Today is New Music Friday, which means there’s loads of new songs in the world.
Here are the 10 single best songs released today I loved.
See the New Music section for all the of tracks and albums featured this week.
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1.
Young Fathers
Geronimo
It’s just so good to have the Scottish band Young Fathers back.
‘Geronimo’ is the band’s first song in four years, since the release in 2018 of Cocoa Sugar, and is imbued with the band’s trademark heart.
“It’s a track about contrast, because life is contrast – pushing through, giving up, all at the same time. Wanting everything and then wanting nothing, then wanting everything again. It’s kind of reflective of where we are at the moment, trying to remember how to do this again.
Trying to make music and all of the other stuff that comes along with it. Trying to forget all the bad bits, just trying to get somewhere. And that’s where we are right now, trying to get somewhere.
It’s the tenderness in toil, we had expelled a bunch of stuff with a lot of drive and wilder energy beforehand but this one had focus. It widened the scope again for us personally, that’s where the real high comes from. We grew another arm. We surprised ourselves.
So coming back with a track called ‘Geronimo’ feels quite fitting. Just the 3 of us again, but still in a fucking basement.”
Young Fathers
2.
Panda Bear, Sonic Boom
Go On
Animal Collective’s Panda Bear and Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom have a new collaborative album called Reset out on August 12th on Domino.
The pair have worked together previously on Panda Bear albums Tomboy (2011) and Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper (2015).
‘Go On’ is a bright spark of a song – and fans of Panda Bear’s great 2007 Person Pitch album may be psyched to know the album is inspired by Sonic Boom’s collection of ‘50s and ‘60s American doo-wop and rock-and-roll LPs.
3.
AE MAK
Sun God, I’ll Be Your Woman
It’s always a good day when a new Æ Mak song appears.
‘Sun God, I’ll Be Your Woman’ is an otherworldly sun dance of a song, “inspired by Tiamat, primordial goddess of the sea and personification of chaos.”
Described by Aoife as “a bloopy bubble pagan ritual cartoon warrior song,” it also features a prominent kazoo.
“I bought a kazoo in the music shop in Dundalk with the intention of making a big bird kitsch dance tune. I’d been reading about Tiamat, the primordial goddess of chaos, and then got asked to make new work for Body&Soul festival’s Eriu (the Goddess of Ireland) series so it was lovely and serendipitous and I made this bloopy bubble pagan ritual cartoon warrior song.”
4.
Ugolino
Searching
I’m excited by the music coming out of the jazz-rap duo Ugolino this year.
Shane Richardson and Oran Hurley’s latest song ‘Searching’ was recorded with live musicians in Valencia. Another nice vibe here.
5.
GodAlone
Tsktsktsk
Cork alt post metal band GodAlone’s first single from their forthcoming album ETC, sounds like a rougher version of the kind of thing that math-rock electronic band Not Squares were doing twelve years ago. Not a bad thing.
6.
Blu DeTiger, Biig Piig
Crash Course
Biig Piig is on a roll, following up the ‘FUN’ of two weeks ago with a boppy collaboration with New York singer and bass player Blu DeTiger.
7.
Absolute.
Stuck In Love
London-based DJ/Producer Absolute comes through with a Detroit electro-bodying single with pop flavour. ‘Stuck In Love’ was picked as a BBC Radio 1 Dance’s Hottest Record in the World song this week. It’s out today on Skint Records.
“Stuck In Love’ feels like the start of a new chapter for me, both scary and exciting to release something with a full original vocal, I’d been listening to a lot of Detroit electro so wanted to incorporate that rawness with some added Miami Sound Machine funk to contrast the vocal. It’s been one of my favourite records to play and make. It was originally written during lock-down, then after my recent tour of the US the track took on a whole new meaning when the lyrics ended up becoming my reality during my trip in LA, with art imitating life, it felt the perfect time to put this out into the world.”
Absolute.
8.
Danger Mouse & Black Thought
Aquamarine ft. Michael Kiwanuka
Danger Mouse and Black Thought’s album Cheat Codes is out on August 12th and we’ve heard a song called ‘No Gold Teeth’ from it.
The newest ‘Aquamarine’ features soul artist Michael Kiwanuka on vocals.
“For Aquamarine, when I heard the music I just had a feeling to sing about standing up for something that’s unique and following that path, I don’t know why but that’s what came out. Sometimes when you’re following something that’s unique to you it’s as if ‘enemies are all around’. At times life can feel fragile like ‘everything’s burning down’. For some reason the chords and music made me feel that way.”
Michael Kiwanuka
9.
DJ Counselling
Moving Shadows
A spindly prickly electronic cut from the London producer DJ Counselling.
10.
ELIZA
Everywhere I’ll Ever Be
I adored ‘Heat Of The Moon’, the last single from UK R&B artist Eliza, and there’s a similar mesmerising restrain at play here. It’s taken from the album A Sky Without Stars out 16th September.
Nialler9 Weekly Playlist
Nialler9 New Music Playlist
