Another week, another week’s worth of songs to listen to. Don’t worry though, as we’ve once again narrowed it down to ten of the best songs you need to hear! Enjoy!
BUOY, Clouds & Rain
Sydney artist BUOY finally makes her return with this latest single. Following on from her astounding EP, Immersion, last year, I’ve been eagerly waiting new music from BUOY thanks to her impressive beats, incredible voice, and impossible knack for tying together elements that wouldn’t work anywhere else but under her guidance. Clouds & Rain once again sees her delve into a multitude of styles and sounds, throwing parts and fragments together to create a beautiful arrangement. From the sombre, slow opening to the garage-y, bouncy hook (I guess you could call it a hook?), BUOY is the master of controlled chaos and Clouds & Rain once again shows that off.
KUCKA, Honey (Time Pilot Remix)
Time Pilot make some of the biggest tunes in the country, but are sorely not yet receiving the cred or hype that I truly believe they deserve. However, with each release they slowly creep onto more and more radars, and soon I hope they’ll achieve the recognition they should. It helps when their releases sound as good as this latest one. Remixing fellow Perth native KUCKA, Time Pilot take her Honey and turn it into a futuristic jaunt with booming thick bass, shuddering synths and huge drops. In a time where the electronic scene is absolutely saturated in acts believing the bigger the drop, the better, Time Pilot stick to their guns and it’s this integrity that will see them through. Yet another impressive remix from these guys!
Peter Bjorn & John, Breakin’ Point (Miike Snow Remix)
Ahead of their return to Australia later this year for Splendour In The Grass, Peter Bjorn & John have now shared their second single from their forthcoming new album (their seventh), of the same name. In the same day, fellow Swedish maestros Miike Snow also released their own remix of this latest tune. The two bands are in the same artist collective, INGRID, and they were both using the same studio to make their respective new albums. A coincidence or not about this outpouring of creativity, but Miike Snow’s take on Breakin’ Point just about takes the cake for my favourite track of the week. With a moog bass line and grooves amped up more than a few levels, they take Peter Bjorn & John out of the pop environment and into alternative dance, and it sounds great.
Samm Henshaw, Our Love
Melding R&B, soul, gospel and more, Samm Henshaw gets better and better with each release. Our Love is a liberating, expressive, emotional celebration of love between two people, and will have you dancing around the room within seconds. It’s big-band feel practically guarantees it will be an outstanding number to see live, and Henshaw’s almighty voice gives it even more of a soulful feel. With a catchy riff, splashy drums, euphoric screams and good vibes a-plenty, Our Love is up there with one of the best Henshaw tracks we’ve heard, and – as always with his music – has us so excited to see what he does next!
Golden Vessel, Never Know (Ft. Lastlings)
Brisbane up-and-comers Golden Vessel and Lastlings have teamed up for this beautiful new track. Golden Vessel is a rising star as a producer/solo act, whilst Lastlings are forging their own path as an electronic duo, and both shine so bright on Never Know. With beautiful, swirling production and blooming atmospherics, oriental influences and shimmering guitar, Amy Dowdle’s voice is gentle and enticing, and matches up perfectly with Golden Vessel’s intricate production. Inspired by the drive out to the Gold Coast Hinterlands, the three make some real magic here. We’re predicting big things to come from both artists in the next few months, and if this is anything to go by, they’re sounding like they’re about to prove us right!
LUCIANBLOMJAMP, The Overman (Ft. Lower Spectrum)
Having just toured around the country together on a joint headline tour, it’s only fitting that one would remix the other when it comes to LUCIANBLOMKAMP and Lower Spectrum. The former being from Melbourne, the latter from Perth, the two are at the top of the game when it comes to left field electronic music in Australia. With their own unique brands of electronica, involving dark and brooding sounds with hypnotic tendencies, the two sound even better when on the same track with Lower Spectrum reworking LUCIANBLOMKAMP’s stand out tune, The Overman. Already serving as a highlight on Lucian’s latest album, Bad Faith, Lower Spectrum puts his own spin on it to make it a trance-inducing, break neck tune that is as unpredictable as it is impressive – just like both of these artists are. Sublime.
Elk Road, Lights (Ft. Oly)
Another Perth producer, Elk Road returns with a brand new song, this time teaming up with Oly for added vocals. The result is yet another step up for the upcoming producer as he continues his stellar run of releases. Elk Road said of the track, “I wanted to make something fun and energetic that contained all my favourite elements – soaring guitars, pounding basslines, steel drums, vocal melodies and so on. It started out as a really chilled track and as I worked on it over 6 months it progressively became more and more dance-floor.” “Dance floor” indeed. Lights is an upbeat floor filler with sensational vocals from Oly and a drop that will bring you to your knees. Elk Road works best in the big room sounds, and Lights is a perfect example not only of where he is heading, but where he belongs.
Miel, Deep Water
Brisbane alt-pop band Miel have released their latest single this week, titled Deep Water, and it takes the prize for smoothest track of the week. Drawing heavily on influences like Hiatus Kaiyote, the band lay down some succulent grooves here. Meticulous guitar, sublime vocals and jazz influences to take it over the edge, Deep Water is an impressive release from an impressive band. Front-woman Adelina describes the song as “dripping with metaphor, toying with tension and release to immerse the listener in themes of religion, loyalty and friendship,” and all is this is represented beautifully here. Quickly becoming a staple in the live scene of their hometown, it’ll be exciting to watch these guys continue to grow!
