TTV DISCOVER: New Music Radar 086

AFTER a hugely exciting few days for new music fans, we have been spoiled for choice for this week’s edition of New Music Radar. Featuring some of the country’s finest emerging artists alongside one of the biggest bands in the world, here’s a quick rundown below.

Joesef ‘Don’t Give In’ 

Not since Lewis Capaldi has a new Scottish artist had the surrounding industry so gripped with every new release. With only two singles available to the public, Glasgow’s Joesef has already sold out an incredible two nights at King Tut’s Summer Nights at the end of this month and his eagerly anticipated London debut arrives just shortly after that. All signs point to a very bright future ahead for the rising star and with the arrival of his third single ‘Don’t Give In’, his promising start continues. ‘Don’t Give In’ is more emotional than his previous offerings; a track that finds him laying his vulnerabilities bear to the man he loves. “You don’t know how it hurts when you say you wish you met me first” he croons over a smooth, dreamy backdrop. It’s wistful and deeply stirring all at once and a stunning addition to his already impressive repertoire.

Declan Welsh & the Decadent West ‘How Does Your Love’

On his latest track ‘How Does Your Love’, the Glaswegian poet and incendiary frontman and his electrifying band The Decadent West give a nod to those regional nightclubs that have played host to countless seminal nights-out and dancefloor embraces.

Following the blistering ‘No Fun’ which has gained support from Radio 1’s Jack Saunders, the band have emerged with yet another indie banger. Full of funky swagger and sultry lead vocals, the track explodes to a life with a surging guitar-driven chorus that finds Welsh stretching out his falsetto. Lyrically sharp and evocative as ever, it’s an ode to kisses on the dancefloor and living in the moment. It’s as if the late-night groove of AM meets the youthful bravado and incisive storytelling of ‘Whatever People Say I Am…’

D R I F T ‘Edge of Love’ 

It’s all there. The palpable uncertainty, the menagerie of nerves, the temporary feeling of weightlessness when you cast aside your inhibitions and lay your feelings bare. Over the course of 4 exhilarating minutes, Paisley’s D R I F T engender one of life’s most multi-faceted emotions on new single ‘Edge Of Love.’

Set against a fluid, mesmeric backdrop of synths and slow-burning electronica, the ambience that we’ve grown accustomed to from the duo’s material is not only present and correct but taken to a new plateau. Poignant in its execution, Linzi Clark’s soaring clarion calls are made all the more affecting by Andrew Quinn’s cloying backing vocals. Glittering and resplendent in ideas that have room to be explored even further in the future, the future is blindingly bright for this outfit and we’re excited to watch it all unfold.

Basil Panagop, Fauves ‘Topaz’ 

It’s not often that you come across an artist who has the potential to properly shake up the local music scene. Introducing Basil Panagop; the R&B infused hip hop project from 26 year old Vasili Panagopolis. Originally from Canada but based in Glasgow, the aspiring artist’s restless creative vision has grown arms and legs in recent months; so much so that his music project has developed into a full-fledged multimedia experience. With an impressive clothing line, a series of music videos and a magazine all under his stewardship, Panagop has finally unveiled his debut track to the world and it sees him team up with Glasgow funk lords Fauves. An enthralling combination if ever there was one; ‘Topaz’ is a smooth, ambient introduction to an artist who is already claiming his lane. The influence of Frank Ocean looms large in its rich production and meditative vocals but there’s shades of James Blake, Drake and others in there too. It’s a lush combination that’s resplendent in ideas and creativity and we can’t wait to see what comes next.

Current Affairs ‘Cheap Cuts’ 

Glasgow’s Current Affairs unveiled the brilliant ‘Cheap Cuts’ this week. An exciting introduction for those who are not yet acquainted, the track is a wiry slice of post-punk that boasts an earworm of a chorus. With elements of new wave and pop thrown into the mix, it may be raw and unpolished but there’s a tense, restless energy to it that’s most definitely infectious. “It demonstrates a lot about the sound we want to explore and the way we interact musically,” lead vocalist Joan says. “When we wrote it public services were facing a round of cuts, so the song is a nudge at that.”

corto.alto, Kitti ‘Better’ 

As the young Scottish jazz scene continues to gain momentum, there’s perhaps no better pairing than corto.alto and Kitti to exemplify the buzz and excitement that surrounds it. The two artists released a powerful collaboration last week by the name of ‘Better’ that is sure to be a welcome addition to new music playlists far and wide. With a stunning voice that pays heed to the soulful giants of the sixties, Kitti’s vocal is powerful and effortless in equal measure, delivered against a wonderful backdrop of neo-soul that throws caution to the wind in its fluid execution. An incredibly dynamic and unpredictable listen, it bears all the trait of the genre at its most exciting.

Declan McKenna ‘British Bombs’

Declan McKenna returned this week with ‘British Bombs’; a track that tackles war and the hidden dubious undercurrent of British arms deals. A tantalising teaser of what’s to come from the follow-up to ‘What Do You Think About the Car?’, it’s his fiercest track to date, his fiery vocal delivered against an intense and frenetic arrangement. With his signture punchy hooks still very much present and correct, the track takes the political undercurrents of his debut album and brings them right to the forefront – sharp, concise and to the point.

The 1975 ‘People’ 

When The 1975 announced that they were releasing a brand new track on Thursday night, hardly anyone would have predicted what the band were about to unleash. Debuted on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show last night ahead of their headline slots at Glasgow Summer Sessions and Reading & Leeds this weekend, the band demand that the world ‘stop f*cking with the kids’ on their latest track. It’s a bone-rattling blast of pure punk that sounds like nothing they have ever done before; a complete act of sabotage and rebellion, a rallying cry to humankind to sort their shit out. Matty Healy sounds like he’s screaming over a megaphone against an adrenaline-inducing backdrop of gnarly guitars and breakneck drums. A track that finally sees them embrace their love of cult hardcore bands, it’s the heaviest and most confrontational they’ve ever been. And for those who had their predictions of what the follow-up to ‘A Brief Enquiry into Online Relationships’ was going to be like, this surely tears them to shreds. It’s an electrifying indication of what’s to come from their next record.