This is your new favourite queer anthem. The video, with its vagina trousers and sexual imagery, is already iconic. But musically this is a new side to Monáe: a sweet girlish vocal over gentle bleeps, before lurching into a guitar heavy, almost punk rock chorus. That mix of rock and pop is Grimes all over, but Monaé's vocal eventually cries out over the top in ecstasy.
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Zayn - Let Me
"Duvet days and vanilla ice cream," sings Zayn in the first verse. Between this and Pillowtalk he sure likes being in bed. Let Me is a polished, laidback gem that oozes sex appeal. While its R&B influences remain clear, this is a more confident artist less afraid to go it alone.
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Sigrid - High Five
Island Records sure are rinsing that BBC Sound Of win. Every week a new single from the Norwegian singer, but none of them quite as good as breakout Don't Kill My Vibe. High Five remains a solid electro-pop track, but can we space these releases out a bit?
Worth a listen.
Chvrches - Miracle
Chvrches are another band rapidly releasing new music each week. Miracle is a much heavier beast than their previous tracks, though, with a chorus loaded with industrial beats, rock guitars and a distorted vocal. The glittering synths and pop hooks remain, anchoring the Chvrches sound.
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Florence + The Machine - Sky Full Of Song
A criticism of Florence's previous music is the descent into a grandiose, epic sound without the substance. This comeback song is a more subtle, minimalist affair - for the most part it's a bare vocal over a creeping bassline. The textures build though and that trademark harp whispers in the background. "I thought I was flying but maybe I'm dying tonight," she questions repeatedly in the middle eight - either way her voice has never sounded better.
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Nicki Minaj - Chun Li / Barbie Tingz
Not one but two new tracks from Nicki Minaj, both as ferocious as the other. On Chun Li she compares herself to the Street Fighter character, the first female in the game, before shouting "They need rappers like me!" Barbie Tingz, meanwhile, is pure braggadocio, as she proves she's still number one in the game. Between this and Cardi B's debut album released last week, female rap has never been in better shape.
Worth a listen.
5 Seconds Of Summer - Youngblood
Youngblood follows the brilliant Want You Back in transforming this punky boyband into a proper pop band. The chorus throbs with a driving beat and a breathless vocal, fusing their rock roots with a dance-pop structure. It's angular and yearning and addictive, youthful yet full-blooded.
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King Princess - Talia
The first artist to be signed to Mark Ronson's Zelig Records label, King Princess has already racked up a load of streams with debut hit 1950. Talia is even better though, a yearning synthpop ballad of heartbreak addressed directly to "my love". "I buried you a month or two ago," she begins, before stumbling abruptly into a swirling vortex of a chorus with the telling line "but four drinks I'm wasted". Dark and dangerous, yet tragically beautiful.
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Icarus - Flowers
Taken from the Bristol duo's new 'In The Dark' EP, Flowers is a spacey, mournful dance track, all clipped beats and sombre synths. The EP as a whole explores the changing moods of a new relationship and Flowers is the downtempo break-up track of the bunch - that moment in the club when it all falls apart.
Worth a listen.
Bebe Rexha - Ferrari
Rexha is still to release her debut album 'Expectations', but her songs have varied in style. She's paired up with multiple rappers and leaned towards a hip-hop heavy sound, with some R&B-tinged pop too. Ferrari, though, is a rock ballad with shades of Gwen Stefani, Rexha's vocal sounding more raw than ever. In comparison to the rest of the week's releases, though, this doesn't quite cut it.
Don't bother.
