Essential Listening: New music releases in April 2023 (final update)

The best new music releases in April 2023, with playlists for house and techno, indie and alt, hip-hop and jazz, and drum and bass and jungle.

Skiddle Staff

Date published: 24th Apr 2023

This month, we've seen loads of new releases including music from Daniel Caesar, Daughter, Hippo Campus, Metallica, Shygirl, Florence + The Machine, Tiesto, and a nine-hour album from Mac Demarco.

It’s a lot to get through. So to help you keep the best new music on your radar, every week we find the best tracks and whack them in a playlist for you to check out.

With dedicated playlists for house and techno, drum and bass and jungle, indie and alternative, and hip-hop and jazz, check out this week's additions below featuring Run The Jewel’s Killer Mike ft El-P and thankugoodsir, house champions Camelphat, DnB legend Sub Focus, and Tennessee’s alt-rocker Bully.

Essential Listening: House and Techno

Rock The Casbah - Vintage Culture

Coming in with a bit of an unusual but still delightful remix of The Clash’s Rock The Casbah is Brazilian house maestro Vintage Culture.

At first, when you hear the scratchy guitars and piano hook at the beginning, it strikes you as a bit of a bizarre idea. But after allowing the track to come into itself with booming, infectious bass grooves, it becomes clear the punky classic suits the house stylings of Vintage Culture extremely well.

Putting a sunnier spin on the sound, the piano is brought forward and the chorus left intact since, y’know, everyone knows it and they'll definitely be singing along at any event he plays this year. Building to a sweet, bassy release, it’s obvious how VC has put himself on any house fan's radar.

Get tickets to see Vintage Culture live here:

Parklife w/ Vintage Culture and more | Saturday 10th - Sunday 11th June 2023 | Heaton Park in Manchester

Buy tickets:

Essential Listening: Indie and Alternative

Squid - Undergrowth

The band that’s never afraid to experiment is back with Undergrowth, taken from their forthcoming sophomore album O Monolith, due for release on the 9th of June.

Overflowing with musical influences, there’s a clear post-punk sound paired with electronic elements, an eerie guitar hook, reverbed shrieks, and unsettling lyrics to tie this, dare we say, horror track together. Trippy, messy, and creepy, the track gets under your skin while locking you in with an undeniable groove.

To say the least, this hauntingly stunning track is a super impressive and unique feat from the young band from Brighton.

Get tickets to see Squid live here:

Squid | Birmingham Town Hall in Birmingham | Monday 16th October 2023

Buy tickets:

Squid | New Century in Manchester | Wednesday 18th October 2023

Buy tickets:

Essential Listening: Drum & bass and Jungle

Fine Day - Sub Focus

Returning with another banger from his upcoming album, Sub Focus brings intense bassy sounds with catchy vocal samples and, of course, galvanising percussion.

Back in March, Sub Focus announced details of his album Evolve, his third album that'll feature electronic royalty including Camelphat, LOWES, and many more. The drum and bass legend called his album “90s-inspired” and with this track and Ready To Fly both appearing on it, we’re counting down the days until its release on the 12th of May.

Leading the drum and bass scene in 2023, we can’t wait to see him drop banger after banger st his performances including his set at Highest Point.

Get tickets to see Sub Focus live here:

Sub Focus | Saturday 6th May 2023 | VOID Nightclub in Lincoln

Buy tickets:

Highest Point Festival w/ Sub Focus | Thursday 11th - Saturday 13th May 2023 | Williamson Park in Lancaster

Buy tickets:

Essential Listening: Hip-hop and Jazz

Don't Let The Devil - Killer Mike ft. El-P, thankugoodsir

Killer Mike is undoubtedly one of the hardest spitters of recent times with incredible flow, wordplay, an instantly recognisable voice, and personality.

The insane production (likely offered by Mike’s long-time collaborator, friend, and the other half of Run The Jewels, El-P) is tight, bassy as hell, and features some otherworldly vocal samples throughout. A track of this calibre is hard to do justice with words. The quality of this track transcends language.

Truly, Don’t Let The Devil is beyond epic and feels like the kind of track that’ll go down as timeless, inspiring young rappers for generations, and forcing current rappers to step their game up.

Love hip-hop? You might like...

Outdoor Old School Hip-Hop Summer Festival | Friday 9th June 2023 | The Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare

Buy tickets:

NASS Festival w/ Wu-Tang Clan, Little Simz, and more | Thursday 6th - Monday 10th July 2023 | The Bath And West Showground, Shepton Mallet in Shepton Mallet

Buy tickets:

Make sure to follow our Essential Listening playlists featured above to discover the best new tracks released each week, as curated by the Skiddle team.

Check out our What's On Guide to discover more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.