'Grim Reaper' by Suzi Wu has been a song I've listened to on repeat since its release in October. I loved her Teenage witch e.p last year and she's bought the same perfect mix of punk and pop alongside real and hard hitting lyrics. The 20 year old is releasing her second e.p 'the sound of pop turned inside out' in January next year which, if this single is a representation of her new tracks, will be a 2019 staple for me.
Daniel Caesar and Free Nationals teamed up to release a mellow R&B single 'Beauty & Essex' which is the lead single for the new Free Nationals album. This song is possibly one of the most slinky and sexy songs released this year, it's got an incomparably smooth bass line and Caesar's voice is beautifully soulful, singing lyrics themed around loneliness and longing.
'Sway' is a song I only recently found, Swedish pop star Tove Styrke made her comeback this year releasing her new album. 'Sway' is the first song on the album and explores romantic vulnerability and her anxiety around romance, much like the rest of the album. The lyrics show emotions that relate to experiences many people encounter. Under the lyrics, a strong rhythm defined by hand claps and electronic drum samples gives the track a beat to dance to whilst also giving off a chill and relaxed vibe.
Billie Ellish released an abundance of music this year. 'When the party's over' was my favourite of the five releases this year. The piano mixed with her breathy vocals and harmonies meant that the simplicity of the song hit with so much raw emotion, which left her stand out voice to tell the story perfectly. Her voice is outstanding and doesn't remind me of anyone else is the music industry today, giving her a raw edge at such a young age. 'When the party's over' is a single that is so incredibly well written both lyrically and instrumentally, the song doesn't sound empty or acoustic even though there is just the piano, vocal and the harmonies. Whenever I hear it I'm in complete awe of her, the range of her voice is insane and her lyrics are gorgeous and sang so seamlessly, she makes me incredibly jealous.
Poppy confused many people when she released her new album, 'Am I A Girl?' on halloween last month. An album infused with a mix of metal and her usual alternative pop vibe. My personal favourite song on this album is 'Play Destroy' which she wrote with Grimes, the song constantly switches between intense metal drums and guitar into girly pop which to me shows how the glossy pop star image often covers up something much darker, Poppy says her collaboration with Grimes is about wanting to take down large corporations and how they both find it exhilarating.
'Let me down' by Jorja Smith and Stormzy is a song that hit me like a tonne of bricks. When I first heard this song her silky vocals had me melting and when I read further into the lyrics I wanted to cry, they're so meaningful and honest, you can hear her emotions while she sings these words, especially towards the end of the song where she sings, 'I tried but I just can't give you up'. Stormzy fits perfectly into the track, you know when someone just throws a rapper into their song to get more recognition (*cough* Girls like you - Maroon 5 *cough*), but he adds to much emotion and context to the track. This is a song that will always make me emotional, the video is also beautifully shot and directed.
Slowthai is the newest grime artist on the scene right now, he seems to have blown up overnight. Us both being from the same area of Northampton I was surprised I'd never heard of him as his music is fucking sick, specifically the single 'Ladies'. This is the song that led me to discover him, he featured of The Colours Show on Youtube singing this song against a beige background. I love the lyrics over the low-fi melody and buzzy bass line.
IDLES are my favourite band. Their latest album blew me away, I fucking love it. 'Great' is my (and my mums) favourite song off the album, they bring an amazing punk essence to talk about the UK's problems, the music video for 'Great' talks about Brexit and shares the belief of just under half of the UK, that Brexit is bullshit. The song comes at a time when many young people are confused about what their future holds and this song beings a little bit of hope to me, showing that people want things to change.
I didn't like any of Courtney Barnett's previous albums, but her 2018 release 'Tell me how you really feel' is one of my favourites this year. 'Nameless, Faceless' is a realistic feminist song that shows no mercy for her haters. With lyrics like 'I wanna walk through the park in the dark', 'woman are scared of man who kill them' and I hold my keys between my fingers' are frighteningly real words for many woman, putting them all into one song over pretty, harmonious chords and contrasting distorted guitars has paid off for Barnett, creating a catchy and iconic song to bring taboo'd subjects to light.
Lucy Dacus is a new artist for me, I had never heard of her until one of her music videos was recommended to me on Youtube. Her song 'Night shift' is complied of relaxing guitar tones and vocal smoothness whilst she sings dark lyrics contemplating her feelings towards her breakup. Her voice is so soft and under appreciated, I love her range and the words she writes are so beautiful it's impossible to find a flaw. Towards the end of the track the acoustic vibe of the track belts into a rocky guitar with powerful vocal ad-libs, when I hear it I just want to jump around and fuck things up.
‘Forever always’ is a collaborative masterpiece by Peter CottonTale, featuring up
and coming young artists and songwriters Chance the Rapper, Daniel Ceaser, Rex Orange County, Madison Ryan Ward and Yebba. Seeing all these artists together on
one track you may not know what to expect, personally I thought it would sound
too mashed together to include these popular names, but their different voices
blend perfectly over the dreamy keyboard, jazzy guitar and church like choir.
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