August. We ask you. Already? As the year runs away with itself, we can at least rejoice in the brand new bangers each end of the week provides. This last seven days has been no different, with new tracks from the likes of Robyn, Slaves, CHVRCHES, Black Honey and Ten Tonnes to keep us satisfied.
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.
Robyn Missing U
She’s back! Anticipation for the return of Robyn is no surprise to anyone. Having delivered era defining bangers, her absence from pop’s front line has been hard to take. A brief partnership with Royksopp a few years back helped take the edge off, but it’s the full fat Scandopop delight of ‘Missing U’ that really settles the appetite. A shimmering, bitter sweet gem, it’s a welcome comeback.
Slaves Chokehold
At some point between albums two and three, someone lent Slaves the Big Book of Britpop Magic Tricks. ‘Chokehold’ is the second example of the duo putting it to work, rammed full of Albarn-esque ‘oh ohs’ and eye rolls. It’s the melodic sheen that brings up their grubby acerbic edge to a pleasing shine.
Sports Team Margate
We’re all off to Margate for a dance. One spin of Sports Team’s latest offering, and you’ll be joining us, too. A fully charged ode to English seaside day trips and sun damaged retromania, it audibly struts and swaggers to the front of the queue.
CHVRCHES Out Of My Head (ft. Wednesday Campanella)
CHVRCHES and J-pop feel like obvious bedfellows, and so it proves as the Scottish trio team up with Japanese group Wednesday Campanella for a cultural exchange that speaks different languages, but still understands every beat. Packing the crunch of an 8bit arcade machine and the euphoria of a classic CHVRCHES chorus, it’s an unexpected gem.
Bad Sounds Milk It (ft. Ardyn)
It’s about time we started the whispers – Bad Sounds’ debut album is the most fun we’ve had all summer. The latest cut to arrive, ‘Milk It’, is one of our standouts – packing a hooky refrain that sits perfectly against Ardyn’s crystal clear midsection break. File under something special for the weekend.
Ten Tonnes G.I.V.E.
We’ve already established that an ear for the chart friendly indie pop banger runs in the family for Ten Tonnes, but ‘G.I.V.E.’ feels like a level up for the promising prodigy. With a title refrain that feels laser focused on potential ‘audience participation’, its veins run thick with concentrated Sunny Delight.
Black Honey Midnight
Nobody’s putting Black Honey in a neatly labelled box anymore, that’s for sure. The run up to the band’s much anticipated self-titled debut has seen them throw a shoulder and dart in the opposite direction at each turn. ‘Midnight’ is the latest surprise, packing a disco strut and a delightfully trashy swagger that drips with 2am liquid confidence.
No Rome Saint Laurent
It seems simplistic to draw comparisons between No Rome and collaborating label mates the 1975, but the chameleon like shifts across the three tracks we’ve heard from new EP ‘RIP Indo Hisashi’ sits perfectly with everything we’ve come to love. ‘Saint Laurent’ twinkles with positive pop potential. Swerving left from ever feeling contrived or cheesy, it’s still coated in that pearlescent shimmer too. Rome Gomez already feels like an artist with a vision, but that certainly doesn’t mean that vision has to be contained within one singular sound.
That’s not all we’ve got for you this week. There’s also new stuff from Yonaka, Mura Masa, Death Cab For Cutie, Anna Calvi and more. Check out our full playlist below. If you want to get the updated version direct to your Spotify profile every Friday, follow the The Cut here.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd
Ten Tonnes G.I.V.E.
We’ve already established that an ear for the chart friendly indie pop banger runs in the family for Ten Tonnes, but ‘G.I.V.E.’ feels like a level up for the promising prodigy. With a title refrain that feels laser focused on potential ‘audience participation’, its veins run thick with concentrated Sunny Delight.
