For our third New Music Roundup we’ve delved deeper into the most recent new releases in order to provide you with seven of the best new songs we’ve heard lately. Read on for the full list, or listen to the playlist here.
TAME IMPALA – LET IT HAPPEN
Mere minutes before the latest New Music Roundup was set to go online, Australian psych legends Tame Impala unleashed a brand new single upon us all. Let It Happen, their first new output since 2012’s Lonerism album, is nearly eight minutes of spaced out psychedelia with a trademark Kevin Parker edge to it. Keyboardist Jay Watson recently promised that the band would be leaning more towards electronic sounds on their upcoming third album, something which is definitely present here from the moment the song begins. A bleeping synth line is accompanied by electronic drums as Parker’s spaced-out voice sings, “it’s always around me, all this noise”. And man, this noise is certainly good noise. Tame Impala are back, and it looks like they’re on top form.
FAITH NO MORE – SUPERHERO
The second track to be lifted from Faith No More’s upcoming record Sol Invictus, Superhero, is intense and grandiose from the off with a pounding drum beat and pulsating bass riff intertwining with various chants of “go”, before vocalist Mike Patton’s shout of “superhero, I’m tugging on your cape!” turns the intensity up a few notches. As the track progresses, intensity builds up before climaxing in an ethereal mid-section which sees the pace slow down considerably. It has all the elements that make Faith No More great, including a massive chorus, killer solos and a dark, gloomy feel which makes your skin crawl. If there’s a band around right now who can make your skin crawl in both a good way and a bad way, that band is Faith No More.
DRENGE – NEVER AWAKE
Derbyshire now-trio Drenge are currently gearing up to release their second studio album, Undertow, this coming April. The fast-paced and rocky lead single We Can Do What We Want introduced to a bass-heavy Drenge, following the addition of a bassist to their set-up. Second single Never Awake is a dark, brooding track where the main emphasis is on its distorted bass riff and Rory Loveless’ pounding drums. Guitarist/vocalist Eoin Loveless sings “you ran off losing your mind, I don’t know where to begin” in the chorus, his vocals giving off a rather lo-fi impression. Drenge’s debut self-titled, released back in 2013, received plenty of critical acclaim, yet whether or not Undertow will follow in its footsteps remains to be seen. Come April we’ll find out if one of the most intense live bands around right now has met the high expectations that await them.
CIRCA WAVES – T-SHIRT WEATHER
Circa Waves may come across as your classic indie-by-numbers band, yet what makes the Liverpudlians stand out from the rest is their ability to not just write good songs, but compose fully fledged anthems. Just like with 2014s Get Away, new single T-Shirt Weather is nothing short of massive and looks set to be one of the anthems of the summer. From the off, jangly indie guitar work and a big chorus (“I remember t-shirt weather, I remember Sunday’s, we were singing our lungs out”) scream “summer anthem” as the song culminates in a memorable breakdown which encompasses a chant of, “it’s gonna be okay!” Circa Waves are set to release their debut album Young Chasers this Spring, make sure you don’t miss it.
WILL BUTLER – SOMETHING’S COMING
Featuring on our lists once again is Arcade Fire’s multi-instrumentalist wonderkid Will Butler, now a solo artist in his own right. Something’s Coming is one of the highlights on the 8-track record (Policy, out now via Merge Records), with plonked piano’s leading into fuzzy synth melodies and a laid-back chorus which sees Butler and accomplices complement eachother’s vocals. When he nonchalantly sings, “I came, I saw, I conquered. Then I went to bed”, you know you’re sitting on one of the best lyrics of 2015. His debut album may only be eight songs long, but each song stands out in its own right, with Something’s Coming probably standing an extra step above the rest.
TORO Y MOI – BUFFALO
Chaz Bundick’s latest offering under the moniker Toro Y Moi sees the South Carolinan tread on alternative funk territory. Buffalo is filled from end to end with lo-fi, groove-laden guitar lines, synths and Bundick’s sweet vocals. “No matter what you talk about she’s gonna keep calling your bluff” he sings ahead of an upbeat chorus. This song wouldn’t be out of place in the 1980s, or even during the 1970s disco heyday, making Bundick one of many artists doing this whole “funk thing” right. A catchy solo towards the end leads the song to its close, but not before one more rendition of its dreamy chorus.
DARLIA – I’VE NEVER BEEN TO OHIO
Darlia are slowly but surely becoming one of 2015’s rock music saviours, bringing solid rock to a genre which some people consider is gradually passing. Latest offering, the mini-album Petals, features the catchy I’ve Never Been to Ohio, a song whose massive chorus may just about be enough for them to one day actually play in Ohio. If Darlia keep producing songs like this, the bad jokes we make about song titles may eventually become reality.
Check back in two weeks for a new roundup.
