new (and old) music friday #57: tia kofi, VINCINT, years & years, addison rae, tinashe

i was incredibly alarmed to see that it's been two (2) months since my last post, but a combination of lockdown-induced depression and a lack of good music to write about means i've taken yet another shamefully long hiatus (apologies to the three (3) people who actually read this blog). 

but since then, more restrictions have been eased in the UK and we've been able to meet up to 6 people outside, so despite the torrential rain that continues to engulf manchester, i've spent the last few weeks freezing to death outside our favourite gay bar and regret nothing. from monday we'll be allowed to eat and drink inside and i couldn't be more excited, and i'm hoping some of these songs will be played.  

this edition of new music friday will see several songs go head to head in a battle to be crowned Song Of The Summer (SOTS for short). i know it's only may and the temperature shows no sign of increasing, but after completely missing out on any kind of summer last year, i wanted to get a head start.

so in no particular order, here are the contenders. 

1. tia kofi

first up is rupaul's drag race UK alumnus tia kofi, who appeared on series two and was declared baroness basic by her fellow queens thanks to her bargain bin outfits, so naturally i didn't lose sleep over her elimination. 

like many queens, she began releasing music after leaving the show and i was pleasantly surprised by her first single outside in, co-written by tom aspaul of black country disco excellence and victoria hesketh, aka little boots, responsible for the Absolute Banger that is remedy. 

it's been stuck in my head since february, and just when i thought the melody was fading, she released another single with dance producers cahill, who have remixed tracks by selena gomez, demi lovato and Gay Icon cheryl, so i knew that tia's track look what you've done would be a bop, and of course i was right. 

the Incredibly Camp production means it would fit right in at any canal street venue and providing the clubs open as planned in june, i can't wait to yell along to this song at 3am, watermelon VK in hand.

she's also booked to appear at manchester pride so hopefully i'll get to hear them live as well. 

2. addison rae

at 25, i consider myself far too old for tik tok and only made an account a few weeks ago, where i follow a grand total of 3 people. 

but try as i might, i haven't been able to avoid hearing about addison rae, best known for her tik tok dance routines and unlikely friendship with kourtney kardashian. 

like tia kofi, she's also embarking on a singing career, and when i first heard her debut single obsessed, i found myself hate-listening to it occasionally, until i eventually came to the realisation that it's a low-key summer smash in the making. 

the internet has not been kind to ms rae since the song's release, with cries of "too much autotune" and criticisms of the song's lyrics flooding her instagram posts promoting the song. 

however, when it comes to pop songs i don't discriminate, and i couldn't care less who wrote the song or how edited the vocals are if i can play it at full volume ten times a day and not get bored of it, so for this reason obsessed has the potential to become an inescapable SOTS.

3. years and years

when olly alexander of the band years & years announced that it would become his solo project, i was hardly surprised, as he's always been the face of the group and wrote the majority of their second album palo santo himself. 

i was praying for more songs that echoed the dance-pop production of palo santo and starstruck definitely didn't disappoint.

it feels far more euphoric and upbeat than previous years & years releases, and i know it will be A Moment when we can finally hear it in Tha Club. 

4. troye/regard/tate mcrae  

by far my most played song on this list, i was obsessed with you the second troye sivan began teasing it on instagram, playing the five second snippet an embarrassing amount of times until it was finally released in full last month.

a collaboration with dance producer regard and canadian singer-songwriter tate mcrae, the song is incredibly versatile and could be played in the background of a low-key, government approved, garden gathering or at full volume in a club once such things are allowed. 

it also has the potential to bring troye into a more ~mainstream~ space as regard is best known for his work with rising star raye and his mega hit ride it, a remix of jay sean's 2008 song which, like many things, went viral on tik tok. 

but regardless of the new audiences troye might reach, he'll always have the support of The Gays, no matter which producers he works with. 

5. VINCINT 

another song i was obsessed with from the get go was higher by VINCINT, whose 80s-inspired bops have been firm favourites of mine since 2019. 

when it comes to Huge Bangers, it's definitely on a par with his impeccable 2020 single hard 2 forget and i find it hard to believe that there are people who wouldn't rush to the dancefloor if either of these songs came on. 

