These are our 10 favourite new songs this week
Here are the best new songs we’ve heard in the past week, tried, tested and ready for your ears.
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1.
MF Doom/Bishop Nehru
Caskets (Redux)
The collaborative project between universally acclaimed MC MF Doom and one of lyrical hip-hop’s brightest young prospects Bishop Nehru Nehruvian Doom gets a revamp and picture disc. Check out the Redux version of ‘Caskets’ for a throwback to the golden era of hip-hop.
– Luke Sharkey
2.
FKA Twigs
Home With You
The third single off FKA Twigs‘ upcoming Magdalene album, ‘home with you’ marries abrasive, mechanical production with dramatic emotional openness. Lyrically confronting the difficult dynamics of interpersonal relationships and communication, ‘home with you’ has more reveals than a RuPaul’s Drag Race season finale – diving between industrial coldness and full-blown wide-eyed piano balladry. It’s outrageous and over-the-top and I am absolutely here for it.
– Kelly Doherty
3.
Nilufer Yanya
H34T RISES
A remixed and pumped-up version of ‘Heat Rises’ from Yanya’s superb debut LP Miss Universe results in ‘H34T RISES’. Not that we needed convincing on the original cut but this new edit gives the track a beefier, more electro driven feel. Peep the video shot in Istanbul too.
– Luke Sharkey
4.
Julien Baker
Tokyo
Julien Baker‘s contribution to the Sub Pop Singles Club has finally gotten a digital release. ‘Tokyo’ brings Baker’s rawly honest lyricism forward to a more sonically expressive playing field. If until this point Baker’s instrumentation was largely a simple foundation to accompany tails of heartache and loss, ‘Tokyo’ builds upon that loud-quiet dynamic and fleshes it out into a fully-realised sound. Moving further away from folk-leanings and toward the epic highs and lows of post-rock, Baker sounds more confident and more like herself than ever before. ‘Tokyo’ is a career highlight and a sign of great things to come.
– Kelly Doherty
5.
Pedestrian Tactics
Matingcall.exe
Seattle based multimedia electronic artist Pedestrian Tactics (previously known as Corporate) releases new future-everything dance track ‘Matingcall.exe’. This track hops around everywhere, incorporate house sytle synth tones, neo-trap percussion and future garage styled bass riffs. Imaginative, forward thinking and excellant dance music.
– Luke Sharkey
6.
The Twilight Sad
Rats
Recorded during the sessions for It Won’t Be Like This All The Time, the latest album by The Twilight Sad, ‘Rats’ is three minutes of fairly unbridled misery. The Scottish post-rock band aren’t exactly known for cheery outings but ‘Rats’ takes their typically sobering approach to a frantic extreme. Feedback screeches against the track’s driving refrain of “all you love is dead” before it all comes to a crashing halt. ‘Rats’ is dark, nihilistic, chaotic and so very cathartic.
– Kelly Doherty
7.
Air Max 97
Bruxis
Air Max ’97 makes his Timedance debut with EP Ice Age. The release’s second track ‘Bruxis’ is an obnoxious and obtuse highlight with bouncing basslines grinding against metallic percussion for a song that sounds like its constantly about to snap in half. ‘Bruxis’ largely relies on the same few key ingredients that circle and circle until reaching an ominous conclusion.
– Kelly Doherty
8.
Hidden Face
Doubts
Electronic producer Hidden Face releases superb new single ‘Doubts’ through Mau5trap Records. ‘Doubts’ is another fine example of forward thinking, fresh-faced dance music. The harmonies throughout offer the greatest points of interest. Hidden Faces shows excellant compostional chops on this cut, with drops leading to adjancent chord progressions and melodies straying far from the established norm in dance music.
– Luke Sharkey
9.
Billy Woods
Western Education Is Forbidden (feat. Fielded)
Underground New York rapper Billy Woods returns with his first solo release since 2017’s Known Unknows merely months after putting out Hiding Places, an excellent full-length project alongside Kenny Segal. ‘Western Education Is Forbidden’ is a highlight in an album of highlights. Blending Wood’s lyrical hip-hop approach with jazzy, spaced-out production makes for an irresistibly paced number that is socially aware yet mellow. Fielded’s warm, soulful vocals make up the backbone of the second half and provide the cherry on top of this audio bliss. Don’t sleep on this album!
– Kelly Doherty
10.
Young Guv
Try Not To Hang On So Hard
Toronto native, now NY-based indie artist Young Guv recently releases his new LP Guv I. It’s a refreshing take on indie rock, wearing influences on its sleeve without burrowing too far into the realms of nostalgia. ‘Try Not To Hang On So Hard’ is a two minute and change romp. The best part is that Young Guv drops another album tomorrow, entitled Guv II.
– Luke Sharkey
