It’s Friday, England are in a world cup semi-final tomorrow, and music’s coming home. It’s time to dive into another batch of brand new tracks.
With Years & Years’ certified six-stars-out-of-five second album out today, we’ve already got the turbobanger covered. Add to that the glorious bombast of HMLTD, another gem from Christine and the Queens, and great new talent like Self Esteem, Mellah and Her’s, and there’s loads to get your musical teeth into.
So, without further delay, here are the new records you should be sticking in your carefully curated playlists today. You can hear the full thing on Spotify here, or, if you want to get the new cut every Friday direct to your Spotify account, follow the main playlist here.
Don’t forget to vote for your favourites in the Dork Buzz Chart. There’s a new rundown every Sunday at 5pm on Dork Radio. Get more info and the current top 10 here, and find a full list of every track you can vote for here.
HMLTD Apple of My Eye
Part of their new EP ‘Hate Music Last Time Delete’, ‘Apple of My Eye’ is the latest step on HMLTD‘s ascent into greatness. Embracing their weird, wonderful window on the world, it’s a staggering, punch drunk, horror pop gem. Packed with dramatic flair, It’s the polar opposite to boring, MOR jaywalking. A freshener to jolt the senses.
Years & Years Hallelujah
When you ‘do’ your play through Years & Years‘ new album ‘Palo Santo’ this morning – and you absolutely must – second track ‘Hallelujah’ will be the point those hairs start to stand on end. “Something’s going on here,” your brain will pipe up. The ground level on a bangerrific pile-up that runs deep into the record, it’s the first musical WMD in an arms race set to devastate Planet Pop.
Mellah Numb
He’s signed to Columbia, worked with producer James Ford, crafted several recording studios with his own bare hands, and built more buzz than an angry bumblebee after your sausage rolls. South London’s Mellah is an interesting chap. ‘Numb’ is a track full of texture and thought from a new EP packed with promise.
Christine and the Queens Doesn’t Matter
Is there anyone, anywhere, cooler than Héloïse Letissier? Stupid question – of course there isn’t. With a new album, ‘Chris’, coming on the other side of summer, its second cut ‘Doesn’t Matter’ is a ice cold delight straight from pop’s freezer section. Never standoffish, but always perfectly poised, it treads the perfect line between appreciation and participation. If only we had the moves.
Boniface Dear Megan
With the drive and directness of a certified Bleachers banger, Bonniface‘s latest is a lesson in washed-denim fm radio pop. A track about “being overwhelmed by the future but embracing the moment”, ‘Dear Megan’ is rollocking good fun. You can’t ask for more than that.
Self Esteem Wrestling
Dripping with the rampant sensuality of the dearly departed Wild Beasts at their slinky best, Self Esteem‘s latest single ‘Wrestling’ showcases sides of Rebecca Taylor‘s musical DNA that never fit in the confines of her other project, Slow Club. “All I listen to is Destiny’s Child, Rihanna, and Kanye West. I love that kind of music. As a drummer as well, I’m much more connected to big tribal beats,” Rebecca told Dork late last year. You can hear that here, and it’s brilliant.
Orchards Age of You
Taken from a brand new EP, ‘Losers/Lovers’, released by indie powerhouse Big Scary Monsters, ‘Age of You’ showcases Orchards as a fizzy pop delight with a side order of smart. Soaring high, it finds directness in intricacy. As the band told us, sometimes those songs that take the least time to write are the ones that land the best.
Her’s Harvey
By rights, ‘Harvey’ shouldn’t work. A muzak-esque European jangle, it’s six drinks deep and ready to dance. And yet, under the considerable sway of Her’s, it emphatically does. Swaggering with sun stroke, it’s a whole box of Capri Sun and a big slice of watermelon with a pina colada on the side. Summer is fully underway now.
The Night Café I’m Fine
Taken from a new EP, ‘Bunkbed’, which also lands today – ‘I’m Fine’ is a textbook lesson in the indie smash hit. Waves of guitar bed a top line that soars, proving The Night Café still have the potential to hit the jackpot big time.
Muncie Girls Falling Down
While ‘Picture of Health’, the first track from Muncie Girls‘ forthcoming second album ‘Fixed Ideals’, was a firecracker tossed into a crowded pit of bodies, the second taster ‘Falling Down’ takes a different route. “I’m gonna stop smiling when it doesn’t feel like the right thing”, Lande Hekt proclaims. So right it’s really, really right.
Want all of these bangers in one place? We’ve got a playlist for that. Here’s this week’s Brand New Bangers on Spotify. If you want to get the updated version direct to your Spotify profile every Friday, follow the The Cut here.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd
Self Esteem Wrestling
Dripping with the rampant sensuality of the dearly departed Wild Beasts at their slinky best, Self Esteem‘s latest single ‘Wrestling’ showcases sides of Rebecca Taylor‘s musical DNA that never fit in the confines of her other project, Slow Club. “All I listen to is Destiny’s Child, Rihanna, and Kanye West. I love that kind of music. As a drummer as well, I’m much more connected to big tribal beats,” Rebecca told Dork late last year. You can hear that here, and it’s brilliant.
