Another week dominated by Kanye West. When he's not jumping in lakes in Armenia, he's stealing The Weeknd's limelight at Coachella and inducting himself into the TIME Power 100. In honour of another week in which Kanye nabbed a headline a day, we present to you a 10 Songs You Need To Hear This Week with no mention of Kanye. Apart from this bit where we've mentioned his name three times. Seems we can stop travelling West. Time to head South and explore the best songs from the week below.
Wet
Deadwater
Brooklyn three-piece Wet are set to be one of the most talked about acts of the year. Their debut EP Dreams, released last year, was brilliant and we're hoping that their debut album, revealed to be called Don't You, will be even better. The first single off that record is Deadwater and it's one of their strongest tracks to date. Vocalist Kelly Zutrau sounds unbelievable over a washy, subtle instrumental. She hooks you in from the first second and after that the song just glides past, time seemingly standing still.
Ta-Ku
Love Again (Feat. JMSN and Sango)
Ta-Ku has quietly become one of the best Australian producers doing the rounds but it feels like this latest EP, set to be released via Future Classic, will really propel him to the front of people's mind. That said EP is called Songs To Make Up To and the first single is called Love Again. Love Again is Ta-Ku taking it to church with a piano instrumental complimented beautifully by JMSN's soulful vocal. It's without a doubt the most uplifting thing that Ta-Ku has done and while it's not traditionally designed for the club, we can imagine this really being a moment if someone snuck it into a set.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/takugotbeats/love-again-feat-jmsn-sango[/soundcloud]
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Can't Keep Checking My Phone
Unknown Mortal Orchestra have made great albums in the past but it feels like he's really making a conscious effort in the lead-up to LP3 to appeal to a wider-audience. First single and title track Multi-Love was his most accessible pop track to date and the follow-up Can't Keep Checking My Phone is just as immediately likeable. It's a densely melodic, funky number that even manages to slip in synths in the bridge. It's the closest thing we're going to get to a euphoric UMO pop number and we'll happily take it.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/jagjaguwar/unknown-mortal-orchestra-cant-keep-checking-my-phone[/soundcloud]
cln.
Hold Me
Brisbane producer cln. put out a few excellent tracks last year but it really feels like he's hit his stride with this latest one Hold Me. Not only do we get to hear him sing but we also get to hear him take on a more melancholic aesthetic. As sad as the melody may be, the synths and the lyrics are basically like a warm, electronic hug. If he continues to head in this direction we have every bit of confidence that he will be one of Australia's best electronic producers.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/callanalexander/cln-hold-me[/soundcloud]
Jordan Bratton
Prisoner (Feat. Chance The Rapper)
Chance The Rapper is a great drawcard. Every track he features on gets an immediate listen from us but in this case New York vocalist Jordan Bratton completely holds his own against Chance. Prisoner is a soulful, spacious track with some beautiful harmonies. Chance jumps on the track in the second half for a half-sung, half-rapped verse that is inline with a lot of the stuff he's been doing with The Social Experiment. Prisoner is taken off Bratton's forthcoming EP Youth.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/jordanbratton/prisoner-ft-chance-the-rapper[/soundcloud]
Major Lazer
Powerful (Feat. Ellie Goulding & Tarrus Riley)
Major Lazer have always had a cult following but this time around it seems that they are reaching for the mainstream. First was their collaboration with Mo which has shot up the charts here in Australia and now their collaboration with Ellie Goulding has surfaced. It's undoubtedly the most radio-friendly thing they have ever produced but that doesn't mean they have sold out. It still has the heavy-bass Major Lazer aesthetic that Diplo and co have mastered over the years. Reportedly Diplo is leaving behind his solo work to focus on Major Lazer and it may be a good decision considering the gold they have been churning out of late.
RKDA
Meta
Melbourne via Brisbane producer RKDA, is a newcomer to the Australian electronic scene. Meta is her debut tracks and it's a dark, experimental piece that pegs her as an artist not shy to get a little introspective. This is the kind of music that is born in the early hours of the morning. It's haunting and unsettling but also expansive in the way that it layers up instrumentally in the latter parts of the song. We'll take some more of this please, RKDA, don't make us wait too long.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/rkdamusic/meta[/soundcloud]
VÉRITÉ
Colors
We waxed lyrical about VÉRITÉ's last single Wasteland and we're going to do it yet again with this one, Colors. There's so much electronic, singer/songwriter music floating around at the moment but what makes VÉRITÉ different is her full-bodied voice which makes you sit up and listen immediately. It's not wispy and gentle, it's the type that needs dense instrumentals and sturdy melodies to give it wings. Colors does exactly that with a bolstered chorus that really allows VÉRITÉ to show of her killer voice.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/veritemusic/colors[/soundcloud]
Dej Loaf
U Me & Hennessy (Feat. Lil Wayne)
When Lil Wayne jumps on your track you better believe that you're something special. We pegged Dej Loaf as an artist to watch in 2015 and we've been consistently proved right. Me U & Hennessy is a downbeat masterpiece with Loaf slurring from one line to the other with an enviable effortlessness. At first Lil Wayne doesn't seem like the right fit for Loaf's brand of rap but he actually delivers one of his best verses in a few years, his scratchy voice perfectly complimenting Loaf's serene tones.
Lianne La Havas
Unstoppable
Lianne La Havas' debut album was so good that she made friends with Prince. That statement alone should make it well-worth looking forward to her sophomore album but we'll let her music do the speaking for now. Unstoppable is the first taste of new album Blood which will grace us with its presence in July. It's a cruisy, Erykah Badu-style number which beautifully showcases La Havas' coffee-soaked tones. She's one of the only artists that could easily occupy a five minute space without any big tricks. Her voice just wraps around the melody and carries you with it.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/liannelahavas/unstoppable[/soundcloud]
...of course we're joking about Kanye. Here's Good Life. What a #banger.
