There has been a surge of new queer music releases over the past few weeks, and we can not stop listening to some of these bops. From a guitar-driven single courtesy of Irish queer band Pillow Queens to a hopeful record from UK protest singer Grace Petrie, these releases are perfection and, dare we say, potential new queer anthems?
Packed to the brim, this list pretty much guarantees there’s a new song included for every taste. So what are you waiting for? Start building your playlist with these must-listen queer music releases!
Lyra – ‘Drink Me Up’
Irish pop sensation Lyra just released a revealing new single, ‘Drink Me Up’, which is all about a wild one-night stand. She describes the song, saying: “simply put, it’s about having wild drunk sex and taking from the night what you want from it, when two people come together for the same thing.”
Lyra is currently performing the track live while she tours across Ireland and the UK, with a performance on Friday, March 15, at the 3Olympia in Dublin. Tickets are available here!
Pillow Queens – ‘Like a Lesson’
While the band’s highly anticipated new album is due out in April, this guitar-driven track is the perfect song to listen to while you wait. It explores the experience of longing for intimacy and closeness alongside having competing feelings of fear and insecurities. Try not to lose your mind when lead vocalist, bassist and guitarist Pamela Connolly belts, “I don’t wanna ruin my life, but I wanna go home with you.”
The band says this track blends each member’s music taste, explaining: “It began as a song we felt had a strong country music influence and morphed into something that referenced a wide range of our musical tastes. It’s the 90s soft rock song on the album.”
Fight Like Apes – ‘Black Boys On Mopeds’
Sinéad O’Connor tragically passed away in July 2023 at the age of 56. The self-described Irish “protest singer” was a fierce LGBTQ+ ally who is remembered for her bold and courageous activism. In honour of her memory, the band Fight Like Apes recently recorded O’Connor’s ‘Black Boys On Mopeds’ from her I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got album.
All proceeds from this release written by Sinéad O’Connor and covered by Mary-Kate “MayKay” Geraghty and Jamie Fox will be donated to the Aida Refugee Camp’s Lajee Centre in Palestine, which strives to provide refugee women and youth with cultural, educational, social and developmental opportunities.
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JD Kelleher – ‘Dance On Ur Own 2 Feet’
Up next on our list of new queer music releases is this track from JD Kelleher, a London-based Irish singer-songwriter who has been described as “soaked in classic rock swagger and defiance”.
Kelleher’s new single, ‘Dance On Ur Own 2 Feet’, promises to be a “quintessentially queer, contemporary Irish pop track” that is both about being your true self and also boldly expressing your talents and passions.
Davie Furey – ‘Glimpses of the Truth’
While this one’s not out yet, beloved Irish songwriter, Davie Furey, is set to release a brand new album, Glimpses of the Truth, which includes nine original compositions. The new album is coming out on March 22, and to celebrate, Furey is embarking on his first headline Ireland tour in five years!
The singer will be kicking off the Ireland tour in Wexford Arts Theatre on April 5, alongside Irish musicians Stuart Gray and Steve Milne.
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Fletcher – In Search of the Antidote
Fletcher’s newest album In Search of the Antidote also drops on March 22 and is billed to be a deeply personal record that explores identity, ego and insecurities.
Best known for her sapphic hits ‘Girls Girls Girls’, ‘Bitter’ and ‘Becky’s So Hot’ (which was famously about her ex-girlfriend’s new girl friend), her newest release, ‘Doing Better’ includes the line “Your girlfriend never thanked me for makin’ her go viral”.
HAVVK – To Fall Asleep
HAVVK’s new album To Fall Asleep was inspired by the things that keep us awake at night. It explores the feeling of being unable to sleep and staying up checking the clock and scrolling. Bassist and lead vocalist Julie Hawk shared that some of the songs on the record explore her feelings about gender nonconformity while living in a conservative north Dublin suburb.
Alongside the album, the group has also released a new single, ‘Take It From Me’, which is a takedown of the cartoonish scenarios of men speaking over women and taking credit for their ideas.
To Fall Asleep releases on March 15 and HAVVK play The Workman’s Cellar on March 22 – tickets are on sale now!
