Was this week real short for anyone else? The days are getting longer, so it should be the opposite, but it felt like we were doing last week’s Round-Up just yesterday. Anyway, lots of great tracks still came out during the quick week, so here’s a few of our picks.
TRACK OF THE WEEK: FALLU – Was Letting Me Go The Answer?
Inspired by the letters she wrote to herself to help heal from a failed ‘situationship’, Fallu’s latest track sees her open up to her audience, singing honest lyrics a top a delightful, groovy cut. As smooth as you like, Fallu is an artist to keep on your radar. [JR]
Also new this week…
LAUREL – Change
LA-Based, UK-born electro-pop artist LAUREL has dropped us quite a gift this week. This has the potential to be a summer anthem for the beaches and open roads alike. This is expertly crafted pop music with an ethereal backdrop of flute-like synthesisers and a walking bass line that grooves wonderfully. Definitely one to latch onto today. [TF]
Bleach Lab – Counting Empties
Dream Pop is a popular genre that doesn’t always get a lot of new music despite that attention, but Bleach Lab have been blessing us with some top-notch new dreamy/shoegaze-y soundscapes with each new release. Their newest matches the naturally melancholic feeling of the genre with lyrics about the ‘emptiness inside of me‘ for a beautiful if slightly sad effect. [HP]
Alien Chicks – Candlestick Maker
Another chaotic, menacing number from Brixton trio, Alien Chicks. With this new one, they demonstrate a sense of urgent chaos that’s been consistent throughout their releases so far. It’s impressive stuff. [JR]
The Long Faces – Eisenhower
This is the first release from The Long Faces in nearly three years, and what a comeback. It’s the vocalist’s effortless Bryan Ferry-esque vibrato, along with the stunning piano and driving strings, that really makes this track stand out. In the announcement of this long-awaited tune, the band stated that Eisenhower is “the most important song we have recorded to date”, which gets me super excited for what’s next. [LW]
Alix Page – Goose
Maybe it’s just because it’s still on the mind, but man this reminds me of boygenius. What high praise though, right? As a solo artist, being able to call to mind a supergroup containing three amazing songwriters is quite impressive. Alix brings a fresh voice to the sound, and with how much we all seem to love that sound, we should be happy for it. [HP]
The Paper Kites – Till The Flame Turns Blue
Sweet, smooth, homegrown Americana, (ironically) from Aussie quintet, The Paper Kites. Feels a bit more Autumn than this Summer-esque weather is calling for, but we’re here for it all the same. And dare I say: this is baby makin’ music right here. [TF]
Water From Your Eyes – True Life
Water From Your Eyes are always pushing at the edges of how experimental they can make their music while still qualifying as pop. On their newest track, distorted and dissonant guitar chords jut back and forth over abrasive drums, with the lyrics almost closer to spoken word than singing, yet I still can’t help but feel like it’s pop, I can’t make any sense of it in the best way possible. [HP]
Bully – Days Move Slow
Bully have always been at their best leaning fully into a bit of pop-punk energy, and they totally do here. Crunchy guitars, driving bass, banging drums, it’s all on this track. The lyrics are definitely a little morose, but the song’s energy is so infectious they feel life-affirming anyway. [HP]
Contributor Key:
[TF] TJ Foster, [JR] Johnny Rogerson, [HP] Holden Predmore, [LW] Lydia Webb
