Round-up Tracks (Sälen, Jay Som, Oliver Wilde & More)

Sälen have, by now, established themselves as the go-to rabble with it comes to penning hairbrush-mic level break-up bangers. ‘Heartbreak Diet’ being no exception. ”I am done with sticky people,” announces Ellie Kamio over steadily rolling beats. “Don’t call me, I’m on a heartbreak diet.”

According to the London bint-dissers ‘Heartbreak Diet’ is inspired by the Instagram account @textsfromurex@textsfromurex; a quite startling online archive of sharp putdowns directed at former flames who won’t stop texting. In future, try sending irritating exes that won’t shove off a link to Sälen’s new ‘un. They’ll get the message.

“Don’t try and love me, just fuck me, it’s fine,” croons Bristol’s Oliver Wilde over the kind of lush, woozy melodies usually reserved for the sweeter side of life. Far from gratuitous, however, it adds a certain spice which shows that, while the singer might dabble in the more solipsistic side of the songwriting spectrum, he’s more than capable of a derailing one-liner.

Now moving into the release of forthcoming third LP ‘Post-Frenz Container Buzz’ (nope, us neither), Wilde’s proving that – though he’ll always be more than capable of a golden nugget of melancholy Elliot Smith-ery – he’s also coming out of his shell as a songwriter with bite.

On Julia Holter’s 2013 album ‘Loud City Song’, ‘Horns Surrounding Me’ was a warped mix of brash synths and, of course, strident brass. For her upcoming live album ‘In The Same Room’, Julia has chosen to revisit the track, but has also decided to completely reinvent it, turning into an evocative yet ethereal slice of alternative jazz.

Gone are the horns and synths. In their place comes Julia’s languid voice accompanied by stark piano melodies, upright bass licks and sweeps of viola, as well as movements that feel entirely improvisational. It slows down the pace too, totally transforming the overall tone of the track. With this alternate version of ‘Horns Surrounding Me’, Julia has shown just how adaptable her music really is.

Cali bedroom musician Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) understands that sometimes, the beauty is in the juxtaposition. Take away the vocals from ’1 Billion Dogs’ - the latest track from forthcoming breakthrough record ‘Everybody Works’, due March 10 - and you have a fuzzed out slacker gem full of power chords and rumbling bass. Flip reverse that and focus Duterte’s pipes, however, and you’re in pure, cooing lullaby land.

Like Palehound’s superlative LP ‘Dry Food’ last year, Jay Som’s mix of the harsh and the hazy work in perfect harmony. And while these tricks might have been around since grunge cemented the joy of loud-quiet-loud, Duterte does it better than most. And no amount of dogs could argue with that.

The title of Benjamin John Power’s new album as Blanck Mass, ‘World Eater’, references the inner beast inside human that prevents moving forward as a species when grouped together. It’s an idea that seems pretty apt for these uncertain times, when empathy and acceptance has sometimes taken a bit of a back seat. Power is all too aware of this, and his latest single ‘Silent Treatment’ focuses on the problems that arise from a lack of communication.

It’s not as filled with noisy synth loops as ‘Please’, but the creeping, haunted passages of almost-trap beats and percussion gives room for the choral passages and segments of unintelligible chopped vocals to come to the fore. He emphasises the track’s underlying concept by creating his very own language barrier. It’s typically propulsive and striking, but with ‘Silent Treatment’ Blanck Mass has also created a subtle social commentary.

It’s been a while since Wilsen (Tamsin Wilson, Drew Arndt and Johnny Simon) released their EP ‘Magnolia’ back in 2014. It seems though that they’ve just been busy crafting their debut album, promising to be filled with spectral folk-pop. Now, at long last, they’re gearing up to release that much-anticipated first LP, ‘I Go Missing In My Sleep’, and have reminded us of their ethereal nature with their latest track.

For a song called ‘Heavy Steps’, it sure does float like a feather. It manages to cram in strings, piano, folky guitar melodies and a smattering of icy synths behind Tamsin’s vocals, but it never spills into overly complex or maximalist territory. Instead, it shows a quiet restraint, its various layers combining to produce an elegant dream-folk number that leaves you feeling lighter than a cloud with each repeated listen.

Tags: Jay Som, Oliver Wilde, Sälen, Listen, Features