Pale Waves – “Kiss”
Formed of lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie, drummer Ciara Doran, guitarist Hugo Silvani and bassist Charlie Wood, the English indie pop band Pale Waves have released the music video for their new single “Kiss”.
“Kiss” is a dream-pop rock song that is about a girl that is suffering a heartbreak and feels nostalgic about the love and she sings that the love is like a wave of a dream. “Kiss” will be included in their upcoming album that will be released in mid-2018.
Heather said about the song: “‘Kiss‘ is one of our older songs. It’s not too dramatic; it’s quite light-hearted, it’s quite naive. I wrote ‘Kiss’ when I was 17 or 18 and I’m excited for people to hear how I’ve changed. It’s just a really uplifting song, and I’m excited for people to hear it because they’re going to just put it on, on a hot day or a dark day. It’s just going to make you feel good. It’s basically a drug that makes you feel nice“.
The music video was filmed with a B&N filter and shows the band playing in an empty house and black paint starts to drip on the wall. Heather wears two outfits, a white dress and another with a black jacket with a stripped shirt.
In case you missed it, they signed with Dirty Hit, the same record label as The 1975, Wolf Alice and The Japanese House. In 2017, Pale Waves released their debut single “There’s A Honey”, followed by “Television Romance”, with the music video directed by Matty Healy, the lead vocalist of The 1975.
Pale Waves’ music style has been described as indie pop, synth-pop, dream pop and goth-pop. The band has many influences from artists such as The Blue Nile, Prince, The Cranberries and Cocteau Twins.
Troye Sivan + Ariana Grande – “Dance To This”
Troye Sivan has released his fourth single “Dance To This”, a collaboration with Pop princess Ariana Grande for his upcoming album Bloom.
“Dance To This” is an indie pop song typified by synth basses, very similar to The XX songs. It describes an experience by a couple who chose to stay at home me instead of party at the club. The song is as a “mellow dance track”.
Troye talks about collaborating with Ariana Grande: “I think that she’s just the coolest. I basically just texted her the song. I sat on it for a couple of weeks because I’m nervous to ask people for stuff.”
“I don’t want to ever put anybody in an uncomfortable position where they’re like, “This song is terrible and I don’t want to be a part of it”. So I kind of waited and then I was like, “You know what? I’m going to regret it if I don’t ask”. So, I sent her the song”.
He described the album as more “darker”, “sexual”, “more guitar-driven” and “more danceable” than his previous material. He said that there are many songs which talk about the defiant gay expression. The first song, “Seventeen”, is about a sexual experience Sivan had while underage with a man he met on Grindr.
K Trap – “A To B”
London rapper K-Trap is fast becoming one of London’s most exciting new propositions of the moment. With a string of notable drops including The Last Whip and “Wild Thoughts“, he adds to his impressive line-up as he unveils his new single “A To B” produced by long-time collaborator Slay Productions.
K-Trap delivers another uncompromising banger continuing to solidify him as one of raps most illustrious newcomers. Charged by his injecting vocal delivery, explicit braggadocious storytelling and infectious adlibs, the highly celebrated rapper once again gives us a track timely packaged together.
The video is probably even more impressive. The slick, Paul Whisper-directed video shows the rapper handling his business, travelling from point A to point B. It’s almost movie like as he spends part of his journey on a lavish boat on the Thames and part cruising the streets of South London in his Mercedes AMG.
Having played some of London’s leading stages – including his 2017 headline show at O2 Academy Islington and a main support slot of Krept & Konan’s show at Kentish Town Forum – as well as support from the likes of i-D, Trench alongside Charlie Sloth, Sian Anderson and Mistajam, the masked drill star is definitely and will continue to be making waves, you can bet on that.
Mura Masa + Octavian – “Move Me”
Prominent UK producer Mura Masa is the man behind many big hits, which boosted him, having one of the best electronic dance albums of 2017. With his first new material of 2018, he enlists the help of South London hot property Octavian for the banging new single “Move Me“.
The Grammy nominated producer, famous for mega hit “Love$ick” with A$AP Rocky has conjured up a little bit of magic with this new single, a dark yet progressive electronic track, filled to the brim with rhythmic percussion that is definitely a perfect fit for the clubs. Octavian’s gritty rap/vocal hybrid adds a further sensational bounce as he exploits the pockets of the song with his melodies.
“I’ve been toying a lot with creating stand-alone moments rather than long-form releases,” Masa is quoted in a press release. “This is the first instance of letting a track be its own story and free in the world, rather than become overthought or forced into a bigger project.”
Death Cab For Cutie – “Gold Rush”
Ben Gibbard makes his way down a busy street in the music video for the Death Cab For Cutie‘s latest single “Gold Rush“, in anticipation of their upcoming album Thank You For Today.
Th alternative-rock band from Washington is ready to release their last effort and in the build up to it, they dropped the first single. The album is the first project since band member Chris Walla‘s departure.
Walla, a successful multi-instrumentalist and producer, has contributed to most of the music in the past albums and has rightly being considered one of the creative minds behind Death Cab For Cutie, together with band leader Ben Gibbard.
It is natural, then, that Thank You For Today has been sparking curiosity and expectations from fans and critics alike. Will the new album be able to upstage an already solid career that spans for more than a decade? The expectations, from where I stand, have been highly met.
“Gold Rush” might not have the punch lines of past glories like “The Sound of Settling” or Transatlanticism, but Gibbard’s smooth vocals move easily between the harsh chorus that chants back “gold rush”, as if it was almost a duet.
The new single is definitely a departure from their early indie-rock, more guitar-based songs, but, nonetheless, it still maintains an exquisite Death Cab’s quality that is able to upgrade any more simplistic song.
HUME – “Zero Movement”
With the success of his slick debut “Real Close“, HUME gives us another taste of his acclaimed natural talent, stunning gravel-flecked vocal and overall prowess with new release “Zero Movement“.
Intricate and delicate electronic production is the theme for this single. Fluid, dynamic soundscapes and slow rolling West Coast R&B grooves evolve through “Zero Movement”. It’s this interestingly ingenius mix that conjure instant comparisons to the rich sounds of Honne or AlunaGeorge.
Speaking on the track, HUME states: “‘Zero Movement‘ was written all about being totally infatuated with someone and getting nothing back, but realising that it all comes from my hesitancy and lack of confidence at making the first move… Being stuck in the middle!”
Effortless intensity that unfolds throughout the track that defines HUME as a serious name in his own right – truly a song for chill out reflection and late summer nights. Expect much more in 2018.
Words by Jay Tijani, Raúl Ramírez and Camilla Marotta
