Here are 4 great albums that have been released today.
1. james – ‘All The Colours of You’
JAMES have released ALL THE COLOURS OF YOU, their 16th studio album, available now across all DSPs and retailers. The album is the first via their new label, Virgin Music Label & Artists Services, and their new publishing home Kobalt Music.
ALL THE COLOURS OF YOU was recorded in part before Covid struck, and is produced by the Grammy award winning Jacknife Lee (U2, REM, Taylor Swift, Snow Patrol, The Killers). On production duties with JAMES for the first time, he brought a fresh approach to their sound, working remotely from his studio liaising with Tim Booth (his Topanga Canyon neighbour) and Jim Glennie from the band, reimagining their demos and capturing the band in all their virtual glory. The result is a record with the freshest and most arena-ready tracks of their 39-year career; the sound of one of Britain’s best bands deconstructed and reassembled by one of the world’s most renowned producers.
2. Wolf Alice – ‘Blue Weekend’ out now
WOLF ALICE have released their eagerly awaited third album BLUE WEEKEND, already being hailed as a masterpiece. The record features The Last Man On Earth, Smile, No Hard Feelings and the new single HOW CAN I MAKE IT OK? The album is out now via Dirty Hit and available on vinyl, CD, cassette and all DSPs: https://wolfalice.co.uk/blueweekend
BLUE WEEKEND is the follow up to the 2017 Mercury-prize winning Visions of a Life, a record that cemented the bands position as one of the UK’s most exciting bands. With the new album, “Wolf Alice cement their place at the peak of British music” (NME).
Shortly before the album release, the band released the Jordan Hemingway directed video for one of the album centrepieces, HOW CAN I MAKE IT OK? The video will be part of the larger BLUE WEEKEND short film which will be premiered at Picturehouse Central in Soho, London on Thursday 10 June. For further information please visit: https://store.wolfalice.co.uk/
3. Powfu releases ‘Drinking under the Streetlights’
Continuing his consistent music releases, lo-fi hit-maker Powfu has released his brand-new EP drinking under the streetlights today. With the release, he has also dropped the official video for “future diary” ft. Jomie and Skinny Atlas, which is Powfu’s personal favorite track on the EP. Also included on the new 4-track collection is new single “mario kart” ft. Travis Barker, who previously collaborated with Powfu on the “death bed” remix. Stay tuned for more from them soon.
The new EP comes hot on the heels of Powfu winning Best New Alt/Rock Artist at the iHeartRadio Music Awards last week. He’s also been nominated for Breakthrough Artist of the Year at Canada’s Juno Awards which take place this weekend.
drinking under the streetlights arrives as the follow up to his November 2020 EP some boring love stories pt. 5 and his May 2020 EP poems of the past, which The New York Times named to their Best Albums of 2020.
4. Kirk McElhinney releases ‘You Are Not Your Past’
Kirk McElhinney is renowned for his soulful voice, insightful lyrics and conveying inspiring messages of hope and positivity in both his recorded music and live performances. His music combines a rich and vibrant mosaic of acoustic guitar picking that is both unique and enticing. His concerts are unique: mostly down to his free-spirited jamming style and a visceral raw energy that captivates his audiences. His highly anticipated second album ‘You Are Not Your Past’ channels all his infectious live energy and, importantly, his rich and significant life experience to date.
But don’t be fooled into thinking the album is dark and negative – far from it: ‘You Are Not Your Past’ exudes positivity and encourages a metaphorical ‘uprising’ of sorts, with a message of hope and of ‘elevating’ our life’s mission. It shows us how we can ALL make our world better by joining in solidarity and common purpose and exchanging ideas openheartedly, free from judgement of one another. By discarding the negatives, we can create a fresh, bright future for humanity. Kirk says: “The title came about because I feel like too many people are stuck in their past and don’t know how to move on from it, almost like they don’t feel like they’re allowed to move on. I think the world would be a better place for all of us if we didn’t all hold so tightly onto our past.”
Musically, the album is a real mix of styles with influences from his childhood heroes from Stevie Wonder to Bert Jansch, from the Rolling Stones to Paco de Lucia. Kirk acknowledges he was truly blessed to have worked with all the incredible musicians who collaborated with him on this album, or as he freely calls them “the cream of the Manchester crop!” John Ellis (Cinematic Orchestra, Corrine Bailey Rae), Kirk says is “a musical genius, he’s like a cross between Yoda and Willy Wonka!” David McEwan (Nitin Sawhney, Plan B, Jeff Beck, Sting) mastered and helped produce the album and Neil Fairclough played bass (Queen and Adam Lambert). Expect themes of populist politics, love, calls for unity, letting go of the past, mindfulness, hope and finding peace. ‘You Are Not Your Past’ is a broad canvas and will evoke many feelings in the listener. As Kirk says: “I think a song is like a painting, everyone will have different interpretations of it, and I like that, a song will always move and speak to people differently.”
