Best New Tracks Of The Week: July 30th, 2023
5. Soul Capturer - Animal Collective
The "single version" attached to this song feels particularly funny after the band took a big swing on a 21-minute lead single. This isn't one of those Animal Collective songs that blows me away immediately with some kind of catchy refrains or wild instrumentation. But the longer the track goes on the more its hypnotic loops go to work on me. The watery sounds of Avey Tare's solo music leak into these tracks in a way that wasn't explicitly present on their last project but they manage to make solid use of it.
4. HEALMODE - Jeff Rosenstock
This is a song I've gone back and forth on a LOT. There are elements of its amateurish nature with the imperfect vocals and simple instrumentation that were grating right out of the gate. But the more I sat with the song and dug into its vivid lyrical details I started to develop a connection with it. Ultimately I've started to like the song quite a bit and Jeff Rosenstock is sounding more interesting without his energy here than at times he's gone down this road in the past.
3. Big Trouble - Be Your Own Pet
On their last single Be Your Own Pet impressed me with their most personality-filled track since reforming. Now I'm impressed all over again with this, their most politically righteous outing. They aren't rewriting the book with any of their commentary but its delivered with the appropriate intensity and spun into an extremely catchy series of refrains.
2. New York - The Kills
After far too long an absence The Kills are back with two new songs, the better of which is the absolutely drama-soaked New York. The expansive mix of the song is a major highlight allowing the drums to rumble off into the distance. But the real highlight are the wiry electric guitar wanderings which perfectly back a climactic hook. Welcome back.
Even though I enjoyed the lead single to James Blake's new album it did surprise and divide fans. But on Loading he presents the same combination of somber sentimentalities and lively curious electronics that he mastered throughout the 2010s. From vocal layering that reminds me of one of my favorite James Blake songs every, the criminally underrated If The Car Beside You Moves Ahead, to pitched-up vocals that throw it all the way back to his debut, this song is destined to be a fan favorite.
