Little Simz – Boss
The world needs to get ready for Little Simz. The British MC continues her rollout of edgy singles with her latest entitled “Boss.” Following in the footsteps of her previous release “Offence,” which was her first since her last album in 2016, “Boss” not only continues a new musical aesthetic with live instruments, but it also shows her with a more fiery attitude as she forges new musical ground. “Offence” and “Boss” are part of a lead up to a new album from Simz, and if they are any indication, the new album should send her to new heights in the industry.
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Makeness – Stepping Out Of Sync
Scottish producer Kyle Molleson, who puts out music as Makeness, has just announced his debut album, which is called Loud Patterns and will be out in April. The full-length comes on the heels of two EPs, one that was released in 2015 and another that came out last year. We’ve heard the title track and “Day Old Death” over the last few months, and his latest is “Stepping Out Of Sync,” which comes attached to a video of some dancing in the street. Here’s what Molleson said in a statement:
‘Stepping Out Of Sync’ for me is about losing a little bit of a grip on reality. There’s a big nod to the world of pop music in the track and I wanted to reflect that in the video too. Josha and Felix, who directed the video, came up with this great time splicing technique using a custom 3-camera rig. The idea was to use the technique as a character in the video to add a sense of detachment from reality and subtly invert the upbeat aspect of the music. I had also been talking to my friend Maddie who is a brilliant dancer about working on some choreography for the video. These aspects seemed to come together perfectly when Josha and Felix started sending ideas across. I think the video really captures the range of emotions that exist in the track, it’s upbeat and positive aspect alongside a layer of dissonance and confusion that lies under the surface.
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Open Mike Eagle
Relatable (peak OME) prod. Nedarb
Indie rap vet Open Mike Eagle knows the challenges of the rap proletariat; the realities of squaring an “art rap” perception with a working class lifestyle aren’t lost on him. These tensions are at the center of his new song “Relatable (peak OME),” from his upcoming album What Happens When I Try to Relax, to be released on his own label for the first time. OME has said the song is “about expectations of form, anxiety, middle age, and middle class,” among other indescribable things. In its verses, he unpacks the myths and truths of indie rap approachability, being self-effacing and witty as only he can. There’s a difference between being a middling rapper and being a rapper in the middle—between forms, between arcs, known but not famous, comfortable but blue-collar, under pressure to be many things to many people. Balancing exceptionalism with a somewhat ordinary existence is one of OME’s defining gifts. But the song contends that such a balance doesn’t occur without hassle or micro-aggressions.
With “Relatable,” Open Mike Eagle pieces together conversation fragments plucked from his interactions as The Rapper Who’s Just Like Us. Deeper than that, though, he taps into the language of awkward exchanges: every nervous laugh or forgotten name or small-talk gaffe. The bars are rapped in a half-shout, but from exasperation, not anger. He’s reflecting the enthusiasm we perform to make those around us feel more at ease, and his ideas are articulated with such crispness that there’s an underlying twitchiness. “I’m sorry, don’t follow you/I promise I truly and really remember you/I’m not just pretending to/I’m trying to distinguish between individuals/And I’m feeling invisible,” he raps. Produced by Nedarb Nagrom (with trumpet playing from Jordan Katz), the synths strobe gently around Mike as he picks apart syllables, letting some drift off into the ether. Through each phrase on “Relatable,” Open Mike Eagle reveals just how daunting keeping up appearances can be.
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Tim Hecker – Keyed Out
Tim Hecker has released a new 10-minute song called “Keyed Out.” Listen below. Hecker wrote the single—from his forthcoming recordKonoyo—over multiple sessions and completed it in a temple outside of Tokyo. “I wanted to resist the temptation to overload the music with layers and layers of hyper-edited texture, as if that would help the piece become more whole,” Hecker said in a statement. “The song is a lonely deteriorating synth line, refracted and isolated, played alongside a small court music ensemble on what was a crisp birdsong-filled November morning.” Hecker’s last single from Konoyo was “This Life.” The artist will embark on a tour in late 2018 and early 2019 with the Konoyo Ensemble.
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Jessie Ware – Overtime
Jessie Ware is one of pop’s most expressive vocalists, someone who’s able to convey a lifetime of joy or regret in the way she shades a syllable. On excellent albums like 2014’s Tough Love and 2017’s Glasshouse, she’s used that voice to increasingly languid ends, often sinking into slow-burn atmosphere and Quiet Storm balladry. As enjoyable as that’s been, it’s a pleasant surprise to hear the U.K. singer-songwriter hit the dance floor on her new single “Overtime.”
“Let’s find a way/Meet me at the bar and don’t be late/I could drink you up like summer lemonade,” Ware suggests in her breathiest, flirtiest tones as the track heats up. Her vocal is all classic house-music glamour, with a touch of more modern club music in the bounce of the bass. Back in the early 2010s, Ware first came to prominence through her collaborations with forward-thinking U.K. producers like SBTRKT and Joker; her pairing here with Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford and Bicep’s Andy Ferguson and Matt McBriar, who teamed up to produce “Overtime,” is a perfect match. It adds up to four and a half minutes of pure bliss.
Read the rest of this article at RollingStone