6. shift K3Y/tinashe

i've always been somewhat underwhelmed by tinashe's muted R&B-inspired pop - though i think we can all agree that 2 on was A Moment - so when she teamed up with house producer shift K3Y for love line, i was hooked straight away. 

hopefully this won't be a one-off and she'll fully embrace the dance-pop sound that made both the MAKJ remix of just save room for us and the alarmingly catchy dance like nobody's watching some of my favourite songs of 2020. 

much like troye sivan, tinashe can simultaneously appeal to gay and straight audiences, with love line being appreciated equally by the pornstar martini-sipping huns at slug and lettuce and the gays who've supported her since her 2016 album nightride and her struggles with RCA records; we do love an underdog after all. 

i also just discovered that she came out as bisexual last year, so we can officially claim her as a Gay Icon. 

7. becky hill 

one of the most unexpected things to happen during last year's lockdown was that i became an all-out becky hill stan, something i wrote more about here. 

her newest single last time doesn't deviate too far from the formula that made her previous releases so successful - this usually involves collaborating with producers and remixers like sigala and MK - but there's something about last time that i can't get enough of. 

it has that same carefree, euphoric feel as the other songs competing for SOTS, and her recent announcement that she's queer will hopefully attract legions of dance-loving gay fans; i'm already manifesting her being the final mystery headliner for manchester pride this year. 

8. bebe rexha 

i've already professed my love for sacrifice - which as i feared was the only good single on yet another new album full of underwhelming tracks - but then two new remixes appeared that have moved me to tears imagining how good they'd sound in Tha Club. 

first is the niiko x SWAEE version, which features the typical house production employed by so many remixers and would be a nice addition to a pre-drinks playlist. 

then there's the gorgon city edit that demands to be played before a sweat-drenched crowd at 4am. with its thumping bassline and trance-like feel, it makes the original seem tame in comparison. 

shamefully it only has 78,000 spotify plays - most of which are probably from me playing it at full volume in my room after drinking a bottle of rosé every weekend - but as i said before, sometimes the most underrated tracks are the best.

9. joel corry/RAYE/david guetta

i couldn't name a more iconic trio when it comes to Basic Bops, aka my new favourite genre of music. 

david guetta has been releasing music since the beginning of the millennium and is responsible for some of the most iconic bangers of all time, while RAYE has been gradually establishing herself as a mainstay of the pop and dance world, appearing on tracks with jonas blue and jax jones. 

then there's joel corry, who rose to fame on geordie shore before turning his hand to music. it's a gamble that paid off as his singles lonely and head & heart both reached the top 10 in the UK charts and he was nominated for 3 BRIT awards this year. 

their collaboration BED was released back in febuary and the chloe wilson remix was released at the beginning of may, and i've had both on repeat.

much like addison rae, i found myself "ironically" listening to him for a while - not like i had much choice as his songs received so much radio play - before realising how much i genuinely enjoyed it, and a few weeks ago i managed to convince my friend to come and see him with me in november at victoria warehouse. 

i'm hoping i'll be able to recapture the energy of the dance room at PRYZM, a club i attended most weeks at uni, but until then i'll settle for playing his songs in my room and hopefully hearing them in Tha Club. 

10. GRACEY/billen ted 

i wrote about GRACEY back in february, extolling the virtues of her low-key pop sound, but her latest release got you covered sees her heading straight to the (metaphorical) club with production duo billen ted, giving us a garage-inspired dance track that i can imagine blasting from every car radio this summer. 

i especially love the fact the song is dedicated to one of her closest friends as i've always believed that friendships are just as important as ~romantic~ relationships but never seem to be discussed in the same way in pop music. 

with so many of us being unable to see our friends in person over the last year, this song couldn't have come at a better time as we're finally able to socialise again, reminding us how important friendships are during tough times. 

