Hudson Mohawke, Chimes
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Hudson Mohawke returns with new EP Chimes on September 30, and last week released the lead single of the same name on iTunes. The track itself has actually been played quite regularly by the producer and DJ over the last year, so it certainly isn’t new. It lacks somewhat for invention, particularly when one compares it to his work on Kanye West’s 2013 album, Yeezus, but Hudson Mohawke remains one of the more interesting producers in electronic music and he shows that he can churn out a trap banger when he feels like it. — FT
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Azealia Banks, Heavy Metal And Reflective
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You would be forgiven for feeling surprised at a new song from Azealia Banks, given that the years since her 2011 breakthrough 212 have been filled with little in the way of releases, yet much in the way of starting dubious, petulant Twitter beefs with a striking number of artists. Banks’ brash personality aside, though, there is no denying that this track is promising, and it marks what is seemingly a new era now that the artist has broken free of her record deal at Interscope. There is something excitingly feral about Heavy Metal And Reflective, with Banks’ characteristic fast-paced, nonchalant flow over snarling, thumping urban beats which owe a lot to trap. It is not by any means a masterpiece — a comeback hype track, but arguably not a song with real longevity — but it is a pleasant enough reminder as to why we were all so excited about the controversial Harlem girl in the first place. — TJ
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SBTRKT, New Dorp, New York (feat. Ezra Koenig)
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Having just been added to the lineup for this year’s Electric Picnic, the typically masked SBTRKT announced new album, Wonder Where We Land. Details surrounding release dates are still lacking, but the album is to be preceded by new single New York, New Dorp. The track features the vocal talents of Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, and is a big departure from the sounds heard on his self-titled 2011 debut album. New Dorp, New York finds SBTRKT sounding self-assured and markedly more upbeat than usual. — FT
Karen O, Rapt
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A short, wonderfully sweet insight into Karen O’s forthcoming solo album Crush Songs, Rapt showcases the intimate, raw side of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ singer. Written back in 2006 in the midst of an all-consuming heartbreak which left the singer feeling as though she would never fall in love again, the track is stunningly tender and brilliantly caustic all at once. Gentle laments like the refrain of “Love is soft / love’s a fucking bitch” hint perfectly at that absorbing inner-turmoil of falling out of love, along with moments of wryly observed questioning and self-delusion: “Do I really need another habit like you? / …do you need me too?”. A lo-fi number with a dreamy, bedroom fuzziness, Rapt gets the perfect balance of sad and beautiful. — TJ
Girl Band, De Bom Bom
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Some of you may have caught Girl Band’s blisteringly good set at this year’s Trinity Ball. If so, you can be assured that new song De Bom Bom is just as good as everything they’ve released so far — though, if you are unfamiliar with them, then this is as good a place as any to start. Quite aptly, the abrasive single was debuted on Noisey, and is currently available for pre-order on the band’s bandcamp page (http://girlbanddublin.bandcamp.com/). Girl Band are cacophonic, frenetic, and utterly fantastic. — FT
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Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj, Bang Bang
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A song featuring three of pop’s biggest current names, produced by the same team as Ariana Grande’s summer smash Problem, and which samples Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go was always going to have a lot of pulling power. And indeed, there’s a brazen euphoria to the song, with a sugary, upbeat anthem of a chorus — though at times it feels like there is a little too much going on, and the whole thing is perhaps a bit overproduced and abrasive. The lyrics are bold and flirtatious (if somewhat questionable), with moments like, “She got a booty like a Cadillac / But I can send you into overdrive”. With that said, lyrical analysis and debate are perhaps unnecessary — pop is by nature frivolous and fun, and this is certainly that. — TJ
