THIS week’s New Music Radar features a particularly eclectic bunch of hotly tipped artists from around the UK and further afield. Featuring VanIves, slowthai, Middle Kids, Black Midi, check out our rundown of this week’s best new music below.
VanIves ‘Float’
Set to take their transfixing live show to Brighton next month as part of our very own TTV Discover Tour, fast-rising duo VanIves have struck gold once again with their latest single ‘Float’. Taking their uniquely sumptuous sound to sublime new heights, ‘Float’ Stuart Ramage’s delivery has never sounded so cathartic, particularly as the song reaches its powerfully emotive conclusion. Waves of neo-soul, quirky electronics, hip-hop beats and accompanying vocals come together in stunning fashion as the duo give us yet another glimpse into their astounding potential.
JW Ridley ‘Homesick (Out The Blue)’
Crafting otherworldly and mesmerising soundscapes that are lulling and stirring in equal measure, JW Ridley has marked his return with the wonderfully serene ‘Homesick (Out of the Blue)’. Bearing similarities to The War on Drugs and the classic songwriting prowess of Bruce Springsteen, this new track sees Ridley striving for a better place over chugging rhythms and atmospheric synths. It’s cinematic, deeply evocative and boasts plenty of widescreen ambition.
Trudy & the Romance ‘Doghouse’
Trudy & the Romance struck gold on previous single ‘The Original Doo-Wop Spacemen’ and now the band have followed it up with the equally brilliant ‘Doghouse’. Steeped in the same doo-wop romance as its predecessor, it’s almost as if the band are bringing us this vintage hazy, cinematic brand of indie-pop from a past generation. Delivered with a 50s doo-wop bounce, ‘Doghouse’ is full of swooning melodies and sweet harmonies while lovelorn frontman Olly Taylor drags you away to dance the night away with that brilliantly grizzled croon.
Middle Kids ‘Real Thing’
Following the release of their debut LP last year, Middle Kids are back with news of an EP titled ‘New Songs for Old Problems’ aswell as a preview single ‘Real Thing’. Said to be about a “lifelong quest for meaning”, the track opens quite solemnly before the trio bring their forces together on a fuzzed-up, emotionally cathartic chorus. It’s a bittersweet and emphatic return from the outfit.
slowthai ‘Gorgeous’
Man of the moment slowthai has dropped a brand new single called ‘Gorgeous’. With his eagerly anticipated debut LP ‘Nothing Great About Britain’ arriving on 17th May via Method Records, ‘Gorgeous’ sees him continue his rich vein of form as he reminisces about growing up in Northampton. Rapping over a dreamy, wavey instrumental and steeped in nostalgia, the track may not be as raw and caustic as previous efforts but it’s every bit as captivating.
Black Midi ‘Crow’s Perch’
Following January’s ‘Speedway’ EP, London buzz band and Rough Trade signees have shared a compelling new single ‘Crow’s Perch’. Garnering a reputation for their indefinable and untamed approach to their music, the new track jerks from one thing to another, smashing together elements of post-punk, indie-rock, experimental jazz and math-rock to create an exhilarating thrill ride. You have no idea what’s coming next but they have your attention the whole way.
