Best New Tracks Of The Week: February 26th, 2023
5. Over - Chvrches
I've declared Chvrches back in the past just for them to turn around and drop another incredibly forgettable album so I'm certainly not gearing up to make that mistake again. What I will say for this song is that it has the infectious energy and hard-hitting synthetic beats of the band's best work. But the youthful energy is traded out for this more somber emotional response met with a more measured performance.
4. Done (Let's Get It) - Yaeji
This is probably the one song this week that I wanted to like a lot more than I do. I like the sound of the song quite a bit and Yaeji as usual does quite a good job at making it functionally dancy while also finding a way to infuse her personality and a consistent message throughout. My main problem with the song is just the hook, which doesn't feel nearly as sticky as I was hoping for as a genuine climax to the song.
3. Nadja - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Compared to the last UMO single I'm much more impressed with the style of this song. The desert riffs and minimal vocal performance combined with the lo-fi production that has dominated the band's sound recently does make for a much more sensible combination. Whether or not I'm crazy about the actual way the song unfolds is a bit more of a question, especially with what feels like a kind of weak and sour guitar solo serving as the bridge.
2. Moonlight - Kali Uchis
In contrast to some other songs I liked this week that took a bit longer to warm up on me, I loved Moonlight immediately. It has a moody, nocturnal sound with splashes of watery synths that instantly reminded me of so many of my other favorite Kali tracks. On top of that it has a slick, confident hook that's been stuck in my head since I first heard it. Excellent song.
Susanne Sundfor has been gone for quite a while, at least measuring the time since her last studio album. While her return is something I was highly anticipating, I was also aware that it was likely to come in a very patient fashion. That turned out to be true with this gentle building ballad that runs over 5 minutes. Thankfully it is packed absolutely full of rich instrumentation and gentle vocal flourishes that I find extremely compelling. It didn't take long for this song to win me over.
