Listen Tracks: Billie Eilish, 3OH!3, Rico Nasty and more

In the time since Billie Eilish’s all-conquering debut ‘when we all fall asleep where do we go?’, the singer has drip-fed us tracks that seemed designed to fill certain spaces. 2019’s undulating ‘everything i wanted’ landed in time to cap off the album’s success with a reflection and a reissue; ‘No Time To Die’ arrived, of course, as the lush new entry into the Bond canon, while July’s ‘my future’ was an introverted pandemic soundtrack. ‘Therefore I Am’, however, marks the first track that feels like the beginning of Album Two proper and it’s a swaggering gem that delivers low-key sass by the bucketload. “Articles, articles, articles / I’d rather you remain unremarkable,” she throws out with the kind of withering nonchalance that’s become a trademark. Even a slightly shit Covid video bopping around an empty mall can’t lower the light on this one. (Lisa Wright)

Four years on since the release of their last album ‘Night Sports’, 3OH!3 took to Twitter earlier this week to announce their return, promising a brand new song with experimental pop’s finest 100 gecs. Always destined to be a banger, the electro-pop duo’s newest is as brilliantly bizarre as you would expect a 3OH!3 x 100 gecs song to be, calling back to their big hit ‘DONTTRUSTME’ with the lyrics “You tell your boyfriend if he’s still got beef that over time it’s gonna give him heart disease” and showing off how they’re still able to create catchy AF bops. (Elly Watson)

With her highly-anticipated debut album ‘Nightmare Vacation’ arriving early next month, Rico Nasty unveiled the latest taste of what to expect, teaming up with 100 gecs’ Dylan Brady once again for new track ‘OHFR?’. A snarling anthem all about being your truest self, ‘OHFR?’ shows Rico’s punk-rap blending skills, cementing what we already knew: that her upcoming album is destined to be full of bangers. (Elly Watson)

Having already self-described their forthcoming second album as heading into pop-punk, ‘Change’ sees Pale Waves dramatically part ways with the synth-pop that encouraged lazy comparisons to their Dirty Hit labelmates The 1975. In its place is an unapologetic nod to turn-of-the-century crossover smashes, not least Avril Lavigne, on a track that embodies the upbeat angst that categorised the era. Yet despite its nostalgic nod, the sub-three-minute bop feels remarkably fresh, picking up on a sound that none have reimagined with such confidence and joy. This is heartbreak at its catchiest. (Ben Tipple)

At the tail end of a heavy week, nearing the end of a heavy year, it feels really good to hear the dystopia Run the Jewels are riffing on with their latest is entirely fictional: ‘No Save Point’ is the duo’s contribution to the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 game soundtrack. A breezy number that’s loosely wrapped around a glitchy guitar line, there’s a nod to the game’s star, Keanu Reeves, and a lot of fun: “If you got the credits / I’ll pull the crime of the century” blasts El-P. (Bella Martin)

If Dave Grohl and the Foos are best known for turning the rock dial to 11, then ‘Shame Shame’ (not, sadly, an ode to Charlie Steen and co) acts as a lesson that the American stalwarts can also do nuance when they feel like it, too. A creeping, insidious number that rattles along like their stripped-back, antsy take on a QOTSA offering, there’s little bluster here; instead, repeated haunted whispers of its title lend a more mysterious aura to a band who most would assume had their schtick already nailed. (Lisa Wright)

True to serotonin-soaring form, ‘Shady’ finds Alfie Templeman giddily smashing all the right notes fresh off the heels of recent EP ‘Happiness In Liquid Form’. Rumbling synth slinks into kinking funk-fuelled guitar trails, lent renewed lustre via the shiny touch of Jungle’s Tom McFarland on co-production. With lyrics pondering personal integrity and the ongoing challenge of remaining rooted in an authentic sense of self, Alfie spryly juggles inner identity alongside fine-tuned retro veering pop gleam – scoring his meteoric rise with yet another certifiable banger. (Chris Hamilton-Peach)

Tags: 3OH!3, Alfie Templeman, Billie Eilish, Foo Fighters, Pale Waves, Rico Nasty, Run The Jewels, Listen, Features, Tracks