BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 25/02/2022: Denzel Curry, Tame Impala, Toro y Moi and more...

It’s time to round up the latest songs from this scary week. No stem player required! Artists featured this week include Denzel Curry, Tame Impala, Just Mustard, Toro y Moi, Foals and Bloc Party…

THE BEST:

‘Zaitochi’ – Denzel Curry ft. Slowthai

Denzel’s last single ‘Walkin’ was phenomenal, but I think this new single may have topped it. The heavenly opening chords and clicking snare along with those cinematic visuals pretty much sold me before Denzel had even started rapping. The track only continues to get better from here on in – I love Denzel’s creative flow and energetic delivery, and I was definitely not expecting that drum and bass percussion to come in. Melt My Eyes See Your Future is shaping up to be an impressive record.

‘The Boat I Row’ – Tame Impala

‘The Boat I Row’ is a leftover from Tame Impala’s 2020 album The Slow Rush. I don’t know why it didn’t make the album – it’s right up there with some of the best tracks on the record. The sparkly synths and funky bassline sound so good and Kevin’s vocal harmonies are beautiful.

‘Still’ – Just Mustard

Just the other week, I was commenting on how I hadn’t realised DJ Mustard had changed his name to just ‘Mustard’. Well, now to complicate things, it appears that there’s also an artist out there called ‘Just Mustard’. Fortunately, Mustard and Just Mustard sound nothing alike – Just Mustard are a rock band from Ireland. Their new single ‘Still’ is a brilliantly menacing track. It features ethereal reverb-soaked vocals and twisted guitars that squeal and creak like rusty machinery left out in the wind. It all builds up to an intense and noisy climax.

‘Staying in the Loop’ – Toro y Moi

Toro y Moi is sounding mighty smooth here. His vocals have really improved and the production is absolutely gorgeous (those warped keys and that funky bassline are tingle-inducing). A new album MAHAL will dropping this year and I’m pretty psyched.

'2AM' - Foals

I'm hopefully seeing Foals live in a couple months (the concert has been delayed three times!). This new single doesn't disappoint. I'm loving the bouncy synths and the vocals are sounding catchier than ever. At the same, it still has that distinctive Foals sound. 

THE WORST:

‘Sex Magik’ – Bloc Party

Those stale stuttering synths combined with that ‘earth earth, air air, fire fire, water water’ hook are doing nothing for me. It’s a shame that it starts to get interesting towards the end.