See the New Music section for full selection of tracks and albums featured this week.
Nialler9 Weekly Playlist:
1.
Denise Chaila, MuRli
Energy
A surprise single from Denise Chaila, with production and vocals from MuRli is a celebration of strength with a Lord Of The Rings Rohan reference, and uplifting brass offering much fanfare. ‘Energy’ has a mid-90s R&B lick to it.
“I wrote this song when I was tired and grieving. Somehow, the experience of creating it (from conception to recording to filming) became a massive learning curve. Singing ‘you can’t take my energy’ while mentally and emotionally drained, living through incredible uncertainty and trying to find stable ground from moment to moment became a challenge I didn’t intend to set myself. One I’m glad I did.
“The song began as a beat with a time signature that I just couldn’t understand how to write to. One which I allowed to linger in my drafts for months because I was too nervous to attempt writing to it and potentially ruin a very beautiful song. Every step of the process has been measured, unhurried, full of conversation and gentle risk taking. Stepping outside my comfort zone like this made me gag as much as it made me smile.
“This song and the work surrounding it has ultimately been an opportunity. I’ve spent the year asking myself what I want to do with myself when my heart is broken. What my work ultimately means to me. What purpose it serves in my own life. And from the wellspring of these questions, beautiful threads of curiosity have emerged from me.
“In the end; hope is more than a sound bite for a podcast, pain is more than a line in a song, there are things I’ve gone through in the last year that I’ll work through for the next ten, and nobody can bait me out enough to take from me what I do not choose to give freely.
“You can’t take my energy.”
Denise Chaila
2
Yaeji, OHHYUK
29
‘Year To Year’ is the second track.
3.
Jessy Lanza, Loraine James
Seven-55
Jessy Lanza has a DJ Kicks coming out on November 19th and this collab with Loraine James features. It’s a track typical of Lanza’s ice-cold electronic minimalism.
4.
Luthorist, Sivv
Inthecity
Nuxsense’s Luthorist and Sivv dropped their Time On Earth mixtape last month. Just another 10 tracks of hazy under-the-radar rap productions. Bandcamp.
5.
Tebi Rex
Fear Lasta Lampaí
“When that fella in the smoking area started talking about CAO Points/ it was appallin’ / i’m callin’ it.”
We’ve all been there. Nights out may be back, but some of the same people and things that stop you from having a good time have remained.
Tebi Rex dropped their second album It’s Gonna Be Okay on Friday. ‘Fear Lasta Lampaí’ is an example of the moving melancholic music the Kildare duo make.
6.
Tolü Makay, Malaki
The Light
It’s really nice to see two young talents getting a platform like The Late Late to showcase their new collaboration on day one of release.
“It’s hard to recognise how far you’ve come whilst achieving so much mentally and musically. This track pays homage to the struggles I endured whilst trying to get to where I am today. Thankfully I have broken from the chains and become everything I’ve always wanted to be.”
Tolü Makay
7.
Mella Dee
A Little While Longer (Whistle Posse)
London producer Mella Dee can release big dancefloor bangers like ‘Techno Disco Tool’ along with tracks like this that marry R&B vocals from Infinite Coles to a break-infused electronic production. Reminds me of Jacques Greene or SBTRKT.
8.
Kelly Thornton
Magick
Kelly Thornton is an actress who featured in Sing Street and Love/Hate who started making music during lockdown. ‘Magick’ is a timely pop song with production by Matthew Harris aka CHAMELEON that has a Britney-esque melody line over eerie electronic pop beats.
9.
Ruthven
Don’t Keep It To Yourself
’Don’t Keep It To Yourself’ is about your ‘someone’ confiding their secrets with you & you enjoying and perhaps being kind of spurred on by what you’re hearing. Bedroom feels.”
Ruthven
10.
ELKIN
Bodies
Irish alt-pop duo ELKIN are releasing a fine run of singles of late, and ‘Bodies’ is no exception.
“For us, ‘Bodies’ is the embodiment of what we want our music to be – sonically, it’s a club banger and lyrically it’s thoughtful, provocative and political. It’s really empowering for us to take ownership over a culture that often makes us feel powerless. In this song it’s our world, and in our world we can say outright: ‘don’t touch us’.”
Nialler9 Weekly Playlist:
