July has been a mixed affair. The premier league finally came to a close and Man bloody United scraped into the top 4, unfortunately, but nevertheless some great music has hit our streaming sites, and record shops - which finally reopened too. With the weather barely reaching a measly 20 degrees, its been the music that has brought the heat over to our shores this July. Pre our picks below.
FINN FOXELL - PRESSURE
If we had a music video of the month award, Pressure would have blown all other nominations out of the park. We were left with our minds blown. Visuals have a tendency to match the calibre of tune they coincide with, so it is of no surprise that Finn Foxell’s latest offering is a hit. Judging by this single, and the elevation meditation member’s previous work, his tarot cards should come up trumps. Watch the vid… before you ask yourself what we on earth we are on about.
BEKAH CC - SIGH
Sigh is another ghastly single from Massachusetts’ Bekah CC. In her signature, gloomy monotone, the artist questions our "insect" instincts and acknowledges the "snakes" that try and challenge her tunnel vision. The production is typically eery, so if you find yourself crawling back from a mates in the dark, early ours of the morning, this might not be the one or you. However, at any other point in the day, this tune bangs.
REJJIE SNOW - COOKIE CHIPS
After a long time waiting, Rejjie finally blessed us with some new material this month and it was everything we know and love about Rejjie Snow and more. Working with the dense tones of MF DOOM and brilliant production of Cam O’bi he has created a track which easily satisfies the ears in any weather. Visuals accompanied the track which were equally as angelic, showing Reggie walking alone around a woodland with a group of coloured balloons, which could be a reference to the loneliness suffered during self-isolation. Hopefully, we will see his new album this year.
KANYE WEST - WASH US IN THE BLOOD FT TRAVIS SCOTT
I’m sure this won’t be the first thing you’ve read about Kanye West in the last month… Despite criticism and controversy surrounding Kanye and his announcement to ‘run for president’, as well as the consistent teasing of his new album ‘DONDA’ being released, it can’t be ignored that the Chicago rapper has still produced a great track this month. The energy of this track is only enhanced further by Travis Scott as a feature, someone who has been expected to work with Kanye for a long time now. This track proves that Kanye has not lost touch with hip-hop/trap roots, even after his recent gospel album ‘JESUS IS KING’.
SCUTI - HUH YEAH
Scuti’s debut EP, This Is Skoo, is one of our favourites from 2020. Picking a solitary track for this list was particularly difficult but her flow on Huh Yeah is electrifying. Rhyming with a staccato rhythm, the artist’s effortless ability to hop on and murk a beat is best accentuated on this cut. Any one of the EP’s 6 songs could have ended up on the list.
OCTAVIAN FEAT FUTURE - RARI
Octavian gave us a taste of his upcoming album last week with two new singles. The stand out one, of course, was his slapper with Future labelled ‘Rari’. If you have a whip this is one you wanna be banging out driving late at night, picturing you’re in a rari of your own. Despite not yet quite getting the recognition it deserves, this track could lowkey go down as one of the top trap tunes of 2020.
P-Rallel - Know Why ft NAYANA IZ
If you’ve kept up with our publication, you’ll know we are big on Elevation Meditation and NiNE8; both collectives are frequent collaborators and ‘Know Why’ is their latest combined effort. Dropping from P-Rallel’s latest EP, which we recommend you go and listen to, the track features some typically mesmeric vocals from Nayana IZ. P’s production is on point too, blending hypnotic saxophones with vivid synths and rumbling hi-hats.
Archy Moor - The Long Road ft Osquello
This one dropped into our inbox early this month… and it went straight on all our playlists. Perfect for summer’s smokey settings, The Long Road sees Moor and Osquello kicking over a hazy boom bap beat with their equally effortless deliveries. It’s another single with a prominent saxophone hook; an instrument we are known suckers for. Archy Moor has a new EP coming out in good time, so stay locked here for more info when it comes.
NiNE8 - 079EIGHT
As with all of NiNE 8’s output, the execution behind this single is unblemished. Brimmed with mobile metaphors, innuendos and references, the track’s infectious hook, performed by Lorenzorsv, and punchy verses are what we have come to expect from the collective. Directed by Lava La Rue, the visuals are well worth a watch too - with its contents all filmed using a cellular device.
KOFFEE - PRESSURE
Imagine: you find yourself at a British festival, a typically muddy affair but somehow the sun is blaring, Koffee is performing and you’ve billed yourself a mind frazzling zooty. Unfortunately, such a narrative seises to exist in our current times, but reggae’s current Queen has provided us with a third of the equation. Pressure is another impeccable single from the Spanish Town native.
Feux - Radiate ft Bador
Mr Feux coming in hard n ‘stepping out shinnin’ with his newest release entitled ‘Radiate’. The smooth beat perfectly couples Bador & Feux’s vast encyclopaedia of barz. We’d be silly not to include this one on the list. Shout out to the boys!
KianVSLife - Sally
Sally is another dreamy soundscape from KianvsLife - one of our favourite artists coming out of the south coast. Echoing vocal samples, Mac Demarco-esque guitar licks and minimal drums combine for a contagious bedroom pop banger. Have a listen below.
Alexander & Jet - Let It Off
Big ups the +44 lot for putting us onto this tune. Alexander and Jet are just getting started, but the way they vibe on Let It Off tells us there’s big things to come. The melancholic trap banger is an effortless introduction to both artists, who we know have More work coming out in due course.