Anne Marie feat Shania Twain – ‘UNHEALTHY’
“My father says I should run away/but he don’t know that I just don’t know how,” Anne Marie sings in the opening moments of the song which talks about a love that everyone says is bad for you, but you can’t help but take their side. Love is the binding force of both country and pop, and after Anne-Marie slid into Shania Twain’s DMs earlier this year, the collaboration between two queens of their respective genres was born.
Lana Del Rey – ‘Say Yes To Heaven’
‘Say Yes To Heaven’ is Lana Del Rey’s first release since her ninth studio album, ‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd‘. Originally written over a decade ago – and left to the wayside until it leaked online, leading it to blow up on TikTok – the release speaks to the do-or-die attitude that comes with falling in love with someone, so helplessly. An intricate guitar line swells, and erupts into a lush ambient number which Del Rey gracefully sings over, pleading for a lover to choose her.
Kesha – ‘Only Love Can Save Us Now’
Swinging between matter-of-fact verses where she’s spitting venom – “I’m getting sued because my mom has been tweeting” and “I would kill for secrets/all of mine been leaking”– through to the anthemic choruses where she’s joined by a choir – “oh lord, save me, please God, I need your love now” – ‘Only Love Can Save Us Now’ truly shows the dichotomy of the artist going through a state of reckoning, and reclaiming the parts of herself which were lost through her long-running legal battle against producer Dr. Luke.
The Japanese House – ‘Sunshine Baby’
Highlighting the transience of relationships, and focusing on the sunshine moments, Amber Bain, aka The Japanese House, creates a sense of nostalgia between the atmospheric world of synths and wistful lyricism: “I miss my dog/and I miss falling in love/I miss the feeling that you get when someone fits just like a glove”. Featuring vocals from The 1975’s Matty Healy towards the end of the song, ‘Sunshine Baby’ evolves from solo musing into actualising the opening lines: “I wanna be a part of it/I wanna sing along”.
Molly Payton – ‘Bandits’
Molly Payton enlists the help of her old high school friend Oscar Lang – who produced her first EP, ‘Porcupine’ – on her first release of the year. The Bonnie and Clyde-style love song is an ode to her boyfriend who moved from Australia to London with her, after only knowing each other for six months. The pair seamlessly blend their vocals over shimmering indie rock in the way that only old friends can do – where communication comes without needing to think about it.
Listen to these tracks and more on our BRAND NEW playlist
