We have all the latest releases for you in our End of week round-up.
1. Anna Straker releases new track ‘Break Up Song’
This year has seen Anna Straker excel by discovering her true identity as an artist. She has embraced the confidence to say exactly how she feels about a variety of life experiences, channelling those stories into songs that simmer with attitude. It’s a stance that powered the recent single ‘Boys Will Be Boys’, which Clout hailed as, “A lethal shot into the arm of contemporary pop… the track is one of the most striking and memorable of 2020, and is among the most emphatic and important statements that you’ll come across in a long, long time.”
2. Rhumba Club share new single + video ‘Guilty’
Following latest release ‘The Rhumba Club Is Waiting For Me’, queer pop outfit Rhumba Club deliver an empowering slice of synth pop with new single and video ‘Guilty’ out today.
Revelling in the euphoria of timeless, ‘80s-influenced pop with provocative synth bass riffs, ‘Guilty’ pairs a sarcastic mood with Tom Falle’s Andy Bell-like searing vocals. The accompanying video sees Tom rollicking around, awkwardly questioning his intrusive thoughts and unpopular opinions as he chants “…’cause I’m guilty, guilty of all charges” at the anthemic chorus.
Tom writes:
“Guilty is basically about putting your foot in it. It began life as a transcription of a lockdown bust-up with my boyfriend, but ended up being more broadly concerned with the experience of saying, feeling or thinking the ‘wrong’ thing. Add to that some synth brass and a Madonna-style bass line and you get a classic Rhumba record: it’s a danceable lockdown domestic.”
3. Sydney Sprague release new song ‘Staircase Failure’
Staircase failure, the new song and music video from Sydney Sprague is out today. Sydney has said of the track, “I wanted this song to feel like uncontrollably falling down the stairs. It’s about falling in love so bad that it hurts, and the adrenaline rush that comes along with that. It’s big chaos energy.” The accompanying video shows Sydney grappling on what version of herself to listen to.
The song is taken from her forthcoming album maybe i will see you at the end of the world which is set for release on 26th February 2021, via Rude Records. It will join recently released singles steve, and i refuse to die. The album can be pre-ordered here.
4. YOU ME AT SIX share ‘SUCKAPUNCH’ single and video.
You Me At Six have shared their new single and music video, ‘SUCKAPUNCH’, the title track from their highly anticipated forthcoming new album, due January 15th via Underdog Records / AWAL. The band have also announced a series of intimate album launch shows, beginning July 7th at Pryzm in Kingston Upon Thames. A special socially distanced album release show will also take place at Pryzm on January 14th.
A monumental amalgamation of electronica and rock, ‘SUCKAPUNCH’ is a saga of epic proportions. Building with pulsating beats seized straight from the dancefloor, the track explodes into a herculean anthem, a stadium sized single that marks one of the biggest artistic statements in their career to date.
Speaking about the new single, lead vocalist Josh Franceschi said:
“Suckapunch is about reclaiming your own consciousness when you’ve lost it along the way. ‘Rise from the wreckage that you left behind’ is really something that we’ve collectively experienced as a band. It’s a universal statement for recovering from a difficult time when you’ve been left behind.”
5. NewDad release new single “I Don’t Recognise You”
NewDad have released their new single “I Don’t Recognise You” via Fair Youth. The track was premiered on Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6 Music Show last night, as well as being played by Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1.
“I Don’t Recognise You” is a big step forward for this four-piece from Galway. It is fuller sounding and more assured than their previous releases, whilst retaining the beautiful, hazy and atmospheric sound that they have quickly mastered. “I Don’t Recognise You” highlights their intuitive left field pop leanings, topped off with singer Julie’s incredible vocals.
Of the track the band say:
“The song is about watching someone you love lose their way. Sometimes, you can’t recognise them as the same person they were before.”
6. Mark Knight Remix – Silience ‘I Dont Wanna Know’
DJ, Grammy-nominated producer and Toolroom Records label head Mark Knight has delivered his rework of Silience’s latest anthem ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’. Listen HERE.
Lacing the original with uptempo hooks and a disco tinge, Mark Knight’s creative reimagining reaffirms his status as one of dance music’s most versatile producers.
With a career spanning more than two decades, Mark Knight is one of the most celebrated electronic artists of his generation with an impressive 120 million + global streams to his name. Mark has released on labels as diverse as Sony to Ministry of Sound to Elrow & BBE and has previously worked closely alongside artists such as Faithless, Underworld and Florence & The Machine.
7. Alexina releases here new single ‘Big Bad Wolf’
Singer-songwriter Alexina today releases the first track from her forthcoming EP of the same name, ‘Big Bad Wolf’.
The song showcases Alexina’s trademark honest lyrics with storytelling at the track’s core. An auto-biographical cautionary pop tale exploring the conflicting feelings of guilt and desire, the song features an anthemic chorus and Alexina’s distinctive soulful vocals.
