Alex Lahey – ‘Good Time’
“I just want a good time/don’t care how/but I know everybody needs it.’’ So sings Alex Lahey, summing up the transition from January blues into the promise of forthcoming spring. Gearing up for the release of her third album ‘The Answer Is Always Yes’, the ramshackle, scuzzy melody of ‘Good Time’ borrows a little from fellow Antipodean artist Courtney Barnett in the verses, before bursting in a classic Lahey singalong chorus. The stand-up comedy she performs in the video might (quite-literally) divide the crowd, but the formula of her songwriting is still a winning one.
Someone – ‘I Guess I’m Changing‘
If you’ve found yourself swept up in recent Tumblr-era nostalgia, the latest single by Someone (aka producer-composer-visual-artist Tessa Rose Jackson) is likely to tickle your brain in all the right places. Filling a dreamy distance between Taylor Swift, Sharon Van Etten and ‘Robbers’ era-1975, there is something in Someone’s flourishes of gentle psych-pop that feels familiar and new all at the same time; exactly the kind of artist to root for.
Girl Ray – ‘Everyone’s Saying That’
Remember during lockdown when everyone was going mad for Studio 54 sounds? Poppy Hankin of Girl Ray does. Citing pandemic-era releases by Kylie Minogue, Jessie Ware, Dua Lipa and Róisín Murphy as key inspirations, the three-piece indie trio strap on their skates and embrace the call of the disco ball, encouraging us to ‘listen to your heart’ when navigating new romance. With a deliciously funky guitar line, it’s a welcome return for the group, reminding us all of the cathartic power of a good boogie.
Petite Noir & Sampa the Great – ‘Blurry’
Somewhat fittingly for its song title, ‘Blurry’ begins in low focus, a subtle twang of 90s guitar that snakes around Noir’s delicate-yet-direct vocal: “can i just say that you’re always on my mind?” As things unfold however, we’re greeted by a guest verse from Sampa The Great, – surely one of the underrated rappers in the game – who ties things together with an effortless cool. The results are subtle, but when it truly clicks after a few listens, this lo-fi payoff is sweet.
daine – ‘Portal‘
Looking for something a bit more raucous? Mashing up pop-punk with electronic and garage, the latest effort from daine is an instant smasher, ready to windmill its way across the sticky floor of your local alternative club night. As the first cut from forthcoming project ‘Shapeless’, it seems to suggest that limitlessness is still very much the aim of daine’s game, leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of a post-genre sound.
Listen to these and more of the week’s best releases on our BRAND NEW playlist