THE BEST:
‘thank u, next’ – Ariana Grande
After
several high profile breakups and the death of her ex Mac Miller, Ariana Grande
is understandably done with relationships – at least for now. She’s decided she’s
the only one good enough for herself right now: ‘I know they say I move on too fast/ but this one gonna last/ Cause her
name is Ari/ and I’m so good with that’. It’s inspiringly positive music
for facing life’s challenges, continuing the same vibe as Sweetener. I’ll admit that it’s musically a little too poppy for my
liking, but the personal lyrics and Ariana’s delivery are enough to make up for
this.
‘Nowhere2go’ – Earl Sweatshirt
Earl
Sweatshirt also seems to be sounding more upbeat (relatively speaking – if you’ve
never listened to Earl before, you’ll probably still find this suffocatingly depressive).
The beat is also one of his most experimental yet – it’s a muddy mix of warped vocals,
rumbling bass and shrill pops. You could argue it’s kind of directionless but then
again it is titled ‘Nowhere2Go’.
‘Some
Impression’ – Milk Buttons
I
featured this alt-rock duo on my blog before and I remember them being deliciously
gloomy. Opening with some time-signature-morphing riffage, this latest single
from Melbourne/Brisbane-based duo Milk Buttons seems to continue in that same
depressive vein. ‘Everything is going
fine’ is the closing line, delivered in a dejected tone and smothered by
the guitars on top so that it’s as deliberately unconvincing as possible.
‘Feel My Skin’ – Edited People
These
vocals are utterly wild. I was already drawn in by the spooky guitars and mean
distortion, but it’s her crazy inflections that really make this track special.
They’re very Siouxsie-Sioux-inspired but with added unhinged-ness.
‘Anti romantic’ – Passive
The
word ‘anti-romantic’ sums up most of the music featured this week. This track
comes courtesy of Watford indie rockers Passive and it’s an intriguing mesh of
sounds, containing whirring organs, close-proximity guitars and some melancholy
harmonised vocal woos. The lyrics meanwhile are fairly dark, ending with the
ominous line ‘I need to give up’.
THE WORST:
‘Dip’ – Tyga ft. Nicki Minaj
Horrible
lyrics, although I did enjoy the beat. Thank u, next…