new (and old) music friday #15: the 1975, betty who, little comets

it would appear that i live my life in extremes: weeks without posting and now, behold, my second post of the week. my mood has also improved drastically following a tutorial this week about my final project, and i now feel slightly more at ease about the amount i have to do. it was an excellent week for new music too, and below i present my favourite tracks. 

1. the 1975 

on tuesday, the band announced the release of the new single, a cover of sade's track by your side, with a premiere on radio one that night before they took to the stage at the dome for a 500-capacity gig in support of the charity war child, which sadly i didn't get a ticket for. the song, however, went some way to easing my sorrow. despite being heavy on the auto-tune and reminding me of yeezus-era kanye (by no means a bad thing, as i discussed in this post), i found myself tearing up at the beauty of its production. (george daniels is a genius, and the new track from pale waves deserves an honourable mention here for his - and matty's - excellent work on it.) they also won the brit for best band on wednesday night, with matty giving another excellent speech, though not everyone agrees. i also loved how annoyed it made all the pretentious Music Snobs, i.e. radiohead fans, with the band losing the award for the eighteenth year in a row, as pitchfork pointed out. though i was disappointed they didn't win best album too, i'm glad it went to david bowie for his last album blackstar (that, shamefully, i haven't yet listened to), and i was also delighted that one direction were awarded best video for history. 

2. lana del rey

the queen of melancholy made her return to music with the release of love, with all the cinematic brilliance of born to die, though its lyrics were an ode to The Youth of Today, inspiring us to keep pursuing our dreams despite the world currently falling apart under the presidency of donald trump. thanks lana! 

3. betty who

i adored the australian star's debut album, take me when you go, as i mentioned here, and betty who's new single, some kinda wonderful was another excellent discovery this week. though i wasn't sold on the verses, the chorus is bubblegum pop at its best, and i've had it on repeat since, as well as its excellent video. (i only wish my trips to the launderette in my first year of uni had been as exciting.)

4. little comets

while aimlessly browsing facebook/procrastinating (basically the same thing) i saw the newcastle indie quartet had posted a link to a track from their new album, common things, which i fell in love with instantly. though i've not listened to their last full-length release, 2015's hope is just a state of mind - next on my to-do list - i adore their first two albums, and life is elsewhere is one of those rarities that can be listened to all the way through without skipping a single track, and unlike most music i was listening to in 2012, it hasn't aged a day. 

5. the chainsmokers 

when i saw their new collaboration with coldplay was being released this week, i was, unlike everyone else in the world, thrilled. after professing my love for their single paris just a few weeks ago, this track - which they performed at the brits, where chris martin also gave a somewhat controversial tribute to the late george michael - is a slice of feel-good pop excellence, whatever the critics may say. 

this week's playlist can be found here.