A revolving cast of contributors from the Music 101 and Wireless teams showcase some of the best new music releases from the past week.
Rihanna's 'BBHMM'. Photo: Unknown
Rihanna - 'Bitch Better Have My Money'
Is there any other pop artist who has managed to stay as relevant over the course of eight albums as Rihanna? RiRi and her team have such a solid understanding of what makes brand “Rihanna” that the Barbadian singer has never had to have a comeback album. Not an easy feat when paparazzi are on hand to capture every blunder, ready to feed the internet trolls.
‘Bitch Better Have My Money’ is the latest single from her as-yet-untitled new album, and it serves as a sequel of sorts to Unapologetic’s ‘Pour It Up’. Co-produced by Deputy, Kanye West, Wondagurl and Travi$ Scott, it’s all trap beats and machismo, with gunshots punctuating her point as she sneers over the track. She sounds as confident and commanding as ever. – Ellen Falconer
Jamie xx - 'Loud Places' (ft. Romy)
Featuring the vocals of childhood friend and xx bandmate Romy Madley Croft, the power of the song comes as much from her almost whispered verses as it does from the stirring chorus: “I have never reached such heights, I feel music in your heights”.
The sample is lifted from an Idris Muhammad disco track from the ‘70s and the accompanying video for ‘Loud Places’ features Romy and Jamie skateboarding through tungsten-lit London streets. I can’t imagine a better place to listen to the song. – Ellen Falconer
Superheaven - 'I've Been Bored'
Ahead of their sophomore album release Ours Is Chrome, which is due out this May, Pensylvania rock/grunge outfit Superheaven (formerly known as Daylight) have just released their new single 'I’ve Been Bored'.
The track isn’t a new or adventurous direction for the band, but it does show a refinement in their sound that they developed from their previous album Jar. Slow fuzzy progressions and melancholic and melodic droning vocals signal a move towards sounds more comparable to fellow Philadelphia band Nothing and ex label-mates Whirr.
While this slow jam track won’t have you building up a sweat, you’ll find yourself singing or humming along on those long drives alone down Desert Road, which you’ll inevitably feel the need to do after listening to this track. - Joshua Thomas
Hudson Mohawke - 'Very First Breath' (ft. Irfane)
If you were in to HudMo before TNGHT then ‘Very First Breath’ will come as no surprise. It uses all the same crayons Birchard has become famous for; woody snares, grainy video game chords and bombastic synth horns. The whole thing then gets a tidy verse-chorus treatment from French singer, Irfane.
While he’s has ridden the crest of maximalist production to its current peak, ‘Very First Breath’ retraces his roots to vocal driven R&B cuts rather than floor-shaking trap. It’s nice to see that with the world’s club DJs waiting on the next banger, Birchard has opted to remind us all that bigger isn’t always better. – Ben Leonard
Daphne and Celeste – 'You and I Alone'
Looking back, Daphne and Celeste’s output during 1999-2000 was a heady slice of life for pre-9/11 optimism. The tween duo was so indestructibly positive that even a bottling at the 2000 Reading Festival – including the hurling of a wheelchair – was like water to happy gremlins.
On paper it would seem difficult to render a graceful iteration of Daphne and Celeste in our cynical age of Vice. But 'You and I Alone' runs the gauntlet, thanks to an unlikely catalyst, Ben Jacobs aka Max Tundra.
Jacobs’ lyrics nicely echo their cheeky youth, and he moulds their naturally saccharine voices into neon harmonies that sit well above analogue synths and found sounds. This fun-yet-mature vibe is similar to that of Max Tundra’s label-mates, The Dirty Projectors; added with an amusing woodenness that harks back to Perrey and Kingsley’s 1966 LP, The In Sound from Way Out.
This is one of pop’s eureka moments that doesn’t appear often. I bet we’ll be witnessing them perform live on NPR’s Tiny Desk in no time. - Sophie Wilson
Honourable mentions
Sarah Mary Chadwick - 9 Classic Tracks
Toro Y Moi - 'Run Baby Run'
QT - 'Hey QT' (Diplo Remix)
T-Pain - The Iron Way
Did we miss something? Tell us about it in the comments section.