Listen To The Five Best Songs This Week

Hello, weekend. Here’s our pick of the best new music from the last seven days.

Earlier this week, we heard the return of the voice. Nope, it had nothing to do with some idealistic talent show, but the next offering from London’s vocal powerhouse, Kwabs.. The singer could simply breathe and make the elements rearrange themselves, this time armed with tumbling percussion, angelic harmonies and marble piano on “Pray For Love”. Admittedly, it lacks the zealous bite of previous songs, “Last Stand” and “Wrong Or Right”, with somewhat modest production by Ben Drew (Plan B), but it’s nonetheless another solid piece of writing from 2014’s brightest new star.

Glacial pop by way of Stockholm, Frida Sundemo made a tantalising return this week with the delightfully understated, “Hanging By A Thread”. Synths dart quietly behind Sundemo’s nippy vocal, whilst dampened beats lay low amongst brave key changes and distinctively Swedish electro patterns. Expect the release of her new EP this spring.

Musician/producer Joseph Deenmamode (aka Mo Kolours) might hail from the UK, but his latest track, the dub-inflected “Little Brown Dog”, is far removed from the country’s grey shores. Imagine Bobby McFerrin toe-dipping hip-hop waters and you’ve got the bare bones of a song dripping in eclecticism – perhaps aided by Deenmamode’s Mauritian roots. ”Little Brown Dog” is everything you could want and more at this time of year, comprised of swirling steel drums, sunny hums and blissfully simple lyrics about man’s best friend. It dangles summer like a carrot on a stick.

One you get over the rather alarming lead croon of Gleemer vocalist Corey Coffman (remember when you first heard Wild Beasts?) the Colorado-based duo’s new song “Tooms” is a progressive and beautiful slice of moody revivalist post-punk. With nods to The Jesus and Mary Chain and the dreamier tropes of early Cure, “Tooms” also finds itself doused in shoegaze, creating a wonderful hybrid of two distinctively British genres.

Lastly, a remix of Sivu’s “Can’t Stop Now” by Bombay Bicycle Club’s Jack Steadman was a dream come true, though realised in hindsight. Who knew of the young gents’ remarkable vocal likeness? It’s an enjoyable challenge to spot just where Sivu’s vocals end and Steadman’s begin, blanketed as they are by hip-hop scuffles, itchy glitches and heady multilayers. Steadman’s magical manipulation of the original also gives us deeper insight into his solitary, pre-Bombay bedroom producer world – something we’re more than a little fascinated by.

Listen to our selection of the week’s best new music below: