News Tracks: Blondie, No Age, Sophie And More

Hello everyone and here’s wishing you very happy and very humid end of the working week.

If you haven’t had time to scour the internet for musical greatness this week, don’t fret, because DIY is your own personal fairy godmother. We’ve put our heads together, had a think, had a squabble. As well as stonking collaboration tracks from Blondie and Tom Vek, we’ve got the lovely No Age, Psychic Twin, Gauntlet Hair, and plenty more to warm the old cockles (heh) of your heart. No smuttiness on Tracks, thank you.

Blondie ft. Beth Ditto - A Rose By Any Other Name

When you think Best Pop Collaborations Ever™, you think Madonna and Britney’s ‘Me Against The Music’, right? I did anyway, until now. Combine Debbie Harry and Beth Ditto – possibly two of the most badass frontwomen ever – and it’s a contender before you’ve even heard the damn thing. It’s pretty saucy stuff, what with all the lipstick rings lingering on fingers and the such-like, and ‘A Rose By Any Other Name’ also breathes with a pulsing energy that manages to sound like heavy bass pounding out the doors of a slightly sleazy basement nightclub. It’s not all dingy, though, as proceedings are lifted back into the sky towards electro-pop heaven by twanging funky guitar and a killer chorus. Do Blondie even know how to make a bad song? (El Hunt)

Psychic Twin - Unlock Yr Heart

Chicago trio Psychic Twin caught attention back in February with their mighty fine single ‘Strangers’, a track layered with pulsing synths, hypnotic drum beats and all topped off with the soft, breathy vocals of Erin Fein. ‘Unlock Yr Heart’ is the band’s latest self-released track, and it certainly lives up to expectation. The doubled-over vocals need little accompaniment, with Fein’s haunting counter-melodies providing the perfect back-drop for her whispered lyrics. The track isn’t overly complex or intricate, just a good old fashioned melody, laced with laid back rhythms and mesmerising vocals. Think Grimes meets AlunaGeorge, and you’re on your way. (Elliot Ramsey)

‘Unlock Yr Heart is currently streaming on Pitchfork

No Age - C’mon Stimmung

It’s not very often you can hit play on a new record and be teleported halfway around the world – but this new release from No Age does exactly that. ‘C’mon Stimmung’ has everything loveable about that Californian vibe. Whether it’s the no nonsense vocal, the open and honest drum sound or classic tube amp with volume up to 11, it has you smitten instantly. There’s also the overwhelming sense that this is a band that would have as much fun playing a 100 capacity venue as they would selling out a headline show in any given stadium. It’s making music for all the right reasons. (Joe Dickinson - @DickinsonSound)

Zomby - Overdose

UK producer Zomby is indeed a man of mystery. Adorning a variety of masks to protect his identity, we only get snippets through his regularly updated Twitter. His identity is clearly in the background; Zomby wants to make sure that the main focus is on the music. New track ‘Overdose’ is a balancing act, combining the two very distinct styles explored in his past two LPs - ‘Where Were U In ’92’ and ‘Dedication’. 8-bit bleeps echo into the distance as a jungle beat forges ahead, progressing with terrifying pace. Zomby’s able to look forwards and backwards in the same track, and to mix the two different styles in a clean-cut fashion. Self-analysing his work in order to come up with something that represents his sound as a whole demonstrates that he’s one of the most talented producers around right now. (Aurora Mitchell)

The Stepkids - The Lottery

The Stepkids’ psychedelia-tinged soul inflected debut was one of 2011’s more underrated treats. With any luck this year’s follow up won’t go quite so under the radar. They are the sort of band who are perfectly honed and seem capable of almost anything - there isn’t really any other band on the planet who are making music like this. ‘The Lottery’ is the lead track from their forthcoming second album ‘Troubadour’ and it sees the Connecticut trio taking their sound even further down the path of jazzy expressionism. The grooves are perfectly defined, lithe, supple and quite glorious. Each instrument intertwines perfectly with the falsetto harmonies of all three members. The Stepkids represent the sublime sound of Steely Dan transposed to 2013. ‘The Lottery’ is a quite irresistible introduction to the next phase for this supremely talented and fascinating band. (Martyn Young)

