We’ve got a slightly extended playlist this week, featuring a completely diverse range of artists, from psych, to electro, to indie-folk, to experimental hip hop and everything in between. Ladies and gentlemen, sit back, relax, and enjoy the best new music of the week.
Moses Gunn Collective – Hole in the Wall
The Brisbane psych-rockers return with a hazy new single, as they continue on their journey to the top of the pile of Australian psychedelia. There’s a beautiful depth – lyrically and tonally – that’s usually kinda hard to see through the washed-out fuzz. It’s glittery and fun, and another delightful taste from their recently-released album Mercy Mountain.
Summer Flake – The Sun Won’t Shine
With a sound nestled comfortably in between Courtney Barnett and Darts, this folky, distinctly Australiana track isn’t my usual fare, but I love it anyhow. I love the organic feel, and the kind of subtle expansiveness. The rhythm and that lo-fi folk melody make for simple, easy listening, and the extra vocals and the heavier guitars really capture my attention, drawing me in to a track that’s catchy and surprisingly dense.
Young Franco – Don’t Want Me ft. Blair De Milo
Young Franco has come a long way in the past couple years – and he’s moving up, up and into orbit. This is a really cool house track, perfect for cocktail hour, but probably more perfect for a late night boogie. The vocals are punchy and smooth, a great complement to the staccatoed synths and wompy bass. YF is heading out on tour, so get those dancin’ shoes on. Details here.
The Cactus Channel – Sleeping Alone ft. Chet Faker
My favourite for the week, hands down. The Cactus Channel have been on my radar for a little while, paving their way with gorgeous brass-infused blues/funk. No doubt this will draw well-deserved attention to them, considering that it features guest vocals from the award-winning beard that is Chet Faker. The slinky, bluesy track fits a late-night-smoky-dive-bar feel. Faker’s voice is fucking awesome on this one, too. It’s smooth, emotive, and so much more relaxed than what we’re usually privy to. Those falsetto phrases with the trumpets behind him? Wow.
The Cactus Channel – Kill The Doubt ft. Chet Faker
Judging by the above review, I think it’s obvious as to why I’m devoting 20% of this playlist to this brilliant joint effort. The second collaborative track between The Cactus Channel and Chet Faker, this one is swifter and full of motion, but somehow darker and denser than Sleeping Alone. I can only hope that these tracks spawn something more – this is one hell of a sound. Not only is it seductively cool, but there’s nothing else quite like it around right now.
SG Lewis – Shivers (HONNE remix)
Continuing in a similar vein comes this soulful electro-R&B SG Lewis remix, courtesy of the enigmatic HONNE. It’s an interesting blend – raw, emotional vocal crooning, atop bulging, smoke-machine synths and muffled vocals. Once the beat starts to form, the atmosphere brightens. I’m not usually one for this kind of house blend, but I couldn’t help but have a little chair-dance to the rhythm and gorgeous melodies throughout.
Roots Manuva – Don’t Breathe Out
Roots Manuva has returned – and this time he means business. Don’t Breathe Out is genuinely one of the best tracks we’ve ever heard from the UK MC (it’s no Witness The Fitness, sure, but it’s close). Understated, with a smooth, comfortable flow and no need to rely on whoops, sirens and huge beats, it’s a clear sign that his musical journey is far from over.
Med, Blu, Madlib – Knock Knock ft. MF DOOM
I don’t really know if I need to even write much about this track. I mean, it’s a track that’s not only filled with super weird and awesome samples, but it has both Madlib and DOOM on it. Like….. enough said.
Lemon – Your Friends (interlude)
This is a deep, dark and entirely sexy track from Toronto artist Lemon. The beat. It’s slow and it’s deep, leaving the perfect amount of space between each layer – you can really feel enveloped, you can really focus on every single layer at once, from the vocals to the bass and everything in between. We hear A LOT of female-fronted electro tracks like this, but this one immediately, obviously, stands out from the pack.
CVIRO & GXNXVS – Sober (Jerome Price Remix) (Radio Edit)
I heard the original of this track a couple months ago, and it didn’t really grab me. But there’s something about Jerome Price’s remix that’s crawled under my skin – whether it’s that bouncy beat or those funked up vocals, the UK producer has taken the track, originally by Aussies CVIRO and GXNXVS (before you ask I have no fucking clue how to pronounce either of them) and put me in the mood for the weekend.
GUM – Anesthetized Lesson
GUM is the latest project from Perth’s Jay Watson (Tame Impala/POND). The instrumental layers are super cool – funky, crunchy synths with a catchy rhythm, supported by a simple beat and a myriad expectedly pscyhedelic space sounds and synth trickles. Admittedly I’m not huge on the faint falsetto vocals, but the rhythm makes up for it. Keep an eye out for Watson’s new album Glamorous Damage, out Nov 13.