Black Hole
Griff

‘There’s a big black hole where my heart used to be, and I tried my best to fill it up with things I don’t need’ sings exciting pop newcomer Griff on the heartbreak anthem that you have to hear today - a lyric that continues a trend of relatable, gut punch levels of post-relationship longing.

It’s conversational, but it’s deep. It’s heartbreaking, but it’s casual. And there’s a great juxtaposition between the chirpy Casio Keyboard/Mario Video Game soundboard and the sadness in the lyrics (though there is a big moody bridge where the lyrics and the feeling intertwine) - like painting on a smile with clown make up.

The song puts us in mind of Ava Max - but with some restraint. What we mean by that is that this is pop music and unashamedly so, driven by strong melody, just with less of a ‘throw absolutely everything at it’ approach - a bit more subtlety, a bit more cool, but absolutely still a big pop record.

Off the back of breakthrough ballad Love Is A Compass, Griff is proving she can master multiple tempos, styles and moodboards - and we’re excited to watch her grow.

For fans of: RAYE, pretending that you’re over it and absolutely not being over it, exciting New Pop Females.

26/01/2021 17:22

Don’t Speak
Dark Heart

If you took our advice yesterday to keep the weekend vibes going, you’ll be pleased to know that today’s recommendation sees us reliving Saturday nights in a basement club with a moody, dark dance anthem from Dark Heart that you have to hear

Led by a sultry male vocal through the verses, the chorus is mirrored by a female slash falsetto slash pitched up vocal which works to great effect. Where some house and dance tracks fall flat for us is that while there’s a great beat, there’s also a monotony, like a government cabinet minister giving a briefing, and it just doesn’t keep you excited. Here, Dark Heart paints with colour - resulting in a heavily melody driven banger, much to our delight.

Where the ‘I don’t wanna know, I don’t wanna know’ refrain on loop acts as the hook and an earworm, it’s the expansion on the same idea with the ‘I don’t wanna know where you’ve been, or you’ve gone’ chorus that proves super satisfying melodically. Playing out over a heavy bassline, this ticks all our relevant boxes and plays out like we’re bathing in music, the kind of song that is so big and full that you can feel it taking over you entirely.

There’s build, there’s bass, there’s the promise of a pint in hand in a pitch black party and we are here for all of it.

For fans of: Tiësto, dingy but amazing basement clubs where the music bounces off the walls, partying even though the world is going to shit

25/01/2021 17:54

Weekend Vibe
Jubël

Don’t want it to be Monday again tomorrow? Well, nothing we can do about that I’m afraid but what we can do is link you up with some people who feel the same! Keep the weekend chill going with this track you have to hear from Swedish duo Jubël!

It all starts on quite a simple acoustic level, just a JT-style ‘cool guy’ vocal over the plucking of guitar strings, but within seconds we are in driving down a coastline in the summer with your windows down (or with no roof on the car at all, treat yourself) territory. So fresh, so chill, so relaxed.

The twenty second mark sees the introduction of beat, of brass, of the bashing of keys, and we are up a notch. The track never goes into full kitchen sink mode, there is always an element of restraint that keeps things cool, it’s more ‘playing at a beach club’ than it is ‘all night rave’ but its upbeat, bright and made for sunny climes*.

*and if you can’t get there, then for blasting out in your flat on a Sunday evening while sat in front of the radiator.

‘Skip the Monday and Tuesday, right, I wanna stay on that weekend vibes’ might have been a better motto when we could more easily tell the days apart and they didn’t all blur into one, but it can be something we take into the latter half of 2021 perhaps - and may we emerge from our respective lockdowns as ice cool as this track!

For fans of: Charlie Puth on a dance music hype, things that are big, bold and brassy, being somewhere f*cking warm.

24/01/2021 17:06

It’s a Sin
Years & Years

On the day we finally get to see the premiere of the Russell T. Davies drama of the same name, you have to hear this reimagining of a Pet Shop Boys classic by cast member Olly Alexander and his group Years and Years.

You might expect based on the bands usually upbeat, euphoric output that they might have matched the disco vibes of the original or even gone bigger, brasher and bolder. Instead, this is a stripped back piano version that forces you to consider the lyrics more then you perhaps ever have before.

It’s a lyric that most queer people can probably in some respect relate to - the idea that what they were taught is ‘correct’ is something that they didn’t live up to, and that as a result the life decisions they ended up taking were those to be ashamed of. That the Yellow Brick Road they eased on down was the ‘wrong’ one based on heteronormative societal standards, and that even though these choices were the ones necessary to be made to be authentic, they were at the same time, sins.

If anyone is reading this and still feels that way, please know, being your authentic self is the most ‘correct’ decision you can make, and other people’s opinions are merely that.

It sits in Olly’s vocal sweet spot, he sounds beautiful against the simple piano backing in what must rank as one of Years and Years most melancholic moments. There’s a real honesty here too, even though we know he didn’t write the lyrics, there’s a distinct connection to them. Everything is impeccably done.

We stay very excited for the series this evening and this stunning lead in is a lovely little bonus.

For fans of: Sam Smith in their ballad days, a lyric with real meaning, holding up a mirror to the past then crying.

22/01/2021 15:11

Wasted On You
Morgan Wallen

A change of pace today as we recommend a wistful country music track from a name we hadn’t heard of until the last fortnight. Judging by his 11 million monthly Spotify listeners, we might be among the last to catch on, but if you’re in the same boat, you have to hear Morgan Wallen’s letter of regret to an ex.

With an opening that could define the term ‘while my guitar gently weeps’ and a grit and a twang in his voice that pinpoints the genre immediately, Wasted On You also incorporates mainstream pop melody (you might imagine Hozier singing this also) to great effect, the chorus being a list of regrets that hits the same notes on a loop and sounds almost longer each time you hear it - a clever device. The harmonies on the chorus are beautiful, too, as if it’s actually one of those family country bands singing in tandem but is really just one amply mulleted gentleman.

It’s a story we can all relate to, perhaps not identically - we don’t all own a Chevy - but the person for whom you can do everything and it still not be enough. And especially the part about getting to the end of your tether and just pouring yourself a drink. Morgan, when you’ve exhausted time, money and prayer, we support your choices.

Country music doesn’t get much of an outing in the UK, but this is accessible, melodic, well constructed and catchy, and we recommend you giving it a shot (not just one of bourbon)

For fans of: Chris Stapleton, those moments in John Mayer songs where he fiddles with his guitar for a while in the middle, being better than your ex and being confident enough to say it.

21/01/2021 17:35