Round-up Tracks: Deftones, Animal Collective, and more

Shimmering back into view after four years in the ether, Deftones’ awakening leans heavily on their more ethereal side. Ghostly, melting guitar work opens ‘Prayers/Triangles’, as Chino Moreno murmurs spooky sweet nothings like an occult-obsessed ringleader. It’s not long, though, before things erupt, that familiar crunch smashing new album ‘Gore’’s first single straight through the ceiling. More expansive than ever before, and yet harbouring some of their most guttural moments since the wallet-chain days of nu-metal past, on the evidence of ‘Prayers/Triangles’, that Wembley date in June won’t be the last time Deftones are bothering arenas. (Tom Connick)

Like releasing a recoiled spring Animal Collective’s latest track ‘Lying In The Grass’ plonks listeners right in the middle of a bonkers maze twisting through distorted sounds and dizzying vocals. Much like ‘FloriDada’ – the first single to be taken from upcoming album ‘Painting With’ – ‘Lying In The Grass’ has an arty and even visual quality. The onslaught of sounds from the mind-bending, overlapping vocals to the snippets of fluttering clarinet create an image of the colourful and spiraling world that Animal Collective seem to inhabit. Then, like the ruler-pinging soundtrack to a Year 9 Maths class, there’s that constant boinging noise tying together the psychedelic madness.

Having initially allowed fans to create their own wacky artwork for ‘Lying In The Grass,’ that inclusive and experimental quality takes center stage on this track. There’s an immersive feeling to the pogoing twists and turns of sonic chaos in ‘Lying In The Grass’ and it’s looking ever more likely that ‘Painting With’ will be a unforgettable mindfuck trip down the rabbit hole. (Ashleigh Grady)

Gone are the days when ‘Know Yourself’ was the catchiest song of Drake’s discography. We were proved wrong, the moment that the contagious chants of “I WAS RUNNING THROUGH THE SIX WITH MY WOES” turned into “ever since I left the city, you,” on ‘Hotline Bling’.

While ‘Summer Sixteen’ doesn’t have that same turnaround, it does have the signature Drake elements, which will still see the track link being followed by the flame emoji in tweets worldwide. After opening with attention-grabbing, repetitive spits of “looking”, lyrically the track thrives in self absorption. Drake compares himself to the solidarity of Jimi Hendrix, and his verses to that of Obama’s cars- “they bulletproof”.

Leaving the pop of ‘Hotline Bling’ behind, the track tries to stick to the basics, using a continuous drum-machine to underlay the arrogant verse. Bringing in DJ Khaled, just to finalise proceedings, somewhat spoils that simplicity. If ‘Summer Sixteen’ is anything to go by when predicting the turnout of new record ‘Views From the 6’, it seems as though it could be an exact continuation from ‘If You’re Reading This…”. Here, Drake allows his prose to do the talking, as opposed to his ridiculous dance moves. (Mollie Mansfield)

When DIY spoke to Eagulls at the tail end of last year, it sounded like they might have somehow upped the misery for album two. Tales of vermin-infested brick boxes and soul-purging led the way, the Leeds rabble somehow managing to revel in even bleaker imagery than that which defined their greyer-than-granite self-titled debut.

‘Lemontrees’, contrastingly, shines far brighter than anyone could have expected. Soaring, clearly Cure-influenced washes of guitar set the pace for Eagulls’ return - in the place of the chainsaw riffing of the debut comes a shimmering new guise. Talk of dancing beneath those titular lemon trees drags the lyrical agenda away from British monotony and into sunny new pastures, too, Eagulls now opening their hearts rather than shying away in the shadows.

That’s not to say it’s a radio-pop hit, mind. George Mitchell’s yelped vocal still tugs things along - a bulldog on a tight leash, he remains the ringleader of the disaffected fivesome as that silken new dressing swirls around him. It’s that balance between the bitter and sweet that looks set to define Eagulls’ second strike. (Tom Connick)

Enough with the name jokes and the fact that poor Twin Peaks will be even less googleable by the time David Lynch’s series revives in 2017. This Chicago group are ready to be taken seriously. Not that previous LP ‘Wild Onion’ was a write-off, but it was the sound of a reckless bunch of young rock n’ roll’ers diving headfirst into hedonism. Since that record, they’ve sharpened their tools, reconfigured their radar and figured out their place in the world.

‘Walk to the One You Love’ - the lead track from new album ‘Down in Heaven’ - gives hints of a thousand greats who’ve taken the same unhinged path previously. But this isn’t a simple nostalgia trip. There’s a sweet heart (the line “if you abuse the one you love / you’re gonna lose the one you love” sticks out), and 2016’s finest guitar solo to date - backed by cheery, shout-out-loud harmonies. All of a sudden these nutcases look like a genuinely exciting proposition, ready for the long run. (Jamie Milton)

Tags: Animal Collective, Deftones, Listen, Features