Hello all and a Happy New Year from all of us at The Edge! Music has taken a few weeks off before seeing in the new decade with a fantastic bunch of new releases, so This Week In Records is back to let you know what new music should be on your radar. This week we have some new records from Circa Waves and 2020 favourites Easy Life. Halsey has released the final, glorious single from her upcoming album Manic, and we have some fresh tunes from up-and-coming Celeste and indie faves Tame Impala. Here’s to a year of great music!
Circa Waves – Happy
Indie rock band are back with the first half of their fourth studio album, Sad Happy. This installment is simply Happy, with 7 new songs that pretty much live up to their name. Opening with ‘Jacqueline’, the only single that has been released from the whole project, Circa Waves set off on a journey of light-hearted indie. The lyrics and melodies are generally upbeat, with some tracks that you can’t help but dance along to.
‘Move To San Francisco’ is a great tune to dance to, but most of the rest of the songs aren’t too memorable on Happy. It’s a good indie record, but it isn’t chnaging the game and didn’t particularly blow me away on the first listen. However, I do think that the more energetic tracks are great tracks to start the year with.
I’m super intrigued to hear the second part of Sad Happy, and to hear if their is a big contrast in tone and sound. It will also be interesting to see if the two parts work together, or if they’re best enjoyed separately. Unfortunately, we won’t hear part 2 until the 13 March this year, so for now let’s just enjoy some of the bops from Happy. Foals set the bar high with ambitious two-part records last year with Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost so time will tell if Circa Waves, and other bands, can live up to this precedent.
Circa Waves’ Happy is out now via Prolifica Inc.
Easy Life – Junk Food Mixtape
Another short record in the form of Easy Life’s recent mixtape, Junk Food. By now we’ve all heard that Easy Life are the ones to watch this year, recently earning a spot as runners-up on BBC’s Sounds of 2020 list among names like Yungblud and Celeste. Junk Food fits in well with their discography of short albums/mixtapes; just 19 minutes of fantastic and unique music from one of the UK’s most hyped up-and-comers.
What strikes me most about the tracks on Junk Food is how clever they are – there’s not a filler song to be found in the collection, which is rare enough. Both the sound and the lyrics come across as consistently significant and well-thought out by the band. Throughout Junk Food they mix and match genres from alternative R&B to pop, and in doing so they have created a sound that transcends everything we thought we knew.
In a short space of time, they manage to tackle some heavy issues, from the more personal lyrics to ‘Earth’, a track that comments on climate change and how we treat the environment around us. It’s no surprise that people are taking notice of what Easy Life are up to: pay attention now, because this band could really go places this year.
Easy Life’s Junk Food Mixtape is out now via Island Records.
Halsey – ‘You should be sad’
You may by now be thinking, ‘Vicky, will you ever stop talking about Halsey?’, and the answer to that is a solid ‘no’. ‘You should be sad’ is the final single to be released before Manic drops next week, and she’s really going all out on this record. We’ve had a mixture of sounds, from ‘clementine’ to ‘Graveyard’ and ‘You should be sad’ is no exception to this track record of surprising us at every turn. This time, we’re hearing a little bit of country, more so than the twang on ‘Finally // beautiful stranger’ but still pop enough to work with her classic sound. Inspired by the legendary Carrie Underwood’s ‘Before He Cheats’, this is a really empowering song about the aftermath of heartbreak. The music video is filled with homages to musics icons, from Xtina to Shania Twain and American Horror Story era Lady Gaga. Manic is no doubt going to be one of the highlights of 2020 and I cannot wait to hear what alternative-pop we hear next from Halsey.
Halsey’s ‘You should be sad’ is out now via Capitol Records.
Celeste – ‘Stop This Flame’
We have yet another release from an artist that made the BBC Sounds of 2020 list – a new single from Celeste, who took the number one spot on the names to look out for this year. It looks like these artists are really establishing themselves as the ones to watch, putting out music early in the year and doing it well. This track begins with some jazz-infused piano and Celeste’s fantastic vocals. Lyrically, it says exactly what it should – that Celeste is going to be an unstoppable force this year that we all need to pay attention to. This empowering, feel-good number is a perfect way to start off the new music of 2020.
Celeste’s ‘Stop This Flame’ is out now via Polydor.
Tame Impala – ‘Lost In Yesterday’
Tame Impala have released a brand new single, ‘Lost In Yesterday’. The indie band have been consistently praised for their records and live performances, including a coveted spot at Glastonbury 2019. ‘Lost In Yesterday’ is a catchy little tune. Its very synthy, with a nice beat if you’re into your more chilled out tunes. This is another taste of their upcoming fourth album, which will be dropping on Valentines Day this year.
Tame Impala’s ‘Lost In Yesterday’ is out now via Island Records Australia.
Other Selected Releases
Singles
Anti-Flag – ‘The Disease’
Alicia Keys – ‘Underdog’
Future feat Drake – ‘Life is Good’
John Legend – ‘Conversations in the Dark’
Khalid – ‘Eleven’
Kodaline – ‘Wherever You Are’
Megan Thee Stallion feat Normani – ‘Diamonds’
Ozzy Osbourne feat Elton John – ”Ordinary Man’
Sia – ‘original’
Albums
David Keenan – A Beginner’s Guide to Bravery
Georgia – Seeking Thrills
Selena Gomez – Rare
This Week In Records: Playlist Edition
Need a weekly music fix of all the songs you should care about? We’ve made a super handy playlist of all of this week’s biggest releases, so just sit back and listen to the good stuff. Updated every Friday.
