Top 10 New Tracks
Everyone loves hearing something new. Here’s 10 that we think deserve your attention this week. Featuring the likes of Mystery Jets, Tove Lo and Josh Kumra, this week’s tracks are some of our best yet.
SubSunSets— Aurora
‘Aurora’ is the debut single from Floridian artist SubSunSets. GOOD NEWS! We have a new batch of post-Impala-Psychedelic bands beginning to flood the market! Not that this is a bad mark for SubSunSet’s track; ‘Aurora’ creates a melancholic and groovy track to start their (hopefully) fruitful career! Beginning with a nice clean delayed guitar, Aurora uses all the psychedelic tricks, like trippy production, mellotron-like synths and rich chorus harmonics. It’s a good start yet falters only with a slightly forgettable melody that hinders some replay-ability. SubSunSets have definitely started on the right foot, with strong band chemistry, production style and some catchy-ish riffs, but should really try to hook listeners in for the next single. — Saul Devlin
Sean Paul, Tove Lo — Calling On Me
Wondering what tracks you’ll be hearing blasted out in the club in the next two weeks or so? Well, Sean Paul and Tove Lo should have you covered with a safe, Jamaican-infused dance single that is eerily akin to Sean Paul’s previous work. Again, there’s the trap beats, Paul’s rambling flow and a genuinely catchy chorus hook from Tove Lo that can draw in the very much designated dance audiences. Production is strong, with poppy “Shape of You”, style synths to entice listeners to dance and Paul’s lyrical work shows a nice, if a little unspecific, understanding of love in its many forms, from romantic to platonic. It works altogether yet will personally fade into the background for me, a song that sounds like it’s having its own faded summer that’s gone on a little too late. However, I can’t fault anyone for enjoying the track, but I think I’ll pass. — Saul Devlin
Yakata — Gamble
‘Gamble’ is the third single by up-and-coming band Yakata. The Viennese band’s sound mixes the psychedelic rock of Tame Impala with lo-fi electronic beats akin to Tyler, the Creator. Beginning with a spacey keys and drum-led instrumental, the lead singer croons about… well, it’s hard to tell. But the performance is beautiful. Close to whispering, the subtle and restrained vocals meld with the instrumental for a great atmosphere to the track. For such an underground band the mixing is surprisingly clean, especially with the slow-building of guitars which have been distorted to hell in the second half of the track. There is a real edge to this track with the samplings and heavier instrumentation than most indie rock bands would consider. — Edward Smith
Spencer. — 2much
This is the latest single by RnB singer Spencer, two years removed from his previous EP Want U Back. It oozes Daniel Caesar and Frank ocean. ‘2much’ is a skeletal track which makes the most of its sparse parts and acts as a backdrop to let Spencer’s singing shine. Whilst it is very pleasant to listen to, he does have room to grow. He sings about awakening to the fact he is controlled by his lover, over a sweet instrumental which makes the song seem more optimistic than it actually is. The slow build-up of the track works in its favour, with backing vocals that creep in to accent certain words and the slow reversed synth chords which swell in the instrumental section. This track is full of little details which reward multiple listens. — Edward Smith
Josh Kumra — I Dare You
You might remember Wretch 32’s ‘Don’t Go’, a track from the earlier side of last decade, which peaked at number one. This is the guy that sang the hook. Clearly, Josh Kumra isn’t new to songwriting — and this track, ‘I Dare You’, isn’t exactly new either (please note the timestamp from the video below, which is four years old). However, ‘I Dare You’ feels fresh; featuring a piano melody like something off of a Ryuichi Sakamoto album, and minimalistic, layered guitar, it’s a beautiful cut. It is a great change from the current slate of over-producer singer-songwriters — namely, Ed Sheeran — and has serious chart potential. Kumra is definitely getting by. — Connor Flashman-Wells
Emerald Park— The Haze
You probably won’t realise that Emerald Park is made up of seven members on your first listen of ‘The Haze’. The introduction evokes the 8-bit sounds found on a broken Nintendo 64, which notoriously lack bottom-end bassiness, suggesting production by one person. Yet, as soon as the verse kicks in, you are met with a sudden intercutting kick drum, layered melodies, and a throaty vocal line. It progresses rather complexly, though also features hallmarks of simple pop-influences, like the insidious ‘away you go, away you go, away’ chorus. It masquerades as a Two Door Cinema Club B-side, but does much more. the seven Swedes have done well on this, and I’m sure their new EP Basement Sessions will feature more of the same. — Connor Flashman-Wells
Mystery Jets — A Billion Heartbeats
The title track of Mystery Jets’ sixth LP, ‘A Billion Heartbeats’ is an upbeat sounding optimistic love song. It is an interesting track — with indie rock I sometimes find myself getting bored as the song progresses, as it can easily fall into the same structure that most indie rock songs do. This song seems to go somewhere, alternating between folksy strumming and building into a chaotic, thundering end, s as the white noise drowns the vocals. If you have a spare 5 minutes, ‘A Billion Heartbeats’ is time well spent — I’m nicking it for my own playlists. — Chess Warren
Tropical Boyfriend Catalogue — Stop Being Lonely
This is funky! I really loved the guitar tone of this track, which fluidly builds and then is bought right back down. This is Tropical Boyfriend Catalogue’s only song on Spotify, and I am really excited for them to put out more music — this song really reminded me of Tieduprightnow by Parcels. The use of repetitive lyrics and a fancy guitar part still is so effective in music. I’ll be telling my friends about this one, and watching to see what else they produce. — Chess Warren
AikJ, JyellowL — Last Flight
Two of the hottest up-and-comers in Dublin’s RnB/Rap game come through with this woozy slow-jam, complete with gorgeous vocal samples almost reminiscent of Burial’s classic ambient cuts. The hook is simple but well-delivered and the bars are on point. All in all, it’s a well-rounded, tasteful package, coming just in time for a bout of post-Valentines longing as your lover takes the train out of York and back whatever University they currently inhabit and you are left alone on the platform considering the futility of all your actions. Oh well. At least Longboi will keep you warm at night. — Joe Waters
Nkulee Dube — I Am Woman
Nkulee Dube is the daughter of reggae titan Lucky Dube so it should come as no surprise then that this new cut is an assured take on the genre. The descending scalic vocal patterns and minor chords create an intoxicating atmosphere and the specifically South-African influence (Dube follows Shembe Christianity rather than Rastafarianism) adds a unique flare to the sound. — Joe Waters
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