By Jack
Five Seconds of Summer – Want You Back
They’re less punchable, but less memorable too. The aus-pap One Direction fill-ins got their break writing lightweight post-punk for kids too young to remember Sum 41. This brave new venture sees them exploring equally lightweight 1975isms. The hook isn’t bad, and the guitars sound more convincing than the flimsy noodling of ‘She Looks So Perfect’. They’ve grown their hair out and listened to LANY’s self-titled once or twice, but that is the limit of their creative process.
Bhad Bhabie feat. Lil Yachty – Gucci Flip Flops
This is why people hate trap music. This is making me want to hate trap music. When a style comes along that is this easily replicated and commercially viable it will be done to death (see also dubstep, D&B) – but this is a fate far worse than death. And yeah – she’s that gobby pre-teen who mouthed off on Dr. Phil.
Koda – Touch
Cyclical, mesmerising ambient drone. With little more than a distant echo of a beat and spindly guitar, the LA based musician paints an honest portrait of distant longing. Exquisite, haunted sensuality.
Michl x Mura Masa – Better With You
Jack Johnson via latter-day, lover-man Skrillex stylings. A tropical acoustic riff is enough to draw in brash electronics, R&B beat and washes of synthesiser. You can thank production wunderkind Mura Masa for that, but Michl has a heady flavour all his own.
Lady Gaga – Your Song
Classic tune. Perfunctory cover. For an album suggesting a “reimagining”, the curators of this standards LP should try and spice it up – Gaga for Elton fit hand in glove, but that just isn’t very exciting.
Hey Nineteen 