News Tracks: Chlöe Howl, M.I.A. & More

This week witnessed a ridiculous amount of exciting songs coming under DIY’s radar. It’s been a non-stop supply of new songs, ranging from genre-skewing triumphs to all out ‘this has to be a number 1 single’ future-classics. DIY scribes are here to round-up the best of the past seven days’ tracks. Consider this week’s edition of TRACKS to be a neat summing up of what’s been one of the best weeks in yonks:

Roosevelt - Montreal

If there’s one individual willing to stick their neck out and say they can out-funk Daft Punk, it’s Cologne-based musician Roosevelt. His debut EP on Greco-Roman, ‘Elliot’, contains this jumped-up ‘Montreal’ track. If ‘Get Lucky’ took to the dancefloor in glittered suits and a cute afro, Roosevelt’s latest does 360 spins and performs the splits. [Jamie Milton]

Dark Bells – ‘Want’

Following up debut single ‘Wildflower’ – a warped fusion of jangly riffs, fuzzed-about vocals and eerie, wallowing atmospherics - the Aussie psych- takeover continues with this second release from Sydney-based three-piece Dark Bells. ‘Want’ is instantaneously, brilliantly unnerving; the grating, erratic riff, the lax strum of bass, Teneil Throssell’s brute vocals which switch to a featherlight croon at the change of a chord. Rich with psychadelic washes, bubbling extra-terrestrial noises (see 1:40) and sparse guitar- outro meanderings before taking off yet again with angsty cries of ‘that’s what you get when you fall in love’, it’s fascinating, disorientating and lavish and all at the same time. [Laura Eley]

Chlöe Howl – Paper Heart

Chirpier than a canary that’s been force-fed a six-pack of Red Bull is Chlöe’s new single, a generous hunk of Great British pop with the sweetness, colour and tang of a Swizzles Matlow Refresher – and both promising and infectious enough to bag a place in the charts. [Kyle MacNeill]

Silhouettes - Gold Tag

Silhouettes hail from Wolverhampton, Birmingham’s little sister town that is mostly known for producing some of the West Midlands heavier acts such as the almighty God Damn. Silhouettes are the opposite of gutsy, throaty rock and probably hide away all day jamming so will hardly be seen on the streets of Wolverhampton. Their tune ‘Gold Tag’ is a great representative not only of the band but of the thoughtful, loop-driven indie dance cross-over music that other West Midlands bands such as Malpas and Eat Y’Self Pretty do so well. [Jack Parker]

M.I.A – Y.A.L.A

M.I.A’s ‘Matangi’ album is just over a couple of weeks away, backing up ‘Bring the Noise’ with a bratty new interpretation of YOLO, called ‘Y.A.L.A’. What does it stand for? 

’YOLO? I don’t even know anymore. What dat even mean tho?’ runs M.I.A’s own explanation at the end of this new track. It’s dumbed down, it mentions Real Madrid’s Ronaldo, it shouts and spits and gets right up in the face. [Jamie Milton]

King Marigold - Dead

Considering most Youtube adverts are about as welcome as meeting Katie Hopkins would be for someone called Chardonnay, it was a smack round the gob when one brought the bounty of King Marigold’s ‘Dead’ – an alarming-but-charming marriage of The Smiths and Nirvana. Grungy guitar straight from the 90s mixed with melodic guitar straight from the 80s bounce-off vocals like a hungover crocodile – lethargic but still with a bit of bite. It’s got the mellow wooziness of the recent Vaccines stuff, but with even more psychedelic intrigue on offer - proving that great guitar music isn’t dead – as ‘Dead’ is a great piece of guitar music.

Sad Andy & Andre Martel - Fame

It might just be one of the weirder hip-hop fads of the past few years, but the current wave of ‘sad-rap’ has a strangely endearing quality to it. Taking a more manic and less tongue-in-cheek approach, Sad Andy has proved himself to be the most exciting rapper involved with the movement, purely by virtue of actually being able to rap. ‘Fame’ is by far the best showcase of his technical abilities yet, just don’t let the demonic 808s & Heartbreaks-esque opening put you off. The menacing beat - courtesy of Nanosaur - boils over as it attempts to keep up with Andy and Andre’s frenzied flows, but the hypnotic nature of the track mainly stems for the ignorant as hell hook. It’s not exactly going to be the smartest track you’ll hear this week, but goddamn it’s enjoyable for that very reason. [Joe Price]

Pusha T - Trouble On My Mind Ft. Tyler, The Creator (Rustie Remix)

It’s pretty much over 2 years late, but Rustie’s remix of Pusha T’s breakout solo single ‘Trouble On My Mind’ couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Following his phenomenal trio of productions for Danny Brown’s fantastic ‘OLD’, Rustie’s ‘Trouble On My Mind’ Remix is yet another example of why he should provide production for rappers far more frequently. The stretchy synths in combination with the tightly thudding drums lends itself perfectly to Pusha and Tyler’s obtuse bars, bringing something foreign into Rustie’s rubbery fantasy world with a sense of finesse few producers manage. Rustie’s synthetic thumps here may be familiar to those fond of his work, but hearing rappers over his production breathes a lot of life into these Seinfeld-esque slaps. [Joe Price]