It's time for my latest roundup of bops and flops, which I've resorted to publishing at random instead of every Friday, because I'm a hot mess. Childish Gambino has traded rap for rock, and Katy Perry has traded pop for poop. Plus, there are new singles from Magdalena Bay, Nilufer Yanya, Osees, Debra-Jean Creelman, Ion and Will Smith.
THE BEST:
‘Lithonia’
– Childish Gambino
A rock album
from Childish Gambino was not on the cards. But then again nothing this man has
done in recent years has been predictable. His new single sees him lamenting
about how nobody gives a fuck (the YouTube video has already got 1 million
views, so clearly people do give a fuck about new Gambino). His singing has an
angsty pop punk lilt to it. Meanwhile, blasts of guitars, 00s indie synths and angelic
vocal harmonies make the whole song sound very epic. And I love a well-executed
abrupt ending.
‘Image’ –
Magdalena Bay
LA pop duo
Magdalena Bay won’t stop dropping bangers. Off their upcoming album Imaginal Disc comes this new psychedelic dance-pop track called ‘Image’. It’s a mix
of beguiling breathy vocals, hazy vaporwave synths and groovy synth bass that
keeps you guessing as to where it’s going next. I also thought Corridor’s ‘Jump Cut’ had the most surreal music video of the year, but I think this song might
have beaten it.
‘Call It
Love’ – Nilufer Yanya
British
singer-songwriter Nilufer Yanya has a uniquely hypnotic sound that is best
described as if Sade went in an art rock direction. Her previous single ‘Method Actor’ saw her delivering her smooth vocals over a captivatingly weird
instrumental that sounded like a mix of bossa nova and noise rock. This one is
more melodic and features a snaking melancholy guitar riff that I could listen
on repeat for hours. A new album My Method Actor is coming out in
September.
‘Earthling’
- Osees
Taylor Swift
has nothing on garage rock band Osees. These guys are gearing up to release
their 27th album. What’s more impressive is the fact that every album
has been completely different to the last. If ‘Earthling’ is anything to go by,
then this new one is going to have no guitars. The single seems to be all sax
and synths. In fact, I’m not sure if there are any synths or if it's all just digitally manipulated
saxophones (the song credits don’t mention any keyboards, but do mention
‘sampler effects’). Either way, I’m intrigued.
‘Say
Goodnight’ – Debra-Jean Creelman ft. JP Carter
Here’s
another track that’s hard to put a genre label on. It’s the work of Vancouver
singer-songwriter Debra-Jean Creelman (a former member of Mother Mother) and
features some soft intimate vocals over a backdrop of horns and sparse drums. It’s
a song about trying to balance relationships and artistry, and there’s a sense
of turmoil running through it as the instrumentation switches from calm and soothing
to exasperated and blaring. JP Carter from Destroyer plays trumpet on the song,
and is one of many impressive guest musicians that appears on her new album Ego
Death, which you can stream here.
‘Iamvessel’
– ION
‘Iamvessel’ might
be the hardest song to categorise here. Comprised of strange chanted vocals
over heavenly synth swells, the song plays out like some alien lullaby. It’s got
some cool percussion too that enters the mix about 40 seconds in – the kicks
have a nice rumble to them and the snare is very crispy. The song is set to
appear on a new EP from Ion.
THE WORST:
‘You Can
Make It’ - Will Smith ft. Fridayy and Sunday Service
This new motivational
gospel rap single from Will Smith sadly does not slap. It feels all too serious
and melodramatic. Bring back the smooth and confident summer bops.
‘Woman’s
World’ – Katy Perry
All the Charli-XCX-esque
promo photos leading up to this release had me wondering whether Katy Perry was
about to enter her hyperpop era. The photo of her with robot legs even had me
thinking she might collaborate with Arca. Instead, ‘Woman’s World’ turns out to
be dated synth pop with a chorus that sounds way too similar to Lady Gaga’s ‘Born
This Way’. It’s clearly trying to be a feminist anthem, but it seems pretty
shallow in its message, plus the music video seems to be aimed squarely at straight men.
Katy has tried to claim that it’s satire, but I’m not buying it.