A revolving cast of contributors showcase some of the best new music releases from the past week.
Street Chant – ‘Never’
A new album by Street Chant has been a teased treat for quite some time now. After Means in 2010, and then a handful of great tracks a few years back, new Street Chant has been one of those ‘any day now’ albums à la SWISH and Boys Don’t Cry. Emily Littler has identified writer’s block as the demon behind delay, and consequently new track ‘Never’ is the rehashing of an ancient live staple from the band.
It’s surprising to believe that this is an older track though. Most notable is the pace, which is slower and greatly dictated by the new drumming personality at the back. In the time between 2010 and now, Street Chant found a new drummer: the product being a slow stomping cry on the snare drum. While the band have always delighted fans with a hectic speediness, pleasure is not lost as this newfound sturdiness allows for Littler’s lyrics to wander centre-stage. The words in turn fit in comfortably with the hazy guitar work surrounding it.
The control heard on ‘Never’ denies the need for any energetic burst and thus the surge at the end surprises. But it’s far from unwanted, and rather it gives the track a distinguishing hallmark. Its use best personifies the marriage of cool punk fun and New Zealand deadpan that makes Street Chant so important.
This is a fantastic track and although Street Chant are actually in fact releasing an album next year, the determination on ‘Never’ would have had me guessing anyway that this time was the real deal for a second album. – Alex Lyall
Lontalius – ‘Kick in the Head’
Given how long Eddie Johnston has been releasing music for it’s easy to forget how relatively young he still is (18, for those who care). Though his talent was obvious from the start, it’s his determination that’s admirable. He knows what he wants and where he wants to be - and he’s taken the time to develop the skills to get himself there.
New single ‘Kick in the Head’ showcases just how far Eddie’s production and songwriting skills have come in the intervening years. What started as a very, very lo-fi demo – all scuzzy guitars and barely audible vocals - has now resurfaced as an official single. The reworked version makes your heartbeat quicken with a barely audible “Oof!” and is emotive as Lontalius does best.
“Stand for us, or run from us”, he mumbles over a swelling cello line. The addition of strings is new territory for the musician, and heightens the subtle textural qualities of the song.
With the strength of ‘Kick in the Head’ and previous single ‘All I Wanna Say’, Lontalius’s debut album is easily one of the most anticipated local releases for 2016. Head along to Auckland’s Laneway Festival for a preview of what’s to come. – Ellen Falconer
A Girl Named Mo – ‘Who They Say You Are’
‘Who They Say You Are’ is the new single from Wellington-based R&B group A Girl Called Mo, who are led by the glorious Moana Ete. She has a stunning voice that gets under your skin - it’s kind of prickly in its sweetness but it’s etched with wonderful confidence and shyness.
The simple backing provides a good resting place for her vocals. Rhythm section Slade Butler and Marcus Gurtner weave together electronica and soulful sounds into a complimentary warm blend which is tightly produced.
Beginning the track with quivering vocals and mild percussion, the piece slowly builds in pace to showcase Ete’s unique voice which explores different notes and styles with fun and curiosity. The rapping piece over the top at first glance feels a little jarring, but when the backing vocals smooth the sharp change, they become an interesting part of this confident and polished track.
The finished effect is a refined piece of refreshing music which welcomes new listeners and hints at their upcoming album's style. - Elizabeth Beattie
Glassjaw - ‘New White Extremity’
‘New White Extremity’ by Glassjaw is the band’s first single from their upcoming LP, 13 years in the making. You would be forgiven if you thought Glassjaw had broken up long ago, but it’s certainly not the case. Vocalist Daryl Palumbo had directed his attention towards his side project Head Automatica for a time - but ultimately a Glassjaw hiatus ensued as he battled with Crohn’s disease. During the 13 years since their last LP release however, Glassjaw have released 3 EPs.
In typical fashion, ‘New White Extremity’ features violent guitar leads and impassioned vocals with soaring vocal melodies almost Coheed and Cambria-like. The Long Island natives draw from their scene’s roots and revive a sound that fans from the early 2000s – and new comers alike - will love. Ironically, vocalist Daryl Palumbo recently slammed LP cycles to Kerrang: “People are so hung up on us not having a full-length out that they're overlooking the fact that record labels are becoming increasingly irrelevant, that full-length records are becoming irrelevant and the whole album/tour cycle is pretty irrelevant."
Regardless of this, it’s an exciting moment for such an influential band like Glassjaw. If you love them, you’ll rejoice. If you don’t know them? Well you do you now. – Joshua Thomas
Sleigh Bells – ‘Champions of Unrestricted Beauty’
Sleigh Bells have long fallen into the vague category of noise-pop, layering Alexis Krauss’ clean bubblegum vocals over catchy melodies and then distorting both with aggressive guitars and edgy sound production. Released ahead of their follow up to 2013’s Bitter Rivals, ‘Champions of Unrestricted Beauty’ marks a deviation from this formula.
Significantly smoother, sleeker and subtler than their previous offerings, the most striking element of the track is an omission: the guitar heavy sound that has served as Sleigh Bell’s signature is absent here, and the effect is less noise and more pop, a departure that will no doubt divide fans.
‘Champions of Unrestricted Beauty’ serves as a kind of motivational pep talk and, while not particularly hard edged, thankfully veers just to the left of Katy Perry-esque blandness with some imaginatively nuanced phrasing: “You’re grinding inside / in pain / but the sparks are bright”. With the benefit of a less cluttered soundscape, Krauss’ voice is at its best and the overall sense of restraint is to the tracks credit.
Whether a change for the poppier is what listeners were hoping for or not, the track suggests renewed direction and growth for a band that has remained ostensibly dormant for around two years. Clearly impatient to showcase new material and with their Demi Lovato beef still fresh, Sleigh Bells finally seem ready to be the comeback kids. – Katie Parker
What's your song of the week? Tell us about it in the comments section.