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Music

Croatian Amor – Young Adult, Common Nettle

I had a sudden epiphany halfway through listening to Croatian Amor’s new album Remember Rainbow Bridge. “Jesus christ – he’s Traumprinz!” He’s not, obviously, but listening to the yearning, nostalgia-inducing tones of Young Adult, Common Nettle – with its billowing synths and samples of ravers waxing lyrical about life in a drug-induced moment of existentialism “‘You don’t have to wait for death to experience ecstasy”), I hope you’ll forgive me for momentarily thinking I’d cracked the Greatest Enigma In The History of Electronic Music ™.

https://croatianamor-alter.bandcamp.com

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Music

Harkin – Body Clock

I loved Harkin’s self-titled 2020 album, so it’s fantastic to hear new music from her – especially when it’s this good – alongside the announcement of a new LP Honeymoon Suite, due out in June. Leaning heavily into the synths and self-producing for the first time, Body Clock is full-blooded and evocative, its glacial electronics exploding into life in its final third. Also, the video is ace, with a 90s video-game aesthetic that makes me want to go and play the original version of Flashback all over again.

Read our interview with Harkin here.

https://handmirror.bandcamp.com/album/harkin-2

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Music

Cannons – Come Alive

I played this to my daughter at the weekend, fully expecting us to bond over its easily accessible hooks and soft-focus melodies and after a couple of minutes she looked at me and said “This is ok, but let’s listen to something else”. What a dick! It’s much better than ok. But then maybe I’ve been sucked in by the Carpenters-evoking cover art and the fact that it was really warm and sunny when I first listened to it. Anyway, you can judge for yourself. Turns out 6 year-olds really have no taste at all.

https://feverdream.cannonstheband.com

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Music

36 – Fantazia

Fantazia came out on the brilliantly-named album Weaponised Serenity around six months ago, but aside from this piece from A Strangely Isolated Place I can’t find any coverage for it at all. Recorded by Dennis Huddleston under his 36 alias for the 9128.live label – which asks artists to push their creative boundaries by presenting new and experimental approaches to music creation – Weaponised Serenity is a joyous journey through Huddleston’s rave heritage, exploring both the deeply meditative qualities and drug-fulled hedonism of the rave, often within a single track.

https://9128live.bandcamp.com/album/weaponised-serenity

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Music

SHXCXCHCXSH – Stio

Swedish techno duo SHXCXCHCXSH released their latest album Kongestion earlier this month, and it’s mostly brutal, terrifying listen: ominous and unforgiving, but also really, really good. Stio is the most ‘chilled’ track on there, but only because it’s devoid of the punishing drums employed elsewhere. It’s still deeply unsettling, but with just the merest hint of sunlight peeking through the gloom. I mean, just look at that photo of them. These guys are absolutely not fucking about.

https://soundcloud.com/shxcxchcxsh

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Music

Yayoyanoh – One 4 Me

One 4 Me is the first track on Yayoyanoh’s self-titled debut album, commencing 30 or so minutes of some of the silkiest, most atmospheric R&B I’ve heard for some time. Laid back flows and reverb abound, so if you’re into that kind of vibe you’re in for a treat.

https://soundcloud.com/yayoyanoh

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Music

Charli XCX – Twice

For 30 minutes – ie 90% of its running time – Charli XCX’s new album CRASH is a crushing disappointment. Yes, there are good tracks on it: New Shapes, alongside alt-pop royalty Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, and Baby are towering, bullet-proof pop records, but both of these were singles, so their inclusion isn’t exactly a cause celebre. The UK garage bounce of (also previously released) Beg For You leaves me completely cold, as does Good Ones, which comes across – to me at least – as uninspiringly one-note.

So what are we left with? A few meticulously produced, immediately forgettable tracks, and one complete abomination in the shape of Used To Know Me, which serves only to remind us why most people stopped ripping off Robyn S over a decade ago. And then, when all hope seems to be lost, we have album closer Twice, which is vintage Charli: introspective, yet effervescent pop which bangs hard and makes you cry at the same time. The hype train has clearly addled the critical faculties of more than one reviewer, but Twice demonstrates than when she’s on form, no-one does this kind of stuff better.

https://www.instagram.com/charli_xcx

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Music

Teno Afrika – Where You Are

It’s been a long old time since I heard a straight up house track (or amapiano, as I’m reliably informed this should be classed) I enjoyed at much as this, which given my day job is a dispiriting state of affairs. Calling to mind Mr Fingers-era Larry Heard without directly aping it, it’s soulful and deeply relaxing, but with enough low-end throb to shake your chest. Stirring stuff.

https://soundcloud.com/tomu-dj

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Music

Tomu DJ – Morning Groove

Lush, broken beat electronics for you today courtesy of California-based Tomu DJ, who has a real knack for squeezing a huge amount of emotion out of whatever machineware she uses to make music. If you missed it last year her debut album FEMINISTA is well worth checking out and features many tracks of the same tone and structure that makes Morning Groove such a breezy delight, albeit mixed with some far darker more disquieting introspections.

https://soundcloud.com/tomu-dj

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Mariah The Scientist – Church

Mariah The Scientist’s brilliant album RY RY WOLRD was criminally overlooked in every end of year list in 2021 – the ones I read at least – which is a real shame, especially as most publications seemed to have a soft spot for other, lesser contemporary R&B offerings (I’m looking at you Heaux Tales!) Anyway, she’s now back with a new EP Buckles Laboratories Presents: The Intermission that opens with this vintage cut. I hope her lack of plaudits is grating on her less than it is on me.

https://www.instagram.com/mariahthescientist