First Impressions is an interns roundtable review of songs on their first (or second) listen. Each week we review six new songs from the past week, each giving them a score out of five and awarding our pick of the week. This week we pick apart tracks by SOPHIE, GL, Tinashe, Wave Racer, Kill J and Matt Corby.
Sophie
MSMSMSM
Alistair: Ok where do I start with this number...I was going to call it a song but for me it doesn't fall under that category at all. Sophie has produced something that sounds like he's grabbed a load of sounds out of a video game, thrown them into Ableton and sped them up. Three quarters of the way through some classic suspense music straight out of a movie tries to tell you that this number is about to go places, but then it's straight back into the really fast video game tunes. A five year old mashing the sound effects buttons on a keyboard could have produced a better track. 0.5
Sam: Despite the fact the chipmunk vocals are nowhere to be seen this is probably SOPHIE’s most outlandish output to date and unlikely to win the producer any new fans. In saying that I’ve been a fan from the start and it’s awesome to hear something a little harder and more industrial. He’s taking a few cues from HudMo here and mixing it with his own other-worldly beats crafting an instrumental that goes in harder than Hard even. So happy that Laneway has dropped him on the bill - it’s about time we had a bit of a sonic shake-up down-under. 4
GL
Number One
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/plasticworld/gl-number-one[/soundcloud]
Alistair: The Melbourne electro/synth duo have teamed up with vocalist Ella Thompson for Number One. This isn't usually the type of electro/synth music that I like. At times I find Thompson's voice to be a bit annoying and whiny, but then there's areas of this track where she's absolutely killing it with her vocals. Her voice stands out on its own from the synth drum beats. This song grew on me and by about the third listen I found myself singing "I CAN BE YOUR NUMBER ONE!" 3.5
Sam: I feel for this track from the first listen. It’s got this ‘80s pop vibe channelling Kylie or Madonna and yet still manages to sound really sleek and cool. The Australian alternative scene really needs to stop taking itself so seriously and embrace pop a bit more and GL could just be the duo to do it. This track is effortless, funky and polished. I would happily let this soundtrack my Summer. 4 Sam’s Pick
Tinashe
Player
Alistair: This has all the makings of your standard pop song, a girl that can sing, a decent catchy upbeat backing track and a cameo from an even more famous pop star. In this case it's Chris Brown that features on Player alongside Tinashe. The vocals on this are solid and will most likely become a hit within the realms of pop, I personally wouldn't listen to it again but that's because I don't like pop music. 3
Sam: Tinashe has been teasing hit for a while and this seems to be the first one. It was produced by Max Martin and has plenty of pop licks ready for the radio plus a Chris Brown-feature which should help everywhere but Australia where he’s not the most popular person right now. I like how it really finely balances between R&B and dance-pop. I think the verses are way stronger than the chorus but it’s necessary for it to grab some radio airplay. I wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t the last hit Tinashe has up her sleeve for 2015. She’s a supremely talented self-starter who’s coming at the pop world from a different angle and that’s refreshing. 3.5
Wave Racer
World Record (Feat. Lido)
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/futureclassic/wave-racer-world-record-feat-lido[/soundcloud]
Alistair: Ahhhh finally Wave Racer has released his second single off his soon to be released debut EP Flash Drive. We've already heard the title track and sticking with his signature unique style that's massively influenced by 8-bit sounds, World Record sounds a bit similar to Flash Drive. We are witnessing a Wave Racer and Lido collab that's been a long time coming and you can definitely get a sense of both artist's strengths shining through on this track. 4 Alistair's Pick
Sam: I really liked the last Wave Racer track Flash Drive because of the vocals and also because it was something slightly different for him. World Record sees him basically go back to what he does best and it’s a solid track. The Lido-esque drops are the most exciting thing about it. I’m not sure I’m super amped about the rest but that’s probably just because it’s become familiar for me. He’s a super tight producer and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it right? 3
Kill J
You’re Good But I’m Better
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/killj/kill-j-youre-good-but-im-better[/soundcloud]
Alistair: Some are saying that this may be Kill J's best song to date and I would have to agree with that because her previous stuff was absolute garbage. At least You’re Good But I’m Better has a clean sound and lyrics that you can understand unlike her previous work like Phoenix. As a singer I don't really like her voice and this song but I'm sure it appeals to some. 2
Sam: This reminds me of the wonky tracks coming courtesy of Kiiara at the moment except for the vocal range of Kill J is wider. This is way more accessible than her other stuff being her most poppy output to date and it really works for her. The melody is delicious and when she goes up to the heights of her vocal range the hair on my skin stands up. There’s something really mysterious about her and this track makes me intrigued which is always a good thing. 4
Matt Corby
Monday
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]http://soundcloud.com/mattcorby/monday[/soundcloud]
Alistair: Monday starts off very slow and that's exactly how it stays throughout the entirety of the song. There's no doubting that Matt Corby has a really good voice and can really woo you with his talents. That's exactly the sense of what he is trying to do with this song. 2.5
Sam: Matt Corby is ridiculously talented and I wouldn’t be alone in saying that his voice is one of the finest in this country. That said, I’m not a huge fan. I respect what he does but it’s not for me. Monday is an odd choice for a comeback single - it plods along at snail's pace and the only thing to really grab you are his vocals. I wanted a hook or something that I could really sink my teeth into but it never comes. If other people are loving it though, I take my hat off to him because the man’s got lungs straight from the heavens. 3
Now time for your vote:
[poll id="57"]
