This week’s New Music Friday features tunes from Fred again.. & Obongjayar, Jungle, Olivia Rodrigo as well as Neil Young and many more.
Fred again.. & Obongjayar – adore u
Fresh off his album Actual Life 3 being nominated for the 2023 Mercury Prize, Fred again.. has released a new song, having teamed up with Obongjayar on the single, ‘adore u’. It samples lyrics from Obongjayar album Some Nights I Dream Of Doors.
Jungle – Candle Flame ft. Erick the Architect
Speaking to whynow ahead of their fourth album Volcano, Jungle – the London duo consisting of J Lloyd and Tom McFarland – described the project as “a real escape for us – and it can be the same for everyone else.” Candle Flame ft. Erick the Architect is a stand-out on a really impressive record. “We’re enjoying it more, not taking it or ourselves too seriously,” they continued. “If we were still worrying about what other people thought about us, I think you’re playing a losing game there slightly.”Olivia Rodrigo – Bad Idea Right
There don’t seem to be young popstars reaching absolute stratospheric success in their late teens and early 20s anymore. Not like they used to, at least, exploding with a single and an album that becomes inescapable. Olivia Rodrigo is the exception to that. She’s back again this week with ‘Bad Idea Right’, after ‘Vampire’ last month. Everything she releases goes massive. This will too.James Bay – Goodbye Never Felt So Bad
With his first music since 2022’s album Leap, James Bay is back today with Goodbye Never Felt So Bad. It’s about as sad as it sounds, but with a real energy and Bay’s famously tender vocals.Fredo – Quarter Past 3
Unfinished Business, Fredo’s fourth album, is out today. Dark, introspective but unwavering in Fredo’s conclusions, it’s not a classic late-summer release, but another strong effort from the London MC.Neil Young – Sedan Delivery
Neil Young is back with Chrome Dreams. The album itself is not technically new, made some five decades ago, but it feels incredibly current. Offering fans of new iterations of old classics, ‘Sedan Delivery’ is one of my favourites.Metric – Nothing Is Perfect
The second single ahead of their new album Formentera II (out 13 October), ‘Nothing Is Perfect’ is the latest tune from the seminal Canadian indie band. The ‘Nothing’ in the title is more on theme for this song, as the word is chanted repeatedly as the tune fades out.Digga D & Potter Payper – Facade
Drill star Digga D has teamed up with lyricist Potter Payper on ‘Facade’. Payper is, himself, just a couple of months on from the release of his debut album. In a five-star review for whynow, Fred Garratt-Stanley praised the rapper’s ‘‘evocative, polished storytelling”.Miguel ft. Lil Yachty – Number 9
According to Miguel, this hypnotic song is “about end the old, starting new, and the cylindrical nature of change.” He has enlisted Lil Yachty to execute an ambitious vision, after Yachty’s own boundary-pushing last album, Let’s Start Here.
