THE BEST:
‘Samaritans’ – Idles
Idles
continue to be the punk act that we need right now, confronting toxic
masculinity on their new pummelling single. As with many Idles songs, its
poignancy lies in its simplicity as Joe Talbot gruffly barks ‘grow some balls’ along with various
other emasculating insults, before declaring in the chorus ‘this is why you never see your father cry’.
The guitars meanwhile remain rugged and driving, culminating into an epic
climax at the end – I’m loving the pounding outros that these guys keep
delivering.
‘TBT’ – Kaves
Norwich
alt rock band KAVES deliver this new wild and catchy anthem ‘TBT’. From its
mean intro riff to its soaring chorus, the track just keeps delivering one fun
moment after the next. I hear elements of The Arctic Monkeys and The Foo
Fighters mixed into their satisfying rock infusion.
‘Whispers’ – James Holt
Accompanied
by a video featuring a ballet-dancing bride eerily dancing alone in a church,
‘Whispers’ is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that explores the nagging doubt of
whether there was any love in a past relationship. It shifts from quietly
melancholy to loudly triumphant and then back again with the singer closing the
track on the unnerving whispered line ‘were
those whispers just for me?’. It’s a gripping representation of the muddle
of emotions that strikes after a breakup.
‘Spiders’ – Martha Hill
‘Spiders’
was actually influenced by bats (wait, what?) – a bat broke into Martha’s house
and her housemate didn’t believe her, which made her consider the idea of
hallucinations and feeling crazed (hence, the line ‘spiders in my head’). Sonically,
it’s a web of various genres including pop, folk and soul. There’s something
almost Adele-like about Martha’s vocals, whilst the instrumental features
twangy guitars and a clanging warped snare.
‘Charcoal
Baby’ – Blood Orange
Indie/soul
experimentalist Dev Hynes (AKA Blood Orange) is sounding smoother than ever on
his latest singles set to appear on a new album titled Negro Swan. This new track ‘Charcoal Baby’ explores black
depression with a creative video that shows the same feelings of dejection from
two different backgrounds, showing that racial insecurity extends beyond class.
Detuned guitar, warped synth swells and smoky sax make up the glossy backdrop
as Dev and an unnamed female singer croon over the top.
THE WORST:
‘Warzone’ – Yoko Ono
Yoko
Ono is 85 and if it wasn’t already clear she’d lost her marbles, this new
single has truly confirmed it. It begins with the opening line ‘men flashing their guns and BALLS!’ (balls
are a recurring theme this week) and continues to get laughably worse from then
on (the constant wailing of ‘warzooone’
is truly agonising to listen to). Listen to ‘Warzone’ if you dare – just be warned that it may give
you PTSD.