Top 10 New Tracks
On the first of December, URY gave to me… 10 brand new tracks, and some reviews that’ll compliment them nicely.
Fuse ODG — Lazy Day feat. Danny Ocean & Ed Sheeran
Fuse ODG always manages to capture that summer feeling in his tracks, the way he uses reverbed guitar riffs combined with soft afrobeat drum patterns really make me want to grab a mojito and sit on a beach. For me, Ed Sheeran’s feature doesn’t really add much, but simply as a writing credit on the song I can understand the effect that his inclusion on this track can have in terms of publicity.
The hook for the chorus is catchy, but the song itself seems to go on a little too long; there seems to be something missing from the track. Personally, I think it needed more variation, but that is just because I felt myself getting bored towards the end of the song. Saying that, I’m sure I’ll hear this playing at a beach resort somewhere in the next 10 years; I will not complain about it. — Chess Warren
No Rome — Trust 3000 feat. Dijon
There are certain artists who manage to capture a specific sound and then replicate it in all of their songs. Kevin Parker manages to do this with Tame Impala, and I feel like No Rome is starting to perfect that in his music. Therefore, although ‘Trust 3000' does sound like some of his previous work, for example, ‘Narcissist’ and ‘Saint Laurent’, this doesn’t necessarily mean it is a bad thing. No Rome’s music is enjoyable — it isn’t dangerous, but it is fun. I also do like the inclusion of Dijon’s feature on the track; ‘Skin’ is one of my favourite songs, so to hear him on something a bit different is really refreshing. — Chess Warren
Tamera — Don’t Phone
With a title as vague and unappealing as ‘Don’t Phone,’ I wasn’t sure if I’d be into Tamera’s new cut. However, pretty much as soon as I actually put it on, she convinced otherwise. After dropping some subtle but effective bars about male repression (“I know that you’re the guy and you don’t really care what they might say about you but you feel inferior if you cry”), she transitions straight into a memorable descending hook that has left its imprint in my head even after only one listen. The production is stellar too. The instrumental just oozes warmth with submerged keys, tasteful bleeps and some lovely, tactile plucking sounds, all bound together by a subtle two-step groove. The end result is thoroughly endearing and enjoyable. — Joe Waters
The Weeknd — Heartless
Ah, fame. You spend years trying to get there and then you find yourself in a hollow world of vapid debauchery. Abel Tesfaye (aka. The Weeknd) feels ‘Heartless’ in the context of this existence. Now that he can get anything, he wants with no strings attached, he feels like he can never manage to “the better man” when, in his position, this not rewarded, or even necessarily encouraged. The song actually gets across this empty feeling pretty well, especially in the context of Metro Boomin’s gorgeous, expansive production (is it me or is this beat more metallic than most of his cuts? — I like it). The way Tesfaye’s lamentations on his own heartlessness echo back at him seems only to add to the sense of warped isolation. — Joe Waters
The By Gods — Black Wave
Extremely raw and visceral is what best describes this track. The sound from ‘Black Wave’ by The By Gods battles between an upbeat pop-y rock tune and then towards more heavy-hitting guitar riffs and heavy rock. This duality of genres is what makes this track interesting to listen to. The vocalist, however, is sadly not unique and sounds like that of which has been heard in many rock groups before. The song is simply passable, I doubt it will be getting added to peoples playlists in the mainstream as it really doesn’t have much of a personality to speak of. But what I can say it does right is that it makes you move. And if a rock song can make you move then it must be doing something right. — Liam Daly
PARTYNEXTDOOR — Loyal
Crank your speakers hard for this one. No seriously, do it — because if you don’t the song will fall into the background of any light ambient noise. Whilst it isn’t the most exciting song ever written it does have a great bass beat and trap feel to it. Drake features on the track, which is bound to bring in mainstream listeners. Drake has been the pioneer of many super smash hits in the world of rap, artfully selecting tracks that have instantly recognisable hooks, however, it is a shame to say that it doesn’t look like it will have the same impact on this one. — Liam Daly
Bombay Bicycle Club — Everything Else Has Gone Wrong
British band Bombay Bicycle Club’s ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’ has all the good ingredients for a typical indie feelgood song: an interesting bassline, a groovy drumline and hopeful, encouraging lyrics. ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’ is the second single to be released from their upcoming album by the same name. This album, which will be out on the 17th of January, is the first since more than five years and it promises a lot: “I guess I’ve found my peace again/and yes I’ve found my second wind”. — Sophie Schulze
JazzZ — Gbim Gbim
This newcomer Hanjara Atta, better known as JazzZ, offers an interesting approach of jazz with her song ‘Gbim Gbim’: It mixes soul with afro-beats and reggae derived from her Yoruba traditions. The Lagos-based vocalist has just released her first album, Yummy Vibes, which ‘ Gbim Gbim’ features on, under Tokyo Dawn Records. If this track is anything to go by, the new album will certainly be worth a listen. — Sophie Schulze
Rotten Mind — Beat Of The Street
When you press play on ‘Beat of The Street’ by Rotten Mind, you’re probably going to think it’s some track from the 80s. The intro is so wonderfully of the era of New Wave and Post Punk. The verse however, really takes you out of that mindset. The vocals have a lot of punk, or even indie influence. My biggest problem with this track is the vocal production. It’s unusual and doesn’t work as it buries them too deep within the mix. The chorus really lacks power, too. The melody doesn’t take it anywhere, the repetitive lyrics get annoying, at one point it sounds like he says “Pee on the Street”, which isn’t great. Yet, the bridge is epic, and my favourite part of this song which calms down for the simple solo that really works with the song. Overall, this is a half-decent song, which could be made a whole lot better with a bit of work on the vocals. — Alex Bispo
Jay Pryor — By Now
Vinyl crackle is always a fun way to start a song, and Jay Pryor’s ‘By Now’ is a great example of this. Although the autotune is a bit evident at some points in this song, the vocal tone of the singer really adds a nice touch. The chorus is fun, holding up a great melody that’ll want you to get with the beat, Baggy. This entire song reminds me of something you would hear on the radio around 2013/2014; the production on the entire song is spotless, which is no surprise: Jay Pryor has worked with Niall Horan and Bastille. His work is really well done and even to me, someone who isn’t a massive fan of EDM, this song is a great time. — Alex Bispo
Are you an artist who wants a break? A promoter who wants to plug some great bands? Your music could make it here in our Top 10 New Tracks. If you’re interested, simply email your music to music@ury.org.uk and we’ll have a listen!
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