Best New Tracks Of The Week: March 20th, 2022
What an interesting week. We had some exciting comebacks, big announcements, lead singles. A pretty great mix of stuff kind of coming out of nowhere but the weekend was all the better for it, enjoy <3
5. Honeybrains - Royal Blood
If you have a soft spot for really back to basics rock with heavy distortion, formulaic progressions and simplistic instrumentation then this will be the track for you this week. Even acknowledging how much the band borrows I can't help but admit that they manage to do some good stuff with these stop and start riffs and a handful of catchy refrains.
4. Gibson Girl - Ethel Cain
While Ethel's music continues to be difficult to define with genre labels it still has an aesthetic vision that is irresistible. The dark and spacious instrumentation and sexually charged instrumentation paints this expressive portrait of her sexuality that is utterly intoxicating. While the song deploys a number of instrumental additions throughout its 5 minute runtime it is at its best and most compelling when Ethel is delivering her intimate poetics in a quiet and expansive space.
3. Outside Air - Young Prisms
Sometimes formulas exist for a reason and the battle tested shoegaze that Young Prisms dish out on this track is a familiar yet satisfying one. The dreamy haze of guitars, beautiful distant vocals and thick haze stretched over absolutely everything are a winning formula and once it all coalescences into a crescendo it gets even better.
2. The Lightning I, II - Arcade Fire
Multi-part compositions, soaring string arrangements, Win Butler's cries of the sky opening up. If Arcade Fire's fans wishes could be condensed into just a few things this song would fulfill all of them. The band was always going to fac big expectations when they returned but by really getting back to basics it seems like they've hit on the exact brand of high flying indie bliss that made them such an iconic act in the first place.
1. Skirting On The Surface - The Smile
The Smile officially go three for three on singles with this In Rainbows sounding cut. With Thom's chilling vocals and the not quite glitchy but not quite natural instrumental ebbs and flows that give the song it's own faux electronic feel the whole thing is mystifying. For a song that is so reserved it deploys quite a bit of instrumentation all of which sounds excellent together building around the bleak atmosphere of the song. Radiohead fans will surely love this one.
