Top 10 New Tracks
Sun’s out, songs are on. Here’s our pick of the best new tracks to come in so far this month, handpicked by our digital librarians.
Zilla With Her Eyes Shut — Whisper Whisper
Previously known simply as ‘Zilla’, Parisian artist Zilla With Her Eyes Shut added the suffix ‘With Her Eyes Shut’ as most of her music revolves around the unconscious mind. ‘Whisper Whisper’ is no exception. Its ability to create an all-enveloping atmosphere, both lyrically and musically, is a strange thing to experience. Zilla possesses the listener for an introspective three and a half minutes. In this way, ‘Whisper Whisper’ sparks conversation; it is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. However, it sticks out, and does what any decent work of art should do: gets the consumer engaged. Regardless of whether you like it or not, there is plenty to comment on and discuss, and it clearly establishes itself as an extraordinarily expressive song. Would I add it to my music library? Probably not. Do I thoroughly respect it as a standalone artwork? Absolutely. — Ida Maher
DJ Fresh — Drive
Simply put, ‘Drive’ is an average club song. DJ Fresh’s Drum & Bass finesse and productive markers are easily spotted. There is not an awful lot to say about it, as it does not distinguish itself outside of conventional DnB. Parts of the song pick up enough to engage effectively, but it fades back down too soon after. It’s a shame, because it has the potential to be a fantastic track. It seems to convey a sense of desperation, which to its credit, it does reasonably well. This is definitely a result of the vocals production, separate to the music itself. It feels unfinished; a glimpse of a half-remembered thought. Though more palatable than its liquid-bass brothers, It is by no means Fresh’s best song. — Ida Maher
Car Seat Headrest — Can’t Cool Me Down
Car Seat Headrest have been responsible for some of the greatest albums of the last decade. Will Toledo’s profound and self-aware lyrics, combined with a knack for ambitious song structures, have reinvigorated the tired tropes of indie rock into something captivating and contemporary. I already loved this new song, having heard live bootlegs of it before release. The studio version certainly captures a good deal of what made it great — from the dynamic sonic build-ups and cooldowns to the raw bluesy vocals. I am also a big fan of the pulsating chords that enter at the end of the song. The rest of the instrumentation though is a little more head-scratching, with the entire song being made up of dry, digital midi sounds. I appreciate this daring production choice and I think I like it. However, based on the reactions of others (both fans and non-fans), I feel like the clinical (and, at certain points, maybe slightly underproduced) instrumental might have disadvantaged the song a bit, taking the spotlight away from its captivating grooves and melodies. Either way though, this is still a very strong song and I am eagerly anticipating the new album. — Joe Waters
Robert James — Back to You
Robert James seems to be from Phoenix, Arizona, going by his Spotify stats. I can also find a picture of him wearing a baseball cap backwards (or, I suppose the right way round, depending on how you look at it). He has long hair. Five days ago, the YouTuber ChunkeyMonkey40 did a reaction to this song titled “THIS SONG ALMOST GOT ME IN THE FEELS!” I’m not entirely sure what he means with the ‘almost.’ Did it get him “in the feels” or not? Anyhow, the video has 113 views and five comments. One says: “I actually enjoyed this song. Another says: “Thanks for sharing, Derek. Have a great day.” James’ Spotify bio says he is a new father. I’ve just noticed that he is the son of white rapper Kid Rock who Donald Trump talked to for four hours when he showed up the white house. That’s longer than he talked to Theresa May. Anyhow, aren’t I meant to be reviewing this song? Oh yes, sorry. Well, all I’ll say is this. This song is boring. None of us liked it. The trap-lite hi-hats and sanitised, personality-less vocals are horrific. It’s not worth your time. — Joe Waters
Why My Woman — The Big Push
Take The Black Keys, The Knack, Jammin’ (Master Blaster) by Stevie Wonder and smoosh ’em together in a delicious soup and you have The Big Push’s latest single, ‘Why My Woman’. It’s a tough rollicking guitar track that should have a live venue bouncing madly up and down, with the bass guitar being a real standout performance.
Like bands The Strypes and (again) The Black Keys, The Big Push have a very obvious of big power-pop bluesy influence from the 70’s. It drips from the four-chord stomping rhythm of ‘Why My Woman’ and is compounded in the tracks non-descript lyrics that scream “SING THIS LIVE AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS”.
