Burning Peacocks – ‘Avril’
Paris duo Burning Peacocks lull you in with the opening of their latest track ‘Avril’; it would be easy to assume the song was just another ode to dreamy 80s electro. However, soft synths and even softer harmonies, provided by singer Alma Jodorowsky, lend themselves to a melancholic yearning one might expect to be found in a movie montage. The spoken word middle-eight and outro has a New York disco vibe with the synths taking control, blipping electronics and sinister repetition swirling you around until it stops. While consistency isn’t really on the cards when it comes to their other material (‘Games’ is a more guitar laced affair), ‘Avril’ is a good indication of what Burning Peacocks are capable of. More of this please.
Charlotte OC – ‘If My House Was Burning’
If Charlotte OC’s Colour My Heart EP was sonic starting point, ‘If My House Was Burning’ is an actualization of her musical competence. The song, despite being repetitive, builds in scale throughout, until it comes to a crashing finish. Clearly, Charlotte OC has found some more confidence in her vocals, as she delivers a powerful performance. Yes, at times, it would be nice to hear some shades in her voice, but with a song so thunderous it’s surprising that there’s no space. Like an unrelenting storm, ‘If My House Was Burning’ is equal parts terrifying and awe-inspiring.
Iggy Azalea – ‘Trouble’ Feat. Jennifer Hudson
Ok, let’s be honest here, ‘Trouble’ is completely ridiculous in everyway, and sort of cements Iggy’s position as the female Pitbull (just without the odd allure that ‘Mr Worldwide’ possess). Also, Jennifer ‘J-Hud’ Hudson delivers one of the most comically ‘sassy’ choruses since Destiny’s Child’s ‘Girl’. However, ‘Trouble’ has a certain je ne sais quoi about it that makes it instantly enjoyable. It’s hard to tell whether we’re laughing with Iggy or at her, but we’re laughing all the same.
Ariana Grande – ‘One Last Time’
We hope that ‘One Last Time’ is the last single to be taken from Ariana Grande’s slightly lackluster second album My Everything, mainly because it’s a stonking melancholic banger that would be perfect to close the campaign. Galloping drums add to what would have been a generic EDM track, with the song’s music box backing matching Ariana’s sugary sweet vocals (and terrible annunciation). The recently released music video is also a-lol-a-minute, as we follow Ariana Cloverfield-style through the apocalypse. We’re particularly partial to the bit where Ariana basically gets hit by a comet but is fine and just gets up again and starts walking to the roof so she can kiss her boyfriend. But silly video aside, ‘One Last Time’ is a stand up pop song that deserves its time to shine.
Rhodes – ‘Turning Back Around’
It seems that wistfulness is all the rage in 2015, and Rhode’s latest track is no exception. The first song to be taken from his debut album, ‘Turning Back Around’ is full of movement and momentum, with the percussion driving the song forward like a speeding train. There’s also a deep-set melancholia to the song, with Rhodes singing “now I’m hiding from everyone that I know, can’t tell ‘em what I know” with such vigorous longing that you feel the sadness in his voice. We’re just waiting to hear this on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy.
Ty Dolla $ign – ‘Drop That Kitty’ feat. Charli XCX & Tinashe
With ‘Drop That Kitty’, Ty Dolla $ign does his best Will.i.am impression; from the production and vocoders, to the ridiculously trite lyrics and pop guest spots the song is almost an homage to 2014’s ‘Feelin’ Myself’. But don’t dismiss ‘Drop That Kitty’ as there are some massive pop hooks here. Charli brings her brattiest shout singing for the song’s main hook, while Tinashe delivers icy cold vocals that will chill that drink enough for you to get poppin’. So let’s drop that kitty down low, y’all!
Wonderful Humans – ‘Just What I Needed’
With a chorus that sounds like it was lifted straight out of an Aqua song, Wonderful Humans’ ‘Just What I Needed’ is a lovely synth driven splatter of sonic joy. With its themes of uncertainty of 21st century love, the New York duo weaves through life’s complexities with astute accuracy, finding a voice for so many lost souls. But really, it’s all about that chorus. What a chorus. What a song.
Eves The Behavior – ‘TV’
Eves The Behavior might have a silly name, but ‘TV’ is anything but ridiculous. In fact it’s accomplished, self-assured and packed full of emotion. There’s a darkness the envelopes the song, the low hung production eerily building with strange effects rattling in the background. The lyric “I saw my feelings on TV last night, I was staring like I’m staring myself in the eye” hangs in your mind with profundity beyond Eves’ 20 years. It may sound like a lot of gloom pop, but the song’s ominous quality is almost enchanting, pulling you into the unknown and allowing yourself to explore life’s twistedness.
Pr0files – ‘Get It Up’
We here at Wonderland love when a song is almost dripping in thirst. While not explicitly sexual, ‘Get It Up’ is a song so lustful that it transports you to a dark dance floor with somebody grinding up on. With its nods to the Bee Gees, the song is humorous in its mission statement, but that doesn’t stop you from wanting reach out and touch the fire burning within it’s licentious loins. Wicked disco beats and pulsing synths pump along, stoking the heat found at the centre of the track. It’s enough to make you let loose and seek out what it is you really want.
Josef Salvat – Hustler
Josef Salvat’s ‘Hustler’ was originally released last year, but the song has been given a small facelift and striking new visuals. The confessional nature of the song almost stings with its honesty, the conflicting themes of sexuality, desire and morality actualized in the video with so much anguished melancholia. Musically, there’s starkness to Salvat’s vocals, paired with a hanging piano before smashes of percussion wallop you into the chorus. Both song and video are stunning, disturbing and powerfully moving. This is shiver inducing stuff.