We’re allowed to see each other again in real life! That means parties and BBQs to me, and both of those things deserve good music. I’m writing this a couple of days after the Brit Awards, a ceremony which marked a moment when multiples of people (thousands in fact) were allowed to attend an event together, mask free, and within much closer contact than we’ve been allowed to for the past year. All very hopeful stuff. It is going to take some getting used to — I involuntarily gasped when I saw two people hug on TV the other day?! — but we will be back to something resembling normality in no time, I hope.
Here is some new music for your BBQ playlist, or wherever you’re enjoying yourself this month.
Billie Eilish – Your Power
The first single from Eilish’s hugely anticipated sophomore record comes with a total overhaul of public image too. Everyone by now has seen Billie Eilish’s glorious Vogue cover. This track is moody, brooding and gothic. On second thoughts, not quite right for summer partying perhaps, but perfect for dusky atmospheric evenings. Eilish is such a powerhouse, the whole record will be stunning I expect, if the first single is anything to go by.
The Weeknd & Ariana Grande – Save Your Tears (remix)
This track came out a minute or two ago, but this new remix is fire and it comes with a bizarrely compelling animated music video too. I know that me recommending The Weeknd isn’t exactly ground-breaking but nevertheless, this track deserves space on your playlist.
St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home
This autobiographically named record (St. Vincent’s dad got out of jail) embodies the singer’s ability to shapeshift and rebrand. Whilst only the title track actually refers to her dad and his experiences explicitly, the fact that the whole record is full of seventies influences suggests that his influence abounds further than meets the eye. Or the ear. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of seventies music will recognise the influences of Stevie Wonder and Pink Floyd. This is a very clever, beautifully referenced record.
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Mustafa – Air Forces
I put Mustafa’s track Ali on here a month or two ago and this is another track from his upcoming full project When Smoke Rises. Mustafa himself calls his music ‘inner-city folk music’ which unsurprisingly is much much more lovely and poetic way of putting it than I could have come up with. Mustafa is warm, lyrical and a breath of really welcome fresh air.
