LIANA FLORES – ‘I WISH FOR FOR THE RAIN’
Do you ever feel like you just need a big old cry in the rain? British-Brazilian newcomer Liana Flores follows the runaway success of the dreamy ‘rises the moon’ with an enchanting rumination that’s perfect for a romanticised walk on a drizzly afternoon. “Walk in the rain/With nobody there / But a simple refrain,” she sings on the gentle jazz track, her voice lilting effortlessly in step with her intimate prose.
CAT BURNS – ‘END GAME’
Cat Burns is at a crossroads. The sensitive, scintillating ‘end game’ from forthcoming debut album ‘early twenties’ finds the artist caught between the present and future as she reckons with a relationship that’s run its course but “could’ve been endgame”. Glimmering guitar chords, ever-so-subtle strings and a sobering drum beat convey her internal turmoil as she cautiously wonders if there’s hope for a fresh start and new beginning together.
NILÜFER YANYA – ‘LIKE I SAY (I RUNAWAY)’
The rupturing wall of instrumentals in Nilüfer Yanya’s songs are always a direct extension of her own feelings. Shoegazey guitars, snapping beats and grungy production are a staple of the London artist’s rousing tracks, but her new song charges with a more propulsive energy. “The minute I’m not in control / I’m tearing up inside,” she confesses with a palpable restlessness.
LAMBRINI GIRLS – ‘GOD’S COUNTRY’
No one does big angry feelings quite like Lambrini Girls. The riotous punk rockers have spoken out on lad culture, trans rights and the whole damn country. But their new track finds the Brighton duo turning inwards for a more personal reflection about gender identity and “feeling like you’re not fully yourself, and struggling to figure out how to truly become it”. “If my gender is so radical / I’d rather be invisible / If I can never fit the mould / Call me the punchline,” sings Phoebe Lunny over a thrashing guitar and rollicking drum beats.
ST. VINCENT – ‘BIG TIMES NOTHING’
The third single from Annie Clark’s new album ‘All Born Screaming’ (out today) is right at home with the rowdy energy of “urgent and lived experience” of the record, as she told The Forty-Five. A zigzagging beat winds and and writhes alongside her commanding voice, as she deadpans: “Don’t show/Don’t flake/Go hard, debase/Don’t make a dishonest mistake/Don’t be so sure I need a cure.”
