new (and old) music friday #26: charli xcx, years & years, loote

given the mostly terrible time i've had since graduating, it's hard to believe it's only been a year since i arrived at london's royal festival hall, put on my cap and gown and shook hands with fashion designer zandra rhodes after collecting my certificate. 

of course nothing is ever as it seems, and in reality the day was a sweaty, stress-inducing blur. travelling to london and back in one day with temperatures reaching the early 30s and nearly having a breakdown in a toilet cubicle at euston station because the dress i bought specially for the event wouldn't zip up is hardly the height of sophistication. my life continued on a downward spiral as i hurtled through a series of retail jobs and hellish internships, but recently things have started to improve. 

as well as having some semblance of a social life thanks to meetup and securing a place on the news associates course in september, i also managed to arrange some work experience at mancunian matters for august, the online magazine set up by tutors from the course. 

though i'm still nowhere near my goal of becoming an Actual Journalist and find myself questioning if i'm doing the right thing, poring over this interview with florence + the machine - in which she questions "did i dream too big?" - and this speech lorde made before performing liability, in which she described feeling like she was "too much" for anyone to love was heartbreaking yet weirdly empowering. to some people i might be too passionate, too driven,  wear too much make up, care too much about what i wear, but already i've found people who will be screaming along with me when my favourite songs get played on a night out, and they remind me that it's okay to be "too much" and i'm not the only one who feels things so deeply. 

i'm getting to the point, i swear.

what i'm trying to say is that for all the people who've told me to just get a "normal job" and made it clear they don't understand my love for fashion and pop music, there are those who understand and who never gave up, and i only hope one day i can be one of them. 

for now though, i've been overwhelmed with the barrage of new music released this week, so i'm going to try and cover as much of it as possible before my brain overheats. 

1. charli xcx

just over a year since i saw her perform at the jazz cafe and held back tears when the opening notes of no angel rang out, charli has finally released a studio version of the track, as well as another "new" track focus. i put "new" in quotation marks because she's been playing both tracks as part of her live shows for the past few months, so it was more of a relief than anything when she finally unveiled the official versions. all i can say is i hope my neighbours like the sound of A.G. cook-produced pop, because that's all they'll be hearing in the days to come. 

2. bebe rexha

it seems like we've waited an age for a full length album from the albanian star, and expectations was finally released last week. overall i wasn't thrilled - aside from previous single i got you, the only other stand outs were two piano-heavy ballads. usually these are the kind of tracks i'd skip in favour of something more upbeat, but her raspy vocals take centre stage on grace - which sees her agonise over how to amicably break up with someone - and pillow, where she pines for an absent lover. though they might not be contenders for song of the summer, i'll be playing them on repeat. 

3. GIRLI

since finding fame on soundcloud in 2015, GIRLI's back catalogue has been mixed, so i was pleased to discover her latest single day month second is an Absolute Bop. the track features much more singing than her previous rap-heavy releases, but her lyrics are sharper than ever as she calls out a cheating ex. 

4. years & years

it's no secret that i've been less than impressed with the trio's latest singles in the lead up to the release of their second album palo santo, but they finally came through with a party-ready banger reminiscent of G-A-Y favourites shine and king; all for you is pretty much the only song i'll be listening to as i get ready to go out tomorrow night. 

5. pale waves

i think i must have written about pretty much every track the manchester four piece have released so far, but noises stands out in a way i can't quite explain. perhaps it's the lyrics which address heather's own insecurities and like lorde, feelings of being Too Much, as she told the BBC "it’s about dealing with how you look, you feel, the pressure of everyone else these days telling you how to look, what to say, don’t make a wrong move." i also can't get enough of the synth-heavy breakdown which reminds me of pegasus bridge, another manchester band who are sadly no longer. following the premiere of the track on beats 1 yesterday, heather also revealed the group's debut album will be out at the beginning of september, which gives me plenty of time to get acquainted and learn the words before i see them for a second time at the ritz on the 28th.

