First Impressions is our weekly feature where our writers get the chance to lay down their unfiltered opinions on the week’s new tracks. This week, we’re digging into choice cuts from new Rosalía and Post Malone plus some fresh finds by Blithe and Mahalia.
Rosalía - Milionària
Ti Butler: I have to confess, this is not my First Impression of this song, because I heard this on Friday and it’s been on repeat since. That stop-start production just pops, and Rosalía’s voice is flawless. It’s hard to believe she’s managed to pack so much into two minutes and eighteen seconds! I haven’t been this instantly obsessed with a song in a long time. 5
Sam Murphy: I thought Rosalía was having a good year last year but 2019 is turning out to be pretty extraordinary. Milionària may be the best yet. Her voice sounds like silk and yet she embodies this rap-like confidence. The hook is a stroke of genius and she’s also getting points from me for name-checking Australia. We really haven’t had a popstar with a vision as strong as Rosalía for a very long time. 5
Mahalia - Simmer
Ti: I was down with this until the middle eight - it didn’t need the rap feature. 3
Sam: I have been lukewarm on Mahalia for a little while now but this has kicked it up a gear. Simmer really doesn’t have to do a lot to be excellent. The production is minimal and the melody stays steady. What makes it is Mahalia’s slinky delivery topped with Burna Boy’s short-but-sweet rap. I have to stan. 4
Blithe - Masochist
Ti: Oh my god, I love this. I’m a big fan of songs that run less than three minutes, because if you’ve got less than three minutes to use, you can’t fuck around; you have to get right into it, make your point, and then get out. That’s probably why I dig that Rosalía song from earlier. That delivery sits beautifully on top of that production, too. 3.75
Sam: This is the sort of pop song that pulls you in early and holds you there in a choke hold. It’s so enticing from the first second and she doesn’t lose that attention once. The chorus builds slowly but it’s not forceful. It’s all just effortless and I’m so intrigued by her now. 4
Post Malone - Goodbyes (Feat. Young Thug)
Ti: I was down with this until the middle eight - it didn’t need the rap feature. 3
Sam: I will never turn my nose up at a Thugger verse but Post has been giving us the same thing over and over for a while now. This may as well be a remix of Psycho. 2.5
Ed Sheeran - BLOW (Feat. Chris Stapleton & Bruno Mars)
Ti: This is exactly what I did not expect from Ed Sheeran. Absolutely not my genre, and rock purists will be mortified, but it’s still actually really bloody good. Mums who love Pink would probably give it a 4.5 out of 5. 3
Sam: This may actually be my least favourite song ever. That’s hyperbolic, of course, but this song is also too much so it’s only right. I hate this genre of music anyway but Ed Sheeran attempting to be intense with a little reverb is about as effective as a blunt nail. I would be very happy if I never heard this again. 0.5
Dominic Fike - Phone Numbers
Ti: It’s less immediate than 3 Nights, but I can see it doing really well on Spotify because it’s so easy to listen to. It’s one of those songs that I wouldn’t seek out, but I wouldn’t switch off either. 3
Sam: Dominic Fike is going to be chasing 3 Nights for a while now but Phone Numbers is the closest he’s come. It captures a very different beat for man-of-the-moment Kenny Beats but maybe it needed to hit a bit harder. It glides by but it’s not sticky enough.
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