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Music

Denai Moore – Motherless Child

I absolutely love Denai Moore. Her last two albums We Used To Bloom and Elsewhere have been on heavy rotation for the last few years, and I’m very exited about her next LP, Modern Dread, which lands in July. The production on Motherless Child is a lot more electronic and stripped-down than some of her previous music, but her voice is as heartfelt and soulful as ever. She’s a true original, and if her new album is anything like as good as the last two, we’re in for a treat.

http://www.denaimoore.com

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Music

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down – Temple

I’m not sure if I’m just paying more attention than usual at the moment, but the amount of amazing music cropping up in the last couple of months by artists I’ve never heard of before is really quite incredible. Another case in point: Temple by the wonderfully named Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, which – with its shifting rhythms and infectious, wandering bassline – is making me keener than ever to go and see some live music, like right now please.

https://www.thaoandthegetdownstaydown.com/

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Music

Nick Hakim – QADIR

Qadir reminds me of shitloads of different songs and artists, but is also undeniably original. In this one song alone I can hear Zero 7, BADBADNOTGOOD, Thundercat, even a touch of Marvin Gaye, as well as various others, but somehow it still sounds fresh and unique. The rest of the album, WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD – which came out last week – is a similar vibe, and combined with the sun blasting in from outside is making me feel exceptionally chilled and happy.

https://nickhakim.com

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Music

Charli XCX – 7 Years

I’m surprised how long it’s taken me to post a Charli XCX track, given how much I like her and how rapidly she bangs out new material. 7 Years is taken from her new album how i’m feeling now which was entirely produced over the last two months or so of lockdown. Produced as a collaborative project, with Charli holding regular Zoom chats with up to 1000 fans to get feedback and ideas, it’s not a huge departure from previous albums and mixtapes, except there aren’t any features. Basically, if like me you’re into her, you’ll probably really like this too, and 7 Years is a definite highlight.

https://www.instagram.com/charli_xcx

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Music

DJ Python – ADMSDP (feat. LA Warman)

It’s a little unfair to post just a single track from DJ Python’s impeccable album Mas Amable, as it really needs to be listened to in its entirety to do it justice. Mas Amable plays out at a single tempo with seamless (and lengthy) transitions between the individual tracks, employing broken rhythms and hushed tones to create an atmosphere that’s both hypnotic and otherworldly. It’s really special, and reminds me of that incredible Voices From The Lake album from a few years back. ADSMSDP is an 11-minute epic that probably best represents the album as a whole, but I’d definitely recommend committing to the entire thing.

https://djpythonnyc.bandcamp.com

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Music Interviews

Interview: Harkin

“The desktop of my mind has been cleared. Now it’s time to clutter it up again.”

A founding member of the band Sky Larkin, Katie Harkin has just released her debut self-titled solo album. In the intervening years she’s toured and recorded with some of the most successful and acclaimed indie rock acts in the business, including Kurt Vile, Courtney Barnett, Waxahatchee and Wild Beasts, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that Harkin is an absolute gem of an album: urgent, expressive, affecting.

I’m incredibly grateful to Katie for taking the time to answer some questions for The Predatory Wasp… and if you haven’t yet listened to the album, I highly recommend you do so.

Congratulations on the release of your debut album – it’s brilliant. When did you start recording it, and was the process generally positive, stressful, invigorating, a combination of all of these… or something else entirely?

Well thanks! I felt a huge amount of growth through the process. I recorded it without a label (we founded our own to release it- Hand Mirror), and though organising everything and clinging onto hard drives as I moved between studios in different time zones was stressful, it was thrilling to do it all on my own terms.

Continue reading “Interview: Harkin”
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Music

Buscabulla – Manda Fuego

The indie pop duo Buscabulla moved back to Puerto Rico from New York after the island was devastated by hurricanes in 2017. The experience inspired a new album and documentary, both called Regresa.

You’d be hard pressed to find a record better suited to lazing around on a beach at sunset with a cold drink pressed into your hand. But given that no-one’s going on holiday any time soon – if ever again – your garden/balcony/porch/bedroom with the window slightly open will have to suffice. Regardless, this is evocative enough to whisk you away to wherever your imagination has the patience to take you. It’s taken from their debut LP Regressa, which is similar in tone to the Erika de Casier album from last year, and like that I expect this to be on hard rotation for most of the summer.

https://www.buscabulla.com/

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Music

I Break Horses – Turn

I had never heard of I Break Horses until about half an hour ago, but I’m pretty sure that after listening to Turn three times on the bounce they are my new favourite band. Granted this is the only song of theirs I’ve ever listened to, and that may seem premature, but just listen to it: it’s absolutely spectacular. Not sure I even want to listen to the rest of the album as surely it can’t live up to the epic magnificence of one of the best, most powerful opening tracks I’ve heard in recent years. Can it?

https://www.ibreakhorses.se

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Music

Kehlani – Can I feat. Tory Lanez

This is the second track on Kehlani’s very well received second album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, with a guest verse from Tory Lanez with whom I became vaguely obsessed with around the release of his I Told You LP, but haven’t really paid attention to since. Both are on excellent form on Can I, which is a sultry, lugubrious banger.

https://www.kehlani.com

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Music

Hayley Williams – Taken

Taken is from Hayley ‘Paramore’ Williams’s debut solo album Petals For Amor, which on first listen is a little hit and miss but with a few real highlights. This is one of them, as is the opening track Simmer, which was released as a single earlier this year. Taken has a fantastic swagger about it and a Haim-ish quality that makes me like it straight away.

https://www.paramore.net