Lana Del Rey songs tend to go one of two ways: edgy and interesting, or kind of dull. This track, taken from her forthcoming sixth album, is more of the latter. It's got the usual morose, ennui-soaked delivery but it's a more straightforward ballad than we're used to, despite the gender reversal twist of its chorus lyric "I'm your man". Jack Antonoff's production is easy to get lost in, but it needs more of that delicious mix of hard and soft that makes her music so alluring.
Worth a listen.
The 1975 - Sincerity Is Scary
The return of one of the biggest bands in the world has so far been very disappointing. Sincerity Is Scary certainly has more melody than the last two singles and its production has more genre-defying interest with its fragments and samples of horns, clipped beats and lazy basslines. Lyrically, though, it's a self-referential stream of consciousness that doesn't really amount to much. Gone are the succinct pop-rock songs of the past - now the band seem lost in their own ideas.
Worth a listen.
James Hype feat. Craig David - No Drama
I realise this dancehall flavoured track is a basic bop, but there's something fun and addictive about it, you know?
Worth a listen.
LANY - Thick And Thin
Initially luxurious, LANY's music soon wears thin with its repetitive sounds. Thick And Thin is LANY through and through with its smooth synth lines and light funk guitars, but that punchy snare drum makes it all worth it this time.
Worth a listen.
Mariah Carey - GTFO
Mariah Carey's career is just one meme-worthy moment after another. This is no exception. Incredible stuff.
Worth a listen.
David Guetta, Bebe Rexha, J Balvin - Say My Name
Guetta's seventh album, imaginatively titled '7', is out now and features all the terrible collaborations and tired EDM pop you could expect. It's typified by Say My Name: grating vocalist awaiting a big break, tie in with a Latin artist to seem relevant, structure around a non-chorus that doesn't go anywhere. The second half of the album centres on what Guetta does best: DJing. If only he'd stick to that and stop trying to be a popstar.
Don't bother.
Tom Aspaul - Going Down
Aspaul's career still hasn't quite taken off since his brilliant Indiana was taken by Kylie Minogue for Feels So Good. But Going Down proves he knows how to write a decent pop song. Uptempo, buoyant, 90s vibes mask the downbeat lyrics of a world falling apart - a fun bop with a dark interior.
Worth a listen.
