Images & Words: Stormzy, "Vossi Bop"
The Round-Up: The Best Songs of 2019 (1st Quarter)
The Round-Up: The Best Albums of 2019 (First Quarter)
Chief Keef, "Ain't Gonna Happen"
Cloud Boat
“Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want”
Digital Single
In the build-up to their highly-anticipated second LP, Model of You, due out on July 7th, the London duo dropped a lovely, careful cover of The Smiths’ classic. The duo’s warm vocals are a perfect match for the melodramatic original, and the submersive, faithful arrangement is made to wash over you and gently suck you in.
It’s heating up out here in New York, and it’s a perfect time to catch up on the best music of the last three months, while looking forward to a glorious summer of music. Leggo.
How to Dress Well: “Precious Love”
I could have picked a handful of the tracks from Tom Krell’s gorgeous third album and the only realistic challenger to the Koz’s beautiful Benji for Album of the Year, but I went with the clear-eyed, “Sittin’ Up in My Room” vibes of “Precious Love.” It is perhaps the greatest indicator of HTDW’s remarkable maturation from the hermetical, closed curtains magic of Love Remains to the open, unabashed, pure pop of What is This Heart? Genius.
Metro Thuggin: “The Blanguage”
Young Thug has spent most of the last 18 months making the establishment uncomfortable, and his collaboration with rising producer, Metro Boomin, is one of the truly breathtaking tracks of the year. Boomin’s twinkling keys and off-kilter drums are the ideal canvas for Thugger’s spastic, elastic flow. There’s not really verses or a chorus, but when you’ve got this much ability, who needs em’?
Real Lies: “North Circular”
The moody Londoners’ gorgeous single captures the muted ennui and delicious longing of growing up in suburbia. It’s the kind of track that simultaneously reminds you why you left your hometown and why, no matter where you go, it will always be home. “How many late nights does it take you to change?” In. Fuckin’. Deed.
Copeland: “Advice to Young Girls” (f/ Actress)
I’d like to imagine that ex-Hype Williams bandmates Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland have a sort of friendly rivalry. Like, Inga heard Dean’s ridiclously excellent, The Redeemer, last year, and was like, “alright, Dean. I got somethin’ for ya.” That something is the incredible, Because I’m Worth It, and it’s lead single is a modern, brazen call to arms for a generation of smirking, texting, free thinking girls, who already know that the city is theirs.
Lil Silva
“Mabel”
Mabel EP (out August 5 on True Panther)
The London producer/songwriter looks set to add singer to the “skills” column of his C.V., thanks to his forthcoming first vocal-focused EP, Mabel. The 24 year-old has an expressive, unique voice, a little bit in the family of Sampha and Ofei. “Mabel” has notes of my favorite of his tracks, 2013’s soulful “No Doubt,” but it also presents an exciting new direction for the multi-talented artist.
Ryan Hemsworth
“Every Square Inch” (f/ Qrion)
Digital Single
The Interwebbzz’s fave producer/Pokémon enthusiast, Ryan Hemsworth, graced us with an unexpected, lovely new single this week. Assisted by the highly-processed vocals of Japanese vocalist, Qrion, “Every Square Inch” slowly unfolds into the kind of hypnotic, magnetic banger that we’ve grown to expect from the Halifax native. It’s acoustic guitar-kissed outro is an unexpected surprise and is indicative of his wide, underratedly rich pallet of influences. Though Hemsworth claims, “this song is not about kissing or anything like that,” like the rest of his music, it most certainly is.
Just in case you missed it, check out the gloriously forlorn, Tinashe-assisted “One For Me.”
Lemonade
“Stepping”
Minus Tide (out 09.09 on Cascine)
Two years on from their excellent LP, Diver, the Brooklyn-via-SF trio returns with a new slab of their trademark emotional, potent synth sound. “Stepping” is built around a wobbly, slightly off-kilter groove, but its elastic melodies and Callan Clendenin’s warm, alluring tenor keeps it on track. They’ve always excelled at creating direct, digestible songs that also pack enough nuance and craft to keep them interesting — a bit like a candy bar packed with a surprising amount of protein.
