Cover art for Allison Ponthier’s EP release ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’ which premiered in May.

Queer Music News is a smattering of what’s going on in music by LGBTQ artists and the artists we love.

Here’s a wrap-up of music we’ve received in recent days for your new music Monday.

Kehlani drops video for “After Hours”

Lesbian singer-songwriter Kehlani has unveiled the official music video for her summer anthem, “After Hours,” premiering today on YouTube . The new visual, shot at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas and directed by Amber Park, includes a special appearance by Cordel “Scatta” Burrell. His “Coolie Dance Rhythm” is sampled in the track produced by Khris Riddick and Alex Goldblatt.

Watch “After Hours” below:

Queer fave Dua Lipa releases Radical Optimism 

Let’s forget about Taylor for a minute and jump on Dua Lipa’s new full-release that came out last week.

GRAMMY-winning pop star Dua Lipa released her third album, Radical Optimism, featuring 11 songs including the club-ready “Houdini.” In making the album, Dua worked with a team of core collaborators including Caroline Ailin, Danny L. Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr. and Kevin Parker.

“I wrote this album during my singledom,” Dua said in the press release. “I always came into the studio with some funny story, and they all inspired different songs. There’s a looseness and an honesty that I hadn’t had before.”

Dua describes Radical Optimism as “psychedelic pop” and was inspired by her own journey of self-discovery per the press release

“Everybody’s backgrounds and ways of working all gelled so well, as friends and musically.” She continues, “We were just so open with each other, and I felt like in that room, I could be vulnerable and talk freely about my experiences. The musicality of it felt so rich and exciting, and I wanted to dive in and be a part of that.”

Listen to Radical Optimism here. Watch the visualizer for “Houdini” below:

Allison Ponthier in Times Square. (From Instagram)

Allison Ponthier’s new EP Breaking The Fourth Wall out now

Friday marked the release of Breaking The Fourth Wall — the new EP from singer/songwriter Allison Ponthier, available now on Interscope Records. To celebrate the arrival of her third project, the Texas-born artist shared her new single “Crash Test Dummy” along with a video recently filmed for Vevo Live Performances.

Times Square is in on the Allison Ponthier wave. The singer revealed Spotify’s big ass billboard up now in New York City promoting her new EP.

Ponthier worked with producers Tommy English, Gian Stone, and Matthew Neighbour on Breaking The Fourth Wall . As the final installment to the narrative trilogy introduced with Ponthier’s 2021 debut EP Faking My Own Death and 2022’s Shaking Hands With Elvis, the press release declared this EP explores subjects like imposter syndrome, obsession, self-denial, and the vulnerability of true connection.

The EP features previously released singles “Character Development,” “Skin” and “Lie Detector.” The 2023 Out North Texas cover artist now leads with “Crash Test Dummy.”

“‘Crash Test Dummy’ is about the experience of putting other people first out of discomfort or admiration for them, which is something I’m constantly working on,” Ponthier said in the EP announcement. “Historically, I have a huge phobia of cars and driving, so the idea of throwing myself through a windshield just because someone asked me to seemed like the best way to express that conflict. It was the scariest thing I could think of, and also the saddest.”

Click here to stream/download Breaking The Fourth Wall. Watch “Crash Test Dummy” below.

—Rich Lopez