Not gonna lie: kind of a slow week for new music. Dug deep for these gems, let’s get into it.
My Brightest Diamond — “Lover/Killer”
Over the course of three deliberate albums, Shara Worden has always played with texture in her unexpected, genre-bending songs as My Brightest Diamond. Striking new single “Lover/Killer” plays with pop hooks in a way previously unexplored in Worden’s experimental, highly operatic rock. “Lover/Killer” lands somewhere between St. Vincent and Metals-era Feist (you know, after she harnessed the power of brass). My Brightest Diamond’s fourth album, This Is My Hand, is out September 16.
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Jessie Ware — “Say You Love Me”
The latest Jessie Ware single makes the cut this week if only for its bold new direction: a soaring pop-rock anthem ripe for radio. Ed Sheeran co-wrote it, which explains its air of sullen introspection. If this is how Jessie Ware can infiltrate Top 40, I’ll take it, Sam Smith-style choir crescendo and all. I mean, “Rude” must be stopped somehow. Ware’s sophomore album, Tough Love, is out October 21.
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Field Report — “Home (Leave the Lights On)”
This is a sad, sweet song about being away from loved ones while on the road. Oh but there’s a twist: what’re you doing in this folk-rock song, synth?! It works. Field Report’s sophomore album, Marigolden, is out October 7.
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ILoveMakonnen — “Club Goin Up On a Tuesday” feat. Drake
“Club Goin Up On a Tuesday” is a woozy, regional rap hit from Atlanta’s ILoveMakonnen that’s been going viral in slow motion, thanks in part to a Miley cosign. In an effort to show that he hasn’t lost touch with the YOLO youth, Drake has jumped on a remix of “Club Going Up On a Tuesday.” Drizzy slooooows it d o w n to show that he’s on Makonnen’s level, and it’s unlike any other Drake verse in existence. It’s not exactly good, but it’s intriguing and annoying memorable.
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Allo Darlin’ — “Romance and Adventure”
Allo Darlin’ singer Elizabeth Morris musters the last little bit of herself to declare, over and over again: “I’m just tired of being strong.” Her band, however, pummels forward with Kinks-meets-R.E.M. guitars, hauling ass ’til the very end. It’s a lovely juxtaposition. Allo Darlin’s third album, We Come From the Same Place, will be out October 7.
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Michael Cera’s new self-released lo-fi folk album… just kidding, don’t listen to that, lol.