Doja Cat – ‘Attention’
The queen of trolling has finally returned with new music after months of teasing her fans. ‘Attention’ is her first official solo release since the 2021 album ‘Planet Her’, taken from her upcoming album ‘Scarlet’. Imbued with an air of noughties R&B akin to Aaliyah and Ashanti, Doja Cat’s silky vocals entrance you as they dance around harps and Spanish guitar sounds before her signature rap style breaks you out of the trance. “Look at me, look at me / You looking?” she begins, and from that point on, she truly does have our full attention.
Peggy Gou – ‘(It Goes Like) Nanana’
Perfectly timed with the official start of summer where festival season is in full swing, and there are too many rooftop parties to keep up with, producer and DJ Peggy Gou has released a club banger that just makes you want to move. In the chorus, it feels as though she’s sampled ATB’s 1999 hit ‘9pm (Till I Come)’ with the pitch-bending synth line running through the track. Quite aptly, she debuted the track during her headline set at the closing of London’s favourite rave spot, Printworks.
Grove – ‘STINKIN RICH FAMILIES (feat. Bob Vylan)’
Two punk anarchists collide on this anti-establishment anthem. “Keeping us stuck to our devices / So the information overload leads to compliance / But the human spirit holds surprises / Cause each and every one of us is rooted in defiance,” Grove says as they attack the propaganda that they believe we’re being given during the cost of living crisis. The instrumental builds from industrial electronic soundscapes, into bashment rhythms which eventually erupt into a speedcore whirlwind before fizzling out into a repeated soundbite: “I’m a free man / Power to the people”.
CHAI – ‘PARA PARA’
Memorialising a popular two-step dance trend that took over Japan in the ‘90s, CHAI’s latest release oozes sentimentalism. Drawing inspiration from their heritage and the music that raised them, ‘PARA PARA’ feels like the lovechild of Janet Jackson’s ‘Together Again’, and A-Ha’s ‘Take On Me’, with a sprinkling of The Whispers’ ‘And the Beat Goes On’, for good measure. The single is the first taste of music from their forthcoming self-titled album, ‘CHAI’.
Leigh-Anne – ‘Don’t Say Love’
Making her debut as a solo artist, following Little Mix’s hiatus in 2022, Leigh-Anne is following in the steps of her contemporaries such as Anne Marie and Kamille, by breaking out as a pop star in her own right. Combining her smooth vocals with a high-energy, garage-infused beat, she’s regaining her confidence and finding her voice, in an empowering and infectious way. Whilst, at times, you find yourself waiting to hear Jade or Perrie’s voice appear, it’s a solid track which sees Leigh-Anne stepping into her own spotlight.
There are lots more where these top bops came from! Check out even more brilliant new releases on our BRAND NEW playlist. Give it a follow, it’s updated every week.