*video slightly NSFW, there are lots of bum cheeks (Tracks Ed)

Gauntlet Hair - Bad Apple

Noise comes in many different shades and volumes, and here Gauntlet Hair manage to balance the decibel meter to perfection. As soon as ‘Bad Apple’ comes in, it has a golden core, in the shape of clapping drum machines and a humming guitar holding up the slipstream. There’s an immediacy and basic rock sensibility to the melodies, yet Gauntlet Hair create something slightly ethereal through a matrix of synthesisers and subtle production. This is big, booming, synth-rock at its most seductive and crafted, and there ain’t anything rotten about ‘Bad Apple’ (El Hunt)

TRAAMS - Jack

Don’t you love it when anti-social snarl and catchy melody come together? So do Chichester-slash-Brighton trio TRAAMS, apparently. ‘Jack’ is another song taken from their ‘Ladders’ EP, released through FatCat Records at the start of this week. Chomping bass combines with driving, motorik drums and dirty guitar underneath those vocals to the effect of a really aggressive but entirely loving hug with plenty of back-patting and maybe even a bit of ‘OI OI OI’ jumping too. They’re the kind of band you wish you were in. Well, they’re the kind of band I wish I was in. (Jake May)

Annie Eve - Bodyweight

Whether on stage or on record, Annie Eve has a haunting presence. She has the ability to transfix her audience within a single note, and ‘Bodyweight’ is no exception. This track has a brutal yet beautiful honesty surrounding it, building to a crescendo of intricate slide guitar and double bass – with her vocal remaining up front; you can hear every breath. Currently out on tour supporting Communion’s Matt Corby she is definitely not someone you want to miss. (Joe Dickinson - @DickinsonSound)

Claw The Thin Ice- Pony Walker

Solo project turned Manchester-alternative-supergroup Claw The Thin Ice have quickly established themselves as one of the city’s most thrilling live bands. Now, with first album ‘Pony Walker’ they’ve finally delivered the goods, a record reportedly influenced by ‘pop music and death’. On single-apparent ‘Birthday’, their roots - punk, post-rock, indie and alt rock come together in a glorious melange of melody, fuzzy guitars and emotionally fraught vocals. Sonically there’s a healthy dose of early 2000s shoegaze revivalists My Vitriol, a dash of Dinosaur Jr., and perhaps a smidge of US power-poppers Lemuria too. If that sounds like your thing, then check out the single - and the album. It’s fucking ace.(Alex Lynham)

Pony Walker by Claw The Thin Ice

Nothankyou - Know Yourself

Dirty Projectors member Olga Bell and bespectacled musical maestro Tom Vek first ‘met’ on Myspace (no sniggering at the back) a couple of years ago, and decided it would be an idea to collaborate. Social media gets a hard time for encouraging selfies and instagram shots of tonight’s dinner, but if we can thank it for one thing, it’s for this impressive debut single- ‘Know Yourself’. Glitchy, elastic and as fidgety as a small child being made to stand still in Cadbury World, Vek and Bell have created fantastical pop coloured by an irresistible murk. Nothankyou? More like yes please. (El Hunt)

Sophie - Bipp

In the realm of dance floor based electronic music it can be increasingly difficult to create something genuinely striking, inventive and, perhaps most importantly, impossibly and deliciously fun. UK producer Sophie achieves that and more in spades on the outstanding ‘Bipp’ - a supreme piece of engaging and ebullient electronica. What’s striking is just how sparse and stark it is. Based around an elastic warped bassline and a number of pops, clicks and glitches, it uses an economy of sound to create a bouncy and effervescent backing free from stodge and tired old tropes. It allows the pitched-up, wonderfully bright and hugely melodic vocals to skip over the top gleefully. The vocal hook of ‘I can make you feel better, if you let me!” is perfect. If you’re in need of a summer club anthem that’s a little bit different then Sophie has provided the obvious answer. (Martyn Young)