S-Type
“Lost Girls”
Rosario (out June 23 on LuckyMe)
Simply put, the Glaswegian producer’s new single feels like a 100mph midnight ride through downtown Tokyo. Labyrinthine, neon, and laced with danger, “Lost Girls” glides effortlessly through treacherous sonic terrain, weaving between melancholy washes of synth, Euro-trash keys, and banging drum patterns without the slightest hint of a lurch. This was originally supposed to be for Drake’s Nothing Was the Same, and at first listen, it seems impossible to imagine Young Angel’s lovelorn whimper over a beat this maximal. But, give it a few spins, and you’ll realize that its brash vulnerability would be have been right at home on the somewhat sleepy NWTS.
Jessie Ware
“Tough Love”
Upcoming LP on PMR
After stealing our hearts with 2012’s near-perfect, Devotion, the approachable 29 year-old is finally set for a follow-up, and if this sultry lead single is anything to go by, the talented Londoner’s reign isn’t ending anytime soon. Restraint was one of the key elements of Devotion, and the exquisite production from BenZel (Two Inch Punch & Benny Blanco) is dripping with it. However, Ware doesn’t follow suit vocally, exploring the upper ranges of her evocative voice in a way that feels fresh and exciting. It feels like she’s taking off the shackles and really going for it here. No doubt, it still feels like a Jessie Ware track, but it’s incredibly exciting to see such a successful, talented young artist continuing to grow in front of our eyes. All hail the queen.
PARTYNEXTDOOR
“Her Way”
Digital Single
Since his excellent debut EP dropped last June, the Toronto native (né Jahron Brathwaite) has been dogged with comparisons to fellow Drake-affiliated R&B’er the Weeknd. While there are unarguable similarities (druggy production/shadowy image/alluring yet pain-soaked vocals), the two feature a number of telling sonic differences and one major philosophical one. While Young Abel blew his load early, releasing three mixtapes in 2011, Brathwaite has opted for the opposite approach, trickling out a lean stream of consistently outstanding singles.
“Her Way,” his third single of 2014, picks up where his first two singles — the devastating slow burner, “Persian Rugs,” and the sprawling, “West District,” — left off. Brathwaite’s evocative vocals drown in a champagne ocean of languid, spacey synths and tasteful percussion. It’s the kind of track that can damn near melt your speakers and is an automatic add to that playlist that we all have but only a handful get to here.
Karl x Johan
“A Better Tomorrow”
A Better Tomorrow (7″ out 6.24 on Emotion)
Following in Sweden’s rich tradition of prodigiously talented, frustratingly mercurial duos — Air France’s Joel & Henrik, JJ’s Joakim & Elin, Boat Club’s Andreas & Magnus, m83’s Anthony & Claire (jk) — Johan Tuvesson and Kalle Jönsson have spent nearly five years tantalizing us with a string of pristine, emotional pop singles and no proper debut LP. Last summer, the long-awaited debut finally got a date — April 29th, 2014 — nearly an entire year in the future. April 29th came and went, and surprise surprise, we got no album.
But, we have a new single, and oh my word, it’s a doozy. The Stockholm residents have always had a knack for penning stadium sized choruses, aimed straight at the 13 year-old hearts in all of us. The breathtaking, aptly-named “A Better Tomorrow” may feature their most sweeping one yet. Recalling Peter Gabriel as much as Peter Cetera, the Swedes wax emotional over technicolor synths and Rick Allen-esque starry-eyed, synthesized drums. It’s the kind of song meant to play at full-volume in a cavernous, sweaty room to a sea of lighters and outstretched hands. It’s also the kind of song that keeps roping us in, waiting on pins and needles for the complete statement that will officially place them in the rarefied company of their aforementioned countrymen.
Deadboy
“Lisa”
Digital Single
The consistent Southeast Londoner is back with a frenetic, devastating re-imagining of Coldcut & Lisa Stanfield’s still-sweltering 80’s disco classic, “People Hold On.” Throughout his glittering career, the shadowy producer has crafted exquisite updated garage/two-step/UK Bass cuts by accumulating a truck-load of influences and stirring them up with rare precision and sonic acuity. This life-affirming dance-floor filler is no exception. Delish.
Make sure to check out his excellent EP, Return, which came out in April on Numbers.
