Round-up Tracks: Snail Mail, Panic At The Disco, Iceage & more

In a recent Neu interview we conducted with Snail Mail, Lindsey Jordan told us that “some of the songs are aggressively sad, and others are just…shrug emoji,” referring to her upcoming debut album, her first for Matador. During its first preview is ‘Pristine’, she sings “I know myself and I’ll never love anyone else,” with the track veering closer to the aggressively sad end of the spectrum she laid out.

It’s a slick refresher of her potential, and while debut EP - 2016’s ‘Habit’ - saw the Baltimore native sometimes masked by the minimal, fuzzy production of the record, here on ‘Pristine’, her words are left to roam free and hit like a punch to the heart. (Will Richards)

For the majority of their career, Panic! At The Disco have been unafraid of pushing boundaries. From debut ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’ through to their previous full-length ‘Death of a Bachelor’, they’ve established themselves as an emo-pop outfit who felt confident and capable of melding together traditional troupes with electronic flare; classic instrumentation with addictively catchy hooks. That’s what makes this latest move from the now-solo Brendon Urie all the more intriguing.

Where his previous full-length saw him still rooted in old school influences - most notably on the album’s title track - his newest track ‘Say Amen (Saturday Night)’ seems to throw that rulebook out of the window. Still packing one hell of a singalong chorus, there’s no denying its danceability but it’s not all too clear where Panic! are headed next. (Sarah Jamieson)

Returning with their brand new banger ’Another Sucker’ after ages hidden away in the studio, Finnish pop duo LCMDF are straight back on their first-rate pop shit. Their letter-heavy moniker is, of course, a shortening of their original name Le Corps Mince De Francoise; which, in turn, is a reference to Alex James’ love of smelly cheese and French pop star Francoise Hardy, natch. That tidbit should give a decent first insight into the spheres of brilliant ridiculousness sisters Emma and Mia Kemppainen operate in.

Cast in a similarly defiant mould to their last single ‘Rookie’ - which came out in 2015 - LCMDF melds shades of Icona Pop and (whisper it) Daphne Celeste with an unflappable talent for penning immediate, joyful pop songs. While ‘Rookie’ took aim at the metal scene and pretentious dudes, ‘Another Sucker’ is all about standing your ground and ignoring the numerous suckers who suggest otherwise. “You can’t get to me, you’re just another sucker,” the hook announces, “and I won’t waste another second with you I’d rather use that time on me.” (El Hunt)

Across its first two previews - the intense ‘Catch It’ and rousing ‘Pain Killer’ - Iceage’s upcoming fourth album ‘Beyondless’ looks like it could be their strongest yet, with vocalist Elias Bender Rønnenfelt taking up the mantle that’s always been there for him: a swaggering, stumbling frontman.

‘Take It All’ dials down the intensity, instead opting for atmospheric swells of strings, which allow the frontman’s vocals to sit even further forwards, becoming the track’s force of gravity and pulling everything towards them. A left turn that shows ‘Beyondless’ is set to be a multi-faceted beast, ‘Take It All’ just amps up the excitement even more. (Will Richards)

Tags: Iceage, Panic At The Disco, Snail Mail, Listen, Features