We’re back with a bunch of funky new tracks for you all this week! It’s certainly a week for some tunes you can have a bit of a boogie to, with new synth-pop from No Rome, The 1975, and Charli XCX, some slinky R&B from Silk Sonic, and of course the newest summer pop single from Zara Larsson. We’ve also got a new laidback soft-pop track from Maroon 5, with a guest feature from Megan Thee Stallion! Read on to get the deets on the tracks you should be listening to this week!
TUNE OF THE WEEK: No Rome ft. The 1975 and Charli XCX – ‘Spinning’
Following on from their incredible collaboration on ‘Narcissist’ way back in 2018, No Rome is back with another collaboration with The 1975, and Charli XCX this time round, for ‘Spinning’. A bright, bubblegum pop sound, ‘Spinning’ doesn’t bring anything new to the table in terms of what we’ve come to expect from these three artists, but I love it anyway. There’s a very fine line with autotune/vocoder; if it’s used deliberately for a cool spaced-out, futuristic effect, I am 100% down, and ‘Spinning’ does that perfectly. The lyrics of ‘Spinning’ have a kind of endless feel, describing a lover that keeps drifting over to greener pastures, before returning again, constantly spinning in and out of the singer’s life. Once again a collaboration between the artists of the Dirty Hit label, this song, to put it frankly, is just a good vibe, very much dance around your kitchen kind of feel. I pretty much love anything that No Rome puts out at this point, and ‘Spinning’ lives up to my expectations yet again. Overall, just a really great bubbly bright track that makes me feel like I’m in a video game!
‘Spinning’ is available to listen to now via Dirty Hit.
Silk Sonic – ‘Leave the Door Open’
The brainchild of superstars Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic is definitely a project that had a lot of hype to live up to (it’s been in the works for FOUR YEARS!). Honestly, .Paak and Mars is a collaboration that I had no idea that I needed until this point. I feel like both of these guys just kind of ooze cool like its no biggie for them. ‘Leave the Door Open’ is exactly the kind of smooth R&B you’d expect from both these artists, but expect it turned up to 200%; the song reeks of romance, riches, sultry tones and charm. It almost feels like a sister track to Mars’ tune ‘Versace on the Floor’, in both its lyric content and vibe, but with the addition of the sweet voice of .Paak. ‘Leave the Door Open’ is a homage to 70s soul clearly, with an obvious style harkening back to the likes of Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye, evoking imagery of shag carpets, conversation pits, a flickering fireplace and glittery door curtains. The influence of .Paak, however, gives the song an almost holographic vibe, with the glittering bells, synths and waved out drums, as if you’re watching a VCR of the song rather than listening to it straight up through our modern-day headphones. The best part of the song has got to be the opening verse, giving us the wit of both singers whilst still rendering them smooth and charming (brackets being Mars); ”What you doin’? (What you doin’?), Where you at? (Where you at?), Oh, you got plans? (Oh you got plans?), Don’t say that (Shut yo’ trap)”. I can’t wait to see what else Silk Sonic are going to bring to the table.
‘Leave the Door Open’ is available to listen to now via Aftermath Entertainment.
Maroon 5 ft. Megan Thee Stallion – ‘Beautiful Mistakes’
Okay so, if you know me at all, I have a complete obsession with Megan Thee Stallion, so I was coming into this song excited, to say the least. The song itself is a pretty set Maroon 5 formula, with the pop guitar simple chords, synths, some repeating riffs (‘la la la’) and a cheesy set of lyrics; ”I take a shot of broken memories”, ”Fill my nights with broken dreams”, ”She’s naked in my bed/ And now we lie awake, making beautiful mistakes”, you get the general gist. Megan’s verse is, expectedly, a banger, showing a smoother, slower side to the rapper than what we’re used to. The song is alright for a listen, but will I return to it? Probably not. It’s just way too same-y; unfortunately, yet again Maroon 5 have kind of proven that all their songs start to sound the same after a while. Once the song is over, it’s pretty forgettable.
‘Beautiful Mistakes’ is available to listen to now via Interscope Records.
Zara Larsson – ‘Need Someone’
I’ve missed Zara Larsson y’all. It’s not that she disappeared; she’s still had plenty of features and singles over the last few years, but it’s been 3 whole years since her last album! So Good defined the sound of the summer of 2017, with tracks like ‘Lush Life’ and ‘Never Forget You’, and it’s safe to say that I’m pretty sure Larsson is back to steal the summer once again with Poster Girl. ‘Need Someone’ is definitely a summer tune, using those backing chorus vocals, light bouncing beat and a catchy chorus that Larsson is now known for to a great outcome. It’s freeing, speaking of happiness in your own life, without the influence of others to boost your mood. I can tell that, once they’re finally back, this will be a defining festival track!
‘Need Someone’ is available to listen to now via Epic Records.
girl in red – ‘Serotonin’
girl in red has captured my heart before with her own signature brand of starkly honest indie-pop, and she’s done it yet again with ‘Serotonin’. Another insight into the mind of the Norweigan singer-songwriter, it feels almost angry, like Ulven (the mastermind behind the project) is mad at herself for her own wavering mental health; it’s a mindset that I’m sure many of us can relate to. With references to intrusive thoughts, overthinking, feeling unstable, and imposter syndrome, it’s the kind of emotional explosion that I really do love from girl in red. Not to mention, the bridge of the song is fantastic, with a riffing guitar, heavy synths and big drums, and even a Norweigan interlude. ‘Serotonin’ has just made me all the more excited for girl in red’s upcoming debut album, If I Could Make it Quiet.
‘Serotonin’ is available to listen to now via AWAL Recordings.
Other Selected Releases
SINGLES
Nick Jonas – ‘This is Heaven’
Justin Bieber – ‘Hold On’
AJ Tracey – ‘Anxious’
Drake – ‘What’s Next’
James Arthur – ‘Medicine’
Tom Grennan – ‘Make My Mind Up’
ALBUMS
Kings of Leon – When You See Yourself
Zara Larsson – Poster Girl
A Day to Remember – You’re Welcome
DMAs – Live at Brixton
Chase Atlantic – Beauty in Death
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.
