It’s been a couple of years now since Kesha released her rather open, honest and clearly very healing 2017 album, Rainbow.
Now, 2019 sees the pop songstress release a downright catchy-as-hell new single, ‘Raising Hell’ (featuring Big Freedia), which also comes alongside the announcement of her next record, High Road.
This latest song sees Kesha return to a more fun-filled pop sound but with a fresh feel and something seriously uplifting about it! The brass-led breakdowns are funky and will get a crowd moving, whilst gospel-like moments really raise the spirit of the track. It’s definitely the kind of track you can keep on repeat.
It also arrives with a music video directed by Luke Gilford, where Kesha assumes the role of a big-haired, ’80s-style televangelist, preaching her own unique message and making the congregation speak in tongues…that is before things take a very dark turn! Well worth a watch (below)!
Her new album, High Road, comes out 10th January 2020, and is set to feature the likes of Sturgill Simpson, Brian Wilson, Dan Reynolds (of Imagine Dragons) and Nate Ruess (of fun.) – personally, I can’t wait!!!
What are your thoughts of this pop songstress’ new track? Are you as much of a fan as us? Do you have a #FeelGoodFriday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via social media.
Now, Now are an American indie duo originally from Blaine, Minnesota (USA), now based in Minneapolis. The band now consists of founding members, KC Dalager (vocals/guitar/keyboard) and Brad Hale (drums/backing vocals) after a recent departure from their line-up. To date, they have had two, somewhat heavier albums and this, Saved, will be their third, full-length release. Here’s what we have to say about it…
It’s been a decade since their more thrashy, emo-esque debut album, Cars, was released (back when they were called Now, Now Every Children) but since then, Now, Now have clearly been working hard on mastering the art of slick production.
This is an album that successfully merges emotive, thought-provoking lyricism based upon relatable topics, with warm, summery production; it’s credible songwriting with certain mainstream, pop sensibilities.
Saved is a stunning record. It has everything from catchy choruses and atmospheric synths to chugging guitars and heavy beats.
It kicks off with the acoustic-led, summer tune ‘SGL’ (short for Shot-Gun Lover) which would be the perfect road trip track, through the open roads of America. From there, you’ve got the captivating ‘MJ’, which makes reference to Michael Jackson‘s ‘Billie Jean’ topped off with a galloping beat (somewhat similar to MJ‘s ‘A Place With No Name’ from 2014’s Xscape)
Another significant track is ‘Window’, with its shimmering synths and manipulated vocals, that continually ascend. It’s a song about desperation for someone;“Every night I’m at your window, Wonder when you’re gonna let me in.”A truly atmospheric track.
Just listening to this album, puts you in an instantly good mood due to its stunning production and uplifting vibes.
‘Powder’ is a massive tune and a superbly powerful and passionate close to the album; it has a catchy, fun start with delicate guitars and subtle synths but as it goes on, descends into a very interesting and heavy breakdown with gritty synths.
There are certainly a lot of resemblances that can be made across the album too: ‘Can’t Help Myself’ has whispery vocals, somewhat similar to Geowulf; ‘Knowme’ is a house-like track with calm, electronica vibes, with elements of Chicane to it; ‘Set It Free’ makes cheeky reference to “wandering hands” and has a certain something about it that reminds me of a cross between The Cardigans and Sixpence None The Richer; ‘Drive’ has a beachy, Lana Del Rey vibe and ‘Holy Water’ is a song which I find merges MUNA with early Dido (with the use of industrial-like sounds) – it’s beautiful and euphoric. That’s in no way saying that they are copying other artists but perhaps making a nod to them; if anything it just goes to show what an eclectic record they have managed to create, with a little something for everyone.
As far as albums go, this is diverse and interesting with a real excitement about it. Just listening to it, puts you in an instantly good mood due to its stunning production and uplifting vibes. They have managed to craft a sound that is somewhere between airy beach-pop and grungy rock, evoking nostalgia and varying emotions throughout. This is fantastic record that is sure to be the soundtrack to many people’s summers this year.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our review; what do you make of this band’s latest album, Saved? Are you as much of a fan as us? What would you rate it? Please leave your thoughts in a comment or via our social media.
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Troye Sivan is South African-born, Australian singer, songwriter, actor and YouTuber who has been gathering a huge online following over the past few years.
Openly gay, Sivan describes ‘Bloom’ as a, ‘subversively queer song,’ that sees him take on the role of a passive guy losing his virginity. Although it’s full of innuendo, it is a really fun, subtle track that has an incredibly catchy chorus (but not in an obvious sense). It’s summery and deserves to be played loud…I expect his pride appearances this year will be huge!
