Ahhh, Friday. You bring a lot with you; contagious good vibes, a promising feel and an excited air, but you also bring our weekly playlist of best new tracks – and that is our favourite Friday factor of all!
This week is guaranteed to get the party started. We’ve got it brimming with fantastic new electro slices, some desert blues tunes and even a remix of a track by The Kooks to give you that nostalgic feel. We’ve listened to a hell of a lot of music this week, but we reckon these 10 are the best. Enjoy!
Anatole, Colours
Anatole could quite literally be one of, if not the best producer in the country right now. We here at Howl & Echoes cannot possibly rave about him enough. Every single song is astounding,and every single song outdoes it’s predecessor. Colours is probably my favourite release of his yet, and it’s easy to see why. Recruiting a bunch of fellow Sydney Conservatorium musicians to jump on violins, violas, cellos, double bass, clarinet and flute whilst he lays down his typically meticulous and intricate production, you can hear just how much time and effort he has put into this song. It’s truly in a league of it’s own, as is it’s creator.
Left., IOU
The message along behind this track earns it a special place in our heart. One half of the Sydney duo, Sarah Corry said it’s about “standing your ground and being the sexy, strong, smart woman you are, celebrating an existence where you can live without fear of being mistreated by anyone. It’s at once sexy and powerful, which I think all women are – even though we’re not always made to feel that way.” Fuck yes, Sarah! Not to mention the slinking beat and Sarah’s impeccable vocals – this track has it going on in all the right ways. Yaaaasssss lady!
Lontalius, Kick In The Head
This song reminds me of Noah & The Whale in the way it paints a grand picture with all it’s elements and draws you in almost instantly with it’s emotive nature. Slightly melancholy and forlorn, Lontalius is detached but engaging, and sounds quite nonchalant for someone who has created such an intricate song. This is a track you can listen to again and again and still pick up new sounds, and one I don’t see myself getting sick of any time soon.
Retro Culture, Cold
As the artist name would suggest, this is full of retro goodness. Flume-esque production is laid down, and whilst the song is called Cold, the track is warm and welcoming. It washes over you and, whilst it’s a slow burner, it still leaves you feeling excited and almost exhilarated as it fades out. Retro Culture might be a relatively new name around the place, but if he keeps putting out tracks like this, that will absolutely change!
The Kooks, Sweet Emotion (Montmartre Remix)
Whilst my 15-year-old self might not have ever thought of a dance pop remix of The Kooks, my 22-year-old self is all about it and more. Montmartre’s remix is the first to come from the recently announced remix album The Kooks are planning, and the bar is well and truly set high from this one. Coming just in time for the start of summer, Montmartre have captured everything fun about The Kooks’ unique brand of indie rock and put it through a dance music kaleidoscope, and the results are just so damn good.
I’lls, Let Me Have Just One (Planète Remix)
Two of Melbourne’s best, finally on the same track. The recently announced hiatus of I’lls was one that left more than a few fans with heavy hearts, but it seems fellow Melbournian Planète is here to save the day. Taking the band’s most recent single Let Me Have Just One and turning it into something entirely his own, Planète works his intricate magic to turn the track into a nearly 9-minute epic. Being a fan of creating entire soundscapes, he starts off small and ends up with an absolute behemoth, all the while exercising a certain element of restraint to keep everything under control in the most enjoyable way possible.
Squarehead, Citamenic
Squarehead have been kicking around since 2011, but they’ve recently returned to the scene in a blaze of glory with their latest two track after a year and a half hiatus. Sprawling, dark, heavy and intricate, this is the exact way you would want to herald your return, and the guys have done it so well. Citamenic is the first song off the release, and is definitely my favourite. It’s electrifying and energetic in all the right places, and absolutely spell-binding in the way it works it’s way along. Welcome back Squarehead, please don’t leave us again!
Elizabeth Rose, Shoulda Woulda Coulda (Sinden Remix)
I love when an awesome new song comes out that you just can’t get enough of, and then a slew of remixes of said song start to pop up as well. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving, and the gift is an almighty slice of dance pop thanks to Elizabeth Rose. She dropped this track a little while ago, but now it’s starting to get some fresh life breathed into it – and who better to do that than Sinden? The legendary producer has jumped on the Sydney up-and-comer, and the two are a match made in musical heaven.
