The Predatory Wasp
Every Mariah the Scientist album so far has included a track that’s reduced me to a helpless mess: All For Me from RY RY WORLD and Reminders from MASTER, so anticipation was high for her latest, HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY. Sure enough she’s done it again, this time with the Kali Uchis collab Is It a Crime made with producers Mat1k, Oliver Easton, and Nineteen85, the latter of whom is part of the duo Dvsn with which this track shares notable similarities. It’s so good!
To celebrate the best Glastonbury lineup in years, here’s a recent track from one of the many acts I’m extremely excited to see. Mega Circuit presents a darker, guitar-driven sound, reflecting on contemporary masculinity and the search for identity in challenging times. The track features renowned drummer Jim Keltner, known for his work with artists like Jackson Browne and Dolly Parton. The accompanying music video, co-directed by Zauner and collaborator Adam Kolodny, complements the song’s introspective themes. Which, yes, isn’t exactly three pingers deep in a field vibes, but is still excellent.
https://michellezauner.bandcamp.com/album/for-melancholy-brunettes-sad-women
I can’t quite get over how great this is; without doubt one of his best songs to date. Completely ridiculous. For the full experience listen to the segue from the previous album track. Just astonishingly good.
Shura is back, and it feels like a long time coming. Her new album, the amazingly titled I Got Too Sad For My Friends, lands May 30 and she’s just dropped the first single, Recognise, which kicks off with dreamy, otherworldly synths and hushed, almost ghostly vocals before bursting into this messy, beautiful chaos of drums. Shura says it’s about coming out of a dark period and learning to find peace in the little things and quotes Arthur Russell as saying “being sad is not a crime”, which feels apt.
https://shura.bandcamp.com/album/i-got-too-sad-for-my-friends
Ok yes, this record is 46 years old. But I only fairly recently discovered it was the main sample for my favourite Mylo track, Need You Tonite, and I’ve become increasingly obsessed. So that’s a song from the 70s and a Scottish producer who has barely made anything for two decades featured on this new music blog. But it’s great, so I don’t feel bad about it.
Becky and the Birds is the project of Swedish artist Thea Gustafsson. Her sound blends neo-soul, electronic, and R&B influences, drawing inspiration from artists such as Bon Iver and Frank Ocean and her new album Only music makes me cry now landed today. Opener Star hints at a slightly more abrasive, glitchier style than some of her previous releases which have leaned more into atmospheric dream pop, but her voice remains as beguiling and fragile as ever.
https://shop.4ad.com/release/472790-becky-and-the-birds-only-music-makes-me-cry-now
Loads of interesting albums out today – from Thee Sacred Souls, Dawn Richard, Alessandro Cortini and others – but this is the song that’s made me happiest this week, and even though it officially came out months ago the album it was released on landed last week, so it still counts as new music. Ok? Good. Efterklang was a new name to me and it was Mabe Fratti’s involvement that initially piqued my interest, but after multiple daily listens I think I can now call myself a fan.
Apologies for my extended break – it was pre-Glastonbury/Glastonbury/post-Glastonbury, so I couldn’t really engage with anything else. But now I’m back! Lots of interesting albums out recently, but this opening track from Omar Apollo’s new album God Said No is the one I’ve had on loop. So while everyone else is losing their shit about Pedro, we can listen to this low-key banger.
It’s taken more than two decades for the music I was obsessed with as a teenager to become fashionable again. It’s been worth the wait. There are a few artists pushing this sound now, but German duo DJ Heartstring have got the formula down to a fine art. Trance? Yes! Hardcore? Sure! 90s pop-dance. Of course! Taken from their three-track EP Don’t Stop which clocks in at sub 10 minutes for the lot. Saccharine beats for happy-sad lads.
Laryssa Kim’s new album Contezza is described in the press materials as “a crossroad where Brian Eno, Enya, and Erykah Badu all meet”, and somewhat surprisingly that’s not all bullshit hyperbole. Singing in French, English and Italian over lush electronic backdrops, Kim creates a deeply engaging atmosphere that moves from romantic to alienating and back again, often in the space of a single track.
The Predatory Wasp 