Round-up Tracks: Years & Years, Mark Ronson & More

Years & Years are currently on tour with saucy warbler Sam Smith. No doubt playing to such huge crowds will be an experience - not to mention the extra training in dodging off to karaoke bars - and Olly Alexander and co. are a band very quickly on the up. In case we needed a quick memory jog (as if), Years & Years have released ‘Memo’, a beautiful, and characteristically soul-tinged new B-side. A handwritten note to unrequited love, it’s perhaps their most heartfelt release yet. (El Hunt- @whattheel)

Pop music couldn’t have mustered a better early Christmas present if it had tried. Mark Ronson’s back, with pals in tow, to dish out some nicely wrapped funkrevivalism for everyone’s enjoyment. As if a tune with Bruno Mars wasn’t enough to whet the appetite for new album ‘Uptown Special’, now Ronson’s teamed up with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker to share psych-funk gem ‘Daffodils’. It takes typically infectious Ronson production and then runs it through an hazy psych pop filter, the dazed synths and trademark Parker vocal allowing its funk foundations to drift in to an altogether more blissed out zone. As if the Ron’s melting pot wasn’t full enough, Pulitzer winning author Michael Chabon chips in on lyrical duties to complete an unlikely alliance, one that might just find themselves gate crashing the Top 40’s office Christmas party in a few weeks time. (Liam McNeilly - @liammcneilly)

In its own unique way, Charli XCX collaborating with Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon is kinda punk - largely because at first it makes no logical sense. All echoey twinkling pianos and airy, skating melody lines, it’s certainly no ‘Fancy’, and mini-bar trashing and other such japes are not on the agenda with this one. Oddly and somewhat surprisingly, though, it’s a partnership that works as well as Clueless’ Cher and Dionne. ‘Kingdom’ could come across as totally sincere, sombre and grandiose, but tongue firmly in cheek, little out of place yelping noises and frantic violin sections remind you it’s not entirely serious after all. (El Hunt - @whattheel)

At first glance, Belgian producer Speelburg’s rewriting of the legendary film director’s name seems a little cheap. Yet - on closer inspection – it’s a pretty damn fitting moniker; debut track ‘Aubrey’ oozed with cinematic strings and an aching sense of raw emotion. ‘Kline’ is even bolder, filled with a brash brass section and the kind of falsetto-funk vocals that were found dotted throughout Jungle’s debut. Probably referring to Josef Kline, it’s careful but abstract composition and equally bold and black-and-white moments of music is certainly a fitting sonic tribute. From the stomping percussion to the lingering feeling of the whole track being slathered in a spacious atmosphere, it’s monochrome, film noir and sexy as hell; enough to make a Film Studies student cough up 35mm reels in sheer delight. (Kyle MacNeill - @kylemmusic)

If you needed further proof that Pulled Apart By Horses are taking their boisterous rock snarl to its very limits, the stuttering drum curtain drop of ‘Beat Up’ manages to sound like at least two Fall Out Boy classics at once. And that’s just the start. Joined by screeching guitar and heartbeat vocals, the Leeds four-piece continue to twist bursts of arena-sized spectacle around their shaggy roots. Released as part of the ‘Medium Rare EP’, it’s the perfect off-kilter partner to sit fidgeting alongside the calm cool of the title track. ‘Beat Up’ is an unexpected flex from a band who looked ready to trade in their bar brawls for champagne and table service. On edge, with a chip on its shoulder and a headline tour on the horizon, Beat Up serves as a timely reminder that Pulled Apart By Horses are one of the more unpredictable, raucous bands around. (Ali Shutler - @justdip)

BOOTS is about as unpredictable as they come, and from tender, monotonous raps to roof raising electronic belters he’s explored just about everything. No mean feat with just one mixtape and a scattering of high profile guest spots. ‘I Run Roulette’, the second release in the lead up to his hotly anticipated debut album, comes in the form of a grungy, balls-out anthem. This is, of course, a completely different direction to the stripped-back and gentler sound of previous release ‘Mercy’. The track, accompanied by a 1 minute 40 promo video of BOOTS crowd-surfing simply entitled ‘boots is a goddamn maniac’, is suitably relentless. Cascading, dirty riffing and strained, energetic vocals race towards pitchy solos in a whirlwind that is over in a flash. This second release could have sounded any number of ways; it’s this unpredictability that makes the resultant ambush of sound so punchy and striking. BOOTS may be a rapper, a producer and a singer but ‘I Run Roulette’ is a clear demonstration that he has one more persona to flaunt; BOOTS is a rock star. (Henry Boon - @HenryBoon)

Big smoke producer TĀLĀ has some unfinished business. What, exactly? In the shell of a nut, it’s making infectious electro-pop bangers that weave every-which way like an inebriated caterpillar. The beauty of her work is the amount of stuff that is packed in to every last particle of sound; the EP’s name of ‘Alchemy’ is certainly fitting, considering the sonic synthesis that always takes place. In this case, ‘Unfinished Business’ is a bubbling pot of bubblegum vocals, hyperactive drums and clanging synths, all melding and welding together gloriously into something glowing with energy and urgency. As before, there’s a unique combination of different genres and sounds, with Eastern influences and more chilled-out pop music nuances snaking their way into the vibe. Regardless of the rushed or imperfect connotations that come with ‘unfinished’, the track is damn near perfect; and cements that TĀLĀ means business. (Kyle MacNeill)

Earlier this year JONES appeared seemingly out of nowhere, backed by XL’s in house producer Rodaidh McDonald. ‘You’ is the follow up to September’s infectious ‘Deep’ and JONES is making it apparent that she has no lack of talented producer buddies. This time it’s the turn of A. K. Paul who of course brings with him the excitement that surrounds any mention of a Paul brother’s name. JONES however isn’t content to fly on the wings of buzz; ‘You’ is very much JONES featuring A. K. Paul and not the other way around. It’s plain then with the release of ‘You’ that JONES isn’t messing around. There’s a reason for the orderly queue of big names gathering behind her, and it’s because she’s rocketing herself right to the forefront of the ever expanding electro-Rn’B scene. Laying JONES’ delicate, hushed vocals over metallic, otherworldly percussion and droning synth lines; ‘You’ creates a hypnotic mix that is impossible to ignore. For all the complexity happening behind the vocals JONES voice remains at the forefront, battling effortlessly with rumbling bass and crisp claps. ‘You’ is an impressively bold release from an artist still sitting in relative obscurity; an obscurity that is unlikely to last. (Henry Boon)

Tags: Features, Listen, Years & Years