As we March toward spring, get ready for the seasonal shift with some new tunes by your favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is here to help with First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
From G Flip’s sultry new collaboration, to Michelle’s genre-defying new album, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below.
G Flip, “Gay 4 Me (feat. Lauren Sanderson)”
Rising Australian star G Flip has gone and made a name for themselves as an indie pop with a clear point of view. Never has that been more true than on “Gay 4 Me,” the searing new single that sees G Flip fully embracing her rock roots for a boisterous reintroduction. Singing about a girl who seems to be confused about exactly what she wants, G Flip takes in pop-rock singer Lauren Sanderson to help her capture the raw angst behind being with someone who can’t accept their own identity. “I don’t wanna play all these silly games,” the pair sing. “She don’t wanna stay/ Then she go and say, oh/ Let’s mess around/ And the she go down.”
Michelle, After Dinner We Talk Dreams
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When pressing play on New York art collective Michelle’s new album After Dinner We Talk Dreams, you will be treated to a symphony of disparate genres wrapped up in a gleaming package. The 14-track album nods to R&B (“Expiration Date”), funk (“Syncopate”), pop-rock (“Layla in the Rocket”) and bedroom pop (“Pose”) throughout it 37-minute runtime, switching up its format with ease from track to track. But the unifying factor pervading the new project comes with the vocals displayed by each of Michelle’s members — with gentle, soothing harmonies and crystalline clarity, each voice shines throughout After Dinner, making it a must-listen heading into this weekend.
Alex the Astronaut, “Octopus”
Sometimes, you feel like a fish out of water — or, if you’re indie pop artist Alex the Astronaut, you’re more like a cephalopod. On her new single “Octopus,” the up-and-coming artist explores the phenomenon of being shoved into a situation where you just know you don’t belong. Backed up by bubbly guitars and some light drums, Alex uses the titular sea-dweller to conjure an image of a camouflaged, incognito person trying their best to simply fit in. “Stand on my shoulders/ I need a little help with things I didn’t notice/ And sometimes you might see some things I don’t,” she sings.
Addison Grace, “Makes Me Sick”
TikTok star Addison Grace thinks that there is such a thing as “too happy.” On their latest single “Makes Me Sick,” the non-binary singer conjures an image of a relationship filled to the brim with sweet, loving contentment — to the point where they no longer feels safe in keeping the relationship stable. The result is a heartbreaking anthem dedicated to self-sabotage, where Grace details their exploits in navigating the lovesick feeling they’re caught in. “I’ll try to ruin this, rip it all to shreds,” they sing. “Piece it back together just to break it all again.”
Ezra Furman, “Point Me Toward the Real”
In her first solo release since coming out as transgender in 2021, indie folk star Ezra Furman is ready to get away from all of the bulls–t. On “Point Me To The Real,” Furman’s calm, hypnotizing voice rings out over a synthesized bed of drowsy melodies and a steady drum pattern, as she waxes philosophical on the very nature of her re-emergence into the world. Narrating a symbolic story of someone being let out of a psych ward and being asked who they’d like to see, Furman, both in character and in her best voice, gives a singular answer: “Point me to the real motherf–kers.”