This week Beyonce announced she was having another baby, a campaign was started to get Taylor Swift to the top of the Hottest 100 and Kelly Clarkson released a new song. Yes, it finally feels like everything is right again the music world and it didn't even take a 53 date Australian tour announcement from P!nk. But while pop was sitting on its thrown, mighty chuffed with itself, the rest of the music world was still slogging away, trying to get a few comment on Soundcloud and such. Here are 10 songs the slogged hard this week.
Purity Ring- Begin Again
Canadian duo Purity Ring’s debut Fineshrine was one of the best of 2012 but since then we’ve heard very little from then. Until now. This week they announced a new album, another entity, and shared begin again. The track is far more sonically dense than anything they’ve released in the past with aggressive synths greeting the song’s big drop. It’s no Skrillex but it’s something a little different for the pair, whose debut was characterised by carefully finessed soundscapes and crystalline vocals. This album is one of the most anticipated of 2015 at this point.
Snakehips- Gone (Feat. Syd)
UK duo Snakehips who were in the country for Listen Out last year, have released an unlikely collaboration with Odd Future’s Syd. Gone is a reclined RnB tune created in a jet-lagged haze after Snakehips returned from Australia. It definitely has that vibe with the instrumental swilling around like an olive in a martini glass. Syd’s vocals are perfectly relaxed and smooth, giving the duo an altogether different vibe. It works.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/snakehips-1/gone-feat-syd[/soundcloud]
Sevdaliza- That Other Girl
Rotterdam is not usually the first place we look for new music, but that’s exactly where Sevdaliza resides. The Dutch artist has teamed up with a fellow Dutch producer for this brooding, trap-inspired number. Her vocals are haunting as she occupies the minimalist beat with her smokey coos. When the bass drops that minimalist vibe is traded for reverb-soaked, earth-shattering synths. It’s one of the more interesting RnB tunes we’ve heard for a while and she definitely could be one to watch in 2015.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/sevdaliza/that-other-girl-1[/soundcloud]
Ciara- I Bet
Incase your not aware of the best RnB love affair of this decade, Ciara was married to Future and they had a child called Future Jr. Unfortunately, for one reason or another the pair have parted their ways and now we are poised and ready for two brilliant break-up albums. I Bet is just the break-up single we were waiting for. Taking an early 00’ aesthetic, Cici sings, “I bet you’ll start loving me/Soon as I start loving someone else/Somebody better than you”. If you haven’t been googling Ciara Australia for months you’re probably unaware that she’s touring in February. Shows have been announced for Perth and Melbourne but nothing has been announced for Sydney as of yet. Somebody please start a petition.
Edit: Don’t worry we just found it. See you all at Home Nightclub on 14th February.
Future- Just Like Bruddas
Ciara shared her new single, I Bet, this week and Future responded with this track called Just Like Bruddas. The track is about the streets but he occasionally references the relationship/ We’re actually not entirely sure what he says for 90% of the song but we’ve been able to make out bits like “They say I turned my back on my baby mama”. The track itself, is actually one of the strongest we’ve heard from Future in a while. He’s a far more successful singer than he is a rapper, he just needs to learn to enunciate his words.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/futureisnow/future-just-like-bruddas-prod-by-zaytoven[/soundcloud]
Django Django- First Light
British group Django Django are finally back with a new single off what we can only assume will be a forthcoming album. They took their sweet time. Thier self-titled debut was released way back in the stone age of 2014 and since then the musical climate has changed quite a bit. Indie bands are no longer really the thing du jour but First Light makes us feel as if they’ll have no problem settling back in. The track jangles with Django Django’s signature militant percussion and grooves with layered vocals. Also that cover image is really something. We’re currently in the process of painting all our oranges black.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/djangodjango/first-light[/soundcloud]
Dawn Richard- Phoenix (Feat. Aundrea Fimbres)
You may remember one of P Diddy’s projects from a few years back was a girl group called Danity Kane. One of the members of that band was Dawn Richard and since she’s been releasing some severely underappreciated solo work. She’s just released her second full length, Blackheart, featuring another ex-Danity Kane member, Aundrea Fimbres. Fimbres provides a mammoth pop-chorus but interesting the production flickers throughout making it far more interesting than what it would’ve been. Richard is approaching the genre so differently and is really yet to put a foot wrong.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/dawn_richard/dawn-richard-ft-aundrea-fimbres-phoenix[/soundcloud]
ESESE- AINTNO (Feat. Hancoq)
ESESE (Eastern Seaboard Electric Sould Experience) are a Melbourne collective who apparently do everything from filmaking to producing music. AINTNO is a musical project, evidently and features Australian rapper Hancoq. The beat is effortlessly fresh and while the video filmed in a row boat is a little odd, it’s the quirks of this track that make it so delectable.
Mikky Ekko- U
We expected Mikky Ekko to be bigger after he featured on Rihanna’s Stay back in 2012 but it all stalled a little bit there. Anyway, he’s still pushing along with the release of his debut album, Time, and on it is this Blood Diamond-produced gem. U is a smooth as hell offering, that sees Blood Diamond clean up his production a bit. The track sounds a million miles away from Grimes who Blood Diamond usually produces for. It’s woozy, a little off kilter and backed by some seriously impressive vocals.
Kelly Clarkson- Heartbeat Song
We know what you’re thinking: WHOAHHHH, Clarko on the interns? This is called 10 Songs You Need To Hear, and so we think it’s our responsibility to guide you through the good and bad. We’re not saying the new single from Kelly Clarkson is bad but the song does slow down for the chorus, so she should’ve been prepared to get a little bit of flack. Anyway, it’s been produced by Max Martin and is destined to be a hit. Clarkso has had plenty of trouble with record labels not letting her be the free spirit she is in the past, so you can probably bet that she hates this song but loves the $$.
