Best New Tracks OF The Week: 5/26/24
I'm actually early this week to make up for the past two, enjoy <3.
5. Ark - KMRU & Kevin Richard Martin
With two singles under their belt, I'm becoming incredibly excited for prolific ambient producer KMRU's upcoming collaborative record with The Bug's Kevin Richard Martin. This second single deals in spoken word samples and thick walls of gritty haze that give the track a distinctive texture. It's the louder of the two singles so far and yet in some of the methodical repetition and pure haze of it all I find the song more soothing than its predecessor.
4. Sexy To Someone - Clairo
Clairo fans will be the first to tell you I haven't been nearly as crazy about her music thus far as many other critics but I've seen glimpses. That's why I'm surprised by how much I like this song. It's crafted in the image of some of my favorite up-beat tracks of hers to date with a vibrant instrumental now free of Jack Antonoff's touch. What results is a lead single that surprised me both in the confidence of its demeanor but also its ability to get me excited for what's next.
3. Snakes - Idaho
Slowcore veterans Idaho seem to get better and better with each new single they released. On the last one I pointed out what I thought might be coincidental Lou Reed inspiration but it no longer seems to be coincidental at all. Yet another track where the straightforward wearied vocals take point delivering surprisingly catchy refrains over the dreamy and endlessly patient backing instrumental. The band is quickly making their comeback album one of the slowcore events of the year.
2. Caught Up - FLO
At some point, FLO's 2000's R&B revivalism may become played out but if they keep writing songs this good it'll be a LONG time before we get there. This is an impressively multi-faceted cut with the bells and whistles of the era their tributing intact though its soaked through the overwhelming swagger of FLO's roster. As the girls seemingly try to out-do each other vocally the biggest treat is getting to listen to it all unfold, and god help any of the men who inspired the song.
1. Pink Skies - Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan is a self-confessed machine for writing and recording music and his consistency is starting to become extremely impressive. After dropping a breakthrough self-titled record last year followed by an EP he's already back again with a new single and teasing an entire new album to drop soon. His continued fusion of the sounds of vintage folk and country are irresistible as his unmistakably earnest voice continues to soundtrack vulnerable storytelling molded into irresistible craft. This is a great god damn song.
