This week's selection is an odd mix of pop and metal. Artist's featured include Wargasm, Harmony, PinkPantheress, MJ Lenderman, Moose Wrench and Lil Gnar.
THE BEST:‘Do It So Good’ – Wargasm
‘Do It So Good’ is an in-your-face rave metal anthem that
mixes Prodigy-flavoured synths and Korn-like metal riffs. It’s both violent
enough to fuel a mosh pit and kinky enough to play in a sex dungeon, which I
guess is what they were going for with a name like Wargasm. The UK duo are dropping their debut album this
autumn.
‘Shoplifting from Nike’ – Harmony
This new single from ex-Girlpool member Harmony Tividad is
pop on steroids. It contains an impressive plethora of pop culture references over
a chirpy beat that borders on hyperpop. And Harmony’s vocal delivery is
ridiculously catchy. I usually find pop songs like this to be overly bratty,
but this track just feels fun. The single comes off of Harmony’s forthcoming EP
Dystopia Girl.
‘Turn Your Phone Off’ – PinkPantheress ft. Destroy Lonely
PinkPantheress’s mouse-like voice sounds so good over this
atmospheric jungle beat - especially that suitably breathy ‘breathe in,
breathe out’ part at the end that plays out like meditation instructions. I
totally expected Destroy Lonely to ruin the song, but his garbled vocals are on
beat and they kinda fit the woozy production. The old skool fade out is a nice
touch too.
‘Rudolph’ – MJ Lenderman
I misread ‘MJ Lenderman’ as ‘MJ Slenderman’ and was honestly
expecting some weird creepypasta-inspired Christmas song. But there are no
slendermen in this track. Nor is it a Christmas song (at least I don’t think it
is). Instead, ‘Rudolph’ turns out to be a moody loser anthem made up of slacker
rock vocals and lazy lap steel guitar, contrasted with punchy cowbell and over-compressed
snare, which is better than any festive Slenderman song could ever be.
‘Not Dead Yet’ – Moose Wrench
Moose Wrench describe themselves as ‘dad bod alt-metal’,
which doesn’t sound particularly cool, but bear with me. ‘Not Dead Yet’ is a
song about not wasting your life away just because you’re not young anymore. It
succeeds because it doesn’t take itself seriously at all, and because it has
some genuinely playful instrumentation (I love that bass riff during the chorus).
If anything it capture the very essence of what its trying to preach – just
because you’re not 21 anymore doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.
THE WORST:
‘PB&J’ – Lil Gnar, Chief Keef & Young Nudy
Shit sandwich.