A showcase of some of the best new music releases from the past week.
Kanye West – ‘Waves’
A last minute addition, thanks to a plea from Chance The Rapper (who not only fought for the song, but also wrote and arranged it), ‘Waves’ sits restlessly amongst The Life of Pablo’s second half, stuck between songs about self-centredness (‘I Love Kanye’) and self-control (‘F.M.L’). The same defiance that insured its place on the album translates onto the song itself, which beams with optimism and feels undaunted by the vulnerable themes that linger amongst the rest of Pablo’s tracklist. Sure, ‘Waves’ might not be nearly as expansive as anything on My Beautfiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which saw Kanye fully realise his superpower as a pop artist, but it’s a legit single on an album that might be too much for its own good.
Tourettes – ‘No Losers @ WINZ’
“There’s no such thing as a good WINZ letter. It’s like a correspondence with the most boring people in the world who just happen to have the power to make you homeless.”
Yukon Era – ‘Her Worst Nightmare’
Perhaps a sequel of sorts to ‘Ur Worst Nightmare’ – a song about “living in auckland and going to mainz after leaving high school” – Yukon Era’s new single ‘Her Worst Nightmare’ is lifted from the band’s soon-to-be-released debut EP. It’s a little slicker than everything we’ve heard from them before, but thankfully their sound remains charmingly rough around the edges. If you’re not familiar with the Auckland teens, catch up here.
Fortunes – Jacket EP
Fortunes, the nuanced electro/R&B NZ duo based out of Melbourne, talked to us last year about the songs that help to shape the music they make. This week they released their new five-song Jacket EP. We recommend you start with ‘Angel’.
LVJ – Pizzaboy
A few months on since the release of The Shaka Tape, Auckland’s LVJ aka Zeus Dupree has just dropped his latest bedroom raps on the world in the form of a new EP, Pizzaboy. The five-song effort also marks his impending tour, which begins this weekend. Plus there’s also a song called ‘Ode To Fuckboy’, which ought to at least pique your interest a little, right?
Raiza Biza – ‘A Hundred Grand (Demo)’
‘A Hundred Grand’ was produced by Jono Das who, when we featured him in our Introducing series, described himself as “Herbie Hancock meets Pete Rock meets David Tua”. The song samples Brian Bennett’s space-funk nugget ‘Solstice’, but really this one is all about Raiza. By the time the song culminates in a freestyle, it feels like he’s just getting warmed up. Let it ride out.