And just like that, she’s back. Earlier this month, Nicki the Boss unveiled her fourth studio album, aptly named Queen. And her latest release, “Ganja Burn”, along with its arresting, desert-writhing visuals, just about sums up the fire we’re dealing with here. Her biting spit across an upbeat tempo regales us of the ferocity of which she slaughters her enemies (yikes). And Minaj puts in work, rising from the sand like some sort of transcendent gold-plated deity.
Maggie Rogers – “Give A Little”
Maggie Rogers has a knack for putting out tracks that either make us want to weep in despair or dance uncontrollably, right then and there. Her latest offering is definitely the latter, with sun-drenched guitar riffs, lifting handclaps and Maggie’s sweet, sweet pop vocals. Oh, and the vid is x100 for girl power, with a gang of unbearably cool skaters carving up a disused swimming pool. Spot Riverdale’s Camilla Mendes grooving away.
Ariana Grande – “breathin”
In case you’ve managed to ignore the deafening Internet screams of her fans, Ariana’s fourth studio album, Sweetener, is out today. Filled to the brim with immaculate pop tracks including “God is a woman” and “no tears left to cry”, the album gets turbo status with the jangly euphoric dance track “breathin”. Bonus points to the actually deep af lyrics: “Some days, things just take way too much of my energy/I look up and the whole room’s spinning/You take my cares away/I can so overcomplicate, people tell me to medicate.” Sugar-rush good.
slowthai – “Drug Dealer”
In his latest raw, raging track, Northampton’s finest explores what life would have been like had he taken a different path. Frantic string sections and horror film-esque piano keys are revved high against the rapper’s persistent grime flow, with pauses and switches in the tempo upping the ante. Listen for pure pulse-quickening action.
Sam Fender – “Dead Boys”
It’s no easy feat to snag a place the BBC Sound of 2018 line-up, but 22-year-old Newcastle singer-songwriter Sam Fender is making waves with his indie musings. Musings about what? Oh, government surveillance, small-town blues, our human propensity for violence. You know, the usual stuff. All simmering, raw vocals and crescendo-building urgency, his latest haunting offering, “Dead Boys”, tackles male suicide.