This week has seen the return of some of the music world’s biggest icons. Rock legend Mick Jagger has released two new tracks (with one of them actually featuring Skepta), glam icon Alice Cooper returns with an album called Paranormal, and, with their first single since 2015, our Welsh favourites Stereophonics have a new one too. Apart from these revivals, we have a fresh track from the electro-pop lady Charli XCX and finally the release of the highly-anticipated Arcade Fire album.
Arcade Fire – Everything Now
It’s the time we’ve all been waiting for. The album is finally here and to say I’m excited is an understatement. Arcade Fire has been solidly releasing tracks every week in the run up to their fifth studio album, which promises heavy electronic coatings on themes of consumerism in a world which only values what is instantly available. Tracks like ‘Creature Comfort’ boast lyrical brilliance, with a humour but also pain behind them (“God, make me famous / If you can’t just make it painless”) – it’s something which Arcade Fire has always been particularly good at generating. An emotional attachment to Everything Now‘s tracks is something which isn’t hard to acquire – it’s masterful in its relatability and rawness, resulting in one of the best albums this year.
Charli XCX – ‘Boys’
Hilariously self-aware, the new track from Charli XCX sees the singer “busy thinkin’ bout boys” whilst also gaining an upper-hand over them. Her voice glides over the simply structured track, which is littered with video-game sounds, seeming to reflect the simplicity of Charli’s attitude; she can’t lie and doesn’t care about what she’s thinking, with the music video visualising the single’s aims. Directed by Charli herself, the male gaze becomes turned onto men themselves, featuring cameos from the likes of Joe Jonas, Stormzy, and Brendon Urie to name but a few.
The Cribs – ‘Rainbow Ridge’
The third single from their soon-to-be-released album 24-7 Rockstar Sh★t is a pleasant indie rock track with a sound feeling as though it could’ve been plucked from your stereotypical ’90s garage band. Although ‘Rainbow Ridge’ is not particularly new in its sound, it’s not worth discarding if you’re a fan of bands like The Libertines or The Strokes.
Mick Jagger feat. Skepta – ‘England Lost’
An interesting new one from The Rolling Stones frontman, ‘England Lost’ – which was originally released without Skepta’s feature and alongside sister single ‘Gotta Get A Grip’ – responds to the “anxiety [and]unknowability of the changing political situation” according to Jagger himself. This is felt both in the analogy he uses – between seeing a disappointing football match and today’s political climate – and also in the bluesy sound of the track itself. The cameo from Skepta, however, feels like an attempt to stand on top of genre’s changing nature (which is definitely not needed when you’re Mick Jagger) and unfortunately has no place on this record.
The Killers – ‘Run For Cover’
A perfect follow up to ‘The Man’, ‘Run For Cover’ is a brilliant rock song. The combination of Brandon Flowers’ unique vocals and timely use of electric guitar make for a track which will be difficult to not at least tap your foot to. Accompanying this, we have the release date for the band’s fifth album, Wonderful, Wonderful set for September 22 along with its newly revealed track listing too.
Selected Other Releases
Albums
Alice Cooper – Paranormal
Alizzz – Ascension EP
Aminé – Good For You
Cage The Elephant – Unpeeled
Earl – Tongue Tied
Joywave – Content
Julia Michaels – Nervous System EP
KWAYE – Solar EP
Prong – Zero Days
The Allergies – Push On
Vic Mensa – The Autobiography
Singles
Alex Lahey – ‘Every Day’s The Weekend’
Alvvays – ‘Dreams Tonite’
Belle & Sebastian – ‘We Were Beautiful’
Blinkie – ‘Halfway’
BØRNS – ‘Faded Heart’
Burak Yeter feat. Ryan Riback – ‘GO 2.0’
Cheat Codes & Nicky Romero – ‘Sober’
Ciaran Lavery – ‘Everything Is Made To Last’
Decco feat. Leo Stannard – ‘Sun Comes Out’
Declan J Donovan – ‘Better’
Dillon Francis feat. Serko Fu – ‘No Diga Más’
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike vs. David Guetta feat. Kiiara – ‘Complicated’
Don Broco – ‘Technology’
Elderbrook – ‘Woman’
G4SHI – ’24 Hours’
Goldwash – ‘Episode’
Gryffin feat. Sinead Harnett – ‘Love In Ruins’
Hembree – ‘Had It All’
James TW – ‘Please Keep Loving Me’
Jessie Ware – ‘Midnight’
joan – ‘love somebody like you’
Kesha – ‘Learn To Let Go’
Lotto Boyzz feat. Jaykae – ‘Birmingham (Anthem)’
Macklemore feat. Lil Yachty – ‘Marmalade’
Maleek Berry – ‘Bend It’
Marsicans – ‘Too Good’
Mick Jagger – ‘Gotta Get A Grip’
Nick Mulvey – ‘Mountain To Move’
NoMBe – ‘Bad Girls’
Passenger – ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’
Picture This – ’95’
Purity Ring – ‘Asido’
RINNGS – ‘Oceans’
Sabrina Claudio – ‘Belong To You’
SG Lewis feat. Col3trane – ‘Smart Aleck Kill’
Showtek feat. Freetown Collective – ‘Amen’
Skrillex feat. Poo Bear – ‘Would You Ever’
Snakehips & Anne-Marie feat. Joey Bada$$ – ‘Either Way’
Stereophonics – ‘All In One Night’
The Japanese House – ‘Landslide’
Tom Speight – Rose’
Tom Zanetti feat. Karen Harding – ‘More & More’
This Week In Records: Playlist Edition
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