For many Australians in university and school, it is time, or almost time, to break for the summer. Once those finals are done, you can finally relax and have a moment with fewer worries.  For those of us not in school, we can use these songs to look forward to the weekend, or remind us to look forward to anything, really. Perhaps you are seeing this after or during the holidays, and need something to remind yourselves to breathe and smile through your relatives asking why you aren’t married yet. Either way, here’s a playlist to dance to and let out a mental sigh of relief.

1. Cashmere Cat – Throw Myself a Party ft. 2 Chains, Tory Lanez, and Starrah

You’re through what it is you were going through. And now it’s time to throw yourself a party.  This incredible track was the second single off of Cashmere Cat’s upcoming project Wild Love, and promises great things coming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYl7_L8U28Y

2. Ryan Hemsworth – Burying the Sun

Whatever it was that you needed to bury, leave it behind.  This song from Canadian producer Ryan Hemsworth is a beautiful journey, from it’s gentle softness to jumpy percussion, this odd yet beautiful song will help us bury our demons.

3. Yogi – Blow You Up ft. AlunaGeorge

This is a song purely designed to make you feel good.  Yogi is known best for his harder works, such as the classic song Burial with Skrillex, Trollphace, and Pusha T, but this softer side made for a rather infectious beat.

4. EPROM and G Jones – Warrior

To contrast our last track, we have possibly some of the hardest, soul-crushing trap released this year. Eprom’s iconic subterranean bass sound and G Jones’ expertise birthed an absolute banger fit to make you feel like a warrior.

5. Nick Murphy – Fear Less

Nick Murphy, previously known as Chet Faker, released this as his first single on his project with a new name.  This building intensity with the voice and production we all know and love bring us less fear and we look forward to what he’ll do next.

https://soundcloud.com/chet-faker/fear-less

6. Flosstradamus and TroyBoi – Soundclash

“A sound clash enough to heal ya” indeed.  After America’s election and after a hard semester at school or day at work, we could all use some healing.  The immediately recognizable trap styles of Flosstradamus and TroyBoi expertly mix to create something that’s become a staple in the sets and libraries of many.

7. Willow Beats – From Under the Ground

A bit of an indie flair from one of Australia’s best female-led electronic duos.  Lead singer Kalyani’s vocals are reminiscent of a siren song, and this bouncy, almost hip-hop style beat blends well with this floating melodic voice.

8. Major Lazer – Night Riders ft. Travi$ Scott, 2 Chainz, Pusha T & Mad Cobra)

Major Lazer has become something of a worldwide force, and the song Lean On became the most streamed song on Spotify of all time.  This song is a perfect way to blend electronic, reggae, and hip hop without outshining the vocalists, creating a song about getting what you want and having the best night ever with none of the cheesy.

9. RL Grime – Core (Djemba’s Selassie Bootleg)

Perhaps you’ve heard Core by RL Grime, or maybe you have and you didn’t know it.  Now, not just anyone can remix one of the most iconic trap songs of all time, but Djemba Djemba, who’s done production for names like Sia, Chris Brown, and Alison Wonderland, did it successfully without removing any of the song’s original flair, and that flip near the end is an absolute killer.

https://soundcloud.com/djembadjemba/core-djembas-selassie-bootleg

10. Flume – Free

As the end to a playlist to a song about relief, we had to have the one song that makes us feel freest of all.  This song is a release to bad energy, a new clarity or beginning from Australia’s own, who has had one of the biggest years of his life following the release of his sophomore album, Skin. Listen below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytgx9aiGHkU

This is a playlist meant for nothing but enjoyment, to get a taste of many genres and let go of our inhibitions and stressors for a half hour or so.

Here it is, your weekly playlist of some of our favourite new songs this week! We try to cover as much ground as possible, and here’s a few amazing new tracks we might have missed throughout the week.

Enjoy!

