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John Preston shares his seven best tracks of the week.
Flume, MAY-A, ‘Say Nothing’
For Flume, ‘Say Nothing’ is a attempt to make something that’s a bit more mainstream compared to his output over the last 5 years or so which even saw collaborations with the dearly missed queen of the avant garde, SOPHIE. No need to panic though, this is bright engaging pop that many could learn from.
Raveena, ‘Kathy Left 4 Kathmandu’
From her beautifully produced sophomore album ‘Asha’s Awakening’, Raveena returns with this scratchy but sumptuous mid-tempo disco inflected wonder. There is no dominant genre and the record skips from RnB, pop and more ambient instrumental tracks but the quality and ingenuity persist throughout.
Caroline Polachek, ‘Billions’
Including but not limited to a string section, a spoken interlude, a sudden and dramatic key change in the second verse and children’s choir. This should be a mess but this is Caroline Polachek who at this stage has far more hits than misses, and this is a gem.
Junglepussy, ‘Critqua’
Pitched lower and even more self assured than before, Junglepussy’s economic new EP is 100% rap and pretty much perfect. There is a simplicity to the music here where beat tracks are intricate but spare and allow Junglepussy the space and foundation to truly, sublimely dominate.
Dubstar, ‘Token’
I could never have imagined that in early 2022 one of my favourite songs of the year would be by Dubstar, a group who last hit big when Britpop was still a thing over a quarter of a century ago. Droll electro pop that befits a wet February afternoon in Manchester, ‘Token’ shines through.
Yeule, ‘Bites On My Neck’
Along with Caroline Polachek, Yeule is the second artist of the week to seek out the production quirks of Danny L Harle, and with equal success. Singaporean London based artist Yeule disorients with a track that starts off in a familiar way but then switches to something altogether darker, it’s a little bit terrifying.
GRETA, ‘Forever We’ll Be Dancing’
German born and based in Denmark, GRETA has built a small cult following that have become intrigued by her so far slim output that has seen her shift from ethereal trance artist to something a lot more sturdier. ‘Forever We’ll Be Dancing’ is a checklist of dance genres from an artist who has done their homework.
