Now Hear This! � July 2023

Kim Petras
Feed The Beast
Republic

15 tracks of pure pop perfection about sacrificing every part of yourself to your biggest passion in life. Feed The Beast sees Petras embody a modern-day pop Andromeda - a spin on the classic Greek tale. Her offering to her beast, it's lead single "Alone" features diamond-selling hip-hop icon Nicki Minaj.

Portugal. The Man
Chris Black Changed My Life
Atlantic

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PTM have set a personal standard to "change things up" each time they go into the studio to record a new record. This time they went with famed producer Jeff Bhasker (Harry Styles, Kanye West, Beyonc� ). The result is a record that is in John Gourley's (lead singer/songwriter) words "our most complete record that follows a storyline from beginning to end."

Six Finger Satellite
The Pigeon Is The Most Popular Bird
Sub Pop

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30th anniversary of the landmark album of noisy, distressing post-punk, that drew influence from Gang of Four, The Birthday Party, and Wire. Includes dashes of ahead-of-their-time keyboard and studio experiments that became more prominent on the band's later albums, presaging LCD Soundsystem and much of the early-2000s post-punk revival.

Coi Leray
COI
Republic

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Leray�s self-titled album consists of 15 eclectic tracks showcasing not only Coi�s famous flow, but also her vocals, while touching a multitude of music genres � ranging from rap, rock, pop, reggae and dance. Featuring the Billboard Top 10 single �Players� along with recent hits �My Body� and �Bops.�

Nas
King's Disease III
Mass Appeal

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KD3 houses punchy Hit-Boy beats that are purpose-built for the New York wordsmith�s dynamic rhymes. The baton may have been passed, but Nas� story and passion for storytelling clearly endures with the hip-hop great putting the seal on a strong album trilogy that proves, three decades in, he�s still a force to be reckoned with.

Lauren Spencer Smith
Mirror
Republic

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Mirror features 15 deeply moving, personal songs which tell a story filled with autobiographical ups and downs. It�s an album that promises depth, range and narrative. By the age of 19, Lauren has two RIAA-Platinum singles ("Fingers Crossed" and "Flowers") and has amassed over 1 billion streams from singles featured on Mirror.

Nat Myers
Yellow Peril
Easy Eye Sound

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A poet with a staggering and true voice, Korean-American troubadour Nat Myers' folksy blues and remarkable pickin' are authentic, timeless, and enduring. The Kenton County, KY native's delivery harkens to traditional blues giants, but it's his unique blend of modern roots and Americana that continues to make crowds drop their jaws.

Nothing But Thieves
Dead Club City
AWAL

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With socially insightful lyrics and an adept ability to progress their sound and experiment between diverse genres, Nothing But Thieves are making a statement return with a true concept album showcasing the band�s city-sized members only club Dead Club City.

Militarie Gun
Life Under the Gun
Loma Vista

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Militarie Gun are a truly uncategorizable band. Led by vocalist Ian Shelton, the band�s debut full-length, Life Under The Gun, is forged by a lifetime of experience and effort, offering 12 tracks that manage to blend the unbridled aggression of hardcore with massive hooks and personality to spare.

Janelle Mon�e
The Age of Pleasure
Atlantic

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Though shorter and lighter than 2018�s magnificent Dirty Computer, Mon�e�s fourth album delivers its full measure of pleasure. The Age of Pleasure exchanges science fiction for lusty romance, creating a rapturous Afrofuturistic sound collage for sunny days and sticky nights. A 21st century pop peak.

Tony Allen & Adrian Younge
Tony Allen JID018
Jazz Is Dead

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Jazz/Afrobeat drummer and composer Tony Allen�s contributions to music are timeless and untouchable, and will continue to inform and inspire generations to come. Jazz Is Dead invites you to discover the unparalleled genius that shifted the entire world's conception of time, a magician who alchemized the past with the future and influenced countless listeners.