~the results~

so now that we've discussed all the contenders, it's time to crown the Song Of The Summer. 

i feel it's always best to go with my gut when it comes to such important matters, but i've also taken into account the number of times i've played the song on spotify, how easy it is to sing along to, and the number of different situations it can be played in.

and the winner is... 

you by troye sivan, tate mcrae and regard. 

i was instantly hooked by the infectious melody, highly memorable chorus, the fact it can be played at both low-key and upbeat social events, plus its ability to appeal to both gay and straight audiences, so i'll continue to play it on repeat throughout the summer months. 

new (and old) music friday #52: steps, moistbreezy, grace davies, troye sivan

sadly little has changed since my last post; i'm still dealing with Work Stress, driving lesson-induced panic and my skin is breaking out so much that i now resemble my 15-year-old self, minus the badly drawn black eyeliner and alarmingly orange shade of maybelline's dream matte mousse (which shockingly still exists). 

i'm also still recovering from this year's pride celebrations, which saw me going out three days in a row. however, despite the actual manchester pride festival being cancelled, it was actually the best pride weekend i've ever had, and as someone whose anxiety has anxieties, it was a relief not to have to push my way through the heaving crowds which usually clog up canal street every august bank holiday. 

i've always been of the belief that having several Close Friends is better than lots of random acquaintances, and i much preferred spending the weekend with a few people i actually care about at a smaller - socially distanced - gathering than fighting my way to the bar at a sweaty club and waiting half an hour to be served. 

however, it does mean that we won't be going out-out for a few weeks, so these bops will have to tide me over until then. 

1. julie bergan

i usually save the best till last, but i simply couldn't wait to scream about the new EP from this norwegian pop starlet. 

the last time i wrote about her was in july, but since then she's released her best song yet, which goes by the name of one touch. 

forming part of her hard feelings: ventricle 2 EP - which includes previously released singles kiss somebody and commando - it gave me goosebumps instantly and i know i'll be playing it on repeat for days/weeks/months to come. 

also worthy of a mention is the other new track all of them; the synth-heavy chorus gives it a ~eurovision~ feel, reminding me of tamta's song replay, which the 2019 entry for cyprus. 

2. dua lipa

the megastar set Gay Twitter alight once again with club future nostalgia, which gave her 80s-inspired sophomore album a - you guessed it - more club-ready ~vibe~. 

i must admit i was somewhat disappointed with the majority of it and i feel like the only way to fully appreciate it would be whilst Highly Intoxicated in The Club at 3am, which sadly isn't an option right now. 

however, i was overjoyed to see love is religion make an appearance, which i still maintain is her best song and much like carly rae jepsen's love again, deserved an official release. 

if i'm being really picky - which i am - i would have preferred if she just released the original track as opposed to the blessed madonna remix, but at this point i'll take what i can get. 

the other standout was the love again remix by horse meat disco (?) which takes the 80s sound to a whole new level, reminiscent of how will i know-era whitney houston. 

i was also disappointed that if it ain't me wasn't included, but there's still hope that she'll follow in carly's footsteps and release side b of future nostalgia, featuring the much-loved (and leaked) collaboration with normani and love is religion. 

3. VINCINT 

as the end of the year hurtles towards us at an alarming pace, i'm reflecting on the songs that have had the biggest ~impact~ on me in 2020, and hard 2 forget by VINCINT sits pretty high at the top of my list. 

i've been extolling the virtues of his impeccable 80s-inspired bangers since last year, a particular highlight being say, which - as i said at the time - features one of the best key changes in pop since greedy by ariana grande. 

however, VINCINT has truly outdone himself with hard 2 forget, which features both an impeccable Big Chorus and a spectacular Key Change.

he recently announced via twitter that he's planning to release a few more songs over the remainder of this year, so hopefully there's more where that came from. 

4. BTS

speaking of Key Changes, it seems like the world of Mainstream Pop might finally be taking them seriously, as evidenced by BTS on their latest single dynamite. 

while i'm not a huge k-pop fan, i adored boy with luv and hoped they would one day release another Huge Banger. 

my prayers have now been answered with their first song to be sung completely in english that also happens to be a chic-inspired bop. 

and then there's The Key Change; a moment so powerful it gave me full-body goosebumps the first time i heard it. 

hopefully this signals the start of the Pop Resurgence i've been praying for over the last three years, and other artists will follow suit. 

