davis Theater in Los Angeles, featuring an in-depth conversation and a live mini performance in an intimate 200-seat setting. Tickets are available now.
The numbers behind Martinez speak to a fanbase that has grown with her across every project. Over 30 billion global streams, 5.54 billion official YouTube views, and 62.2 million followers across platforms. Her 2015 debut ‘CRY BABY’ logged 208 non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200. ‘K-12’ and ‘PORTALS’ both debuted Top 3 on that same chart, with all three albums hitting Number 1 on Billboard’s Alternative chart.
‘HADES’ is Martinez at her most urgent and unfiltered, an album she describes as a cracked mirror on the world we are already living in. It is essential listening.
‘HADES’ Track List:
- GARBAGE
- IS THIS A CULT?
- POSSESSION
- WHITE BOY WITH A GUN
- DISNEY PRINCESS
- GRUDGES
- MONOPOLY MAN
- AVOIDANT
- MONOLITH
- WEIGHT WATCHERS
- THE PLAGUE
- BATSHIT INTELLIGENCE
- GUTTER
- UNCANNY VALLEY
- THE VATICAN
- HELLS FRONT PORCH
- CHATROOM
- THE LAST TWO PEOPLE ON EARTH
The Crooked Skulls Bring Desert Heat and Doom-Soaked Riffs on Debut Album ‘Midnight Sun’
The Crooked Skulls are not here to reinvent heavy rock. They are here to remind you why it matters. ‘Midnight Sun’ is out now on Electric Desert Records, a full-length desert rock slab from the New Jersey three-piece that hits with the kind of riff-first authority that fans of Orange Goblin, Fu Manchu, and Weedeater will recognize immediately.
Pete Koretzky handles guitar and vocals through a Gibson and Hiwatt and Orange amp setup that roars with genuine tonnage. His credentials run deep, including previous collaboration with Bob Balch of Fu Manchu and a recorded solo on Valley of the Sun’s 2023 track “Where’s This Place?” Chuck Snyder anchors the band with thunderous precision behind his Tama kit, channeling Ginger Baker and John Bonham without apology. Dave Van Auken drives the low end through Aguilar and Darkglass gear, pulling from Crowbar and ZZ Top while locking tight with Snyder and sharing vocal duties.
‘Midnight Sun’ was recorded with John Naclerio at Nada Recording Studio and mastered by Kent Stump at Crystal Clear Studios. The result is an album that hits hard while keeping its raw edge fully intact. Lyrically, the record covers endurance, reflection, and personal reckoning, honest and unfiltered throughout.
The album is a strong, confident statement from a band operating on chemistry and conviction. The riffs are enormous, the groove never lets up, and the whole thing lands with the kind of weight that sticks.
Megan Thee Stallion and Nickelback Team Up for the Most Unhinged Cheetos Video You’ll See This Year
The crossover nobody saw coming just dropped. Megan Thee Stallion and Nickelback have linked up for “Pickle’s Back,” an official music video built around Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle, and it is exactly as chaotic and committed as that sentence sounds. The video tells what it calls “thee incredible almost true story” of how Megan got her Cheetos back, and the result is the kind of branded content that actually delivers.