There are two reasons you could be reading this. One because you're not at Splendour In The Grass and the internet is the only interesting thing you've got going for you this weekend (sorry, love you all, but how 'bout dat FOMO?). The second reason is you've somehow found internet at Splendour In The Grass and you're so addicted to tunes that the live music is just not enough, you need more new music. We get it. Don't fret, here's more music for you to devour.
Foals
Mountain At My Gate
UK outfit Foals premiered their new single, Mountain At My Gates on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 this week. This is the second single Foals have released from their forthcoming album, What Went Down, after releasing the highly-anticipated title track and clip last month. Mountain At My Gates is a more uplifting pop affair than its aggressive predecessor, What Went Down, turning into an all-out rock affair once the outro makes it appearance. The 10-track album is said, according to a press release, to be a "primal, intense, sometimes harrowing album of extremes" verging "upon the depths of madness whilst also exhibiting some of the most beautiful pop songs the band have ever written."
Liz
When I Rule The World
Mad Decent's pop princess Liz has always been a lover of all things kitsch and nostalgic so it's no wonder that her and SOPHIE ended up with each other eventually, musically that is. When I Rule The World is their sugar-crazed collaboration which combines bubblegum beats with rushing soda-stream synths. Liz sounds completely in her element here, poised to give PC Music's pop princess Hannah Diamond a run for her money.
Disclosure
Moving Mountains (Feat. Brendan Reilly)
Disclosure have been teasing a collaboration with Sam Smith called Omen for weeks now and what do they do? When anticipation is at its peak, they go and drop and completely different song Moving Mountains. Once the feeling of being let down subsides this track will win you over. It features the soulful vocals of US singer Brendan Reilly. It's a classic Disclosure track with deep house vibes complimented by honey-soaked vocals in the same vein as much of their debut Settle. Caracal is the record it's taken from and that is out at the end of September.
Now, that Sam Smith track next?
Listen to Moving Mountains here at the 1 hour and 30 minute mark.
Vic Mensa & Skrillex
No Chill
A few weeks ago a clip surfaced of Vic Mensa performing this track No Chill, produced by Skrillex. It sounded huge just from the low-quality recording but now the studio version is here and we can confirm it's MASSIVE. Driven by violent horns, it sees Skrillex enter Mensa's world rather than the other way round. It sounds as if Mensa's U Mad was a 10 and on this one he's turned it up a notch to 11. Granted, Skrillex is very hit and miss but this is a bullseye if ever we've heard one (and we've heard a few in our time).
Major Lazer & MØ
Lean On (Frank Ocean Cover)
Just when everybody is on edge about a new Frank Ocean album, which we still don't have, Major Lazer go and put Franky into the headlines for different reasons by covering Lost. It's a great cover, very much in the lane of Lean On, but for goodness sakes Diplo and co do not stop our hearts with any new music from Frank Ocean unless it's actually by Frank Ocean. Ps. MØ is in the country right now! That's fun, isn't it?
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/majorlazer/major-lazer-lost-feat-mo-frank-ocean-cover[/soundcloud]
Kwabs
Look Over Your Shoulder
If you haven't heard of London electro-soul singer Kwabs yet, nows the time to get your head around him. He has this deep, wise voice that simultaneously melts your heart and makes you groove. Look Over Your Shoulder was produced by SOHN and is a dense, affecting track with a melody that really sticks the boot in. This is one of SOHN's greatest works let alone Kwabs who's absolutely nailed the vocal on this.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/sohn/kwabs-look-over-your-shoulder-produced-by-sohn-1[/soundcloud]
Vic Mensa
Codeine Crazy (Icarus Story)
Vic Mensa is a fire rapper but he's also got a pretty great crooning voice. We heard it on Kanye West's Wolves and it returns here for a cover of Future's Codeine Crazy. This is Mensa in full on Miguel-mode. He howls over a hip-hop-meets-rock beat and just continues to get more and more intense. If he find a way to effortlessly meld this with his rapping on an original he's going to be one of the greatest rapper of our time. Yep, we said it.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/vicsavemoney/codeine-crazy[/soundcloud]
Alxndr London
DATE X
East Londonder Alxndr London is your newest electro-pop addiction. His latest track DATE X is a soulful, tribal-fused track that showcases his voice in all its seducing-glory. With The Weeknd's Can't Feel My Face finding favour with everybody that has at least one ear, it's obvious the world is craving more of this stuff and London could be just the man to deliver it.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/mxiiixm/datex[/soundcloud]
Queen Magic
Said That You Wanted
Melbourne's Queen Magic will hit the Red Bull Music Academy Stage at Splendour In The Grass this weekend and he's coming armed with a new track Said That You Wanted. Australia isn't exactly the most obvious breeding ground for late night R&B jams but Said That You Wanted is exactly that. It's a soulful and smooth track reminiscent of How To Dress Well. His falsetto is on-point and that snare is doing things to us.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/queenmagic/said-that-you-wanted[/soundcloud]
Empress Of
Kitty Kat
It's been a little while since Empress Of returned to the alt-pop scene with Realize You but she's finally given us a new single in the form of Kitty Kat. Kitty Kat goes bigger than Realize You, powering through with sprawling synth-work and a confident vocal. She shifts between being delicately purring and powerfully roaring as she builds each verse to a stunning climax of a chorus.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/empressof/kittykat[/soundcloud]
