Take a break from UK election news
and Baby Yoda memes and check out the latest hot tracks of the week…
THE BEST:
‘Bråtebrann’ – Kvelertak
‘Bråtebrann’ is the brånd new single from Norwegian
metal bånd (I’ll stop with the angstroms now), Kvelertak. It’s their first
single in four years and the first single since founding vocalist Erlend
Hjelvik departed the band. Fortunately, they’ve found a worthy replacement
singer/screecher Ivar Nikolaisen and haven’t lost any of their ridiculously fun
energy. The action-packed seven minute single opens with thrashy chugging,
followed by a bluesy classic rock chorus and topped off with some flashy
soloing. The band have a new album titled Splid scheduled for release next
year.
‘Small Hours’ – Otta
This new quirky pop song is the
work of South- London-basedhalf-British half-Finnish singer Otta. Sparse
production definitely seems to be the trend right now, but I’m loving the
different styles that are blended in from electronica to neo-jazz to even a slight
lilt of rock towards the end with the electric guitars. The dejected sighed-out
feel of the vocals also helps to make the song all the more uniquely enchanting.
‘There Must Be Some Kind Of Misunderstanding’
– Andrew Thompson
I can’t even begin to label this
song. There’s kazoo, there’s tuba and there’s whistling – all ingredients that are
usually a turn-off for me. And yet they seemingly work well with New York
singer Andrew Thompson’s playful voice and lyrics. The track is based around
the old ‘waiter, there’s a fly in my soup’ joke and is delivered in an inflection
reminiscent of Sting. It’s ridiculously catchy and somehow feels fresh even if
it a pastiche of corny and dated ideas.
‘Crystal Ball’ – Waldo Witt
This euphoric 80s-flavoured song
is the work of singer-songwriter Waldo Witt. It's got vaporwave/chillwave vibes that remind me a little of George Clanton, only a little more danceable. It comes off of Waldo’s new album Randall,
which is filled with similarly feelgood retro tunes.
‘Karma’ – Steven A. Clarka
With its falsettos and psychedelic
lo-fi beat, this track reminds me a lot of Tame Impala. But there’s a subtle
hint of aggression in the way the singer delivers the chorus ‘cos when the
karma comes’ that gives the song its own unique flair. It’s a great
representation of the anger phase in a breakup when all you want is revenge.
THE WORST:
‘Heartless’ – The Weeknd
Abel can do so much better than
this. This sounds like a watered-down amalgam of various previous songs he’s
released. And what the hell is up with his new image?