Sophie Lowe, Pink Flowers (Kuren Remix)
Kuren is 17 years old, but is already sitting on hundreds of thousands of Soundcloud plays and a very steady growing fan base – and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why. From just one listen to any of his emotion-drenched electronic tracks, it’s obvious he’s onto something seriously good. He just dropped his debut EP recently that has everyone talking, and now he’s showing off his remix abilities too by jumping on Sophie Lowe’s Pink Flowers. Let’s just say, this doesn’t disappoint either. Is there anything he can’t do?!
The Family Jordan, It Won’t Be Long
Brisbane mega-group The Family Jordan are local staples in their hometown, but for some reason they’ve never fully broken through. Whilst it is beyond me as to why not, something tells me that they may be about to finally hit their stride with the news of a new album on the way and a new single to boot. Sprawling, captivating and really special, The Family Jordan have always done things their own way and when they sound this good, who are we to complain?
I’lls new EP Can I Go With You To Go Back To My Country is a beautiful addition to the three-piece’s repertoire of standout releases (debut EP Thread, follow-up EP A Warm Reception and two-track Fifty-Phiphti / Asakusa). This time, I’lls has successfully placed atmosphere and texture at the forefront, creating sound-sculptures through a balanced interplay of the lyrical and the abstract. This is all accompanied by an almost chameleonic dealing with personal subject matter. In the EP, ‘the subject’ is sometimes curtained in dark, near-impenetrable noise-making and at other points it rises up naked, light and semi-opaque. Dan Rutman, Hamish Mitchell, and Simon Lam must all be praised for their masterful understanding of shallowness and depth, subtlety and brutality.
Let Me Have Just One is amazing. I found myself slipping between the muted bass-lines and fractured garage-electronica, into this minimal listening-space. I’lls’ masterfully crafts these sonic voids to force you to sit patiently and feel the ambiance of non-music. It’s a bit uneasy. It is the kind of music that will play when my android-fingers peruse through the memories of my in-flesh life. But,despite its seemingly abstract nature, the song is rooted in pop song structures, and is therefore familiarly hypnotising. The band themselves articulate it best: “The EP is influenced by a late 90’s generation of musicians and producers who blurred the lines between dance music and art. It’s about making music that had both a brain and a heart.”
Keep is different to Let Me Have Just One. It starts with this bare guitar melody, which then interweaves with these vacillating vocals that swell and then shrink in both frequency and volume. Modular and classic synthesizers rise in and out of the soundscape, thickening and then thinning its sonic texture. The song is an excellent example of musical point and counter-point as wide, yawning synths are fluttered upon by crystalline chimes and crunching samples. This melodic incantation with its jilted 808 melancholia, and careful balancing of the jagged with the smooth, is a testament to I’lls intelligence and sensitivity as sound-wizards.
So make sure that you give this album a thorough listen. When you do so, you will need a box of tissues to wipe away your tears as you experience the sublime. You can catch the boys in action at Splendour In The Grass later this month as well!
This week’s playlist is one that will chill you out more than the harsh Australian winter. It’s made up of absolutely sublime songs from a great mix of artists, from the sophisticated to the soulful. Happy Friday!
Airling – Stallin’
Brisbane singer Hannah Shepherd, also known as Airling released her EP Ouroboros last year, but has had a bit of time off recently. However, that all changed this week with the release of a new track, Stallin’. Featuring a VERY different sound for the artist, this track is smooth, sexy and sophisticated, drawing influence from the R&B greats. Although it may have come as a surprise to the Airling faithful, there is no denying her voice is perfectly suited to this style. Let’s hope we hear more of this in the very near future!
Leo Kalyan – Golden Age
Leo Kalyan has been on my radar for a few months, and if he’s not on yours yet this song will surely change that! The London singer is about to drop a new EP titled Silver Linings at the end of this month, and his incredibly smooth voice is on full display with Golden Age. The layering and dynamics in the song are powerful, emotive and so strong, but also conducted in a way that is calming in the way it floats along. Sublime.
