News Tracks: The Horrors, FKA Twigs & More

Hello everyone and a very happy new issue Friday! In case you’re not already self-combusting with excitement having seen our cracking new March edition of DIY Magazine, our team of scribes have gathered together their collective resources of outstanding taste and prose to bring you their favourite tracks from the past week. With the return of The Horrors, a new FKA Twigs collaboration and a multitude of hidden gems hunted down like wild Soundcloud Pokemon to listen to below, make like Ash Ketchum and hear ‘em all.

The Horrors - I See You

Shock, horror! The Horrors’ new track ‘I See You’ is brilliant. In fact, it’s something more than that. Everything about it is ineffably cataclysmic; its stadium-sized orchestral composition so massive it makes Michael Phelps look like a kid learning to swim or the Shard nothing more than a minute fragment of broken glass. From the moment it spits out an Echo and the Bunnymen riff out of its elephantine mouth, there’s a feeling of limitless energy fizzing amongst its hypnotic synths and throbbing drums. Sure, the chorus is fleeting. But it’s deliciously anthemic, oozing with emotion and vigour. After the three and half minute mark, it’s a seesawing spaced-out score that’s so beautifully cosmic it feels like they’ve been beamed up from Southend-On-Sea to somewhere in the clouds – most probably Heaven. With ‘Skying’, the Horrors reached for the sky and hit their target. But, from hearing ‘I See You’ alone, it suggests that ‘Luminous’ is going to be aiming higher still; looking to thunder through the speed of light barrier like a hot knife through butter. Based on previous material, it will probably only be one small step for The Horrors; but it will sure as hell be a giant leap for music lovers across the planet. (Kyle MacNeill)

Haim - XO (Beyonce Cover)

Haim are fast becoming veterans of the Live Lounge, making their second appearance in five months this past week. After covering former Disney Princess turned Wild Child, Miley Cyrus’ ‘Wrecking Ball’ last time round, these California girls have turned their attention to the Queen of Pop, Beyonce. It is nigh on impossible to hate upon Beyonce, and it is becoming apparent that the Haim sisters are becoming increasing hard to dislike, too, especially when they serve up gems like this. Reduced to glitchy beats and a simple drum beat, ‘XO’ shines in their hands, and whilst being a homage to the original, it never falls into pastiche. Danielle, Este and Alana can seemingly do no wrong at the minute. Haim frequently go on record to state their love for Beyonce and I’m going public in declaring my love for Haim. XO, XO. (Joe Sweeting)

FKA Twigs & inc. - FKA Twigs x inc.

There’s that old popular English idiom; you wait endlessly for one bus to come along, and then two FKA Twigs EPs and a haul of consistently sultry musical goodness comes tumbling down the hill instead. Climbing aboard, 4AD signings inc. bring more of the same sort of enthusiasm for seductive, slinking Rn’B to the table, and together the two peddle perfect slinky percussiveness. FKA Twigs has a flair for winding soul melodies around Arca’s massive percussion-focused creations, but this (for now) one-off collaboration shows a new side to the Londoner’s minimalism. The video’s a treat in itself, too - as we’ve come to expect as standard from Ms. Twigs, who co-directed this video with Nick Walker. Completely in black and white, all four elements are covered along with lots of contemplative gazing. There’s bonfires, dried-out prairie earth, water, and smoke from suspicious looking roll-ups drifting in the wind. It’s subtle stuff, inviting close engagement. (El Hunt)

Vancouver Sleep Clinic - Flaws

Only a few weeks after releasing the beautifully chilled, electronic cover of Drake’s Hold On, 17 year old Tim Bettinson– AKA Vancouver Sleep Clinic – has just announced details of a debut Winter EP, and from it comes ‘Flaws’. Despite residing in Brisbane, the mood of VSC’s sound is far from summery, blending smooth R ‘n’ B with subtle, dreamy synthetic instrumentation and a hushed falsetto vocal somewhere between Bon Iver and James Vincent McMorrow, to create darkened, ethereal textures. ‘Flaws’ is no exception with Bettinson’s soulful vocal riding on viscous waves of perfectly programmed percussion, sparse, building piano chords, looped samples and arbitrary finger clicks - it’s nothing short of flawless. (Laura Eley)