6. betty who

another artist who has featured heavily in my new music posts, the girl really can do no wrong. her latest EP features the starship-esque just thought you should know as well as the uber-catchy taste and low-key break-up anthem ignore me. i also stumbled across her collaboration with nordic dance duo lemaitre; rocket girl will have you up on your feet in seconds.

7. loote 

the best discoveries always happen by accident - as i clicked on the video for my my my! for what must be the tenth time this month, a notification popped up inviting me to try out youtube music, which i presume is their equivalent of spotify. like the streaming giant, it also provides a selection of songs it thinks you might enjoy, and though this slightly terrifies me, i can't deny that they picked out some excellent new tracks i'd never heard before. 

one of these was your side of the bed by electro-pop duo loote. alarmingly catchy, i couldn't get it out of my head and checked spotify to see if they had any other songs. i wasn't disappointed; my searched yielded a whole EP titled single, which was released earlier this month. highlights include wish i never met you and longer than i thought, which features vocals from joe jonas. 

8. aly & aj

i played the former disney stars' comeback EP ten years endlessly last year, so i was delighted to see they had a new single out a few weeks ago. good love is a tad more subdued than their previous offerings, but after a few plays, the 80s synths which have now become their ~signature~ and achingly honest lyrics were impossible to forget. 

9. king princess 

i've fallen hard for the new york native since harry styles led fans to her debut single 1950, and she delivered once again in the form of two new tracks which form part of her make my bed EP. upper west side has a country lilt but still features her trademark autotune and details her feelings for a super rich girl who'll never give her the time of day. however my favourite is holy, which is rich in innuendo and really needs no explanation, so i urge you to just press play. 

10. blair st. clair 

never did i think i'd be the kind of person to eagerly await the release of a new track by a drag queen, but following my recent immersion in all things drag race - as always, this a spoiler free zone - i was ecstatic following my discovery of blair st. clair's new EP, call my life. the super catchy title track dropped the other day, but barricade and irresistible manage to fuse club-ready beats and honest songwriting.

all these songs - and more - can be found here.  

like a shock to the system: billy idol at manchester apollo

it's no secret that i've been disappointed with the current state of pop music recently - though ironically i have a new music friday post in the works for next week - so when it came time for my mother and i to see billy idol at manchester apollo on wednesday, i couldn't have been more excited. like matt healy says in this clash interview, 80s music is the place i "naturally arrive". when modern music isn't cutting it, i put on spotify's all out 80s playlist and yell along to never gonna give you up or take on me and my problems melt away, even if just for those three minutes. 

i'll admit i didn't know a lot of billy idol songs when we booked the tickets, but after attending three gigs in the space of a week this past april, the rest of the year was looking pretty empty concert-wise, and i couldn't pass up the chance to see him sing one of my all time favourite songs, eyes without a face. i needn't have worried about that though, as he put on an incredible show and despite being double my age, the crowd were one of the rowdiest i've ever seen (special shout out to the unbelievably drunk guy next to me who insisted on jumping up and down to every single song and shoving me so hard i'm surprised i don't have bruises littering my upper arms). despite this i did have a pretty good view for most of the show and it has to be said that for someone who is 62 (62!!) years old, he doesn't look - or sound - a day over 30.

unlike some artists, he avoided playing some of his more obscure album tracks and treated fans to his biggest hits, from opener shock to the system to dancing with myself - a nod to his days as front man of punk rock group generation x - and rebel yell. one track that took me by surprise was catch my fall, with its roxy-esque saxophone and synths, and i've had it on repeat ever since. an honourable mention should also be given to his guitarist steve stevens, who stunned the crowd with his spanish inspired solo and rendition of the top gun theme song. 

my personal highlight was of course the melodramatic eyes without a face, and after a dramatic synth-led build up i felt tears prick my eyes as the opening chords rang out. unlike bryan ferry and his acoustic rendition of more than this, he performed the track in its original glory and i belted out every word, though was surprised to see that nobody else around me was doing the same. i also loved blue highway - another track from his breakout album, 1983's (excellent) rebel yell, which propelled him into super stardom when various singles received heavy rotation on MTV throughout the decade - and can't break me down, from 2014's kings and queens of the underground, which i've since started listening to and am suitably impressed.