Amiss Tori – ’23 Chords and a Lie’
Trailblazing drag queen and country music artist Amiss Tori has a new single out called ’23 Chords and a Lie’.
The up-tempo bluegrass-infused country anthem tells the story of a country singer who becomes influenced by the glitz and glamour of the music industry. The song is a play on the phrase “Three Chords and the Truth”.
Låpsley – ‘4am Ascension Day’
In her music, Låpsley openly talks about everything from sustainability to politics and kink to mental health.
Her latest single, ‘4AM Ascension Day’ is inspired by the anxiety of a past infidelity that lingers long after a toxic relationship ends. It embraces familiar themes of longing, jealousy and watching an ex move on with their life with the haunting line, “a guilty heart can never rest”.
Sammy Rae & Friends – ‘Thieves’
Sammy Rae & Friends is a band of classically trained jazz musicians with incredible energy and no commitment to genre. Their shows are often described as attending “a big queer church”, and they have played sold-out gigs everywhere from London to LA.
Their newest track ‘‘Thieves’ has been described as a “seductive new rock’n’roll earworm” about shoplifting.
crêpe girl – ‘Stargazing’
crêpe girl is an American-French artist known for maintaining an understated cool vibe. Queerty described her newest release, ‘Stargazing’, as “a headrush of sapphic feels” and “an anthem that embraces queerness in an authentic, perfectly packaged indie pop punch.”
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Conleth Kane – ‘City of the Lost Boys’
Irish independent singer/songwriter Conleth Kane released ‘City of the Lost Boys’ on the eve of his 40th birthday.
The single was produced by 7th Heaven, who did the official remix of Cher’s most recent single, ‘DJ Play a Christmas Song’, and it was mastered by 360 Mastering who worked on Kylie Minogue’s Tension album. The sound and look for this particular record was inspired by Erasure, a band he adored growing up.
Grace Petrie – Build Something Better
Protest singer-songwriter Grace Petrie’s new album Build Something Better is full of fire, her trademark wit and heartening hope.
Speaking about the new queer music release, Grace said, “It’s always a terrifying moment setting a record free into the world. This one took three years’ writing, an incredible effort from Frank Turner producing (to an unbelievable deadline) and an inexpressable amount of support from The Robot Needs Home Collective and Alex Knight. I really hope you like it.”
Billy Porter & Luke Evans – ‘Always Be My Man’
Billy Porter and Luke Evans’ song ‘Always Be My Man’ is about enduring love and how new people come into your life. Featured on the soundtrack of the film Our Son, the song is primed to be an LGBTQ+ wedding anthem for years to come.
Pattie Gonia – ‘We Made It Through The Night’
Pattie Gonia is an artist, drag queen and environmentalist, and she’s back with a new queer anthem that’s been described as a love letter to the LGBTQ+ community.
The song focuses on the power of survival. Pattie calls Pride queer peoples’ birdsong, referring to how birds sing to each other every morning to share that they survived the night.
KOSSISKO – ‘RICH BI$H’
This Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist has a new empowering single ‘Rich Bi$h’, and the music video celebrates all aspects of their identity.
They said, “It’s been a struggle for me since I was a child to truly accept myself and love myself for all the different aspects of who I am so this video felt extremely empowering and liberating af.”
Jess Silber – ‘it hurts to love a woman’
Jess Silber is a musical artist and filmmaker. Her debut music video, ‘It Hurts to Love a Woman’, is a queer almost love story from the perspective of someone on a quest for self-love, confidence and sexual longing.
The below music video won an award at the Global Music Awards and the IndieFEST Film Awards and was a finalist at the New York Short Film Festival.
Sexy Tadhg – ‘Ride the Wave’
Sexy Tadhg is an incredibly talented pianist, songwriter, vocalist and fashion designer who was named one of The Irish Times’ ‘50 to Watch’ for 2024. Their rock star presence, commanding vocals and expert piano playing have wowed audiences nationwide.
Tadhg has been compared to David Bowie, Elton John, Lady Gaga and Freddie Mercury while sharing personal stories about gender, sexuality and mental health. Catch them during their Irish tour which kicks off in April.
Those are just some of the new queer music releases we’ve been playing all month! If you’re still looking for more recommendations to add to your spring playlists, find some here.
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