Saturday 28 July 2018

BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 28/07/2018: Blood Orange, Idles, Yoko Ono and more…



The new Yoko Ono single is quite something.

THE BEST:

‘Samaritans’ – Idles

Idles continue to be the punk act that we need right now, confronting toxic masculinity on their new pummelling single. As with many Idles songs, its poignancy lies in its simplicity as Joe Talbot gruffly barks ‘grow some balls’ along with various other emasculating insults, before declaring in the chorus ‘this is why you never see your father cry’. The guitars meanwhile remain rugged and driving, culminating into an epic climax at the end – I’m loving the pounding outros that these guys keep delivering.

‘TBT’ – Kaves


Norwich alt rock band KAVES deliver this new wild and catchy anthem ‘TBT’. From its mean intro riff to its soaring chorus, the track just keeps delivering one fun moment after the next. I hear elements of The Arctic Monkeys and The Foo Fighters mixed into their satisfying rock infusion.

‘Whispers’ – James Holt


Accompanied by a video featuring a ballet-dancing bride eerily dancing alone in a church, ‘Whispers’ is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that explores the nagging doubt of whether there was any love in a past relationship. It shifts from quietly melancholy to loudly triumphant and then back again with the singer closing the track on the unnerving whispered line ‘were those whispers just for me?’. It’s a gripping representation of the muddle of emotions that strikes after a breakup.

‘Spiders’ – Martha Hill


‘Spiders’ was actually influenced by bats (wait, what?) – a bat broke into Martha’s house and her housemate didn’t believe her, which made her consider the idea of hallucinations and feeling crazed (hence, the line ‘spiders in my head’). Sonically, it’s a web of various genres including pop, folk and soul. There’s something almost Adele-like about Martha’s vocals, whilst the instrumental features twangy guitars and a clanging warped snare.

‘Charcoal Baby’ – Blood Orange


Indie/soul experimentalist Dev Hynes (AKA Blood Orange) is sounding smoother than ever on his latest singles set to appear on a new album titled Negro Swan. This new track ‘Charcoal Baby’ explores black depression with a creative video that shows the same feelings of dejection from two different backgrounds, showing that racial insecurity extends beyond class. Detuned guitar, warped synth swells and smoky sax make up the glossy backdrop as Dev and an unnamed female singer croon over the top.

THE WORST:

‘Warzone’ – Yoko Ono


Yoko Ono is 85 and if it wasn’t already clear she’d lost her marbles, this new single has truly confirmed it. It begins with the opening line ‘men flashing their guns and BALLS!’ (balls are a recurring theme this week) and continues to get laughably worse from then on (the constant wailing of ‘warzooone’ is truly agonising to listen to). Listen to ‘Warzone’ if you dare – just be warned that it may give you PTSD.