As the summer blockbusters are stored away with only their Rotten Tomatoes ranking to haunt them forever, this week’s new music playlist still featured plenty of songs made for soundtracks. The always-down Anna Kendrick teamed up with JT to share their True Colors for Trolls, while Years & Years supplied the track Meteorite for Bridget Jones’s Baby. Ariana Grande also made a resurgence with Jason’s Song (Gave It Away).
The names change, but the game always remains the same: check out this week’s list of new songs over at Spotify. When the thirst for more is real, scan through Busted Wallet’s New Music Friday All Stars playlist for a six month catch up.
10. Little Bit of This by GTA, Vince Staples
Every week needs a ‘little bit’ of hip hop, and this week GTA keeps it poppin, serving up slick lyrics with an underground-rave-you-didn’t-know-you-were-entering type vibe. Good Times Ahead lays down the beats while Vince Staple takes over MC duties. It’s all served up the small dose it hinted at, clocking in under the 3 minute song length average. Play this one when you need just a little bit of help waking up in the morning.
9. My Way by Calvin Harris
Call it the ‘I’d very much like to be removed from this narrative’ effect, but upon the opening stanza of My Way – with its references to twofaced-ness, and ‘the one thing in my (his) way’- first thought is please no, not a breakup song! Fortunately Calvin was quick to set the record straight, saying that the inspiration for the song came years ago, when he was a grocery store no less! We’ll forgive how shady that sounds, since the track is just as upbeat as This Is What You Came For. Play the next time you’re stuck in traffic.
8. Company by Tinashe
There’s always that sweet rush when the bass on an R&B track is extra heavy, but here Tinashe takes it one step further. Starting off with a slow wind, 30 seconds in the soprano diva adds a Nintendo-styled punctuation to get the point across. Usually the effect inflicts a juvenile turn to a track; here she makes sure it stays grown n’ sexy. At the crux of the song she’s just looking for some company, some company, and by the end they’ll be no reason to deny her.
7. Lost by Sorcha Richardson
When tackling the what-music-was-made-for subject of heartbreak, Sorcha Robinson approached it novelly, evoking the spirit of 1950’s crooners with a “It’s Raining On Prom Night” opening feel. But things land heavier here, the songwriter having originally penned the track after a friend called to share news of a breakup, and writing it as a way to cheer him up (the album artwork shares the story in detail). Lines like “I don’t want to see you waste another day” will help boost your spirits after a rough day.
6. Hurts by Emeli Sandé
Giving new meaning the phrase ‘clap back,’ the Scottish powerhouse bursts back onto the scene with an emotionally rich return. The hopeful and sure-footed feelings conveyed on Next To Me are replaced with the pain of being vulnerable, after relationships fail and you feel you’ve lost yourself to it. Emeli spoke of her own pain on being the inspiration of the album to TheFader.com, stating that she hopes she can “empower people with this album. Being able to express every side of you is important.”
5. Not Above Love by AlunaGeorge
There’s a little bit of discord to usher in Not Above Love, which tends to throw you off coming from someone known for their smooth and saccharin delivery. Not Above Love morphs into full “It’s not you, it’s me” explanation mode, stating it that she’s not ABOVE love, she just ran out of it, and when it comes to robbing her heart like a bank, she politely declines with a ‘no thank you, no thank you.’ So don’t hold it against her, kay? NAL finds it home amidst a jam-packed follow up to Body Music, collaborating with the likes of Pell, ZHU, Dreezy and more.
4. Same Old Blues by Phantogram
“And this is nothing new, just the same old blues,” so sings lead singer Sarah Barthel, setting the tone for the ‘third before THREE’ single drop before the album. And if the shoe fits, it also follows suit, after single titles like ‘You Don’t Get Me High Anymore’ and ‘Cruel World.’ But just as a phantogram is an optical illusion, it’s a lyrical illusion as well, as the tempo is quick and is more likely to pump you up than drag you down. Keep this one in rotation to combat the Monday blues.
3. Epoch by Tycho
Always using the album artwork as a road map, it’s easy to navigate the vibe the electro dream-pop band Tycho is going for with each release. A circle full of sunrise related colors? You must be referring to Awake. A yin-yang display separated with color and dot sizes? You can only mean Division. So when Epoch arrived, a red carpet leading up to something far away in the future, it must mean a new beginning/epoch is on the horizon. The musicality plays into the themes just as well, Epoch being upbeat, but gentle as to not fatigue too easily for the journey ahead. A track that will blend perfectly in the background for whatever activity that requires concentration.
2. Randy by Justice
When Justice’s ‘Safe & Sound’ dropped in July, the most common was response was First Track In 5 Years! Rejoice; They’re back! It’s what happens when you leave us stranded on the dance floor doing the D.A.N.C.E., one two three four, fight. Randy picks up where we left off and is coming in HOT. The duo sharing on the Radio1 show that they intended it to be a heavy industrial track (which it is), but were in such a good mood while creating it that the whole thing came off more joyful than intended. Woman, the follow up LP, sounds red hot, and will be available come November.
1. Blood On Me by Sampha
Generating a massive amount of buzz since its release two weeks ago, this week Sampha’s spotlight shifts to his exquisite music video. It starts out with the singer unresponsive in a cornfield, and goes into a literal on the lam interpretation of the song’s lyrics. Seeped in double meanings and a ‘what’s gonna happen next!’ vibe, it adds layers and layers to the track that already has got us twisted. We will pretty much be losing our minds until the full LP, Process, drops, the date of which is still TBD.
Leave a Reply