Lava La Rue - TLSL (Stitches)
It still pops into our mind how good Lava La Rue was at Boomtown. TLSL is the Londoner’s new single from her forthcoming project, which is yet to have a release date. The contagious, synth driven cut sounds orientally inspired, but still very intrinsic to the best of sonics coming out of our capital. La Rue’s vocal range is pretty mesmerising, the tone of her flow is completely different to her singing on the hook; more wider success feels very imminent for the Nine8 collective member.
Kojaque - Air BNB ft Luka Palm
If you don’t know about Kojaque and his Soft Boys crew, then you need to change that this instant. Both himself and Luka Palm are integral elements of their DIY record label, which is at the centre of Ireland’s hip-hop scene. Selling out shows not only in Dublin, but London too, you can tell that this single was made with live elements in mind. The beat is full of rage, amplifying Palm’s nasally vocal delivery, and (real name) Kevin Smith’s contrastingly quintessentially Irish tone too.
JPEGMAFIA - Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot
The definition of a thot is: ‘a woman who has many casual sexual encounters or relationships’ and JPEGMAFIA isn’t lying when he claims to be this; from the very first second your ears feel raped by the off-centred, scuzzy beat. However, in complete contradiction, the main melody is both psychedelic and sensual, revelling in the bipolar nature of music the Flatbush native made for 'Veteran'. It’s an emotional rollercoaster of a listen, one that hopefully Jesus will forgive JPEG for, as there are some pretty biblical moments on there.
Vince Staples - So What? EP 01
Coinciding with a new tv series, titled very originally as the ‘Vince Staples Show’, ’So What? EP 01’ sees Vince playing with his goofy flow to make a song that actually works well enough to be a title or credits sequence. The bouncy beat makes you bop instantly, but actually the lyrics are a lot darker than the percussion suggests. The fundamental message of the track is “Why kill yourself when you can go and kill a rival?” which is a question Staples asks all his “fans who are suicidal”. Dark I know, but crack it on your speakers and turn it up, you’ll be gun-leaning instantly.
Bakar - Hell N Back
Back with another undisputed indie banger, Bakar is really flying the flag for London’s more alternative music scene. The riff revels in ska influence, the staccato guitar work complementing the trumpets on the hook and catchy lyrics too: “Could you tell where my head was at when you found me? Me and you went to hell and back just to find peace” moans the vocalist with the sort of tone Kele Okereke championed for Bloc Party. We are very excited to hear his fourth-coming project, which is yet to be named or have a release date.
Ayrtn - Magic
Ayrtn came to our attention only a month ago, and boy are we glad that he did. His flow feels incredibly natural for someone who’s only just starting out, and with references to Mario and metaphors for Bacon, there’s really no way you can’t enjoy his latest track. In similar fashion to Lava La Rue’s latest single, Ayrtn has opted for a slightly more low-fi, oriental beat, which we are feeling is the best possible vibe for the summer comedown, and transition into Autumn. Watch the video and listen to ‘Magic’ below.
Pop Smoke - Welcome To The Party UK remix ft Skepta
Pop Smoke’s ‘Welcome To The Party’ has been the choice banger of DJs from all over the world lately. Despite drill’s origins being in Chicago, the UK’s take on the genre is completely different - Smoke’s hit single though, sounds more like England’s version of the sonic than his closer to home American counter parts. Enlisting Skepta was a pretty good move too: “Baby welcome to the party, I’ve got the X, the shrooms, the acid, yes you can see I’m a savage” is one of the hardest opening bars of any verse out there at the moment; Fez fresh Tuesdays will never be the same again.
House of Pharaohs - Whatchamacalit
After their collaborative project with Nyge, we thought that would be the last we heard of House Of Pharaohs for a little while. However, the grind evidently doesn’t stop with these guys, as their new JD. Reid produced track is right up there with some of the best material they’ve ever made. The cheeky, braggadocios lyricism that Sam Wise and AJ in particular bring to the tune instantly gets your head bopping, and Reid’s beat is pretty fucking irresistible. It’s an intergalactic trap banger that gets you jeered up for any occasion; give it a listen below.
A$AP Rocky - Babushka Boi
Fresh from his minor mishap in Sweden, (if you have no idea what we’re on about then where have you been hiding over the last month), Rocky is back with his tour teased single 'Babushka Boy', and a faultless music video to coincide with it. The visuals are an ode to the 1960s Batman series, but it still maintains that AWGE aesthetic that has become intrinsic to A$AP Mob’s visual output. As for the song, the staccato, glitchy beat bangs hard, and Pretty Flacko’s delivery is second to none.
Jorja Smith - Be Honest ft Burna Boy
Perfect for the summer wind down, Jorja Smith’s Burna Boy featuring ‘Be Honest’ is one of the catchiest afrobeat tunes of the whole year. With all the talk surrounding the Walsall native’s love life at the moment, It’s nice to see that this isn’t interfering with the music she’s producing. As good as the song is, the music video is slightly ridiculous. Smith really doesn’t need to be razzing around, what looks like the Blackwall tunnel, on a bike that could have come straight off the set of Tron Legacy. Nevertheless, the duo are a match made in heaven; Burna Boy kills any song he finds himself on at the moment, and Jorja Smith is no different.
Headie One - Ball In Peace
If it wasn’t for our Lost Village excursion last week, we would definitely have reviewed Headie One’s debut album/mixtape ‘Music X Road’. The project manipulates the unique sonic of drill, and makes it into a sound far more layered and complex. One of the best examples of this, although any of the songs really could have been on the list, is ‘Ball In Peace’, which we think samples Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Untitled Levitate 07’. Producer 'the writers block' ingeniously fits the spooky melody into the tales of street life Headie depicts on this song, and the whole of his tape.
Brockhampton - St. Percy
If you aren’t doing the duggy in your bedroom within the first minute of this track, then I feel we could never be friends. When the boom clap beat comes in with the screams of ‘hey’, you will find it very difficult to have any control over your limbs, but let ‘St. Percy’ guide you through the next three minutes of your motion. It is one of the slightly more sinister cuts of Brockhampton’s latest album ‘Ginger’, which sees the boyband reverting back to a sound that embraces the greatness of Saturation.
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