There's plenty of new music around at the moment, least of all the return of Jessie Ware on her sublime Tough Love. Here's the best of the rest:
Broods – Mother & Father
New Zealand’s brooding Broods are back to brood in their new
single – and it’s an absolute stunner. A
meditation on life on the road, vocalist
Georgia Nott sighs “ever since I left my mother it’s much harder to know how to
make my own life here, how to make my own home” before soaring into the sad-pop
chorus “I don’t wanna wake up lonely, I don’t wanna just be fine”. Production-wise this is part Lorde (the duo
share producer Joel Little) and part CHVRCHES: melancholic synths and
clattering beats with a clear pop sensibility.
Full album ‘Evergreen’, due later this year, can’t come soon enough.
4/5
Listen: Mother &
Father is available now, with album ‘Evergreen’ due later this year.
Chloe Howl – Disappointed
4/5
Listen: Disappointed is
released on 27th July.
Little Daylight – Mona Lisa
Brooklyn’s Little Daylight are yet to make much of an impact
here in the UK, but Mona Lisa is their
most accessible track to date. The
opening builds layers of syncopation, the synthy middle eight hypnotises and
the chorus sparkles even more than previous single Glitter & Gold. This is
bright, breezy indie pop that’s perfect for the summer weather.
4/5
Listen: The band’s debut album ‘Hello Memory’ is due out on July 15th.
Listen: The band’s debut album ‘Hello Memory’ is due out on July 15th.
Nicole Scherzinger – Your Love
TV personality Nicole Scherzinger has finally returned to
what she does best – being Nicole Scherzinger the popstar. Thankfully Your Love is not your typical EDM pop banger. It’s percussive, with little electronic
sparkles and it all breaks down in the final third for a very danceable change
of pace. It’s in drastic need of some
bass though, and the “do do do” chorus hook is more annoying than catchy. It’s no Don’t
Hold Your Breath, but it’s a hell of an improvement on Boomerang.
3/5
Listen: Your Love is
released on July 13th.
Alt-J – Hunger Of The Pine
Alt-J have done little since winning the Mercury Prize in 2012, besides selling a lot more albums than anyone expected and losing a band member. But sampling a Miley Cyrus track? That’s something nobody could have predicted. “I’m a female rebel” she chants, taken from her track 4x4, amidst meditative electronica and falsetto vocals. It’s a far cry from her own work and the injected sample feels a little forced, but it’ll be interesting to see if the band pursue a greater pop focus in their forthcoming second album.
3/5
Listen: Hunger Of The
Pine is available now, whilst album 'This Is All Yours' arrives on September 22nd.
Indiana - Heart On Fire
It's fair to say that the success of Indiana's debut Solo Dancing took everyone by surprise. Heart On Fire is more than a worthy follow-up. Where the former track was a quiet slow-burner, this new track is a slice of melancholic disco perfection - you can cry to it ("don't push me 'cause I'm close to the edge") or you can dance to it. Basically Indiana's on the verge of out-Robyning Robyn and there's nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition.
4/5
Listen: Indiana's debut album is due on August 11th.
Ferras - Legends Never Die (feat. Katy Perry)
So Katy Perry has started her own record label. Whilst this may come as a shock, what's no surprise is that her first signing has a slushy debut single that might as well be one of her offcuts. In fact, she even sings on it herself - and it sounds far better when she joins in. That's not to say Ferras is a bad singer, but he's got a ways ahead if he's going to differentiate himself from the pack rather than jumping on Perry's success.
3/5
Listen: Legends Never Die is available now.
Psy - Hangover feat. Snoop Dogg
This is a thing. HOW IS THIS A THING?
1/5
Listen: Only if you must.