Slow Turismo – I Sit Down As Soon As I Get Up
I’m not easily impressed when it comes to indie rock, but something about the Slow Turismo guys just gets me. Maybe it’s the way they fit about four songs in one, maybe it’s that lead vocal, or the way they work seamlessly together to let their songs grow and breathe, but there is definitely something about them that does it for me and their new single, I Sit Down As Soon As I Get Up is another excellent example of this!
Roseau – New Glass
Roseau has already worked with Lapalux, been included on Bonobo‘s Late Night Tales, has toured with Lianne La Havas, and has been featured on Grey’s Anatomy. Not too bad for someone who is still yet to release their debut album! However, the wait for that is soon to be over, with the release of New Glass and the confirmation that her album, Salt is on the way! If you’ve not heard of her, New Glass is a perfect way to be introduced. Unpredictable, alive and packed with enough party vibes that it could get any dancefloor going, I was hooked from about 10 seconds in.
Gypsy & The Cat + Client Liaison – Evolution
Two of Australia’s greatest acts of the last 10 years have teamed up and, after teasing fans for a while, they have finally released their first collaborative track. Heralding their return to the scene, Gypsy & The Cat have found perfect musical harmony in Client Liaision, and Evolution is all I thought it would be and more. Showcasing both duos great strengths (they both have many), the track is predictably high energy, powerful and so much fun, but now all it’s got me doing is hoping for a joint tour! (Hint, hint).
Cleopold – Down In Flames
You might recognise Cleopold’s voice from Cassian‘s Running or Miami Horror‘s Love Like Mine, but now it’s time for this singer/songwriter to go it alone with the release of his debut single, Down In Flames. Having signed to Chet Faker‘s label Details Co., he has definitely taken some influence from his labelhead when it comes to this song, but has done enough to distance himself and create a sound entirely his own. He is set to record his debut album later this year, and that is one record I can’t wait to hear!
I’lls – Keep
I’lls are one of those groups that continually, without fail, out do themselves with every release. Keep is the latest addition in this trend, and once again the boys have stepped up even further. This is the second single from their forthcoming EP Can I Go With You To Go Back To My Country (out next week via Solitaire Recordings), and has only added to our anticipation of it’s release. Totally lush, this beautiful track caresses you and makes you feel okay. We cannot wait to see these three in action at Splendour later this month!
Safia – Embracing Me
It’s no secret that Safia are onto something really good, and have had a huge last few months. Now, with the release of their new single, Embracing Me, they can probably expect even more. The kaleidoscopic breakdown, the warm chorus that has come just in time for the Australian winter, the infectious melody – Safia have once again flexed their musical skills and remain forerunners in the electronic/indie game.
Statik Selektah – All You Need Ft. Action Bronson, Ab-Soul & Elle Varner
Yes, we covered this track already, but it’s so damn good it can’t not be in this week’s playlist. Bronson and Ab-Soul shine through with their verses, and the beautiful, swelling, jazzy, soulful vibes from Selektah are like a dream. Elle Varner’s electrifying voice gives the track even more life, but it really comes down to Selektah’s flawless production that makes the track what it really is.
Manor – Can You Hear Me Talking At You
Melbourne duo Manor released this bad boy just yesterday, and we are so glad they did. Enchanting and soft vocals, hypnotic melodies and searing guitars, Can You Hear Me Talking At You is one of the more beautiful tracks I’ve heard in quite some time. Mixed by Gareth Jones (Grizzly Bear, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) in Shoreditch, London and mastered by Joe Lambert (Animal Collective, Unknown Mortal Orchestra) in Brooklyn, NYC, that would probably explain the worldly feel to the song – mature, self-assured and although seemingly tough, quite sweet and gentle as well.
Melbourne trio I’lls are on the come-up, and for good reason. Their unique style of sparse but intense soundscapes, unpredictable beats, lyrics to cut to the core of you and Simon Lam‘s gentle falsetto make for some seriously fine tunes which they consistently build on and outdo themselves with in each release.
I’lls’ latest track Let Me Have Just One dropped last month, getting quite a bit of Internet love for the three boys. It even ended up in our weekly playlist, where I myself described the track as “Intricate, meticulous and just plain stunning.” I didn’t think it could get much better than that, until I saw their accompanying visuals.
