If you’ve just come back from Glastonbury: Hey, hope you had a great time and stayed as far away from Ed Sheeran as you physically could whilst still being at Glastonbury. Here’s a playlist of ace new music to relax to whilst you recover.
If you didn’t go to Glastonbury: Here’s just a big list of hot tunes to get tucked into. Enjoy!:
Soccer Mommy – Allison
Beautifully mellow, the second single from Soccer Mommy’s new album is, if possible, even more melancholic than previous single ‘Outworn’. Stripped back to chorus laden guitars, her sorrowful voice is able to shine through. Lush layers of harmonies mix with the guitars as she sings of missed opportunities.
Chest Pains – Shame
This second track from Leeds band Chest Pains is yet another dark crushing post-punk banger. “Nothing ever changes in the town that I call home” the singer bemoans in the first line, summing up the small-minded mentality that the band rally against. The slow hypnotic verses suddenly break away for fast, thrashy punk, the speed and ferocity hitting you in the gut. A dark, deranged offering.
Vince Staples – Yeah Right
Teaser cuts from LA rapper Vince Staples’s new album had been exciting. But none of these prepared me for the glitching, pulsating monolith of an album that Big Fish Theory is. The techno-flavoured beats would cause every other rapper to stumble, but Vince takes it all in his stride, and ‘Yeah Right’, which features none other than Kendrick Lamar and Kucka, is an early standout.
SZA – Supermodel
Easily one of the best R&B albums released this year, SZA’s CTRL is a highly personal and beautifully produced masterpiece. ‘Supermodel’ opens the album and sets the stage; stripped back, SZA’s voice is allowed to glide over the Frank Ocean-esque guitar strums. Use this track as a gateway into the rest of the album.
Colour of Spring – Sun
Leeds band Colour of Spring showcase their dreamy, yet dark brand of mesmeric shoegaze in this single from their new EP. With a driving bassline, the song builds and builds, the tension in the vocals increasing till it explodes in layered, swirling guitars. Simultaneously unhinged and calming, ‘Sun’ shows why Colour of Spring are worth getting lost in.
Raptor – Ultraviolet
This is the first proper listen we’ve been treated to by Bristol’s Raptor, and boy is it a good’un. Dirty and bluesy, ‘Ultraviolet’ rams you with crunching guitars before brea,king away into a psyche inspired solo. The track slows right down before coming back in harder than ever. Definitely a band you should keep a watch of.
Sobs – Catflap
Taken from their debut EP of the same name, ‘Catflap’ is a blissed out treat. The trio, from Singapore, mix the bubblegum guitars of bands like Magic Potion and the effortless, but introverted pop of Fazerdaze, creating something wholly unique. The EP is only a little over 10 minutes long in its entirity, so you have no excuse not to listen to it.
Winter – Jaded
Last time we heard from LA band Winter they were peddling blissed out, shoegaze-inspired guitar rock. Whilst some of the dreamy elements have been transported over, ‘Jaded’ is far more direct, with more in common with punk bands like Diet Cig. The band have committed fully to this fuller, punchier sound, and it more than pays off.
Parcels – Overnight
As if it wasn’t obvious enough already that Parcels enjoy the same era of 70’s funk and disco that Daft Punk also pulled from on their last record, the two bands have teamed up for this new single. With the robot duo at the production helm, the band’s subtle Nile Rodgers-like guitars and and soft synths come to the fore, whilst the chorus is catchy enough to be embedded in your head for a week.
Jerkcurb – Voodoo Saloon
As unnerving as the title suggests, ‘Voodoo Saloon’ allows its darkness to breath in the spaces. The guitars are simple, the vocals beautiful, but it’s the mermaid-like backing vocals and dark slide guitar that sit in the background that make it sound like it came straight from a 60’s horror film.
Come back next week for more of our favourite tracks
