Fear of Men “Luna” Loom (out 4.22 on Kanine) Longtime TP-favorites, Fear of Men are finally unleashing their proper debut LP. After debut singles, “Alta/Waterfall,” the Brighton outfit released the excellent, “Luna,” a cascade of jangly guitars and Jess Weiss’ ever-emotive vocals and lyrics. Check out its artful visual treatment below.
The War on Drugs Lost in the Dream Secretly Canadian It’s been a remarkable musical year already, but the hazy Philly rockers’ third album has been one of the picks of the bunch. For better or worse, frontman Adam Granduciel has always been compared with fellow Philadelphian and former W.O.D. guitarist Kurt Vile. While the narrative seemed to be that Granduciel would always be in his shadow, this brilliant LP proves that he is no sideman. In fact, it could be easily argued … →
HAERTS “Call My Name” From Untitled New LP The unpronounceable/unspellable Brooklyn synth-poppers return with their most ambitious cut to date. Over the last couple years, the quartet has been consistently pumping out dreamy, nostalgic jams, but “Call My Name” ratchets the melodrama up to 11. Their delightfully-named vocalist, Nini Fabi (which sounds like a fancy Greenpoint Bistro), stamps her authority all over the gauzy, evocative synth-line, doubtlessly a bi-product of many rainy nights listening to The Radio Dept. With that kind of arraignment, it’s easy for … →
Samo Sound Boy “Open” (Motions Remix) Digital Single The Body High mainman’s exquisite recent single gets a tasteful redesign from one half of the defunct London production team, Grown Folk. Though Motions (né Brenden Neal) doesn’t deviate too much from SSB’s original, he throws a massive four-to-the-floor over the top of it, which functions a pulsating beating heart to go with its wall of atmospheric synths and celestial vocal samples. Body High has sort of etched out a reputation as a rising … →
Jacques Greene “No Excuse” Phantom Vibrate (out 03.28 on LuckyMe) The talented Montreal-native has been very prolific in recent years, and he’s reached a new zenith with this billowy, swaggering new single. Greene builds around a languishing vocal sample, fortifying it with dreamy synths and a banging percussion pattern. You don’t hear a lot of songs that so perfectly balance delicate melodies with beats that knock this hard, but he tiptoes the line masterfully. By the time it resolves into … →
Phon.o “Moonwalk” Cracking Space Pt. 1 (out 03.28 on 50Weapons) The first taste of the Berlin-based producer’s new EP, “Moonwalk” is an oceanic, mantric return to form. A few years removed from the fantastic Black Boulder, the innovative composer (né Carsten Aermes) is showing no signs of fading, and “Moonwalk” highlights his incredible melodic touch and ability to pull maximum feelings out of minimal arraignments. Aermes matches a faraway, truncated vocal sample with an expansive, affecting synthscape, resulting in a song … →
YG “Who Do You Love?” (f/ Drake) My Krazy Life (out 03.18 on CTE/Def Jam) You’ve probably heard this song, and also you’ve seen the video a thousand times. That said, one of Young Angel’s best recent verses gets visuals, and YG and Mustard are putting my home state back on that map. That’s more than enough to warrant a post.
Tory Lanez Chixtape 2 (self-released) You may think that I exhausted my supply of plaudits on How to Dress Well’s outstanding lead single, but I dipped into my reserve arsenal to lavish a few on this liquid mixtape from this Texas-via-Tornoto crooner. I’ll resist the urge to compare it to Jeremih’s still-perfect Late Nights with Jeremih, but early returns mean that the comparison is in play. While he admittedly flirts with the trope-y practice of borrowing from classic R&B cuts (Ginuwine, TLC), he … →
How to Dress Well “Words I Don’t Remember” Digital Single Within seconds of listening to Tom Krell’s spellbinding new single, it’s clear that he’s never gone this far. That he’s never pulled the curtains back like this. That he’s never let this much light in. “Words I Don’t Remember” — HTDW’s first studio work since 2012’s superb, Total Loss — continues his astonishing transformation from reverb-soaked, lo-fi shadow lurker to full-on clear-eyed, full-hearted, can’t-lose pop singer. It also highlights how natural and seamless that progression … →
Lil Herb “On The Corner” (f/ Lil Durk, KD Young Cocky) Welcome to Fazoland (Self-Released) A highlight of one of the best mixtapes of the year so far, the rising star shows that drill can be lyrical, too. Many have bemoaned the lack of quality lyricists in the Chicago scene, but those people just aren’t listening closely enough. Herb is one of those voices, and Fazoland is chock-full of razor-sharp couplets and illuminating insights into life on the Chicago streets. … →