Nina Simone
You�ve Got To Learn
Verve

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On July 2, 1966 the Newport Jazz Festival audience was treated to the full range of Simone�s artistry � from a breathtaking version of �You�ve Got To Learn� to a swinging take on �Mississippi Goddam,� to the show-stopping �Music For Lovers.� This previously unreleased recording makes it clear why hearing Nina Simone in concert was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Pat Metheny
Dream Box
BMG

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Add Dream Box to its two recent predecessors as distinguished entries in the increasingly lengthy discography of the legendary jazz guitarist. By the very dint of their nature as solo efforts, these three albums would be among the most memorable of many in the history of the musician�s career. That they are all suffused with such elegant melody renders them even more unique.

Eric Clapton
The Definitive 24 Nights
Reprise

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In 1990, Clapton performed 18 nights at Royal Albert Hall in London. During the run of shows Clapton performed with three different line-ups: a rock band, a blues band, and an orchestra. Eric returned in �91 with the same three line-ups and played a further 24 shows. This remarkable series of shows finally gets the release that they deserve.

Kelly Clarkson
Chemistry
Atlantic

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On her most personal album to date, these songs explore the arc of a relationship. About the album, Kelly says �having chemistry with someone is an incredible, and overwhelming, feeling. It�s like you have no choice in the matter. You are just drawn to each other. This can be good and bad. This album takes you down every path that chemistry could lead you down.�

Adversvm
Vama Marga
Moribund Records

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The monumental modern Doom/Death act has returned with their highly anticipated new album Vama Marga! Adversvm come forth with a mission, one which they have clearly accomplished: to create art more sinister than black metal and death metal, and to manifest this sound with apocalyptic verses.

Amanda Shires & Bobbie Nelson
Loving You
ATO Records

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Bobbie Nelson�s musical career dates back to the 1940s. Naturally gifted on the piano, she played in churches, revival tents, concert halls and honky-tonks, eventually joining her brother Willie Nelson�s Family Band in the early �70s. Loving You is a collection of songs Nelson and Shires have played and treasured their entire lives.

The Baseball Project
Grand Salami Time!
Omnivore Recordings

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The fourth release from supergroup featuring Scott McCaughey (The Minus 5/Young Fresh Fellows), Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate), Peter Buck and Mike Mills (R.E.M.) and Linda Pitmon (Filthy Friends). The Baseball Project is finally coming home, scoring big and touching 'em all as the scoreboard is lighting up.

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Lucinda Williams
Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart
Thirty Tigers

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The last couple years have been challenging for Williams. In 2020, a tornado damaged her new home in Nashville, followed two weeks later by the beginning of the COVID lockdown. Later that November, Williams suffered a stroke that partially impaired some of her motor skills on the left side of her body, forcing her to learn to walk again and taking away her ability to play the guitar. Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart marks a triumphant return from one of our most revered artists and songwriters.

Local Natives
Time Will Wait For No One
Loma Vista

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Living in LA, there are a lot of people looking for that one trick that will help the new them emerge fully realized, successful & happy. It's a worthwhile, but doomed pursuit, & the best we can hope for is to be present in a moment. Local Natives album comes at a moment of personal metamorphosis. Former selves melting away, some becoming fathers, some enduring periods of isolation, loss, & identity crisis. Time Will Wait For No One is a mantra of reassurance in response to relentless changes.

The Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) is a national level organization comprised of the best independent record stores in America. CIMS was founded in 1995 with the goal of uniting like minded independent store owners, giving them a more powerful voice in the music industry. The stores that make up CIMS are all very different, but we share the same desires � to be the heart of our communities, to super-serve our customers, to support and develop artists, and to share our love of music.

For more information about CIMS and the stores in our organization, please visit cimsmusic.com or find us through social media with the #cimsmusic hashtag. And please remember to always shop local by supporting your neighborhood record store.

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Now Hear This! � July 2023