This week I take a look at the new singles from Arlo Parks, Meshuggah, Benny the Butcher (& J Cole), Bambara, Peach Luffe... oh, and Kid Rock too.
THE BEST:‘Softly’ – Arlo Parks
Arlo Parks dropped her debut album Collapsed In Sunbeams
last year (which I still haven’t got around to listening to) and she’s already
following it up with new material. This new single from the UK singer features a
nostalgic piano-driven instrumental and an infectious chorus. I’m loving the
surreal visuals too.
‘The Abysmal Eye’ – Meshuggah
Swedish metal band Meshuggah have been putting out
unrelentingly heavy tracks for over 30 years now and they show no signs of
calming down any time soon. ‘The Abysmal Eye’ features a chaotic riff made up
of machine gun ‘brrrrrs’ and string bending ‘woos’ (yes, they’re the technical
terms). As with many Meshuggah tracks, it’s polyrhythmic but surprisingly
headbangable thanks to those steady 4/4 cymbals. The drumming is typically
insane (especially when those rolling snares come in) and it’s got me pretty
excited to hear their upcoming album Immutable.
‘Johnny P’s Caddy’ - Benny the Butcher & J Cole
I’ve been meaning to check out Benny the Butcher for yonks. The
J Cole guest feature finally pushed me to give him a listen. All in all, I’m
loving what I’m hearing. Benny sounds hungry and he’s sporting lots of clever rhymes.
Cole meanwhile never disappoints with his wordplay: ‘Eureka, Einstein on the
brink of the theory of relativity/ Really, no MC equal, feel me’.
‘Birds’ – Bambara
New York rock band Bambara deliver some compellingly gritty
imagery in this new track ‘Birds’. There are Boeings trailing flames and
skidding Firebirds. They even make falling asleep sound violent: ‘we crashed
on the train’. Paired with semi-snarled crooning vocal tone and moody
guitars, the track keeps you on the edge of your seat. They’re definitely a
band to watch. Love On My Mind, their new LP, is dropping later this
month.
‘Beyond’ – Peach Luffe
Toronto quartet Peach Luffe continue to meld sunny synths
and groovy guitars with wistful lyrics (in the case, fuelled by the end of a
long term relationship and a battle to gain permanent residency in Canada). The
descending ‘beyooo-oo-oo-oond’ in the chorus is stuck in my head and I
love the feelgood music video with its sunsets and fish. The track comes off
the band’s latest EP Beyond.
THE WORST:
‘We The People’ – Kid Rock
I don’t even know where to start. This might even be worse
than ‘Don’t Tell Me How To Live’. I got a good laugh out of it though.