It's become a bit of a joke but it is now finally happening: Rita Ora is releasing a new album, six years after her debut. The title, 'Phoenix', is a little nauseating, but it represents the return of a genuine star after a string of successful singles. Let You Love Me might just be the best of the lot, its yearning chorus melody juxtaposed with deep bass and a delicate finger-click beat.
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Lana Del Rey - Venice Bitch
Few artists could get away with releasing a nine and a half minute track of hushed vocals and dreamy guitars. But this is Lana Del Rey, "your little Venice bitch". Two minutes in and it takes off: a delicious trip of layered guitar melodies, whirring electronics and vocal hooks. It's easy to get lost in this extended west coast fantasy that epitomises the guitar-focus of her new material.
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Au/Ra - Emoji
The Camelphat remix of Au/Ra's Panic Room has been doing the rounds on radio recently and now the 16 year old pop singer-songwriter is following it up with Emoji. The themed lyrics are a little tongue-in-cheek, but there's a more serious side to this song that details an online relationship and the fear of catfishing, all over anxious, choppy electronica that fittingly blends the digital with the emotional.
Worth a listen.
The Chainsmokers feat. Kelsea Ballerini - This Feeling
Duo The Chainsmokers made a name for themselves with their shallow lad-dance, but This Feeling, taken from new album 'Sick Boy...This Feeling', has a more emotional side. Frequent songwriting collaborator Emily Warren returns, now joined by country singer Kelsea Ballerini learning to think with her head "not that thing in my chest" over the usual beat drops we've come to expect.
Worth a listen.
Avril Lavigne - Head Above Water
This isn't the high-tempo return you might expect from the singer of Sk8er Boi, Girlfriend and Here's To Never Growing Up. But Lavigne has spent the last five years battling Lyme Disease, which she described as "the worst years of my life" in a candid letter to fans on her website. It adds a whole new layer to this ballad - "don't let me drown, drown, drown," she sings. A welcome and emotionally-charged return.
Worth a listen.
Allie X - Little Things
Here's Allie X continuing to write relatable synth-pop. This time she's complaining about the little things that are so inconsequential and yet can make us so mad: "death by a thousand cuts." It's an addictive, clever, fizzing pop song, but from her you'd expect nothing less.
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MØ - Imaginary Friend
What begins as a typical sounding house track builds towards a chorus with an unexpected beat. But then, would it even be a MØ track without a twist on the familiar? The Danish singer's second album 'Forever Neverland' is due out next month, featuring the likes of Charli XCX, Empress Of and of course Diplo.
Worth a listen.
