It’s my first track roundup of 2025. I’ve got a whole month to catch up on. Plus there are a few stray tracks from 2024 that I’ve decided to include. Artists featured include FKA Twigs, Meat Wave, Brijean, miso808, Ensemble 1, Sam T, Suki Summer, Papa Roach and Sexyy Red & Bruno Mars.
THE BEST:
‘Striptease’ - FKA Twigs
‘Striptease’
comes off of Twigs’ new album Eusexua. It’s a seductive pop song that
gets enjoyably weird at the end - we get
some stuttering vocals that sound like they’re being sang through a fan, followed
by a drum and bass outro with some Dune-style tribal wailing over the top. The
video features her agitatedly dancing in a tunnel and almost getting hit by a lorry.
‘Dehydrated’
- Meat Wave
Chicago rock
band Meat Wave have released two new singles, ‘Voicemail’ and ‘Dehydrated’. The
first is an angsty intense track that I wish was more than one minute long. The
second is my favourite of the two – a slower track with some typically raw and
moody guitars and lots of catchy vocal moments: ‘you’re de-hyyyy-drated’
‘Workin on
It’ – Brijean
I discovered
this one on Indie Shuffle and have just realised it’s nine months old. I
hope you excuse me sharing this prehistoric song, but it is a banger that needs
to be heard. It features close-to-the-mic deadpan semi-spoken vocals over a
ridiculously funky bassline and shimmering synth swells. These guys and Fcukers
are bringing back 00s indie dance. Check out the Oakland duo’s new album Macro.
‘Crown’ –
miso808
This single
from Shanghai-born LA-raised singer-songwriter/producer miso808 is
absolutely mesmerising. The piano chords grabbed me straight away and the spacey
effects-slathered vocals kept me hooked. I don’t know what the heck’s going on in the
video (it’s like Bridgerton meets American Werewolf In London), but I loved
every minute of it. ‘Misirlou’ is another track I highly recommend off her new
EP bedtime stories mp3 – it’s like early Billie Eilish but with some
speedy rap-singing thrown in there.
‘Virtual
Septet’ – Ensemble 1
Brighton
experimental duo Ensemble 1 (who I interviewed a couple years ago on the blog)
have dropped a new video for ‘Virtual Septet’. It’s an almost-10-minute instrumental
made up of speedy cyclical riffs and intricate drum patterns. Being able to
visualize it all in the video makes their music all the more impressive. I feel like I
got second-hand carpal tunnel syndrome just from watching it.
‘Empty
Home’ – Sam T
‘Empty Home’
is a raw folk song told from the perspective of the last living human on Earth
following a nuclear war. On top of conveying a sense of isolation and
loneliness, it explores the strange freedom of a world devoid of humanity. It’s
an interesting take on an apocalyptic anthem, made all the more captivating by its
beguiling choice of guitar chords, as well as the gorgeous vocal harmonies at
the end.
‘Marianne’
– Suki Summer
This
beautifully bittersweet song about a past summer romance is the work emerging singer-songwriter
Suki Summer. The fluttering delivery of ‘mariaaanne’ and the descending chord
progression make it all the more melancholy. Knowing it’s based on a real
relationship makes it all the more poignant: ‘The name of the song and
subsequently the hook of the chorus ‘Marianne’ I credit to him. He noted my
likeness to Marianne from one of his favourite books 'Normal People’
by Sally Rooney and also pointed out my resemblance to the actress Daisy Edgar
Jones who plays Marianne in the tv adaptation. I think it felt so
perfect and so sad that our shared love of this book and story, in many ways,
also mirrored our reality.’
THE WORST:
‘Even If
It Kills Me’ – Papa Roach
This is
overproduced garbage. I do find it charming however that Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit
and Linkin Park are all making music. It’s the year 2000 again.
'Fat Juicy & Wet' - Sexyy Red & Bruno Mars