BACK for another week, New Music Radar features a special rundown of tracks that have piqued our interest over the past seven days. Featuring a strong mix of homegrown talent and big names, get acquainted with some brilliant new music below.
Scarlett Randle ‘HER’
Hailing from the North East of Scotland, Scarlett Randle has wowed audiences across the country with her genre bending sound. Flowing effortlessly from minimalist folk songwriting, through jazz elements and landing at theatrical, spacey, striking pop music.
Premiered on TENEMENT TV earlier this week, ‘Her’ falls toward the spacey end of this spectrum. Like the soundtrack to a deep daydream, layers of swooning synths run through the entire track, creating a feeling that is striking yet feels homely, warm and comfortable. Married perfectly to this is the echoed sounds of intricate guitars that drift in and out of the track, as moments of instrumental cleverness. Scarlett’s voice is a perfect mirror of the layers of instrumentation, dream-pop perfection which remains poignantly honest throughout the entirety of the song. With such a powerful lyricism to this track, it’s feel and sound are the perfect accompaniment, with all elements of the song weaving within one another to create an overwhelming striking sound.
Neon Waltz ‘Friends Who Lost Control’
After enthralling us with their 2017 debut album Strange Hymns and its equally compelling follow-up EP Bring Me To Light, Neon Waltz have shifted things up a gear with this new release. Taking the dreamy psych-pop and anthemic spirit of their debut and exploring them through a more refined and visceral lens, ‘Friends Who Lost Control’ is an instantly addictive, pulse-quickening return from the outfit. Jordan Shearer’s subtly powerful vocal and thoughtful lyricism is delivered against the kind of soaring, sparkling backdrop that wouldn’t sound out of place on a War On Drugs album while producer Tarek Musa’s (formerly of Spring King) influence rings through on the propulsive and forceful rhythm section.
It’s an intriguing shift that certainly suggests an exciting new direction for the band as they head into a busy 2019, full of headline gigs, festival appearances and a support slot with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.
Honeyblood ‘Glimmer’
With her return to the forefront of the UK music scene starting to gain some serious momentum, Stina Tweeddale’s Honeyblood have debuted the second taster of third album ‘In Plain Sight.’A follow-up to last month’s electrifying single ‘The Third Degree’, new cut ‘Glimmer’ bursts with overdriven guitars and ferocious lyrics. Led by a voice that can be alluring as it can be sharp and incisive, it’s an anthem that’s hard-hitting as it is empowering.
Speaking about the track, Stina Tweeddale said: “‘Glimmer’ is a song about the wonders of women. They can be alluring and kind but also strong and badass so you better not double-cross them.”
Tame Impala ‘Patience’
After months of speculation, Aussie psych-rock titans Tame Impala are back with a brand new single called ‘Patience’. A track that arrived with just an hour’s notice in the early hours of this morning, ‘Patience’ sees the band take the sparkling psychedelic pop of Currents and expand their sonic palette even further by delving into elements of nineties house and 70s disco. Anchored by a big, vibrant piano groove, Kevin Parker sings airily over a typically dreamy soundscape to create a track that feels like a euphoric dance under a disco ball.
Yet another evolution in the musical world of Kevin Parker, there’s hints of Mark Ronson’s influence throughout, but it’s more of an indication of where Parker is as a songwriter and producer; fully comfortable in broadening his horizons and reaching further into the stars .
Sorry ‘Jealous Guy’
North London band Sorry seized our attention with the release of ‘Starstruck’ last year; a dark and seductive yet strangely off-kilter track full of jagged riffs and and menacing dual vocals. Now the band have shown that ‘Starstruck’ was no fluke with its equally compelling follow-up ‘Jealous Guy’. Written in response to John Lennon’s famous Imagine track of the same name, Sorry uncover the possessiveness and sinister undercurrents of that song incisively and eerily. A fragmented array of sounds, there’s an air of foreboding that permeates the track and its subtly enrapturing hook as the band provide a provocative contrast to the affectionate stylings of Lennon’s original.
Nilufer Yanya ‘Baby Blu’
Nilufer Yanya’s eagerly anticipated debut album Miss Universe arrived today and has not disappointed. An artist who refuses to be pigeonholed, the album touches on everything from chilled out soul to trip-hop to jazzy inflections to grunge-nodding hammer-blows. Full of intrigue and playfulness, one of its many highlights comes in the shape of ‘Baby Blue’ which features a gorgeous arrangement of reverb-drenched vocal layers and plucked guitar patterns over some underlying pulsing beats.
