Eighteen of the best songs from the last two weeks. A fortnight’s worth of new music from the US, Australia, Canada, NZ, UK and Sweden.

Dick Diver ‘Tearing the Posters Down’
One of two songs to emerge from the forthcoming third album Melbourne, Florida (March 6, Chapter Music / Trouble in Mind) finds them taking both the jangle and songwriting up another notch.
[Dick Diver]

Desperate Journalist ‘Eulogy’
North London four-piece with a taste for The Smiths, post-punk and 12 string jangle have released a brilliant self-titled debut album (out now on Fierce Panda). This is just one of many stand out tracks.
[Desperate Journalist]

Unknown Mortal Orchestra ‘Multi-Love’
Portland based band featuring ex-pat Kiwis step it up for the title track of their forthcoming third album, due out on Jagjaguwar, May 25
[Unknown Mortal Orchestra]

Liam Hayes ‘Fokus’

Liam Hayes (the man behind slow moving project Plush) sounding like a power pop Ted Leo on this track from his Slurrup album (out now on Fat Possum).
[Liam Hayes]

Houndstooth ‘No News From Home’
Woozy psych-dappled folk pop title track from Pacific North Westerners’ forthcoming second album (March, No Quarter), the follow up to Ride Out The Dark.
[Houndstooth] http://houndstooth.virb.com/

Lower Dens ‘To Die in L.A.’
Poppier than anything on Nootropics, but still maintaining the Krautrock and Bowie-in Berlin influences of that album, this is taken from forthcoming third long player Escape From Evil (March 31, Ribbon Music).
[Lower Dens]

Alex G ‘Sarah’
Philly based Alex G has a wealth of music available on his Bandcamp page, a lot of recently reissued on ltd edition vinyl. This track originates from 2012 but is only now seeing the light of day. Lo-fi, melodic indie with heaps of charm.
[Alex G]

Father John Misty ‘Holy Shit’
One of many stand out cuts from J Tillman’s second album as FJM, I Love You, Honeybear (out now, Sub Pop).
[Father John Misty]

Fred Thomas ‘Bad Blood’
Leader of indie pop collective Saturday Looks Good To Me (among other projects), with something different and darker from his forthcoming solo album All Are Saved (Polyvinyl).
[Fred Thomas]

Babaganouj ‘Can’t Stop’
Brisbane band featuring two former members of the sadly defunct Go Violets with a big, bright pop song, the follow up to last year’s ‘Bluff’ and ‘Too Late For Love’ singles.
[Babaganouj]

Speedy Ortiz ‘Raising the Skate’
Northampton, MA 90s festishists return with first track from follow up to 2013’s Major Arcana, Foil Deer (April 21, Carpark). Lyrically a mission statement, and a reflection on the frustrations of being a female musician in 2015, singer/ songwriter/ guitarist Sadie Dupuis says “It’s crazy frustrating seeing women and girls, myself included, put in positions in which they have to shirk credit for their talent or otherwise risk getting dissed as overbearing and bitchy,”
[Speedy Ortiz]

Purity Ring ‘Heartsigh’
Opening track from the Canadian duo’s second 4AD album Another Eternity (March 3). Electronic pop with the occasional euphoric stadium house flourish.
[Purity Ring]

Joanna Gruesome ‘Last Year’
More self-proclaimed “dissonant wimp music” from the Welsh quintet who appear to have refined their noise / pop balance to better effect. This is taken from forthcoming second album Peanut Butter (Fortuna Pop! / Slumberland / Turnstile, May 11).
[Joanna Gruesome]

Nite Fields ‘You I Never Knew’
Taken from the Brisbane band’s Depersonalisation album, out now on Felte. Superior 80s goth / post-punk leaning sounds.
[Nite Fields]

Crushed Beaks ‘Overgrown’

Melodic, noisey indie pop that harks back to the mid-80s. Taken from the London band’s debut album Scatter (out now on Matilda).
[Crushed Beaks]

Makthaverskan ‘Witness’
Gothenburg post-punks with a track from their new limited 7″. Out in Europe on March 3, and in the US as an official Record Store Day single (April 18).
[Makthaverskan] https://www.facebook.com/makthaverskanofficial

Breakfast in Fur ‘Portrait’
Like In The Pharmacy favourites Diert Cig, Breakfast in Fur are from New Paltz, NY. But these guys eschew ramshackle indie pop for in favour of a more lush dreampop style as evinced on this track from their debut album Flyaway Garden (out now on Bar/None).
[Breakfast in Fur]

Ryley Walker ‘Sweet Satisfaction’
Another beauty from the Chicago singer/ songwriter / guitarist’s can’t-get-here-soon-enough Primrose Green album (Dead Oceans, March 31). Starting off with his picking folk guitar style and gentle jazz flavoured rhythms, this one has a vein of barely restrained fuzz running through it starting at the 1 minute 43 mark which carries on until the last two minutes of the song turn into more of a guitar freakout. Fantastic.
[Ryley Walker]