No music video (as such) has been released, however a 3D animated lyric video, created by Jason Ebeyer, was released, featuring an animated version of Sivan floating through a fantasy land.
Jess Glynne is finally back with the first single since her 2015 debut, I Cry When I Laugh, indicating that her second album is on its way!
‘I’ll Be There’ is an uplifting track with very soulful and gospel-like qualities to it whilst maintaining a contemporary pop sound. It is a track that transcends as it progresses; this song makes it easy to see why she’s won a Grammy! I hope this is another Number 1 hit for her, like 2015’s debut, ‘Hold My Hand’.
The video itself doesn’t appear to have much of a narrative however the locations she performs in are pretty interesting and vibrant colours certainly play an important part throughout. Well worth a watch.
Crazy Town are an American rock/rap band who were formed in 1995 by Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer. ‘Butterfly’is the band’s best known single, which reached Number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts in 2000, which in turn prompted the release of their debut album, The Gift of Game, that went on to sell over 1.5 million units.
The guitar melody which opens the song is a head-bopping, body-swaying beat that is followed up by a high hat, drum beat and of course vocals. Even though the lyrics could be argued to be rather simplistic; “Come, my lady. Come, come, my lady. You’re my butterfly. Sugar. Baby.” There is no denying that ‘Butterfly’ is an extremely catchy, throwback tune.
The music video for the song was directed by the team who worked on the well-known movie, The Matrix as well as What Dreams May Come. The video depicts the band in a fantasy, make-believe forest surrounded by butterflies. The fantasy, magical vibe continues as Shifty’s star tattoo flies off into the air, as well as two women sporting butterfly wings, walking around in the forest.
What are your thoughts of this massive hit track? Have you got a #ThrowbackThursday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via social media.
‘Blood On The Dancefloor’ is quite an underrated track from the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. The song was released as the first single from the remix album, Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix.
Interestingly, Jackson and Teddy Riley actually created the track in time for the 1991 release of the album, Dangerous, however, it did not appear on the record. Instead, it was altered slightly before it found commercial release, in 1997. The track plays with a selection of genres including funk and new jack swing.
Needless to say, the track rocketed to Number 1 in the UK charts and the music video premiered on Top Of The Pops. It revolved around the main character of the track, Susie (played by Sybil Azur), seducing Jackson with a dance, before pulling a switchblade on him.
What are your thoughts on this underrated MJ track? Got your own #ThrowbackThursday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via social media.
Thirty Seconds To Mars are back! Their latest single, ‘Walk On Water’, is the lead single taken from their forthcoming fifth album.
The track looks at the current state of America and serves as a cry for unity from the nation. Jared Leto himself said, “It’s a song about freedom, about persistence, about change and about fighting for what you believe in.”
It’s an interesting change to their sound but somehow still maintains that epic, stadium-filling edge to it. In parts, it is reminiscent of Adam & The Ants‘ ‘Prince Charming’ but with a modern twist – this single has got me hotly anticipating their new album.
No music video has been released, as yet, but the lyric video is stunning in its own right – all the footage used within it, was filmed on a single day (July 4th 2017) in the USA. Over 10,000 people submitted footage of a single day including 92 of our professional crews. A very small selection of that footage was used but the band will be using the rest, as part of a documentary film (directed by Jared Leto) that will be a companion piece to the band’s new album.
What are your thoughts of the band’s new direction with their latest single? Got your own #WildCardWednesday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via social media.
Miley Cyrus is back with her brand new track, ‘Malibu’, believed to be taken from a new album and damn it’s good! I’ve got a lot of time for this ex-Disney pop princess – her voice is so unique and diverse and she just manages to produce incredible tune after incredible tune.
This track is like a breath of fresh air from the songstress – it’s verses are mild in nature yet somehow the track is elevated with a distinct happiness during the choruses with the funky guitar riffs and gently thumping rhythms.
The video is simplistic yet fun; arty yet honest – the imagery really suits the track!
What a great new direction/return to her earlier sound, from such a superb artist – welcome back Miley Cyrus!
What are your thoughts of her latest song? Got a #FeelGoodFriday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via our socials.
Irish singer-songwriter Talos is beginning to make big waves via his releases on Spotify and it’s clear to see why – his brand of atmospheric, melodic and even cinematic music is captivating to listen to.
