Friday, 1 December 2017

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 01/12/2017: Wajatta, Django Django, N.E.R.D and more…



New tracks to welcome us into December. I’m sad because I didn’t buy an advent calendar.

THE BEST:

‘Every Man Is A Pyramid Scheme’ – Faux Bandit



Packed with vivid lines such as ‘my God is a stoner kid/ I am a working class drug’, this new single from Brisbane rock group Faux Bandit takes a unique look at how we all build our own personalities out of hobbies and interests. It makes you wonder how much of our personalities are real and how much is what we want people to think. If that sounds too deep, don’t worry, the angry rugged riff has enough appeal for all you meat-headed rockers.   

 ‘Runnin’ – Wajatta



Surrealist comedian Reggie Watts is trying his hand at EDM under the stage name Wajatta (accompanied by producer John Tejada). It’s a vogue-worthy house number with chords stabs reminiscent of Inner City’s ‘Big Fun’ topped with some Reggie’s signature vocal loops. I was expecting something weirder from the frizzy-haired nutter, but I’m satisfied with this.

‘Pressure’ – SlickDotR


London rapper/singer SlickDotR delivers this new anthemic single ‘Pressure’. Everything about it feels vast from the city backdrop in the music video, to the epic instrumental made of pianos and 808s, to the walls of vocal harmonies in the chorus. The single comes off SlickDotR’s EP SR1 released earlier this year.

‘In Your Beat’ – Django Django


Django Django continue to sound utterly unique with their mix of Beach Boys vocal harmonies and retro synths. The music video meanwhile is its own nutty concoction of pop art, Monty Python and vaporwave. Marble Skies, the group’s new album, is scheduled to be released in January.

‘Killer’ – That Gum U Like



Influenced by TV series Twin Peaks, Brazilian duo That Gum U Like have dropped this new hypnotic electropop single ‘Killer’. It slinks along seductively to a backdrop of old-skool synths, lo-fi drums and oozing bass whilst the frontwoman dreamily sighs out ‘I’m a killer’ in a manner that’s both gorgeous and creepy.

THE WORST:

‘1000’ – N.E.R.D ft. Future


In contrast to minimal banger ‘Lemon’, the experimental rap group’s latest single ‘1000’ is overstuffed with too many things going on. I like the heavy percussion breakdown and rave synthesisers, but the rest of the music is complete chaos. Pharrell’s delivery has gone all cartoonish, and Future’s verse comes of nowhere.