Listen To The Five Best Songs This Week

Enigmatic new songwriter/producer TĀLĀ arrived at the start of the week with her new EP, The Duchess. The final piece of the Iranian-born, London-based artist’s three-track record came in the form of “On My Own In Hua Hin”. From the offset, we are forewarned of its exoticism with recordings of what sounds like a busy Middle Eastern market, dispersed by mushrooming synths and heavy-footed beats. With TĀLĀ‘s high pitch quivers, there’s something of a Grimes vocal quality lurking. That’s fine by us.

Anyone lapping-up the current overlay of 90s-indebted dance tunes may well delight in the beefy piano hook of “WYF” by Croydon trio, BAY. Where the vocals lack some bite, musically the track is more than made up for by a glutton of bouncy house beats, shimmering echoes and an earworm of a chorus. The band have just supported New York rapper/producer Le1f in London with more shows reportedly on the way. Keep those peepers peeled.

San Francisco duo CATHEDRALS only have a few songs to their name so like many emerging acts it might be unwise to label them early in the game. New song, “Want My Love”, certainly rewards reserved judgement. Gone is the trap beat pulse of a Sleigh Bells record (“Harlem”), gone is the heady blanket of synth (“Unbound”) and in comes some seriously smooth RnB . “Want My Love” is more in the vein of a Mariah Carey record, full of sensual falsettos, stripped-back beats and bubblegum sounds. CATHEDRALS’ debut EP is out this summer.

Jack Garratt may also fall victim to early labelling (enter: “soul”) and it’s easy to see why with those pair of lungs. Opening with tender vocals and a tinkering guitar, “Worry” may not initially sound like the incredible beast it becomes upon its chorus, which explodes with funk and glowing, gospel harmonies. A bolder affair than his debut offering (“Water”), it’s thrilling to anticipate what direction the Londoner might move in next. We’re right behind him.

The most exciting return this week (well, besides Caribou of course) was from East London songwriter/producer Azekel. We hadn’t heard much from since last year’s sterling debut EP Circa. His latest cut, “New Romance”, is a head-turner from the word go, steered by a menacing and weighty rhythm interspersed with flashes of brass and electro glitch. While the focus this time is less on his astonishing vocals and more on whole wrap of the track’s dark alt. RnB components, we’re no less enticed.

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