BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 05/02/2021: SOPHIE, Th1rt3en, Sports and more...

R.I.P SOPHIE.

THE BEST:

‘UNISIL’ – SOPHIE

Last Saturday, I was devastated to hear that SOPHIE – one of this generation’s most daring and innovative electronic producers – had died following an accidental fall. Her sound and vision were truly unique and I feel like she still had plenty of ground-breaking material left to give us. This track ‘UNISIL’ was released a couple days before her death. It’s actually a leftover from her 2015 album Product but its synthesized clangs, gurgles and thuds still sound utterly futuristic. 

‘Cult 45’ – Th1rt3en

Th1rt3en is the new rap-rock project of hip hop veteran Pharoahe Monch. The devilish wordplay in this track is insane: ‘In fourth grade, I played Scrabble/scrambled the letters in the name, Santa/Magnified and deciphered the clauses in the game’. It’s delivered over a murky backdrop of sax, drums and guitars that climaxes with a hard rock freakout. ‘Cult 45’ is straight off the band’s new album A Magnificent Day For An Exorcism.

‘The Look’ - Sports

Sports are a indie/synthpop duo from Oklahoma. Taken from their upcoming EP Get A Good Look (Part One), 'The Look' is a bouncy 80s-flavoured bop made up of breathy vocals, jangly guitars, groovy bass, glistening synths and punchy drums. I feel like I'm sat by a sunny pool drinking cocktails while listening to it (in actual fact, I'm sat in my cold flat eating a Pot Noodle). 

‘We Outside’ – LocalBlac

If you told me that LA rapper LocalBlac was the latest TDE-signee, I wouldn’t even doubt it. The quality of this track is unreal – both the production and the visuals are so glossy. I’m loving the Kendrick-flavoured hook and the rolling flows during the verses are equally addictive. The track comes off LocalBlac’s new album Inside Voices Please!.

‘Soho Bedroom Party’ – The Hideaways ft. Tiny Dyno

‘Soho Bedroom Party’ is a collaboration between Bristol bands The Hideaways and Tiny Dyno. I assumed from the opening looped bass that this was going to be a creepy Frankie-Teardrop-esque song. However, what actually follows is an upbeat and creative indie dance anthem. The moody minimal verses give way to a euphoric chorus featuring some additional female vocals from Tiny Dyno. The song then closes with some spacey effects-slathered vocals. If anyone out there is planning a Soho bedroom party in the near future (which you shouldn’t be – that’s an illegal gathering, I’ll have you know) then make sure to add this to your playlist.

THE WORST:

‘Stronger’ – Sam Feldt ft. Kesha

This is the most impressively generic pop song I’ve ever heard. Kesha’s music really hasn’t been the same since she dropped the ‘$’ from her name (she used to be unlistenably obnoxious, but now she’s just unlistenably bland).