I was going to make this another fortnightly post, but I've heard so much good music in the last week that I just had to publish a roundup today. Artists featured include Shoshy, The Family Rain, Worldcub, Fcukers, The Pleasure Dome, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Julia Fox.
THE BEST:
‘New Leaf’
- Shoshy
Normally I’d
start with the most well-known artists, but I felt like switching it up this
week. This single comes from Essex-born singer-songwriter Shoshy and it is
really exciting stuff! Honestly, what genre is this? The soothing vocals sound
like something you’d hear in a dreampop song, while the drums have a rock
energy to them. The guitars meanwhile are a mix of bouncy jazzy chords and theremin-like
psych rock wailing. We even get some big synth strings at the end. It’s a true cocktail of genres.
‘Innocence’
– The Family Rain
The
Family Rain hails from Bath and consists of three brothers. They’ve got a new album out titled Indulgence and this track ‘Innocence’ is the closing track. The verses
have a raw Jack-White-flavoured garage rock vibe to them, while the chorus has a soft and melodic Beatles-like air to it. I particularly love how well this song is mixed – it
feels like every instrument is given the perfect amount of room to shine.
‘Back to
the Beginning’ – Worldcub
Worldcub are
another band made up of brothers – this time hailing from North Wales. ‘Back To
The Beginning’ is the title track from their new LP. It’s a groovy psychedelic
mix of surf rock and krautrock with some suitably trippy visuals. It reminds me
of Djanjo Django, but a little bit more spacey. I like that it keep evolving
and makes the most of it’s under-three-minute runtime.
‘Bon Bon’ –
Fcukers
Fcukers, who
I featured a couple months ago on the blog, hail from New York, although you’d
never guess it from this British-sounding Basement-Jaxx-style banger. I could
imagine Dizzee Rascal rapping over this. Instead, we get some indie-flavoured female
vocals that give it a unique alternative feel. So far, everything this trio has put out has been pretty decent - and definitely makes up for their fcuking awful band name.
‘Your
Fucking Smile’ – The Pleasure Dome
We’re getting
progressively less family-friendly from here on in. There is a clean version of
this song for those who want it. But personally I think the expletives help set
the unhinged tone in this speedy dissonant punk track. The verses make you feel
like you’re tumbling into a spiralling vortex with their descending vocals and spidery
bass guitar runs. It comes of the Bristol band’s new LP Liminal Space.
‘Family
Matters’ – Drake & ‘Not Like Us’ - Kendrick Lamar
When I
featured Kendrick’s ‘Euphoria’ last Friday, I had no idea that the beef between
Drake and Kendrick would escalate so far and so rapidly. Five more tracks were
volleyed back and forth last weekend. Both rappers are now accusing each other
of some pretty serious allegations, while also bringing family members into the
diss tracks. It’s got pretty ugly, and tracks like ‘Meet the Grahams’ (which
sees Kendrick talking directly to Drake’s son and mother) and ‘The Heart Part 6’
(which sees Drake bringing up Kendrick’s childhood abuse) are a step too far
for me. However, both ‘Family Matters’ and ‘Not Like Us’ succeed at being
savage and fun, featuring some absolutely brutal punchlines. Things seem to have
gone silent since Monday, but it wouldn’t surprise me if a new diss track drops
by the time I’ve published this blog post. I hope the allegations on both sides
are false and that this feud doesn’t lead to violence. So far, it’s been
entertaining, but it could easily turn nasty.
THE WORST:
‘Down The
Drain’ – Julia Fox
Actress Julia
Fox is now pursuing a music career and this is her new single. She sounds like
an edgy teenage version of Grimes. The title is pretty apt.