Best New Tracks Of The Week: August 6th, 2023
This was a strange week of subverted expectations and curious returns, none of it really assembled into anything rational. Let's break it down.
5. Evicted - Wilco
This sure is a Wilco song. While it doesn't necessarily have any of the compositional or instrumental adventuring that has kept the band fresh at points deep into their career, they still do what they do. This gentle bouncy indie-folk tale of love lost is simple but memorable.
4. Angel In The Marble - Stormzy
After loving Stormzy's new album last year I haven't been as crazy about some of his new singles. This one is definitely my favorite so far and I think it sees Stormzy returning to a style that worked for him earlier in his career. He delivers a series of bars that bounce between ridiculous opulence and occasional flashes of honesty that add up to something really compelling. Paired with the thumping beat and wild vocal samples this is kind of a banger.
3. Munekita - Kali Uchis (feat. JT & El Alfa)
I was definitely suspicious of Kali delivering two albums in two different languages this year but she seems to be angling herself to pull it off. Much like the lead single to her last album this song isn't necessarily blowing me away but it has the fundamental charm you'd expect. Spinning this into a thumping summery Latin trap banger is a refreshing way to introduce a new era and I think these three voices fit together surprisingly well.
2. Paint The Town Red - Doja Cat
I'll be the first one to admit, or maybe confess is a better word, that I enjoyed the last Doja song Attention. That track didn't receive much in the way of overwhelming success or critical praise and I'm not sure I'm as crazy about it now. Allow me to make the same mistake all over again. Paint The Town Red is a banger with a VERY catchy hook and a simple horn-driven instrumental that feels like Doja's take on Kendrick's Hol' Up. I definitely like this track more than Attention and even if doubling down isn't smart, I'm betting on it.
1. Double Trio - By Storm
There's a lot going on here. Double Trio is the fittingly named follow-up to Injury Reserve who released their final album back in 2021. The new rendition of the project will carry on as a duo following the tragic passing of Stepa J. Groggs. The name of the new duo expands on Bye Storm the name of the last song on Injury Reserve's last album. As you'd expect as a duo Parker and Ritchie are expanding their experimental sonic ambitions even further. The result is a multi-phased instrumentally dense song that pushes their compositional approach to the same level of surreal insanity that the sonic textures of their last album did. It's a great start to a new project and a fascinating continuation of their journey as Injury Reserve.