5. grace davies

on paper, this should not work; a former x factor contestant releasing a song about Female Empowerment™, a now-tired trope that has become increasingly commodified in recent years - both in pop music and society overall - along with the entire feminist movement itself. 

but for those who remember grace davies' performances on the 14th series of the singing competition, she was anything but ordinary. 

the now 23-year-old wowed viewers week after week with her original songs and distinctive voice, and her version of life on mars? is still one of the best performances i've seen on the show. 

sadly she didn't win, but securing the top spot isn't always necessary for an artist to succeed post-x factor. 

she proved this by signing with simon cowell's record label in 2018 and releasing her debut single invisible in january this year. 

several more singles followed, and all four were released as part of her friends with the tragic EP in june. 

this brings us to not just a girl, which is definitely the most ~upbeat~ of the EP's largely piano-driven tracks, and her take on the aforementioned Female Empowerment "anthems" that have dominated hen parties over the last decade). 

but what sets this track apart is the incredibly personal yet still ~relatable~ songwriting that has become somewhat of a trademark for davies, and while she's signed to a major label, she's managed to retain her independence and find her own sound. 

it's also a Huge Banger that i never get tired of screaming at the top of my voice, which also helps. 

i've long been fascinated with the effect x factor has had on the world of pop music, and while it could be argued that it's no longer relevant in a world where artists can reach millions of would-be fans without the backing of a big label, it's still beneficial for artists like grace who sit somewhere in-between; think bedroom pop on an arena-size stage. 

gone are the days where artists are tightly controlled by record executives and put in a room with whatever producers a group of old white men have decided will sell the most records - stars who emerged via the reality TV route have now gone on to forge their own unique sound, and grace is no exception. 

6. troye sivan 

i really had a hard time getting into troye's latest EP in a dream, despite loving the first two singles, take yourself home and easy. 

third single rager teenager! failed to thrill me, and the 52 second could cry just thinkin about you feels like a waste of valuable album space that could have been filled with either a full length version of the melodramatic snippet, or a huge my my my! style banger. 

i even struggled with in a dream - i read about the song prior to its release in a vulture interview, where its sound was described as "maximalist percussion that would fit a wham! song and grinding synths that take precedence over sivan’s echoing, angelic vocals and gentle guitar interludes", so naturally i was expecting this to be the my my my!-esque bop needed to pep up the more subdued sounding songs he'd already released. 

sadly it didn't live up to this incredible description, and i certainly didn't get a whiff of wham! at any point during those 3 minutes and 50 seconds, but after a few days of non-stop listening in a bid to make myself fall in love it, something finally clicked and i've had this easy, breezy track on repeat in the last few days before the summer draws to a close. 

however, my favourite track has got to be STUD - the production and lyrical content far ~edgier~ than the emotional break-up themed tracks which make up the majority of the EP. 

both a personal exploration of body dysmorphia and self esteem issues and a Huge Banger, it's like the dance break which closes out take yourself home turned up to a thousand, and troye himself summed it best when he described it as starting off "super introspective, in my head, and then takes you to this club scene, where you meet this hunky guy who’s there to save you from all of your body image issues.”

it's escapism at its finest, and while it's not quite the polished pop sensibility he explored on bloom, the track provides a much needed boost of energy which contrasts perfectly with the rest of the EP. 

i'd even go as far as to say it's one of his best songs, and i'm hoping his next release will contain more of these Introspective Club Bangers (a new sub genre perhaps?). 

7. miley cyrus

speaking of bangerz, i can't get enough of miley's latest offering, midnight sky. 

it's distinctly disco while reminiscent of stevie nicks, and it's the Break Up Bop i was hoping troye would bless us with.

i also very much appreciate the line "see my lips on her mouth", because despite the huge increase in LGBTQ artists in recent years, many of them still shy away from using any pronouns in their songs.

the last time i recall such a ~high profile~ female singer discussing a same-sex relationship was halsey in strangers, her collaboration with lauren jauregui, and i can only hope hearing someone as famous as miley being open about it will encourage others to do the same. 

much like in a dream, it took me a few listens to really Get Into It, but once i did, i couldn't stop and was word perfect in about two days. 

she followed up the excellent music video with an iconic VMA performance which culminated in her riding atop a disco ball in true wrecking ball style; we love a self-referential queen. 

much like lady gaga and madonna before her, miley has cycled through a range of different genres since the start of her music career, with varying degrees of success. her "hip hop" era was widely criticised as she was constantly accused of cultural appropriation and her 2013 VMA performance with robin thicke was criticised for what some deemed "sexually provocative" content.  

