F ingers : Escape Into The Bushes
I sent this to my inbox with no context and completely forgot how I came across it, plus they’re hard to find on Google. But going in blind, this track bleeds with an eerie atmosphere, creeping with ambient noise while cultivating a tactile calm. It’s rather lovely. I hope I find the source again soon.
Royal Headache : Another World
Another taste of Royal Headache’s second LP, which is only a few weeks away – praise Shogun. It doesn’t possess the immediacy of High, and will probably be a lot more suited within the context of the album, but even the weaker Royal Headache moments are still a shitload stronger than pretty much anything else in the Australian garage rock pantheon right now.
DeJ Loaf Feat. Big Sean : Back Up
As far as mainstream beats go, Back Up pushes things in the right direction, providing a solid platform for tidy bars from rising rapper DeJ Loaf. She carries the track, and Big Sean doesn’t entirely shit over everything with his mediocrity. Everything here is solid, the hook is only almost there in turning this into a smash, but the signs are still overwhelmingly positive.
Empress Of : Kitty Kat
The production on Kitty Kat is outright nasty, in the best way possible, sounding both mechanical and biodynamic simultaneously as it stomps along. It’s powerful, as are the lyrics, delivered with a resounding flourish by the singer/producer – an assured admonishment on the scourge of catcalling. Empress Of’s upcoming album Me is set to be a contender for one of the year’s best.
Angie : Down For The Count
There’s more than a touch of blues-rock swagger on Down For The Count, with Angie exhibiting a breathless cool as the twangy licks bound along with untamed ambition.
Kurt Vile : Pretty Pimpin
Never really stanned for Kurt Vile as hard as many seem to do, but I really love this song. The lyrical pathos here seems to embrace silliness, and Pretty Pimpin is all the more charming for it. Got the feeling that old mate can pretty much do nothing wrong, bring on the new LP. Also tipping a Laneway 2016 showing.
Andrei Eremin Feat. Kučka : Anhedoniac
I’m always here for tracks that employ elements that should ostensibly raise anxiety, but instead utilise them in ways that instil calm (Animal Collective were masters of this). Anhedoniac is peppered with a needling, rapid pulse that would be obnoxious in any other setting, but here, coupled with the dream vocal of Perth’s Kučka, everything feels like an assuring gulp of fresh air. Taken from the upcoming debut EP from Andrei Eremin, Pale Blue.
Single of the Week
Jess Ribeiro : Hurry Back To Love
There’s such an amazing depth of pastoral richness on offer in Hurry Back To Love. The urgency is palpable, almost dangerous, as Ribeiro deftly flicks the switch between lay-low verses and open-air chorus, a creeping buzz surfacing in the right measure, everything beholden to a tension-raising restraint. The abrupt close compounds the brilliance of everything that comes before.
