New Music Weekly #48 | Wild Nothing, Jay Rock and Snail Mail
New Music Weekly is your one-stop shop for new releases in the world of music each and every week. From the best of the best to some of the rest, Mark Conroy is here to give you the low down on what you might have missed. This week: Wild Nothing, Jay Rock, Snail Mail & More…
Wild Nothing ‘Letting Go’
Wild Nothing’s ‘Letting Go’ is one of the better examples of what project’s poolside dream pop can achieve. Recent releases have leaned more acutely on the cheery vibes of the genre and lost some of the bittersweet brilliance of early records but this is something of a return to from. The glistening, glorious hook sails in like a beachside breeze while the shimmering synths and jangly guitar lines sweeten the deal. It’s a song about letting go, with a production that lets you unwind in similar fashion.
Brenna Carroll ‘Losing My Mind’
Originally hailing from Boston, Brenna Caroll is an eclectic talent and singer/songwriter who is now based in Dublin. During the week she released her debut album Gallery and ‘Losing My Mind’ is the obvious highlight. A spritely piano based ballad, the track motors along with an engine fuelled by chord stabs and a voracious vocal work. The chorus alone packs one helluva punch.
Jay Rock ‘The Bloodiest’
Set to be the opening track off of Jay Rock’s upcoming album Redemption, ‘The Bloodiest’ is brutal chunk of contemporary west coast rap. Rock’s flow, fluid and ferocious, slices through the song with razor sharp precision. He’s been through the ringer and wants to drag you through it too. “Battle scars and tribulations, downfalls from the situations /I bounced off with dedication, accounted for my participation” he snarls in rapid fire shots. Rock may not be the most talented rapper on TDE/s payroll, but he’s certainly the most war-weary and by extent, the most motivated.
Snail Mail ‘Full Control’
Lush, the exquisite debut record from 18 year old Lindsay Jordan, dropped last week and it’s a glorious testament to indie rock’s enduring power at a time when the genre hasn’t been felt by the zeitgeist. Jordan’s lyrics have a way of distilling the dizzying array of hormonal emotions associated with late teen-hood into witty, painfully real sentiments that could apply anyone at any walk of life. Contrary to so much of her lo-fi peers her music is well produced, pristine and the strums of her riffs ring out with pellucid clarity. She has confidence in the words she sings even if word she sings lack confidence in herself. ‘Full Control’ is a one highlight of many.
Kids See Ghosts (Kanye West & Kid Cudi) ‘Kids See Ghosts’
After his production work on Pusha-T’s Daytona and his own middling solo album Ye, Kanye is involved in this third release in as many weeks. West and his protégé Kid Cudi have teamed up for the collaborative project Kids See Ghosts. In terms of quality, it sits somewhere in between Daytona and Ye but the title track is a minimalistic gem and features a Kanye verse that’s stronger than anything he put on last week’s record.
Dej Loaf, Leon Bridges ‘Liberated’
A surprising collaboration between Texas soul singer Leon Bridges and Detroit rapper Dej Loaf, ‘Liberated’ is a love yourself anthem about the joys of freedom. With a lot of emphasis on the steel drum and the lyrics mostly consisting of sweet natured platitudes, it can be a bit twee. Still, its hard not to get caught up in the optimism of it all.
Free Cake For Every Creature ‘Around You’
Kate Bennett’s project Free Cake For Every Creature excels at making soft pop that hits the heart hard. ‘Around you’ is so sweet it hurts, indie delight that’s light as a feather with lyrics as smart as a whip.
