Yungblud – I Cry 2
Yungblud’s new album, out today, is self-titled for a reason. Open and vulnerable yet still finding a way to be cohesive, it’s a commendable record, with ‘I Cry 2’ doing a good job to sum up its overall sound and themes. (Well, ‘Funeral’ perhaps does that best and the Willow-featuring ‘Memories’ is perhaps the best track – but, you know, it’s strictly new music here).
Molly Payton – Do It All the Same
New Zealand-raised, London-based singer-songwriter drops ‘Do It All the Same’, which manages to be equally tender and powerful in a sweeping three-and-a-half minutes. It arrives with two other treasure troves from Payton: a poised video for said track, and the announcent of her new EP, Compromise, out on 28 October.
Mount Kimbie (featuring Dom Maker, slowthai, Danny Brown) – in your eyes
Danny Brown and slowthai rapping over a typically intricate Mount Kimbie track? What more could you ask for. The duo have been pivotal figures in London’s underground electronic scene, and you can hear why on this track, which is part-poetry, part-hard-hitting bars over their delicate piano-based beat.
Jackie Hayes – Wish It Was
Hailing from Chicago, Jackie Hayes has also dropped her single with news of a wider project to come: her debut album, Over & Over, out on 21 October. ‘Wish It Was’ is, Hayes has said, about the dual “feeling of wanting to hide and not be perceived yet still wanting to create and show that to the world.” By the sounds of it, showing it that to the world is exactly what we’d want from her.
Luke Sital-Singh – Wiser Too
Off his new album, Dressing Like A Stranger, also out today, ‘Wiser Too’ is a wistful, whispery number, embracing a sorrow that arguably comes with growing a bit older and, maybe, a bit wiser too. Written and recorded in California, Dressing Like A Stranger, has been drip-fed to us single at a time since the end of last year, and it now makes for a lovely listen from start to finish.
Loria Boban – Lost & Found
Mmmmm, what a voice – a perfect match to the change of seasons as we head into the more melancholic months. ‘Lost & Found’ is all about waiting for love in the digital age, where everything and everyone seems so connected, but nothing truly is, as hurt but faithful people wait for the right person to come along. We might, on the whole, have lost our romantic ways, but at least we have such tracks to console us.
Dodie – Hot Mess
The titular track from Dodie’s EP due at the end of the month, ‘Hot Mess’ is, according to the singer, “the result of the messiest, most intense, painful and exhilarating start to the year. It’s a wonky, dramatic but playful cycle – charging forward but around and around, again and again.” With her debut album last year charting at number 3 in the UK charts and based on this latest release, we can expect more hushed tunes that unpack some of life’s complexities.
Beckah Amani – Waiting On You
Born in Tanzania, raised in Australia, Beckah Amani has spent her life in search of her identity, and ‘Waiting On You’ offers a tapestry of sounds, including Burundian drumming. It comes ahead of her forthcoming EP, APRIL, which is out on 21 October (not, confusingly, April).
cktrl – yield
Elegant and meditative, ‘yield’ is another title track from a forthcoming EP on this list, this time from Lewisham multi-instrumentalist cktrl. “This song gave me the basis of the project. It was the starting point of everything I wanted to explore. The process was more about listening than creating, as I had to find a grounding in order to know what I needed to strip away as the layers are what make the song emphasise a feeling,” he’s said about the project.
Two Door Cinema Club – Millionaire
It might not hit the heights of their brilliant debut record, Tourist, but as its title suggests, Two Door Cinema Club’s latest album still gives a good few reasons to be happy. A more dance-oriented album, ‘Millionaire’ captures that shimmering spirit. It’s also a great track to listen to amidst a cost-of-living crisis, as you imagine dancing away your money troubles.