Does it break barriers with the sound, production, lyrics or even melody? Not really, but damn it’s fun and great second single from a promising band that I hope to hear more from! — Saul Devlin
Instant History — Biffy Clyro
Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro have shown themselves to be a talented rock group with pop-influenced sound in previous tracks ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Re-Arrange’. Yet here it seems they’ve gone back to early 2010 Bastille or even stripped down Skrillex synths. It’s loud and brash yet I find it more headache-inducing than empowering. The track lacks anything of substance, a generalized comment of “hear me roar”, whilst not portraying why I should be listening in the first place. It’s not without skill; Simon Neil’s vocals drip as much emotion out of the track as he can whilst the call and response chorus could, at the very least, be considered catchy. Yet, it’s generalised, non-described and feels like filler from a genuinely talented band. As this is only the first single Biffy Clyro have released for their upcoming album, I’ll hold out hope that the tracks will improve, yet for now: Biffy, you can do a lot better. — Saul Devlin
Nafe Smallz — Home Run
Luton-based rapper Nafe Smallz has released his newest track ‘Home Run’. This song features all the typical motions that a rapper of his style goes through: smoke, bitches and convertible coupes — however, under the hood, there is clearly more going on. You can hear a man getting tired of this lifestyle. The refrain ‘Smoke one, you know when I’m sober, I ain’t no fun’ shows a man who knows the pitfalls of this vapid lifestyle, but really can’t find a way out of it. The flexing that would be more suitable for a Lil pump song is always undermined by self-doubt, bragging about ‘f***ing his bitch’ (ahh, classic move), but admitting in a later verse that it’s how they spend the time as they can’t open up to each other in any way deeper. This subversion of the typical trap-rapper archetype shows a man who is the smartest in the room, but is suffering greatly for it, trying to blend in but being smacked around the face with all the pitfalls. I haven’t mentioned the beat yet, which is fairly serviceable. It’s an enjoyable trap banger, but once you really dissect Smallz’, well-honed melodic flow, that’s where things really get interesting. — Edward Smith
Orlando Weeks — Safe in Sound
It’s been three years since the Maccabees broke up, playing a sold-out farewell tour in 2017. However, not willing to throw in the towel, former-lead singer Orlando Weeks is gearing up to release his debut solo-LP Safe in Sound, marked by the release of the title track. This track channels the art pop of acts such as Grizzly Bear, with a singer-songwriter perspective of someone like Bon Iver. The ebbs and flows of synths and horns evoke the very nocturnal sound of Bon Iver’s self-titled record. However the marching and repetitive drums anchor this track very nicely, creating a great sense of energy that is deliberately missing from the rest of the instrumentation. It’s restless and shifting and unpredictable is all the best ways. There are so many little details such as the disjointed choral sections in the chorus which really rewards repeat listens to this track. It’s a fascinating genre-bending song which, while not being wholly innovative, is a great introduction to what should be a very highly anticipated album. — Edward Smith
404 Guild, Elison 404 — Perfect Dark
404 Guild are, in essence, Britain’s response to BROCKHAMPTON. The four Eastbourne natives have serious range, from beautiful RnB on ‘Blind Spot’ to rough cut trap on ‘Fearful’; it’s all fantastically produced and flows are succinct, providing a nice parallel to the epic variations heard on the SATURATION trilogy. That being said, It’s really f***ing hard to listen to Elison 404’s latest single, ‘Perfect Dark’, without thinking that it could easily be a cover of something from BH member Kevin Abstract’s ARIZONA BABY. That’s not to say it’s a bad track — palm-muted guitars are tastefully compressed and the bars tug at the heartstrings, as 404 Guild lost a member to suicide last summer. And, like BROCKHAMPTON’s loss of Amir, 404 Guild are suffering. All these parallels amalgamate into a cultural translation of one of hip hop’s best current acts. Yet, 404 Guild are no less excellent in light of this. Being so young, I feel confident that they will blossom into an epic counterpart to BROCKHAMPTON. They just need time. — Connor Flashman-Wells
Rika — Doses
Rika’s voice isn’t particularly distinguishable. The Serbian-Hungarian-Indian artist takes from similar artists, like Dua Lipa and Little Dragon, to create something… that sounds like Dua Lipa, or literally any other major female singer-songwriter. ‘Doses’ is produced moderately well, at least. The instrumentation is relatively generic, but it’s still tasteful; her hooks are decent enough. ‘Doses’ is a shame, really: the current musical landscape necessitates originality, especially with left-field acts like Billie Eilish taking centre stage. Rika’s song ‘On My Way’ better appeals to emerging popular genres, as she handles herself in a refined way. All in, ‘Doses’ is not a fantastic track, but that doesn’t mean Rika is a bad musician. — Connor Flashman-Wells
Did you enjoy this article? Be sure to let us know! Follow us, leave a comment, share, or use the ‘applause’ function here on Medium!
Catch these bangers, and more, on URY1350’s Spotify!
