A showcase of some of the best new music releases from the past week.
Beyoncé – ‘Formation’
Just like that, 2016 belongs to Beyoncé. Someone please update this gif with your favourite rapper's’ album covers. ‘Formation’ - the song and video that effortlessly ground the weekend to a halt - leaves us with plenty to left to unpack, but it’s already inspired some thoughtful conversations in the days since its release. If you’re looking for a place to start, this should do it.
Beastwars – ‘Call To The Mountain’
Beastwars, the force of nature four-piece from Wellington, have announced that they will release their new album – the superbly titled The Death Of All Things – this April. And right on cue we have the first single from the release, ‘Call To The Mountain’. Listen above and if vinyl is your thing, the band will be taking pre-orders of the album from Friday March 11. Mark it down.
Kevin Gates – ‘Ain’t Too Hard’
Apologies to the Future and Young Thug, who also released new albums this week, but Louisiana MC Kevin Gates might have got one over on them both with his major-label debut Islah. And though he’s at his best when he’s going all in, some of the album’s finer moments actually come when Gates decides to get all lovey-dovey. Take the adorable ‘Pride’, the kinda-gross-but-likeable ‘Hard For’ (look up the lyrics yourself), or ‘Aint Too Hard’, a candid late album highlight. “My mother left when I was young,” he laments. “I'm commitment-shy so when my feelings get involved I tend to run.”
The Moonrakers – OLA!
Best song title of 2K16 so far = ‘Let’s Go To Video Ezy’.
Wurld Series – ‘Orkly Kid’ / ‘Rabbit’
After a bit of a wait, Christchurch’s charming Wurld Series have just released two new singles – ‘Orkly Kid’ and ‘Rabbit’ – that are set to be featured on both their forthcoming full-length and as part of a cassette compilation that’s due out on Voyager Golden Records. As expected, both songs take cues from their lo-fi indie-rock predecessors. It’s a throwback to the Malkmus/Pollard era at its best.
Lontalius – ‘It’s Not Love’
As we mentioned, every week Eddie Johnston will drop a new track from I’ll Forget 17 in the lead-up to the release. ‘It’s Not Love’ is the latest from the album and, like many of the other songs that we’ve heard so far, it’s both sleepy-eyed and a little fragile at exactly the the same time.
Trust Punks – ‘Leaving Room For The Lord’
Following on from the November release of ‘Mother’s Veil’, Trust Punks are back with another new release from their forthcoming album, Double Bind. This one sees the five-piece Auckland outfit move towards an increasingly abrasive sound, an approach unlike much else they’ve introduced us to before. Let’s hope there’s more like it.