his biggest hit white wedding closed the show as part of his encore, and this time the crowd were word perfect, and as we left the venue i concluded that it was £50 (!!) well spent.  

new (and old) music friday #25: peace, dua lipa, CHVRCHES, the 1975

after publishing my last post, the unthinkable happened. while ~promoting~ it on twitter i tagged lily allen and by some miracle she retweeted it and added her own words of approval. i'm not very good at expressing gratitude at the best of times, but there aren't enough words to explain what this means to me. too often it feels like i'm writing and posting it out into the void, so having someone with millions of followers read my work is something i'll never be able to comprehend. her tweet garnered a plethora of likes, retweets and several people saying how much they enjoyed reading it, of which i'm eternally grateful. what can i say, i'm a scorpio with leo rising; i thrive on validation. 

since then, paramore's hayley williams posted a deeply personal essay on paper magazine's website, detailing her mental health struggles over the last few years, and in her fader interview ariana grande opened up about the aftermath of the manchester bombing and how it continues to affect her daily life.(her time interview is also worth a read.) the end paragraph hit me particularly hard as i've had a difficult year trying to adjust to being back home since graduating and despite a whole host of losses and rejections both professionally and personally, things are finally looking up. i'd recommend reading the whole thing but here's the quote in case you can't be bothered to scroll all the way down (i feel u):

"towards the end of our time together, she tells me the story of a day that summed up what her life has been like lately. it takes place on a foggy, rainy day — her favourite kind. “i was driving home from work and i just felt an overwhelming peace wash over me,” she remembers. “i just started tearing up — tears of gratitude because of perspective, because of growth, opening up and finding the ground again because of music, friends, and love. i was just overwhelmed by how simple it can be if you let it.”

both peace and CHRVCHES, who i'll talk about in more detail below, have both explored personal and political topics in their latest releases, carrying on the legacy lily left when she began talking candidly about her life back in 2006. hopefully this signals the start of more honest song writing in pop/indie music as it becomes clear that some subjects are too serious to ignore.

1. peace

following their support slot at the courteeners gig back in april, i was singing the band's praises, and i haven't stopped since their third album was released in may. kindness is the new rock and roll is one of those rare albums where every track is excellent, and sees the band take a more self-reflective approach to their songwriting. 

from under liquid glass has a certain fragility and sees frontman harry koisser get candid about his mental health. this continues on magnificent, where he tells listeners crying is allowed and reassures everyone in his life that someday i will be magnificent. as someone with stupidly high expectations for myself, the line i wish i was everything i was cracked up to be hit particularly hard and i often feel like i've let people down, but playing this song on repeat has helped me realise i still have time to achieve all my goals. 

this sense of self belief continues on silverlined with lyrics like i'm the scalpel that will shape my destiny and i'm strong inside, i'm silverlined. bringing a more upbeat sound to the album are crowd favourites power and you don't walk away from love, while choose love and shotgun hallelujah hark back to their early delicious EP. my only complaint is the band didn't add a manchester date to their most recent tour but as soon as they're back in town i'll be dragging my mother along to see them and belt out every word. 

2. CHVRCHES 

i will admit i was rather harsh on CHRVCHES in this post, but to say i was pleasantly surprised with their new album love is dead is a slight understatement. from the moment i pressed play on graffiti, i felt goosebumps creep up my arms and knew they were well and truly back, along with their trademark electropop sound. the production of each track feels bigger and more cinematic than ever, so i needn't have worried about them working with outside influences (pop heavyweight greg kurstin - who also worked with lily allen! - and one direction collaborator steve mac).

