This week’s Grammy announcements confirmed many nominations we were expecting, and gave us a solid review of the last year in music. Time will tell if Beyoncé will finally clear that Album of the Year hurdle, and if she doesn’t we’re confident Kanye West will have something to say about it. In the meantime there’s a ton of new freshness making their bid for 2018’s Grammys. J. Cole rose to the occasion with his follow up to 2014 Forest Hill Drive, G Eazy lays down threats via Vengeance On My Mind, Krewella has got a whole squad behind her on Team, and DJ Fresh and Diplo are going out with a Bang Bang.
A heaping helping of new songs and feels awaits you every week; head over to New Music Friday on Spotify and catch up. Was 2016 too screwed up for you to keep up with new music? Say no more fam, we’re got you covered (for the last six months at least) on New Music Friday All Stars.
10. Are You Lost In The World Like Me? by Moby, The Void
When this track was first released earlier in the year in September, it made a big splash with the message that its black and white music video carried, portraying mankind as mindless drones sunken into their smartphones. And while the irony of promoting this stance from an outlet only accessible online doesn’t escape us, it’s worth a refresher course as we take a look back at the end of the year. It’s a song of both introspection and accelerated pace, making it a perfect fit to consciously wake you up in today’s pace that humanity carries on at.
9. Faust Road by Allan Rayman
“International man of mystery” is how most music bloggers and fans alike would describe Allan Rayman, having made an impression with his releases for the last two years, but without revealing much about his personal life or who he is. Faust Road is racked with riddles, a two minute bender, describing himself as a “wolf out on a road” and then lamenting about the love he left at home alone. Don’t travel down Faust road looking for answers about Rayman (if anything you’ll feel more discombobulated) but you’ll love the journey all the same.
8. Rockabye by Clean Bandit (Feat. Sean-Paul & Anne-Marie)
There’s a certain style of song that finds its way onto new music Friday lists, its a production and percussion heavy sound, that when humans pull out the time capsule from 2012-? they will find it is the “general” sound indicative of the time. All this said, it’s hard to find a track of this genre style to really stick out, UNTIL you get to Rockabye. Clean Bandit meshed up the sound of Anne-Marie with the accruements of Sean-Paul and knocked it out the park. With a slew of remixes just released, the End of the World remix stands out and gives this track an indefinite extension on its shelf life.
7. On Holiday by Saintseneca
With countless get-togethers and shopping lists to be tackled coupled with cold weather, it takes no big stretch of the imagination that many would prefer ‘on holiday’ to ‘holiday season.’ This folksy indie band from Ohio has got you covered on both ends of the spectrum with their latest EP Mallwalker. As the band describes it: “tis a collection of our weird Xmas songs + a new one.” So while you’re dreaming of a warmer less stress-y place, you can you get your seasons greetings fill as well. A band that truly knows how to give.
6. Ocean Aways by A R I Z O N A
Parting is such sweet sorrow, and low-key EDM and big fans of the space bar A R I Z O N A knows just how terrible this feeling can be. Whispering sweet nothings, as they are wont to do and crooning about “three thousands miles and an ocean away,” are not enough to keep these big feelings at bay. The band has been teasing on their social media outlets about a new album, and though nothing has been officially confirmed, we will be waiting with bated breath.
5. You Don’t Know Me By Jax Jones, Raye
In the age of social media it’s all too easy for strangers to keep tabs on your online presence and get the idea of who you are, when they in fact do not know you IRL. DJ and producer Jax Jones captures the feeling in this ultra-catchy and bouncy track for you to play as you flick away those getting a little too close. Just as every hot DJ
4. Double Feature by The Orwells
When you start a band when you’re in high school, no matter how much time has passed there’s always the likelihood that there will be mentions of “growing pains” or “from teenagers to full blown adults” etc etc. So forgive us if we have to pause to take a look back how much the band has grown on the precipice of their third album, Terrible Human Beings. Double Feature is a repeat worthy track, and comes in just like a double feature at 7 minutes long (the second half being mostly instrumental). There’s Cobain-like howls, there’s laments about missed career opportunities, and there’s serious rocking out. Not to be missed.
3. Break Apart by Bonobo, Rhye
Be prepared to lay back and chill, as Simon Green takes you on his latest musical endeavor. More often known for the lyric-free “I feel smarter for listening to these beats” type sound, on Break Apart he opts in for vocals, carried out through likeminded Rhye. Here the vocals are hard to make out, but worth pointing out. As a sample shows us – “It’s hard to take all of this hate,” “Instead of something to break apart/instead, it just broke apart” and “help me out” – it appears the song is in crisis mode, but you would never know it; the repetition has all the answers.
2. Do You Still Love Me? by Ryan Adams
Fresh off his “I’ll never do that again” recreation of Taylor Swift’s 1989, Adams’s new one feels more in the vein of *actually* from 1989, styled between a soft and regular rock jam. He strums hard on the guitar, and laments with “what can I say?/I didn’t want it to change” before keeping it 100 and asking do you still love me babe? Well of course, and we’re still looking forward to your next album too, whatever the vibe on it may be. Prisoner will be here in full on February 17th.
1. Deja Vu by J. Cole
“It’s Lit” December continues with the celebration of J. Cole’s white hot release, For Your Eyez Only. Deja Vu is third track off the album, starting with a rousing call to put a finger in the sky if you feelin’ it (spoiler alert: we are). Truth be told For Your Eyez Only is best listened all the way through, rather than focusing on one or two specific tracks. Deja Vu takes a feel listens before the love/heartbreak story sinks in fully. The track, much like the theme of the album, shows that J. Cole can give us a gritty hip hop just as he can get soulful as hell, and our warmest sympathies to those who feel a need to put his style in a box.
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