What a long way Elohim has come since the release of her debut tracks “She Talks Too Much” and “Xanax” in 2015. As her career started at the same time than HighClouds, we are clearly suffering from the comparison.

Following up to her recent collaboration with Yoshi Flower on “Panic Attacks,” the classically-trained pianist, singer-songwriter and producer will unveil her debut album this Friday. In the wake of this announcement, Elohim has just dropped a brand new single which doesn’t disappoint. “Half Love” already sounds like a federating pop track with its massive hook, captivating chorus and dance-y sax section. Be ready to shake it “all the way”.

Elohim will also be touring through the US. Check her itinerary below (^ w/The Glitch Mob):

Apr 27 // Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre

May 11 // Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall ^

May 12 // Calgary, AB @ Marquee Beer Market & Stage ^

May 14 // Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom ^

May 15 // Spokane, WA @ The Knitting Factory ^

May 16 // Missoula, MT @ The Wilma ^

May 18 // Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo ^

May 20 // Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater ^

May 23 // Garden City, ID @ Revolution Center ^

May 24 // Reno, NV @ Cargo ^

May 26 // San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park ^

May 27 // Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl ^

May 31 // Boston, MA @ House of Blues ^

Jun 2 // Washington, DC @ 930 Club ^

Jun 7 // Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo

Jun 10 // Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live ^

Jun 13 // New Orleans, LA @ The Joy Theater ^

Jun 14 // Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall ^

Jun 15 // Austin, TX @ Emo’s ^

Jun 16 // Dallas, TX @ House of Blues ^

Jun 19 // Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room ^

Jun 20 // Columbus, OH @ Express Live! ^

Jun 21 // Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE ^

Jun 21-24 // Rothbury, MI @ Electric Forest

Jun 28 // Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks ^

Jun 28-Jul 1 // Rothbury, MI @ Electric Forest

Following up on the irresistible single “Clairvoyant“, Nakhane is back with “Presbyteria”. The single sounds totally different and introduces us to a smoother side of the South-African singer-songwriter and actor. We love his vocal performance and strong lines such as “Black and white never looked so good”. This new track comes with a striking and brave statement from the artist:

[su_quote]When I was Christian and prayed to God everyday, I had only hatred for myself. Every day of my life, I was doing all I possibly could to be like everyone else, to be heterosexual. I was even convinced I would be able to ‘heal’ my homosexuality. I was living in constant fear; controlling myself at all times.[/su_quote]

Nakhane‘s sophomore album “You Will Not Die” will be released on March 16 via BMG.

[su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71wcpZJKjlg” width=”200″ height=”200″]

Follow the artist over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

If there are any artists who were to be deemed truly necessary within the Queer community, Andy Butler and co. would certainly be among their ranks. Nine years after releasing “Blind”, one of the best dance songs of the past decade, Hercules & Love Affair are back with a brand new album, “Omnion”, which succeeds 2014’s “The Feast of the Broken Heart”.

“Omnion” is a piece of work that sounds like a bit of a turnaround in regards to the sound and recording process we’re used to hearing from Hercules & Love Affair. The titular opener of the album features Sharon Van Etten, and is a beautifully crafted, slow, and vulnerable late-night dance song – perhaps even more vulnerable than we would expect from a Hercules & Love Affair record. Also, this marks the first LP where Andy Butler has worked with people who are not, or who don’t identify themselves as, LGBTQ – as he told Billboard in a recent interview:

[su_quote]This was the first time that I actually ended up working with people who don’t identify as LGBTQ, but rather would put their hands up and say they’re allies.[/su_quote]

Rouge Mary and Gustaph, now full-time members of Hercules & Love Affair, also appear on the album. Additional guest features include Faris Badwan from The Horrors (particularly on the S&M sex-driven first single, “Controller”); Icelandic band Sísi Ey; and, most surprisingly, Lebanese rock band Mashrou’ Leila, whose lead singer, Hamed Sinno is one of the most active and influential gay singers and activists in the Arab music scene. Hamed sings beautifully in the Arab-only song, “Are You Still Certain?”. That track, the stand-out of the whole album, is proof that the sound of “Omnion”, and of Hercules and Love Affair as a whole, is not one-dimensional. “Omnion” is still capable of making us dance with some powerful club banger tracks, like “Rejoice“, but it is more than that!

Hercules & Love Affair‘s new album “Omnion” tells a story with a level of maturity never previously achieved by the group.

Although Hercules and Love Affair’s previous work has touched upon some truly vulnerable real-life situations in the past – such as Josh Grant’s discussion of being HIV positive in “I Try To Talk to You” off of “The Feast of the Broken Heart” – those stories have never felt as real and as personal as they do on “Omnion”. Deep insights, like the tale of Andy’s longheld addictions and eventual recovery told on “Fools wear Crowns”, and the themes of greed and dominance expressed on the sexually charged “Controller”, elevate “Omnion” beyond a standard electronic dance record, as it immerses us in Andy’s mind for the entirety of its 54-minute run-time.

Some of the slower and more melodic tracks of “Omnion” might turn off some die-hard fans who are not used to that sort of subdued sound from the band. And, while the second half of the album is a bit blander than the first, it remains a grown-up album that makes a steadfast statement: Hercules and Love Affair are essential to the LGBTQ community, and to the reality of all those struggles and opportunities taking place behind the scenes. So, as long as that remains the case, long live Hercules and Love Affair.