Slates & Body Cheetah - Sit And Listen

The tracklisting to Woozy Tribe’s ‘Deadly Flowers’ compilation reads like one gem after another, peaking at the absolute end with Slates and Body Cheetah’s misty ‘Sit And Listen’. Utilising Slates’ thumping drums and Body Cheetah’s intensely singular voice, the venomous closer to the ‘Deadly Flowers’ compilation demands that you do what its title says. And sit and listen you will, as it sounds as mystifying as it does captivating, holding its own among Woozy Tribe’s already stellar catalogue. But hey, the murky quality isn’t the only thing keeping this track afloat, as it showcases the duo’s continuing growth as musicians equally well. Sounding just as groggy, but considerably less lo-fi, it’s just another sign that 2014 will be Woozy Tribe’s year. (Joe Price)

CyHi The Prynce - Basquiat

After years of experimentation within the diverse realm of hip-hop, G.O.O.D. Music signee CyHi The Prynce seems to have finally discovered his signature sound with his latest mixtape, the socially-conscious ‘Black Hystori Project’. With label head-honcho Kanye West overseeing the venture as executive producer, there’s an evident throwback to the sample-heavy, retro production style that patented ‘Watch The Throne’, but the regal rapper unearths new strands of the near-legendary formula with the groovy record highlight ‘Basquiat’. CyHi’s flow on the track is artsy in the most literal sense, spilling references to Da Vinci and Rembrandt across an illustrious canvas of classy jazz piano sprinkles and chic funk basslines that mesh together in a triumphant, kingly fashion. Ye and Jay might be far from stepping down just yet, but there’s a successor at hand in the form of the Prynce when they do. (Joshua Pauley)

Ryshon Jones - F.N Bomb

Philadelphian Ryshon Jones recently unleashed a stellar full length project in ‘Hope Is A Dangerous Thing’, a collection of tracks that reach up, over and beyond the walls of hip-hop at every opportunity. In the midst of this creative concocting, Jones has revealed a track that didn’t quite make the cut at the time but is impressive nonetheless. ‘F.N Bomb’, produced with a deft hand by Black Bell Beats, eerily introduces itself amidst horror movie tones before surging into life through the fury at the heart of Jones’ lyrics, blurting forth ‘i’ve gotta riot that’s inside of me, it wait for it’s moment’, aptly and angrily summing up the state of affairs battling within the minds and hearts of a few million individuals from Philly to Ukraine…. (Adam Parker)

The Traps - Imposter

The Traps split their time between London and Birmingham, playing the odd local show here and there. The one thing that always stays consistent with this band is their slinky late night sound. Parts recall the slower moments of New Wave in this new single ‘Imposter’ that is part of a double A side along with ‘My Grip’. While their other Birmingham based buddies are amping up the distortion; The Traps are taking a different route down the back alleys with a more secretive, atmospheric sound. (Jack Parker)

Goodbye Chanel - Foreva

Following up the charming, lo-fi ‘Through Night To Paradise’ LP, released last year, Leeds based Goodbye Chanel have just released Foreva – a lofty chillwave number laden with dreamy vocals and surf-pop flutters. There’s something very Foals circa 2008 in the opening few chords of Foreva – it’s organic, tropicana-pop guitar ripples oozing a balaeric kind of groove that demands a second listen. Taken from the upcoming Hot Nights EP, Foreva is certainly rendering this bleak weather slightly more bearable, and if this first cut is anything to go by, we’re banking on Goodbye Chanel creating the perfect soundtrack to our summer. (Laura Eley)