From Bat for Lashes to Mahalia and Burna Boy: here’s all the tracks we’ve had on repeat this week.
Bat For Lashes – “Kids in the Dark”
Natasha Khan, better known as Bat for Lashes, has officially arrived back in our lives just in time to soundtrack a dreamy, nostalgia-tinged summer.
Spanning ten tracks, Khan’s forthcoming album Lost Girls pays homage to cult vampire horror-comedy The Lost Boys (1987), but with a cast of wild child teens and gangs of female bikers. Forming her own off-kilter universe, she explores romance, memories of a childhood spent in the ’80s and both the sunny and dark sides of LA.
To introduce the project – due on 6 September – Khan just dropped its first single “Kids in the Dark” to set the scene with disco beats, ’80s synths and a mesmerising video to match.
JGrrey – “Better Off”
Straight off the back of her acclaimed debut EP, March’s “Grreydaze”, south London, Billie Eilish-approved singer JGrrey is back this week “Better Off“, having premiered the song live on the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury.
Pure sunny soul, the infectious, Jarreau Vandal and Ed Thomas-produced track arrives as a triumphant ode to self-respect and independence. “”Better Off” is about realising you don’t actually need the person you’ve been investing all your energy into” JGrrey explains: “It’s that sudden “I’m so much better than this” epiphany you have after wasting your time on someone. It’s a song about keeping it pushing.” We stan!
Mahalia ft. Burna Boy – “Simmer”
If you’re yet to hear Mahalia’s new track “Simmer”, get to know – it’s about to soundtrack every party of the summer.
Serving shimmery feel-good vibes, “Simmer” sees the 21-year-old partner with Afro-fusion legend Burna Boy, featuring portions of Jeffrey Harding’s “Playground Riddim”, which was later sampled in Beanie Man’s iconic 1997 hit, “Who Am I (Sim Simma)”.
Look out for more drops from the Leicester-born singer in the run up to her highly anticipated album Love & Compromise, due 6 September, and grab tickets for her upcoming world tour here.
Happa – “Only Light”
Samir Alikhanizadeh, aka electronic auteur Happa, returns with ‘Only Light’, the first track from a triptych of releases comprising six tracks which redefine the boundaries of the producer’s sound.
The song embodies the euphoria of a club, a window into the blissful mayhem of a dark, sweaty dancefloot, cleverly blending elements of jungle’s Amen breaks, abrasive EDM stabs, and a raw acid house feeling into something new, vital and fresh.
Talulah Ruby – “I Don’t Feel Like Me”
22-year-old, East London-based soul singer Talulah Ruby makes music for lazy summer afternoons of self-reflection and self-care. Her latest track, “I Don’t Feel Like Me”, documents a time of doubt and confusion – with poignant vocals accentuated with reverberating synths and her powerful vocals. Underpinned by stripped-back, organic production, the track reflects the mood of her lyrics, drawing on live instrumentation and an Indonesian tongue drum for a completely refreshing and unique listening experience.
“The organic sound bed gave me confidence to be more raw, real and frank with my lyrics,” Ruby explains: “The simplicity of the sounds together allowed me to be minimal, but at the same time find the melodic phrase within my vocals.” Catch her perform the track at her next headline show on 1 August at The Waiting Room.