Fresher Sounds - The best new music - 06/08/19

Another week, another Old Town Road Remix. Taking the spotlight away from Lil Nas X for a moment, there was some seriously good new music released this week. And we have the evidence to prove it - right here.

Your invitation extends from a miserable disco to the darker side of human consciousness. Check out the best new music, from the best new artists.

Fresher Sounds // Cover by Meddies

Black Futures - Body & Soul

Welding sonic anarchy and serenity Black Futures unleashes latest single ‘Body & Soul’ onto the world. The track explores the separation between the carnal and logical, bordered by caustic instrumentation that threatens to implode at any given moment.

‘Body & Soul’ is taken from Black Futures’ forthcoming debut album Never Not Nothing, which is out on 30^th August via Music For Nations. Meanwhile, you can catch Black Futures supporting Black Peaks on their UK October tour.

boniface - Wake Me Back Up

The pseudonym of Canadian alt-pop artist Micah Visser, boniface takes indie-arena pop and constructs it into his own narrative of personal awakening. With a little help from Ben Gregory of Blaenavon’s anthemic guitar work, Visser’s vocals are given an extra bit of velocity for that cleansing catharsis.

Speaking on the track Visser notes, “'Wake Me Back Up’ is about feeling you’re on the brink of something significant. In my case, it was a relationship, but it could be anything that feels important to you right now.” boniface will support Circa Waves on the Europe leg of their tour.

Dan D’Lion - Simmer Down

A cacophony of pulsating synths precedes the soulful falsetto tones of Dan D’Lion, the solo project of Reading native Dan Bartlett. ‘Simmer Down’ explores the need to take a step back from your feelings of anger and take a minute to rationalise them into something better. “Simmer down, take a little mind vacation,” sings Bartlett of finding clarity in the chaotic.

After previously writing for artists such as Little Mix, the track sees the London based producer and writer foraying into his own funk-laden solo space. Dan D’Lion will play a London headline show on 3^rd October.

Spinning Coin - Visions At The Stars

Glasgow’s Spinning Coin returns with their latest material since 2017's debut album Permo. After relocating to Berlin, the mellow 'Visions At The Stars' sees the band add more than a dash of their characteristic jangly indie-pop and irreverent cosmic wordplay in lines such as – "I left my mind in space/I was standing by a river of blinding light".

Filmed in Berlin, the accompanying music video encapsulates the offbeat worldview that playing music allows the band to see.

Talkboy - All Works Out

On 'All Works Out' Leeds natives TalkBoy explores the throwaway colloquial phrase – “It’s funny how it all works out”. The interplay between the syrupy, and cordial vocals of Katie Heap and Callum Juniper injects a nonchalant optimism and contrasts delightfully with the post-punk guitars.

Speaking on 'All Works Out' the band notes, “The song isn’t this blissful unawareness that everything will be alright in the end so just shut everything out. It’s more like when stuff does go wrong, I’m here if you want". The band will play the Reading and Leeds Introducing stage later this month.

The Howl & The Hum - Human Contact

York band The Howl & The Hum invites you to their own miserable disco on ‘Human Contact’. Driven by glittering disco-influenced riffs and the assertive vocals of elusive frontman Sam Griffiths, it’s a party thrown for those in an existential crisis. The track deals with the yearning for intimacy in the age of social apathy, or as Griffiths sings, "A peculiar hell I built myself".

‘Human Contact’ precedes the band's headline tour which begins at Glasgow’s King Tuts on 23rd September.

Tanners - Heavy Metal

New York electro-pop artist and producer Tanners confronts the macabre side of her psyche, exploring a sensually dark depiction of depression. 'Heavy Metal' comes after the release of the pop-outlanders 'Venus' and 'Fumes'. Her saccharine vocals contrast with the melancholy lyrical content as Tanners sings, "There's something in the water and it's killing me slowly". 'Heavy Metal' is an open and honest track dealing with the blur between pleasure and pain, through using sex as a coping mechanism during times of low mental health.

Lila Gold - Big Sad Eyes

Lila Gold emerges as another reason why pop has become much more exciting in the past couple of years. Produced by Grammy-nominated LA production duo DJDS and Grammy-nominated John Hill, 'Big Sad Eyes' throws hip hop, dancehall, reggaeton, and electronic pop into the recipe to create a delicious slice of kaleidoscopic pop.

Directed and designed by Natalie Falt, who has worked with the biggest names in alt-pop such as Grimes and Billie Eilish, the accompanying video sees Lila exploring different dimensions of her psyche through virtual reality.

Newmoon - Collide Into Me

Lead singer Bert Cannaerts feathery vocals are blanketed by a subdued instrumental on the latest track by Antwerp based Newmoon. It's an airy dream-pop to soundtrack stumbling out of the bar.

Cannaerts notes that "it was the first song on this album that felt like we were stepping into a direction we hadn't explored before. It felt freeing to try and arrange music that was more about the melody and songwriting, and less about noise and feedback. It definitely pushed us further out of our comfort zone”.

Chastity - The Girls I Know Don’t Think So

'The Girls I Know Don't Think So' is the first track from Ontario-based Chastity's latest album Home Made Satan. The track explores solidarity in the face of ignorance; and in the words of the man behind the moniker Brandon Williams, "It's not cute, it’s not cool// It is f**ked and cruel".

The single artwork features Alexandra Kollontai, the Marxist revolutionary. Williams notes, “She fought for women's equality in the workforce, universal maternity care and advancement in education […] [She] helped to change the lives of millions of people. There may be voices similar to hers out there today. Are we listening?"

Fresher Sounds - The best new music - 06/08/19

You might also like...

People who read this also read...