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Festival season is well and truly over and the weather has firmly decided to begin its descent into winter. The only thing to look forward to now is, well, next summer.
But fear not, some of the biggest and most exciting artists out there have kindly decided to drop some amazing new tracks this week to soften the blow. Check them out below.
St Lucia 'Too Close'
This brilliant slice of dark, atmospheric percussion-heavy electro pop sounds a bit like if Morrissey joined a modern version of New Order, which is a good thing obviously. New Yorker Jean-Philip Grobler is soon to release his debut album and by the sounds of this it’s going to be epic.
Lorde 'Team'
The 16 year old singer continues to make everyone feel bad about what they’ve achieved with their lives so far with new track ‘Team’ - a song about her homeland of New Zealand. Following the success of breakout track ‘Royals', this is another uplifting number, combining Lorde’s delicate vocals with a punchy drum beat and a catchy chorus.
Tinie Tempah 'Children Of The Sun'
The South London rapper’s new track features the vocals of Swedish House Mafia and sometime Avicii vocalist John Martin, and fans will find it a return to form after the clumsy 'Trampoline'. It’s a catchy, synth-and-string-heavy epic number – ‘Written In the Stars’ mark two perhaps?
Kings Of Leon 'Beautiful War'
This track from the Followill’s sixth album, Mechanical Bull, will please those who miss the simple days of ‘Taper Jean Girl’, and turned away in disgust at the stadium-pleasing cock rock of ‘Sex On Fire’. Caleb Followill’s voice is as captivating as ever on this slow-burning track, which builds up from a repetitive drum beat and sparse lyrics to a simple but effective chorus which is sure to be a crowd pleaser..
Drake 'Wu Tang Forever'
The Canadian rapper’s latest offering from his upcoming album Nothing Was The Same pays homage to the legendary New York rap collective (if you hadn’t guessed from the title already), sampling their 1997 track ‘It’s Yourz’. Lyrically, it’s nothing new for Drake, pining about his lady troubles, but there’s something quite beguiling about the gloomy, plodding beats combined with his familiar conversational rap style.
Banks 'Bedroom Wall'
This seriously cool, sexy chilled out number, produced by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, is one of the strongest tracks we’ve heard from the Los Angeles singer. “Do I have to write it on your bedroom wall?” she asks over the bubbling, futuristic bass-heavy beat, as it builds to a delicate crescendo. Once you give it a listen, you’ll be reloading it again and again.
Blood Orange 'Chamakay'
Dev Hynes has found the time in between penning amazing songs for the likes of MKS and Florence and the Machine to release a new track under his Blood Orange moniker. ‘Chamakay’ is a sultry, mid-tempo tune featuring gentle percussion and possibly even a hint of xylophone. What makes it truly special though are the beautiful female vocals, courtesy of Chairlift's Caroline Polachek, that harmonise wonderfully with Hynes’ own smooth timbre. The Houston singer-songwriter’s dance moves make the video a must watch as well.
Jessy Lanza 'Pull My Hair Back'
The Canadian newcomer’s single from her debut album of the same name starts off skeletally then blossoms into a blend of squelching, funky bass and bleepy effects. The whole thing gives off a futuristic R&B vibe and Lanza’s melodies are 100% Aaliyah, which offsets the very modern backing track. It’s a confident and seductive offering.
Arctic Monkeys 'Hold On, We’re Going Home'
With frontman Alex Turner recently declaring in an interview the band’s new album, AM, sounds like Dr Dre, it’s no surprise the band went a bit urban in their latest session for Radio 1’s Live Lounge. The Monkeys chose to cover the funky ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ from Canadian rapper Drake’s forthcoming album. As usual, the Sheffield quartet well and truly made it their own, Turner’s trademark vocals backed up marvellously by some high and feminine backing (is that you, Matt Helders?)
FKA Twigs 'Papi Pacify'
Wow, this is good. The 25-year-old doe-eyed Londoner Twigs has been making ethereal, floaty but somehow also dark and gritty dubstep for over a year now and this latest track is of the same breed. Papi Pacify opens in an uncomfortable, splutter-and-start kind of fashion, then segues into a more smooth slice of dark electro with grooving basslines. Strange but captivating, the video features manhandling and glitter and is the perfect visual accompaniment.
