THE BEST:
‘Mythos Pathos’ – The Birthday Letters
This
quirky track from London act The Birthday Letters deromanticises the legends of
various tragic heroes such as Hemingway and Hamlet. The mix of synth vocals and
acoustic guitars making up the upbeat instrumental is what initially grabbed me
though – I don’t think I’ve heard a sound quite like it before.
‘Pink Boots’ – Buke & Gase
The
music video is certainly odd. As for the lyrics, I think I made out something
about ‘kitchen utensils’? All that aside, this new track from Brooklyn experimental
duo Buke and Gase is enjoyably creative stuff– dirty guitars follow a jilted rhythm
like noisy factory machines whilst Arone Dyer’s vocals glide over the top. Apparently,
these musicians often perform on instruments that they’ve crafted themselves,
showing just how far they’re willing to take their inventiveness.
‘All The Way Over The Edge (Bros Don’t Talk
About Anything)’ – Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam
With
a band name like Sunshine Frisbee Laserbeam, there’s no way I could have ignored
this track submission. Fortunately, their sound is as wild as their name, consisting
of fuzzy guitars and unpredictable shifts whilst the lyrics delve into the fact
that ‘bros don’t talk about anything’ (us guys never share our emotions with
each other until we get drunk and it all explodes out!).
‘Remarkable’ – cityGirl
New
Jersey native cityGirl delivers some dreamy chillwave vibes with this new
remarkable track ‘Remarkable’. Hazy vocals float over fluttering synths,
carried along by a smooth bassline and steady drum beat. If I could fly (which
I can’t, but sprouting wings is something I’m working on) this would be the perfect
song for flying too.
‘My Blood’ – Twenty One Pilots
I’m
loving everything that these guys are releasing recently. What I assumed was
going to be a slow pensive ballad turns into a groovy hit with falsettos and a
funky feelgood riff. These dudes have so much diversity. What next – a metal
tune?
THE WORST:
‘I Love It’ – Kanye West & Lil Pump ft.
Adele Givens
This
latest lyrical masterclass sees future president Kanye West teaming up with poet
and philosopher Lil Pump. It also features Adele Givens – not to be confused
with Adele (although that would have been interesting to hear). Eminem may as
well give up now, because he’s never going to compete with bars like these.
I’M
KIDDING. Of course, this song is absolute trash. The only two things Lil Pump
had going for him – good beats and no autotune – have both been sacrificed in
this song. As for Kanye, these are the worst bars of his career (I preferred
his ‘poopity scoop’ verse earlier this year). Is he trolling us? In 2018, it's hard to tell. The music video is entertaining, I'll praise it for that – I’m loving the costumes and Kanye’s cheeky smiles.