Alt-J: 3WWW
I don’t mind telling you that I wasn’t a fan of Breezeblocks. But this masterpiece floored me the first time I heard it in the car. It continues to uplift, blend into the background and then smash me with a Ben Folds type crescendo. The video is incredible too. 3WWW is easily my most favourite track of 2017 so far. It has everything.
The Babe Rainbow: Peace Blossom Boogy
This song feels like when you hit the beach in the morning, and have a nap in the afternoon. It’s vaguely reminiscent of Beck’s carefree and fun pop phase, but very Byron Bay at the same time.
Radiohead: I Promise
Flawless balladry from Radiohead.
Gang of Youths: Let Me Down Easy
Let Me Down Easy is from Gang of Youths‘ new album Go Father In Lightness which is due out in August. If you’ve ever had that moment when you tire of breathy synth bands over saturating our air waves, and asked yourself where the good old rock’n’roll bands are – Gang of Youths is the answer. There is such raw emotion in singer David Le’aupepe’s vocals, whether he’s tugging at the heart strings or screaming with rage, and usually in the same song.
The War on Drugs: Thinking of a Place
The War On Drugs are releasing their fourth full-length album, A Deeper Understanding on 25 August. This is the band’s first LP since 2014’s universally acclaimed Lost In The Dream. Thinking of a Place is an 11-minute track that was released especially for Record Store Day 2017 and I’ve been too busy playing it on loop to share it with you. The band have since released the album’s lead single, called Holding On (but I prefer this one, sway with me, sweet melancholy). A Deeper Understanding is available to pre-order now.
B Boys: Walking
According to the band B Boys‘ single Walking is “about trying to be tender and acknowledging that masculinity is a prison, [and was] written after a whirlwind of emotions of being on tour.“ Their debut album Dada is out on Friday.
Hollow Everdaze: Cartoons
Cartoons “Floats along on a cloud, offering dreamy guitar licks that sound like they came out of an alternate ’70s reality. There are hints of darkness lurking around the corner, but they never get in the way of the song’s cool, weirdo vibe, much less its flurry of hooks.” – clrvynt.com
The Ruminaters: How Can I
The kooky super 8 clip for How Can I was directed by James Marcus Haney who has previously worked with the likes of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Coldplay Mumford and Sons and Jay Z. ‘How Can I’ diverges from the band’s every day sound, with a softer, dreamier sound than usual. The music video leaves a magical visual impression too (still pictured at top). The Super 8 aesthetic and androgynous characters create an ethereal experience, which draws us into the wild and wonderful world of The Ruminaters.
The Garb Wire 