AS the temperatures gradually begin to rise beyond the levels of the intolerable and seemingly endless winter, we simultaneously reach the juncture where the musical landscape for the year ahead begins to take shape. Whether it’s wide-eyed upstarts that are bursting at the seams to get their music into the pantheon of ‘ones to watch’ lists or prolific veterans with the ability to entice their faultlessly loyal fanbases ahead of a new album’s release, here’s the latest batch of tracks to have sent our imaginations running rampant over the past week.
Rascalton- Police
One of their most strident and joyfully unsavoury offerings yet, Glasgow’s Rascalton have provided an ill-intentioned ode to frivolous youth on ‘Police.’ Built around a volatile barrages of punk rock that ups the ante and unrest at the heart of their sound, their newest offering is sure to resonate with anyone that’s ever found themselves disenchanted with an endless cycle of alcohol-fuelled carnage and the resultant self-loathing that’s sure to follow.
Check out the track here.
Vistas- Calm
Set to embark upon a Scottish headline tour in May, Vistas are back with an exuberant pop gem in the form of ‘Calm.’ Wholly indicative of their ability to produce vibrant pop that registers as technicolour among the drab and painfully debonair, ‘Calm’ is a wistful love song that seems predestined to be played from festival stages and take pride of place in your summer-oriented playlists.
LaKyoto- Heart Beats Loud
It has been nearly twelve months since Edinburgh outfit LaKyoto announced their arrival with the hard-edged, emphatic sounds of debut single ‘Runaway’. Since then, they have maintained a tangible buzz thanks to a series of captivating live shows, support slots and festival appearances; displaying heaps of potential and voracious ambition in every carefully planned move to date.
Ready to make their mark on 2018 once and for all, the outfit have re-emerged from the confines of the studio with a massive new single called ‘Heart Beats Loud’; a track we’re delighted to premiere here on TTV.
Opening in rather understated fashion before building up to one of their signature upbeat, instantly addictive choruses, ‘Heart Beats Loud’ is more emotionally cathartic than its predecessor; built on crushing synths, crisp beats and stunning lead vocals from frontman Conor Joss. His voice seizes your attention from the outset; laced with emotion on the verses, he then climbs to euphoric highs as the track progresses with his unreachable falsetto. A tale of lovelorn sacrifice and compassion told through pounding, soaring synth-pop, ‘Heart Beats Loud’ ultimately shines a light of hope through the darkness.
Marrying the pulsing atmospherics of eighties synth-pop with a vibrant punch in the same vein as fellow Scots outfit CHVRCHES, the Edinburgh outfit are gradually constructing the kind of bold, self-assured aesthetic that will serve them well in the future.
Sobriety- Ronnie’s Song
The product of a shared affinity for infusing exuberantly poppy melodies with the more austere and melancholic, Sobriety have authoratively heralded their arrival with ‘Ronnie’s Song.’
After building up a head of steam amid Glasgow’s thriving alt-rock scene as intriguing outliers that would intermittently rear their heads before retreating back into the shadows once more, the four piece have now dispensed with the elusiveness and provided a document of what’s to come with their foreboding debut single. Produced by Gianluca Bernacchi of The Vegan Leather, the juxtaposition between their knack for jarringly catchy hooks and the easily detected proclivity for the more lurid sounds of post punk that reside at the nucleus of the band is on full display over the course of what is a gripping two and a half minutes.
An ode to an enigmatic love interest whose self-destructive tendencies are viewed as more of a desirable trait than a deterrent, ‘Ronnie’s Song’ is rendered in a spaceous and minimalistic style that recalls the brooding sonics of Turn On The Bright Lights era Interpol. A daring introduction that displays their unwillingness to pander to the pervading trends of the day, there is a wealth of potential on display teamed with a commitment to doing things by their own credo that goes beyond just being contrarians for the sake of it.
Courtney Barnett- Need A Little Time
Following on from the socio-political fury of ‘Nameless, Faceless’, Australian singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett has further previewed her upcoming new record ‘Need A Little Time.’
Accompanied by a new video which charts the Milk! Records founder’s journey through the annals of space and time, the track is rendered in the charming, affable and at times bitingly introspective sound and sees Barnett pining to escape from all of society as she sings ‘I need a little time-out from me and you.’ With a busy festival schedule ahead of her, anticipation for her upcoming record continues to rise with each excerpt that we receive.
Let’s Eat Grandma- Falling Into Me
After thoroughly reasserting themselves on the warped pop maelstrom of ‘Hot Pink’, Let’s Eat Grandma have provided all of the details of their forthcoming sopohomore album alongside the stunning ‘Falling Into Me.’ Unrestrained pop that secretes creativity from every deft shift and reshape along the way, their latest offering sees them explore the tentative stages of a relationship and the war that is waged between your inhibitions and the urge to succumb to what’s unknowingly brewing in your heart.
Flatbush Zombies- U&I
The latest metamorphosis of one of hip-hop’s most resolutely independent and unorthodox groups, Flatbush Zombies have continued to expand their sonic palette with the reflective ‘U&I.’ A poignant examination of the trials and tribulations of their upbringing and the reverberations that are felt in their lives to this day, the minimalistic, gospel-infused beat is the perfect accompaniment for their soul-baring confessions. Although it’s phenomenal from start to finish, there’s no denying that the heartaching and gravelly proclamations of Meechy Darko are its zenith and registers as one of the finest verses of the year thus far.
Check out our monthly New Music Radar playlist below.
