Fresher Sounds - the best new music - 22/04/18

After a winter that more than overstayed it’s welcome, the country feels refreshed after almost a whole week of sunshine.

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Though sad news rocketed through the music world, as Friday saw the passing of EDM poster boy Avicii; Saturday brought excitement as thousands of record enthusiasts queued up from dawn to grab their favourite artist’s Record Store Day exclusives.

If you didn’t manage to nab the vinyl’s you wanted on Record Store Day, be sure to make up for it with these tasty new singles.

Father John Misty – Disappointing Diamonds are the Rarest of Them All

Father John Misty just gets it, something goes wrong in your life, just turn yourself into a meme. Which is exactly what he did, when his fourth album ‘God’s Favorite Customer’ was leaked on Apple Music last week, so naturally he transformed his album artwork into a meme. This explicitly crafted narcissism is exactly what we’ve come to expect from FJM and “Disappointing Diamonds Are the Rarest of Them All” is a much shorter than usual, triumphant piano infused commentary that would not have sounded out of place on ‘I Love you, Honeybear’.

Tancred – Queen of New York

She may be singing about a night with no strings attached, but the second single to drop from Jess Abbott’s upcoming album, ‘Nightstand’. ‘Queen of New York’, is certainly driven by strings, a rolling beat and lyrics laden with authentic quips from the songwriter’s experience as a queer woman in today’s society.

Wylderness – Sunography

Wylderness occupy an enticing space between shoegaze and pop, injecting a contemporary feel to one of the most quintessential 90’s genres. It may have been recorded on a boat, but Marz’s dreamy vocal smoothly sails amongst the blockade of flanged guitars, explosive keys and ethereal melodies. ‘Sunography’ laments the bands place on the scene, taken from their eponymous debut released earlier this year.

Bicep – Rain

Taken from the newly released EP of the same name, ‘Rain’ is another refreshing electronic gem, which originally appeared on the duo’s hugely acclaimed debut. Blending a distinct garage beat with a neatly intertwined Indian vocal, the tune is perfectly fit for sweaty club dancefloors across the country.

Bear with Me  - After Me

 ‘After Me’, Thorbjørn Kaas’s first single since breaking out of the Danish underground feels like the start of something new.From its euphoric build up, intersected with a steady beat, Kaas wins the listener over with groove heavy layered production and calming vocals.

Courtney Barnett – City Looks Pretty

Everyone’s favourite Aussie wonder that is Courtney Barnett has treated us again, with this Record Store Day special single. With lyrics as quick witted as has come to be expected from Barnett, her usual playful riffs sizzling out towards the middle of the track as she turns to a more contemplative slow burning edge, keeping us on our toes and in an exciting place for the forthcoming LP.

Bad Sounds – Evil Powers

If Bad Sounds continue to drop such sunshine soaked tracks, we might just forget about the fact that we’ve probably just experienced the only bit of sunshine we’re getting this spring. The band’s infectious energy reigns high in this funk inspired track.

LUMP – Curse of the Contemporary

We thought all had gone a bit quiet on the Laura Marling front, but the ethereal songstress has been busy collaborating with Tuung’s Mike Lindsay on this record store day special single. ‘Curse of the Contemporary’ takes the folk roots Marling and Lindsay are comfortable within and combine them with dizzy psychedelic elements. Taking influence from surrealist poets Lear and Cutler, the tongue in cheek lyricism and accompanying video give an enticing taste of how their upcoming debut will sound.

Josh Wheatley - Calling

Nottingham’s Josh Wheatley is making real waves in the indie-pop scene and ‘Calling’ is just another example of his knack for creating a stick in your head melody. Carefully combining catchy hooks, brooding synths and his sugar sweet vocal, the latest track from his recent EP ‘I Know You’ is definitely going to have people calling out his name.

Fidlar - Alcohol

It’s been three years since we’ve heard anything new from the riotous LA outfit, but it seems they’ve not lost any of the fire in their absence. ‘Alcohol’s jarring bassline, aggressive drums and zealously spat vocals make it the sort of song you’ll find yourself screaming along to at a 3a.m. afters, when you certainly don’t need anything else to drink.

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages – Let’s Go to Mars

For something a little bit different, introducing Barrence Whitfield & The Savages. Their sound is made distinguishable through the group’s bellowing bluesy vocals, which are complimented by it’s rockabilly riffs, ascending keys and prominent horns. This track is taken from their second album, ‘Soul Flowers of Titan’, which builds its foundations on the sounds of the record label powerhouses of 1950’s Cincinnati.