Tracks: Olivia Rodrigo, Fred Again.., English Teacher and more • DIY Magazine

For anyone who is neither mastering their choreography or pounding their chest to Dua Lipa or Ryan Gosling respectively (cc the Official Singles Chart), this weekend is likely to be dominated either by the alt-rock stomp of the second taste from Olivia Rodrigo’s second album, the newly-released ‘bad idea right?’, or the Obongjayar-sampling bop that electronic maestro Fred again.. has been teasing his giant festival crowds with all summer, ‘adore u’. A terrible week for capitalisation too, it seems.

To refresh your ears, minds and hearts with precisely one hundred must-listen tracks, follow Essential New Tracks on Spotify or YouTube (or just stream below). To read up on our pick of this week’s pop, rocks and everything else in our musical world, read on.

Fred again.. ft. Obongjayar - adore u

A release that will already be familiar to the throngs of people worshipping at the altar of Fred again.. this summer, ‘adore u’ is a favourite from the producer’s live sets and his first release since being named a shortlisted artist for this year’s Mercury Prize. Dedicated to Fred’s sister, the track ebbs and flows from bubbling electronics that build into a beat-heavy crescendo. Meanwhile, Obongjayar’s sampled vocals bring a warmth to the track that fully realises the sentiment behind its titular refrain — one which you can guarantee will be shouted between intoxicated friends in festival fields and crowded clubs for months to come. (Daisy Carter)

English Teacher - The World’s Biggest Paving Slab

To hail the dawn of their new chapter, Leeds four-piece English Teacher have reached back to their beginnings. ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ is a re-worked version of a track that the band’s Lily Fontaine originally penned back in university, before guitarist Lewis Whiting had joined to form the band we know today. Complete with a creeping bassline and bright synth flourishes, their new(ish) single looks at our landscape’s liminal spaces, paying homage to the often eerie beauty of rural areas and the strong sense of connection people feel to these places they call home. (Daisy Carter)

Creeper - Teenage Sacrifice

As consistently grossing as anything Creeper have offered us so far, the familiar combination of MCR-indebted drama and the grandeur of the likes of Ghost makes ‘Teenage Sacrifice’ every bit the potential anthem. Will’s vocals are as magnetic as ever, the guitars are massive and the ‘80s synths inject a haunting fun. Upcoming album ‘Sanguivore’ already looks like a locked on feature in end-of-year lists. (Jack Terry)

Sigrid - The Hype

Doubling as her first new material since the release of last year’s ‘How To Let Go’, Sigrid has returned with another glistening and buoyant slice of pop, this time grappling with feelings of doubt and imposter syndrome. “Tell me, did you ever love me? Honestly, did I live up to the hype?” goes the sparkling, euphoria-doused chorus, in what quickly becomes an empowering reminder to trust in yourself first and foremost. (Sarah Jamieson)

Mykki Blanco — Holidays in the Sun

Less ‘bougie beach trip to Santorini’ and more ‘sweaty summer sesh’, the first track from Mykki Blanco’s upcoming ‘Postcards From Italia’ EP wants you to pack your bags and hop aboard a train marked ‘90s Eurodance. All pounding beats and warped, repetitive vocals, there’s something so unashamedly clichéd about Mykki’s requests to “love you so crazy” and “make love under the sun” that it’s almost like a spoofy, saucy rerun of Eurotrash come to life. Cheeky, campy and altogether not that deep, ‘Holidays in the Sun’ actually fits the remit rather well. (Lisa Wright)