A mixed bag of monolithic alt-rock, suave R’n’B and brutal punk just to name a few tastes of What’s Good This Week.
Alara – All You Care To See
First up this week, New Jersey artist Alara, who shares her climate changed inspired track ‘All You Care To See’. Speaking about the track Alara shared that “‘All You Care to See’ highlights the selfishness, greed, and cowardice of our governments and figures in authority (in regards to climate change)”. Building from a cryptic Radiohead styled opening into a monolithic display of alt-rock at its best, Alara puts on a truly astonishing display with ‘All You Care To See’, easily rivalling the likes of alt-rocks biggest names.
emawk – HIGHROAD
Next up is Boston-born, Kenyan raised, New York-based Kwame Nkrumah, aka emawk, and his latest release ‘HIGHROAD’. Released with joint single ‘Beads’, ‘HIGHROAD’ is a suave piece of R’n’B that sounds untouchable, with the line “shout to anyone who ever caught me on a bad day, and decided that that’s all I ever could be” the perfect backhanded get you some. Not allowing the naysayers to bring him down, emawk combines his charm and talent together for a perfect slice of a chilled Saturday afternoon, open to the possibilities of wherever life may take you.
CLAMM – Keystone Pols
A change in pace now as Melbourne punk trio CLAMM share ‘Keystone Pols’ and news of their upcoming LP “Beseech Me” (arriving April 9th on Meat Machine). ‘”It is written from the perspective of some sort of authoritarian figure. It highlights the relentless power and oppression that governmental bodies seem to have over society”. A proper slice of gutted punk rock, similar to Pissed Jeans or METZ, ‘Keystone Pols’ is a sneering, malevolent hit of noisy guitars and mind-melting bass. Coming in at under three minutes, CLAMM is relentless and utilises every moment to deliver brutal and unforgiving punk.
The Weather Station – Parking Lot
Taken from her new LP “Ignorance” which is out today (Feb 5th), Toronto artist Tamara Linderman, aka The Weather Station (TWS), shares a delightful ‘mess’ of a single with ‘Parking Lot’. Describing the track as “My strange gentle disco”, ‘TWS’ is a driving piece of folk-pop that falls in between mediums constantly and with stunning success. “I don’t fully know how everything connects in this song other than it obviously does. I wanted to make the recording very passionate and beautiful while also being very muscular while also being very gentle, and so I did.” ‘TWS’ gets it just right on every level, leaving you excited, yet sad intrigued and equally confused all at once.
Jason Patel – In My Heart
Now lastly this week, is an old school mate of mine, Jason Patel, sharing his brand new track ‘In My Heart’. Explaining that the track is about “loving yourself, and that gut feeling you have when you meet someone and how they make you feel so cosy like a cup of hot cocoa”; Patel glides delicately across a backdrop of smooth synths and acoustic guitars, sharing a beautifully vulnerable moment which we’ll all have experienced at some point in our lives. Rolling in at just under three minutes, ‘In My Heart’ feels as though Patel has only just begun and demands repeat listens so you can truly sink in deep to this delightful pop ballad.
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