The Predatory Wasp
It’s been so long that I’ve been to anything even remotely resembling a rave I can’t speak with anything like authority about them any more. But also, imagine: the overwhelming, Biblical euphoria of hearing this drop towards the end of an absolutely banging, take-no-prisoners techno set – Rødhåd, or whoever the kids are listening to these days – during which you stomped so hard you thought your knees might snap like dry little twigs.
Jesus christ I miss pingers.
Nora Schjelderup delves back into her childhood via a track from the Spanish pop act Mecano.
The premise of One Track Mind is pretty simple: I ask artists to pick one track that means a lot to them – either something they’ve discovered recently, something that’s been with them for years, or one that reminds them of a specific time in their life or career – and tell me what makes it so special to them. I get to talk to the artists I love, and they get to talk about the artists they love. Love all round!
Ora The Molecule is the musical moniker of Norwegian-born artist Nora Schjelderup. Released earlier this year, her debut album Human Safari is a pretty much perfect electro pop record, combining buoyant melodies with robust, 80s-inflected production: bascially tailored-made for me to completely love. Tracks like Helicopter and Creator are among the most exuberantly wonderful tracks you’ll hear this year, and she’s also recently released an EP of remixes of Beat Beat Beat from Gillian Gilbert – the founding member of New Order – Moon Boots and OTON which are all well worth checking out.
For her One Track Mind selection she’s chosen a track from a childhood favourite band, with a message she’s felt a deep connection with for many years.
There’s no shortage of people making whimsical, melody-focussed electronica, and in the wrong hands (ie. the vast majority of the time) it can come across as overly sincere or laughably lightweight. Varsity Star hits the tricky-to-find sweet spot here with Mixtape – the lead single from a forthcoming mini-LP – pairing crushed, broken beats with a glistening synth line and demonstrating it’s perfectly possibly to make something beautiful yet punchy in this genre, as long as you get the balance just right.
London-based artist cktrl broke through with his debut Robyn EP last year, and safe is the final track from his new four-tracker zero which landed last week and starts life with a gently billowing cloud of echoing brass and soothing strings before ending with safe, a bassy, sensual, trappy cut with gorgeous vocals and a satisfying depth to its production.
I thought it wasn’t going to happen. Then right at the bitter end, halfway through the final track of the new album, a single, perfect little tear dripped down my ample cheek and finally, everything was right with the world. On first listen I’m a little underwhelmed by I Don’t Live Here Anymore, although given its two predecessors are among my favourite albums of the last decade, it had pretty high expectations to live up to. It’s a little too shiny, somewhat devoid of the turmoil and introspection that, paired with those glistening, timeless melodies made the last two albums so essential. Occasional Rain however takes me right back to those glorious, heartbreaking times: vulnerable, yet hopeful, a personal narrative that transcends its earthy roots and reaches for the sublime.
The new album from Helado Negro is Sunday morning hangover vibes through and through, with both textures and slow-paced rhythms seemingly tailor-made to sooth and reassure. On opener Wake Up Tomorrow he enlists Kacy Hill for some gentle background crooning which alongside the ridiculously chilled drumming and strumming creates an atmosphere so completely, effortlessly relaxing it’s a surprise he got the rest of the album finished.
Described as “a confidence boost before you head to the club”, siren is a heady electro-pop banger inspired by shygirl’s glistening productions, and works best when the full force of it’s crunching basslines comes to the fore, with girl_irl’s nihilistically detached delivery matched by the unforgiving low-end pummelling.
https://soundcloud.com/girl_irl
I shared a track from Don Lifted earlier this month which I really liked, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how much I would enjoy his album, 325i, which landed last week. Releases like this are pretty much the entire reason I started this blog – to support music from insanely talented artists that might otherwise go unnoticed. Don Lifted definitely falls into that category – aside from a very positive Fader feature I’ve seen very little promo for the album, but it’s fucking brilliant – a hazy, understated, atmospheric delight that incorporates elements of soul, hip-hop, indie rock and plenty more besides. Light Figure stands out for me due its heavy melancholic, yearning vibe, but it’s absolutely worth giving the entire album your attention.
Grouper has a new album out today, Shade, which I haven’t yet had the chance to listen to, but am expecting to thoroughly enjoy if it’s anything like Pale Interior, which is a bleakly compelling as you’d expect. She manages to make devastation – complete and unending – something you not only endure as a listener, but yearn for: a black pit that only deepens and darkness the further you fall.
Happy Friday!
The 20 year old UK artist PinkPantheress broke through on TikTok, which goes some way to explaining why I’ve never heard of her despite many of her songs having hundreds of millions of plays across various streaming platforms. Her MO seems to be: take a small part of a song that was probably released in the 90s, loop a section of it, then sing, sweetly and earnestly over the top. The result should be cheap and gimmicky, and, well, maybe you think it is, but I don’t ok! Take the 90 second Break it off (included on the new album as a bonus track) that loops Adam F’s seminal Circles under a naively bouncy vocal: obviously it reminds you how fucking brilliant Circles is, but it also works in its own right. Nineteen is as close as she gets to a ballad on to hell with it, and very lovely it is too.
The Predatory Wasp 