Exams are finally over, you need a break, so what better way to unwind than by exploring the best music the past week has to offer? New for us this morning are the second album from Edge List of 2015 pick Rae Morris, a new single from one of our picks for 2018 in Pale Waves’ ‘The Tide’, an eclectic first single in two years from the fantastic Chvrches, as well as Justin Timberlake’s divisive latest LP. Beyond that, there’s a mountain of new music to get dug into, but let’s stop rambling and just get stuck in shall we?
Rae Morris – Someone Out There
What do you get when you cross your typical pop artist with someone who isn’t afraid to be strange or awkward? The answer would definitely be Rae Morris. The singer/songwriter – and pick for one of our most exciting new artists three years go – has been solidly releasing singles (including fantastic weekend anthem ‘Atletico’) in the run up to Someone Out There, her follow-up to 2015’s Unguarded. If those singles are anything to go by, expect some serious dance-pop vibes ripe for those Friday nights when you just want to switch off and party in tracks like ‘Reborn’, as well as more chilled-out relaxing tunes for mellow Sunday afternoons such as ‘Push Me To My Limit’ and ‘Lower The Tone’. It’s certainly clear that the songstress has retained the impressive flair to her work that made her so exciting in the first place, and that makes Someone Out There an album well worth placing at the top of your playlists this week.
Pale Waves – ‘The Tide’
Band of the moment and feature on The Edge‘s List of 2018, Pale Waves have released the next single from their forthcoming EP, All These Things I’ve Never Said. Sporting their typical sound, ‘The Tide’ is another great track for the band to add to their increasing discography. Considering they didn’t even have an official single to their name this time last year, the band have truly burst onto the music scene in the past eight months, releasing single after single under the guidance of The 1975‘s Matty Healy. ‘The Tide’ encapsulates teenageness at its finest (“You look so cool/standing there/With your baggy jeans/And silky hair”), with its electropop sound reverberating throughout, it would fit snugly on any of my teenage Spotify playlists. 2018 is set to be a big year for Pale Waves, with lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie openly expressing that “a number one album has to happen this year”. Only time will tell but it’s certainly looking like a good year for the Mancunians.
Chvrches – ‘Get Out’
Returning with their first new single in two years, Scottish trio Chvrches have brought us ‘Get Out’, the first track which is set to mark a change in the band’s trademark sound. Lauren Mayberry‘s iconic vocals remain, but with less seamlessness than seen in previous tracks like ‘Gun’ and ‘Lies’, and with an edge unlike anything heard in the past. Along with this latest single, comes the announcement of an unnamed third studio album, which Mayberry has described as “the most pop stuff we’ve done and also the most aggressive and vulnerable”. Time will certainly tell as to whether this proclamation will come true, but it’s great to see these guys back with some new material.
Justin Timberlake – Man Of The Woods
I think it’s safe to say that Justin Timberlake turned some heads when he released ‘Filthy’, his first single in two years, at the start of January – and not for all the right reasons. His take on the EDM side of today’s pop was certainly interesting to say the least, and although it attracted some praise, its unorthodox sound caught many by surprise, turning some away from the former *NSYNC frontman and creating controversy around his fifth studio album before it had even released. So now that Man of the Woods is finally out? Well it’s somewhat better than ‘Filthy’ would lead you to believe; don’t expect too much more of that kind of song, but don’t expect much of what you know of Timberlake either. Inspired partly by his Tennessee roots and partly by the birth of his son Silas in 2015, Man of the Woods incorporates a range of new instruments from harmonica to fiddle into Timberlake’s signature R&B grooves, to varying effect. ‘Filthy’, of course, is something, but ‘Say Something’ and ‘Morning Light’ are really quite delightful. It may not be his best work, but with tracks inspired by Nashville rock, his traditional beat-minded R&B, neo-soul and even a hint of folk, there’s no question that it’s his most kaleidoscopic.
Selected Other Releases
Albums
AWOLNATION – Here Come The Runts
Don Broco – Technology
Hookworms – Micro Shift
Rejjie Snow – Dear Annie: Part 2
Rhye – Blood
Singles
Busta Rhymes ft. Missy Elliott & Kelly Rowland – ‘Get It’
CLOVES – ‘Bringing The House Down’
courtship. – ‘Bad Fun’
Frank Turner – ‘1933’
Icarus – ‘Love Has Come Around’
Insecure Men – ‘I Don’t Wanna Dance’
Jennifer Lopez – ‘Us’
Kojo Funds with RAYE – ‘Check’
Lykke Li – ‘Time In A Bottle’
Millie Turner – ‘The Shadow’
Pat Lok ft. Sam Fischer – ‘Might Be on Fire’
Soccer Mommy – ‘Cool’
The fin. – ‘Snow – again’
Tove Styrke – ‘Changed My Mind’
Vance Joy – ‘Saturday Sun’