nothing makes me more emotional than The Passing Of Time, hence why graffiti hit me right in the gut as singer lauren mayberry reminisces on a past relationship. it made me think about all the people i was close to who have since left my life, so the line when did we move on / i didn't feel it, nobody told me hit particularly hard. the trio also address the state of the world throughout the album, from the overtly religious on deliverance to our collective apathy when it comes to issues that don't affect us personally on graves. you can look away / while they're dancing on our graves / but i will stop at nothing goes its chorus, forcing us back into reality. it's a similar story on album closer wonderland as lauren realises she can't live forever with my head in the clouds. 

my personal favourite is heaven/hell - once again she blurs the line between relationship troubles and our collective consciousness in the chorus: do you ever wonder what we learned? / we can raise our glasses, dancing on the ashes as it burns. it's easier to look away than face our problems - personal or political - head on, but this powerful album brings home the importance of action, bridging the gap between a radio friendly sound and authentic, politically charged lyrics.

3. clean bandit/dua lipa/leland

i've grouped these three artists together as they all fall into a genre once ignored by my pop-loving self. for years i refused to listen to dance music - preferring something i can yell along to after a few drinks - but acts like clean bandit have brought it to the mainstream in a slightly more accessible form with hits like rather be, rockabye and symphony, and their collaboration with major artists like zara larsson and jess glynne has no doubt boosted their popularity. 

enter their latest relase solo, which features vocals from demi lovato. upon first listen i wasn't fussed, but after hearing it on a night out last weekend i've had it on repeat ever since. it might not have the groundbreaking lyrics of CHRVCHES or lily allen, but it's Feel Good Pop at its finest and i can't get enough. 

the other two tracks are both remixes; following my discovery of 3LAU's into you edit, i've taken it upon myself to listen to every remix of my favourite pop artist as that dance influence gives the songs an extra lift. i discovered the initial talk remix of dua lipa's now-iconic new rules, and like their versions of dancing and the cure, it takes what was in my opinion a somewhat underwhelming song and propels it into a new dimension, one where shoulder pads and perms are totally acceptable. another favourite is the hazers remix of IDGAF, which i added to my Getting Ready playlist almost immediately. 

then there's leland. recently he's gained notoriety as a collaborator of troye sivan and was the co-writer of the anthemic my my my, but did you also know that he's a star in his own right? i can't get enough of mattress, with its huge, stomping chorus, and it also had the remix treatment from calyre, who give the track a club-ready beat. 

4. the 1975

as always i saved the best till last - the manchester quartet debuted new single give yourself a try on radio 1 last night and the melody was instantly recognisable, though i couldn't quite put my finger on what it reminded me of. luckily they played the song three times, and by the second listen i was in tears as it hit me that it sounds exactly like disorder, aka my all time favourite joy division song, and i was overwhelmed by how everything has come full circle. in this post last year i outlined my theory that the 1975 are the millennial equivalent of ian curtis and co. - combining disturbingly self aware lyrics and a sound that transcends cities and continents - so if this doesn't prove my point, i don't know what does.

lyrically the song once again discusses matty's issues with substance abuse in his humorously self-depreciating way and sees him reminiscing about The Passing Of Time - as mentioned above, this is my favourite topic to cry about late at night - yet also feels kind of hopeful. as the title instructs, i'm really trying lately to not be so self-critical and give myself a try. sonically it's a world away from the somewhat chaotic love me - which heralded the arrival of their last album - and as he was keen to emphasise, this new simplistic sound is a conscious decision on the band's part. 

the mysterious countdown on their website gave way to a new music video for the track, which appeared to pay homage to the black and white video for sex and the mirrored set echoing the backdrop of the sound. it's small details like this which make fans feel like part of a community and i take great joy in spotting these self-referential details each time an album cycle comes around.

matty also revealed that there will be two albums, the first of which is called a brief inquiry into online relationships (so much for music for cars) - arriving in october - with the second one released next may. they also plan to embark on a tour in january, disappointing fans who were gearing up to sing their heart out at their local venue later this year. either way, the song will be on repeat until october rolls around and i'll be holding back tears with every listen.

all these songs - and more - can be found here.