THE BEST:
‘Duo’ – Sam Gellaitry
Sam Gellaitry is only 24 and has already had quite a long
and impressive musical career. At the age of 15, he was uploading groundbreaking
jittery trap tunes to Soundcloud and amassing quite a following (check out 'Grot' and 'Paper' and have your mind blown). He now seems
to be taking a synthpop direction - and apparently he can SING??? Those
falsettos have Earth Wind and Fire vibes and I love how he’s allowed his Scottish
accent to poke through. The production meanwhile is deliciously groovy.
‘Slowdance’ – Mndsgn
Every track that LA singer/producer Mndsgn crafts is so
ridiculously smooth – even when it’s in a 7/4 time signature like this one. The
slinky bass riff and sighed-out vocal delivery bring a soothingness to the
shuffling drums.
‘Heart to Heart’ – Fiddlehead
Boston post-hardcore group Fiddlehead have announced an upcoming album titled Between The Richness, and this is the second single from it. There’s some absolutely ballistic drumming going on in it and the chorus is a belter.
‘The Night Away’ – Dada Pop
Dada Pop’s sound is a mixture of satirical ‘dadaist’ lyrics
and groovy ‘poppy’ production. Layers of glossy synths and digital percussion (including
some prominent clickety clapping sounds) create a hypnotic rhythm over which Noah
Gold and Urban Ghost take turns to deliver comically cynical and funky
sprechgesang. According to the duo, ‘It is a song about aiming for
the truth and revelation and yet being pulled pack to earth by reality, and
details how people will drown themselves in distraction to avoid facing the
struggle of their everyday lives’.
‘I WANNA DIE BUT I CAN’T (CUZ I GOTTA KEEP LIVING)’ – Pronoun
I hate this obnoxious track title. I want to punch it. It is
possible to punch a track title? It reminds me of something The 1975 would come
up with. Fortunately, the song itself redeems it. It’s a slick indie rock
anthem with a driving bassline and cool breathy vocals, topped off with a catchy
chorus. Pronoun’s upcoming EP is going to be titled OMG I MADE IT and
will contain a selection of ALL CAPS track titles.
THE WORST:
‘MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA’ – Illuminati Hotties
This track title is somehow worse that the one above. In this case, the song doesn’t even make up for it. The dissonant riff and goofy vocals feel like they ought to be up my street, but there’s something so Bart Simpson-ish about the delivery that the whole thing just annoys me.