A bumper edition of our new music roundup!
Well, I’ve already said that, in terms of music, 2017 is shaping up to be The Year Of Being Extra. We’ve had Lana Del Rey’s witchy celestial love fest, Love (EXTRA). We’ve had Loreen’s mad Scandinavian sleeper hit, Statements (EXTRA). And while we’re still yet to see an album from Dua Lipa, she’s been going out on the town dressed in increasingly flared trousers and more lipgloss than Lil Mama (EXTRA).
But the past couple of weeks have upped the extra-factor by ten fold! So much so that this is a supersized edition of Disco, Blisters & A Comedown. Two whole pages! I won’t have time for lunch at this rate. HERE WE GO:
Ionalee – Samaritan
Possibly the most extra song ever to have been created. And of course a Swede is responsible. Ionalee seems to be a recent rebrand of dreampop deep witch, Iamamiwhoami, and her new song just beggars belief. It starts off with grainy-sounding orchestral riffs, then suddenly dives into an insane drum and bass march, then her vocals kick in, and all hell breaks loose. At one point she’s screaming about hanging on a wooden cross, while a frenetic techno backing track burbles away. Totally ridiculous. We’re here for it.
Charli XCX – Number 1 Angel
Always one of my absolute faves. Charli XCX has out Charli XCX’d herself with this one. It’s a mixtape she flung together whilst pissed off with the limitations her record label were putting on her, which totally suits her poutily pissed off, insouciant vibe. And the wonderful guest appearances show not only Charli’s clout within the music industry, but give us a bit of an insight into her taste in music – MØ, Uffie, Cupcakke and ABRA all pop up to give breathily urgent contributions. Firstly – UFFIE! Who’d have thought we’d be hearing HER comedowny vocals again. We thought she’d upped sticks and gone to live in a yurt in Sri Lanka or something. Hopefully this means an album’s in the works. She’s probably doing acid on Charli’s living room floor as we speak, penning her next hit. There’s also a track called ‘Drugs’ in which Charli philosophises on the advantages/disadvantages of shagging your dealer. We’ve all been there babe. Anyway I’ve give this mixtape a solid 10/10, it’s absolutely brilliant.
Iggy Azalea – Mo Bounce
The definition of a basic bop, but we can’t help ourselves! Yes, Iggy is problematic. But she’s not, like, RACIST or anything. She’s just a bit of an idiot. Although a white blonde girl from Australia putting on a Jamaican accent and singing about “dutty wine” does undeniably have its issues. That said, her latest release Mo Bounce is an unignorable stomper. It’s an absolute din, a racket, a banger! It’s kind of indescribable actually, just give it a listen. Depending on the mood you’re in, it’ll either make you want to down a bottle of vodka and shag the nearest male person, or throw all your belongings in the Thames. Either way, you’ll have a good story to tell.
Anne-Marie – Ciao Adios
This is arguably also a basic bop, by Somerset-born artist Anne-Marie, who looks like Ellie Goulding after a night out at Fire. Ciao Adios is a fun, summery number, and in the video she’s wearing lots of trendy clothing – flared leather trousers, all the rest of it. If you recognise her voice, it’s probably because she featured on that awful Clean Bandit track “Rockabye”, which charted at number one in EIGHT countries. Ridiculous. Anyway yeah, Ciao Adios. It’s not changing the world anytime soon, but it’s a guilty pleasure. Best enjoyed with a warm £6 bottle of rosé at someone’s flat in Clapham. Lol.
Nelly Furtado – Phoenix
A trip-hop, Massive Attack-esque number from our old pal Nelly Furtado! Gone are the days of Maneater and sweaty spaghetti-strap crop tops. She’ll gone all introspective! This is the sort of music to float across the Grand Canyon to. Whilst not necessarily immediately extra, it’s still pretty bloody extra, and fits into the same “Moonpop” genre as Lana and the like. Haven’t heard the phrase “moonpop” before? That’s because I’ve just made it up.
GIRLI – Not That Girl
Sweary, fun, pink-haired pop tart GIRLI is fresh from North London, and the latest export from the new wave of exciting, original young British women making totes major brat pop. Not That Girl is a shout-out to all the judgemental fuckboys out there. It contains the lyrics “I’m really sorry if my dirty tights make you think you’re gonna score tonight.” GIRLI is our kinda girl. Judging someone’s sexual prowess on their appearance or fashion sense. I know, mostly because I’ve slept with everyone, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can never judge a book by its cover. It’s always the quiet ones!