About the song, Alexina says:
“The Big Bad Wolf lives in us all … the push pull of what we should do and what we want to do. It’s a song made to dance and sing along to … even if it’s just in the kitchen right now. This is the first track from the EP which is all about the beauty of our imperfect lives in our twenties, the unfiltered reality of our messy, formative years – that will make us who we’ll become.”
9. Ed Cosens releases his latest track ‘The River’
Ed Cosens releases ‘The River’, the second single from his long-overdue debut solo album Fortunes Favour. Listen HERE
Only when his storytelling songs naturally found their own sound did he finally step from the shadows. “It’s only taken 10 years or so for me to find the confidence!” says the self-depreciating singer, who shared stages with Arctic Monkeys members Matt Helders and Alex Turner before the Makers took off.
New single ‘The River’ follows the album’s lead single ‘If’ – three mesmerising minutes of tremolo-rich, strings-soaked melody that was described by the Sunday Times Culture as a “forlorn, jingle-jangle beauty, equal parts early Beatles and Richard Hawley.” Whilst ‘If’ was a love-lorn tale of the struggle between love’s true path and the path which you think you’re destined to follow ‘The River poses the question if this is the answer, do I want to know the question you’re asking?
10. Collateral release new single ‘Can’t Hold Me Down’
Collateral launch the ‘Can’t Hold Me Down’ video which they describe as an “empowering” rock song that embraces the theme of hope in the face of such a turbulent 2020. The single is released today.
Singer Angelo Tristan says of ‘Can’t Hold Me Down’: “Many bands were struck hard at the start of the year with Collateral being struck halfway through their debut album tour that reached Top 5 in the Official UK Rock Charts so there is no surprise that frustration would lead to an empowering full out rock song that would hopefully inspire people across the world to keep focus on the light at the end of the tunnel… and that is exactly what they have done. “
11. Anna Krantz releases new single ‘ The Trouble With Suzie’
Anna Krantz’s third single in her latest bewitching series ‘new moon, new tune’ ‘The Trouble With Suzie’ takes a look at the destructive behaviours we all experience in some shape or form. Suzie represents those ill-advised choices we can all make, which don’t support our ultimate happiness and well-being but feel so damn good in the moment! So we choose them over and over again, and that’s the trouble with Suzie…
“It was initially written as a country song to be pitched for a country artist. Once it was finished though, I couldn’t get it out of my head. So we found a way to produce the track in a style which felt fun for me to sing. I’m so pleased we did! I love singing this song!”
12. Sam Fischer shares new single ‘For Now’
Following the huge success of his global smash hit This City and recent project Homework Sam Fischer has shared new single For Now, available now through RCA Records.
Always wearing his heart on his sleeve and with sincerity in both his lyrics and conversations, his recent project Homework is a cathartic body of work, which acknowledges the moments in life that Sam has struggled to deal with and how these situations have changed him for the better. Through each of the six songs, he takes the listener through each situation with him in a relatable, personable and emotive journey.
New single For Now is signature Sam Fischer in its beautiful fragility, meaningful emotion and heartfelt lyrics. It is a track that envelopes you and your thoughts in the relatable experience of love coming to a necessary end.
13. The Trusted release new single ‘Criminals’
The Trusted are Southend-on-Sea natives Dave Batchelor, Dale Holt-Mead, Fin Cunningham and Tom Cunningham. Initially starting out in secondary school, the band bonded over their mutual appreciation of a strong melody and atmospheric, edgy pop. Sharing an enthusiasm for 21st century Brit-rock led by the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen and The 1975, as well as classic late ‘70s new-wave icons such as The Clash and Elvis Costello, The Trusted thrive off their unique fusion of post-punk energy and storytelling.
Following up their EP Love And Suicide, The Trusted announce their new single “Criminals.” Describing the track as “the most emotional song we’ve ever written”, the song is a combination of bittersweet emotions and feelings. In the process of creating the track the band found themselves stripping the song back to its bones, allowing space to experiment with new electronic textures and sounds.
14. Liam Gallagher share new single ‘All You’re Dreaming Of’
As a tumultuous year draws to a close, the forthcoming festive season introduces a new year and the hope of a fresh start. It’s important to remember that the challenges that face us today will in time fade, and life will gradually return to normality. It’s a message that Liam Gallagher captures in his emotive new single ‘All You’re Dreaming Of’.
Liam’s words strike to the heart of the subject matter, expressing a whirlwind of emotions with an elegant clarity as he sings, “What are you dreaming of? / Is It the kind of love that’ll be there when the world is at its worst?” As has been a hallmark of his solo career, his voice resonates with vulnerability. The weight of those emotions is amplified by the intimacy of the production: wistful piano revealing the power of those lyrics, accompanied by a swelling undercurrent of seasonal brass.
The song emerged in the summer after Liam put an unexpected spin on an idea created by his co-writer, the Ivor Novello winner Simon Aldred. It was subsequently produced by Andrew Wyatt, who has collaborated on both of Liam’s chart-topping solo albums.
‘All You’re Dreaming Of’ will also be released on vinyl on December 18th. It will be released on black 7” and a white 12”, the latter of which exclusively features the song’s original demo. A red 7” is available only from the official Liam Gallagher store.
