BOPS AND FLOPS OF THE WEEK 31/07/2026: Beck, Tkay Maidza, Krill and more...

Artists featured this week include Katia Pojidaeva, Beck, Gareth Donkin, Tkay Maidza, Wild Pink, Krill, Ecce Shnak and Pitbull.

THE BOPS:

‘Capitalism’ – Katia Pojidaeva

What have I stumbled upon here? And who is Katia Pojidaeva? I can find very little information about her online except that she describes her music as ‘grunge-noir’. Her latest single is titled ‘Capitalism’ and it’s a pretty wild ride. You can probably work out the subject matter from the title, but the sound is not what I was expecting at all.   

‘In The Night’ – Beck

Beck is back! And he seems to be taking a folksy direction with this new single. The guitar arpeggios and vocal harmonies have a haunting quality. At points, it’s almost Opeth-y (minus the death metal). If all you know Beck for is ‘Loser’, you might be quite surprised. It comes off his upcoming album Ride Lonesome.

‘Out Here’ – Gareth Donkin

While trying to trawl through all the old unread emails in my inbox, I uncovered this gem. It’s the grooviest piece of music I’ve heard this year – so extravagantly groovy that I just had to share it, even if it’s been out for almost half a year now. For more groovy goodness, check out the 26-year old singer’s latest album Extraordinary.

‘Romanticize’ – Tkay Maidza ft. Jenevieve

Here’s another groovy one. This single comes from from Zimbabwean-Australian singer Tkay Maidza and it’s all about questioning past relationships and whether we see choose to see them with rose-tinted glasses. It features a verse from American R&B singer Jenevieve.

‘500 is the new 250’ – Wild Pink

‘I took my cyber truck/ to my favourite bar Good Luck/ I bet on my phone and drink alone’. US indie band Wild Pink deliver this ode to overspending. It centres around a lonely 21^st century consumer who buys and bets to fill his empty life (unfortunately, a character that many of us know well in real life).  It’s accompanied by fiery fuzzy guitars. The single comes off the band’s new album Still Coming Down.

‘Commemorative Plaque’ – Krill

This is Krill’s first new single in over a decade and it’s aptly a song all about homecoming and nostalgia. The Boston indie band continue to play with the same anxious post-punky recipe of strained vocals and semi-dissonant guitars. However, there are some new ingredients including some soaring strings. Will Krill be launching a new album any time soon?

‘Eddie, Legalistic Homeslice’ – Ecce Shnak

I've featured NYC chamber punk band a couple times on this blog before. This new single sees them delivering some kooky vocal harmonies and some pretty bizarre lyrics to match: ‘I pray you don’t be a rat in a rat suit. Pray you don’t be a rat in a rat costume’. It comes off their upcoming album Dandy Variances.

THE FLOPS:

‘Privacy’ – Pitbull ft. Jason Derulo

Pitbull and Jason Derulo are taking baby steps towards a more modern pop sound. Right now they’re in their Funk Wave Bounces Vol 1 era. Unfortunately, the lyrics are still pants. Literally: ‘you about to start a party in my pants’.