This week might have been a bit on the quiet side for new music, but there’s still been some banging tunes released. Here are my thoughts on this week’s newest tracks.
TUNE OF THE WEEK: Bring Me The Horizon ft. YUNGBLUD – ‘Obey’
Before I get into this, you’ve got to know that I’ve got absolutely no nostalgic sentiment or connection to Bring Me The Horizon whatsoever. I was a My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Paramore emo back in the day rather than a Bring Me The Horizon (BMTH), Pierce the Veil and Black Veil Brides emo. This very well earned title of tune of the week for Bring Me The Horizon (and YUNGBLUD, of course) was achieved on the greatness of the track alone, which to be honest is an absolute banger.
‘Obey’ is an intense, fast, and angry song, fitting in perfectly with YUNGBLUD’s and BMTH’s other work. With heavy banging drums and fuming guitar throughout, ‘Obey’ is just such a good headbanger of a track. The track is FURIOUS, dripping with anger and frustration, with YUNGBLUD lamenting about ”Another day another systematic nightmare” before screaming out ”Destroy yourself it feels so good to fade away” as the chorus kicks in of both voices shouting ”Obey, we hope you had a lovely day”. YUNGBLUD and BMTH are a match made in heaven, honestly; Oli Sykes and YUNGBLUD’s voices work perfectly together. Singing of corruption and injustice, and a classic quiet bridge that has you just giddy with excitement for the heavy instruments to slam back in; ‘Obey’ is definitely a song that I’d kill to see live, and for that reason, it’s easily stolen the title of tune of the week.
‘Obey’ is available to listen to now via Sony Music UK.
Declan McKenna – Zeros
Declan McKenna, the quote-on-quote ‘deep thinker of indie-rock’, is back with his latest album, Zeros. And darn was it worth the wait. Full of banger after banger, the concept album follows the story of Daniel, an outlet of sorts for McKenna’s own thoughts on being lost in an everchanging and ever-evolving world.
With his typical inclusion of social commentary on socioeconomic issues, philosophical references and addictive, lilting delivery, McKenna has once again knocked it out of the park. A 10-track non-stop piece, the LP flows beautifully (especially from the first to second tracks), with elements of piano ballads, heavy indie rock, and crowd pleasing headbangers. Personal favourites of the LP for me include ‘Be An Astronaut’, an epic, orchestral tune reminscent of Bowie; ‘You Better Believe!!!’, the cracking high intensity opener of the album; and ‘Sagittarius A*’, a love letter of sorts to a world that, in McKenna’s eyes, is long past saving. If you haven’t listened to Zeros yet, you’re seriously missing out.
Zeros is available to listen to now via Sony Music UK. Check out ‘The Key to Life on Earth’ down below.
AJR – ‘Bummerland’
I’m pretty sure that AJR just don’t really have any bad songs at this point. Their newest track, ‘Bummerland’, is no exception. With their signature backing choruses, personal lyrics, orchestral elements and synth moments, ‘Bummerland’ is AJR through and through. Following a theme of a lost summer (the feeling all of us definitely have with COVID), arguing that ”Bummerland ain’t no fun-erland” (not the most creative rhyme in the world but we’ll let them have this one), ‘Bummerland’ might not be AJR’s best, but it’s another great track from the band.
The curious thing about ‘Bummerland’ is that, unlike the other songs we’ve seen recorded and released in quarantine, it’s production process was no different than that of any other AJR song. More or less all of AJR’s music is created and recorded in their living room (with their debut album aptly being called Living Room as a homage to their makeshift home studio), and yet is still of massively high production quality. ‘Bummerland’ is just another example of the band’s prowess both in recording and creating music, and in the production process that follows.
‘Bummerland’ is available to listen to now via Black Butter.
SZA. ft Ty Dolla $ign – ‘Hit Different’
It’s safe to say at this point that I’m pretty much in love with SZA. Her voice is, in a word, angelic. Following the release of her amazing first album, Ctrl, back in 2017, the RnB singer has been steadily releasing music over the last few years, all of which with her signature airy, dreamy voice and lyrics which focus on sexuality, nostalgia, and loss; with both elements combining to make every listen feel as if you’re being lifted off the ground on a cloud. ‘Hit Different’ is, unsurprisingly, no different. With a laidback, synth fanciful beat leading the song, and the sickly sweet harmonies of Ty Dolla $ign and SZA paired beautifully together, it slots into SZA’s discography perfectly, and makes me even more excited for her next era.
‘Hit Different’ is available to listen to now via Top Dawg Entertainment.
Chloe x Halle ft. Doja Cat, City Girls and Mulatto – ‘Do It [Remix]’
Chloe x Halle have teamed up with a supergroup of uber talented women of colour for a remix of their track, ‘Do It’. You might recognise the original from the catchy chorus (”o-o that’s just what I do-do-do, and that’s just how we do it”), and the addition of these extra acts on the remix just turns the dance-ability of the song up to eleven. With a sick beat that is just irresistable to shimmy to, and accompanying killer rap tracks from Mulatto, Doja Cat and City Girls (with the latter’s part being my personal favourite), this remix is certainly one that deserves a prime spot in your groove playlist.
‘Do It [Remix]’ is available to listen to now via Parkwood Entertainment LLC.
Other Selected Releases
Singles
FINNEAS – ‘What They’ll Say About Us’
McFly ft. Mark Hoppus – ‘Growing Up’
The Rolling Stones – ‘All The Rage’
Paloma Faith – ‘Better Than This’
Fickle Friends – ‘What a Time’
I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME – ‘Leave Me Alone’
Albums
The Rolling Stones – Goats Head Soup
Big Sean – Detroit 2
Black Sabbath – Montreaux 1970 and the Lost Sessions
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 Sunday.