  • Roots Manuva, On A High
    Off the back of last year’s stunning new album Bleeds, On A High can be found on the upcoming deluxe version. Backed by an eerie, synth-based instrumental and a thin, rather unsettling vocal loop, Roots paints a dark, lyrically illustrative picture, ominous but not quite as gritty as some of last year’s tracks. This is another great track, with Roots continuing his reign as one of the UK’s best hip-hop exports ever. Read our review of the incredible Bleeds here.
  • Aphty Khea, Onyx Glitz
    Aphty Khea has just released a two-track EP, and it’s so good that we’re featuring both right here. The slinky, electro-trip hop offerings immediately evoke a lush, immersive atmosphere that I quickly found myself lost among. The rhythm and sparse instrumental layers, predominantly percussive effects and glitchy piano trickles, create an unsettling backdrop which slowly builds behind the multi-layered vocal melody.
  • Aphty Khea, Peacebloom
    The second half of Khea’s EP, Peacebloom begins with a briefly noisy sample, before we’re immediately thrust into a much deeper atmosphere. The huge beat and deep, resounding bass quickly forms a syncopated rhythm, as a seductive vocal loop injects melody up above. I absolutely love how deep and trippy this instrumental is, and the vocal melody is simply sublime. Of the two, this is my favourite, but put together, you’ve got an incredible eight minutes of sonic magic.
  • Marcus, Toast
    Another incredible upcoming name in hip-hop from our own backyard, Melbourne’s Marcus has this week released new track Toast, following on from his new mixtape Pizza For Breakfast. The production is really beautiful, courtesy of Basquiat JR, best known for producing Joey Badass’ Christ Conscious. Marcus has a really smooth, natural flow, an absolute pleasure to listen to for the track’s theme-appropriate 4:20 running time.
  • Ryan Hemsworth, Wait ft. Keaton Henson & Mitski
    Goddamn. The Adult Swim singles series just gets better and better each week. Today, we’ve got a brand new Ryan Hemsworth production, featuring deep vocals from Keaton Henson, along with the delicate darkness of Mitski, who just released new album Puberty 2. This is a deeply emotive track, and the low chords, robotic synth effects and both guests’ vocals altogether create something really quite heavy and introverted.
  • Tempesst, Broke Down Blues
    Lightening the mood a bit, The Aussie born, London based duo Tempesst are back with a rich, twangy, guitar-laden campfire track. Raucous and bluesy (as the name might suggest), this is so, so catchy and a real pleasure to listen to – you can absolutely picture this as a late night festival singalong.
  • Dom Zilla, Tonight
    We’ve covered the UK’s Dom Zilla a couple times before, and each time, I love it. New track Tonight is a blissfully smooth, full, soulful offering. “I don’t need nobody tonight,” he begins, forming a calmly comforting atmosphere that flows so beautifully throughout this wonderful track.
  • Japanese Wallpaper, Cocoon
    Melbourne’s Japanese Wallpaper, aka Gab Strum, has finally returned with new track Cocoon. The first track since his self-titled debut EP, this is a warm, rich tune, showing off a deep melody and a really beautiful, full, warm soundscape. This marks Strum’s first track featuring his own vocals, and it couldn’t work better. I can’t wait to hear more.
  • James Vincent McMorrow, Rising Water
    The bearded man with one of the most delicate voices in folk music has returned, and he’s had one hell of a makeover. This is a really exciting new direction that he’s heading in, following his 2014 album Post Tropical, and I really, really like it. Swift percussion, a funky bass and a wonderful melody come together in the first track off his newly announced third LP, We Move, out September 2. Listen to Rising Water here.
  • Kacy Hill, Lion
    G.O.O.D Music’s Kacy Hill has released released Lion, the first track to be released from her highly anticipated debut album, out later this year. This is a truly incredible track, and I can’t wait for the full record. Dark yet dainty, emotive and commanding throughout, showcasing her incredible, unique vocals and a powerful chorus. Listen to Lion here.

Image: Ryan Hemsworth / Adult Swim

Ryan Hemsworth has released the absolutely gorgeous, Afterglow, this week. The Canadian producer has been quiet (at least for his own standards) since releasing his mini-album, Alone For The First Time, late last year.

Ryan Hemsworth’s new track was probably made on a blimp hovering 3 metres above the ice-white tip of Mount Everest. The song is a lovely mix of atmospheric blips, cello thumps, piano fondling and choir-like harmonies. When you listen to it, you will feel like you are floating in a cloud of soft, self-playing instruments. In the description for the song on his Soundcloud page, Ryan Hemsworth included the following: “fiona apple in ‘the first taste’ music video (1996).”
I was not exactly sure what he meant, so I played Afterglow as I watched the video on mute. It was… eclectic… very American Beauty. I have included the Fiona Apple video so that you can have a try at splicing it with the song (Year 12 Visual Arts project here we come).

We are very excited that Ryan Hemsworth will be gracing our shores once again at the end of September. He’ll be visiting Aus for the upcoming third instalment of Listen Out Festival, at which he’ll be playing alongside the likes of Childish Gambino, Odesza, SBTRKT, Rae Sremmurd and Hayden James.