Finally, we have a This Week In Records where it looks like things may be happening. Following our dry spell last week, the heavens seem to have opened, and as a result, we have an abundance of new things to get stuck into. P!nk and Avicii have returned after each of their own respective hiatus’, alongside a track from girl group Fifth Harmony and a follow-up single – ‘The Way You Used To Do’ was the band’s first sign of new music since 2013’s …Like Clockwork – from the legends that are Queens of the Stone Age. A pretty substantial one, so let’s get stuck into the things worth some words.
P!nk – ‘What About Us’
Ditching the rebellious pop punk image which made her famous, P!nk is back with new track ‘What About Us’, co-written with Snow Patrol‘s Johnny McDaid. A ballad with anthemic dance music undertones, it is certainly successful in showcasing the strength of the singer’s vocals (“What about us/ What about all the broken ever afters?”) which produces a reliable first track back after her hiatus. Along with the release of her new single, P!nk has also announced her first album in over five years. A follow up to 2012’s The Truth About Love, Beautiful Trauma is due for release on October 13th.
RAT BOY – SCUM
Singles ‘LAIDBACK’ and ‘REVOLUTION’ are the only teasers we’ve been given in the run up to RAT BOY‘s debut album, SCUM. A laidback (excuse the pun) track featuring guitar work from Blur’s Graham Coxon and a political musing similar to the likes of Jamie T, they put us in good stead for the album and now that it’s finally here, that premonition can be solidified. Across 25 songs (and skits), the singer/rapper plays the angsty disaffected youth persona brilliantly in his moanings about gentrification and Donald Trump. SCUM is definitely worth a listen if you enjoy artists like Jamie T and The Streets, as debut’s go, it bodes well for things to come.
I will further justify my point about RAT BOY’s disaffected youth persona…
Fifth Harmony – ‘Angel’
Last week saw a couple of tracks from the newly solo Camila Cabello and this week, from the girl group she was borne from, Fifth Harmony. With synthetic grunts and a good bassline, it has all the makings of a successful track; however, it’s repetitiveness – count how many times the girls utter “Angel” – causes it to fall short. Produced by Skrillex and featuring hip-hop inflected tones, ‘Angel’ is the second single released from the girls’ self-titled new album, set for release on August 25th.
Daughter – ‘Burn It Down’
With a slightly more up beat feel compared to their ‘Youth’ days, ‘Burn It Down’ is an impressive melancholic song, but with an underlying beat which erupts about midway through, to create a single reminiscent of recent releases from the likes of London Grammar. The longing so evident in Elena Tonra’s voice is unwavering and alongside the change in pace, points Daughter on the right side of the musical evolutionary scale.
Avicii – Avīci EP
Avicii has broken his year long musical hiatus to bring us a new six-track EP full of typical Avicii tracks. Teased only a few weeks prior to its release, it has some pretty noteworthy features from the likes of Rita Ora and AlunaGeorge, promising the sound which is all too comforting for fans of the Swedish DJ/Producer. Although, after his announcement of retirement from live music last year, the tracks will, unfortunately, have to be reserved for bedroom listening only.
Selected Other Releases
Albums
Bebe Rexha – All Your Fault: Pt. 2 EP
Chip – League of My Own II
dodie – You EP
Kesha – Rainbow
Milo – Who Told You To Think??!!?!?!?!
R.LUM.R – AFTERIMAGE
Skinny Living – 6 EP
Singles
Alex Adair – ‘Casual’
Akurei ft. Nico Ghost – ‘Floating’
Becky Hill – ‘Unpredictable’
Cut Copy – ‘Standing In The Middle Of The Field’
Deaf Havana – ‘Sickago’
Didirri – ‘Jude’
Ella Eyre ft. Ty Dolla $ign – ‘Ego’
Gabrielle Aplin – ‘Waking Up Slow’
Gang of Youths – ‘The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows’
Garrett Kato – ‘Take It Slowly’
Henry Jamison – ‘Sunlit Juice’
Jarreau Vandal ft. Zak Abel – ‘Make You Love Me’
Liam Gallagher – ‘For What It’s Worth’
Liv Dawson – ‘Painkiller’
Lucianblomkamp ft. Rromarin – ‘Nothing’
Manu Crook$ – ‘Scary Hours Freestyle’
Marshmello – ‘Silence’
Mina Rose – ‘Lemons and Limes’
Pale Seas – ‘Someday’
Prince Fox ft. Quinn XCII – ‘Space’
Queens of the Stone Age – ‘The Evil Has Landed’
Rejjie Snow ft. Pell – ‘Virgo’
Rhys Lewis – ‘Be Your Man’
Robbie Williams – ‘Eyes on the Highway’
Ryan Blyth ft. Scrufizzer & Rae Hall – ‘You & Me’
snny – ‘Arizona’
Stefflon Don ft. French Montana – ‘Hurtin’ Me’
Suzi Wu – ‘Taken Care Of’
The Horrors – ‘Something To Remember Me By’
The National – ‘Carin at the Liquor Store’
The Sherlocks – ‘Blue’
Third Floor – ‘Oceans’
Tori Amos – ‘Up The Creek’
Vindata ft. Skrillex & NSTASIA – ‘Favor’
Vistas – ‘Hold Me’
White Room – ‘The Blue/Tomorrow Always Knew’
WiDE AWAKE ft. Wiley – ‘Down Up’
Yellow Days – ‘Hurt in Love’
Zach Said – ‘No Love’
This Week In Records: Playlist Edition
Follow our shiny Spotify playlist and all this musical newness will be right there in time for breakfast every Friday morning.
