The songs that made us wake up and want to write about music this week, ranked.
10. Sia
Broken Glass
The new Sia album This Is Acting has some mighty ballads amongst its ranks but none are better than this one Broken Glass. In an interview with Rolling Stone she named it one of her favourite songs on the album and it's easy to see why. It has a chorus that just gets bigger and bigger everytime it swings around and that octave change right at the end is something special. Whoever passed up on this song made a serious mistake, but their mistake is our blessing because we got to hear Sia on the track.
9. Lontalius
Glow
Kiwi artist Lontalius announced his debut album this week and it's got one of the most heartbreaking titles we've heard in a while I'll Forget 17. With that came a new song Glow which sees him continue his transition from electronic music into more alt-rock territory. Still it's got melancholic Ryan Hemsworth vibes to it and manages to gives us goosebumps which is always a good sign that you're on the right track. The album is out 25th March.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/lontalius-official/glow[/soundcloud]
8. Nicole Millar
Tremble
Nicole Millar‘s last track Wait was warm and nuanced but she’s just returned with a new track Tremble and this time around she’s not being polite. It’s a haunting cut with a drop that could shatter glass . Remember how Justin Bieber called the beats on Where Are Ü Now expensive? Well, we reckon the beats on this track may be even more expensive. They sound like fine china shattering into pieces and that coupled with Nicole Millar’s ethereal vocals is a potent combination.
7. Baauer
Day Ones (Feat. Novelist and Leikeli 47)
Bauuer is gearing up to release his debut album Aa and he's recruited to pretty special newcomers for his latest track Day Ones. One is Novelist the UK rapper and producer who has been transcending genres of late and the other is New York City rapper Leikeli47. Together they have crafted what could be one of Baauer's best outputs to date. The rapping perfectly matches the aggression of Baauer's bass and both Leikeli and Novelist's verses are ridiculous.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/baauer/dayones[/soundcloud]
6. Katy B x Kaytranada
Honey
The things that made Katy B so brilliant when she first popped was that she effortlessly melded the underground dance world with the pop world. Her first track Katy On A Mission is one of the finest pop songs of the last decade and while she moved slightly away from the electronic world on her second album Little Red she’s back to her old ways. On 29th April she’ll drop her third album Honey with guests including Craig David (!!!), Floating Points, Major Lazer and Kaytranada who is the man behind the title track. The track has dropped today and it literally couldn’t get any smoother if it was non-crunchy peanut butter. Kaytranada’s beat is wonky and winding as per usual and Katy’s vocal is just like a sensual hug.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/rinsefm/katy-b-x-kaytranada-honey[/soundcloud]
5. Hoodlem
Kintsugi
Remember Jai Paul? Back in 2012 you probably felt the same way about him hurrying the fuck up with an album as you do about Frank Ocean dropping a record. Well, return to that 2012 feeling momentarily because we think we may have a solution. Melbourne duo Hoodlem have just dropped Kintsugi with a wobbly bassline that challenges that’s right up Jai Paul’s alley.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/hoodlemmusic/hoodlem-kintsugi[/soundcloud]
4. D∆WN
Not Above That
We've said a lot about D∆WN in the past from naming her album BlackHeart one of our favourites of 2015 to writing up her various genre-pushing singles and now here we go again. Not Above That is the latest cut to come from the singer and it was produced by Machinedrum. Together they have married together innovative, futuristic drops with pop melodies, with DAWN once again creating something fresh. It's taken off her forthcoming album RED*emp*tion which is shaping up to be a stunner.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/dawn_richard/dawn-not-above-that[/soundcloud]
3. Jessy Lanza
It Means I Love You
For many of you Jessy Lanza may be a new name but she's actually gearing up to release her second album Oh No. Her 2013 debut Pull My Hair Back was an excellent collection of minimal electronica and she looks to be going down a similar path this time around. This is the first single and it's a pulsating, anxious effort and was actually inspired by Lanza's "constant nervousness". As uncomfortable as it may be for her, it's a thrilling feeling to hear on record.
2. Rihanna
Higher
The release of Rihanna's ANTI this week didn't exactly go to plan but the important thing is it's finally out and she's actually pushing the boundaries this time around. The Bibi Bourelly-penned Higher is the standout of the album purely because RiRi gives us something she's never given us before. Over a vintage, barely-there instrumental she pours out her drunken-heart, pushing her vocals to places they have never been. Her voice breaks as she sings, "this whiskey got me feeling pretty." It's completely reckless but it uses everything Rihanna's got.
Download the whole record here.
1. Flume
Smoke & Retribution (Feat. Vince Staples & KUČKA)
It was only a week or so ago that Flume dropped the first single Never Be Like You from his forthcoming album Skin but he’s already dropped something else for us. The latest is Smoke & Retribution which sees him team up with US rapper Vince Staples and local hero KUČKA for a hip-hop flavoured tune coated with Flume’s distinguishable aesthetic.
His production on this and Never Be Like You is gorgeous, rich and textured showing a real step-up from his comparatively intimate debut album. This tune holds nothing back with thumbing bass and an aggressive verse by Staples. KUČKA’s sweet vocal perfectly compliments Staples’ verses proving once again that she has one of the most interesting vocals in the game right now.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/flume/smoke-and-retribution-feat-vince-staples-kucka[/soundcloud]
