Hailee Steinfeld - Love Myself
Well this is far superior to her contributions to Pitch Perfect 2, vocally, acting or otherwise.
The basic points are that the Oscar-nominated actress has co-written this song with Julia Michaels (who's worked with a tonne of female popstars), and production comes courtesy of Swedish duo Mattman & Robin (Taylor Swift, Tove Lo, Carly Rae Jepsen). It's therefore got that Swedish nuance of yearning melody and upbeat pop production and is absolute perfect pop material. Sure, Steinfeld's vocal is forgettable and could be replaced by anyone, but by these standards her pop career is set to surpass that of her acting.
4/5
Listen: Love Myself will be released on August 7th with an album to follow at Christmas.
Demi Lovato - Cool For The Summer
It's about time Lovato had a bona fide global pop smash. That time has come.
Cool For The Summer is essentially a sequel to Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl ("got a taste for the cherry I just need to take a bite"), but with synthy disco production and an appropriately raunchy video. She's hardly the first female popstar to riff on a lesbian relationship to sex up their image, but few have looked this hot.
I heard this song and I like it. Just don't tell my mother.
4/5
Listen: Cool For The Summer is released on 28th August.
Rita Ora feat. Chris Brown - Body On Me
Speaking of riffing on others, here's a new single from Rita Ora. Touted as the next Rihanna from the start of her career, the next song to come from her (apparently) forthcoming second album features the Bajan singer's ex, but takes its cue from Gaga and R Kelly's Do What U Want. Original it isn't, but it's a perfectly serviceable mid-tempo R&B jam to slut drop to. The lyric "put your fingers into me" is a bit much though.
3/5
Listen: Body On Me is released on 7th August.
Robin Thicke feat. Nicki Minaj - Back Together
I wish I didn't like this.
The sentiment is as desperate as his ill-fated 'Paula' album from last year, but Minaj's rap and the electro-funk production (from Max Martin no less) elevate the track from laughable to pretty enjoyable.
3/5
Listen: Back Together is out now (in the US at least).
Sarah Harding - Threads
Let's just ignore the music for a moment - girl really needs a new stylist.
Maybe she's trying to cover up how bad Threads is with some bad...threads?
2/5
Listen: Threads is released on 7th August.
VV - Shift
VV Brown's 'Samson & Delilah' album was one of The Gizzle's top albums of 2013, but remains criminally underrated. Now under the new name of VV (how many name changes does one girl need?), this new track continues the dark, dramatic disco vibes in suitably off-kilter fashion. Pray for success - VV [Brown] is an artist who deserves it.
4/5
Listen: Shift will feature on a forthcoming album 'coming soon'.
Nero - Two Minds
Nero arose in the midst of the dubstep revolution a few years back and their album 'Welcome Reality' made quite a statement. Two Minds marks a surprising change in their sound that clearly courts current mainstream tastes, but it's quite the banger all the same, with a cool video to boot.
4/5
Listen: Two Minds is released on 4th September, with new album 'Between II Worlds' following a week later.
Jamie Woon - Sharpness
Remember this guy? He got the pulses of the BBC Sound Of panel racing back in 2011 (especially with the stunning Night Air), but has kept a low profile since the release of debut 'Mirrorwriting'. Sharpness is a sultry return that doesn't quite excite as much as his earlier work.
3/5
Listen: Sharpness is released on 11th August with an album to follow soon.
Hurts - Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is definitely a return to form for the synthpop duo after their disappointing second album, 'Exile'. It's certainly not short on drama, with storytelling lyrics, richly layered production and a stomping beat, all leading to a track reminiscent of their breakthrough Wonderful Life - an early pinnacle they're yet to match.
4/5
Listen: Rolling Stone is available now (if you pre-order forthcoming album 'Surrender', released on 9th October).
Sigala - Easy Love
Every summer brings with it an annoyingly catchy and omnipresent dance track. Welcome to this year's. Sampling The Jackson 5's ABC, expect to hear this track from the London producer EVERYWHERE for the next couple of months.
3/5
Listen: Easy Love is released on 4th September.
Canvas - You & Me
To slow the mood, here's some smooth electro-soul from Sweden's Canvas. It sounds more London or L.A than Sweden, but the brotherly duo have accompanied the tropical synth beats with plenty of Scandi melancholy.
4/5
Listen: You & Me is available now.
Kate Boy - Midnight Sun
And so we end this Roundup on a Scandi high with new music from Kate Boy.
Any music from these guys is a dream, so bring on the album in November.
4/5
Listen: Midnight Sun is available now, with album 'One' released in November.