Stay At Home Son, Tired
Stay At Home Son has shared his second single, Tired, this week via Japanese Wallpaper‘s own label, Neat Lawn. Following on from the success of Bluffs and Blocks, Tired coincides with Stay At Home Son’s self titled, debut EP (which also serves as the first release from the Neat Lawn label), and sees real name Jesse Martin-Allan delve even further into the emotional side of electronic music, with intimate lyrics and gentle arrangements that carry his vocals. A really beautiful song, Tired is a calculated and considered song that Martin-Allan has clearly spent some time working on and honing. It’s an impressive song, not just from an upcoming artist, but from an upcoming label too, and should serve both parties very well for the near future.
Loyle Carner, Stars & Shards
Loyle Carner fuses a lot of genres together to get his own, unique and fresh sound and it works so well every time that he makes it all sound easy. Stars & Shards once again shows off his storytelling lyrics and his amalgamation of East Coast hip-hop and South London jazz, tied together with his soulful influences. Raw and honest, he keeps it light whilst discussing dark topics over a breezy guitar riff and drum beat. Debuting on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show as her Hottest Record, Carner is set to have an even bigger year this year, even though last year saw him embark on two sold out tours and acquiring a loyal and rapidly-growing fan base. It’s no surprise though, as his real rhymes and easy-going flow would do it for just about anyone – us included.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGNMTGh6JZY
As 2015 begins to wrap up, and holiday season well and truly gets underway, the need for “holiday jams” as we like to call it gets pretty dire. Thankfully, we’ve had our ears to the figurative ground this week and have collected ten top tracks you should be jamming into your ears right this second. Enjoy!
Dreamers, Shooting Shadows
Good old indie rock at it’s finest, this Dreamers’ track has a driving beat, some searing guitar work and vocals that remind me of any of the great indie rock frontmen (Alex Turner or Julian Casablancas, anyone?). It’s angsty, punchy, and powerful, and has us really excited for the band’s forthcoming album that is said to be in the works.
VHS Collection, Lean
Hailing from NYC, VHS Collection make songs that practically make good times happen. Warm, fun, catchy but not overdone, Lean perfectly encapsulates the band into one track- a move we hope to hear a lot more of in 2016.
Dividem, The Beat Is My Master
Tipped to really blow up next year, Dividem started making waves with their last single, All In My Head, and now they’re set to do it all again with this bad boy. Hard hitting, dark, pulsating and threatening, The Beat Is My Master is exactly the type of track a duo with this much hype around them should be releasing going into a new year, and we can’t wait to hear what they come out with next.
Project 46, Signs (Ft. Shantee)
Coming out via tastemaker label Monstercat, duo Project 46 have teamed up with the heavenly Shantee for this serene song. Titled Signs, this is what I like to call a “gentle banger”. It might be an oxymoron, but with it’s soft drop, subtle synths, airy vocals and tender bassline, there isn’t a better term to describe it. Summer in a song!
Jodie Abacus, I’ll Be That Friend (Boston Bun Remix)
South-London rapper Jodie Abacus is quickly becoming a H&E favourite with his soul-pop jams, and this remix is another example of why we just can’t get enough of it. His nostalgic voice and style mixed with Boston Bun’s forward thinking production makes for an aural overload in the best possible sense.
Landings, My Bones
Brisbane newcomers Landings released their first ever single this week, and what a single it is! Taking inspiration from fellow Brisbane bands like Last Dinosaurs and The Jungle Giants, their guitar-focused indie-rock/pop sounds spot on here, and has our intrigue well and truly piqued for future releases.
Djemba Djemba & Maribelle, Shout
One of our favourite producers teaming up with one of Australia’s most promising up-and-comers, Djemba Djemba and Maribelle are a match made in musical heaven. Maribelle’s achievements speak for themselves, with production credits on both Major Lazer‘s and Alison Wonderland‘s 2015 albums, as well as being the sensational singer on Carmada‘s stellar track, On Fire. Djemba Djemba is a producer that needs no introduction, as he continues his journey towards total world domination. Together, the pair bring out the absolute best in each other, creating Shout just in time for your weekend.
Lemon., Dope Baby
Incorporating elements of pop, R&B, hip-hop and more, Toronto artist Lemon. doesn’t exactly fit anywhere whilst fitting everywhere at the same time. This smoky, hazy track is seductive and hypnotic, and had us hooked from about 2 seconds in with it’s thick synths, piercing drums, unique vocals and more swirling together. Stunning.
Time Pilot, Zulu
Pilerats Records‘ most recent signees, Time Pilot have been on my radar for a while thanks to their absolute enormous tunes. Living by the motto “go big or go home”, the duo smash everything they touch- and this latest single is no exception. Self-described as “Lion King at 5am in the club”, Zulu is yet another massive release from Time Pilot. We’re expecting big things to come from these two!
What So Not, Oddity
Choosing to release an EP this close to the end of the year may be a risky move for some, but considering the fact that What So Not is one of the biggest producers in the country, I don’t really think he will have much difficulty getting his new music out there. Available for free download now via his Soundcloud, What So not has delivered the goods with this EP, and in particular this track. If there is any wonder left why What So Not is as big as he is right now, this release shows why.