‘Odyssey’ is a track that just seems to transcend to higher and higher places, the longer it runs. The music video, whilst possibly low in budget, is a work of art in itself – the resources he had have been utilised skilfully to craft something that is as equally bewitching to watch as the track is to listen to.
Undoubtedly, this artist will craft himself a lengthy career in music and go from strength to strength if this release is anything to go by – make sure you take the time to watch the video below. It’s stunning.
What are your thoughts of this talented singer-songwriter? Got a #MellowMonday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via social media.
SUP3RFRUIT (Superfruit) started out as a web show, hosted on YouTube by Scott Hoying and Mitch Grassi (originally known for their work in Pentatonix) but recently, the pair debuted their first track as a duo, ‘Bad 4 Us’, and it. Is. AWESOME!
The song is catchy and fun and it truly is the perfect debut track for the duo’s side project. After years of yearning from fans, it looks like the pair might finally be releasing a side project of music as the comment on the video states, ‘official music coming in 2017!’ Hopefully it won’t be long until more emerges from them, as this song is just awesome.
The music video is just incredible; it’s fun, interesting, funny and nostalgic of 90s video games…and openly makes reference to the pair’s sexuality. The duo’s heads work amazingly on the cartoon bodies and it’s been superbly animated.
Unfortunately, the song is currently not available to listen to on Spotify or for purchase via iTunes, so for now, you’ll just have to watch/listen to the music video below.
What are your thoughts of this incredibly catchy pop tune? Got your own #FeelGoodFriday track to recommend to us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via our social media accounts.
Will Joseph Cook is a Kent-born singer songwriter who’s been hard at work crafting his sound, supporting on several tours and then in October 2016, embarked on a headline tour. Since then, we had a chat with him about what he’s been up to recently (check out the latest interview) and he’s put the finishing touches to his debut album. This is, Sweet Dreamer.
The album kicks off with the chilled sing-along track, ‘Biggest Fan’ with it’s slightly country-tinted guitar twangs, making for the perfect way to open this rather cinematic record. It leads perfectly on to one of Will‘s biggest hits, ‘Sweet Dreamer’; a funky song with incredible production and subtle sounds, topped off with sugar-coated, sombre lyrics; an oxymoron to the all-round uplifting sound of the track.
The record flows incredibly through a whole heap of diverse songs; from indie pop belters to almost club-like anthems, it’s packed with songs that just have to be danced and sung along to. The singer-songwriter also prides himself on his use of imagery to accompany his songs (in the form of well-crafted music videos) but this album also takes you on a journey – each song is able to conjure up images in the mind that could well make for a video – I’m sure that if he had the time, he’d could easily produce videos for each and every song, but that’s because each song on the album feels like it could be a single in its own right.
A forward-thinking, credible pop record, crammed full of diversity, for all the cool kids to revel in. A true modern masterpiece.
Stand-out tracks have to be ‘Treat Me Like A Lover’ and ‘Plastic’ – both have thumping beats that are guaranteed to have you coming back for more; particularly the latter. ‘Plastic’ is tinged with steel drum sounds and massively euphoric vocals that make me certain this huge banger will be a massive hit this summer. As well as some of his other singles, ‘Take Me Dancing’ and ‘Girls Like Me’, which are both awesome, another incredible song is ‘Alive’ – it feels like the song blends many genres and the falsetto vocals are truly captivating. Lastly, both ‘Hands’ and ‘Habit’ are very different songs to the rest of the album; especially ‘Hands’ – it’s a very raw, honest and truthful track that seems almost like a break from the rest of the album.
The production throughout the album is incredible – it comes together amazingly as a cohesive body of work – it’s genre-blending, exciting, playful and all-consuming (in a good way)!
It is undoubtable that this album will be the soundtrack to many people’s summers this year; it’s fun-filled, indie pop that is bursting at the seems with summery vibes, catchy choruses and intelligent lyrics. A forward-thinking, credible pop record, crammed full of diversity, for all the cool kids to revel in. A true modern masterpiece. I can’t get enough of it, and you won’t be able to either.
Will is also off on a UK tour in May, in support of the album. He kicks off the tour at Stereo in Glasgow on 2nd May before travelling to Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Cardiff, Bristol and London. He concludes the tour at The Bullingdon in Oxford on 12th May before heading to several places in Europe. Be sure to check out a date near you – he puts on an amazing show (Check out our review)!
We hope you’ve enjoyed our review of Will’s debut album. What are your thoughts of it? Are you as much of a fan as us? What would you rate it? Please leave your thoughts in a comment or chat about it via our social media.
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