The 10 best songs of the week
Lots of great new singles and releases coming out this week. You’d be forgiven if you were struggling to keep up. Don’t worry, we got you. Here are our favourite new tracks from this week.
As always, follow the Nialler9 Weekly playlist for access to the freshest new music.
1.
Blood Orange
Charcoal Baby
Dev Hynes’ fourth album as Blood Orange explores identity through the prism of living as a minority and how depression and a sense of self affect it. It’s a considered and thoughtful album and is arguably a part of a the new movement of black music culture that includes Solange and Frank Ocean, artists that are exploring identity through social and political lenses, while drawing from R&B, jazz, soul and pop.
‘Charcoal Baby’ is indicative of that shift and Negro Swan as a whole in that it is a realistic look at a sense of self. “When you wake up / It’s not the first thing that you wanna know / Can you still count / All of the reasons that you’re not alone?” Hynes sings with his trademark shimmering haze and nuanced production. The guitar riff is the hook that brings you back. Hynes has found his place in the music world that he alone occupies while exploring his place in the world at large.
2.
Empress Of
When I’m With Him
Lorely Rodriguez is one of my favourite artists. Her growth has been rapid and natural, growing from alternative alt jams to a hook-filled pop without sacrificing her identity (today’s subject). Her forthcoming album Us is out on October 17th and ‘When I’m With Him’ is blissful pop on its own terms. Dev Hynes, DJDS and Pional, all recent collaborators help out on the album that is almost entirely self-produced.
3.
White Denim
Fine Slime
The Texas band’s rock music is a vintage kind, an effortless, guitar infectious music that recalls the best of the best while maintaining its own steam. Their new album Performance just dropped and its their eighth album of solid tunes. They play Dublin next year
4.
Lil Silva
Making Sense
A nebulous once-off single from UK singer TJ Carter, Lil Silva that serves as a reminder of his melodic and production abilities.
5.
Lauren Faith
Just a Little
This is a Kaytranada beat so you already know how this goes, rolling booming bass, R&B vibes and sweet percussion. Lauren Faith is a new British singer.
6.
Soulé
Don’t Hold Your Breath
Dublin-based R&B artist Soulé has been a little quiet on the new music front this year. Her last studio release came in 2017 with ‘What Do You Know?’. Just before the weekend began the artist released ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’, her latest single. The track has a considerably stronger EDM and contemporary-pop influence than previous releases. Coming in at just over three minutes long, ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ is a sleek electronic single. Distorted vocal repeats, rounded bass frequencies and slow filter sweeps give the track its distinctive vibe. – Luke Sharkey.
7.
Denton Thrift
Confessional
A new Leeds-based duo, Denton Thrift’s music is characterised by atmospheric synths and direct pop melodies. Conor Jordan and Jess Mollie are from Northern Ireland and Devon and met at University in Leeds. Their debut EP is out now on Majestic Casual.
8.
boygenius
Three rising North American songwriters Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus have combined their powers as boygenius and my, is it a potent collaboration. ‘Me & My Dog’ is the highlight, drawing on the strengths of each, with Bridgers taking lead on a son. It’s a track that achingly moves from young love to heartbreak (“I wanna hear one song without thinking of you / I wish I was on a spaceship / Just me and my dog and an impossible view”) and does so with tones of country, melodic folk, indie and singer-songwriter strands.
9.
Disclosure
Midnight
One of four new Disclosure tracks in the past week, all of which are based on samples of a capella choirs, jazz singers or disco. ‘Midnight’ feels like the most self-identifying Disclosure song of the bunch (the rest feel like sanctioned edits). That’s because ‘Midnight’ has that early Disclosure crisp production and dynamic.
10.
Marissa Nadler
Blue Vapor
A singer-songwriter favourite, Nadler is an artist who pops up regularly with a tuneful track that draws you into her atmosphere. ‘Blue Vapor’ is a pre-release single from her new album For My Crimes out on September 28th.
