"34 Chemtrails Over the Skengman"
New music this week from Hayley Williams, Lana del Rey, Ghetts, Nyck Caution and more
Another music, another lot of new music. UK rap wins this week but we got great alt pop, R&B, East Coast hip-hop and jazzy ambient too. Major news from the past few days are the announcement of a release date for Lana’s Chemtrails Over The County Club (the album - March 19), the release of the music acts to perform at Biden’s inauguration and the death of Phil Spector (absolute musical genius and absolute piece of trash of a human being - let him rest in peace but let’s not ignore the monstrosities he’s committed please). Get your weekly fix of great music below!
--- Absolute Fave ---
Skengman - Ghetts (feat. Stormzy)
Skengman is a cinematic slow-burn that foregoes the bombastic qualities of the genre to highlight a sense of impending menace that never feels overbearing but rather inevitable. It’s calculated, measured and subtle, seamlessly integrating its main players with a tension so thick it’s impossible to ignore. The track is from Ghetts’ forthcoming Conflict of Interest and we can only hope this foretells the quality of the LP - rather than overselling it. (also Stormzy rarely misses, now does he?)
--- other great tracks ---
Chemtrails Over The Country Club - Lana Del Rey
Provocateur-in-chief (mostly unwillingly so or so I choose to believe) Lana del Rey’s title track for the highly-anticipated album slated for a March release is another deep dive in the songstress’s vintage glamour universe. She manages to create a wonderful song to tease the album despite an initially-underwhelming chorus: her major feat is convincing you the chorus is actually pretty genius, with smart instrumentals and a stellar cymbal dissolve fade out.
34+35 (Remix) - Ariana Grande (feat. Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion)
Doja and Megan resuscitated a track that was in dire need of new energy and relief. No doubt an attempt at higher charts placement, the star-studded remix makes the best of its original canvas and ultimately outshines the initial version. Yes, it’s Megan talking about her p*ssy, again. But what in heaven’s sake were you hoping for in a remix of a track called 69? Stick to what you know!
Bad Day - Nyck Caution (feat. Denzel Curry)
Bad Day is a contender for the aggro anthem of 2021 - a year that has already demonstrated age is nothing but a number in less than a month. We might very well remember 2021 as 2020 (the extended mix) so we might as well make the most of it. Turn Bad Days into good ones when we can.
Teardrop - Hayley Williams
Hayley Williams returns after Petals for Armor with a track that takes after Bjork, Kate Bush and Patti Smith. This one is a grower.
He Said - dvsn (feat. Miguel)
Another new dvsn track as he releases the deluxe version of his A Muse In Her Feelings. It’s a pretty great piece of guitar-centric contemporary R&B, the type H.E.R. and Anderson .Paak have popularized in recent years. It’s slick, sexy and groovy.
Mue - Voyou
Fresh French pop act Voyou comes back with an instrumental track to remind us he’s not only a songwriter, a singer and a producer but also a trumpetist (as in ‘plays the trumpet’, not ‘storms the US Capitol’). The result is a luscious arpeggiated amuse-bouche for what’s to come (look out for a release on Feb. 19).
What You Need - Jae Stephens (feat. THEY.)
OK, production is a bit (very) heavy-handed on this new Jae Stephens number. It’s so damn catchy that I couldn’t help myself to seconds and thirds. “I got what you need, yeah, yeah, yeah” *bops in the kitchen*. “I got what you need, yeah, yeah, yeah” *bops in the bathroom*. “I got what you need, yeah, yeah, yeah” *bops in the bedroom*. “I got what you need, yeah, yeah, yeah” *bops in - you get it.
Need even more? Also check out (YouTube links):
Thanks for reading, happy listening!
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Best New Releases - January 2021 Spotify playlist: here
Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it
tw: @REDTAKES1
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