Round-up Tracks: Years & Years, Mac DeMarco, & More

For a minute there, it looked like Years & Years might have overdone it on the pingers. From ‘Desire’ to ‘King’, this was a trio only going upwards - both in the charts and in terms of bonkers dance-pop euphoria. They’ve simmered down a touch on ‘Shine’, but that doesn’t prevent this from being any less of an all-out giant.

‘Shine’ is taken from an album called ‘Communion’, but instead of togetherness, loneliness and heartbreak seem to be the overriding themes of Years & Years’ debut. Olly Alexander deals with the heavy topics better than most, flipping grim reality on its head, switching torment to triumph. Love deals out difficult hands, and this is the trio’s best attempt yet at summing up the pendulum-swing of a stormy relationship. (Jamie Milton)

The use of the word ‘slacker’ to describe Mac DeMarco is actually a glaring example of oxymoron. DeMarco, after all, is a man who has barely been off the road since 2012, and who rushed directly to the airport to catch yet another flight within minutes of recording the final drum part on last year’s superb ‘Salad Days’. He’s hardly somebody that qualifies for the tag. With the announcement that there’s a new, eight-track mini-album on the way in August, he’s clearly not been spending what free time he does have procrastinating.

‘The Way You’d Love Her’ is the first cut to be taken from ‘Another One’, and it marks a divergence from the sound of ‘Salad Days’. Where that was a hazy hangover of a record, the wavering guitars on this track feel generally upbeat - there’s just a tinge of melancholy - and the vocals, crisp and clean, cut straight to the front. Lyrically, though, we’re in familiar territory, as DeMarco doles out relationship advice that’s every bit as charming in its simplicity as the track’s guitar solo. On this evidence, ‘Another One’ - technically an EP - might be the summer’s most blissful pop record. (Joe Goggins)

Left over from sessions Charli XCX did in Sweden in the run-up to her first album, ‘Diamonds’ couldn’t quite find a proper home on ‘True Romance’. No wonder. Imagine The Knife’s ‘Heartbeats’ on an intensive diet of strobe lights and sherbet dib-dabs, and you’re halfway there. In disco maestro Giorgio Moroder, though, Charli’s hyperactive magpie ode to all things sparkly and expensive finds a home.

“I’m dressed up like a girl’s best friend,” she quips over unrelenting 4/4 dancefloor foundations, robotic voices chiming in every now and again with “diamonds.” One of the many star-studded collaborations on ‘Déjà Vu’ Giorgio Moroder’s first album in over thirty years, Charli’s in good company with Sia, Britney Spears, Mikky Ekko, and Kelis. Moroder might’ve taken a long break, but in a snap, he’s right back at the forefront. (El Hunt)

Given the three years Metric have been away, it’d be easy for their electrically-charged sound to grow stale. We’ve gone from dodgy smartphones to iWatches during their time away - their previously modern sound has a lot of catching up to do. But as Emily Haines claims “there’s no better time” for their return, this is the sound of a group re-enlivened. Playful synths switch gears for fun, while Haines barks “I want it all!” with demanding clamour. This is a song on a mission, a bright statement of intent that puts Metric firmly back in the foreground. (Jamie Milton)

At first, blankets are the last thing you’d ever associate with Danish punks. Still, though, there’s a muffled, envelopey feel to ‘Blanket’. Yung have their clear touchstones - The Jesus and Mary Chain, early Wire, Teenage Fanclub - but in their own way, Yung make pop melodies sound deliciously twisted and euphoric.

‘Blanket’ leaps playfully up and down the fretboards, with lyrics dedicated to hanging out on the beach, feasting in the woods, and summer romance. Then, after all that reminiscing, frontman Mikkel Holm asks “do you remember me?” Picking up Iceage’s gauntlet, and fast becoming one of Denmark’s most exciting prospects, keep a beady eye trained on Yung. (El Hunt)

Tags: Mac Demarco, Years & Years, Listen, Features