her last album younger now saw her return to the country roots of her father billy ray cyrus and godmother dolly parton, but it received a lukewarm reception and just two weeks after its release, she stated she was "over it" and "already two songs deep on the next one". 

a collaboration with mark ronson followed in november 2018, and for a while the disco-tinged nothing breaks like a heart was inescapable, receiving its fair share of radio play. 

on reflection, the song bears many similarities to midnight sky, so i'm hopeful that her new album she is miley cyrus will continue in the same vein, and according to wikipedia, she's collaborated with pop heavyweight max martin, producer andrew watt - responsible for bops by rita ora, justin bieber, dua lipa and charli xcx - and billy idol, who is one of my favourite 80s artists of all time. 

if that's anything to go by, i'm expecting a bop-filled album when it's released sometime in the future, but like everything else it's been delayed by the covid-19 pandemic, a vocal chord surgery and her divorce from actor liam hemsworth. 

8. moistbreezy

i first became aware of moistbreezy when she collaborated with boy sim on his excellent track criminal in 2018. she also contributed vocals to arcade, a hyperpop dream released by that kid in march last year.

then in august she released contact, a truly impeccable bop that appears on her somewhat underwhelming new EP breezy.

for me there's nothing more frustrating than this; how can an artist release one good song and the rest of the tracks are so mediocre??

while i fear that contact might be a one-off, i know i'll still be playing it on loop in the coming months.

9. sia and david guetta

another artist who has consistently frustrated me with a string of underwhelming songs is sia. at her "peak", she experienced huge success with tracks such as elastic heart, chandelier and cheap thrills, a song so irritating it still makes me irrationally angry whenever i hear it.

as i mentioned in this post, her talent as a songwriter is undeniable, and she penned a series of outstanding tracks for vox lux, which featured natalie portman as a fading pop star struggling to keep her life together, and i still love listening to private girl, EKG and blinded by love.

i just couldn't understand why she would give away all these excellent songs to other people and release such disappointing ones under her own name, but this could be set to change with let's love, a brand new collaboration with david guetta.

while it's nothing particularly groundbreaking - sounding like a cross between boys of summer and 2013-era CHVRCHES - i'm hopeful that another household name is climbing aboard the SS Pop Resurgence, joining artists like dua lipa, lady gaga and little mix as they bring back the glory days (i had to) of pop music, filling the charts with 80s-inspired synths, key changes and of course, one Big Chorus after another.

10. steps

it would be wrong to talk about the Peak of Pop without mentioning steps, who enjoyed a glorious run of success in the 90s and early 2000s with singles such as 5, 6, 7, 8, stomp (my personal favourite), deeper shade of blue, and love's got a hold on my heart.

their first three albums were all produced by pete waterman, who remains my absolute favourite producer, responsible for bangers such as hand on your heart and the legendary never gonna give you up.

they also hold the honour of being the only band to successfully cover tragedy, chain reaction and better the devil you know, three songs that are so iconic they really shouldn't be messed with.

while everything steps touched during this time seemed to turn to gold (i am SORRY), they split on boxing day 2001 and h and claire went on to form a duo, though they were dropped after just one album due to poor sales.

the group reunited in 2011 and their next full-length album arrived in 2017 after the release of their incredible single scared of the dark, which features a stupendous Key Change and provided a much needed rush of euphoria when it came on during my post-uni nights out.

released to rave reviews, tears on the dancefloor instantly became one of my favourite albums that year and there's not a single bad song to be found.

so naturally i had high expectations for their new single what the future holds, which the group have been teasing on social media all week.

on first impression, it's Classic Steps™, i.e. the perfect addition to the playlist of any respectable gay bar, and has the potential to be a winning Eurovision Banger, but i didn't feel that same elation as the first time i heard scared of the dark.

interestingly, it was written by sia, once again proving my hypothesis that she gives away her best songs to other artists, but if it means we're blessed with bops like this, i'm not mad about it.

as for steps, their sixth album of the same name will be released on november 27th, and i'm hoping for some club-ready bangers that will put it on par with tears on the dancefloor.