Produced by Sangkhara (who is actually one third of the band, Hamish Mitchell), the clip is a visual feast of warped footage of the band. Mitchell said of the clip, “The aim was to distort and misconstrue the footage whilst keeping the warped figure of Simon Lam the focal point. Originally shot on VHS, it was further processed through a video synth, bounced through mirrors, re-projected on fabric and recaptured through water”. The end results are something to be marvelled at. See for yourself below:
Let Me Have Just One is taken from I’lls’ forthcoming EP Can I Go With You To Go Back To My Country out July 6 by Solitaire Records.
Friday afternoon! You know what that means – we have selected the best of the best new tracks released this week for your aural pleasure. Whether it’s afternoon wind downs, Friday night turn-ups or just plain old dancing in your room, we have definitely got you covered with our top tracks!
Big White – You Know I Love You
Big White are the first local band to be signed to Caroline Australia, and after hearing this track this news really comes as no surprise. Intricate guitar melodies, dramatic and attention grabbing vocals and just enough jangly beats to keep that head swaying, this track is made for after work beers in the sun. Thank you very much, Big White!
Loon Lake – Just Now
This track was apparently written in 2 hours, which is a testament to Loon Lake’s song writing ability. I’ve heard tracks made over months that don’t sound as rad as this! Good old rock’n’roll, this is thrashy, passionate and heaps of fun – the perfect song to mark the band’s return to the scene. A very welcome return indeed, Just Now is hopefully indicative of very good things to come!
JATA – Drowning In Your Arms
“Keep me up because sleep is the cousin of death” is a lyric I can relate all to well with in JATA’s new track Drowning In Your Arms. Beautiful lyricism, plunging synths and impassioned choruses, huge production and cinematic organ bass drops – this track is one that sticks with you from first listen, and the second, and the third…
I’lls – Let Me Have Just One
I’lls are outstanding, and with each release this reputation is just further cemented. The Melbourne trio work so well together, if they ever stopped doing so it would probably be regarded as a national loss. The three are as on point as ever with this latest track, with Lam delivering the heart wrenching chorus of “Don’t fuck around, the thoughts become profound” above a bed of swelling synths, erratic beats and scattered samples. Intricate, meticulous and just plain stunning.
Motez – One 2
Motez continues his domination in the land of house music with this latest track – the next release off his forthcoming Vancouver EP. One 2 can be aptly described as a “total fucking jam” the way it rises and falls, plunging into the depths with it’s huge bass versus the sky high synth swells. Also that vocal sample is a lot of fun, and you just know this is going to be a ripper on any dance floor. I’m proclaiming this to be the Year of Motez.
Antony & Cleopatra – Take Me
Somehow drawing on the past but twisting it into a futuristic style, Antony & Cleopatra have a lot going on, and a lot to love with their new track Take Me. This track actually came out last week, and somehow slipped through the cracks at H&E HQ. However, we can make a little exception, based on how good the song is. Just try not getting down to this one! I dare you.
Slumberjack – Body Cry (Trumpdisco Remix)
Slumberjack released their self-titled EP late last year, comprised of heavy trap beats and surprising textures, making them one of the most exciting acts to emerge in the electronic scene. One of my favourite tracks on that EP was their song Body Cry, which was conveniently remixed this week by Trumpdisco as part of their Remix EP release. I haven’t heard the Perth duo sound quite like this before, but the addition of Trumpdisco’s touches sure makes for a fantastic rework!
Jinja Safari – Find My Way
Finally new Jinja Safari in my ears! Being a long term fan of these guys (Peter Pan anyone?), hearing the news that there is indeed a new track from my favourite sitar playing, pan-piping band made me one happy lady. Songs don’t get much more fun than this, jam packed with feel good vibes and Marcus Azon‘s infectious vocals – definitely one to warm up these colder months!
Baio – Brainwash yyrr Face
Chris Baio is the bassist of Vampire Weekend, but he also makes REALLY good dance music. Brainwash yyrr Face is the first track from his forthcoming album The Names (he’s already released a couple of EPs as well) and is one of the best tracks I’ve heard in quite a while. Unpredictable, fresh and totally unique, Brainwash yyrr Face has been on repeat for the past two days, and is a very exciting first taste from his new album. This track also wasn’t on SoundCloud, so here’s the YouTube version: