Focusing herself down to four songs let’s Nilüfer Yanya craft one of her tightest releases in years. Merging infectious melodies dance among a rich tapestry of harmony and poignant percussion choices, this is an EP that lives in its space to create a singular sound. There’s a brutality to the drums on “Kneel” that tells you a lot before the morose orchestral arrangements and guitars seep in, letting Yanya and her many harmonies fly. The percussion is almost disintegrating from distortion on “Where to Look,” making that pivot to the hook so divine, as Yanya fishes a beautiful and burnt out gem from such a simple melody. “Cold Heart” finds a welcoming middle to the sweetest and most rugged tones of the record, creating a track that soars and digs in the deep all at once. While less inherently catchy, “Treason” has an intimacy and frankness to it, letting the more lo-fi elements of the mix feel baked out of an immediate and important feeling that needs to be let out.
Part psychedelic shredder, part R&B summer breeze, JayWood’s latest single hits like two parts of a trip, soothing and then visceral all at once. The verses are bathing in the warm glow of those guitars, as they ripple out and let the synths add a ray or two to the light. Meanwhile, the kinetic drops of the b-section is a vicious, experimental dive, hitting you with percussion and a polychromatic wave of wonder. This contrast speaks to a dichotomy in his own astrology that JayWood has spoken about, as he manages the chaos between the brash Leo (hence the album title), and his much quieter signs. After the dissonance however, the smooth but driving bridges give some of the dreamiest moments of the track, as he cried “You’re the sun” amidst production that would make Tyler, the Creator grin.
Adding an Americana charm to her usual groovy and smoky appeal, Meg Remy of U.S. Girls might have found the exact recipe to recharge her creativity. Bolstered by a great new cast of musicians, including sublime bass from Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather, The Greenhornes, Loretta Lynn), it may not always feel as sonically fresh as Remy’s previous work, but you can hear her spirit is excited in every moment of this record. “Like James Said” sets things off on a rustic and funky charge, that only gets more magical as it runs, with pointed call and response, and a spicy percussive hit that turns a cherry on top into a whole new world. As the haze of Western twang settles on “The Clearing,” the bass starts painting a picture, letting Remy’s voice dance in the swing of it all. “Walking Song” is a borderline cheeky throwback to the folky gospel crooners of yesteryear, soothing the soul but not totally reinventing the genre. The drawn out nature of the first section to “Bookends” does really test how deep you’re willing to sink into the slow burn, which itself runs longer than many songs on the record to begin with. But down be thrown off, because once it hits that groovy stride, with guitars flickering and neon harmonies set loose on iconic hooks and jazz chords, this song becomes one of the album’s best, albeit one that perhaps would grant the extended sections better in a live setting than on record.
Living somewhere between chiptune inspirations and sprawling cinematic pop, the latest single from Purity Ring feels ripped right from a futuristic anime. The lush world of the track feels lived in and vibrant, yet also desolate and at the edge of oblivion in its frigid tone. There’s a sense of longing for both sanctuary, but still a sense of contact after the fact. Despite a sense of imminent threat within the lyrics, there’s a hope and rising boom in the production as the song evolves to hint at something growing. Whether that’s a climactic relief or a decisive end is up to you, but either way, you’ll be swept away by these lush electronic soundscapes.
Mixing theatrical Spanish synth pop with vintage production and an outlandish sense of aesthetic, Rigoberta Bandini drops an album that feels like it’s pulled from another reality. There’s such a fun mix of lush and quirky in the way Rigoberta Bandini use their synths on “Pamela Anderson” you’ll be lost in the playfulness before you dig into its take on the star’s second life in the spotlight. Though a bit more direct, “Busco un centro de gravedad permanente” leans right into the spooky tones, and injects a fun amount of 80s neon guitars for something truly haunting, and fun all at once. The production on “Kaiman” takes it over the top, with waves crashing and the flow of the dance beat landing like a euphoric high each time. There’s a simple beauty to “Aprenderás” that lets the swell of strings and shredding guitars slowly add a surrealistic edge to take the song into the stratosphere.
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